*S*T*A*R*F*I*E*L*D* / Starfield

As luck had it I had gift points to use at work so put them towards MS points. Premium upgrade only cost me £3.

Yeah, I had this same argument in the Diablo thread and got shouted down over it

It’s a bit shitty, but then if there are people out there with more money than sense willing to pay for few days early access then let them go wild. It doesn’t really impact anything else other than the slippery slope into societal collapse.

And people posting spoilers online

I’m excited about having an Argos group to join, going to fuckin’ smash those Superdrug twats.

Hehe. What's egregious is that Microsoft (and other companies) are acutely aware that the launch of a game - especially one as highly anticipated as this - is an event that gamers want to feel part of, and an event that's fleeting and easily spoiled by blanket media attention. Playing the game almost a week after other players naturally diminishes ones the excitement, and leaves you wide open to the game being spoiled.

Microsoft are using this to turn the screw on people.

It also further normalises chronological access tiers... You want to play a game at release?... Well, then you have to pay for "Gold" access for that privilege. Want to play the game a week after release?... You'll need the "Silver" access tier. Willing to wait a month after release?... You'll only have to pay standard price.

If you're paying for early access, this is the future you're ushering in. My only hope is that the media generally honour the official release date as being 6th Sep, so release day does still feel like a bit of an event, and the game manages to bring a little excitement to my sad little life.

I think that's the situation, for some people, NOT ALL, it's about feeling special and being first before everyone else because the only people who are getting early access to games outside of actual reviewers are influencers.

I mean it's obviously a bit grubby, but you're basically describing... all games, music, and movie sales for almost all time.

Want it on release? Full RRP for you. Willing to wait for the next big holiday? 20% discount for you! Willing to wait a year or more? The world is your lobster, might even appear as a job lot in a humble bundle!

I did get early access to Diablo 4 - #PartOfTheProblem - but that was because I'd decided to treat myself to the Ultimate Edition to see what all the battle pass malarkey was about (bollocks, as it turns out) and because I really love the series and I knew work and time off aligned to rinse it early doors. Exception rather than the rule.

Starfield? I think I'm relaxed if I have some cool stuff spoiled in the week before I go hands on. I'm sure I'd feel differently about a game I was hyped for, but in general as I've aged I've chilled a bit on shit like this.

So, basically, it's what Starchild says: if people with more money than sense, and an over developed FOMO, wanna drop extra coin to get the drop on us rubes, let 'em have at it.  It's not the games industry, it's the larger capitalist machine at work. See also people paying £20 to rent a movie still on at the cinema.

I've literally never paid for early access or unannounced dlc before and don't especially agree with the practice in principle, but it is only video games, not politics. Can't say I care that much.

I don't generally care too much about playing on day 1 and usually wait a for some reviews before jumping in.

However this is a game I've been waiting for for years. Plus I have the house to myself for several day during the early access period and then am busy over the main launch weekend. Im happy to pay effectively £3 extra a day to play when I have time to do so.

If both launches were a week earlier, I'd just get the standard version.

There's a good chance it'll end up shittying up the industry once it becomes normalised. DLC, MTX, special editions, loot boxes, battle passes (so much bollocks), all this stuff can be waved away as 'a fool and his money' but it ends up affecting the basic experience for everyone

Having just discovered my better half is away for the entire weekend of the 1st it appears I may well become one of said senseless mugs…

I’m pretty sure the last game I pre-ordered was Borderlands 2. A more innocent time when I had fewer kids, disposable income, and actually gave a shit about Golden Keys and unique guns that were obsolete almost immediately.

I won’t be paying extra just to start my several hundred hour slog a bit earlier than everyone else, but I’d probably still be an absolute mark for “get a unique item that you’ll never have unless you preorder!”. Thankfully that practice seems to have died off.

I still get hyped for new releases, but in almost all circumstances these days I can never play them on day one. Sometimes it’s just a day or two, but it can also be a few weeks, so I feel like I’m completely outside of that loop of needing something day one. Even Tears of the Kingdom, which was the game I was most hyped for this year, I think I was at least a few days late to and barely hit 10 hours after 2 weeks.

Normal people, sure, but there’s absolutely shut-ins that will no-life it from beginning to end as quickly as possible. Now, in a Bethesda game, that at least lets you discover the side quests or faction storylines free to discover, but for sure you’ll see videos on youtube of the big main story moments before the game officially launches.