Call it gimmick or whatever you like but it is undeniably sometimes pre-order items are really essential in spurring sales of certain games. I am sure most of the gamer would have put down deposit just for the sake of certain preorder thingy.
However, trying to obtain pre-order thingy has been a hassle in Malaysia since the original gaming scene here isnt as active as it is in other countries like Japan or USA, hence most of time those who are interested to secure some really compelling preorder items would have to part with their hard earned dough and go the hard way plus a little luck to get them. As a gamer who has only started supporting the original games since the DS era, I dont have much experience of acquiring many preorder bonuses but some goodies still manage to make their ways to my collection. The most recent ones happened to be Disgaea DS and Rhapsody The Musical Adventure which came with a stylus, a Rune Knight figure and a musical cd respectively(although I mentioned it is the latest one, do note that the purchase was made last September) but the most notable one and most worthy one should be the Castlevania Portrait Of Ruin. Sure, I had paid premium for this game but the preorder bonus bundles with it was definitely worth the admission. Look at the image below and you would realize all the hard work and effort are definitely worth it.
Hmm, if only every preorder bonus is that sweet, I would dare to say everyone in Malaysia would be more inclined to support the original gaming.(not to mention they should be made easier to purchase as well).
However, it seems like Atlus has a new strategy and a new way to define pre-order bonuses where they will just bundle something cool with their latest games. Their latest games which have been bundled with some cool goodies are like Luminous Arc 2(comes with a original soundtrack and artbook), upcoming Legend of YS I and II(comes with an original soundtrack cd) and also Super Robot Taisen Endless Frontier(comes with an original soundtrack cd as well). This strategy seems to be paid off and has garnered some positive feedbacks among the gamers and I myself really applaud such a good decision where every gamer virtually everywhere(Malaysia also of course) would be able to get some preorder bonuses without paying premium price.(Those are actually obtainable at Play-Asia) But then again, I feel that some gamers might not find themselves to be happy with such decision from Atlus as it may seem that this move might render some of the preorder bonuses to be less valuable, hence make them less interested in getting the games from Atlus, haha.
The following
link features some of the coolest pre-order goodies that have ever appeared, let's see how many of you own something in the list? I know that the Castlevania preorder bonus is listed as one of them, hehe.
