ELDEN RING Pre-Order

Pre-orders are a fickle thing. Is it for the bonus content? The feeling of day-one launch? Something new? Something long awaited? Is it because you have become enthralled by the developers behind it? Are you expecting quality or is it purely experience?

Steven Wilson addresses humanity’s innate instant to simply desire what we have yet to own in his album The Future Bites. The concept rings true: gaming is simply entertainment. A coping mechanism upon which gears we have become greedy to expand.

I am even guilty of this. Gaming has become an escape—a relaxation, if you will—from the harsh interactions and long hours of the day and work. I look forward to new experiences, not simply to partake in but to appreciate.

Motives are individualistic, so what I feel justified may be completely different from the person next to me. I have pre-ordered games before—I have had regrets of it and joys. Some I thought I would utilize more than others, and when I ignored that hunch, I usually found myself regretting the purchase.

Games are not cheap. Even more so is the labor put into them. I tried not to add up the numbers, and when it comes to pre-orders, I have learned some companies have no issue discounting within two months of release, and it kills me knowing I could have waited just a little longer 😛

And then there’s “half-baked” pre-releases. You know: the games that had no right coming out a year-and-a-half too early. Games that aimed high and promised an experience ever so appealing—yet the package came with more bubble wrap than product.

The glitches, the content, the narrative, the world-building, the graphics, the atmosphere, the progression—all these and so much more and never guaranteed for sure until it is in the players hands.

So why risk it? Why pre-order when there is no certainty of quality and authenticity? Why put out the full bill when the product may not even be half there?

Is it the hype train? Is it the following? The longing? Is it because you believe in the developer? Or do you trust what has thus been revealed of the game?

Is it the critics? The reviews? The early access streams? The ratings? The gameplay reveals? The trailers? What assures you of the worth alone—not to mention a pre-order on something that is still not in your grasp?

Is it a culmination of all these?

I pre-ordered Elden Ring. Not only that, I purchased the collector’s edition of it. I am hyped. A little too hyped, probably.

I like what I’ve seen of From Software. The quality of their games and the predictability of their promise has been a huge incentive. I appreciate the setting, the lore, the style and combat—from trailers to gameplay to YouTube streams and early-access reviews, I can hardly wait for the game to drop.

I want to play it. I want to physically hold something of it. I want tangible evidence of my appreciate and anticipation for it. I want to make a statement that I value the game—even though I have not played it yet, nor can I personally attest to its quality.

I “justify” my pre-order because of what I’ve seen and heard and from what I have personally experienced of the developer’s previous work.

I stink at Sekiro. Literally. I’m pathetic at that game. But to me it’s still a 9/10. The atmosphere, the mechanics, the story, the characters, the narrative, the setting, the struggle—though it is foreign to me, I highly respect and appreciate every aspect of it. I do not like Dark Souls and probably will never play it (if not for quite some time, at least), but I still respect and appreciate it. I still realize it is deserving of the praise it has received. I still appreciate its story.

I appreciate its art.

And for me, that is what I am purchasing: a work of art. Not just a game. It’s a truly magnificent work that is the culmination of so many things. Yes, I want to play, but more so I want to experience the full scope of this masterful piece deemed “Elden Ring”.

And I look forward to experiencing it. I look forward to a tangible reflection of an intangible appreciation for all From Software has done. For Sekiro. For Dark Souls. For Bloodborne and Demon’s Souls—I do stand behind what I have seen of From Software, and I respect their works. It is because of that respect that I have no doubt in my mind that I will appreciate their latest endeavor. That it will appeal to me regardless of having yet played it or not. Not just what I’ve seen and heard and read—but what they have delivered in the past has secured what I desire of their future. But hey, sometimes #TheFutureBites #CollectorsEdition #EldenRing #FromSoftware #preorder