WHY I PRE-ORDERED A GAME BEFORE PLAYING THE DEMO.

 Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a Video Game that was originally released back in February 2012 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 & Pc. A slice of this game, which is simply referred to as a demo, was released a month prior. At the time, I was in the middle of my second year of University and Mass Effect 3 was due out in a couple of months. I there was some cross-promotion for the two games in the form of bonus content. Each game was to feature equipment sets inspired by each other’s lore. There were also bonus items rewarded for playing the game’s demo. 

I recall walking into GAME one day & seeing a giant cardboard cutout set to help promote the game. I never pre-ordered Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning that day, but I had thought about it. Later, I downloaded the demo onto my Xbox 360 without playing it, of course. I remember one day I got on a Bus and returned to GAME to actually pre-order Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning this time. For those who are unaware, ‘pre-order’ essentially means putting a deposit on the game to reserve your copy & in most cases, you receive bonus content for that game. For pre-ordering Kingdoms of Amalur, I received a code that gave me access to additional equipment in the game. 

Some of you may be asking, “Did you ever play the demo?”. The answer to that question is “yes”, “yes, I did”. I played the demo for  Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning at least twice, just to make sure I got the bonus rewards for finishing it in the Full Game. I can say I've enjoyed playing both the Demo and the Full Game. It is a Game that I still play today. Last year, I even purchased the Remaster for the Game with the extra expansion. The Game remains fun as always. Unfortunately, the original version of the game can only be played on Xbox if you have the disc copy & its corresponding expansions have been delisted. You can only play them if you purchased them before they were delisted. The Demo is also no longer available to download. At least we have the remaster, which, for me personally, is better as I have all of the expansions & bonus equipment, including the one I didn’t get for the original version. 

Now for the golden question - “Why Pre-order the Game before playing the Demo?” Sometimes you just know that you will end up liking the Game, and that’s what happened to me. Sometimes you just know how you’ll like something before getting said thing. It is probably an anti-climactic answer, but it is an honest one. That & the fact that I am just weird. 

I would like to write more about this Game & others in the future, as I have lots to say about media with rich story & lore. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this little ramble.

Have you ever pre-ordered a Game before playing its Demo? Let me know in the comments!