Alien: Isolation Has Gamestop Preorder Bonuses

So...

I didn't report on this earlier and it's a shame I didn't, it's a failing of mine that Gamestop recently expressed an interest in getting more involved in the actual development of games and not in a good way. We learned this due to Investment Company R.W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastion, who wrote the following note to Gamestop investors:

"[GameStop] indicated that software publishers are more enthusiastic about partnering with it.  For example, by offering exclusive content on each major game release, and longer term, future models may include GameStop offering exclusive gameplay."

What this amounts to is a retailer teaming up with a development company to see that some content of games would be absolutely exclusive to people who pre-order over Gamestop. It's different from simple pre-order bonus free DLC. This would be actual, substantive chunks of gameplay left out entirely if not purchased through Gamestop. And, fearfully, that future isn't as far off as we might hope.

Cue Alien: Isolation.

This is a game that has us at Gamerzunite very excited, but unfortunately, it seems as if the pre-order bug has gotten its filthy mandibles in this title as well: because the only way you can access entire missions focused on the original cast of the first Alien movie will be if you pre-order the game.   Over Gamestop.  Here's the announcement:

Anyone who pre-orders the game will get a free upgrade to the Nostromo Edition, which includes the bonus content "Crew Expendable". Players can choose to play as one of three surviving crewmembers, only moments after Brett's death at the jaws of the creature. As Ellen Ripley, Dallas or Parker, players can explore the Nostromo from habitation deck down through engineering, coordinating their efforts with Lambert and Ash to lure the Alien into the ship's airlock.

In addition, consumers who pre-order at GameStop will exclusively also receive "Last Survivor" in which players pick up the story as Ripley tries to escape on the Narcissus. On hearing the screams of Lambert and Parker, players must navigate their way back down through the Nostromo in order to activate the self-destruct sequence, before retracing their steps back to the Narcissus shuttle and their escape.

Well.  That's certainly disheartening.  I'm not sure if it's worth encouraging this behavior by pre-ordering the game through gamestop, but I have to admit, it's hard not to want too!