Always Play Beta Games That You Pre-Ordered
You really shouldn’t be pre-ordering video games . Getting some shiny exclusive item when the game arrives isn’t worth investing $ 60 on a game that is buggy on launch day or not as fun as you thought it would be when you start playing.
That said, if you can pre-order the game at a location that gives you a decent discount to shell out some cash in advance – for example, if you’re an Amazon Prime or My Best Buy member – and you’re allowed to cancel your pre-order at reasonable time frame, it’s not that bad. Better yet, if the game you’re interested in offers an open beta, you’re golden: it’s a winning combination, an opportunity you should definitely take advantage of to make sure you really enjoy what you pre-purchase.
Beta tests are best for gaming
While an open beta, stress test, or whatever the developer calls it doesn’t guarantee your game wo n’t be cluttered at launch , it’s a great way to test the water. You’ll probably get a pretty good idea of whether the game lives up to all the hype you’ve read or watched, even if the early beta of the game offers a more limited experience than the full version.
If you’re lucky, participating in the open beta of the game might even earn you some exclusive rewards – perhaps even eliminating the need to pre-order a “deluxe” or enhanced version of the game instead of the cheaper regular edition.
Take Mario Tennis Aces, for example, the game that has topped my pre-order list since Nintendo announced the title in March. Nintendo not only announced a limited free beta for the game starting June 1st with multiplayer support, but also built a development system into the beta.
If I play enough, and I plan to do so, I will be able to storm courts with five additional characters in addition to the four that I will receive at the beginning of the beta. I will also be able to unlock an exclusive outfit for Mario as soon as the game releases on June 22nd, which is less interesting for me but could be a huge hit for other tennis fans.
Most importantly, the beta will give me a chance to see how good Mario Tennis Aces is on Nintendo Switch as it is on Nintendo 64 – the last time I threw aces at Mushroom Kingdom characters instead of fireballs. And if the experience isn’t worth paying a fortune to play on launch day, I’ll just cancel my pre-order and wait for Mario Tennis Aces to be in the cart. How simple it is.
Not all beta releases are the same
Should you check out every beta version available? Probably no. Games are one thing – making them mistake free will not cause you any stress. Digital distribution services? Of course, try the Steam beta or try the Battle.net beta to play around with a few new features before they arrive. Try a public test server for your favorite games. Nothing wrong.
Sign up for a beta version of, say, your operating system on your main computer, smartphone or tablet, and one or two errors can give you a huge headache. While this is rare, it is not uncommon for pre-release software to cause dire problems. And if you don’t have an additional device that you can use at the same time, you will be stuck waiting for a stable version of your OS to be reinstalled. If you haven’t backed up your files for a while, but the beta just wiped out your stable system or smartphone, you may have experienced some data loss. This is not good.
Our advice? If you’re even a little nervous about the concept of pre-release software, stick with games. Better to have a bug tainted by a submission than blocking your system, isn’t it?