GrimGrimoire preorder bonuses from NISA

NISA has devised a WTF way to milk off GrimGrimoire by having two separate preorder packages with different bonus gifts.

GrimGrimoire Silver Star Special

GrimGrimoire game
GrimGrimoire: the OST
Downloadable Strategy Guide

Bonus: GrimGrimoire Postcard Set, containing 20 special postcards

$54.98 + $4.99 for Downloadable Guide (isn't it already included in the silver star special???)


It seems like the post cards come in a nice binder/folder.

GrimGrimoire Necromancer's Special

GrimGrimoire game
GrimGrimoire: the OST
Downloadable Strategy Guide

Bonus: GrimGrimoire Promotional DVD (region free)

$54.98 + $4.99 for Downloadable Guide (isn't it already included in the necromancer's special???)


"This bonus DVD contains Japanese GrimGrimoire trailers which can be seen on the Japanese official website. You will be able to have a library of all the trailers from NIPPON ICHI SOFTWARE titles, such as Marl Kingdom, Phantom Brave, and Soul Nomad, which will come out this summer in the United States. Though these trailers are in Japanese, you'll be sure to enjoy every little bit of this special DVD!"

WTF! Two virtually identical packages with just different bonus so that they can get your money twice.

I just got their "deal" email too.. bastards.. I send them this emai:

Dear NIS,

I love your games, and I own every NIS related game published in the US. However, I got a feeling you guys are getting a bit greedy? Sorry to be blent, but come on, this new game GrimGrimoire is selling for $40 by itself, but you are charging extra $15 for sound track and post cards? They are very nice items but come on, isn't that a bit steep? How is that a "deal" to us devoted fans?! And I still remember that limited, super special, "only with preorder", "Ar tonelico Soundtrack" which you made us do pre-order registration to get is still selling in your store! Come on guys, don't become too greedy, be nice to your fans please, give us some real deals instead of ripping us off!

I'm still a big fan of NIS games, but like it or not, I have to speak up when I see this.. "deal"..



I guess that post card book look pretty sweet (translation: I am dying to have it) but (1) I am still very bitter about the Ar tonelico - jumping through hoops to preorder but now months after release it's still readily available.. and (2) $5 for a en downloadable guide?! WTF?! they don't even have the balls to print the dam thing but dere to charge us for it as part of the en "deal"... that...

I will most likely still buckle and preorder that bastard of a "deal" just to have that en post card book... but I am pissed...

If you feel the same way, send them some hate mail, maybe the power of the CAG can put them back in their place!

Maybe if I use my RQ points to discount the game some...

but $15 is bullshit for those 'extras'. Downloadable guide? wtf? I can use gamefaqs for that. I want a real guide.

I have a feeling this game will be $10 at TRU in a few months.

These shitty "not the full OST but more like a sample" used to be given away as preorder bonuses from EB / GS... at least, that's how NIS used to do it. Now, they are charging $15 more for it?

I've got a feeling so many collectors feed into whatever they do that they can do this kind of stuff.

All I know is that the Disgaea 2 set lost almost all of its value and wasn't worth the extra money I forked out over it.

It looks like they are charging you $40 for the game, $15 for the soundtrack, and you get the postcards or the promotional disc (lol horrible horrible extra) as your "bonus". NIS should just let people preorder the game and get the postcards for free, I'd do that. I just think it's kind of shitty how they force the soundtrack on you - I for one have no interest in them, I'll take it if it's free, but I'm not paying $15 for shit I'll never listen to.

This game looks to be barely $40, much less $60.

WOW, you have to buy BOTH the package AND the downloadable guide? That is horrible.

Who is doing the guide?

[quote name='willardhaven']Who is doing the guide?[/QUOTE]

It's not Doublejump, I took a look on their site and they make no mention of it on their forums, which is where they list all of the projects - they even have Atelier Iris and Generation of Chaos up, where they did the downloadable guides.

It's probably some dude from within NIS.

wow, that's pretty greedy. I did preorder the game at EBgames yesterday. I'm not sure why they can't offer the preorder bonus to EBgames/Gamestop preorders also. You would get more people to preorder there than online since people want to pickup their game and play it right away instead of waiting for it to be delivered.

[quote name='Roufuss']NIS should just let people preorder the game and get the postcards for free, I'd do that.[/quote]

QFT. Although I hate when developers/publishers only give EB/GS promotional bonuses for pre-orders. I want the bonus but refuse to shop there. ~_~

And what the hell is up with that undeniably shitty promotional disk in the other package? Would anybody actually buy that over the bonus postcards package?

[quote name='Draekon']QFT. Although I hate when developers/publishers only give EB/GS promotional bonuses for pre-orders. I want the bonus but refuse to shop there. ~_~

And what the hell is up with that undeniably shitty promotional disk in the other package? Would anybody actually buy that over the bonus postcards package?[/QUOTE]

Yea, because NIS plasters the "LIMITED QUANTITY BUY IT SOON" all over it, so you'll get NIS fanboys (which there is a good amount) to definitely double dip.

I love how the Atelier Iris 3 artbook is "LIMITED SUPPLY!!!" when every EB / GS in the country is going to get a good amount of them for preorders

But yea, it does seem weird to not offer this through EB / GS when most people shop there over NIS's site - a preorder bonus of postcards would make me throw down $40 for this instantly while I was picking up Odin Sphere.

$60 for this online though, not so much.

This kind of stuff is for the hardcore fans, though. If you are a real die hard NIS fan, you might really want some of this extra stuff. It's not a very good value but you could always show them your disgust with your wallet. If no one buys their preorder bundles, they will hopefully stop doing them.

Looks like we know where Vic Ireland finally ended up.

[quote name='dragonreborn23']This kind of stuff is for the hardcore fans, though. If you are a real die hard NIS fan, you might really want some of this extra stuff. It's not a very good value but you could always show them your disgust with your wallet. If no one buys their preorder bundles, they will hopefully stop doing them.[/QUOTE]

You mean, this kind of stuff is to take "advantage" of the hardcore fans... I guarantee the only way they'll sell the OST + guide is because they are offering that postcard set with it.

Who knows, maybe EB / GS will get the postcard set, they did get the Atelier Iris 3 art book... but I doubt it.

After what I've seen with Odin Sphere, I love Vanilla Ware's work and am willing to roll the dice on this in spite of NIS's price gouging...

What the ? Paying extra to get a DVD full of ads?

[quote name='Roufuss']It's not Doublejump, I took a look on their site and they make no mention of it on their forums, which is where they list all of the projects - they even have Atelier Iris and Generation of Chaos up, where they did the downloadable guides.

It's probably some dude from within NIS.[/QUOTE]

This thread on GameFAQs states that DJ is working on the 40-page miniguide, so maybe they just advertising it yet...

http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=937039&topic=35188907

[quote name='Starky27']This thread on GameFAQs states that DJ is working on the 40-page miniguide, so maybe they just advertising it yet...

http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=937039&topic=35188907[/QUOTE]

Ha, 40 pages?

Lame.

Usually, when Double Jump doesn't decide to do a full guide on something, it means it doesn't really have as much depth as it should or as they expected, which is the reason I've seen them give for why they didn't work on some guides and only did mini guides for other games.

I want the game to be good, for sure though, it's an interesting concept.

they probably saw how much people paid on ebay for the Ar tonelico game + soundtrack on ebay around launch. As for the Disgaea 2 set isnt something you will find on ebay very often and isnt easy to come by.

Yeah, that's why the $5 tag on a 'free' 40-page mini guide is a bit baffling to me. I emailed RosenQueen to see if they just borked up the pages, because they seem somewhat 'incomplete' to me...

Also, so far the only review score I've heard was an 8.5 from Play, but I've read lots of positive previews/impressions for this.

I'm psyched for the game but I think I'll be waiting for it to drop. I'd be all over a 40 dollar preorder (from anyone) with a little something extra but I sure as shit don't need two copies of the game or a stupid DVD with trailers that I can go see on the Japanese website.

A soundtrack or the postcards would be nice but not for those prices.

If it's a full OST I'll get it. I buy game OSTs anyway, and they usually run at least $20, with the big game OSTs going for up to $40. So $15 for something I'm probably going to buy anyway, isn't a bad deal at all. Of course that all hinges on it being a complete one. I had Atelier Iris 3 preorded through them because of the OST, but found out it was missing a song so I cancelled it, preordered the game at work and ordered the Japanese OST.

Well, at least the NIS respond to my rant quickly... lets see if they really would reconsider their "deal"... send them more hate mail guys!!! Maybe we should let them know we are the CAG, with thousands of members... etc... that might scare them a bit more

PS: It sounded almost like NIS is blaming RosenQueen on the crappy deal? Do you think it's possible NIS let these people decide how they package/price their products?

Hello ###.

Thank you very much for taking the time to contact us regarding the preorder
for GrimGrimoire.

We are always grateful to hear how our fans feel about our service and how
we conduct business.
We really appreciate that you voiced your opinions.

Please know that your mail has been forwarded to the management team of the
RosenQueen Company.
The management team will take your thoughts into serious consideration in
regards to the "deal."
We cannot guarantee that they will reduce the price for this GrimGrimoire
preorder campaign, however, your comments will reach the people who make the
executive decisions.

The RosenQueen Store is still a young company, and it is certainly important
for them to receive feedback from our fans in order to
improve their service and to satisfy our devoted fans.

Once again, thank you for your honest suggestions and opinions about the
preorder. Our most important duty is to satisfy our
fans, as is it RosenQueen's as well.

Please let us know if you have any further comments, questions or concerns
regard this matter.

Have a great day.

Best regards,

NISA Customer Support

[quote name='Pijaibros']Looks like we know where Vic Ireland finally ended up.[/QUOTE]


Seriously, NIS. If I even get this game it will be in a retail store with no bonuses. I'm not paying TWENTY ING DOLLARS extra for some lame ass bonuses that should be given away for free with a preorder.

[quote name='Asgardian']Well, at least the NIS respond to my rant quickly... lets see if they really would reconsider their "deal"... send them more hate mail guys!!! Maybe we should let them know we are the CAG, with thousands of members... etc... that might scare them a bit more

PS: It sounded almost like NIS is blaming RosenQueen on the crappy deal? Do you think it's possible NIS let these people decide how they package/price their products?

Hello ###.

Thank you very much for taking the time to contact us regarding the preorder
for GrimGrimoire.

We are always grateful to hear how our fans feel about our service and how
we conduct business.
We really appreciate that you voiced your opinions.

Please know that your mail has been forwarded to the management team of the
RosenQueen Company.
The management team will take your thoughts into serious consideration in
regards to the "deal."
We cannot guarantee that they will reduce the price for this GrimGrimoire
preorder campaign, however, your comments will reach the people who make the
executive decisions.

The RosenQueen Store is still a young company, and it is certainly important
for them to receive feedback from our fans in order to
improve their service and to satisfy our devoted fans.

Once again, thank you for your honest suggestions and opinions about the
preorder. Our most important duty is to satisfy our
fans, as is it RosenQueen's as well.

Please let us know if you have any further comments, questions or concerns
regard this matter.

Have a great day.

Best regards,

NISA Customer Support[/QUOTE]

Er... aren't RosenQueen and NIS pretty much one and the same?

Like I said earlier, they only way they can sell the downloadable guide and OST en masse are to bundle them with something very valuable, like the postcard's, and there is enough collector's out there to justify it.

I'll do the same thing DoK is doing, probably.

I just checked, and yeah it's not even the full OST. Definitely should be giving that away for free.

It just pisses me off because those postcards look extremely nice, and I'd order it in a flash from the site if it was the game + postcards.

I'm getting it retail, from GS. I wouldn't get it at launch period if it wasn't by VanillaWare. Odin Sphere kicks so much ass it just demands it. But $15-$20 extra for a partial soundtrack & postcards? I don't think so...

[quote name='dragonreborn23']This kind of stuff is for the hardcore fans, though. If you are a real die hard NIS fan, you might really want some of this extra stuff. It's not a very good value but you could always show them your disgust with your wallet. If no one buys their preorder bundles, they will hopefully stop doing them.[/QUOTE]I'ma tell it like this,

all u haters, NIS are in geniuses with this rite here.

it's as said, there are so many die hard fans out there who are very loyal to the company and will give in to so much.

NIS on the other hand, they're a very small company. VERY small. The manpower they control seriously cannot invest so much into their operations.

So... let's turn to our diehards who will cough up an extra TWENTY BUCKS for something we're printing out of our deskjets / burning out of our dvd-rs (I jest btw, I am sure the quality is far greater, but still hella cheap to produce)

then it's like, they got money for both themselves AND to make more games (becoz they can only make so many bad PSP games which prolly costed them a dime to put on the shelves)

Grim Grimoire is gonna be a dope azz game yo. I'm definitely gonna buy it, not the preorder one, but msrp for reals. I am sure the quality of the game will can not be denied, so one of the worst things that could seriously happen is losing a pre-order fan to a release-date standard pack fan.

in other words, nobody asks you to preorder, but the anger in this tpoic shows that some ppl definitely want to and are torn over the present situation. They're not forcing u these bundles a la Working Designs, they're only offering the option becoz they kno it will work and they will bank off it

Come on mate, Working Designs' packages were pretty freakin awesome, have you seen them? I've collected most of their games and the extra they've included were definitely worth all that I've paid for them.

I'm not saying this new package from NIS is total crap, it's just a bit steep, and it clearly shows IMO that they are getting greedy - IMO. The post card set seems great and I really want them, but the "half ass" sampler sound track and that en joke of a $5 d/l guide?! those are pretty lame man... so for just the post cards, charging extra $15 is a bit steep IMO... If they include a proper printed guide and a decent art book, I'd immediately hand over my $60 without thinking twice...

They are only charging what people are willing to pay. Judging from the demands of Ar tonelico and Disagea 2 on ebay at launch, people are willing to pay.

I'm not ing preordering this crap from NISA. As everyone said, they want $20 + $6.44 S&H for a half ass OST, post cards and a downloadable guide (someone said it's only 40 pages). I would rather pick it up at a retailer for full price with no bonus, or more likely, wait till it drops or gets clearanced somewhere.

It was nice of them to give out bonus OSTs and artbooks for their past releases, and only charged $4.95 for shipping. Now they switched the storefront to RozenQueen and charged $6.44 for shipping, and at the same time trying to con you into buying more craps before giving you some so-called really limited bonus gift (take a look at their Ar tonelico, they still have plentiful of the bonus OST).

If they sell the game only with the bonus postcard included...plus $6.44 S&H, I would glady preorder it.

I'm not ing preordering this crap from NISA. As everyone said, they want $20 + $6.44 S&H for a half ass OST, post cards and a downloadable guide (someone said it's only 40 pages). I would rather pick it up at a retailer for full price with no bonus, or more likely, wait till it drops or gets clearanced somewhere.

It was nice of them to give out bonus OSTs and artbooks for their past releases, and only charged $4.95 for shipping. Now they switched the storefront to RozenQueen and charged $6.44 for shipping, and at the same time trying to con you into buying more craps before giving you some so-called really limited bonus gift (take a look at their Ar tonelico, they still have plentiful of the bonus OST).

If they were to sell the game only with the bonus postcard included, I would glady pay for the S&H and preorder it.

[quote name='eau'].
(take a look at their Ar tonelico, they still have plentiful of the bonus OST).
.[/QUOTE]

Ha, that's the best, they made people go through some big ordeal of registering to preorder, then preordering during a certain time, because the OST would be SOOOOOOO limited, yet many months later you can snag it with the game off the website.

[quote name='Roufuss']Ha, that's the best, they made people go through some big ordeal of registering to preorder, then preordering during a certain time, because the OST would be SOOOOOOO limited, yet many months later you can snag it with the game off the website.[/QUOTE]
Clicking a button twice really wasn't a huge ordeal. Plus people that preordered got the OST for free, and the game a day early. So can't really complain about that.

Apparently, they aren't forcing you to get the guide anymore... they don't even list it as part of the contents of the package like what is in the OP.

However, I put it in my cart just for kicks, and it doesn't list the postcards anywhere - just the game and the OST.

Maybe enough people complained that they took it out? Now it just says "Don't forget to add the guide too, for a more enjoyable gaming experience!"

[quote name='Roufuss']Maybe enough people complained that they took it out? Now it just says "Don't forget to add the guide too, for a more enjoyable gaming experience!"[/quote]

Here's some e-mail they sent me. Just some bullshit explanation in my opinion and if they ever want me to spend $6 on pre-order shipping through them ever again they need to drop the stupid shit.

[quote name='Shuji Hsueh (shuji @ nisamerica.com)']
We are truly sorry for the confusion we have caused you.

We have divided the bonus items, GrimGrimoire Postcard Book and GrimGrimoire Japanese Promo DVD because these items are limited in number and we wanted as many customers as possible to have the chance to enjoy them. There are also differences in the number of products with these bonuses available, so we decided to divide it into two different packages. We did not intend to instill the thought that we were ripping our customers off, or to cause any confusion with our preordering packages. We simply wanted to give our customers a choice, so that our fans could enjoy our product. But if any of our customers felt that we were ripping you off, we will apologize from bottoms of our hearts.


For the GrimGrimoire™ Silver Star Special and GrimGrimoire™ Necromancer's Special, one does not have to preorder the Downloadable Strategy Guide to receive the bonus items, the GrimGrimoire Postcard Book or GrimGrimoire Japanese Promo DVD. At first, we were thinking of including the Downloadable Strategy Guide in one pack, but our system did not allow us to mix physical products with downloadables (e-products). So to clear the confusion, we decided to give away free bonus items without requiring the purchase of the Downloadable Strategy Guide. We are truly sorry about the mis-wording we recently had on the website. We wanted to offer all of our customers the chance to better enjoy the game by having the Downloadable Strategy Guide. Any customers who have already preordered but want to get a refund should contact us at [email protected] to receive a refund for the Downloadable Strategy Guide. But we assure you that one would enjoy the game from their heart if they have the strategy guide by their side while playing the game.


Also, the word “Special” on our product name was not meant to denote a special discount for buying it as a set. We meant it was special because if you buy the set, you will be receiving the limited bonus GrimGrimoire Postcard Book or GrimGrimoire Japanese Promo DVD for free. The price of the set is the total for all items in the pack, which is $39.99 for the video game, and $14.99 for the soundtrack; a total of $54.98. Please click on the Strategy Guide too, as it may help you attain a more enjoyable gaming experience.


Thank you very much for letting us know about the confusion. Hopefully this e-mail has clarified everything to all of you and we have updated the site to reduce any further confusion.


Again, we truly apologize for the confusion.[/quote]

Basically it seems like they know they won't sell an imcomplete OST by itself so they put pre-order bonuses with the bundle in attempt to get more money.

At the end of the day, NIS is a tiny company, and they are just trying to make some money. If you dont think the extra stuff is worth the premium (I dont), then dont buy it, its as simple as that.

Ive supported them in the past, and I will support them in the future, Im just not gonna support this particular effort. I may still get the game, but I dont need another sampler soundtrack to throw into the pile of soundtracks I have that I have never touched.

[quote name='Draekon']Here's some e-mail they sent me. Just some bullshit explanation in my opinion and if they ever want me to spend $6 on pre-order shipping through them ever again they need to drop the stupid shit.

Basically it seems like they know they won't sell an imcomplete OST by itself so they put pre-order bonuses with the bundle in attempt to get more money.[/QUOTE]

Y'know part of me is bitter that they did charge an extra $15 for 'freebies'. But then again, don't the Japanese packages like this often cost well in excess of the standard price for the games? Maybe NIS is just capitalizing on this logic and selling it here. It's not like Working Designs was, where the only copy you could buy was the deluxe $70 copy, but at least NIS is offering the choice. I guess my point is often we don't see any of the bonuses that Japan gets (the Odin Sphere Artworks is a good recent example of this). If certain companies start offering those items for sale here in a deluxe package and customers buy them, maybe we'll start seeing more of those items making their way over (I'm eyeing you Persona 3 Deluxe Edition)...

EDIT: Upon glancing around the net, I found the JPN Grim Grimoire cover. I kinda wish NIS had kept that one as it would've made a nice companion piece with Odin Sphere.

[quote name='Puffa469']At the end of the day, NIS is a tiny company, and they are just trying to make some money. If you dont think the extra stuff is worth the premium (I dont), then dont buy it, its as simple as that.

Ive supported them in the past, and I will support them in the future, Im just not gonna support this particular effort. I may still get the game, but I dont need another sampler soundtrack to throw into the pile of soundtracks I have that I have never touched.[/QUOTE]

See, this is my problem, if it was a real OST, maybe, just maybe I'd consider it, but Rei has already said it's not. Instead, they give us a butchered "OST", but the catch is that the bundle something really unique and awesome in the package.

And I can't believe that response they gave - again trotting out all the catch words to make collectors jump on this. You mean to tell me a Japanese promo DVD is rare and highly limited? Please. Maybe if they made one big package with both the postcards AND the DVD, that would be a little better. There is no reason to seperate them unless they wanted to get people's money twice.

I'm a big fan of video game artbook, especially high quality stuff like we see from Gust and Vanillaware (the artbook is part of the reason I'm getting Atelier Iris 3), which is why I might actually go ahead and get the Grim Grimoire Silver Star set. If there is anyboy who wanted the OST at a discounted price (Rei?) I'd be willing to dump it for cheaper ($10 shipped?) than what NIS wants for it - that's the only way I can justify it for myself.

I'm a big fan of video game artbook, especially high quality stuff like we see from Gust and Vanillaware (the artbook is part of the reason I'm getting Atelier Iris 3), which is why I might actually go ahead and get the Grim Grimoire Silver Star set. If there is anyboy who wanted the OST at a discounted price (Rei?) I'd be willing to dump it for cheaper ($10 shipped?) than what NIS wants for it - that's the only way I can justify it for myself.

Click to expand...

Thing is as soon as I found out the OST wasn't the full one I just grabbed the Japanese version. I'm a huge video game music buff, and am more than willing to fork out the cash for a soundtrack. It just annoys me because if they had put the full one in the package, I'd have snapped it up in a heartbeat.

Which is a shame since Sakimoto composed the music in Grim Grimoire. Was never a huge fan of his, but his work is definitely quality. And he did some amazing work with Odin Sphere. Definitely his best work in that game (Final Fantasy Tactics fans, I'm sorry. Odin Sphere OST>FFT OST).

I understand it most likely has to do with the cost of licensing, but the hardcore fans that NIS appeals to are used to paying a good amount for this type of stuff. So I don't see why they don't just license the whole thing.

And yes, those postcards do look really nice >.

[quote name='Starky27']
EDIT: Upon glancing around the net, I found the JPN Grim Grimoire cover. I kinda wish NIS had kept that one as it would've made a nice companion piece with Odin Sphere.[/QUOTE]

I just looked it up myself, you're definitely right, that cover art is stunning.

I'm still curious as to who is buying both versions of this set :lol:

[quote name='Roufuss']

I'm still curious as to who is buying both versions of this set :lol:[/QUOTE]
Sadly, I believe I know a lot of people who are >.< Those people you mentioned that get suckered into this stuff, I'm one of them as are a lot of my friends. I have no doubt a couple of them will be getting both of those. While this particular deal is not up my alley, I've bitten on similar things before. Hell, ADV has gotten me to buy the entire Evangelion series 4 times so far. And with the upcoming $250 Anniversary Set, it's going to be 5...

[quote name='Starky27']Y'know part of me is bitter that they did charge an extra $15 for 'freebies'. But then again, don't the Japanese packages like this often cost well in excess of the standard price for the games? Maybe NIS is just capitalizing on this logic and selling it here. It's not like Working Designs was, where the only copy you could buy was the deluxe $70 copy, but at least NIS is offering the choice. I guess my point is often we don't see any of the bonuses that Japan gets (the Odin Sphere Artworks is a good recent example of this). If certain companies start offering those items for sale here in a deluxe package and customers buy them, maybe we'll start seeing more of those items making their way over (I'm eyeing you Persona 3 Deluxe Edition)...

EDIT: Upon glancing around the net, I found the JPN Grim Grimoire cover. I kinda wish NIS had kept that one as it would've made a nice companion piece with Odin Sphere.[/quote]

While I understand your point, Working Designs in my opinion did a lot better job with localization than Atlus or Nippon Ichi have ever did. Their extras were also lot better with things such as their special hardback instruction booklets, metal trinkets (watch/medallion/etc), and whatever other stuff they added in. Not to mention they were very well made. With that said, I felt it was actually worth the extra money. I do think it wouldof sold much better if they hadn't forced most of their games into bundles but that was their loss. Though I probably sound hypocritical for thinking like that and probably sounded pissed (when I'm not, just saddened) in my earlier reply.

The thing I don't like about it is just forcing people who want the bonuses (pretty much postcards in this case) to buy something that's sold completely seperate along side of the game. They didn't do it with Atelier Iris 3 since you could get the Art Book with the bundle or not, so I didn't really mind that and ordered through NIS since I don't deal with GS/EB. Then turning around with GrimGrimoire with the incomplete OST is rather disheartening and they need to not do that sort of thing again in the future. Hopefully with the complaints sent in with GrimGrimoire we won't see them forcing a seperately buyable extra onto us just to be able to get a pre-order bonus.

I do have one other complaint about NIS or at least whoever is managing the RosenQueen Store. That would be that when I asked if anywhere else would have the artbook bundled with it besides their own store, they said no. Gamestop and EBGames are, to my knowledge, suppose to carry it too.

And yeah, the Japanese GrimGrimoire case art is much sexier than the North American case art. The NA art isn't horrid though, so that's good at least.

[quote name='Draekon']While I understand your point, Working Designs in my opinion did a lot better job with localization than Atlus or Nippon Ichi have ever did.[/quote]
That's quite a controversial opinion lol.

[quote name='Rei no Otaku']Sadly, I believe I know a lot of people who are >.< Those people you mentioned that get suckered into this stuff, I'm one of them as are a lot of my friends. I have no doubt a couple of them will be getting both of those. While this particular deal is not up my alley, I've bitten on similar things before. Hell, ADV has gotten me to buy the entire Evangelion series 4 times so far. And with the upcoming $250 Anniversary Set, it's going to be 5...[/QUOTE]

Well, everyone has double dipped on DVD's, for various reasons - I can understand that, but buying a game / OST twice just to get a promotional DVD in Japanese that is probably extremely common?

That just seems crazy.

I guess the real reason this deal is so shady, to me, is they could have easily put the promotional DVD and the post cards together, in one package, for more value to those paying $15 over MSRP. Instead, they split them up only to get $60 out of people twice, which is what seems greedy.

I mean, people are paying NIS money so NIS can send them a DVD promoting their products... it's like you're paying them to advertise to you for free!

And hell no Working Designs didn't do a better job localizing... if WD did Grim Grimoire it would be filled with President Bush jokes, and other inside, hip, 2006 jokes.

[quote name='Rei no Otaku']That's quite a controversial opinion lol.[/quote]

Yeah, unless you talk about voice acting. Then my opinion is that Working Designs definitely isn't the best since the industry seems to be getting better and better now-a-days with it. God it use to be so horrible in the past but now with games like Odin Sphere, my ears don't bleed when using english voices.

[quote name='Roufuss']And hell no Working Designs didn't do a better job localizing... if WD did Grim Grimoire it would be filled with President Bush jokes, and other inside, hip, 2006 jokes.[/quote]

We'll have to disagree then.

Put it another way, the industry has finally catch up to Working Designs. People keep saying the Clinton jokes but WD only add jokes for NPC for characters that otherwise have nothing interesting to say. It is not like their jokes ruined the story. The main story in pretty much unaltered.

The promotional DVD seems unless for me. Why would I need promo for a game I already paid for? I think i will watch the thing on youtube later on.

I'm confused, I thought the guide was free with the special package- is this the case?
If they went game, full ost, bonus dvd, strategy guide and postcards for $60 + shipping, I think it would be an easier deal for me to jump on.
As is the two deals splitting the extras prevents me from preordering.

There are 2 special packages:

1) game + ost + free postcards = $54.98

2) game + ost + free promo dvd = $54.98

The downloadable guide costs $4.99 and is optional as far as getting the gift stuff is concerned. People raised hell on them and they dropped the guide requirement for getting the free stuff.

The new issue of EGM gives the game a rather low ranking. Is it that bad?

IGN rating for GrimGrimoire: 8.4

Impressive!

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/796/796022p1.html