Space Marine Demo, Early Access and UK Steam Users. NOT COOL!

[Axyl]

Ok, so Space Marine is getting a Demo. All Platforms, and the PC demo hits the same day as the 360 demo, with the PS3 Demo coming out the next day.

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?not...60063574022776
OR
http://www.spacemarine.com/blog-post...-demo-incoming

PC and 360 demo - August 23rd
PS3 Demo - August 24th.

AND...

Players who have pre-ordered the digital PC version of Space Marine through Steam will receive an exclusive early access period starting on the 18th of August, running through the weekend. Steam will also be running a Warhammer 40,000 bundle sale at a very special rate during the same period. Check out STEAM for more details.

So far, so awesome..

However.. As I previously posted HERE, the game cannot be pre-purchased via Steam for anyone in the UK.
Any and all requests for this to be corrected, or even for an answer as to why (I believe even Mr Rossignol asked THQ to comment) have been totally ignored and met with silence.

So...We're not able to pre-order the game from Steam in the UK. They won't fix it, or tell us why..
and now there's EARLY ACCESS to the Demo on offer for anyone who pre-ordered Space Marine via Steam...
And we're unable to do anything about this.

Honestly, I'm starting to lose all faith in Relic/THQ over this. Utterly disgusting and unforgivable treatment of their UK customers.
For god's sake..Warhammer 40k was INVENTED here in Britian, as Games Workshop are a British company!

Please, I am appealing the mighty RPS Hive Mind and to any/everyone who may be able to help..
Please, look into this problem for me/us? Can this be fixed? If not, why not? Why is this allowed to happen at all?

This is the one game I am looking forward to more than any other video game in my 30 years of life, only rivalled by Dark Millennium Online (which is still a couple years away yet)
That's not hyperbole, or exaggeration..

This is really taking the fun out of it. :(

*Edit* - Posted about this on the Steam Forums as well.
http://forums.steampowered.com/forum....php?t=2059120

[Teddy Leach]

Well, there's ways of getting around demo restrictions. But a lot of THQ stuff has been going missing from Steam. For now, I'm not sure if it's linked to these mysterious "new terms of service", but I'm not sure why that'd only affect UK customers.

[Harlander]

Are we gonna be able to buy it through Steam at all?

[Mohorovicic]

Ok, so Space Marine is getting a Demo. All Platforms, and the PC demo hits the same day as the 360 demo, with the PS3 Demo coming out the next day.

Wow. Splendind job by THQ then.

However.. As I previously posted HERE, the game cannot be pre-purchased via Steam for anyone in the UK.

And even better job with the preorder block. You pre-ordering brain surgeons are just as destructive to the market as pirates that you usually whine so loudly about.

[Unaco]

Are we gonna be able to buy it through Steam at all?

Eventually, yes. Probably. Maybe. Crapshoot?

There seems to be a 'thing' in the UK just now, with games being absent from Steam (see BRINK being removed on release day). Apparently it's to do with deals between bricks & mortar shops and Publishers... Publishers promise not to sell the game on Steam for a few weeks/months, so the old retailers can still make a penny or two selling it in the shops. Apparently. It'll probably turn up on Steam a couple months after release.

[Althea]

Are we gonna be able to buy it through Steam at all?

Probably, but why bother? It's up on other sites, so it's rather obviously Valve dicking around as usual, so just take your money elsewhere. Go to GamersGate and get it for one of the lowest prices currently around, and you get a free copy of Darksiders and a fraction of the price back in magical blue coins. You could go to GAME and get it for £30 (Or the collector's edition for an obscene £80, which is the highest I've seen by far) with some DLC skins for multiplayer.

[Axyl]

It'll probably turn up on Steam a couple months after release.

It's up on other sites.. (snip) ..so just take your money elsewhere.

That's not the point though.
We're still being forced to miss the early access to the demo.
To get early access, you have to (according the the Space Marine Demo links posted in the OP) pre-order the game via Steam.
No other methods are mentioned.

Oh.. and I'm sure many of us already have Darksiders (myself included from pre-ordering Chaos Rising VIA STEAM), so that carries no weight either.

I don't care about WHERE i get the game from..
I don't even mind paying a few quid more depending on where i get it from..

But this is stupid. Forcing us to miss out on a promotional event.
It's down right insulting.

[Unaco]

I was only responding to Harlander's question... hence why I quoted him, and then replied under the quote. The game turning up on Steam IS the point of Harlander's question "Are we gonna be able to buy it through Steam at all?".

[Jacques]

Eventually, yes. Probably. Maybe. Crapshoot?

There seems to be a 'thing' in the UK just now, with games being absent from Steam (see BRINK being removed on release day). Apparently it's to do with deals between bricks & mortar shops and Publishers... Publishers promise not to sell the game on Steam for a few weeks/months, so the old retailers can still make a penny or two selling it in the shops. Apparently. It'll probably turn up on Steam a couple months after release.

Either way, my local Game store no longer has any shelf space for PC games, so both Game and Valve can go fuck themselves. I'll take my custom elsewhere.

[Harlander]

I was only responding to Harlander's question... hence why I quoted him, and then replied under the quote. The game turning up on Steam IS the point of Harlander's question "Are we gonna be able to buy it through Steam at all?".

Yeah. I'm not opposed to buying it elsewhere (especially if it's cheaper) but getting stuff through Steam appeals to my pathological laziness. Click, click, done.

[Althea]

But this is stupid. Forcing us to miss out on a promotional event.
It's down right insulting.

We're UK PC gamers, of course we're going to get shafted.

No DLC for Saints Row 2.
Ubisoft DRM.
No CE for Arkham City.
The Steam vs UK Retail fight.
Less access to promotional events (Space Marine one, Mass Effect 2 Dr Pepper DLC, etc).
Less access to pre-order DLC/bonuses.
No ability to pre-order Skyrim to get the TF2 hat.

I think it's crap, but I honestly think "insulting" is taking it too far. All we can do is, at this point, wait for the publishers, the retail industry and - more importantly, Valve - to pull their heads out of their asses and realise that their customers and fans are getting royally shafted.

Isn't the Competition Committee involved in this at all? You'da thunk they would be.

[The JG Man]

The title is Steamworks anyhow, so no matter where you get it from, it's all gravy in that regard, so that's more of a moot-point.

I was excited to hear of a PC demo, that's pretty shiny, as for the still not being able to pre-order, I don't believe it's a Relic thing. I think it's a strong THQ thing. I do wonder where the PC demo will come out though. Will it be on Steam in the UK or what? Valve/UK Retail really need to get talking and sort this out. It's not on.

[jp0249107]

I don't understand being offended about not being able to get early access. But then again I don't mind having to wait a couple days to play a game. Of course throwing down some extra money to pre-order would offend me too so if it's that scenario then I understand the fracas.

[cowthief skank]

I don't understand being offended about not being able to get early access.

I think it is the fact that simply due to where we live we are denied the early access.

[Axyl]

I think it is the fact that simply due to where we live we are denied the early access.

Exactly. It's just not fair.

*Edit* - Update.. Ruined, a member of THQ, has posted over at the RelicNews Forums that..

There will be a different digital retailer running the deal in the UK, waiting on UK sales to confirm who so bear with us

Now that we'll have our fair chance at early access, I suddenly don't care that it's not Steam I'll be buying it from.
Not an actual fix to the issues our groovy lil island suffers, but it's enough to calm my nerdrage down. :)

[Land Squid]

I don't understand being offended about not being able to get early access. But then again I don't mind having to wait a couple days to play a game. Of course throwing down some extra money to pre-order would offend me too so if it's that scenario then I understand the fracas.

Yeah, I can see why it would be annoying, but "disgusting and unforgivable" ? really?

[The JG Man]

And like I said, it's Steamworks anyhow so so long as people have fair access to the demo and all pre-order deals, I think that just about works out.

Of course now time to play the Where's Cheapest game! (Anyone know? I don't much care for the pre-order bonuses, and I'd prefer retail, but if anyone has a good £ price, I'd love to hear)

[Althea]

And like I said, it's Steamworks anyhow so so long as people have fair access to the demo and all pre-order deals, I think that just about works out.

Of course now time to play the Where's Cheapest game! (Anyone know? I don't much care for the pre-order bonuses, and I'd prefer retail, but if anyone has a good £ price, I'd love to hear)

Have you checked Shopto.net? They're often cheap. GAME is £30 normal, £80 CE, but I think Amazon has the CE for £55.

[goatmonkey]

I may be wrong but were not all the THQ games not being on steam before launch attributed to Game refusing to stock them if they were. I imagine Valve is the least guilty part in this as there is no reason for them to not want people to pre-order games in the UK and so it is likely a publisher decision to not fall out with retail, if this the case I can not blame THQ for not wanting to alienate a huge portion of their market. Frankly if this is true I can only blame retail for bullying in an attempt to keep a part of their business they have neglected for years but now see they have missed out on and rather than compete with a better service they just seek to remove choice for the consumer.

I have no idea if anything I just said is valid it is based of a poor memory from about the time Metro 2033 came out.

[The JG Man]

Have you checked Shopto.net? They're often cheap. GAME is £30 normal, £80 CE, but I think Amazon has the CE for £55.

I had a look on Cheap Arse Gamer. I'm hoping with some things getting closer to the date, more deals might magically pop up.

@ goatmonkey - Valve is definitely just the messenger being fired at, similarly I don't believe Relic would love the idea of limiting their exposure. It's definitely between THQ and UK retail. I wouldn't say it was just Game; I'm sure HMV will try to leverage it as much as possible for as long as they still exist.