Microsoft is ramping up their online retail strategy by putting together a sale on their recently launched Microsoft Store. The prices are comparable to that of Amazon, but the incentives are fairly heavy as pre-orders of any games come with a bonus of 1600 MS Points, which is the equivalent of $20. Essentially, every game they have for pre-order is available at a 33% discount.
It's notable that Grand Theft Auto 5 appears on the list with other titles slated for an early 2013 release date. Like a few of the other titles, it still appears to use a placeholder cover for its box art but it's heartening to see that the game may be getting an early release this year.
The other titles available at the Microsoft Store for pre-order include Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Lost Planet 3, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Crysis 3 Hunter Edition, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel, Tiger Woods PGA Golf Tour 14, Dead Space 3 Limited Edition, and South Park: The Stick of Truth.
It goes without saying that if you intend to play any of these games on the Xbox 360, you can't go wrong with the offer unless Amazon manages to one-up the discount with something of their own. The only downside to ordering the game from the Microsoft Store is that unlike other retailers, it'll immediately charge your credit card regardless of when the games are released, so be forewarned before you hit the order button or you might suddenly find yourself a few hundred dollars short.
