I never preorder games, but the problem with pre-ordering isn't simply that you might get randomly burned. It's that people are pre-ordering games like Battlefront 2 when there are major issues and concerns that were apparent well before the game came out. Or continuing to preorder games in clearly declining and less consumer friendly series.

I haven't preordered it, but I'm getting RDR2 on release day because I know there is virtually no way I won't get my moneys worth. Rockstar would have to have a company collapsing fuck up to make this game not worth buying for me. There is nothing wrong with knowing what you like, and also trusting in a company with a clear track record. Even if the online system is worse than GTA online, I know I'm still going to enjoy this game for dozens of hours.