I'm really surprised to see so many horror stories about pre-orders!
I went to EB Games in the local mall and did a pre-order. They called me yesterday (11/8/04) at approx. 2:30 p.m. EST and I had the game by 3:30. I guess it's just the online store that is giving the problem. Good luck to everyone who needs to get thier orders. I hope everything from this point goes smoothly.