I liked Alpha Protocol as well. Could have used a few months more in the oven, sure, but it was thoroughly enjoyable for me.
As far as the "donation vs. pre-order" debate, I'd say look at it as a donation. When you donate to a candidate's political campaign, there's no guarantee that he or she will perform as well as you like, or even get elected to start with. It's a calculated risk that you may never get what you wanted when you donated the money, but worth it to those who do. Kickstart funding is sort of like that in my view.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
- Mahatma Gandhi