6 replies to this topic

[Elwood]

I recently bought the Pipboy Edition of Fallout 4. This is the first time I have ever bought a collector's edition of any game so I have yet to see if the extra money was worth it. This got me wondering about what your thoughts on collector's editions of games are. Have you ever gotten any and did you think you got your moneys worth or did you feel ripped off? I think the concept is pretty great as it allows those hardcore fans to get something really special related to that game or franchise they love. The only problem I have is when they come with in game exclusive content. I'm a completionist and I hate it when there's that one suit of armor or that one weapon I can't get because it was a collectors exclusive. Of course I hate exclusives in general, no matter what they come from.

[kirant]

I've purchased a couple special editions (or just substituted by buying after the limited items were freely available on the internet)...and I've never been let down.  It's a great way to show your love if you're passionate about the game and you like the additions.

 

I would also agree about the exclusive content in MMO games.  They've never been a draw for me...but a nice art book or the soundtrack?  I'm in.

[Holy Kensai]

Collector's editions before the game is released is a horrible idea that sells amazingly. Collector's editions with exclusive DLC or content that can affect gameplay in anything but visual regards is just plain dirty. Almost as dirty as if a gaming company decided to release a dlc on an energy drink can.

Collector's editions where you only get digital copies of stuff should also not count as collector's editions. It is also weird to me that games used to come with a handbook and concept art, and now that is part of the collector's edition packages.  Usually with a $2 keychain or desk ornament.

[Fire Blazer]

 

It's a great way to show your love if you're passionate about the game and you like the additions.

 

This pretty much though I'd like to specify that for me it's more... self-satisfying. I enjoy physical bonuses and that feeling of investing into something I really care about, I guess. I'm not getting it to show off or "prove" anything in that "hey, I got the CE, you didn't!" because that's more of a money thing anyway, lol. Sometimes if I just really like a series or something I want to enjoy it a lot and buying CEs helps with that.

 

Granted, now I have pulled back a bit and am much more restrictive on what I buy. money issues aside, I've bought some dumb CEs and wasted quite a bit of money. For instance, the ToS CE was pretty much useless and the price dropped later to really cheap and I kinda feel bad as a result because it's like, idk, these little toy things are useless to me and the game is already worth like $9.99 some odd months after release, but I paid $99.99 + tax for it... i can't help but feel ripped off and in a way I only have myself to blame for that

 

So now if I'm going to buy CEs or LEs or anything it's gotta be for something I already care about and am invested in. That's especially difficult because you have to consider that CEs/LEs usually have to be pre-ordered so if you aren't already into the series or you haven't somehow already seen/experienced the game enough to know you'll really like it, they can't really be justified.

 

like I was cool with the Danganronpa 2 LE but I shouldn't have got that without having played the first and knowing how good a game (IMO) it was. which was the case.

 

on the other hand, I bought the Bravely Default CE and that's a new series and it's not even a game I really like so... that was a dumb move on me.

 

Anyway.

 

Collector's editions before the game is released is a horrible idea that sells amazingly. Collector's editions with exclusive DLC or content that can affect gameplay in anything but visual regards is just plain dirty. Almost as dirty as if a gaming company decided to release a dlc on an energy drink can.

Collector's editions where you only get digital copies of stuff should also not count as collector's editions. It is also weird to me that games used to come with a handbook and concept art, and now that is part of the collector's edition packages.  Usually with a $2 keychain or desk ornament.

 

I agree, because of what I just said above, pretty much. It's a way to secure tons of money and if the game stinks... well dang. gg. It works for games with precedence but just because 3 games in a series were good, doesn't mean the 4th one necessarily will be. Granted, there's limited supply of these things so if you want one, it forces you to jump onto the bandwagon and pre-order... usually. Sometimes it's even dumber IMO because they make CEs/LEs in such abundant amounts that you can easily find them AFTER the game comes out... often for cheaper than they retailed at. I'm just like, is that really even that special anymore? >_>; I like just enough supply to sate people, but not so much supply that it's like, hey, a few or several months later we've still got CEs already and at a discounted price... idk

 

I agree/second the second "paragraph" as yours. Those aren't really CEs to me ("collecting" digital games just doesn't work in my mind), and a basic handbook/a little bit of concept art isn't that special and probably shouldn't be advertised as such IMO, esp. if it ends up increasing the price >>;

[Holy Kensai]

Good points. Can we go on a tangent for a moment and discuss how dumb pre-orders are? They have become essentially the only way to gurantee that you can buy the game (non-digital) on release day since stores rarely order in more than preordered, and sometimes order less than preordered. You are essentially paying for a game that you have no idea if it will have any quality or not. And now we have kickstarter for games too, which is essentially preordering a preorder but with nothing stopping them from taking the money and running.

[Fire Blazer]

Good points. Can we go on a tangent for a moment and discuss how dumb pre-orders are? They have become essentially the only way to gurantee that you can buy the game (non-digital) on release day since stores rarely order in more than preordered, and sometimes order less than preordered. You are essentially paying for a game that you have no idea if it will have any quality or not. And now we have kickstarter for games too, which is essentially preordering a preorder but with nothing stopping them from taking the money and running.

 

lol sure, I dig tangents XD. yeah I don't hate pre-orders but it's annoying that if you want a physical game you're kind of locked into pre-ordering it, and buying it within 48 hours. granted, I use either GameStop's online pre-order system or Amazon most of the time, so I can cancel at the last second if need be, but the whole industry mentality of mentality and locking you into a game before you know how it is/what it's like or else you can't get a physical copy is dumb. This is especially true for niche games--you won't have much trouble finding MK8, Smash, Call of Duty, The Witcher, etc. in a store because they overstock these and know they'll sell for a while, but good luck finding a lot of Vita/3DS games or other games at a good price/in physical form unless you pre-order. this is worsened by cheap pre-order bonuses that tempt you or collector's editions that you (supposedly) can only pre-order and idk, it's just kind of annoying in general. almost feels... dishonest, though I can't really reason out why

 

Kickstarters are bleh, the big people don't use them that well, they often aren't transparent about the amounts and how much the games actually cost to make, some Kickstarters are executed really poorly or the games don't deliver, some you have to question whether it's even needed... it really depends on the Kickstarter but it can get pretty lame sometimes and I rarely support such things myself, I'd rather wait and get some info on the game when it's actually closer to being done and then seeing if I want it, even if that means not getting the special Kickstarter bonuses or whatever (which they do in the first place to tempt you into putting money down on something you aren't sure about and that might not even go well :\)

[^Leo^]

As far as preorders go I'll only do it if I'm pretty certain I'll en
joy the game. I preordered monster Hunter 4 because i really dig the series, but there's no way I'd do it with a game/series i don't know/haven't played yet.

Collectors editions in general are neat i guess. I don't buy them because typically they're a waste of money, but I'm alright with the idea anyway. Getting bonuses for spending extra is fine as long as it's worth it to the person paying for it.