I’ve always been a sucker for an exclusive/collectors/special edition. Release a movie in a slightly different case or chuck on an extra “making of” documentary and just show me the way to chip and pin machine. But these things are becoming more and more common, you’ve got to start asking yourself what you actually get.
You see the thing is the special edition isn’t just the reason you buy from this store and not that one, you almost always have to pay more as well. Don’t get me wrong, the booty you receive tends to be plentiful and often exclusive – but do we really need it? Years ago I bought the original version of Metal Gear Solid, it came in a lovely big box with a T Shirt and a soundtrack CD. I never wore the T Shirt (I’m geeky enough without help) and lets be honest, that CD was never going to find its way onto my iTunes play list (not that iTunes existed back then).
So I’ve taken a look at a couple of the collectors editions coming our way soon, wether they are worth the extra coin or not is up to you.
Dante’s Inferno GAME Exclusive Death Edition
- Exclusive packaging featuring Dante Ink Lenticular and 9 circles artwork.
- Dead Space Dante playable character skin
- Making-of-the-game-Documentary
- Dante in History Documentary
- Full Game Soundtrack
- Scoring the Inferno Documentary
- Wayne Barlowe Digital Artbook
- Scene from Dante’s Inferno an Animated Epic
- Digital Reprint of the Full Poem
To me it doesn’t add much to me. I’m sure the packaging is gorgeous but I’ve never been a big one for documentaries, artwork tends to get one glance and then never see the light of day again. As for the full reprint of the poem, have you read it? I have, it’ll take you longer to get through than the game. Yes its a classic, but so is Henry V and I don’t read that for fun. The Dante skin is probably a neat nice to have, but where are the extra “souls” that you can download through PSN? Where is the DLC that’s included in the US editions? For me this one is PASS.
Alien Vs Predator Survivor Edition
- The Game & Steel Book packaging
- Exclusive Map pack
- Docks- The caustic alkali waters of BG-386 put an end to Weyland-Yutani’s planned shipping activities. But this dockyard soon became an historic battleground
- Outpost- The site of the original Weyland-Yutani colony on BG-386 was abandoned, and soon reclaimed by the planet’s voracious jungle plant life. It is now the perfect hunting ground for all manner of wildlife.
- Machine – As well as processing exotic ores, the BG-386 Refinery provided electrical power to the colonists at Freya’s Prospect. The lights may still be on, but nobody’s home. Yet.
- Hive – Deep in the heart of the Freya’s Prospect Refinery lies the Xenomorph Hive. Beware all who enter here.
Steel Book packaging is becoming more and more common, but I don’t get it – it’s certainly not worth paying for. The extra maps are really nice, although they’ll be available via Xbox Marketplace and PSN at a later date. As long as the maps aren’t released as free downloads then I guess this is probably worth it – so long as the game is going to keep you playing. My verdict MAYBE
Bioshock 2 Special Edition
- 12” Vinyl LP with BioShock orchestral score
- Three vintage Rapture advertisement posters (rolled)
- BioShock 2 Art Book, 164 pages and hardcover
- BioShock 2 game
Okay first I don’t have record player, second my point about soundtracks has been made several times, three artwork see previous point. Massive PASS on this one, however lot’s of people love this title so I’m sure it’ll still sell by the boat load.
Heavy Rain Exclusive Edition (HMV)
- Heavy Rain Dynamic Theme
- Heavy Rain Official Soundtrack (7 tracks, containing the main orchestral themes, recorded at Abbey Road Studios)
Episode 1 of the Heavy Rain Chronicles – The ‘Taxidermist’ scene - Exclusive Embossed Slipcase Sleeve
Ah same old, same old – but this does have a redeeming feature. It’s not going to cost you any extra than the normal edition, the dynamic theme is for sale on PSN so you’ve actually got the chance to save money. My verdict HAVE IT.
Overall it’s not all bad, the biggest factor is how you personally connect with the title. The Batman Arkham Asylum collectors edition, in my opinion, was well worth it. A full sized batarang and DLC that will never be available in any other way KER-CHING. Exclusives that come with extra weapons or power ups are great (Although the gold Optimus Prime in Transformers 2 was a little strange). Just take a few minutes to think about whether you really need a life sized statue of Mario before parting with extra cash for a collectors edition, but if you think it’s worth it – then it is.
Finally, just in case you were wondering about the top picture. Yes GTA was worth it, even if only for the awesome lockbox.
I think collectors editions are only worth it if you can justify it. I don’t mind enhanced versions of games with bonus DVDs, artwork, and nice packaging, but not all the other items that come with them. Take for example the GTA IV selection: as well as being exorbitantly expensive, the real question is where are you going to store all of this junk?
The way I see it is that people’s lives are cluttered enough, why start cramming your house with expensive, wasteful items you’re not going to use anyway?
Great post on this topic.
Hadouken my friend, glad to have you with us.
That was a fabulous blog post,You discover interesting things every day.