Are Collectors Editions of Games Actually Worth Collecting?

Can't believe people get suckered into buying "collectors" editions. Royal waste of money.

most CEs are not worth buying unless they have a really good art book (Age of Conan anyone) or a really cool item (lunch box, night vision, etc). The rest is just developer self gratification...

I will not buy CEs for in game content that changes the experience...

Oh and the CE for Dead Space 2 made me feel embarrassed to be a gamer...

I have a lot of collectors editions. Majority of them I don't buy day 1 and wait until they get cheaper or if I get a good deal, if it's from a game I adore I will grab it straight away but I don't buy any for games I don't like because I wouldn't have a use for them then.

I love statues though - seems like the guys in the video only care about is 'clutter'. I would actually put my stuff on display in my house. But it's personal preference, the video would have been more interesting if they have 2 sides of the story.

1 person who absolutely loves the novelty of having a collectors and then another who just wasn't fussed by them.

As someone who doesnt like clutter there are very few items I am willing to allow to decorate a room and as someone who also enjoys video games immensely these are such items.

I achieve a sense of nostalgia when looking at such items and feel like the time I spent with the game was time I will never get back but I wouldn't want it back (other than to spend it the same way)

Then of course if the game was shit they wouldnt last 10 years down the line. If you see no value in the Skyrim dragon I would be more than happy to take it off your hands as I didn't have enough money at the time to purchase one myself :P

Collectors like @greg55556666 and others like him do not enjoy that privilage of buying CE if you dont open that stuff it becomes junk if you think you own that stuf think again it owns you,i dont seem point of this kind of collecting,you say you like game but only collect to sell when it hits the price...buy CE open them wear t-shirts use those stuff its pointless just to keep them in boxes..

I think that if the CE is from a game you really love and enjoy you should get it if you have the extra $$, I only have one CE and that was for Mass Effect 3 I am very happy with it, I would have liked the one for Dead space 3 but not available in mexico, so the not so limited edition and a steelbox are fine for me, I like it when you get extra DLC for the same price as the standard version.

CE are for big fans of the game its a way to get something extra, you should get the ones that have meaning to you

Each one can spend his money as he wants. It is his right.

Personally I find mos CE items like Diablo statues, Assassin Creed clothes, Neverwinter rings completely silly. I also have no interest in artwork. At least no interest to pay extra for it.

About the art issue, anything can be art. From a unique pre-development drawing that took hours to complete to a child's drawing that took 5 minutes. The difference is to be able to tell the two apart. Same goes for statues etc.

I completely agree on the issue of rarity. Most CE items are not limited. Which again even if they were limited, this does not mean they have some sort of value by default. If a good artist makes 5 unique pieces that have artistic or historic value then indeed scarcity adds to their value. If my niece pick her nose 5 times in a lifetime, people should not buy her "discoveries" if I marketed it as AliensTM acid substance.

Finally a little piece of advice from an old fart like me: There are NO houses/appartments that a Lara Croft statue could blend in with the decoration without ruining your chance to have s e x for the rest of your life. There are plenty of basements though that a statue like that would fit perfectly. But then again ... you get the point.

On a more serious note I do see a point in it if someone would want to spend more money to support the company he likes.

ANd of course there are exceptions.

i couldnt disagree more with this video

Well it's like saying I am not going the pub because I'll just piss is down the drain! You do it because you enjoy it! Who cares in 10 years, buy it, don't buy it, enjoy it, don't enjoy it, STFU!

First I will admit I bought the DNF collectors edition with the statue, poker chips, etc. Huge waste of money in terms of the game, the extra stuff is interesting but nothing special. In terms of other collections I got a naruto game but it just came in a steelcase with a card, MW2 in a steelcase, pokemon soulsilver and it'ts figure, LBP2 for all the dlc and the stands, that's about all I remember. Overall all the stuff that i got don't clutter my room but now with games such as Killzone 3 having its collectors edition for $30 I feel like I wasted money on the normal game for $54. I think if you just wait on certain games you can get these statues for the right value.

The statues aren't really much more than the trophies or achievements we get except that instead of investing hours and hours of extra time into the game, we're spending money.

I like the statues myself though I do wish they were higher quality. There's a lot of digital content that I wouldn't pay for (special weapons and unlocks? GTFO) but the statues are similar to a soundtrack in that they remind me of the game in a nostalgic kind of way... except:

It's actually also a pretty good conversation starter. Someone walks in and BAM you've got Alduin on a shelf and then next thing you know, you're talking about arrows in the knee.

No there not worth it. I can remember the good old days of big PC game boxes when they just use to frow loads a goodies in for no extra cost like t-shirts etc. These collectors eddition these days with the figures are not worth the price tag with some mounting up to £100.

So, basically you guys took seven minutes to say the single word that everybody else was thinking, namely:

"DEPENDS".

in a word "nope"

i like the ea type limited editions that give you free dlc, they have meaning to them and they dont cost extra either

Short answer: no.

I have bought a few CE of my favorite games Halo, GOW, etc but honestly, the only CE I have purchased that really I feel was worth is was Halo 3 there was a ton of extras such as themes and such and GOW3 the gear is kinda cool? Other than that the others i have bought were just okay.

I love collectors editions of certain games because of their looks, I would rather decorate my shelves with gaming collectors editions rather than other stuff but that is just me. Check out my video of all of my collectors/limited edition games. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHWfAIL7wc0&list=PLQb6rMXdDKzIGZd0H3Y5-njtyly-mtDZg&index=19

Do you like memorabilia?

No: Don't buy the CE

Yes: Do buy the CE

It's as simple as that.

Do I smell a ton of giveaways coming soon?

As you guys mention in the video the demand for most games made today is not limited by supply. They tend to over sell and make collector items to appease the manufacturers. I really only buy collector editions if I want the things in it or know I can resell it to pay off my video game debts.

the only CE i don't min are those that are double packaged with artbooks, metal cases etc. Examples are the ME2 & 3 CE, DX: HR CE (PC) and Hitman: Absolution these are great. Now, you add in a statue or those old school oversized PC boxes then I my get the standrard edition cause those take too much space. Big fan of the elder scrolls, but I was not gonna get the CE with a giant dragon. not my thing.

the GTA4 collectors edition is the only collectors item i don't regret buying

I've only boughten 2 CE games. One was Dark Souls because a Metal tin, Art book, and Digital Soundtrack were worth the extra 10 dollars. The other was Metroid Prime Trilogy with a metal case. Didn't cost me more than normal price. I personally hate statues. I don't plan on buying any CE that includes one. I like art books and soundtracks. Skyrim's CE was nothing more than a waste of money in my eyes. Glad I passed.

When it comes to big statue pieces, I typically don't care. If it comes with select unimportant extras in game, such as a decal on character models that shows that the said user bought the limited collector's edition, that stuff helps. I also like soundtracks. Extravagant behind the scenes footage which shows their struggles and successes are a plus as well. Art books with narration from the artists that also portray their difficulties, inspirations, and favorites are worth some extra money if they're well built and thicker than 100 pages.

bought the diablo 3 collectors edition just because i was waiting the game for so many years and was excited about it and giving those extra money was my respect for blizzard for making this happen but the game was a disappointment and the little head was a crapy plastic shit. i have never bought before a collectors edition item and i didnt know that the quality of the items inside the box would be so cheap. i dont think that i m gonna buy again a collectors edition of anything i just did it for the game and i would only do it again for a game like metal gear solid or god of wars or gta (my favorite games) and only if knew that the quality of the items inside the box are real things and not cheap plastics. i wouldnt care if i had a high quality statue from god of war on my desk or from metal gear because it would be art not just a cheap thin on my desk

Nope, not all, but that still didn't stop me from buying the only collector's edition I own: the one for KH 3D.

I got the CE of Lords of Shadow. I HATE the crappy packaging. I'd trade it straight up for a standard edition in a heartbeat.

I loved buying my Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox 360 with controller, headset and a copy of Halo 3 to play. Its the most useful special edition of a game I've ever bought as have to use the xbox to play it. It still works after 6 years!

Will it be worth anything better in 10 years? If it still works, then yes. Will it go into the bin when it dies? Probably. But I got my money's worth.

No. But people who buy them know that.

for me no. I dont even like buying the hardcopy of games anymore they just take up space.

You give me a steel case. I'll buy it all day

i think it depends on your point of view... i buy real collectors editions every couple of years if it is something i really like.. for example i bought the mortal kombat 9 CE with the artbook and the little statue of scorpion "spearing" sub zero. and some minor dlc content (classic costumes, wallpapers for the ps3, etc.). I never expected to get a cash value out of this collection, but i grew up with the MK series starting from playing MK1 against my uncle on arcades in bars when i was little and i always liked the characters, especially sub-zero and scorpion, so it has kind of a sentimental value for me and it doesnt look that bad.

the next CE i will buy will be the god of war ascension CE coming next month, because kratos is one of my all time favorite game characters, from "personality" to design and that little statue looks good to me. the dlc content, double xp on multiplayer, doesnt even interest me that much because i dont know if i will even play MP (depends on its quality i guess). but the online pass for future dlcs could be good, depending on the dlcs. plus i like the steelbook cases, they look real good on my shelf :)

i dont think they should get rid of the statues, the whole CE business is focused not on making a financial investment i think, but for fans of the games and series. even if some are crap, nobody forces you to buy them, usually the extra content can be bought as dlcs a couple weeks after release.

Halo 4 also had a great special edition- some awesome fan service stuff like journals and blueprints, HD stream access for the Forward Unto Dawn feature cut and the first 3 map packs.

I'll come at the argument from a slightly different perspective. I preordered the collector's edition of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance- it was expensive, and the bonus lamp (while kind of cool for a fan) is ultimately not something I wouldn't be able to live without. So why did I bother? I'm a fan of the series and wanted to support it. Would I have voluntarily given Kojima/Platinum/Konami more money for absolutely nothing? Of course not. But they gave me the option to support the game more than simply buying a standard retail copy, with a degree of compensation (the art book being more worthwhile to me than the HF Blade lamp), and I chose to speak with my wallet to tell the industry "I support Metal Gear going to interesting new places". I see it as the counterpoint to pirating games, which basically says "I like playing your games, but F**K YOU!"

That being said, with DLC season passes being all the rage nowadays, I think if they gave you an art book/steelcase for the price of the game plus the pass, that'd be the best bet. Little bonus for fans, but only if they gamble on supporting the DLC before it is even announced. Modern Warfare 3 actually did this very well with their Hardened Edition.

as Robert explained I am stunned that some one able to get paid $5533 in 4 weeks on the internet. did you read this linke........ BIT40. ℂOℳ

It's a difficult one to put on paper, but it usually comes down to the game and the content of the edition. Statues need to disappear from the scene, they aren't well made and forgive me for saying this, are often tacky. Artbooks, soundtracks, small items relating to the game, making of disks and extra content is welcome, but is only really worth it if the game is extremely good.

We're talking 9s throughout the board, game of the year, high metacritic score and so on. You won't buy a collector's edition of a sleeper game. But oldschool games are now collectible items also, try finding a copy of System Shock 2 in physical form today, not exactly cheap. So these are the perspectives you have to take up on the topic.

I liked collector versions at fiorst, an extra 20 bucks for an art book, and a soundtrack, and couple extra goodies?! why not, but in the last few years it seems like a lot of game devolpers, are shortening what they offer as psyihcal extras and would rather make digital ones, yeah that saves them in cost, but I like my art books, and statues, and sound tracks, and then we have the multiteried collector sets, take the last of us collectors editions survivors and pandemiic editions, there's no reason for 2 editions, them, put them in one set, and it would have some great extras, instead of only a few per package...

I have struggled with this many times. Most of the time it comes down to funds and what is in the collectors edition. I do like the behind the scenes dvd's and art books that come with some of the sets, but I usually do not buy the MOST expensive edition.

Are Collector's Editions of Games Actually Worth Collecting?

No.

In the future it'll be collectors item and you can sell it for tons of money. :)

It's crap, plain and simple, spend the money on these crappy failing games to make them better, you should be offering this intial DLC on the original game instead of putting in on the collector's edition.

This stuff wont' be worth anything to anyone except a fan of a series and if they are willing to pay for it.

Since I no longer buy games at full price just because of crap like this and DLC for collector's edition, screw you gaming companies, I'll buy your full DLC/GOTY edition for less than $10 instead of paying $120 and still have to buy later DLC content.

The brutal legend statue and resident evil controller are pretty awesome