Gemini-Phoenix
03-13-2010, 07:23 PM
It seems today it's almost inevitable that every other major release receives somekind of LE or CE SKU alongside the regular edition, sometimes receiving two or three depending on store exclusivity. So with the impending release of the God Of War Trilogy box set for PS3, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss what our favourite, and least favourite, LE's and CE's were...
On the one hand you have quality products, which leave you in awe. On the other, cash-in marketing tat. There are some good LE's / CE's, and then there are some bad ones which leave you with a sense of disappointment, and then there are some down-right ugly ones which are only of interest to hardcore collector's! Plus, with these kinds of things often costing much more than the regular edition, you sometimes want to feel like you've gotten your moneys worth of bonuses. There are some nicely crafted editions out there specifically created with the fans and collector's in mind, but then there are others which have been devised simply to take advantage whilst not offering much in return for their cost, or by offering an inferior product than that which was expected
Personally, I have always been a big fan of SteelBook's. As far as I'm concerned, anything in a SteelBook is a good edition to me, although I do feel as if this is a cheap 'last minute' choice, and is often favoured by online retailers in order to secure an exclusive. They're highly collectible though, so they have that going for them, and take up very little shelf space, although they can be easily damaged
Then there are others where I think "Why bother?" - Fable II is one such game, where we were initially teased with all sorts of wondrous bonus items only for them to be taken away one by one and left with a virtually generic 'slightly-better-than standard' edition - I don't like the 'if only' feeling that this edition projects. There are also others where the publisher has slapped a cardboard slipcover on a regular edition of a game, include an additional online code card, and touted it as being a glorious LE! That's just lack of effort in my book.
Another thing is the packaging used. Many LE's and CE's today comein flimsy packaging, and it can be quite hard to receive a decent perfect example even on day one due to online retailers opting for substandard and inadequate shipping packaging materials, often resulting in your pre-ordered LE/ CE arriving damaged. Some retailers are notorious for this, and some LE / CE packaging is more easily damaged than others (Such as the recently released Final Fantasy XIII compared to the more sturdy Bioshock II)
So what LE's and CE's have had an impact on you, either for better or for worse? Which stand out for one reason or another aside from their aesthetical appearance?
I was impressed with some of the following:
Some of the best...
Alone In The Dark (X360 / Wii) ~ A lot of people slate this set, but I personally think it's a nice collection of items, and it was reasonably priced at launch as well. A shame that the PS3 version was heavily delayed and didn't receive anywhere near the recognition
Bioshock II (PS3 / X360) ~ Perhaps one of the finest examples of a CE to date! Lots of nice memorabilia and merch, housed in a very sturdy box! Even though you may never use half of the items included, they're still nice to set the mood for the game!
Fallout III (Lunchbox) (PS3 / X360) ~ Lots of nice items bundled together in a contextual piece. Lots of thought seems to have gone into this edition
Far Cry II (PS3 / X360 / Wii) ~ A very sturdy box full of lots of nice items relating to the game. One of the more solid CE's
GTA IV (PS3 / X360) ~ Perhaps one of my favourites, and the CE which raised the bar. Not only is there a metal safety deposit box, but also a huge bag, artwork book, and soundtrack Cd! It was also reasonably priced from launch too!
Haze (PS3) ~ A very nice pre-order tin to house the game, plus a vial. Simple, but looks amazing!
New Super Mario Bros Wii (Wii) ~ A special moulded tin which doubles as a money box! What makes this more special is the fact that Nintendo don't often offer LE's or CE's, so this is a nice collectible piece to have
The Godfather (PS2) ~ Not only do you get a SteelBook, but also a pre-order tin which is decorated inside like a coffin with satin. One of my personal favourites!
The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS) ~ An extranagence for just a DS game, but this comes in a huge 'biscuit tin' with a pair of figurines. Again, a nice Nintendo collectible to have!
And disappointed by these for being less than expected or just poor workmanship:
Some of the worst...
Aliens Vs Predator: Hunter Edition (PS3 / X360) ~ Flimsy box, brittle and fragile Facehugger. Redeemed by the sparse bonuses, but generally got the feeling it wasn't worth the asking price
Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3 / X360) ~ Cheap plastic moulded toy. Looks good in publicity shots, but they're very deceiving. Looks nice from a distance, seems a waste of effort up close
Call Of Duty V: World At War (PS3 / X360) ~ The tin for this CE is very nice, but the canteen contained inside is cheaply made and poor quality. I feel that this edition was also not worth the asking price at launch
Fable II (X360) ~ Originally slated to include a plethora of goodies, these were deducted one by one apparently due to production / manufacturing issues. Collector's were disappointed
Halo III: Legendary Edition (X360) ~ Biggest disappointment yet. They missed a trick by not including the actual Halo III CE tin pack. It's bulky and certainly not worth the launch asking price
Modern Warfare II: Prestige Edition (PS3 / X360) ~ The second biggest disappointment. Looks cool, but didn't get the praise it deserved due to cheap tacky 'toy' night vision goggles, where many people were deceived thinking they would be of a higher quality. Most certainly not worth the £120 asking price at launch!
Saints Row II (Gun pack) (PS3 / X360) ~ A victim of political correctness and safety councils. Originallt touted to contain an actual plastic moulded replica gun, restrictions meant that they could only include some cheap moulded packaging. Looks good, and the other bonuses are enough to justify the cost, but collector's got a sense of disappointment from this one
Street Fighter IV (PS3 / X360) ~ For the initial asking price, this set was a huge disappointment. Even more so in America where they only had one figure per console rather than both.
On the one hand you have quality products, which leave you in awe. On the other, cash-in marketing tat. There are some good LE's / CE's, and then there are some bad ones which leave you with a sense of disappointment, and then there are some down-right ugly ones which are only of interest to hardcore collector's! Plus, with these kinds of things often costing much more than the regular edition, you sometimes want to feel like you've gotten your moneys worth of bonuses. There are some nicely crafted editions out there specifically created with the fans and collector's in mind, but then there are others which have been devised simply to take advantage whilst not offering much in return for their cost, or by offering an inferior product than that which was expected
Personally, I have always been a big fan of SteelBook's. As far as I'm concerned, anything in a SteelBook is a good edition to me, although I do feel as if this is a cheap 'last minute' choice, and is often favoured by online retailers in order to secure an exclusive. They're highly collectible though, so they have that going for them, and take up very little shelf space, although they can be easily damaged
Then there are others where I think "Why bother?" - Fable II is one such game, where we were initially teased with all sorts of wondrous bonus items only for them to be taken away one by one and left with a virtually generic 'slightly-better-than standard' edition - I don't like the 'if only' feeling that this edition projects. There are also others where the publisher has slapped a cardboard slipcover on a regular edition of a game, include an additional online code card, and touted it as being a glorious LE! That's just lack of effort in my book.
Another thing is the packaging used. Many LE's and CE's today comein flimsy packaging, and it can be quite hard to receive a decent perfect example even on day one due to online retailers opting for substandard and inadequate shipping packaging materials, often resulting in your pre-ordered LE/ CE arriving damaged. Some retailers are notorious for this, and some LE / CE packaging is more easily damaged than others (Such as the recently released Final Fantasy XIII compared to the more sturdy Bioshock II)
So what LE's and CE's have had an impact on you, either for better or for worse? Which stand out for one reason or another aside from their aesthetical appearance?
I was impressed with some of the following:
Some of the best...
Alone In The Dark (X360 / Wii) ~ A lot of people slate this set, but I personally think it's a nice collection of items, and it was reasonably priced at launch as well. A shame that the PS3 version was heavily delayed and didn't receive anywhere near the recognition
Bioshock II (PS3 / X360) ~ Perhaps one of the finest examples of a CE to date! Lots of nice memorabilia and merch, housed in a very sturdy box! Even though you may never use half of the items included, they're still nice to set the mood for the game!
Fallout III (Lunchbox) (PS3 / X360) ~ Lots of nice items bundled together in a contextual piece. Lots of thought seems to have gone into this edition
Far Cry II (PS3 / X360 / Wii) ~ A very sturdy box full of lots of nice items relating to the game. One of the more solid CE's
GTA IV (PS3 / X360) ~ Perhaps one of my favourites, and the CE which raised the bar. Not only is there a metal safety deposit box, but also a huge bag, artwork book, and soundtrack Cd! It was also reasonably priced from launch too!
Haze (PS3) ~ A very nice pre-order tin to house the game, plus a vial. Simple, but looks amazing!
New Super Mario Bros Wii (Wii) ~ A special moulded tin which doubles as a money box! What makes this more special is the fact that Nintendo don't often offer LE's or CE's, so this is a nice collectible piece to have
The Godfather (PS2) ~ Not only do you get a SteelBook, but also a pre-order tin which is decorated inside like a coffin with satin. One of my personal favourites!
The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS) ~ An extranagence for just a DS game, but this comes in a huge 'biscuit tin' with a pair of figurines. Again, a nice Nintendo collectible to have!
And disappointed by these for being less than expected or just poor workmanship:
Some of the worst...
Aliens Vs Predator: Hunter Edition (PS3 / X360) ~ Flimsy box, brittle and fragile Facehugger. Redeemed by the sparse bonuses, but generally got the feeling it wasn't worth the asking price
Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3 / X360) ~ Cheap plastic moulded toy. Looks good in publicity shots, but they're very deceiving. Looks nice from a distance, seems a waste of effort up close
Call Of Duty V: World At War (PS3 / X360) ~ The tin for this CE is very nice, but the canteen contained inside is cheaply made and poor quality. I feel that this edition was also not worth the asking price at launch
Fable II (X360) ~ Originally slated to include a plethora of goodies, these were deducted one by one apparently due to production / manufacturing issues. Collector's were disappointed
Halo III: Legendary Edition (X360) ~ Biggest disappointment yet. They missed a trick by not including the actual Halo III CE tin pack. It's bulky and certainly not worth the launch asking price
Modern Warfare II: Prestige Edition (PS3 / X360) ~ The second biggest disappointment. Looks cool, but didn't get the praise it deserved due to cheap tacky 'toy' night vision goggles, where many people were deceived thinking they would be of a higher quality. Most certainly not worth the £120 asking price at launch!
Saints Row II (Gun pack) (PS3 / X360) ~ A victim of political correctness and safety councils. Originallt touted to contain an actual plastic moulded replica gun, restrictions meant that they could only include some cheap moulded packaging. Looks good, and the other bonuses are enough to justify the cost, but collector's got a sense of disappointment from this one
Street Fighter IV (PS3 / X360) ~ For the initial asking price, this set was a huge disappointment. Even more so in America where they only had one figure per console rather than both.