Re: The Worst Collectors Editions you have ever seen
There are some quality CE's out there (Bioshock 2 and GTA IV spring to mind), but there are others which look nice in publicity pictures, but in reality are actually quite cheap feeling and not as quality as you're initially made to believe. It's a shame that not all companies who create these LE's and CE's make as much of an effort as others.
Capcom are generally quite good at doing the fan service thing, whereas EA just push out a generic CE in order to milk an extra few quid out of collector's. Obviously there are exceptions to both rules. SteelBook's are usually a safe bet, as they look much nicer and even if the editon is lacking in substance, the SteelBook's themselves are still highly sought after as collectibles.
In my opinion, statues and plastic figurines are a cheap tactic, and these can vary in quality depending on the publisher. Some are actually worth the money, whereas others feel like mass produced trinkets. Soundtrack CD's and artwork books are another staple for many CE's, which I have no problem with as these tend to be of a high quality and nicely presented, although I do resent editions which only offer a Dvd of bonus material (Such as "Making of" documentaries) and a code card for DLC
I also think publishers are learning by past mistakes. In teh case of Halo 3, Bungie dropped the ball slightly with teh Legendary Edition by opting to not include the CE as a basis - Something which they made up for with Halo: Reach. Likewise, Modern Warfare 2 and Bioshock embraced the concept of including a lesser edition with their top tier premium offerings, as have many other companies (Eg, MW2 Hardcore Edition forms the basis for the Prestige Edition, which is the same for Black Ops)
What annoys me the most are releases like Red Dead Redemption, where almost every retailer claimed to have some kind of a special pre-order bonus, when in reality they were all offering the same product albeit with a unique code card for DLC.
I would personally nominate any HMV exclusive LE in this thread, which seem to be just a standard edition of a game with nothing more than an exclusive sleeve and a DLC code card - For me a LE or CE has got to be unique throughout, including the case, preferably with unique artwork, and adequate bonus material to differenciate it from the standard edition (Eg, SteelBook's)
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