The Worst Collectors Editions you have ever seen

[MrBubbles]

For me:

Tony Hawk Proving Ground Limited Edition
Battlefield Bad Company 2 Limited Edition

Both games have been released in normal DVD cases. The only Limited part of Battlefield was a code that could be used online. Well, for me that's not enough to be a full size Collectors Edition.

[gurpswoo1]

Red dead redemption limited edition, just DLC codes with a slip cover.

What's more 6 weeks later the DLC codes were given out for free with every purchase of the normal game. What a joke this was.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I would definitely say virtually any CE from EA. They are cheap, tacky, and show no level of effort going into them - Often only including a downloadable extra for online multiplayer. The recent Medal Of Honor game is testament to this, where they even have the nerve to advertise it as a Limited Edition when it is in fact the only edition currently available to buy!

Need For Speed: Shift is perhaps the exception to the rule, which came in a rather fetching rubber tyre packaging, but pretty much most EA offerings are lame


Fable II also deserves a mention, simply due to the fact that we were promised so much, yet when release came around they had dropped almost every bonus and left us with a skeletal edition which virtually no better than the standard edition. Waste of time.

Originally Posted by gurpswoo1

Red dead redemption limited edition, just DLC codes with a slip cover.

What's more 6 weeks later the DLC codes were given out for free with every purchase of the normal game. What a joke this was.

Agreed! HMV and PLAY.com seem to be prime suspects in offering a lame standard edition with nothing more than an exclusive cardboard slipcover and a few downloadable codes and calling it a Special Edition or something similar. I don't know how they can get away with it to be honest! I have given up buying HMV exclusives, as they always seem to be just a standard edition with a cardboard cover slipped over the outer case

[Nlkuysdf]

I know EA has been lacking lately but they've had some great Collector's Editions in the past, Dante's Inferno, Dragon Age, Dead Space Ultra limited, Mass Effect 1&2. That's all I can think of now, but for worst I would go with Fable 2 as well. I know why I got stripped down but this game just deserved a big well done collectors edition instead of a slip cover with a dlc code.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

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)

[twistedsymphony]

while those recent "LE"s from EA are garbage... I think that ANY CE that costs $0 more than the standard edition should be exempt from being the "worst" unless somehow it's worse than the standard edition...

with that said here is the list of my biggest let downs:
-Fable II LCE = we were promised all kinds of cool stuff, ended up being a slip cover with a DLC code... LAME

-Stranglehold CE = $15 over the standard edition got you a crappy behind the scenes DVD and a metalic ink on the cover art that should have been in the regular edition... Xbox 360 owners paid the same price as PS3 buyers but the PS3 buyers got a Blu-Ray copy of the Hardboiled movie... seriously couldn't they have thrown the DVD in there for the 360 peeps... further screwed since Europe got this in a steelbook too.
-Tony Hawk's Proving Ground LE = another crappy slip cover with a crappy bonus DVD thrown in the case for way more $$ than it's worth.

-Call of Duty World At War CE = $20 over the regular edition got you a stupid unuseable flask and a DLC code similar to the recent rash of LE games. Sure it came in a decent tin case but everything else about this CE was total rubbish

-Transformers: The Game CE = yet ANOTHER crappy slip cover with a crappy bonus DVD, at least this one is somewhat rare.

[Steve50013]

Batman Arkham. I was pissed when I found out the Baterang was plastic.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Twistedsymphony

-Call of Duty World At War CE = $20 over the regular edition got you a stupid unuseable flask and a DLC code similar to the recent rash of LE games. Sure it came in a decent tin case but everything else about this CE was total rubbish

I also agree with this. The flask is nothing more than a trinket, and for the additional cost (The PAL version was also considerably over-priced), the least you expect is to have something which is actually useable in real life. Not that I would ever want to use it, mind you, but that's beside the point! At least the tin was a nice touch, but many people have said that the tin is easily dented and the plastic slipcover is brittle and cracks easily, especially on the corners...

[twistedsymphony]

^agreed

not only that they over-produced them, there are stores near me with new Batman CEs in the bargain bin... it's sad

[Nlkuysdf]

^^^Yeah, At my local Best Buy I've seen the Batman CE go from 79.99 to 69.99 to 59.99 to 49.99 within a matter of weeks. I want to pick it up but every time I see it it's $10 cheaper so I keep on waiting.