Take a stance, what should a collector's edition include

gurpswoo1 · #1 01-21-2011, 05:47 PM

I think it's time we take a stance on these silly EA pre-order edition and other pure DLC limited edition.

So we should discuss a game that we know or will likely get a collector's edition in the future. Then we should say what it should include and the price we are willing to pay.

Be realistic, don't say I want the next Duke Nuken to have gold plated cigar for £50. Also state how many units would make it a limited edition for you.

I think the best ones to discuss is mass effect 3 or the next Oblivion game, mainly because EA will likely do DLC only releases for them.

Once I have all the details I will send the discussion and thread link to the developer along with a cover letter.

MrBubbles · #2 01-21-2011, 08:14 PM

What I would love to see in a Collectors Edition (any game):

A detailed replica gun (for shooter games)
Highly detailed figure
Never released art in a 100+ pages art book
At least a steelbook for the game as an extra
The soundtrack
Discs which are gold plated or something, or in a special color.
A Unique number for every copy.

Maybe not the most unique things, but I've totally had it with the DLC which comes with every game.

gurpswoo1 · #3 01-21-2011, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Maybe not the most unique things, but I've totally had it with the DLC which comes with every game

Completely agree with the DLC codes, why don't they include someone slapping you in the face when you open it, because it amounts the same thing.

Quote:

A detailed replica gun (for shooter games)
Highly detailed figure
Never released art in a 100+ pages art book
At least a steelbook for the game as an extra
The soundtrack
Discs which are gold plated or something, or in a special color.
A Unique number for every copy.

Love your suggestion, the Steelbook, Artbook and the gold or silver coloured disc I especially like.

What I want from a Collector's edition is something to make it truely unique.

Default option should be a steelbook packaging unless something more elaborate such as using wood or maybe even something resin based. Not cheap cardboard or a plastic slip cover.

Quote:

A Unique number for every copy.

I think this truely make a collector's edition, it should be default on all special edition releases.

For Mass effect 3, as it the end of Shepard's story and therefore a trilogy, I would like to see maybe a Trilogy edition, however with Mass effect 1 exclusive to Xbox this is unlikely to happen, although we have seen different editions for different platforms before.

They could include the main characters in one statue like HAlo reach, but again there are some that are only present in one and two.

Icek · #4 01-21-2011, 09:05 PM

It would be nice to see someone pack the LE in a wooden box (SteelBook kind of, not just like Far Cry 2 Collector's Box). That kind of LE would worth extra money, just for the wood.

lhurgoyf · #5 01-21-2011, 09:37 PM

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Originally Posted by gurpswoo1

For Mass effect 3, as it the end of Shepard's story and therefore a trilogy, I would like to see maybe a Trilogy edition, however with Mass effect 1 exclusive to Xbox this is unlikely to happen, although we have seen different editions for different platforms before.

ME1 was released on PC. A Trilogy edition could easily happen, just for PC users

Nikoladim · #6 01-21-2011, 10:07 PM

First i would like to see a unique item from the game packaged as a replica. This i am sure will help in terms of immersion. For example the retro vinyl from Bioshock 2 takes you back in the 30s era. The dog tag from Sc2 brought you into the battlefield of old Gettysburg. The cards and chip from New Vegas open the doors in the Strip. Soundtrack and behind the scenes DVD standard addition. Also i think is mandatory for Rpg and MMo games to have the map of the game. For sequels i would like the addition of the first(s) game, bonus if they are remastered( hl2, gow 3). The packaging also should be the exact opposite from a dvd case. Last i think that if a dlc code-that we all hate them

- is available for the game just let it be unique like the pets from WoW ces. It's no use giving a dlc for free whereas someone else can buy it.
Ps: It would be nice if there was a number of all the pieces that were produced, especially for limited editions.

gurpswoo1 · #7 01-21-2011, 10:53 PM

Quote:

It would be nice to see someone pack the LE in a wooden box (SteelBook kind of, not just like Far Cry 2 Collector's Box). That kind of LE would worth extra money, just for the wood.

Do you mean like the Asian Dragon Age Collector's edition

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ME1 was released on PC. A Trilogy edition could easily happen, just for PC users

Ah I forgot about the PC version of ME1, yeah trilogy could be done for both PC and Xbox360.

Quote:

First i would like to see a unique item from the game packaged as a replica. This i am sure will help in terms of immersion. For example the retro vinyl from Bioshock 2 takes you back in the 30s era. The dog tag from Sc2 brought you into the battlefield of old Gettysburg. The cards and chip from New Vegas open the doors in the Strip. Soundtrack and behind the scenes DVD standard addition. Also i think is mandatory for Rpg and MMo games to have the map of the game. For sequels i would like the addition of the first(s) game, bonus if they are remastered( hl2, gow 3). The packaging also should be the exact opposite from a dvd case. Last i think that if a dlc code-that we all hate them - is available for the game just let it be unique like the pets from WoW ces. It's no use giving a dlc for free whereas someone else can buy it.
Ps: It would be nice if there was a number of all the pieces that were produced, especially for limited editions.

Yeah the Vinyl from Bioshock was one of the most unique items to come with a collector's edition. Also agree with have the casing something completly different to a DVD case.

Mandingo · #8 01-22-2011, 01:19 AM

Eh, the only thing I ask for is that any CE released is priced to reflect its intrinsic value. And no more unilateral CE releases, please!

Gemini-Phoenix · #9 01-22-2011, 02:49 PM

Every decent CE should by default include a soundtrack on CD and a hadback artwork book. These are the staples. Anything else should be directly related to the game rather than just a piece of vaguely related merch or trinket

USB memory sticks loaded with MP3 files and wallpapers are always a nice touch, and these in themselves can become quite collectible.

A SteelBook case or some kind of DigiPak case should always be used in high value and high profile CE's in my opinion! I hate seeing fantastic CE's ruined by the simple fact that they included a bulk standard "NFRS" copy of the game in a plastic Amaray case. It cheapens the look of the CE and makes it feel as if they lack the effort

Bonus Dvd's are always nice to have if you are a fan of a particular franchise, especially if they contain additional content for use either on your console (Such as Avatar items) or on your PC (Wallpapers and ringtones etc)

A bonus disc containing an older game in the franchise. For longer running franchises, it's always nice to have a bonus game included. Eg, if a new Sonic game included a special disc with the original Mega Drive games on it

Faceplates. The US CE for Deathsmiles included a faceplate for the X360. I think this is a great idea, and a shame that more CE's didn't do this. Redundant now as Microsoft are supporting the new X360 S which doesn't itilise faceplates, but they would have been nice to have beforehand...

Branded controllers. Halo ODST had a nicely presented CE with a nice ODST branded Halo controller. Whilst the game itself was nothing special (Standard edition), the controller was nice to have! A shame that they didn't so a controller package for Halo Reach and Fable 3... However, Killzone 3 has a CE available with a controller, so perhaps this will become a popular CE item for 2011 onwards?

Things I don't expect to see:

Statues and figures are so passé. They're boring, hard to maintain when on display (Get very dusty and hard to clean), and a lot of the time they make CE's artificially bigger than they really need to be. After all, us collector's only have a limited amount of shelf space for our collection's!

DLC. It's of no use to any collector, and worthless in a few year's time when the game is no longer supported. Should never be used to bulk out a CE! EA, this means YOU!

Postcards. Pointless in my opinion. They cost very little to produce, yet they often add on £10-£15 extra value to the RRP of a CE for some reason! Total rip off!

Cardboard sleeves. At one time these were considered a premium for many games and Dvd's, however, lately they have become so common that they're now worthless except to the most die hard of variant collector's

Mandingo · #10 01-22-2011, 10:01 PM

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A bonus disc containing an older game in the franchise. For longer running franchises, it's always nice to have a bonus game included. Eg, if a new Sonic game included a special disc with the original Mega Drive games on it

I love it when CE's have this, especially if I've jumped on a franchise a little late.