Collecting CE's - Thoughts in general

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Just a few thoughts floating around in my head at the moment...


Is it just me, or does the UK seem to receive more CE's than anywhere else in the world? Or at least it feels like it at the moment!

Japan are renowned for their love of fancy CE's. They have the nicest stuff, as well as the most random merch (Boobie shaped mouse pad for a console game which doesn't even use a mouse! FTW!). They also have some damn nice stuff, such as Space Channel 5 Part II for Dreamcast

America gets its fair share of CE's, as do we here in the UK and Europe, but I do feel as if we get slightly more than the Americans. Some games we get three or even four different versions, where other countries only get two.


I haven't even counted how many CE's I actually own, and i've lost count of how many I don't. For every one I get, two seem to slip through my fingers.

I remember once there was a time when a CE was a rarity which came only a few times a year, and was reserved for only the most deserving franchises. Nowadays it seems as if every RPG or generic "flavour of the week" receives some kind of special treatment, whether deserving or not.

There was even a time where it seemed realistic to try to obtain a full set of CE's for a single console, where now even that seems beyond most collector's abilities! As a multi-format collector, I can relate to just how hard it must be for others, especially when we're compelled to buy these expensive editions upon release, and sometimes even multiple variants for the same game!


And what of the pre-owned market? How often do you ever see any of the more elaborate CE's appear in your local game store pre-owned? I sometimes spot several SteelBooks, and maybe a few of the larger tins, but generally those who pay twice as much for something special are more inclined to keep hold of it for posterity. Collector's editions for collectors, as it were. Although in this day and age I think most people have internet access, and prefer to sell such things on eBay or privately on forums rather than trade it for peanuts down the high street...


As for investment, some CE's you only see upon release, and then never hear of again. They may crop up once in a while on eBay and command a stupidly high price, but you may go months or even years before you see another... To me, these are the special ones, and the reason why we bother collecting. The ones which many may know of, but few actually own, and it's always a real treat whenever one is offered for auction, especially if it's in nice condition


And what of the posterity investor scene - Some CE's have reached the point where they're so incredibly rare and sought after that they command an unbelievable price which very few collectors can afford, although is completely justified by the CE's scarcity or condition. Some of these are even for current-gen consoles, which makes it even more shocking! Some sealed CE's have reached a point where they are worth too much to be able to sell (Such as PAL Mass Effect for X360), whereas others will sell regardless of the top price (Eg, PAL Dead Rising SteelBook for X360)


I also think that with time some CE's will degrade or will be lost or destroyed or have parts of their contents misplaced or damaged. However, I aso feel that we ive in a time where collector's take price in their elaborate CE's. A time where collecting sealed CE's for posterity investment is commonplace amongst various collector's circles, after seeing past generations mistreat older games - Old Nintendo and Atari games used to come in cardboard cases, and many Mega CD and Saturn games would be scratched

It will be interesting to see in a few years time exactly which CE's were worthwhile, which are remembered, and which become sought after by an entirely new generation of collectors. We are only just now seeing a rise in popularity of CE's, especially considering we have just survived a recession where CE sales were surprisingly at their highest!