Hey now everybody, hope you're all doing well, and welcome to my discussion on the topic of Collector's Editions! Being a gamer in today's modern world can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Not only is it hard to keep up with all the new releases, but there's also multiple consoles, VR, mini consoles, and the list goes on. For someone like me, who really loves collecting physical media and has always been big into gaming, there's always something new I want to get. Usually I can't justify spending the money, so I pass on most things and try to keep my collecting under control. But sometimes I will make an exception when it comes to games that receive a Collector's Edition. These can range from affordable to outrageous, amazing to pathetic, and some are just ridiculous. So let's dive in and explore the world of Collector's Editions.
This age we live in seems to get more and more futuristic all the time, depending on how old you are I suppose. Technology has become an everyday part of our lives and because of the advances we've made a lot has changed in the past couple decades. Things like rental stores have all but disappeared thanks to movie streaming, and DVDs are becoming less and less popular. Some people purchase all their games digitally now, essentially buying a code to play the game instead of having something tangible. Personally I hate this new trend for a number of reasons and I hope physical media never fully goes away. I don't think it will anytime soon, but I could write a whole post on that topic so I'll just move on now.
Games have been getting Collector's Editions for quite a long time, but it used to be a pretty rare occurrence. Despite having so many options and physical media becoming less popular now, for some reason I see more Special Editions than ever. It seems like every month there's a game I want to get that also has a Collector's Edition and I have to restrain myself from picking it up. That being said, I do own more than a few of them, but only for certain games that are special to me. If something new is coming out for one of my favorite series, or something really big that I've been anticipating for a long time, I will try to get the Special Edition if it isn't too expensive, or sold out already.
A new genre of extremely difficult games have emerged recently thanks to developers FromSoftware, and it's quickly become one of my favorites. Something about overcoming such an intense challenge gives me a feeling that I don't really get from any other kind of game. That's why when Dark Souls 3 came out back in 2016 I was compelled to pick up the Collector's Edition. Prior to this I never paid much attention to them, but after that first one I wanted to keep getting more. As someone who loves collectibles in general I was really drawn to the statue that came with it, so that's something I always look for when a new one gets released. When Sekiro came out last month I also grabbed that Collector's Edition as well.
Last year when the latest God Of War game was getting ready to hit store shelves I was absolutely hyped to finally get my hands on it. I knew this was going to an amazing game and I was anticipating it's release since it got announced so I decided to get the Collector's Edition. It was a bit more pricey than I would have liked, but it was worth it to me. One of my favorite franchises of all time is Resident Evil. When I heard that Capcom was doing a Remake Of the second game I couldn't believe it and obviously I got the Collector's Edition. These games have all been special occasions for me, so I enjoy having something to commemorate them, but I do have my limits. Some of these can be pretty ridiculous and I wonder if anyone is actually buying them.
The Resident Evil 2 Remake had a standard Collector's Edition that was pretty expensive already, but then it also had one that was $900. The only thing it had in addition to the normal version was a replica typewriter that's featured in the game. This little typewriter connected to your computer as a keyboard and didn't even function as an actual typewriter. That's an outrageous price for even the most die hard fans. When Red Dead Redemption 2 was released I wanted to get the Collector's Edition. I looked into it and realized that it didn't even come with a copy of the game. You had to spend I think $200 for the Special Edition and also purchase the game full price on top of that. This is when things get out of hand and I feel like developers are just taking advantage of their loyal fanbase.
If you're someone who's passionate about gaming, or collecting, it can be easy to get carried away with these things whenever a new one is ready to come out. I would have to say that most of the time it's not worth your money to buy all these Collector's Editions. Some of them don't come with much, some don't even have a copy of the game included, and some are downright insulting. But personally, if there's a new release that is special to me in some way, and comes with a nice statue, I'll consider splurging a little bit. So far I've been pretty selective, only owning a handful of Collector's Editions, and I don't regret any of them. I treat it like a special event that adds to the excitement of a new game that I've been looking forward to.
That's just my opinion though. What do you guys think about Collector's Editions? Do you have a ton of them that you've been collecting for years, or do you have no interest in them at all? Feel free to let me know down in the comments, and have a great day!
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