Are Limited Editions / Collector's Editions honestly really worth it any more?

[Necrosaro]

I'm currently wrestling with the decision to preorder or purchase games Day 1 as of late, largely because I'm finding many games really don't justify a $60 price point anymore. And recently, Limited Editions and Collection's Editions are getting more and more expensive every year that passes. To make matters worse, some LE/CEs really don't seem to be as 'rare' as the big publishers claim they are, now it's just extras bundled at a higher price point from a Standard Edition, especially if I plan on playing the game anyway.

Case in point: I'm currently debating whether or not to return my Tales of Xillia 2 CE back to Gamestop that I had preordered there. I'm finding that after Xillia 2 came out, the CE package is still available on Bamco's online store. IIRC, Tales of Xillia CE was available for well over a year, up until ToX2 was just released. Which kinda tells me that this CE really won't be that rare at all, unlike the Tales of Symphonia CE, which even after several more copies were made, ended up being about 18,000 units sold (originally it was supposed to be limited to 10,000 copies initially). It's also worth noting that the ToS CE was individually numbered, but the ToX and ToX2 CEs are not. That says something.

So now I'm wondering if I should take my ToX2 CE back and get my $140 (tax included) back. I don't think a CE is worth a little over 2 games + DLC if it's not going to be rare. So, keep it and sell some of my stuff to defray the cost of the package, or take it back and use the money towards a purchase of cheaper LE/CEs, like Ar Nosurge or Persona Q? So far the reviews of ToX2 seem to be pretty mixed, that it's not as good as the first. And eBayers are trying to unload their ToX CE under cost, I guess they feel cheated.

[BadEnoughDude]

Depends on the game, I guess. The Destiny limited editions have been sold out for weeks now, and are returning 140-150% of their cost already.

[Izret101]

^Prerelease hype.
They have sold out AND been back in stock a few times already.


Have "editions" ever really been worth it from an "investment" standpoint?
Probably 97%(+/-2%) of them have plummeted in value and remained there or varied wildly in value but never got back up to or surpassed the original MSRP.

They are made for fans who want more by companies that know(or in some cases believe) they can get get more.
They are not made by companies in the hopes that some day Joe Schmo will be able to resell his highly limited copy for more money than the company originally made.

[SirPsycho]

The only one I'm looking forward to is Persona 5's limited edition release.

I've picked up some "Limited Editions" and with a lot of them I've just been underwhelmed. I don't like when they advertise things like an art book but have said art book be the size of a PS1 manual. You can't see anything. People worked hard to create highly detailed concept art but they'll release it to the public in a book made for ants and charge an extra $50. Soundtracks are cool, but not all soundtracks are good. Statues in big AAA releases are getting to be predictable, and I don't want 100 of them taking up an entire room. How many Balls of Steel Duke Nukem heads are out there? Its hardly limited.

It seems like the only ones that are interesting are ones that offer something unique. I feel like XSEED does a nice job on their 'Limited' releases, especially their PSP stuff. Just avoid most AAA 'Limited Editions' and you'll probably be fine.

[blcklblskt]

I think SirPsycho hit it on the head; XSEED, Atlus, and other niche publishers usually have some great CE's.  The AAA LE's are usually made to help their bottom lines like Izret mentioned.  I think that some of the CE's are awesome (Killzone Helghast Edition), but they usually don't do much for me.

I tend to wait on picking up the CE's because they usually get dumped later on because of how much retail space they take up.

[Necrosaro]

Thanks for all the input guys. I've been watching some unboxing videos of the ToX2 CE and I am not impressed. For $130 before tax/ship, you get the ToX2 game with a white reversible cover (Standard Edition has a black cover), a Rollo plushie, a Ludger figurine, a mini soundtrack CD in a Steelbook case, a replica pocket watch (might be worth something if it actually worked), a hardbound mini-artbook (which for my purposes would be the best thing in this package), which isn't saying much since artbooks usually wind up on imageboard sites within a few weeks anyway, and free exclusive DLC, which is a whopping THREE costumes featuring characters from previous Tales games.

Yeah, I think Atlus and XSeed are the best companies when it comes to LEs (loved my Catherine LE and Ys: Celceta Silver Anniversary Edition). NIS America used to have pretty good LEs a few years ago, but even they're starting to get a little too cheap and overpriced (at least they're limited quantity for the most part), so far the Danganronpa and Danganronpa 2 LEs are the only two LEs I've ordered from them this year. It doesn't help that their quality control on their recent games has been shoddy, with Disgaea D2 having game-crashing glitches with fire-element skill animations, not to mention censorship issues in some of their recent releases this year, not that I'm a otaku purist or anything.

But yeah, I think I'm going to end up going to Gamestop tomorrow and taking this CE back and getting my credit card charge refunded. The only things in the CE I wanted really were the soundtrack CD and the artbook, both of which ended up being a disappointment. I don't really collect figurines, trinkets, or plushies anymore, they just take up space in my room and collect dust. I think based on the unboxing, I'd pay $80, maybe $90 tops for this CE, then I'd feel like I got value for the content. But this CE isn't worth slightly more than 2 games, just my $0.02. I'm sure somebody else will buy it and be happy with it, but with the underwhelming reviews on the game itself, I'll wait for a price drop on the Standard Edition.

Official unboxing video here:

[Necrosaro]

Just to add, The only exception to an XSeed LE that I've bought from them was the Sorcery Saga LE. I didn't really care much for kitchen utensils. But it was cheap, and it came with a mini-poster, so I don't feel too salty about it.

[techwizard]

i used to be really into SE/CE/LEs, but the last couple years i haven't bought any that i can think of. in general i've stopped buying games at launch, last year the only ones i did that for were The Last of Us and Battlefield 4. i was happy with TLOU but really didn't need BF4 at launch. even for stuff i really love like nintendo stuff (Mario Kart 8 for example), i don't feel like i need to spend $60 on it when it'll be much cheaper in a year or 2. my backlog is big enough as it is, there's no rush.

[Necrosaro]

i used to be really into SE/CE/LEs, but the last couple years i haven't bought any that i can think of. in general i've stopped buying games at launch, last year the only ones i did that for were The Last of Us and Battlefield 4. i was happy with TLOU but really didn't need BF4 at launch.

The Last of Us was a game I bought Day 1. But yeah, I've kinda quit binge-buying this year, since a lot of games from big publishers tend to get price drops around the holiday season.

[naisu_boato]

the LE/CE/SE games in my experience seem to vary a lot. i had pre-ordered a few zelda ones, and a few others.  the last story first printing seemed to have gone nowhere, but others seem to do well.  my zelda skyward sword, and windwaker hd seemed to be worth it. i am on the fence on if from a value standpoint if chronophantasma was worth it, aside from it came with a figure, cd, dvd, and art book. i guess it depends on the company caring to make it worth the money?

[Shadow Kisuragi]

They're worth it if you're invested in the franchise - otherwise, they don't tend to hold their value unless they're small prints on popular franchises.

[Duke.Togo]

I'm still hurting from missing the Bravely Default CE. I'd say many of these aren't worth the investment unless it is a game you love, but a few do well in the long run. As far as value, I'm sure it's like anything else: supply and demand.

[techwizard]

if we're talking about money, it's very rare that a game you bought at retail will gain value over time. even if it does, that can take years before you see much of a difference. collector's editions are the same for the most part, especially modern ones when nearly every game has one.

[Boshamp]

For sure. The only CE/LE games I have seen at higher prices than they retailed at to begin with so far have been Fallout 3's Survival Edition, and Mass Effect's Limited edition. It may be a mix of the current economy and market for them, but it seems flipping them is pretty much out of the question, and I believe that CE/LE games will only be bought by customers truly in love with the game...and since they likely have already bought it at release, the market online to buy them would have to be lower.

[Addicted]

As others have mentioned if you aren't a fan of the series it's generally not a good idea to buy a CE/LE on release.
There are some CE/LE that have surprised me by how well they have stayed to the original price or more:

* .Hack G.U. Rebirth CE
*  Bully CE
*  The Last of US Post Pandemic
*  The Walking Dead CE
*  Mass Effect CE
*  Tales of Vesperia SE