Jimquisition: Limited Collector's Complete Edition

[Mylinkay Asdara]

Game of the Year editions have their purpose, and collectors editions of things we know and love already to bitsy bits have a purpose - other than that, you're right, it's become very confusing with all the "you get this if you buy here, but that if you buy there" things that have suddenly sprung up in that past few years.

Is it so much to ask to buy the whole game, at once, with everything at the same time, while it's still relevant?

 

[ms_sunlight]

Bundling DLC and expansion packs with a game a couple of years down the line to eke out some extra sales (e.g. Neverwinter Nights Platinum Edition) = A Good Thing.

Treating all your paying customers like effing mugs from the outset = A Bad Thing.

Simple. Incidentally, you'll notice Bethesda didn't bother with day-1 DLC with Skyrim. Could it be they've finally learned the horse armour lesson?

If people want to buy collector's editions with T-shirts and posters and figurines, more power to them, but the game content should be the same. Anything else is just insulting.

 

[The Great JT]

We don't thank you because we thank god for you, Jim.

 

[Elyxard]

Last year I only bought 3 games new; Dark Souls, Catherine, and Portal 2. Why? Because these were actually finished games when they were released.

Every other publisher releases buggy, unfinished products while dropping the DLC carrot in front of your face, thinking that their product is worth more than 60$. No, it's not. When the Sims 3 is launched with paltry content with thousands of dollars of day one DLC to buy, I know damn well I'm being abused. When an in-game NPC in Dragon Age Origins peddles me DLC, I want to burn your headquarters down.

I have never felt good with myself after buying an EA game or many other publisher games because I always feel like I've been screwed in some way. I want to buy a finished game, and I have since resolved to never purchase games that are diced up in content since. I don't buy a book and expect to buy the missing pages later down the line. I buy the complete book, and then I buy the complete sequel if you absolutely must make more money.

They have certainly lost a hell of a lot of money from me from their anti-consumer tactics. The next time EA wonders why they aren't getting CoD or Skyrim numbers, they can't look at the used market, they have to look at themselves.

 

[Jennacide]

This pretty much lines up with everything I already believe. EA found a way to alienate me from buying ME3 and Kingdoms of Amalur with their continued preorder DLC for different retailers, cross-game content demos, and now requiring fucking Origin to play them.

 

[mronoc]

Totally agree about Enslaved. I bought it for $30 on Amazon, and thought it was a great game for the price, but I'm not sure I would have felt the same if I had spent a full $60. Now the game's basically become the best possible argument against the idea of $60 as a universal default for retail games. If Deadly Premonition can sell enough units at $20 to generate sequel buzz, then Enslaved could have done just fine at $30.

On the main point, I wonder why no developer has tried rolling the first-day-DLC-code idea into the season pass concept, and just include codes in new copies that would give early players access to future DLC. It would certainly make the $60 price tag a little easier to swallow.

 

[EvilPicnic]

This is why I've been buying games +1year on the curve. All the content, one third of the price. What fools buy games on release day anyway? ... ok, well, me. But only if I really really heart a franchise or dev team (e.g. Valve)

I just bought Assassins Creed 2 for the price of a decent paperback (remember books?)

And I agree with your other point. As I see it, the majority of the gaming world's problems, for all concerned, come down to the publishers having too much power over the developers, the stores and ultimately the customers. They're the middle-men, so why are they in control?

Part of me is glad the system is on the verge of collapse - then we have the chance to rebuild it in a better, more equitable model.

Same goes for the music industry. Fuck the middle-man.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I was just thinking about the same thing Jim decided to talk about when I saw 3 different Max Payne 3 pre-order bonuses. I don't know which one I want to pre-order. I feel completely alienated and turned off by this. I don't want one pre-order bonus over the other when I know that Rockstar will release the GOTY edition like they always do. And one of those bonuses is described as first payed DLC for free. Which means there will be at least one more later on. So fuck Max Payne 3, I'm not gonna pre-order it. I doubt I'll even buy the damn thing.

 

[Elyxard]

On the main point, I wonder why no developer has tried rolling the first-day-DLC-code idea into the season pass concept, and just include codes in new copies that would give early players access to future DLC. It would certainly make the $60 price tag a little easier to swallow.

That's a fairly good idea. An actual reason and reward to taking the risk and the wallet hit on day one. At least you know you could be getting a complete game even if they add more to it. I still dislike the idea of entering codes for console games, and I still hate the idea of most DLC in general, but it's better than the DLC situation right now.

Of course the publishers won't understand the value of that though.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

As usual, it has once again been proven that 90% of the game industry's problems can be traced back to publishers blundering about, making inanely terrible decision and generally knowing fuck-all about their customer base. It also rather irritates me that oftentimes people will blame the developers for those same problems, when most of the time it really isn't their fault. Blame where blame is due.

Luckily the whole store exclusive DLC thing doesn't exist where I live (or not that I know off, at least). Don't know why, probably has something to do with European trade laws. Here, you can usually buy or download it separately from the game on PSN/Xbox Live. Sometimes retail versions include a voucher for it.

We do have the collectors/complete edition thing going on, but they don't bother me since their contents seldom interest me and even then I usually don't find them worth the extra money.

 

[Ariseishirou]

Well at least with Elite I'm locked in for all of the DLC they do end up doing.

 

[Redd the Sock]

I could go off on how the "pro-corporate" attidue of today has led to almost no consideration for consumers and businesses that act like they shouldn't even be afraid of losing customers, and when they do, blame the cheaper alternative for existing. In their minds, They have become entitled to our business and our votes.

The issue itself dempends on the act in question. Bioware and Bethesda put out so much sizable DLC it makes sense to put out a disk version down the road for those without massive bandwidth or hard drive space. Of course, fear of the used maarket has led this to be done stupidly. No "DLC only" disks or trade in programs because they feel the need to have a "new" game out on shelves otherwise people would just buy the used copy anyway. Now Mortal Kombat and Marvel vs Capcom pissed me off with their "new" editions, offering the added characters DLC was supposed to replace the cheap disk sequals with. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. Mortal Kombat and Capcom fighters pioneered the "re-release with bonus" idea.

Collectors bonuses are fine. I like seeing soundtracks and t-shirts. But the multi store idea is something I can't see any sane publisher supporting. Do they relaly think that people will buy multiple copies from all stores to get everything, and that the extra copies won't end up on the used rack? I know Japan has an unhealthy obsession with appealing only to the hardcore collector's market and soaking it for all it's worth, but American publishers do this too.

It's sad to think it their own practices that drive many of us to the used rack or 6 month price drops, but as I said, they don't don't feel they should be responsive to the customers anymore.

 

[JaceArveduin]

The next time EA wonders why they aren't getting CoD or Skyrim numbers, they can't look at the used market, they have to look at themselves.

Dude, you do realize it's Bethesda who makes, Skyrim, not EA, and they really have nothing to do with each other?

Still don't know how to close out a bit eh Jim? You can't use the 'Family Guy Flop' forever.

I bet I can use it more times than you can complain about it though.

And this is why I like this guy

Good show, made sense and all that. Though I'm pretty sure Bethesda usually releases the GotY edition a year or two after initial release, which doesn't bother me at all.

 

[Lunar Templar]

hehehe, well said Jim, well said.

pretty funny how all the publishers problems, are pretty much their fault, makes me kinda snicker really, they have things they can do to fix the problems but are to greedy to try them

 

[Neonit]

all right, all right! "thank you". happy now?

nah, but on a serious note - well said. how come buying used is wrong nowadays? they got money for product you have, they shouldnt complain about what you do with it.

 

[CatmanStu]

Although I agree with his stance on retailer exclusives and next week price drops I feel that the point about GotY editions is unfair and wide of the mark.
If a developer wants to put additional time into producing post release content, they have the right to charge for it (whether it is worth the asking price is another discussion) as long as it is seperate to the product you purchased (not locked on the original disk or download). If we start complaining that GotY editions are what we should have had to begin with then you might as well say that going to the cinema is a rip off as sooner or later the DVD/BluRay will come out with extra features, a directors cut, or both; all of which you didn't get in the price of your original ticket.
All of this will lead to an inevitable crash that all boom industries have when the few people in a position to make money try to milk it, but the industry needs that to come out stronger on the other side; hopefully with more power in the hands of developers and a market that is less saturated with mediocre content.