A few days ago images for the Collector’s Edition of Batman: Arkham Asylum detailing what is in the box surfaced. The package includes a nifty 12 inch Batarang, a slew of behind the scenes material, a map, and a spiffy case to hold everything in. The images make the whole package look very sexy. So what’s the problem you ask? This Collector’s set will set you back a cool $100! I find myself coveting it and that forced me to ask myself why.
I don’t know why shiny Collector’s Editions are so tempting for me. In general the promise a lot and contain nothing more than cheap crap that serves to be nothing more than some geek badge of honor. Most of the time we get figures or posters or some other junk. Other times we get nothing more than behind the scenes DVDs or the occasional extra DLC content. So why do people buy these things? Is it to support a game we truly love or perhaps having all of this crap on our desk is some sign of how dedicated we are to our hobby.
Personally I buy them for one simple reason, I like shiny things. For whatever ridiculous reason I can’t help myself. I have no trouble buying CEs of games I really love that include something more than just extra DVDs. I am struggling with the rising price points of these things though. Around $70 I can cope with but $100 might just be a little too rich for my blood. So wonderful readers, do you buy Collector’s Editions? If so why do you do it and how much is too much to pay for one of these things?
I’ve never “gotten” Collector’s Editions. I don’t need to spend more money on packaging that doesn’t play nice with my collection or little trinkets that are going to be put in a desk drawer promptly and never paid any attention.
I’d much rather get playable content for my dollar. The coolest promotion I’ve ever seen was Nintendo’s–way back when Wind Waker came out. They offered a disc that had PLAYABLE ZELDA GAMES on it–if you preordered. That may have been one of the first times I preordered a game.