Those who are familiar with my writing will know that I don't feel a game should have a special edition until it's been earned. Brand new IPs rarely deserve them, in my opinion, and I put this to BioWare's Mike Laidlaw in reference to the ludicrously opulent Dragon Age: Origins: Collector's Edition.
"An extravagant collector's edition is one of those fantasy RPG traditions, and frankly the world of Dragon Age is one we want to share with people," he explains. "Cloth maps, additional in-game content and the soundtrack are all part of letting people dive into this brand new world, and BioWare's always had a tradition of providing value for your money.
"... It all comes down to the definition of 'Collector,' really. From one angle, a person may be a collector of a specific property, insofar as they have every Elvis album, ticket stubs from every show and so on. On the other hand, there are people who collect video games as a media, building up as large a library as they can.
"Ultimately, though, let’s ignore the word 'collector' and look at the options: you can buy a fantastic game, or you can spend a bit more to get that game with additional thematic stuff. Nothing to justify there, it’s just two ways to purchase the game. I suppose we could call it the 'Extra Stuff Edition' but that really doesn’t have the same ring."
Luckily, I have played enough of Dragon Age to know that spending more money for the "Extra Stuff Edition" wouldn't be a wasted investment. However, those that haven't played it have no way of knowing. That's pretty much my problem, the fact that untested games are getting treatment usually reserved for revered IP. People buy Elvis ticket stubs because they know they love Elvis. Not many people know if they love Dragon Age yet.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
Likes
PS2, iPod Touch, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid, Dynasty Warriors 3
Meet the rest of the team
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
33 comments | showing # 1 to 33
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
2:40 PM on 09.04.2009
| 
That being said, I'll be buying the normal edition. The cloth map will collect dust and the extra game content didn't seem quite compelling enough for me. I do love soundtracks, but I'm not paying 15 more dollars for a soundtrack. I'm so used to Atlus giving them to me free now. Anyways, as you aptly point out, I don't even know if I like the music in the game yet.
What I WILL do is pre-order it to get all the fun pre-order bonuses. I love pre-order bonuses.
That being said, I find it very fucking shady that there are Mass Effect 2 bonuses tied into this game. It seems odd that Bioware never did anything that slimey before becoming part of EA.
Already got my collector's ed preordered! ooo man!
Alas, I dont think this will have one for my country, or I would buy it. :(
I don't see any one from Bioware twisting someone's arm to buy it. If someone wants to clog their living space with a bunch of shit they will likely watch/look at once, that's their decision, as it is Bioware's to produce it.
If ALL copies in the first release were the more expensive collector's edition, and they were essentially forcing you into a higher price point at launch, that would be one thing we could all raise our collective middle fingers at. But that's not the case here, and as this isn't a multi-player game, these early bonuses can't be used to grief players who buy only the standard.
Lastly, since this is the spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate games, I'd call that pretty damn special, as the pair of them were fantastic.
In general I completely agree with you, Jim. But in this specific case you're barking up the wrong tree. Not to mention that the CE packaging looks sick, even though I probably won't buy it.
Dragon Age Origins is a brand new game and, as such, doesn't really have a fanbase. It has a *potential* fanbase, but those people won't know they like the game until they play it. They MIGHT turn into huge fans, but they don't know yet.
A huge fan will want the Collector's Edition, but he doesn't yet know if he's a huge fan. So, he either risks eighty bucks or whatever getting a special edition for a game that he might hate, or he buys the normal version, finds out he loves the game, and then wants to special edition, leaving him disappointed.
Sequels are better because you then definitely know whether or not you want that special edition. A new IP is a risk to a consumer even at the best of times, let alone when there's an expensive prospect.
Now, I'm fortunate enough to have played a lot of Dragon Age, so I know it's something I will love. However, most customers don't know.
You mention Elvis in your article, which I think can be used to show my point. Someone buying tickets for a show will probably like the artist, but they don't necessarily know that they like that particular show, do they?
Just replace Elvis with Bioware here. I put Bioware up there with Valve and Pixar as creators who will always deliver amazingly excellent products. Bioware's games are day one purchases for me, and if collectors editions are offered, I'll always buy them. I trust them enough to make it worthwhile.
This is a good point, but a singer's concert will nearly always contain songs that person likes, plus a tour is usually off the back of an album so fans know what to expect.
"Just replace Elvis with Bioware here. I put Bioware up there with Valve and Pixar as creators who will always deliver amazingly excellent products. Bioware's games are day one purchases for me, and if collectors editions are offered, I'll always buy them. I trust them enough to make it worthwhile."
I guess if you're running off the assumption that BioWare can do no wrong, then yes, I can see how a collector's edition is less of a risk for you. Someone like me, who has never been that into BioWare until now, struggles a little bit more. Same goes for people who buy games without knowledge of the studio behind them.
I'd agree with that Jim. I, personally, have confidence that Bioware will 'do no wrong', and deliver a quality product. So I've no problem paying more for a collectors edition of one of their games, even if it is a new IP. I feel enough of the elements of Bioware games that I know and love will be in Dragon Age. If Left 4 Dead had a collectors edition with some cool things (the fake film posters, for instance), I'd have bought it, even though it's a new IP.
Of course, if you're not a fan of a company's work, or it's an entirely new company, or new set of developers, paying the extra amount for collectors editions does seem a bigger risk. But if you've confidence in a company, buying a new IP's collectors edition is much less of a risk.
Take Sonic, since you love to bash him so much. There was, in all likelihood, a time where most of the gaming community would say that a Sonic game was a day 1 purchase and collector's editions were no brainers. Look at him today though. Like somebody cut his legs out from under him...
At the same time, you say that b/c you've played the game, you are confident in your decision to purchase the CE. There's nothing to guarantee that the parts you played are accurate representations of the game as a whole.
Normally we're on the same page Jim. I just don't think this was all that well thought out.
I won't buy the "Extra Stuff" edition, but I rarely buy collector's editions. Most of the time the extra swag just sits around for decoration...save for the ODST CE. An extra $40 for a kickass, wireless controller worth $50+ is an awesome deal to me.
I see what your getting at, that higher dollar price points are generally aimed at existing fan bases. I think the gist of this has been raised that while Dragon Age may not have a fan base yet, Bioware does.
Bioware has that credibility with me, as does Valve. I own copies of all of their games but Shattered Steel, MDK2, and Sonic Chronicles, and have thoroughly enjoyed each and everyone of them. I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment, either. To me, what Valve does for shooters, Bioware does for RPGs. If they could only collaborate on Mass Effect...
I also think that a collectors edition has become industry short hand for a big budget title. Not always a great one, as demonstrated by Assassin's Creed, but one with some substantial investment behind it. Whether you buy it or not, a big box draws the eye on a shelf where otherwise, packaging is quite uniform. A browsing customer may not buy the collector edition, but it may have created a mix of interest and curiosity that they may buy the standard.
So yeah...I've never played a Dragon Age game but Bioware's clever allusion to the much-loved Baldur's Gate convinced myself - and no doubt many others - to drop extra cash on the C.E.
I'll be heartbroken if this game sucks.
@Eve
You can always sell it online if you don't like it. Or give it to someone w/
@Eve
You can always sell it online if you don't like it. Or give it to someone w/
@Eve
You can always sell it online if you don't like it. Or give it to someone w/
continued:
@Eve
You can always sell it online if you don't like it. Or give it to someone w/ a b-day coming up *hint hint*
It'd be different if a developer was forcing consumers to spend 80 dollars on a "deluxe" package and refusing to release an alternative but that never happens. What exactly is your argument here? You personally have no interest in the extra content and therefore it should not exist?
If anything these SE items have more in common with the Feelies of the infocom days. And those weren't exactly established IP either.