Well ladies and gentlemen, that time has come. The game that was given so much hype! So much praise! So much critical acclaim! Within only one week of being released it was already heralded as Game of the Year! Should we just continuously keep up it's praises like every other critically acclaimed game before it? Well yes we can, but developers decide that it's time to release some DLC to go with the game. This DLC will include new sidequests, new stories, the possibility of new other shit, as well as some nifty little downloadable hats and toys for your imaginary character who serves no other purpose than to be on your console's opening menu.
Now this all might sound overwhelming to the onlooker or that pathetic fucking loser living underneath a rock, but never fear! The game developers wouldn't dream of forgeting about you, to be honest you're the ones who are going to get the best set-up! Yes instead of purchasing the game and going through the hassle of downloading that DLC content like those dedicated gamers, you can just wait and get the coveted Game of the Year Edition and receive a bunch of pointless crap you probably didn't want! Don't believe me, then check out this commercial.
Yes the almighty Game of the Year Edition. This tagline is quite interesting and different from that of Collector's Edition in some cases, but not always - more on that later. What does the Game of the Year Edition offer to that of a standard game? Does it offer that nifty DLC content like what The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion did? Well yeah, but my question is this. Why release the game that early instead of just waiting a little while longer to put in that DLC? Gamers are always excited for future releases of games in different franchises and series, so why developers and publishers just don't wait and release the DLC content later on, on the disc of the game just mystifies me.
I guess you could say that, they're trying to keep the game as alive and well as they can. You know get all they can get from it. This is probably why The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has it's DLC just now coming out when the game has been out for a good long time as it is. But that still gets us back to the question at hand... why have a Game of the Year Edition? The short answer would be strictly "profit from those who have yet to jump on board yet", but that doesn't make sense to waste that kind of money since games go from messenger to messenger, plus how a lot of gamers are tech savvy even those who don't know much about computers or consoles can easily get this DLC content for their games, it seems as though publishers are wasting money. Merely saying "for money" is just too easy an answer and a bit redundant.
You could say they're aim would be the psycho collector or the gaming purists (in other words the whole game in one compact format), but that's a small minority compared to others to the point that it would seem wasteful. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me as to why they would make something of this nature. Don't get me wrong, it is very convenient, but developers and publishers last time I checked aren't always about being convenient to their customers, especially nowadays.
As for Collector's Editions, well there are two kinds. One that has a collection of games in one to be presented to the player for play. Two examples being Super Mario All-Stars and The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition. Then there is the other kind which offers very little and it's only purpose really is to just look pretty.
This is a bit different from the Game of the Year Edition. Game of the Year Editions do offer something in terms of DLC content, but on the disc. While Collector's Editions are usually the ones that offer art books, documentaries, as well as very small trivial things that add nothing to the game. These are the ones that usually take money out of the obsessed gamer's pockets. You don't see too many of them past the release date of the game... they're usually there to get the gamer whose mentality resolves around "OOH! IT'S FUCKING SHINY!" and once they have been gotten then that's all that matters.
I'm not saying that some Collector's Edition stuff isn't cool. I'll be honest the Bioshock stuff is a bit cool, but not needed. Mainly for collectors. However most of the stuff is practically garbage and offers nothing to the buyer except something for them to put into a box in the attic or basement. So remember kids shop smart!
I'm not completely sure if I was going anywhere with this thread. It was all freewritten on the spot and I didn't go back over it to look for mistakes or grammatical errors. Please forgive me Miyamoto for I am not worthy.
Questions of the Day
1. Have you ever purchased a Game of the Year Edition? If so what did it come with?
2. Have you ever purchased a Collector's Edition? If so what did it come with?
3. What are your thoughts on Game of the Year and Collector's Edition releases?
4. What are your thoughs on DLC?
5. What are your thoughts on Capcom?
6. How many gay Cheetahs gave their lives to make that jacket?
