So, what makes a special edition special?
quick look at the gaming section of any store these days, and the average consumer will be welcomed by the sight of a multitude of special, collector's and limited edition games. Anyone who's been paying attention to the industry has noticed that there has been a distinct rise in the number of special edition games coming out. Ten years ago special editions were rarely heard of. The few versions out were usually just collections of all of the games in a particular series. The current wave of special editions can be quite confusing for the average consumer — factor in that most special editions aren't very special at all and the whole situation becomes confusing. Perhaps what we should be doing is asking ourselves not "Which version of a game should I buy?" but rather "Should I even be buying a special edition game at all?"
For the sake of clarification I should define what I mean when I say "special edition." A special edition is any kind of any kind of limited edition, special edition, or collector's edition that advertises itself as such on packaging and materials. For the sake of discussion we may as well include pre-order bonuses, as they can also be a factor in causing someone to buy a certain game.
What all special editions games have in common with their regular versions is that both of them contain the exact same game. If you are looking to just play the game then there is obviously no reason to get a special edition. I would argue that a decade ago most people played games for the sake of the game itself. If any bonuses were included with it they were just that, items additional to the game, and were not sold separately as a special edition. There was no motivation to buy a game just because it included a cloth map of the world or included a T-shirt — because all versions of that game included these items. From a purist's state of mind special edition games don't matter; all that should matter is that you are getting the game, and that you are enjoying it. Somewhere along the way we as gamers started to view special edition games as being better than the regular-edition ones and the industry moved to reflect this position.
This change in the industry in offering special edition games only seems to be limited to the PC and Xbox line of games. This does seem odd, and may just give some conspiracy theorists something to work on but that is beyond the scope of this article. The introduction of special editions was slowly seen among various PC games and then spread to the Xbox. Once that happened the number of games that offered a special edition seemed to quickly take off.
If there was any game that seemed to spawn the emergence of special editions games it was Halo 2. The Limited Edition of the game was sold in significant numbers, and being told that it was only available in limited quantities also may have contributed to it selling so well. This may be a part of a collector mentality that has started to spring up, wherein people will rush to buy something if they think it's rare. As a special edition, Halo 2 wasn't that bad. It included a making-of DVD and a metal case with slipcover. Including a documentary has become the standard for most special edition games. What often ends up happening, though, is that many are bland, and go unwatched. For me, personally, such inclusion does not make a special edition of a game special.
Some enterprising studios (Ubisoft) have taken to including interviews that are already widely available on the internet. Still, exclusivity isn't always desirable. The special editions for MechAssault 2 and Lost Planet included bonus multiplayer maps. What happened? Neither title was a blockbuster, leaving gamers to play those exclusive maps by themselves. Assassin's Creed over-promised, its collector's edition a large tin with the game, a comic, a small figurine and a lot of empty space. For comparison's sake you could put the special edition for Mass Effect or Gears of War in there and still have plenty of room left over for something else.
So, what makes a special edition special?
First, value. No explanation necessary. Second, immersion. Items can allow players to immerse themselves even more into a game's world. Third, distinction. Items that are physical proof of purchasing a special edition. Fourth, coolness. An item's being pretty damned cool is a nice bonus in and of itself.
For the good, we have the preorder bonus for Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, coming with a carrying case for the series' two DS titles, a DS stylus, music, an official history guide, and an art book. The collector's edition of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion included a limited-run coin, an interesting making-of DVD and a guidebook for the races, history and locations in the game. Last of all is perhaps the best example of a special edition out there right now: Bioshock's collector's edition. Bioshock came with a documentary, music and a Big Daddy figurine.
Creative immersion shouldn't be particularly hard. I'd love to get unit patches in games where you have armies or special units. So for example you could get a Rainbow patch from a Rainbow Six game or an Umbrella or STARS patch from a Resident Evil game. Could even be a relatively new game as well, because I would really like a Brenner's Wolves patch from Advanced Wars: Days of Ruin.
Still, we, the paying customers, are left with the question I posed at the start of this article: Should we even buy special edition games in the first place? The answer is an unsatisfactory "it depends." If you are a fan of a series you probably can't be dissuaded. For people who aren't sure, it's better to spend less and just get the basic version. Otherwise: weigh your options. Does the special edition include something I want? Will I even use/read/watch the bonuses? Is this even something that I want to spend money on? These are all questions that you should be considering.
As for myself — I'm just waiting to pick up the GTA IV special edition.
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