collect all the things! (or not.)
pete_thomas asked me, Regular version vs. collector's edition? Do you prefer one over the other?
As with so much, the answer is, it's complicated.
For me, it has everything to do with the perceived value of the addenda. A fancy box, I don't care much about (yeah, Mass Effect 3, I'm looking at you on my shelf. Especially because it's damn near effing impossible to get the discs out of the case and I'm worried I'll break them, so they live in ugly cheap jewel cases instead. And Ni No Kuni completely perplexes me - why do I have TWO boxes for it?) "Making of" stuff also doesn't intrigue me that much; as much as I adore FF12 (for which I did buy the collector's edition with the pretty box - which, may I say, DOES allow me to properly get the discs out), I have never actually watched the Making Of disc. I give pretty much zero damns about "collectibles" like a character's necklace or hat or little paper cutouts (seriously, LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue Complete, what was that even?)
By the way, extra bonus negative points for putting the collector's edition in a ludicrous box that doesn't fit on my damn game shelf and knocks everything else askew. Why yes, .hack/whatever-the-hell-it-was in the hexagonal box, I certainly AM looking at you! (It was a gift. I don't actually know where that ended up. I think it's in the closet?)
There are other "collector's editions" I find really cool and valuable, though. I loved that the CE for Final Fantasy XIII-2 came with a soundtrack because I love soundtracks (and let's be real I saved money buying the $80 CE vs a $60 regular edition and a $40something soundtrack plus shipping from Japan). I also loved that LUNAR: Silver Star Story Complete came with the little booklet and the soundtrack CD. I like the stuff that came with Shin Megami Tensei IV and Persona 4 because again, yay soundtracks, and artbooks, and in the case of SMT4 a mini strategy guide.
So basically: I think CEs can be really cool depending on what you're collecting along with them and how useful I personally find it to my life, but they can also be a hugely ridiculous waste of time and money and printing.
As a side note, I wanted to talk about collector's edition guides, which I have similar opinions about. I feel like in a lot of ways, collector's edition guides are improving hugely from the PSX days, when CE meant "the cover is silver and shiny" (Yeah, FF8 and FF9, lookin' at you.) I remain actively irritated about the FFX-2 and FFXII collector's edition guides because I paid extra money for them, but thanks to "what's in the box?" I got a cover for FFXII that I really dislike AND both of them are shoddily made and falling apart and sooner or later I'll have to just chop the bindings off and do...something with them, I don't know. And yeah, the art books that came with them are nice, but given the crappy quality of the guide writing I don't really feel I got my money's worth. I'm still mad about the FFXII guide spoiling story constantly in all directions.
However, the CE guides for Dragon Age II, Final Fantasy XIII, and Ni No Kuni? Now THOSE are things I am willing to shell out extra dollars for. Hardcover, well-bound, well-laid out, well-written - this is what a strategy guide should be, and how a CE should be treated. (Not coincidentally, I believe they are all by the same company - I know DA2 and FF13 are, but I have not actually opened my Ni No Kuni guide because I am a shameful Rina who hasn't even opened the game box.) In point of fact the FF13 guide is hands-down the best guide I have EVER owned or used, and gets the Rina stamp of approval. Which is worth exactly nothing, but hey.
tl;dr my opinions on CE vs regular are entirely based in how much I think the extras are worth, and I have pretty high standards.
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