It’s been a while since I wrote the first Expensive Edition article here on gameSniped. I’ve been wanting to do another set of them since then but the prices for most of these game sets are kind of hard to track when summer had just started. If you are or have been planning on buying some of these sets, I suggest strongly that you wait around the summer time to do so because that is when some if not all video game collectibles go down in price.
So here’s first set of the gameSniped’s “Expensive” limited or collector’s edition games for 2011:
Assssin’s Creed II: Master Assassin’s Edition – Xbox 360
Price: $250
MSRP: $79.99
Publisher: Ubisoft
Exclusive sets are probably one of my most favorite incentive when it comes to limited editions. Ubisoft, along with GameStop, announced that they’d be the only store to distribute the Assassin’s Creed II Master Assassin’s Edition for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in early August of 2009. The set was basically out of production as soon as it came out since the GameStop only took pre-orders for it for a certain amount of time and most stores only received 2-4 per platform. Some stores I noticed, only carried one of each for each platform. There was a demand for it right when it came out since it featured an exclusive map only available through this release. After nearly 1 1/2 on the shelves, these sets were gone from the stores and the demand suddenly rose again like it did when it first came out (GameStop puts it on clearance as “pre-owned” more than a year later). There’s a recent sale of $250 (best offer) for a new copy on eBay but if you want it used, you can get it just above $100.Who knows what this will bring around the time when the new Assassin’s Creed game comes out..
Here’s an unboxing video from gametrailers.com
Demon Souls: Deluxe Edition
Price: $200-$400
MSRP: $69.99
Publisher: Atlus
I wanted to include an Atlus game in the first Expensive Edition article but since the company decided it wants to make money (as it should be doing) instead of catering towards the collector, most of their stuff had gone down in price since. But luckily, the Demon Souls: Deluxe Edition saved the day for today. It was announced on July of ’09 that the company would be releasing 2 versions of the game and that one of them an exclusive North American only Deluxe Edition. While the price may be too steep for some people, it was actually one of the best deals (only $10 above the regular ed.) for a Limited Edition set since not only did you get a nice box for the game, it also included a strategy guide which was also an exclusive release and never available through retail separately. Soon after it’s release, the prices of that strategy guide skyrocketed selling for as much as $150. The recall didn’t really affected it’s value either.When asked if the Deluxe Edition would once again be offered in retail, Atlus clearly mentioned that this was just a one time deal and that they’ll never print it again. This game is by far one of the best selling games on the Atlus library (beating the Disgaea games) and eventually earning it’s greatest hits status.
Used copies of this set doesn’t cost much at all surprisingly since the second game in the series is about to come out soon. At around $50 -$70 you can buy one of these used but if you’re planning on buying a sealed copy, be prepared to pay a hefty price tag of around $200-$350.
Sealed Variant
When the Deluxe Edition came out, several retailers, though not very many, were able to offer them online and off. Amazon.com’s bundles featured the artbook/ost in front. If you bought these through B&M stores or other e-tailers, you would have gotten one with the artbook/ost located in the back instead. If you can’t tell which is which, the non-Amazon copies came with a small gold sticker on the left of the case and a small back cover slip exactly like the back cover of the box (it included the barcode so they can scan it easily). Here’s the copies I have for comparison (the amazon.com copy is on the right):
In my opinion, it really shouldn’t matter as much as these are very small detail. But from the sales figure I’ve seen over the past year or so, it seems to me that the non-Amazon distributed copies that are still new/sealed are more desirable selling for at least $100-$150 more than the other. Here’s a recent sale of $380 for a B&M copy and here’s an amazon copy offered at $300. You can buy them through Amazon.com’s marketplace at around $200 (who knows how long that will last).
Crysis 2: Nano Edition
Price: $300
MSRP: $150
Publisher: EA
picture is courtesy of wecollectgames.com
Compared to the other 2 above, this game actually came out this year. It’s another game from EA and available only through the EA Store online.When it was first announced, I don’t really think EA intended for this version of Crysis 2 to be available online only. Maybe the retail giants didn’t think much about it or something? After all, the first Crysis game was available exclusively through the PC and you needed to have a bad ass computer to play it. Regardless, EA still managed to pull this one off online on September of last year and didn’t sell out until March of this year.
Since I first posted it back in April of this year, it’s come up several other times on eBay since (still not listed on Amazon.com though). When I posted it then the prices were around $275 to $400. It’s very rarely does someone post this one used though I guess for the obvious reasons that it is out of production and that it will command a premium if it’s sealed. There one that sold for $295 last week and another one being offered by the same seller currently at $280.
Stay tuned for the next set of “Expensive Edition” next week (when I find time to do it).
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