I'll run you through the games, the editions, and which ones are worth your time. SPOILER: It's not many of them.
Disney Infinity 3.0 –
Special Edition (PS3 & PS4 only) – £94.00/£99.00
Including a bunch of extra characters from the original
trilogy (namely Luke, Leia and Boba Fett) plus a bunch of other gubbins such as
some playsets for the game, this one seems vastly overpriced as it is adding
almost the cost of the game itself on top of the vanilla starter pack. The fact
that the 2.0 Special Edition set which included much more than this one, can
now be had for less than half what it was going for initially means you’d be
better off waiting for a price drop.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. Wait for a price drop or get the starter set.
Gears of War Ultimate
Edition + All Gears titles – Xbox One - £24.00
Less of a special edition and more of a decent offer, but if
you purchase the game for a “limited time” around launch (quite how long that
time will be has not been said) then you can also get Gears 1-3 plus Judgment
as backwards compatible titles for the Xbox One too. Obviously you’d need space
to download them, but as you can pick up Gears Ultimate for about £23 in some
places this is a pretty great deal for four whole games, and Gears 1 for 360 so
you can stack achievements.
Verdict: BUY. Not a limited edition per se, but the fact you get four free games if you pick it up close to launch is a steal, especially at £23.
Onechanabra Z2 Chaos
+ Artbook – PS4 – £31.00
http://store.nisaeurope.com/collections/frontpage-clean/products/onechanbara-z2-chaos-ps4
Only available through the NISA store this is the latest
game with an artbook, though it costs a couple of pounds more and the game
series hardly has a reputation for quality. So maybe hold off on this one
unless you simply have money to burn.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. One for hardcore fans only as the game is terrible.
One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 Doflamingo Edition – PS3/PS4 - £57.00
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00SD9IGIS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00SD9IGIS&linkCode=as2&tag=prog-21One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 Doflamingo Edition – PS3/PS4 - £57.00
It’s the rather obscure game (unless you’re a fan of the
show) along with a fairly nice statue to boot. Only for fans really but the
price is not too bad, but there are still statue editions of the previous games
bouncing around at hefty discounts. So if you can wait, then that is your best
option really.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. For fans only, and very likely to drop in price after a month or two.
Until Dawn Steelbook
Edition – PS4 – £49.99
It’s literally the game in a nice steelbook case, and it
costs about £10 more than you can just buy the game anywhere else. Not really
worth the money as GAME tend to overstock their limited editions (with very few
exceptions) so expect to be able to pick this up much cheaper down the line. (EDIT: You can also get this for £44.95 at Gameseek.co.uk - but it's still not worth it).
Verdict: DON'T BUY. Grossly overpriced for just a steelbook.
Mad Max: Ripper
Special Edition – PS4/Xbox One - £44.99
http://www.game.co.uk/en/mad-max-ripper-special-edition-only-at-game-737811?pageSize=40&categoryIdentifier=876457&catGroupId=
You get a steelbook that looks pretty nice, some DLC to
upgrade your car and a unique numbered poster. On the flipside this costs you
about £7-8 more than you can just get the vanilla game at other stores (maybe
more) so again it is only worth it if you’re a steelbook collector as this will
probably get reduced in the lead up to Xmas once a glut of other games come
out. Which is exactly what happened with the Mordor steelbook last year.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. Not a bad deal, but the extras aren't great enough to justify the added cost.
Metal Gear Solid: The
Phantom Pain Collectors Edition – PS4/Xbox One - £99.99
Paying one hundred pounds for a game is serious money, and
this set includes a bunch of extras that fans may well enjoy. It has a 24cm
replica of Snake’s bionic arm, which may go down as one of the weirdest add-ons
in history, it looks nice enough but is likely just going to gather dust. You
also get a steelbook, making of blu-ray, some DLC and a printed game map. This
set is pretty much sold out so you may be out of luck – though you can snag the
Day One edition for like £50 less, and it comes with most of the DLC.
Verdict: BUY. A quirky set for a cult game, and will likely hold its value. Already sold out though, so keep an eye out for cancellations.
Danganronpa Ultra
Despair Girls Limited Editon – PS Vita - £59.99
Another set limited to the NISA online store, and these do
tend to sell out over time so bear that in mind. Still the series is a fairly
niche one and the set comes with an artbook, soundtrack, collectors pin and,
bizarrely, tie and tie clip plus an eyepatch. So if you want to dress up as a
tie wearing and eyepatch swaggering bear from the box – now you can. These sets
do have a bit of a cult following, but the game may not have much resale value
beyond that.
Verdict: BUY. Not a bad price for what you get and these games tend to hold their value amongst similar collectors, but only purchase if you're a fan.
Super Mario Maker +
Amiibo + Pin Badge Set – Wii U - £46.99
There are two versions of this game, one with just the game
and artbook and the other with that plus an Amiibo. Pre-order from GAME though
and you also get a 30th Anniversary Pin Badge set for no extra cost.
Nintendo game tend to be highly collectible and limited editions often sell
out, so this might be a solid purchase. However, you can get the vanilla set
(with Amiibo) for just under £30 elsewhere – so it’s up to you whether the
Amiibo and pins are worth an extra £16. You can also order this through the
Nintendo store for a bit more, but you get an exclusive t-shirt rather than the
pin set.
Verdict: BUY. The pin set is probably worth the extra couple of £ (over buying this at other sites) and Nintendo games notoriously hold their value down the years.
Destiny: The Taken
King – Xbox One/PS4 - £79.99
So you get the full Destiny game and all the expansions,
plus a steelbook, a copy of Treasure Island holding a Strange Coin (what?!),
some pictures, patches and lithographs and a host of the DLC (mainly skins and
the like). However, if you already bought Destiny last year, and maybe the
Collectors Edition as well, then this seems like a massive waste of money as
you are essentially rebuying content you already own plus a few physical items.
For newcomers this set is ideal, for
everyone else they should just buy the Taken King add on for half the price or
wait for a decent price drop.
Verdict: BUY/DON'T BUY. Great set for anyone new to Destiny, completely pointless for anyone else.
Forza Motorsport 6
Limited Edition – Xbox One - £52.99
It’s a copy of the game with a limited t-shirt. That’s it.
For an extra £13 more this is vastly overpriced as the clothes are never that
great quality so you may as well just get the vanilla game unless you are
desperate to hide your naked form and have no other clothing retailers to turn
to.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. A rip off considering you just get a flimsy t-shirt.
Pro Evolution Soccer
2016 20th Anniversary Edition – PS4 - £54.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ZHI6BAS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00ZHI6BAS&linkCode=as2&tag=prog-21
This is a weird one. A 20th Anniversary Edition
that is ONLY available for the PS4, which is a bizarre decision really.
Mercifully it seems this set is a bit overpriced anyway. As you can get a Day
One version of the game (with a bunch of handy DLC) for only £32.99 elsewhere
(namely at Zavvi) so what are you getting for an extra £20+? Not a lot. You get
a steelbook, plus 1,000 myClub coins, Neymar in your myClub team permanently
and more GP currency to spend. So if you’re into myClub then this may help, but
the extra cost means it is not worth it.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. Just get the Day One edition instead.
FIFA 16 Deluxe
Edition + Steelbook + Ball – PS4/Xbox One - £67.99
FIFA comes in various flavours this year and at various
price points. The only real difference is the DLC you get as the vanilla set
comes with none, the next one comes with some Gold FUT packs and the highest
tier comes with 40 Gold packs (spread over 20 weeks though), Lionel Messi for 5
games and some added DLC celebrations and kit. At GAME all preorders also get a
steelbook and actuall ball, but you’re paying a few quid more on top for both.
In truth paying £60+ for FIFA is ludicrous, as it will be out of date in a year.
However, if you DO spend money on FUT then this could actually save you a few
quid in the long run so bear that in mind.
Verdict: BUY/DON'T BUY. Only pick up the pricier versions if you'll play FUT for 20 weeks to get the content, as then you'll save money. Vanilla version if not.
Skylanders
Superchargers Dark Edition - ALL - £79.99-£84.99
Don’t bother. Seriously, you can get the Supercharger Starter
set on any system from Zavvi for £39.99 so why would you pay an extra £40+ just
the same figures but in their dark variants, plus one extra character and the
Kaos trophy. You wouldn’t.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. Vastly overpriced compared to the starter set and one for Skylanders diehard collectors only as the figures will be unique to this set.
NBA 2K16 Michael
Jordan Edition – Xbox One/PS4 - £64.99
WOW, £30 more than the standard game. So what do you get?
Not a lot really, you get an exclusive poster and wall decal (plus a hat if you
pre-order at GAME) and a bunch of DLC in the form of Jordan branded gear, and
currency and cards for the MyTeam mode. Oh, and you get the game a few days
earlier than the standard edition for some reason. For the massive price hike
it just isn’t worth it – simple as that.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. Even the greatest basketball player of all time can't make this seem like value for money.
Uncharted: The Nathan
Drake Collection Special Edition – PS4 - £64.99
http://www.game.co.uk/en/uncharted-the-nathan-drake-collection-special-edition-only-at-game-739944
It goes from bad to worse. You can get the vanilla game for
£25 (or more) less than this and the only difference is the fact you don’t get
a steelbook, artbook and some stickers? Yeah, stick with the cheaper version as
this is a rip off. (EDIT: You can also get this for £49.95 at Gameseek.co.uk - but it's still not worth it, though at least the price is realistic).
Verdict: DON'T BUY. A huge price hike for very little extra, no thanks.
Disgaea 4: Alliance
of Vengeance – PS4 - £69.99
http://store.nisaeurope.com/collections/limited-edition/products/disgaea-5-alliance-of-vengance
Already Sold Out via the NISA store, though they sometimes
get some back in stock closer to launch due to returns and cancellations.
Another cult series and a set that is likely to be fairly sought after – comes with
an artbook, soundtrack, poster and two mini figures (including the much loved
Prinny). So keep an eye out for this if you are a huge fan. Smaller fans can
get the game with an artbook from Amazon for about £30 less, so the saving is
worth it.
Verdict: BUY. Disgaea sets are very collectible and sell well second hand, so they are worth picking up but this one is already sold out.
Rainbow Six Siege
Limited Edition – PS4/Xbox One - £49.99
http://www.game.co.uk/en/tom-clancys-rainbow-6-siege-limited-edition-only-at-game-647340?pageSize=40&categoryIdentifier=683227&catGroupId=
Comes with a steelbook and some DLC, for a hefty £10+ more
than the standard version of the game. No thanks. As this is Ubisoft there are
also other editions too, including the Art of Siege version that comes in a
slipcase with an artbook. There is also a Tactical Elite edition via the
Ubisoft store that comes with the Season Pass as well, though costs a hefty
£74.99. In truth you are better off just getting the standard version as none
of the collectible stuff is that great.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. Three different special editions but none of them are worth it.
Tales of Zestiria
Collectors Edition – PS3/PS4 - £89.99+
http://www.shopto.net/video-games/ps4/PS4TA11-tales-of-zestiria-collectors-edition-inc-5-tales-of-weapons
Not too sure what is happening with this one. It was
certainly announced by Bandai Namco, but has been Sold Out on Shopto since then
and the listing on GAME has mysteriously vanished. It would be a shame if this
never turned up as the Tales sets or hugely collectible and offer pretty good
value for money in general – plus they are actually limited. This one would
have come with a steelbook, four mini-figures, hardback artbook, cloth art
scroll, anime DVD, CD soundtrack AND some character DLC. A good haul – if it
ever sees the light of day – though maybe a touch expensive for non-fans of the
series.
Verdict: BUY. Hugely popular and highly collectible, if it ever comes out.
Assassins Creed
Syndicate: VARIOUS – ALL - £VARIOUS
There are no less than FIVE different versions of this game,
so check the link above to see what you get with each. The top two tiers come
with a statue, plus a hip flask with the Ubisoft exclusive variant, along with
a bunch of other stuff (artbook, soundtrack, DLC missions etc). If you go all
out on the Big Ben edition (£114.99) then you also get the season pass included
– but after the balls up with the season pass for Unity last year it might be
worthwhile being a touch more conservative. In truth the statues in these sets
are amongst some of the better quality ones and the extra features are decent
but not mind blowing. The Charing Cross edition (at GAME) is certain to be
overstocked and drop in price eventually,
Verdict: DON'T BUY. After the issues with Unity I'd take a wait and see approach this year, though the quality of the sets is often good - so fans can go ahead.
Halo 5 Guardians
Collectors Edition – Xbox One - £199.99
A ridiculous price, as the only extra over the Limited Edition
(£79.99) is the statue – so you are paying effectively £120 for that alone. Also
included are a steelbook, some character files, a small Guardian model and some
DLC. The quality of Halo stuff is generally high but it’s telling that this
still hasn’t come close to selling out yet despite being on offer for an age. The
other downside is the fact you don’t even get a game disc, only a digital
download, so you would have to request a disc (which you can do) at the cost of
not being able to play the game you paid £200 for on day one. Stupid.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. I'm a HUGE Halo fan and have all the others but the price on this is absurd.
Project Zero: Maiden
of Black Water Limited Edition – Wii U - £49.99
Already sold out on the official Nintendo store, so maybe
snap this up while you can as the limited Wii U stuff does tend to vanish and
never come back into stock. The game itself is a cult favourite and the set has
a steelbook, poster, lithographs and art book. It looks pretty nice and the
price is only about £10 more than the game so is reasonable value for money.
Verdict: BUY. A cult game, only on Nintendo and selling out fast. A wise investment.
Call of Duty: Black
Ops 3 Juggernog Edition – Xbox One/PS4 - £179.99
Already sold out - so clearly the demand for owning your
very own Juggernog mini-fridge was greater than anyone could have known. In
fairness the set also came with a bunch of coasters in a tin, the season pass
for the game, a steelbook, artcards and some other in game DLC. It’s still a
hefty price so it will depend on the quality of the fridge I guess (a line I
never suspected I would have to write). For those that missed out you can get
the Hardened edition for substantially less (about £69.99) but you’ll miss out
on the fridge (obviously), coasters and season pass. To be honest the Hardened
edition doesn’t offer much over the standard game – so you’d be best just going
vanilla and saving another £30.
Verdict: BUY/DON'T BUY. The Juggernog edition seems steep but the extras might be worth it, as the season pass and fridge alone will be decent (and funny). Sold out though, so DON'T buy the Hardened version to replace it as that is vastly overpriced for very little extra.
Fallout 4: Pip Boy
Edition – PS4/Xbox One - £99.99
The current Holy Grail of collector’s editions as it sold
out in a hot minute everywhere. Comes with a working Pip Boy (well, working
when you put a touchscreen phone in there) as well as a Pip Boy guide, stand,
steelbook, bobblehead and poster. It’s actually pretty pricey for what it is,
but the lure of Fallout is strong and this set is likely to hold its value
pretty damn well. For those that missed out on this version you can also get a
Fallout Bundle from Amazon for £59.99 that comes with an exclusive soundtrack
and hardback book, though that is adding £20+ to the cost of the game alone, so
maybe wait for a price drop.
Verdict: BUY. Another that will hold its value and even possibly appreciate but its long gone and eBay prices are madness. The Amazon exclusive version is too expensive as a replacement as well.
Rise of the Tomb
Raider Apex Predator Pack – Xbox One - £59.99
Just don’t. GAME seem to have a monopoly on certain special
editions but their pricing structure is awful and they generally end up
discounting them a few months later. This is a case in point as for £20 more
than just the game you only get an, admittedly nice, steelbook and some in game
DLC in the form of an outfit, gun and ability. No way is that worth the massive
price hike. Steer clear.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. Shockingly high price for pretty much zero extras.
Just Cause 3 – PS4/Xbox
One - £67.99
Another Collector’s edition that is far more expensive at
GAME and via Square (both £79.99) but at this lower price is not too bad,
especially as fans voted for the contents so can’t really complain. You get a
replica grappling hook, artbook, map of the islands and some in game DLC –
nothing mind blowing really and the grapple is not the best display item, so
maybe you still want to hold off for a price drop as this is widely available
so will likely plummet fairly rapidly.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. A great game and the grapple is unique, but this is available everywhere so will surely drop in price.SPECIAL MENTION
LEGO Dimensions - ALL - £90+
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-Dimensions-Starter-Pack-PS4/dp/B00VJWS2LC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439900204&sr=8-1&keywords=lego+dimensions
Not a limited edition at all, but one that will set you back even more money than most of the above would combined. Assuming you got all of the add-on packs available through Amazon (starter set, eight level packs and twenty three (23!) fun packs) then it would set you back roughly £655.54 to get it all. THAT IS INSANE. For the same price you could buy every LEGO game currently available and have access to far more characters and worlds - it's your choice. Buy your kids this and then weep as your wallet is bled dry over the coming months. Or buy it for yourself and try and justify the costs as you avoid catching the eye of your reflection in the mirror.
Verdict: DON'T BUY. Unless you want to take out a second mortgage, just play ANY other LEGO game instead.
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