Halo 2, Half-Life 2, DVDs, and Special Editions

[Mr March]

I was having a rather interesting conversation with my friend the other day about special editions, limited editions, boxed sets, and the like. With the release of Halo 2 on the X-Box and Half-Life 2 on the PC, my friend and I debated about "Special Edition Syndrome" invading the electronic gaming world. Seems both games are being released in at least two or more packages with added stuff like soundtracks, DVDs, logo-emblazoned toilet paper rolls, ad naseum.

My friend is of the mind most Special Edition-ed products are a waste of money, though he admits he has purchased the occassional "special" product himself. I, on the other hand, believe that the more attention given to those very special products of which I receive the most enjoyment, the better. My friend's biggest arguement boiled down to what does one do with "the extra stuff". He asked if I really get anything out of all the junk that's offered in these "Super Editions" or does the stuff just sit on a shelf collecting dust. From his perspective, he just wanted the to watch the movie on a good format or play the game on a good system. All the rest is just window dressing and a waste of time.

I felt differently. I'm the kind of person who doesn't invest money in just any game/movie. With some exceptions, the majority of products I buy mean something to me. I don't game enough to purchase a half dozen or more First Person Shooters per year. Nor do I rent lame movies because it's "bad movie night" (don't even get me started on that one). At most, I buy one game every 8-10 months (console and PC inclusive). At most I purchase 10% of the films I view (which works out to alot, since I watch close to a hundred films annually).

So when a quality special edition of something I love is released, I'm all for it (especially since I often sell or give away the old version). I'm the kind of fella that read through the manual to Starcraft and loved it. I'm the guy who actually uses the Argonaths as functional bookends. I'll listen to my Halo soundtrack in my car on the way to work.

So I wanted to get other opinions and see what the general populace felt. Or, at the very least, the opinion of hardcore anime fanatics who have followed one sci-fi franchise for over 20 years. Some may say I'll get skewed results, but I'm not government subsidized

Do you like/buy Special Editions? What's your opinion?

[mikeszekely]

Depends on what the game is, what you get with the special editions, and how much extra the special edition is.

For example... Halo 2... I loved the original Halo, and I expect to love Halo 2. Special edition is a mere $5 more, and for that, you get a DVD full of bonus content I'd probably never get around to watching, but a kick-ass metal case. I'd totally get the special edition... except that I waited too long to pre-order it, and I already got a promo metal case for display.

Mortal Kombat: Deception. I liked Deadly Alliance, and I enjoyed Deception. But I'd had to have taken the Baraka cover, since that's the one that Gamestop got for Xbox, and that's where I get my discount. So, why pay $10 more for a "limited edition" cover (of which we still have more of than the regular edition) with a character I don't even really like? For the original MK? Since that's my least favorite in the series, screw it.

Half-Life 2... well, I'm not really into PC games much. Last one I bought was Neverwinter Nights. Well, supposing I was, HL2 is going to be like $50 for the regular edition, and $80 for the special edition. I'm sorry, I don't care how big a fan you were of Half Life... getting Counterstrike Source and Half-Life Source doesn't justify the price, when for $10 less you could probably buy the regular edition and the Half-Life Platinum collection that has all the stuff like Counterstrike and Blue Shift.

One the whole, anyway, I'm not a huge fan of the special editions, since the quality of content to price ratio seems a little off. But, I wouldn't mind if they came out with a special edition of a new Megaman game based in the classic series...

[Max Jenius]

ummm... I got the Silver HL... and that was only $10 more than the bronze...

Half-Life Source and CS:Source... mmmm

Mostly I got it because steam doesn't seem to want to give me my old l/p for some reason... and I can't register my HL1 key anymore.

[Britai 7018]

I think it depends on the item and your attatchment to it. I bought all of the Blizzard game Special editions (WC3. Diablo II and the upcoming WoW). Those $70-80 price tags are justified because I love those games. In these cases, even if the extra stuff is stuff I'll never use, just having the "special edition" has a certain cache. But for instance I doubt I'll get the special edition Half-Life 2 because while I'm sure I'll like the game, the extra features don't justify the added cost.

It doesn't seem like there really is a disagreement over spending a little extra for special editions, more like a difference in opinion over what special editions you guys like.

[Ladic]

whats, CS: Source?

[wakobi]

Counter-Strike using the new spiffy Half-Life 2 Engine basically.

[JsARCLIGHT]

It depends on the title and what you get for the extra money that will get me to buy a "special edition" release. My big gripe is where this all started: DVD's. Sometimes a special edition release is nice and has lots of good stuff with it but other times they just slap the words "Special!" and "Collector's!" on it just to make more money. Crap like shirts, booklets and the like do not interest me but things like HL2 coming with CS: Source and HL1: Source made me want it... mainly because I like getting three games in one box on DVD Roms. Also I've noticed that some special edition releases of games (like Sims2) are basically just them shipping the game on DVD rom... what? excuse me? I pay a little more for the same thing on fewer discs?

When it comes down to it, Special Editions would not be booming if people were not buying them. But on the flip side companies need to realize that a crappy T-shirt and a four page booklet do not a "special edition" make. Truly special special editions are few and far between these days.

Edited November 1, 2004 by JsARCLIGHT

[mikeszekely]

It depends on the title and what you get for the extra money that will get me to buy a "special edition" release. My big gripe is where this all started: DVD's. Sometimes a special edition release is nice and has lots of good stuff with it but other times they just slap the words "Special!" and "Collector's!" on it just to make more money. Crap like shirts, booklets and the like do not interest me but things like HL2 coming with CS: Source and HL1: Source made me want it... mainly because I like getting three games in one box on DVD Roms. Also I've noticed that some special edition releases of games (like Sims2) are basically just them shipping the game on DVD rom... what? excuse me? I pay a little more for the same thing on fewer discs?

When it comes down to it, Special Editions would not be booming if people were not buying them. But on the flip side companies need to realize that a crappy T-shirt and a four page booklet do not a "special edition" make. Truly special special editions are few and far between these days.

The Sims 2 Special DVD edition is the same price as the CD-Rom edition. They only put the "Special DVD edition" in big letters so that the customers (in theory) know that they need a DVD-Rom drive, not just a CD-Rom drive. In practice, though it makes for a lot of people who think they're supposed to put it in their DVD player...

I definately agree with you on the DVD movies, though. I mean, it's rare that you see a movie come out on the release day that doesn't say "Special Collector's Edition." I mean, at least with the special edition games, you know what sets it apart from the regular edition. With DVDs, the "Special Collector's Edition" is the regular edition. And then later, almost ever movie, including Spider-Man, Hellboy, the Bourne Identity, and Resident Evil, get re-released on still more super extra special editions. To which I mostly say, who cares? Do I really need bonus content where they explain to me how they did the special effects... in every DVD that I buy? I almost never watch the extra content on DVDs.

[Vostok 7]

CS: Source rules all. I can't wait to play Half-Life: Source.

Oh yeah and Half-Life 2 I guess.

Vostok 7

[JsARCLIGHT]

The Sims 2 Special DVD edition is the same price as the CD-Rom edition. They only put the "Special DVD edition" in big letters so that the customers (in theory) know that they need a DVD-Rom drive, not just a CD-Rom drive. In practice, though it makes for a lot of people who think they're supposed to put it in their DVD player...

When the game came out here in STL lots of places had special sales on it ($39.99 and $44.99 rather than $49.99) but the sale price only applied to the non DVD standard version for some reason. I myself was not interested in that game but I clearly remember seeing the small print in a few ads (Circuit City and Comp USA come to mind) stating only the non-DVD edition was on sale (plus the only one pictured in the ad) and I remember some of the people in my office griping about how only the standard release was on sale. That is what I was referring to for the most part. Come to think of it, I was in Comp USA on Saturday getting a HDMI cable for my TV and I browsed their games section and the Sims2 DVD editions were falling off the shelves but the standard release was almost sold out. Seems to me that Sims2 is the only double media release game I have seen in stores other than Unreal Tournament so this practice is not exactly "widespread" yet.

[Ladic]

Counter-Strike using the new spiffy Half-Life 2 Engine basically.

Cool, is it gonna be a freedownload, or they gonna sell it?

[mikeszekely]

The Sims 2 Special DVD edition is the same price as the CD-Rom edition.  They only put the "Special DVD edition" in big letters so that the customers (in theory) know that they need a DVD-Rom drive, not just a CD-Rom drive.  In practice, though it makes for a lot of people who think they're supposed to put it in their DVD player...

When the game came out here in STL lots of places had special sales on it ($39.99 and $44.99 rather than $49.99) but the sale price only applied to the non DVD standard version for some reason. I myself was not interested in that game but I clearly remember seeing the small print in a few ads (Circuit City and Comp USA come to mind) stating only the non-DVD edition was on sale (plus the only one pictured in the ad) and I remember some of the people in my office griping about how only the standard release was on sale. That is what I was referring to for the most part. Come to think of it, I was in Comp USA on Saturday getting a HDMI cable for my TV and I browsed their games section and the Sims2 DVD editions were falling off the shelves but the standard release was almost sold out. Seems to me that Sims2 is the only double media release game I have seen in stores other than Unreal Tournament so this practice is not exactly "widespread" yet.

Ah, see, I have no idea what kinds of promos other stores do, but where I work at Gamestop, both editions are $50. No sales. And while we've sold more CD-Rom copies than DVD-Rom, that's mostly due to the fact that customers figure they must have a CD-Rom, if that's what Sims 1 played on, but are uncertain as to whether they actually have a DVD-Rom.

Neverwinter Nights Platinum was released in both CD and DVD forms. I was half tempted to pick up the DVD version, but I already have NWN Gold and HotU, and I couldn't justify buying the same game again.

EverQuest II, World of WarCraft, City of Heroes, and Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault will all see DVD releases this year. Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 are also likely canidates for DVD releases, although the DVD release for Doom will probably be in March to coincide with the release of the expansion.

[ComicKaze]

Retail Boxes

Estimated $49.95-54.95 Standard Edition: Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source. Ships on six CDs, in one of three boxes (Gordon, Alyx or the G-Man).

Estimated $74.95-89.95? Collector's Edition: Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life: Source, a Half-Life 2 T-shirt and a Prima book sampler. Ships on a single DVD.

Steam Packages

$49.95 Bronze: Half-Life 2* and Counter-Strike: Source.

$59.95 Silver: Half-Life 2*, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life: Source*, Day of Defeat: Source*, Valve's back catalog currently available on Steam.

$89.95 Gold: Half-Life 2*, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life: Source*, Day of Defeat: Source*, Valve's back catalog currently available on Steam, Complete Strategy Guide from Prima Games, three different Half-Life 2 posters, Half-Life 2 hat, Half-Life 2 postcard, Half-Life 2 stickers, Half-Life 2 Soundtrack CD, and a chance to win a trip to Valve (one trip offered for every 5000 Gold packages purchased).

It's a lot of stuff in the Gold Package. But in terms of software, the only differentiating factors are Half-Life 1:Source (Half-Life 1 retooled to run on Half-Life 2's Engine) and Day of Defeat:Source.

It boils down to you getting a lot of choice and if you really think all that extra stuff is worth it. Personally, I don't think it's worth the extra $40 for that junk. I could care less about the Back Catalog of various mods and games from 1998+ (which I already own from the original Half-Life), the posters, the hat, the postcard, the stickers, Soundtrack, and the chance to visit Valve (whoo no).

In the retail collector's edition, you're paying $20-$40 more for just a T-Shirt (which will be like Large or Extra Large so I'd never be able to wear it), a stupid sampler of the strategy guide, the chance to play an upgraded Half-Life 1 (won't look as pretty obviously), and the bonus of having it on DVD which is about the only positive I see. I'd much rather have a single disc with a hardcopy of these games I bought with my own money than to download it off Steam and stand the chance of losing everything.

Edited November 1, 2004 by ComicKaze

[lord_breetai]

"Special Eds" for games I have bought

Robotech Battlecry Collector's Ed: Yeah... the art dull the soundtrack... awful... nothing in here that was worth the extra money

Sakura Taisen 2 Memorial Ed DC: This was actually cheaper then the regular ed or the limited ed... it came with a special DVD nothing interesting on it really... other then a collection of openings and episode previews.

Sakura Taisen 3 Memorial Ed DC: Again cheaper the the regular ed or limited ed, it came with a very nice picture frame/music box that plays "Mihata no moto ni" I still use it

Sakura Taisen 4: I got the regular ed and not the special ed... the special ed came with cell phone straps... how dull is that?

Sakura Taisen Atsuki: The special ed came with a very nice pocket watch and I wish I got it... but I went with the regular ed.

Sakura Taisen V Episode Zero: Came with a beach towel (which I tacked onto my wall) a poster, a figure and glass mug (which I do drink out of)... by far one of the nicest special ed packs I've ever gotten.

I'm not crazy for special eds but given the right incentive I will get them...

[bsu legato]

I just have to add that Day of Defeat Source is a particularly frustrating topic for me. First and foremost, there's no projected release date for the game at all, and considering the near snail-like pace the DoD dev team works at, it will be some time before we see it. Now, I'm not bothered by the fact that DoD isn't included in any of the retail packages. The original DoD was released by Activision, not Sierra. Unless Vivendi somehow gets the rights from Activision, it can't be sold with HL2. However, if you're willing to spend the money ahead of time, you can simply get the Silver or Gold packages off of Steam.

But....

What I want to know is how do Retail customers get DoD: Source when its finally released? Will we just have to pay for it, on top of what we've already paid for HL2? Will we be able to simply download the mod, as we could for HL1? Or will we have to get some kind of Steam upgrade package? It's this lack of information that really pisses me off. Fanbois on the DoD boards simply parrot "Buy it over t3h Steam, n00b" but that's hardly what I call making an informed decision, is it?

[Ladic]

I'm supposed (Hoefully) to get the game by mail because I bought a ATI Card back in february, so will they game also come with CS?

[JsARCLIGHT]

OK, obvious stupid ass old man question here: just what the H is this steam thing? Is it some kind of online buy then download sort of thing? If it is then it's out of my range as I have a dialup at home and will just buy the boxed collector's edition as I was planning...

[bsu legato]

OK, obvious stupid ass old man question here: just what the H is this steam thing? Is it some kind of online buy then download sort of thing? If it is then it's out of my range as I have a dialup at home and will just buy the boxed collector's edition as I was planning...

STEAM is many things. Steam replaces the old WON system for playing Valve's games online. Steam is an auto-updating "browser" for your games. Once you log in, it will update your games with any necessary patches and updates. Steam is also an online store, where you can download Half Life 2, should you chose to, instead of buying a retail copy.

[JsARCLIGHT]

And now I know... and knowing is half the battle!

(the other half being finding someone to give the dorky shirt that comes in my HL2 Collector's edition box)

[ComicKaze]

I'm supposed (Hoefully) to get the game by mail because I bought a ATI Card back in february, so will they game also come with CS?

I don't think you get the game by mail, you get credit towards the Steam Half-Life 2 Bronze package which you download as Steam said for those with the ATi package.

Or that credit goes towards and is deducted from the amount of the Silver or Gold packages if you want to upgrade. And yes every HL2 comes with CS:Source.

[Max Jenius]

And yes every HL2 comes with CS:Source.

Yes. CS: Source is the "official multiplayer" of HL2.

[Ladic]

I'm supposed (Hoefully) to get the game by mail because I bought a ATI Card back in february, so will they game also come with CS?

I don't think you get the game by mail, you get credit towards the Steam Half-Life 2 Bronze package which you download as Steam said for those with the ATi package.

Or that credit goes towards and is deducted from the amount of the Silver or Gold packages if you want to upgrade. And yes every HL2 comes with CS:Source.

do you know, how I will know if I get the Credit?

I have steame, because when i registered to get the copy of HL2, it gave me a key, so I downloaded HL and Counterstrike.

[Max Jenius]

You should be good to go Ladic.

Start your HL2 pre-load!

[Ladic]

cool, if I preload now, is that like less downloading later?

[ComicKaze]

cool, if I preload now, is that like less downloading later?

Yes, the Steam preload was released in parts so one week, it was sounds, next week was graphics, etc. and this started months ago.

If you preload now, it'll basically be downloading the whole thing as it's gone gold.

"Those who purchase via Steam, will receive the final version of Counter-Strike: Source immediately. Half-Life 2 and other games in the Steam offerings will be made available to purchasers upon their release.

ATI/Half-Life 2 bundle owners may redeem their product key for the Bronze offer or apply their key toward the purchase of either the Silver or Gold offers, receiving a credit equal to the price of the Bronze offer."

[Mr March]

Depends on what the game is, what you get with the special editions, and how much extra the special edition is.

For example... Halo 2... I loved the original Halo, and I expect to love Halo 2. Special edition is a mere $5 more, and for that, you get a DVD full of bonus content I'd probably never get around to watching,

See, I actually watch the special features on my DVDs. I like behind the scenes footage and I especially enjoy learning about the process of making films. Since I'm a part time filmmaker myself, the special features are a lot like instruction for me. And also the simple fact that I love film and just love to play the enthusiastic fan

For those that don't enjoy all the additional stuff, clearly added features aren't a big draw.

[Mr March]

It doesn't seem like there really is a disagreement over spending a little extra for special editions, more like a difference in opinion over what special editions you guys like.

Well, I enjoy getting the extra stuff for those rare, special products that mean more to me. I have no illusions that I get more out of many of the products that interest me than many of my friends. In the case of Half-Life 2 and Halo 2, many of my friends are just looking for the next killer-multiplayer-app. They could care less if it has interesting design, music, story, or character. THey just want the frag romp on the latest and greatest software available.

Obviously, I enjoy many of these games for much more than that. So needless to say, I'm interested in the special editions more than my friend.

[Mr March]

It depends on the title and what you get for the extra money that will get me to buy a "special edition" release. My big gripe is where this all started: DVD's. Sometimes a special edition release is nice and has lots of good stuff with it but other times they just slap the words "Special!" and "Collector's!" on it just to make more money. Crap like shirts, booklets and the like do not interest me but things like HL2 coming with CS: Source and HL1: Source made me want it... mainly because I like getting three games in one box on DVD Roms. Also I've noticed that some special edition releases of games (like Sims2) are basically just them shipping the game on DVD rom... what? excuse me? I pay a little more for the same thing on fewer discs?

When it comes down to it, Special Editions would not be booming if people were not buying them. But on the flip side companies need to realize that a crappy T-shirt and a four page booklet do not a "special edition" make. Truly special special editions are few and far between these days.

This is a very good criticism. I myself have been bitten once or twice by the trap of the Special-Edition-with-nothing-special-about-it. In the case of DVDs, it's really a question of looking hard and long at what the special features are and the quality of those features. The extended edition sets of Lord of the Rings were fantastic IMO and other sets like Gladiator, X-Men I and II, Memento Boxed Set, et cetera. But there were others like the L.A. Confidential and GOod Will Hunting release that was pretty weak. Same can be said for both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones sets, which were good, but lightweight for films of their popularity and impact on the film industry.

[Mr March]

It boils down to you getting a lot of choice and if you really think all that extra stuff is worth it. Personally, I don't think it's worth the extra $40 for that junk. I could care less about the Back Catalog of various mods and games from 1998+ (which I already own from the original Half-Life), the posters, the hat, the postcard, the stickers, Soundtrack, and the chance to visit Valve (whoo no).

In the retail collector's edition, you're paying $20-$40 more for just a T-Shirt (which will be like Large or Extra Large so I'd never be able to wear it), a stupid sampler of the strategy guide, the chance to play an upgraded Half-Life 1 (won't look as pretty obviously), and the bonus of having it on DVD which is about the only positive I see. I'd much rather have a single disc with a hardcopy of these games I bought with my own money than to download it off Steam and stand the chance of losing everything.

I must admit, I enjoy having the option. If I want an uber-edition of my favorite game or DVD, it's great to have the choice. If I don't, equally as good! I like the attention given to some of these products so people who beleive all the special stuff is worth it can have the option to buy that stuff. Those who don't simply buy a cheaper version. Everybody wins.

[Ladic]

jUST Played CS: Source, very cool, nice looking graphics.

[Bloodcat]

Im not getting Half Life 2. Why should I have to have a net connection and be forced to register the game just to play the solo game? If Valve dies out the game then becomes useless, or has a chance to become useless.

Its basically DRM crap which I hate. Im not interested in multiplayer and I don't pirate. Its none of Valve's business when I play the game.

And the Steam deals seem to be a ripoff. Let's see. I still pay 50 bucks but don't get a box or manual or CDs? EAT ME.

Besides, itll probably be as underwhelming as Doom 3 is and Halo 2 probably will be. (Unless you enjoy the same damned game only much prettier. Ive played enough FPSes over the years to know none of em have blown my mind since Duke Nukem 3d. That includes Halo and Half Life BTW. I didn't worship the originals either.)

As to special editions? It depends on price and goodies contained. I really only own 2 special editions. Morrowind which was an utter waste (and not that great a game anyhow), and Ultima 9: Ascension. (Which wasn't that great either but had some great bonus content. Hell, I mostly bought it for the bonus content. Every other Ultima with CD Rom cluebooks for the entire series? Hell yeah!)

By and large, most special editions aren't worth it, and in many cases its better off just waiting for the game to hit the budget rack. Soul Calibur 2 for 15 bucks yo!

[Graham]

Special Editions whether they be DVDs or PC/Console games hold very little interest for me. Basically, I just want to watch the movie or play the damn game and that's it.

I'm not into fancy packaging, 'making off' documentaries, directors commentary, stills galleries, concept art, T-shirts, posters, pins etc. About the only extra that I'm even mildly interested in are deleted scenes.

Director's cut DVDs are another matter though and if a Directors Cut version of a favorite movie I want to buy exists, I'll probably buy it over the regular 'plain jain' version.

I am however very selective about what games and DVDs I buy. I'll only buy a DVD if I've already seen it (rental or cinema) and then only if I really, really liked it. I don't buy movies that I thought were just mediocre. Heck, even most movies that I though were good or even great I don't buy. The movie has to be a life changing experience for me to buy it

I'm a little more relaxed in my criteria for buying games, but I'm not much of a gamer and probably only buy about half a dozen games a year. If the game is a franchise I like. for example Ace Combat, Armored Core or Macross, I'll probably buy it without asking too many questions. Other games though I'll do extensive research first before deciding to buy it. It's just a pity we don't have the concept of game rental here in HK. I guess it wouldn't catch on anyway, with bootlegs being so cheap and plentiful.

Graham

[areaseven]

Tonight at midnight, fans will line up at all GameStop branches to pick up Halo 2. Of course, this means I'll have to be at the one where I work at to make sure the lines are organized. Who's picking up their Halo 2 tonight?

[bsu legato]

Im not getting Half Life 2. Why should I have to have a net connection and be forced to register the game just to play the solo game? If Valve dies out the game then becomes useless, or has a chance to become useless.

It's only a one-time authentication. If you can post on Macross World, you can authenticate your Half Life 2. As for Valve going out of business, thats the same "risk" that players of games like Diablo, City of Heros, and nearly every other online game live with. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Gaijin]

Tonight at midnight, fans will line up at all GameStop branches to pick up Halo 2. Of course, this means I'll have to be at the one where I work at to make sure the lines are organized. Who's picking up their Halo 2 tonight?

Not I. AC5 and Killzone stealing up enough game time for me.