Editor Jason Ocampo would like to reiterate that he loves Empire at War, especially the part about blowing up Bothans. If you do too, let him know at [email protected].

　　Remember the old AT&T commercials that had people, like, speeding around in flying cars or getting groceries delivered to their doorsteps and other far-flung futuristic stuff like that? If you didn't ever see yourself doing stuff like that, AT&T reassured you, "You will." It was a compelling message and, more than anything, I think it applies to games. Games have provided me with some of the greatest experiences I could imagine, and whenever I'd imagine up new ones, generally it wouldn't take too long for someone out there to make them a reality. Everything you want games to become is going to happen sooner or later, because you demand it.

　　Even Indiana Jones knows the value of a good collectible...

　　And when the next big thing does get here, you'll no doubt be able to celebrate it in style thanks to the most insidious marketing device in the game publisher's hands: the collector's edition. Most major new games now come in two flavors. There's the regular edition, which is exactly what it sounds like. For console games, it's just a single DVD along with a manual inside a plastic DVD case. (Or, in the case of PC games, you have several CDs along with a manual inside a small cardboard box). Then there's the collector's edition, which usually has everything the regular edition has, and a little bit more.

　　The economics behind a collector's edition make sense. For a dollar or two more in cost of goods, a publisher can get diehard fan boys to drop an extra Hamilton and make some extra dough. Most collector's editions sell for $10 more than the regular edition. Let's say that it costs $2 or $3 more for the publisher to make the collector's edition, then that's $7 or $8 in profit. And since most major new games have a diehard audience, that's usually a great deal for the publisher. But, alas, it's not always a good deal for the collectors, like me.

　　…too bad Darth Vader doesn't.

　　I'm a collector at heart. At least, that's the kind term for it. Others, like my parents, would call me an "inveterate pack rat." I hate throwing things away because everything has sentimental value for me. Maybe that's why I've got a history degree; I put value onto the past. I have pretty much the same philosophy when it comes to games. I love to collect games and to pile them into stacks on the floor and on shelves. It's an odd behavior, because I rarely ever go back to play an old game (there's simply no time), but I'm loath to get rid of them because I like having them around. Maybe that's why I'm just a sucker for collector's editions. Their very name implies that they have a special value to them, and if you hold onto them long enough you'll have a treasure on your hands.

　　But I've been thinking a lot about collector's editions recently, mainly because I bought the collector's edition of Star Wars: Empire at War last week, and I'm a bit bitter about it. Don't get me wrong, Empire at War is a great game, but it's got a truly lousy collector's edition. It's not the worst collector's edition that I've seen (Civilization III holds that honor for me), but it comes pretty darn close. For the extra $10, you get a paltry handful of extras, most of which consist of artwork, screensavers, and wallpapers that the art and marketing departments probably had left over at the time. These show up on an extra CD, along with a handful of multiplayer skirmish maps that will probably be released for free on the Internet eventually, if they're not already there. The other "big" extra is the lenticular packaging. Basically, the game's paper sleeve has one of those refracting covers that changes appearance depending on what angle you're looking at it from. Of course, since this paper sleeve just wraps around an extra-thick plastic DVD case that PC games ship in now, it's completely redundant and useless. All in all, it's a very disappointing package.

　　Seriously, this was an awesome collector's edition.

　　Experience tells me that there are generally two kinds of collector's editions. The first is the most common type of collector's edition, which I call the "basic" collector's edition. These usually sell for about $10 more than the regular edition, and they pack a few extras, such as a glitzy metal case or an extra disc with behind-the-scenes extras on it. Empire at War definitely falls into this category, and it even underperforms compared to other "basic" collector's editions that I've seen. For instance, Halo 2 had a pretty excellent collector's edition, even though all it really had was a metal case and a behind-the-scenes DVD. But Microsoft also priced it a mere $5 more than the regular edition, which is a completely reasonable price point.

　　Then there's the other kind of collector's edition. These are the "awesome" collector's editions that you put on your shelf for everyone to see. Yes, you generally end up paying more (upward of $20 or $30 over the regular edition), but you always feel like it's worth the money. A perfect example is the World of Warcraft collector's edition, which packed a soundtrack, a behind-the-scenes DVD, a hardcover art book that looks great on a coffee table, a cloth map, and an exclusive in-game pet.

　　My personal favorite is the Neverwinter Nights collector's edition, which came in a big felt-lined box and featured an art book, a long-sleeved T-shirt, a soundtrack, a map that doubled as a mousepad, and a big cloth poster of one of the main characters in the game. That's value, folks. Of course, this treatment is only reserved for those guaranteed blockbuster games, because no publisher or retailer wants to see mountains of these giant boxes sitting in a warehouse collecting dust. Still, it's telling that you can usually go on eBay after one of these editions has sold out and find them going for much higher than their original price.

　　If you're going to make a collector's edition of your game, you should at least put some value into it to make it worthwhile. Of course, it would also help if consumers, including me, would take a stand and say no to these things. It hasn't happened yet, but I suspect that that moment is coming soon. There's already a growing cynicism about the way industry pricing is evolving. For example, we're already being asked to pay extra for next-generation console games that feature in-game advertising everywhere you go. If that's going to be the case, why should we pay even more for a collector's edition?

　　Next Up: Freeplay by Brian Ekberg