Resident Evil 5 Collectors Edition; a perfect visual analogy of how Europeans keep getting screwed

[CyberAkuma]

When ordering the Resident Evil 5 Collectors Edition, what you will get depends greatly on where you are located.

North America: $89

Europe: 89?

Japan: ¥12,800

<-- A 2GB USB drive modeled after the TRICELL vaccine

Europeans get litterally fucked over again, really fucked over.
To even call it a limited collectors edition is really an insult

And to even add further insult to injury, the European version costs around 90? which is roughly $120 USD. We pay roughly 30% more and get less. This is truly a perfect visual analogy.

 

[rossatdi]

Sorry, but who the hell would want all that crap? The game is what I want.

 

[CyberAkuma]

I wouldn't mind paying $20-30 extra for the stuff that comes with it.
As a dedicated Resident Evil enthusiast I truly believe that it is worth it.

However, expecting us Europeans to pay ?30 extra for a plastic card and an artbook is just nothing less of an insult.

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

Sorry, but who the hell would want all that crap? The game is what I want.

Well you see some fans want series merchandise like the Warhammer guy said in the LE they want some "cool shit."

I'm annoyed as well I considered getting this Limited Edition of Resident Evil 5 but not now.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Well, if you've been playing games for over 20 years like some of us, you remember the days of huge boxes with cloth maps, and packs of cards, all sorts of assorted extra stuff to make it feel like you bought something special, and that was with a £9.99 game. IF you 'just want to play the game' there's the regular edition as well as collector's edition

To me, if the collector's edition costs more than the regular one, despite only coming in a cardboard box instead of a plastic one, then I can't see many people going for it, at least stuff like the WOW collector's edition gave you some interesting extras. From my experience, if you didn't preorder the WOW special editions you didn't get one, they were very popular.

EDIT: as far as I can see we don't even get the book, just a plastic card and the game disc.

 

[Antiparticle]

Yeah, Europe gets screwed over all the time. Games are more expensive here, get released later (or never!), there are less special editions and other goodies.. it sucks.

 

[NekoAnastasia]

Sorry, but who the hell would want all that crap? The game is what I want.

I certainly don't want to pay more NOT to have it, thanks.

 

[rossatdi]

Sorry, but who the hell would want all that crap? The game is what I want.

Well you see some fans want series merchandise like the Warhammer guy said in the LE they want some "cool shit."

I'm annoyed as well I considered getting this Limited Edition of Resident Evil 5 but not now.

Don't understand it. What's the point getting cheaply put together tat that's designed solely to drive up their profits? It's fanboyism like this that gives people the message that mining franchises is a better course than new stuff.

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

What does Australia get?

A rating refusal and ban?

 

[Isaac Dodgson]

Wait...not to completely kill the point that the OP was trying to make...but how much is it for us Americans for all that stuff? Cuz I kinda want it now...

 

[MrGFunk]

Sorry, but who the hell would want all that crap? The game is what I want.

I agree, I've got some special editions like the Resi 4 steelbook but I didn't get the chainsaw controller. It seemed unusable and probably cost loads extra.

It's just seems like clutter.

Maybe this is a British practicality that has meant a lot of merchandise has been wasted in previous promos and publishers have decided - What's the point?

 

[Lord Beautiful]

This reminds me of the theme song to Team America.

 

[fix-the-spade]

I want the Japanese one, the extras in the US version sem a bit tacky. Then again, pay double and get less, I always thought the EU was supposed to promote fair trade.

 

[Sir Ollie]

Kinda funny calling them limited editions... as usual Europe gets screwed again

 

[Baonec]

That's the way europeans usually get treated with our special edition versions yet I still buy them when I can ... looking at the japanese one I may try to find a set of that and then find a "pre-owned" copy of resi 5 on release.

 

[Rustbucket]

I just want the game and the bonus disc...

Maybe I'll move to Europe.

 

[Virgil]

And to even add further insult to injury, the European version costs around 90? which is roughly $120 USD. We pay roughly 30% more and get less. This is truly a perfect visual analogy.

There's several reasons why the price would be higher.

1) Taxes and other fees.

The EU countries are pretty well known for taxing the hell out of everything that moves. I suspect that the EU releases also have to be submitted for rating to a half-dozen different government agencies, all of which probably have their own fees. You should do some research on that - at the very least you can find out if it's a problem.

2) More work to release the game

Releasing in the EU often requires several translations that they normally wouldn't have to do, and modified versions of the game (for example, removing violence for Germany). I bet they lump all the costs for the extra work together and spread it out among all the countries - otherwise most would order the cheapest version.

3) Different Cost of Living

I don't know what the general state of wages are in the EU - maybe someone could clarify it. In the US, minimum wage is currently $6.55 USD/hour. A search on the internet [http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2005/07/study/tn0507101s.htm] says that minimum hourly in the UK is 7.14?. That's about $9.50 USD, or around 45% higher.

4) Price gouging.

Failing everything else, they're simply charging you more because they can. The solution to this is to not buy their games. Instead, send letters (not email, letters) to the publisher and retailers telling them why you're not buying. And really don't buy it. If enough people did that, and they really were charging more just because they could, then the prices will drop. Of course, if it's not gouging, then you'd just get fewer games.