As a huge fan of physical media, I applaud Limited Run Games for doing what they do. For those not familiar with them, they produce "limited runs" on physical media of games that previously were only available digitally. They initially offered PS4 and Vita games, and started supporting the Nintendo Switch about a year ago. I've bought several games from them so far -- Thimbleweed Park, Night Trap and West of Loathing. Yesterday, my newest purchase from them arrived on my doorstep, Outlast Murkhoff Briefcase Edition, which contains both Outlast and Outlast 2 and is limited to only 2000 copies worldwide!
Squee!
Each game they offer comes in either the basic version, as any game would appear at retail and sell for around $30. They also offer deluxe editions for about $70, which come will all sorts of bells and whistles. I normally don't go for the collector's editions, but in this case I couldn't help myself.
This is the most expensive game I've ever purchased, either new or as a retro collector. Was it worth it?
The games come in large, heavy box, which gave me a good first impression about what I would be finding inside. After removing the shrinkwrap, I lifted the top flap (its connected to the box by a hinge) and the two Outlast games were revealed.
The content all sits in cardboard trays to keep them nicely lined up and protected. The games were easy to remove from these trays. I love the presentation!
Under the games and the first cardboard tray is a folder with 'confidential' information relevant to the game. Never having played any of the Outlast games, I'm sure these will be more relevant to me in the future.
Below the folder with the confidential reports, I found the graphic novel, a 128 page behemoth with very nice artwork. Again, this is something I'll have to save until after I've played the games to fully appreciate.
What collectors' edition is complete without the game's soundtrack on CD? While the usefulness of a CD in 2019 is questionable to some, those are typically the type of people who don't pay a premium to get their games on a physical format.
The last included goodies are two 18"x24" reversible posters featuring artwork from the games. The designs resemble the 50's pulp comic style, but much darker. I'm not sure I'll ever have a way to display these, but they're nice to have.
Lastly, they included a box to collect the two game cases so they can fit nicely on your shelf with the rest of your Switch collection. I didn't know this was going to be included and its a very welcome surprise bonus.
So would I say the $100 version is worth it? Well, its hard to say until after I've experienced the games. What I can say is that if I do end up loving the games, I'll be very happy that I splurged to buy this very cool collectors edition. If I end up disliking the games (or get too freaked out to finish them), it should be easy to resell since this version is currently selling online for up to $250.
Thanks for reading. As always, upvotes, resteems and comments are appreciated!
[All images by Retro Room]