Follow TV Tropes

This entry is trivia, which is cool and all, but not a trope. On a work, it goes on the Trivia tab.

Following

Limited Special Collector's Ultimate Edition
aka: Limited Special Directors Ultimate Edition

Go To

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/duke_forever_ce_350_8100.jpg
You'd think this would be the normal edition after 16 years.note 

"Limited to the number they can sell."

Works are sometimes released in two versions: the Vanilla Edition, and a better, souped-up Ace Custom edition with exclusive Bonus Material. With movies, you can expect deleted scenes, filmmaker interviews, never-before-seen footage, commentary tracks and so forth. Video games tend to offer a shiny metal case, developer artwork, bonus characters or the Strategy Guide. Newspapers might have supplementary articles based on national events, like elections or notable sports (Olympics being held in the country? Expect a lot of press!). Concept Art, a "making-of" featurette, background story information, character biographies, alternate endings and trinkets are common with any media. All yours, if you pay some extra money.

Worth it? Depends on the individual work, and who you ask. In any case, this is a good marketing strategy, because it feeds into many people's compulsion to own the "best" version. It's particularly clever if you can get people to buy the "ordinary" (some more "ordinary" than others) version, discover how cool it is, and then go shell out again for the Limited Special Collector's Ultimate Edition.

Occasionally the souped-up edition is the only edition for the first few months of a new release (or may be received as a Pre-Order Bonus). Conversely, the special edition might not be released until a couple of months after the regular edition to squeeze more money out of die-hard fans.

Another practice is releasing films both separately and in a Boxed Set with sequels. As more sequels come out, more editions with the entire series come out. The box sets traditionally come with extra features. This is also done with TV series — four episodes will be on one DVD. Then another four. Then another four. And finally the whole sixteen episodes of the season in a neat little box set. Done to excess, can become (and sometimes is) an example of Crack is Cheaper.

Just because a product has a "Collector's Edition" or "Limited Edition" printed on it, it doesn't mean it's actually rare, valuable for reselling, or even something actual collectors desire. The comic book industry suffered heavily in the 1990s thanks to a collector bubble, when products like these were mass produced to exploit people who actually believed they would become valuable items in the future—but those so-called "Collector's Editions" are still worth nothing to this day.

Note that, with regard to video games, this should not be confused with an Updated Re-release, because that's when a game is rereleased with brand new content and significant alterations to the gameplay. The Limited Special Collector's Ultimate Edition comes out alongside the regular edition and just adds bonus content separate from the core game.

Remember that Examples Are Not Recent.


Examples Subpages:


Other Examples:

    open/close all folders 

    Comic Books 
  • DC Comics with their "Absolute" line of comic releases, which gives the deluxe treatment to well-known classic series like Watchmen, Batman: The Long Halloween, Kingdom Come, The Sandman (1989) — which just might be the only comic-book series to be given this treatment for its entire range in four volumes — and many more. These releases are often housed in a hardcover case and include original scripts, alternate cover treatments, introductions and commentary by the creators of the various series and much more. They're also printed at a larger size than normal, giving the artwork more room to be appreciated. Of course, they come at a premium (most sets cost between $150 and $175).
  • Dark Horse Comics released Sin City in an "Archival Edition", putting all the various series in their own hardcover book (plus a special making-of book), and subsequently housing them in two dustproof hardcover cases. Ponying up the money for the two "Archival" releases will set you back to the tune of $400.
  • First, the Archie Comics stories of Archie marrying Veronica and Betty came over the course of seven issues. Then, the parts were compiled in a trade paperback. Seven months after the paperback compilation, the comics received a hardcover book with interviews with the writers and artists, annotations of pop culture references, and five bonus comics from the 1940s-60s. The price difference isn't that big, but it's still surprising that an Archie comic would get published in book form twice.
  • It was extremely common during the 1990s when comic collector sales were at their height for multiple editions of the same comic book. Often they wouldn't be anything more than an alternate cover art, a shiny cover, or just a label saying "collectors edition" on it. However, this mass saturation of the market helped lead to The Great Comics Crash of 1996.
  • My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (IDW) Issue #1's joint Larry's & Jetpack variant cover, which uses the connected rough design production artwork of the Larry's Comics variant cover and the Jetpack Comics variant cover, will have only 125 copies printed. The Jetpack variant itself will be limited to only 750 copies.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Due to the original Team Sonic Racing one-shot being released five entire months before the game IDW re-printed it alongside Team Sonic Racing's actual release as the Plus Deluxe Turbo Championship Edition with an extra story added and new cover using renders from the actual game. It also includes some mini-guides and tips/tricks for the game among the original's already quite extensive list of bonus pages.

    Fan Works 

    Literature 
  • Unlike most other media, books are objects whose physical qualities are important to their appreciation. When something first hits the shelves, its earliest editions will be in the larger and more durable trade hardback format, which tends to cost about two or three times as much as a pocket paperback. In the more rarified realms of the literary market, there also exists the leatherbound book, which can sell for well above U.S. $100 for a typical novel.
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events: Numerous rereleases of The Bad Beginning, including one priced higher than the thirteen-book box set. Also, the box sets, which have exclusive artwork. The new paperbacks are aversions because they're much better for about half the price.
  • J.R.R. Tolkien's work is a really big offender here: at least five editions of The Lord of the Rings, three of The Hobbit, and two of The Silmarillion all have some sort of "bonus content", including (but most likely not limited to) introductions by noted authors, footnotes detailing the writing of the book in question, character indexes with extra backstory, and being really shiny.
    • One reason for so many editions is that unauthorized editions were printed up by unscrupulous publishers. J. R. R. Tolkien spent some time fixing copyright problems to stop this. Famous words on back of the Ballantine or "Hippie Edition":
      "This paperback edition, and no other, has been published with my consent and co-operation. Those who approve of courtesy (at least) to living authors will purchase it, and no other." J. R. R. Tolkien
    • And then of course you have the various "anniversary" collector's editions, each with their own artwork. The 35th anniversary edition was famous for being illustrated by then-unknown Alan Lee.
    • Tolkien also re-released The Hobbit with revised and extended description of Gollum's cave, since Bilbo "lied" about how he came to possess the ring; the original version actually contradicts the premise of LOTR, since Gollum simply gives the Ring to Bilbo and leads him out of the cave.
  • A new and improved version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone released advertised sparkly new content from Jo Rowling - which turned out to be a single sketch of Snape. Ouch.
    • The Deathly Hallows special edition seems to have had little more than some new art added. It's still pretty nice, though.
  • His Dark Materials was re-released for the film in a complete collection with new material detailing what Will and Lyra did, will do, or might do, depending on how canon you take it.
  • The Easton Press produces fine leather-bound collector editions of books. These are specially made for bookcollectors and come in landmark series like The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written, Library of the Presidents and Great Books of the 20th Century
  • The Last Hope, the Grand Finale of Warrior Cats, has an "Enhanced Edition" e-book available for purchase alongside the Vanilla Edition. The Enhanced Edition contains videos of the authors talking about the series, an excerpt of the fifth Super Edition, Yellowfang's Secret, notes that reveal things such as ideas that never made it into the book and an exclusive game.
  • Subterranean Press's limited edition of Joe Hill's NOS4A2 comes with an exclusive alternate ending as well as an entire novella that was cut from the original manuscript.
  • Starting from the mid-80s, Stephen King branched out releases of his work to include premium limited editions and boxed sets of many of his classic works, many of which now command high prices on the secondary market (and many of which don't even involve him directly anymore):
    • The Dark Tower, as a franchise, received numerous limited and signed editions. Starting from the original book, The Gunslinger, each new installment was released in a standard hardcover and softcover edition by Grant Books, along with a signed and lettered edition (plus a limited run of full series sets, encompassing everything from Gunslinger through The Dark Tower (2004), in a numbered-run of ten hardcover volumes sold for several thousand dollars). The Wind Through the Keyhole (an Interquel that is set midway through the series) was also released in a limited-edition run with a faux-snakeskin clamshell case, signed by King.
    • Centipede Press's limited edition of 'Salem's Lot came with some then-exclusive deleted scenes that King removed from the text. A trade edition with them was later released.
    • The Stand was released by Doubleday in 1990 in a special "Coffin" edition, numbered to 1,250 copies, in a deluxe leather-bound edition with a wooden box made up to look like a coffin, and signed by both King and illustrator Bernie Wrightson.
    • For the 25th anniversary printing of It, a limited-edition (of 750 copies) was released, signed by King and three artists who contributed new illustrations to the book.
    • Starting from the early 2000s, hardcover printings by both Subterranean Press and Cemetery Dance Productions have included limited "artist" editions signed by the illustrators of the book, which are typically released in limited numbers.
  • The omnibus edition of the two Red Dwarf novels written by both Grant and Naylor includes some changes to the first book (retooling Take Thats at real celebrities into No Celebrities Were Harmed), adding a new ending to the second book, adding the original script for the tv show's pilot and a copy of the original beermat that contains the first brainstorming session for the show.
  • The Subterranean Press editions of the Malazan Book of the Fallen come in numbered copies, with very nice paper and several specifically commissioned illustrations per book.
  • British publisher The Folio Society specialises in high-end hardback reprints, usually with specially commissioned illustrations. Prices are usually between £30 and £40 (about $40 to $55) but can go much higher.
  • Back in the days before the health dangers of asbestos were widely known, at least two novels had limited editions bound in that material: Fahrenheit 451 (1953, 200 signed and numbered copies) and Firestarter (1980, 26 signed copies lettered A to Z).
  • Isaac Asimov: 3 by Isaac Asimov (also known as Three Science Fiction Tales) was published by Targ Editions in 1981, containing three Short Stories: "True Love", "The Last Answer", and "Fair Exchange". This thin volume is less than twenty pages long, each edition is hand-signed by Dr Asimov, and only 250 were ever published.
  • Black Library, the publishing arm of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar creator Games Workshop, frequently puts out special editions of its novels. These limited editions are much more expensive than the standard releases ($65-80 USD versus $15-30), but they include such bonuses as autographs, character art, alternate covers, gilt page edges, extra short stories, and special author commentaries, and are often bound in cloth or faux leather with embossing, metal details, and foil highlights. There are also occasional super-deluxe collector's editions that come with Feelies such as pins, bookmarks, coins, dice, maps, art prints, and stickers. The print runs for these editions never go above 2,500, and for the deluxe editions it's usually somewhere between 1,250 and 1,750 copies.

    Live-Action TV 
  • For the DVD releases of the Doctor Who revival, three to six episodes at a time are released on 'vanilla' DVDs with few or no extras just a month or so after broadcast — longer for North American releases, although the broadcasts have been day-and-date with the UK since 2011. Full series DVDs with lots of extras are saved for later.
    • There are also various limited special editions of the boxed sets themselves. Series three had a normal version, and two retailer exclusive sleeves for Amazon.co.uk and Woolworths (the Cyberman head was a previous Amazon exclusive, the TARDIS box was used for all early S1 boxes).
    • The earlier stories "The Five Doctors" and "Remembrance of the Daleks" were both released twice on DVD in the UK. The original DVD of "The Five Doctors" was one of the very first DVD releases of BBC shows to test the market, had no special features apart from some isolated music tracks, used the 1995 Special Edition that is to say the least controversial among fans instead of the originally broadcast version, and is not officially considered part of the Who DVD release programme. The original DVD version of "Remembrance of the Daleks" had a notorious blooper in which the first and most spectacular use of the "glowing skeleton" Dalek extermination effect was left out because of a remastering error, and also had relatively few special features by later standards. Both stories came out a second time in 2008 and 2009 respectively with much more special features.
    • Almost all of the DVD releases from the first two years of the release schedule were later re-released with improved picture quality and new special features, along with a couple of other famous stories released later.
    • Spearhead from Space ended up with three different disc editions: the original one, the expanded version released in the Mannequin Mania box, and a 2013 Blu-ray edition (as the only story made entirely on film other than the 1996 TV movie, it can be released in "true" HD rather than just being upscaled).
    • 2013 saw the release of a humungous "Regeneration" box set containing every Doctor's final story from "The Tenth Planet" to "The End of Time" along with a coffee-table book. Exploitatively, it was released well in advance of the standalone "Tenth Planet" DVD as well as "The Time of the Doctor", which aired at the end of 2013 as Eleven's Grand Finale and was later released as a standalone disc.
    • Most of the longer Christmas Episodes, the 2009 Spring and Fall specials, "The Day of the Doctor" 50th anniversary show, and "Deep Breath" (the Twelfth Doctor's debut) had standalone releases with more bonus content than usual. Most of the Christmas episodes (with their bonus features) were later folded into Complete Series sets, while the 2009 specials were repackaged as "The Complete Specials"...but "The Day of the Doctor" and "The Time of the Doctor, plus "Twice Upon a Time" on standard DVD, remain standalones leaving both Series Seven and Ten incomplete — ending on massive cliffhangers that led into Grand Finales for their respective Doctors!
    • 2018 saw the release of the Blu-ray set The Complete Peter Capaldi Years, which contained every Twelfth Doctor episode and special and the vast majority of bonus features from their previous releases. The only missing bonuses were those from the standalone "Deep Breath" disc, the most significant of which was the Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor special that announced Capaldi's casting; on the upside, it added several fresh bonus features such as the Series 8 deleted scenes reel. It even threw in "The Fires of Pompeii", the Tenth Doctor episode that featured Capaldi's first appearance as a marble merchant (later retconned to explain why Twelve resembled him).
    • Later in 2018 came a Blu-Ray exclusive set collecting all of the Season 12 serials (Tom Baker's first season) in one package for the first time, along with all special features from previous releases and several new ones.
  • The re-release of the first season of 24 (with added commentaries, alternate endings, deleted scenes and short films). The set was first released as a barebones edition to bring in more viewers before the second season première in 2002.
  • Lost has the box set with all the seasons, in a fancy-looking box, with lots of Feelies and an extra disk of behind-the-scenes material.
  • Several Mystery Science Theater 3000 volumes have mini-statues of the robots like Tom Servo and Gypsy. The 20th Anniversary Edition had the movies, retro-mini posters (standard) and a Crow mini-statue inside a tin case.
    • One of their most interesting MST3K-related release was a special edition DVD of "Manos" The Hands of Fate, which not only contained the actual episode, but also the uncut original filmnote , two documentaries (one an interview with the MST3K cast and another the Hotel Torgo documentary) and the short featured on the episode reconnected with its first half.
  • Firefly had a very good DVD release, with many commentaries, documentaries, a gag reel, etc. The Blu-ray, in addition to all the old features and remastered episodes, included a roundtable and extra commentary.
  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E. somewhat subverts this, because the box set release, done up with a case resembling a metal briefcase and with over 10 hours' worth of extras on two extra discs including the film version of the pilot, was for many years the standard (and only) version of this release on DVD. In fact, before 2015, the individual seasons were never made officially available as such; fans wanting a particular season were compelled to search on sources such as eBay or Amazon for sellers who had an individual-season box set (probably removed from the overall collection) for sale.
  • Power Rangers:
    • Time-Life and Shout! Factory initially released a massive box set of two box sets, the first collecting all three seasons of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and the second Power Rangers Zeo to Power Rangers Lost Galaxy. Both sets are now available separately but for a while was the only way to get both. The massive box set also came with a figurine of Armored Red Ranger (re: Red Ranger with the Green Ranger's gear). Shout Factory also released two more box sets with the third containing Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue to Power Rangers: Dino Thunder and the fourth Power Rangers S.P.D. to Power Rangers RPM. Unlike the above, there doesn't seem to be a Time Life bundle for these remaining sets.
    • Shout! Factory also issued a Power Rangers limited edition $650 DVD set called, "Power Rangers Legacy: The First 20 Years", which covers everything from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers to Power Rangers Megaforce over 92 discs. It also comes with six discs of bonus features (five already appearing on the aforementioned box sets and the last one being an exclusive), a book, and a holder resembling the helmet worn by the Red Ranger. It's limited to 2000 copies. As an aside, since otherwise Shout's Power Rangers license only goes up to the end of the Disney era (IE: Power Rangers RPM) with duty for mass retail home videos of the Saban Brands era (Power Rangers Samurai onwards) passed off to Lionsgate, the Samurai and Megaforce discs included on the Legacy collection are exclusive to it, exclusively containing unique CGI DVD menus and the Samurai episode "Trickster Treat" which Lionsgate wouldn't release on home video for another two years.
  • The Twilight Zone (1959) got this treatment with the “Definitive Collection", all 5 seasons in iridescent packaging, tons of bonus features, and some editions came with The Twilight Zone Companion Book to boot.
  • Paramount has a habit of releasing TV seasons with no bonus features, then releasing the complete series in a boxset with a bonus disc. (eg, The Brady Bunch has DVDs containing no extras other than the first season's three commentaries and 15-minute retrospective, while the complete series set adds A Very Brady Christmas, some Brady Kids cartoons, and the first episode of The Bradys.)
  • Warner's 2014 DVD and Blu-ray sets for the Batman series, with extras including, but not limited to, a miniature Batmobile, a 32-page episode guide and a 32-page book titled ''The Adam West Scrapbook'.
  • In 2019, Network in the UK released a region-free "Norwegian Blu-Ray Limited Edition" of Monty Python's Flying Circus which is in an elaborate cardboard packaging that springs open and is the only set with 4 170-page volumes of linear notes charting the entire history of the group up to the end of the series' production (the on-disc content is the same as the later standard editions, including all bonus material).

    Pinball 
  • Along with two regular versions of Pulp Fiction (one with a Retraux coin door for home use, one with a regular coin door, intended for public use as it can accept bills), the game came out in a "Bad Mother Flipper Limited Edition" of 1,000 tables, which features a fully animated Jack Rabbit Slim's topper, a vintage-looking speaker grill, interior motor blades, a shaker motor assembly, a cast metal medallion, a promotional banner, a certificate of authenticity signed by designer Mark Ritchie, and an extended warranty note .
  • Certain machines of the Star Wars Episode I pinball had a plaque declaring them "The Final Collector's Series of 100", though there's no other difference between them and the regular tables. Rumor is that they were simply used as a marketing gimmick to sell remaining machines during the closure of Williams Electronics.
  • Stern's TRON: Legacy was released in four different editions, each distinguished by different translite displays on the backbox. The first two releases also allowed operators to install an optional shaker motor in the game cabinet.
  • To commemorate its status as the best-selling pinball machine of all time, Bally released The Addams Family: Special Collector's Edition in 1994. It included gold elements on the cabinets and playfield, more game quotes, and an expanded set of rules.
  • Stern's The Avengers came in four different variations, including a Premium Edition with laser-cut ramps and an all-green "Hulk" Edition with "ramp throwing" action.
  • Along with the regular release, Spider-Man (Stern) was released in a limited run of 500 "Black Spider-Man" tables, with a different mirrored backglass and chrome metalwork.
  • The 2003 machine The Lord of the Rings got a rerelease in 2009 as a Limited Edition, adding gold-plated and brass metalwork, a mirrored gold backglass, support for a shaker motor, and updated software.
  • Played with in the case of Doctor Who: every game comes with a Dalek topper, but the first 100 units had a version that moved when certain things happened. This proved too expensive to continue, though, so it was discontinued. It's played with because the feature was likely intended from the start, but was removed due to budget limitations.
  • In November 2001, Stern Pinball and Pinball Sales auctioned off 40 "Platinum Edition" Monopoly games for the nonprofit charity Boundless Playground. These tables had chrome trimmings signed by Pat Lawlor, John Youssi, and Gary Stern, along with a backbox translite autographed by Lawlor, Youssi, Stern, Pinball Sales president Jack Guarnieri, and Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld. The production run of 40 was chosen as one for each space on the Monopoly board.
  • Taken as far as possible with Stern Pinball's NFL, which was available only in one of nineteen team-specific variations,note  with no "generic" base game.
  • Stern's Transformers machine comes in no less than four different versions: The basic one (called "Pro"), followed by three limited-production versions — one for the Autobots, one for the Decepticons, and a "Combo" for both factions. The Limited Editions feature exclusive cabinet and translite art, color-coded metalwork, and additional playfield toys and elements.
    • There's also Transformers: The Pin, an In Name Only version for home markets.
  • Zigzagged in Jersey Jack Pinball's The Wizard of Oz, which is already seven grand on its own.
    • Played straight with the $9,000 "Emerald City" version, which includes green trim, a mirrored backglass, a shaker motor, flying Winged Monkey, non-reflective glass, motorized Castle gates, and an OLED crystal ball on the playfield that plays various videos during the game.
    • Somewhat subverted with the equally expensive "75th Anniversary" edition, which has red metal trim, a tinted mirrored backglass, a new backbox topper, more detailed table elements, and additional playfield toys, such as the Twister and Toto in his basket. However, everything but the metalwork and backglass are available separately, allowing owners to upgrade their existing games to match.
    • There are also rumors of a planned "Ruby Red" Edition with rubies and emeralds embedded into the machine. The price has yet to be announced for this version, but it would undoubtedly be astronomical.
  • Two years after its release, the NASCAR pinball was rethemed as Dale Jr., a limited-edition version commemorating racecar driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., with only 600 tables made.
  • Avatar received a Premium Limited Edition game, with a shaker motor, marching AMP Suit, additional playfield toys, and a score-doubling ceramic Powerball.
  • Along with the basic game, AC/DC was initially available in a Premium Edition, a "Back In Black" Limited Edition, and a "Let There Be Rock" LE. These added an "Underworld" mini-playfield below the main table, LED lights, a moving bell, animated band members in the backbox, and a premium sound system.
    • The Limited Editions also include a shaker motor, custom mirrored backglass art, and laser-cut metalwork. Only 200 "Let There Be Rock" and 300 "Back In Black" machines were produced.
    • And then in 2014, Stern Pinball released the 2014 "Luci" Preimum Edition, an updated version of the Premium table with new backglass and cabinet art centered around a Hot as Hell devil girl.
  • Metallica came in a basic "Pro" edition, as well as two Premium Editions ("Monsters" and "Road Case"), and a "Master of Puppets" Limited Edition with a run of 500 units.
  • Stern Pinball's Mustang has the "Boss" Premium and "50 Years" Limited Editions, with a modified playfield, drop targets in front of the N2O targets, a turntable platform with a scale model car, and four additional songs. The Limited Edition also has a powder-coated blue frame.
  • Star Trek is available in a basic "Starfleet Pro" model, as well as "Vengeance Premium" and "Enterprise Limited Edition" tables. The more advanced models include different backbox translites, more elaborate metalwork and cabinet molding, metal trails instead of plastic ramps, more elaborate LED lighting, color-changing playfield inserts, a vertical up-kicker and a kickback, and a Starfield laser projector.
  • Along with the standard version of Full Throttle, a "Limited Edition" is available, with extras such as an autographed alternate translite, a shaker motor, an all-red or red/black cabinet (buyer's choice), and fiber optic lighting. Only 250 Limited Edition tables are made, though Heighway Pinball has plans to sell most of the components separately so "standard" owners can upgrade their tables.
  • Customized versions of Sega Pinball's Baywatch were given to David Hasselhoff and the series' producers. These machines included some voice clips not present in commercial tables, including R-rated language and various Inside Jokes.
  • In addition to the basic table, X-Men was available in Wolverine Blue and Magneto Red Limited Editions, featuring custom translite art, color-coordinated metalwork, a magnetic spinning disc and a swing-out Ice Slide. 250 tables of each version were made.
  • The Limited Edition of The Walking Dead adds a fold-out crossbow launcher, an illuminated fish tank with zombie heads, rust-colored metalwork, and a mirrored backglass translite to the basic package.
  • Black Knight:
    • Averted with the original game's Limited Edition; it was essentially a second run of the game, with the only differences from the original being a new sticker on the apron and various changes to the wiring and mechanics.
    • Played straight with Sword of Rage, which has three editions (as usual for Stern in The New '10s). The Pro edition is the base model, the Premium edition adds an upper playfield (and has software adjusted to add modes involving it), and the Limited edition adds a shaker motor and other, largely aesthetic upgrades.
  • Williams Electronics' Fire! (1987) was available in a "Champagne Edition" of 273 tables. These featured a varnished oak cabinet, brushed brass and gold fittings, and rotating "fire" light cylinders in the backbox.
  • Austin Powers:
    • A number of games sold by the luxury retailer Hammacher Schlemmer featured alternated versions of the playfield characters — Mini-Me wears a blue prison jumpsuit, Austin sports a purple ensemble with a silver chain, and Fat Bastard is shirtless. It is sometimes misidentified as a "prototype" version by players.
    • In addition, ten "Gold" Austin Powers tables were released as gifts for the movie's cast members. They featured gold-plated legs, lockdown bars, and metal trim, with each one was individually autographed and numbered by Stern Pinball CEO Gary Stern.
  • While Dutch Pinball's The Big Lebowski does not include a separate special edition, early purchasers received a Lebowski-themed rug (complete with bowling references) that can be placed under the game.
  • Stern's KISS comes in a basic "Pro" version, as well as Premium and Limited Edition versions. The latter two feature a "levitating pinball" effect, an animated Starchild figure with amp, and multicolored LED lighting.
  • Game of Thrones is available in a standard ("Pro") version as well as Premium and Limited Editions. The deluxe editions add an upper Castle playfield with its own set of objectives, an elevator to ascend the Wall and reach the Iron Throne, improved lighting and animation, different art packages, and laser-cut siderails. The differences are more than superficial; players feel the changes in the deluxe versions make the game notably harder and best suited for veterans.
  • Star Wars (Stern) also has the same three tiers, with the Premium model adding a moving Death Star model (the Pro version has a static one) and a hyperloop ramp and the Limited model adding comparatively minor touches.
  • The Beatles is unusual among Stern games in The New '10s in that its three versions have no gameplay-related differences, just different artwork and cabinet armor. There's the "Gold" version (limited to 1,614 units), the "Platinum" version (limited to 250 units), and the "Diamond" edition (limited to 100 units and sporting a mirrored backglass).
  • Elvira's House of Horrors:
    • Similar to Batman '66, the game initially used a pricier variant of Stern's standard pro/premium/limited edition model: there are Premiumnote , Limitednote , and Signaturenote  editions.
    • Two years after the game's initial release, Stern announced a 40th Anniversary Edition. Limited to 199 units total, it includes purple-colored armor for the machine itself, modified backglass and cabinet artwork, an autographed trading card, and a signed copy of Elvira's then-recent autobiography Yours Cruelly, Elvira.
  • Alien (2017):
    • The original game has a "Limited Edition" with a variety of upgrades, like a shaker motor and two beacon lights on the very top of the cabinet. While some of these were sold separately, others (like the alternate backglass artwork) were not. It was intended to run for only 500 units, though the company went out of business before they could manufacture that amount of games in total.
    • The Pinball Brothers remake has a "Limited Version" (abbreviated "LV"). It includes different backglass artwork, two beacons on top of the backbox (similar but distinct to Heighway's Limited Edition), and other changes (including anti-reflective glass and lit sideblades).

    Tabletop Games 
  • Azul has a limited edition in Azul: Master Chocolatier, which gives the game a new chocolate theme and adds a board with some unique gameplay effects. Thankfully, it has a Digital Tabletop Game Adaptation, so you can experience it even if you missed the chance to get a physical copy.
  • Dungeons & Dragons:
    • Edition 3.5 had its 3 core rulebooks released in an expensive, black leather bound edition. The books included an official foreword, a red ribbon booklayer and the sides of the pages were colored golden.
    • Starting in late 2012, Wizards of the Coast has been releasing special new premium reprint versions of several 3.5e sourcebook - yet another copy of the core rules, plus books like the Spell Compendium and Magic Item Compendium. This about 5 years after they had discontinued 3.5 in favor of 4th Edition... and with 5th Edition ("D&D Next") already visible on the horizon. Yes, the new versions have updated rules errata, but there's a certain... blatant cash-grabby feel about the whole thing (especially given there was a significant chunk of hold-outs who refused to move forward to 4th Edition, or stepped sideways to Pathfinder), especially with that "premium" setting the price point at no less than $50 a pop.
  • Games Workshop can be notorious for this. They've frequently released special edition books, charging 5 times the amount of the regular book. The only difference between the two books is the cover. Just to make matters worse, the special edition books are usually army books, which often end up battered and broken from the wear and tear of regular use on the gaming table. So if you want your expensive special edition book to stay in good condition, you can't even use it for its intended purpose!
  • Magic: The Gathering has Secret Lair Drops, monthly or so reprints of cards with special edition frames, stylized art, sometimes even crossovers with other franchises. The cards themselves are often pretty standard and can be found for cheap in most online retailers or local game stores, so the value is solely based on whether you want to pick them up for a much higher than normal price simply to brag about having them. Still, there are occasional reprints of rare or powerful cards that can make a Secret Lair Drop worthwhile for gamers as well as collectors.
    • There are also the collector boosters, booster packs that sell at a higher price than set boosters and guarantee every card inside has a special treatment (which can range from just being a foil to having special alternate artwork that's harder to find in the other boosters).
  • Monopoly Gamer, a Super Mario Bros.-themed variation of the regular Monopoly, comes in both regular and Collector editions. The latter comes with an exclusive Bowser token, replaces the Bowser boss card with a Bowser Jr. one for kinda obvious reasons and haves a different plastic tray in the box, with extra spaces to keep the additional character tokens sold separately.

    Theater 
  • The final performances of each Tsukiuta stage play are filmed for bluray. While there are basic editions of the two sides separately, the collector's edition features both sides, multiple camera angles, footage of the Improv bits from each performance in the run, and backstage footage. But what takes it all is the 8-disc, ~30,000¥ (~$300) bluray set of their 2018 Memorial Tour. It features the final performances from each stop on the tour, plus backstage footage, photo booklets, and a special feature where the cast was given a local shopping challenge during their only international stop, in Taiwan. And it's worth it, because the performances changed at each stop - the costumes for some songs changed, and there's even an alternate ending for Hajime and Haru's heartbreak duet, "Koiwasuregusa", where instead of Haru leaving Hajime in the end, he goes back to him, caresses his face, and they wrap the red sash from the dance around both of them as they walk off stage with their arms around each other. It's also especially emotional since, as the title suggests, four of the cast members graduated after this tour.
  • To celebrate its 25th anniversary, The Phantom of the Opera, released a box set including a recording of the original London cast, one of the sequel Love Never Dies, and a behind-the-scenes DVD.

    Toys 
  • Tamagotchi: Bandai released a golden Tamagotchi Connection V3 in the US and a golden Tamagotchi Connection V4 in the UK.

    Visual Novels 
  • Patrons of the Love Joint studio who contribute at least $20/month on Patreon get extra sex scenes during all their games.
  • All paying patrons of Mr. Dots Games get the vanilla game Melody. For more money, the player can get bonus material, such as extra scenes, animation in certain sex scenes, a walkthrough that gives a step-by-step guide for how to get the ending(s) he wants, and a “lewd gallery” of special renders of the girls.

    Web Comics 
  • Shadowgirls Season 1 has two hardcover versions available: Regular and Artist Edition. The latter comes with a sketch card and a page of original artwork.
  • Sinfest: widescreen edition ("Catch all the crucial details that were cut out — which is why so many episodes made no sense!"). And Sinfest DVD ("parental ADVISORY: explicit shit").
  • A parody occurs in webcomics that use a "Gold Foil Embossed Collector's Edition" as a Filler Strip. These editions reissue Comic #1 by reducing the colors to a few shades of yellow. Examples include 8-Bit Theater (link) and Square Root of Minus Garfield (link).
  • Oglaf: There are two editions of "Book One". The regular edition, and a signed edition with a hand-drawn bookplate inside the front cover featuring the character of your choice. The signed edition costs $10 extra and actually is so popular that extra character options have been added over time and often end up sold out.

    Web Videos 
  • When Classic Game Room released a best-of DVD, one of the packages was a Special Edition Laser-Hyper-Vision Album Set, which was the size of a LaserDisc sleeve, although they couldn't actually manufacture LaserDiscs anymore so it just contained 3 DVDs and a Blu Ray.
  • Oedipus in my Inventory has a parody advertisement for a Collector's Edition that comes with developer's commentary, downloadable soundtrack, concept art, multiplayer, and gold weapons. Of course, it's a crappy adventure game made in under two hours, so whether one would want any of that...
  • Parodied in a video by ProZD where a collector's edition for a fictional anime is described. It contains all episodes, a shirt, a print, an art-book (which you won't read), commemorative coins, a bad figurine, a wig, more coins, a digital download code, and 'more shit'. It costs $800,000, comes in an impractical novelty case, and is such a limited run that they're only selling three.

    Western Animation 
  • Within a span of several years, Warner Bros. released the Looney Tunes Golden Collection series, spread across six volumes and covering over 400 classic cartoons, hours upon hours upon hours worth of commentaries, documentaries, interviews and historical bonus content in general. However, for the kiddies, a Vanilla Edition series of these DVDs were released called Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection, which were essentially bare bone collections featuring the more well known, family friendly Looney Tunes shorts.
  • While initially getting a couple Vanilla Edition DVDs, The Powerpuff Girls (1998) eventually got a massive boxset covering the entire series as well as loads of extras and even gathering all of the commercial bumpers.
  • Both of Shout! Factory's releases of the Sunbow series of both G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and The Transformers have this. There's the season sets which come with the episodes and some extras. Then, there's the complete series collection which comes with all the episodes, the extras included in the season sets, and extra extras that are exclusive only to the complete series collection.
  • The Transformers: The Movie has a particularly annoying take on this, with the menu of the single-disc edition constantly advertising the two-disc special edition.
  • What will you find in the long-and-consciously-titled Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection: Ultimate Collector's Edition? A Charlie Brown Christmas, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in HD Blu-Ray, three "bonus" cartoons, three short documentaries, standard DVDs of the specials, window clings, and a snowglobe-shaped lenticular lucite of the gang ice-skating.
  • There's an Invader Zim set that's shaped like Zim's house, has a GIR figure in the roof, and comes with a disc of special features. There were two versions of the set: one containing the whole series, and one with just the box, figure, and extras disc, for those who had already purchased the individual DVDs.
  • The 30th anniversary of the Masters of the Universe toys brought forth a 22-disc DVD box set containing the complete series of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983) and its reboot, 10 fan-selected episodes from The New Adventures of He-Man, documentaries, commentaries, a soundtrack CD, and a gold-colored replica of He-Man's sword. The box has a sculpted facade of Castle Grayskull.
  • Three words: The Real Ghostbusters. All five seasons, each in their own steelbook case, but the Time-Life edition had the firehouse box with lenticular ghosts in the windows...and the rare "promo pilot," an Animated Music Video set to a cover of the Ray Parker, Jr. theme tune, and which looked a little more like the movie than the finished series.
  • The DVD set The Flintstones: The Complete Series contains all six seasons in a box resembling the Flintstones' TV set.
  • The Blu-ray collection Batman: The Complete Animated Series contains every episode of Batman: The Animated Series (including The New Batman Adventures) and the movies Mask of the Phantasm and SubZero, plus as a deluxe art book, postcards depicting key moments from the series, and Pocket POP! figures of Batman, Joker and Harley Quinn.
  • Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!:
    • The 2012 release of the complete series (which includes the unofficial "third" season) came in a collector's box resembling the Mystery Machine.
    • The Blu-ray release of the series (being released in honor of Scooby's 50th birthday) came in a box resembling a haunted house, which also contained a mini Scooby-Doo encyclopedia and a Pocket POP! keychain of Scooby.

    Other 
  • Very common on Kickstarter projects. For the unfamiliar, it's a site that crowdsources venture capital for various projects - in other words, anyone can donate to a project they'd like to see happen. You can pledge a token amount of money just to have contributed, while certain minimum pledges are effectively a pre-order for the product to be developed (provided the project is for a product, anyway). Higher pledge tiers work out like various levels of limited edition for the project in question, so while you might pledge $20 to get, say, a digital copy of a video game to be made once funded, you could drop $50 for a physical copy of the game with some extra feelies like buttons or decals. Or $100 for the physical copy in a very nice case with buttons, decals, and limited game art. Or... well, you get the picture. High-tier pledges (usually hundreds if not thousands of dollars) are often very limited in quantity, and have infamously included things like "the game designer for a tabletop RPG comes to your home, cooks dinner, and runs the game for you and your friends."
  • The George Carlin: The Little David Years box set. All six comedy albums George recorded on the Little David record label are available as individual CDs, but the purchaser of this box set is treated to special-edition packaging (instead of plastic clamshell cases, the CDs come in cardboard slipcovers complete with paper inner sleeves, like vinyl record albums, as well as a seventh disc, Free Complimentary Extra Bonus Disc Not for Sale Anywhere!, which contains 19 tracks of previously unreleased material and a twentieth unlisted track, "The Coney Island Recordings": little routines George recorded at a "Record Your Voice" booth on Coney Island.
  • Many automakers will offer special editions of some of their performance or luxury vehicles. Options exclusive to these vehicles can include special badging and paint jobs, performance upgrades, and matching accessory items. The latter can range from specially branded clothing and luggage, to special tools and spares for track use, to access to exclusive racing schools and track day experiences. Additionally, the vehicle may be individually numbered, particularly if the manufacturer announces a specific figure for how many of such vehicles will be made. In an extreme example of this trope, buyers of the Porsche 918 Spyder — a limited production vehicle with only 918 produced — had the option to also receive the 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder, a special edition of the Porsche 911 that, among other features, was numbered to match their 918.[1] Yes, a limited edition car whose perks included a second, equally exclusive car.
  • Same applies to computers: Many and majority of the computer manufacturers will often have limited-edition gaming PC sets with highly-customized rigs, packing numerous limited-edition parts from gaming mice, earphones to even gaming-focused CPU and graphics units in a customized case or a gaming laptop with customized colors. Often, they'll offer matching accessories such as themed bags or special tools. Some companies to the point even have subsidiaries like Dell's Alienware and HP's Omen specialize in these.


Alternative Title(s): Ultimate Edition, Special Edition, Limited Special Directors Ultimate Edition, Collectors Edition, Limited Special Ultimate Collectors Edition, Souvenir Edition

Top