LOL... oh dear.

[Rath Darkblade]

So apparently the "only" game store in my town, EB Games (known in the US as Electronic Boutique, I believe?), have decided that they can make some money off the new Dragon Age game. How much money? Well...

An "ordinary" copy for PC will set you back about $90. However, a "deluxe" copy (only for XBox) will fetch an extra $10, so you'll be spending $100. If you have money to burn, you can splash out for the "Inquisitor's Edition" (only for PS4) and get a whole bunch of extras, and your wallet will be lighter to the tune of $230.

What will you be getting for all that dough? Apparently you'll get a throne made out of an "ancient dragon skull", bonus digital content (which is to be announced), maps and cards and badges and coins (?), a journal, a quill and inkpot (for all you budding calligraphers, I presume?), and a steel box. Why a steel box? "To house your game", the advertisement proudly proclaims.

Wow. Is there anyone who will actually get that??? Don't get me wrong, I still like the game - but I'm not about to spend hundreds of dollars for it.

Anyway, I just thought you might get a good laugh out of this. In my not-so-humble, it's either for people who like the game waaaaay too much, or for people with too much money and not enough sense. What do you think, eh?

[Tawmis]

Rest assured, plenty of people will get it.

I have seen folks spend that much on all those WoW, Diablo, etc "Deluxe" editions. I dumped quite a bit on a few of the Gears of War deluxe editions, myself. (Not $230, but a higher price than the norm).

[Rudy]

Smart move... if you're a couple hundred miles away from the next town and don't have postal service

[Expack3]

Is $90 the average price for a PC game in the UK? I would've said something to the effect of "What the heck? That's as much as a brand-new Nintendo 64 cartridge in 1996!"...until I recognized the UK name of Electronics Boutique (yes, you are correct, Rath).

[adeyke]

Rath lives in Australia. And yes, games are ridiculously overpriced there.

[Rath Darkblade]

Is $90 the average price for a PC game in the UK? I would've said something to the effect of "What the heck? That's as much as a brand-new Nintendo 64 cartridge in 1996!"...until I recognized the UK name of Electronics Boutique (yes, you are correct, Rath).

Rath lives in Australia. And yes, games are ridiculously overpriced there.

Yep! I do live in Australia, and yes - games are ridiculously overpriced here. $90 is about average for a new release - and, to make things worse, game prices do not fall for at least 2 years (or even 3 years, if the game is very successful or popular, like Skyrim or Dragon Age).

Having said that, I'd just found a good second-hand shop that would offer games for less than that... it even makes it possible to pre-order DA:III for $60. Does that sound more reasonable? *crosses fingers*

[Expack3]

Rath lives in Australia. And yes, games are ridiculously overpriced there.

Yep! I do live in Australia, and yes - games are ridiculously overpriced here. $90 is about average for a new release - and, to make things worse, game prices do not fall for at least 2 years (or even 3 years, if the game is very successful or popular, like Skyrim or Dragon Age).

Having said that, I'd just found a good second-hand shop that would offer games for less than that... it even makes it possible to pre-order DA:III for $60. Does that sound more reasonable? *crosses fingers*

$60 is far more reasonable than the typical Australian price - in fact, it's the average retail and digital price for AAA video games in the US. It isn't a steal by US standards, but it sure beats having to pay international shipping costs just for a reasonably-priced US copy. In fact, depending on whether you're willing to eat the cost of international shipping, buying stuff you can't get from that second-hand shop you mentioned - which was a brilliant find, by the way! - from a US store like Amazon.com (not Amazon.com.au) might be a good idea as the US and Australian dollars are mostly equivalent right now (1 AUD is currently equivalent to about 0.96 USD).

[Rath Darkblade]

OK - for anyone who lives in Australia (or fairly near), Dungeon Crawl is the shop I have in mind.

They've closed their shop front because rising rent meant that it was impossible for them to keep their shop open. That said, they'll still allow you to buy your game online, which they will then package and send to you.

Not sure if they do international shipments - but my guess is that they do. So this is brilliant for anyone who lives in Australia or around Oceania. Much better than having to buy on Amazon/eBay and then wait weeks for shipments.

What do you all think?