Limited Edition Guide & Values for Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning

In February 2012 EA released Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. With the standard edition of the game they also released four special editions. Two are very rare and one is among the rarest games ever commercially sold.

Each limited edition is the exact same for each platform except for the game included inside. Each customer could choose which game was included inside so the number made for each platform was based upon customer demand. I have spoken with 38studios, the developer of the game, and they will not divulge the number of limited editions actually made per platform.

Assuming customer demand by platform is similar to Skyrim (another RPG released on the same platforms) 360 would be 50% of sales, PS3 32%, and PC 18%. The units available per platform listed below are based upon this assumption.

Use this Amalur Reckonging Limited Edition version guide to learn which version you have or verify you are buying everything included in a potential purchase.

The four limited editions listed below are in order of rarity:

Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning Limited Editions

• Kingdoms Of Amalur Reckoning: Special Edition - Quantity: 2,000
• Kingdoms Of Amalur Reckoning: Collector's Edition - Quantity: 700
• Kingdoms Of Amalur Reckoning: Signature Edition - Quantity: 300
• Kingdoms Of Amalur Reckoning: Exclusive Signature Edition - Quantity: 12

Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning: Special Edition

See Prices & Historic Sales by Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

QUANTITY: 2,000 (360: 1,000 | PS3: 640 | PC: 360)
PRICE RANGE: $90-130
INCLUDES:

• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckonging Game
• Parchment map of Amalur's Faelands
• Amalur themed 7-piece dice set and dice bag (D20, D12, 2x D10s, D8, D6 & D4)
• Set of 40 Destiny Cards
• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckonging Soundtrack
• Bonus Downloadable Content - Fate Touched Weapons Pack

Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning: Collector's Edition

See Prices & Historic Sales by Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

QUANTITY: 700 (360: 350 | PS3: 224 | PC: 126)
PRICE RANGE: $250-375
INCLUDES:

• All items in Special Edition
• Limited Edition McFarlane Toys Prismere Troll figure
• Original lithograph signed by Ken Rolston

Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning: Signature Edition

See Prices & Historic Sales by Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

QUANTITY: 300 (360: 150 | PS3: 96 | PC: 54)
PRICE RANGE: $450-750
INCLUDES:

• All items in Collector's Edition
• Troll Figure is Signed
• 1 of 300 individually numbered Todd McFarlane sketch screen-prints (looks like image above)

Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning: Exclusive Signature Edition

See Prices & Historic Sales by Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

QUANTITY: 12 (360: 6 | PS3: 4 | PC: 2)
PRICE RANGE: $1,000-2,900
INCLUDES:

• All items in Special Edition
• Troll Figure is Signed
• 1 of 12 individually numbered Todd McFarlane sketch screen-prints (looks like image above)

MORE INFO: 38 Studios sold these limited editions exclusively on their website. The Signature Edition sold out, but they mistakenly sold 312 instead of 300. Instead of canceling 12 orders or making more of the Signature they created an Exclusive edition with a different sketch print. This edition was given to the first 12 people to respond to this email from 38 Studios:

"Earlier this month, we announced the Reckoning Limited Editions, and the response from our fans was overwhelmingly enthusiastic and supportive. The Reckoning Signature Editions were so immensely popular that all 300 sold out in less than five days. In the process, due to an unexpected issue with our store system, we accidentally oversold our stock for the Reckoning Signature Edition by 12 units. It’s extremely important to us that none of our loyal fans—you—miss out on the items you ordered as a result of our mistake, so we want to assure you that will not be the case."

"So, what are we doing to resolve this? We’re making sure you get what you ordered, and for a handful of fans, a little something more. We’ve put together an extra special Reckoning Limited Edition package for 12 lucky Reckoning: Signature Edition customers. The first 12 customers to respond to this email will be upgraded to the Reckoning: Exclusive Edition bundle."

Video Game Grading (VGA) Pros and Cons

Graded video games are becoming more and more common. When a game is graded, it is evaluated on the conditions of the box, cellophane, price stickers, and circulation status. The actual contents, inserts, and video game cartridge or disc are usually exempt as they cannot be accessed and inspected on sealed games. After it is inspected it is given a grade correlating to the condition it is in.

The most prevalent grading authority in the video game world is the Video Game Authority, or VGA, a subsidiary or the Collectible Gaming Authority.

Until recently only sealed games were graded but recently cartridge only or complete but opened games have been added to the list of eligible items.

Should you get your games graded? Below are pros and cons to consider when deciding whether video game grading is right for you.

Pros to Game Grading

Graded video games sell for more: Recently, a VGA graded copy of EarthBound went up on eBay and ended at $4,700. The average price of a complete Earthbound is 10% of that price at an average of $493. This is just one example but graded versions of games do sell for more than non-graded versions of the same game, even if they are in same condition.

Graded video games get sealed by the authority: After the VGA grades a game they seal it in an acrylic case. For a slight fee, you can even have it sealed in a special Lucite case that blocks up to 99% of UV radition. This sealing will prevent damage from moisture, insulate, prevent pest damage, protect from falls, and prevent fading from UV.

This may sound great but grading video games does have drawbacks:

Cons of Video Game Grading

Grading can take time: Depending on how much you are willing to pay, the turnaround on grading a game can be up to 45 days so if you are looking to make some fast cash, grading is not the way to go.

Grading costs money: The VGA can charge you up to $295 to grade your game. The minimum is $25. There are also additional fees and charges that can add up.

Sealing a game does not preserve it: Sealing a game does help protect it but it does not preserve it. Batteries and chemical components in some video games will degrade over time, destroying the game and box, even if it has been sealed. Since the sealing process uses just air, instead of an inert gas such as argon, the oxygen in the air can continue to catalyze and break down things inside the acrylic case.

Can we trust the VGA: They are incredibly secretive and are themselves not verified by a third-party. They set their own standards and there is no quality control by another party.

You can’t unseal it: If you want to remove the game from the acrylic case, you void the grade. You can never take it out and play with it, the grade is no longer valid. You have to resubmit it after you’ve opened it.

Grading is not a new phenomenon. There exist several grading authorities for comic books and collectible sports cards and it is only natural that more and more authorities pop up as newer markets emerge such as video games. However, there is an important lesson to learn from these previous emergences of grading in other markets. Comic Buyers Guide wrote an article about the biggest events related to comics in the 1900's, the last event is the most telling for video games. It explains how grading can lead to a speculative market where the prices of graded games increase dramatically and then crash after the market gets over saturated.

This will happen in video games, it is only a matter of time as more and more high-profile sales of graded games push profiteers to start buying up games just to get them graded only to resell them and flood the markets. The bubble will burst.

For the time being, you can make good money by buying, grading, and selling games but there is another important argument that needs to be made. When you grade a game, you lock it in an acrylic prison. It defeats the very nature of a game; a game is something that is meant to be played.

This article was made in Stevesesy (from thoseguys.tv)

Vote on Which New Features You Want Most

We recently rolled out a mobile site as the newest feature of PriceCharting.com. Now we would love to hear from our uses to know which new features you want to see the most. We will use your answers to prioritize which features are added next.

Thank you for taking the brief survey below and letting us know your opinion.

Mobile Price Charting

For the last couple years, people have consistently asked for a version that works well on mobile phones and tablets.  After several iterations, we've finally released it publicly.  Visit PriceCharting.com on a mobile phone and you'll now see something like this:

Summary

This is all implemented using responsive design so the site now works seamlessly on any device with a web browser.  Here are some of the benefits from the new design:

• it works on desktops, phones and tablets
• faster load times for desktop users
• all features (except historic charts) are available on mobile devices

Performance

While developing the new mobile design, we tested extensively on slow 2G mobile networks.  That highlighted several performance improvements we could make to the site.  For example, we now use data URIs for small images so your browser makes fewer network requests.  We also trimmed down the size of some larger files and improved how we use web caches.  Our data shows the new design loads up to 50% faster than before.  If you're a typical mobile user with 3G or 4G speeds, the site should be pretty snappy.

Graceful Resizing

The new design works by automatically showing and hiding content based on the size of your browser.  For example, on a large desktop screen, the top-level menu now has an entry for Xbox, so you don't have to scroll through the Other Systems menu:

As your browser window shrinks, we move less popular systems into submenus so that mobile devices see only the most commonly used menu options:

We perform similar resizing tricks to optimize the site's appearance depending on how much screen real estate you have.  If you don't see a particular feature on your phone, try rotating to landscape mode and more features will appear.  You can also pull down on the top of the page to show the Search and Log In features.

Feature Parity

One of the best parts about this design is that all PriceCharting features are available on all devices.  If you're at a flea market, you can use the Add Typical Shipping Prices feature to compare prices for online and offline options.  If you're in the basement organizing your collection, you can use the Pricing Cart to see what it's worth.

Home Screen Icon

The new site is configured with an icon specifically for your iPhone or Android device's home screen.  On your iPhone, tap the icon, choose Add to Home Screen, give it a name and click Add.  On your Android device, bookmark the site, then long-press on your home screen.  Choose Shortcuts > Bookmark and choose the bookmark you just made.  Now you're only one click away from the site.


If you don't want to add a bookmark or a home screen icon, you can also type our short URL: vgpc.com which redirects to the games site.

If you notice anything wrong with the new site, please let us know about it in the comments below.  Be sure to mention which device you were using when you spotted the problem so we can fix the bug.

We Updated the Rare PS2 Game Article

The rare Playstation 2 game article has been updated with the 15 rarest & most expensive PS2 games with pictures for all of them. The article also includes descriptions for each game along with reasons for their rarity.

Here are a few teasers:

• The top game on the list has decreased in price nearly 66% from two years ago
• Two different series have two titles each on the list
• Six of the games sell for more than $100 when brand new
• Bandai and Capcom both have three games on the list

See the updated rare PS2 games article to read more.

Super Nintendo Cover Art Quiz & Contest

Below is a grid of Super Nintendo games' partial cover art. Fill out the quiz below with the correct game for each grid and you can win a free SNES game!

Rules:
Prize: Any SNES game of your choosing that is listed at $10 or less on our Super Nintendo price list

Winner: The person with the most correct answers will win. In the event of a tie the person who fills out the form the fastest wins.

Eligibility: Any member of the PriceCharting forums is eligible (accounts are free)

Ends: February 20th 2012 at 11:59pm PST. The winner will be notified via private message on the forums.

Super Nintendo Cover Art Quiz

Elemental Gearbolt Assassin Case Price History

Up until yesterday we were missing a rare game from the Playstation (PS1) price list - Elemental Gearbolt Assassin's Case.

When Working Designs published Elemental Gearbolt for PS1 they also made 50 Assassin's cases which were given out at 1998's E3 expo. Some were given away to journalists and others were given away to attendees in two separate contests.

The Assassin's Case includes the Elemental Gearbolts game, a Silver briefcase with locks, a gold plated GunCon, a PS1 memory card, and a congratulatory letter from Working Designs.

The most recent verified sale was for $3,000 on eBay which makes this far and away the most expensive game for the Playstation 1.

NES Cover Art Winner

Eight people got every answer correct in the NES cover art quiz. The winner though was 'Retro'.

Thank you to everyone who entered. We will be running a new quiz starting early next week.

The History of Video Game Collecting

The first video game ever was made in 1961 and the first home console, the Magnavox Odyssey, came out in 1968. Gaming didn't really hit the mainstream until the Atari was released in the 70's and people quickly started amassing larger collections of games.

As new systems came out people added to their collections and tried to find games they had missed on previous consoles by going to flea markets and garage sales. People started to get an idea for which games were hard to find, which were fun and which games to avoid. The game collecting subculture needed a place where they could discuss games together and put all this information in a central place. Enter Joe Santulli and Sean Kelly.

In 1991 Joe Santulli published the first issue of Digital Press newsletter. The first edition contained a checklist of Atari 7800 games, a list of great games that people had forgotten about ('Closet Classics'), a comic, reviews, a classifieds section, and more. Future issues would add color images and eventually price guides and more comprehensive game lists for every console.

The newsletter publication would eventually become the DigitPress website, one of the biggest communities of game collectors online. The site contains a list of video games for every console, information about each game, and a rarity score for how hard it is to find.

That same year Sean Kelly started the first BBS (Bulletin Board System) for classic games and hosted it on his Amiga. It was the first time collectors from all over the country could discuss game collecting in one location, even if it was only electronic.

Eight years later in 1999 Sean Kelly and a friend Joe Hardie decide to host a video game convention in Las Vegas so collectors could meet in person to talk, buy, and sell games. It was called the Classic Gaming Expo. The inaugural event brought together nearly a thousand collectors, vendors, exhibitors, and gamers. The next year Joe Santulli joined with Sean and Joe in hosting the convention.

The Classic Gaming Expo is now the largest video game collecting convention in the country and is in it's 13th year.

As the hobby grew the amount of information and expertise required grew as well. There was demand for console specific collecting sites with more information like screenshots, cover art, more accurate rarity values, and a community that focused on a particular aspect of game collecting instead of the entire hobby.

In 2001 Albert Yaruss launched AtariAge which has become the pre-eminent site for Atari collectors. And in 2006 Dain Anderson started NintendoAge.com. NintendoAge alone has more than 8,500 members and six of the 26 Nintendo World Championships Gold cartridges are owned by NA members. Sega has its own community as well at Sega-16.com.

As game collecting as grown so have the prices collectors are willing to pay for the rarest games. In 2007 the Nintendo World Championships Gold was selling for $5,000. In 2009 a copy of Nintendo Campus Challenge sold for $20,100. Records continued to be broken in 2010 as a sealed copy of Stadium Events sold for $41,300.

Where will video game collecting go in the future? Will it become as popular and mainstream as coin, baseball, or stamp collecting? Let us know where you think game collecting is heading in the comments below.