5 Reasons Why I'll Wait for the GOTY Edition

Buying games early is always a gamble. Will it need patches that might delete my save games? Will some of the graphics not work with my setup? Will it be poorly optimised? All of the above, perhaps? As such, I haven’t preordered a game for a while now, as suggested (but not observed) by fellow GameGrin staffer Alex in his article from last November.

What is less of a gamble, is when you wait for the Game Of The Year Edition, or in some cases the HD edition. Here are the reasons why:

1: Bundled DLC

Sometimes a game like Sleeping Dogs comes along, and receives 24 different pieces of DLC across an eight month period. Released two years later, Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition had all 24 DLC and ran in 1080p without upscaling. Saints Row IV: Re-Elected came with all 27 DLC as well as the standalone expansion Gat Out of Hell, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition has all of the DLC…

About half of the game was DLC...

2: Extra features

As HD editions are usually released on newer systems, there can be more than just better graphics. It’s not unusual for games to have added features to make the purchase more attractive. Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster allows you to have the original score or the remastered score, and Kingdom Hearts Remix HD and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection let you play previously handheld-only games on console.

Widescreen is always a plus.

3: Bugs have been squashed

By the time the game is re-released, the bugs that may have plagued the title have been patched. This means a much cleaner experience for you, though problems such as the camera in Sonic Adventure never seem to be rectified.

Yes, everything else was perfect, why do you ask?

4: Almost every game gets one

It makes sense to wait, because unless it’s a Call of Duty, Battlefield or in fact any EA title, odds are it will get a remake of some kind. With Remastered, HD, Definitive, Collection — there are tons of terms that can be, and are used. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Capcom has pumped out the original Resident Evil four times, yet still won’t do the same with the Mega Man series after the poor sales of its first attempt: Mega Man Powered Up on the PSP.

That's not to say there weren't other reasons...

5: Never say never

If it doesn’t look like your favourite title, or one you’ve had your eye on for a while, is getting a new edition, don’t lose hope. The Bard’s Tale was remade after eight years, Rise of the Triad after 20 and The Secret of Monkey Island after 20 too! So maybe a remake to Halo 5 won’t come to Xbox Two, but it might come to Windows Phone in the mid-2030s!

Though why you'd mess with these sweet graphics is anyone's guess.