Let’s speculate for a moment or two. Collector’s editions, pre-order bonuses and downloadable content for games seem to be par for the course these days. Assuming the eagerly awaited Final Fantasy XIII has all of the above, what would I want them to be? Now, don’t get all uppity, this is all pure speculation and desire on my part, there haven’t even been rumors about these things yet. As a Final Fantasy fan and gamer, here’s some things that might be nice (and a few things from which they should stay away).

In a Collector’s Edition or as pre-order bonuses I would like:

  • I love art books. Give us one. You have no choice, Squeenix. Resistance is futile.
  • In-game items are awesome – new character outfits, special weapons, a new area to explore (similar to the Assassin’s Creed 2 pre-order bonus). This isn’t a multi-player game, so balance isn’t much of an issue. Go crazy.
  • A spiffy metal case like the FFXII CE had. I still have that game in that case. I love it.
  • A soundtrack CD. Give us one of these, too. I know, I’m a demanding fanboy, I admit.
  • A behind-the-scenes DVD with a lot of good content would be nice, too (check the Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King WoWexpansion CE’s for good examples).

I tend to like to not like most physical items that are given with Collector’s Editions – key chains, bookends, necklaces, duffel bags, etc. They don’t get used (by me, anyway) and are usually cheaply made. If it’s a very well made item, then maybe, otherwise, forget it. What I do like as physical items are art books, soundtrack CDs and behind-the-scenes DVDs. Throw those in whenever and wherever you can.

FFXIII_lightning01

What about downloadable content? For some reason, I seriously doubt this game will have any, but it is the first major Final Fantasy title of the DLC generation, so who knows. I could be surprised. If there was though, what would I want?

  • New areas to explore with deep, involving side-quests.
  • New outfits to play dress-up with (I swear I should have been born in Japan).
  • Uber-powerful bosses in the world (its likely these will come on the disc, but you can never have too many optional challenges to overcome).
  • A Japanese language track (for the 360 version, which won’t have it on the discs). This should be free.

What I don’t want to see in any way, shape or form as DLC:

  • Purchasable levels or experience (*cough* Tales of Vesparia).
  • Items that you will get anyway if you play the game the way its supposed to be played.
  • Stuff that’s already on the disc.
  • Anything resembling a multi-player mode.
  • Multiple difficulty levels (if its already in the game, fine, but don’t make us pay for it).

There you have it, all my desires for FFXIIIgoodies and DLC laid out on the table. Will we see any of it? I doubt it. But there’s nothing wrong with dreaming.  We’ll see how wrong I am when (if?) these things are actually announced.