Look, I’ve been reading a heap of articles lately citing both the Eurogamer and GI.biz sit down with Frontier Developments’ founder, David Braben, and I simply couldn’t take it anymore.

For those of you that missed the hoopla, Braben’s gripe is that the used game market will eventually kill the single player aspect of games and force all developers to focus instead on multiplayer due to its high replay factor. While I agree that multiplayer does offer a much higher replay value, I certainly don’t agree with his proposed fix.

My argument is that for every game there are two versions. One is personal, not for resale and it’s made abundantly clear you can’t sell it. And it’s made available for something like GBP 25 [$40]. And a resale and rental copy, which in film is actually about GBP 80 [$130].

Huh? That has got to be the most ass backwards solution I’ve ever heard of. I understand the need for a developer to generate higher revenue, but handcuffing a consumer to their product is not the answer. Read more…

Collector’s Editions of games are becoming more and more popular as video games slowly gain ground in today’s pop culture. Some embrace the higher prices and extra swag, while others are not so happy with some of the ridiculous price hikes. For example: the original Gears of War Collector’s Edition only jacked the price up $10, GTA IV’s crazy bundle cost $30 more, and Halo 3’s Legendary Edition was a staggering $70 over the regular edition.

So, how do we judge whether a special edition of a game is worth the dough? The items themselves really only have value to the die-hard fans and collectors, so only time and possibly online auction prices will tell how valuable these items will become. The only other measure is how well the special edition versions of the game retain their value compared to the regular versions. Some helpful charts from VGPC.com after the jump might surprise you.
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As you all know, LittleBigPlanet was recalled, after already being shipped to the majority of retailers, due to Qur’an references in one of the game’s music tracks. However, those who’ve been able to purchase the game from non-chain shops, commonly referred to as “mom and pop shops”, are taking advantage of the delay.

If you want to play LBP early, it’ll cost you a good $150 or more, because that’s what the game is currently going for on eBay. Thank capitalists for this latest Sackboy scandal. *sigh* It was only a matter of time.

Source: Destructoid [Thanks Matt!]

Can’t decide on what video game character to dress up as this Halloween? Sick of wearing the same blue suspenders and red hat every year? Have you ever wanted to have a large, Styrofoam drill for an arm? Do you live in the New Jersey area?

If you answered yes to these questions, this man has a suit to sell you. This fancy, homemade Big Daddy costume can be yours for only $250. The drill arm does work, provided you stick a power drill in there, and you can string some Christmas lights up in the face mask for that extra “friendly” or “your death is imminent” effect. Make it a family affair and bring your little sister along for an added bonus. Just hand her a giant syringe and a dirty, 50s throw-back dress and you finally found a good use for the little brat!

While it is a refuge from last year’s festivities, don’t worry about appearing out-of-date. Just tell people you’re the PS3 version of the Big Daddy, and this costume’s relevancy gets an extra year, and you don’t have to worry about gluing on that fake, Italian mustache ever again.

Until 2009. Video of the suit in action after the jump. Read more…

Do you get excited by Wii? Not as much as five-year-old Archie Lovett in the UK it seems, who got onto his Grandfather’s eBay account, and promptly bid nearly £200,000 a secondhand console – more than 1,000 times above its retail price. Read more…

For dedicated achievement whores who are strapped for cash but don’t want to sell their entire game collection, there’s a new option-– sell the time you spend playing them. Read more…

Ah, eBay. The wonderful online marketplace full of miscellaneous crap that no one can be arsed to put on store shelves. The latest offering falling under the “holy shit, do want” category is oceanic234’s complete collection of every single NES game ever produced- well, at least the ones produced in grey carts.

Citing family troubles as the reason for relinquishing such an epic collection, the only reason this doesn’t fall in the “holy shit, must buy now” category is the modest Buy it Now pricetag of $3,800. Yowza. Read more…

This is an awesome opportunity for a collector to own a piece of Nintendo’s gaming past. The Topps Vault is auctioning off four original pieces of Nintendo card art, with the last auction ending 6 days from now, and the earliest ending in just under 6 hours.

Each auction consists of a hand painted color layer and art overlay (as shown below). I used Photoshop to create the effect the two would have when placed over each other in the headline image above so that you could see what the finished cards looked like.

Check out the auction, and make your bid before it’s too late.

Source: Ebay (via GoNintendo)

In a recent interview with MTV’s gaming blog Multiplayer, Capcom’s Associate Producer, John Diamonon, confesses that while many things factor into their decision making process concerning which classic games to rehash via outlets such as XBA, one measuring stick the company openly admits to using are the frequency and closing bid prices for the original versions on Ebay. Read more…

Very ironic, however I am not impressed as this pales in comparison to the bible I found in a hotel room, signed by none other than Satan himself.

If you are interested in the unique mix of pop culture and politics that this particular ink stained copy of GTA III offers up, you will need to dish out $4000 for the chance to make it yours — or you can just show up at Jack’s next debate hoping to get something signed like our boy Nick did.

The only positive thing here is that the seller promises to give all earnings from the sale to the Child’s Play foundation.

Buy it now on Ebay

While I highly doubt that the story told in this eBay auction is true, the user still gets points for creativity. Read more…

It’s not diamond-encrusted, or forged in the fires of Mount Doom. Neither does it contain the secrets of eternal life. Heck, it doesn’t even really come with any games. So why, then, would this particular Wii command $5.5 million dollars on eBay? Read more…

If you haven’t visited pixeljam’s awesome website yet, well, you’d better get over there. Not only have they made some great free browser games in a delicious retro flavor, such as Gamma Bros. and Rat Maze 2, but their whole site is beautiful and interactive as well. The guys behind it are terrific fellows and very hard-working. As of right now this is still just their hobby, but someday they hope to be developing full-time.

Recently one of the developers put his entire Transformers collection up on eBay towards just this end. Read more…