First off, the gameplay, subclasses, and concept are actually very cool and would definitely be worth the $40 as long as the content is roughly the same size as the entire Destiny experience to date since the cost is almost as much as a brand new game. I am looking forward to playing as a Controller Hunter and the floating Lightning God that will be Warlocks, so that's a definite plus. The concepts being introduced with Oryx are very solid and definitely a change of pace to the weekly endgame content, so once more a very nice addition. But I do have a few pokes and prods about the price/gift content.
[u]$40 Digital Download[/u] (for those who already own the Core game and both Expansions) gets you a Sparrow, a single shader, and an Emblem for being a Year One player. This is nice and all, but it's supposedly an exclusive offer for veterans or "most loyal fans." If the Sparrow is truly unique and does some interesting stuff (like short range teleport/blink ability) then this might be worth it (but it's not solely for those "most dedicated fans; see Collector's Edition below). Shaders are a grab bag of either they're great looking, dull, or clown-coloration (I only use 3-5 of the extensive list), so getting one is truly a toss-up. The Emblem I'm not too concerned about because I'm content with my Iron Banner Wolf/PoE Wolf, so it probably would be lost on me. This is after putting in $100 into the game from day one or $60 after the price dropped (or worse still, $120 for the Ghost-Dinkladge Edition; personally I liked the voice acting).
[u]$80 Collector's Edition[/u] gets you the game you already own plus TTK in addition to the above so long as you have a Guardian at level 30 by August which is very doable. But ALSO gets you 3 exotic class items that boost XP gain (at the cost of your exotic slot), 3 unique emotes, and 3 shaders. If you buy the physical collector's edition, you also get a bunch of real world memorabilia. The only downside to this is that you don't get the Tumbler sparrow from The Dark Below preorder.
[b]Feedback:[/b] All amazing content that everyone gets regardless of how they obtain TTK aside, I find it slightly undercutting that you're offering so little as additional gifts to those who have and will eventually pay $100-$160. New players can essentially grab it for $80 instead and get everything above, including the $40 content for the veteran fans, except the Tumbler from TDB. I realize that the $40 Digital Download says, "and more at launch," which means there are still contemplative measures to balance this out, but what exactly will be included in that "and more" is still an irking mystery for the "most loyal fans." It would be nice if the bonus in-game gifts from the Collector's Edition were offered to the "most loyal fans" as well, even if we have to pay Strange Coins, Motes of Light, and/or Glimmer for them. I personally don't feel entitled to them, but I would like a chance to obtain them (read: purchase in-game with in-game currency) instead of having to pay between $140-$200 just to get them.
[b]Extra Feedback:[/b] I'm relatively over the pain of not getting exclusive content that PS4 users get for the same price while Xbox users don't see it until the game has gone stale (TTK will be on our minds by the time the exclusive stuff is released to Xbox users). Personally I'd prefer if there were only a 6 month exclusivity instead of a whole year since that would keep things fresh. I realize Microsoft really messed with your company, so you signed up for a 1-year exclusivity program with Sony, which is ultimately punishing your Xbox fans. For that, my sympathies, but you shouldn't punish part of your player base for Mr. or Mrs. Johnson's bad decisions in another company. Why not drop the exclusivity altogether with TTK, but if you can't, then consider that 6 months is understandable, but 1 year is a little....harsh to your fans who can only afford to live on one side of the fence.
Thanks for reading and providing a gorram good game (albeit with a few bugs that like to bite :D).
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I think it would be silly for "the most loyal fans" to obtain items from the CE because what if some of these loyal fans bought the CE only to find out you can get the same stuff in game anyways, it would piss them off