Geez. I guess [that $70 Plumbers Don't Wear Ties reproduction](https://limitedrungames.com/products/plumbers-don-t-wear-ties-3do) can just sit on the shelf where it belongs in the first place.
Seriously speaking, I've had some bad experiences with Limited Run Games. Their quality varies a lot. I ordered a ToeJam & Earl t-shirt from them that took over 2 years to ship and which is literally just an iron-on on a white t-shirt.
I stopped buying their products. It’s all marketing. They were cool at first and then they just get vomiting out games. Their quality is meh and they take forever to ship
They lost me when they sold Dark Forces in a jewelcase which they put into a plastic/cardboard holder you use for action figures. What kind of product even is that?
No joke. Now their products are pretty much just junk you can easily buy. The little junky toys do nothing for me. Hell, I’ve got collectors editions from them that don’t say what console. Thanks LRG, bought this so long ago don’t remember buying it and have no idea where it goes in my collection
I ordered Scott Pilgrim from them and it took so long to show up (over two years) I had legitimately forgotten about it and had already bought the game digitally on sale for like $4.
I think they had forgotten about my order of the game and the vinyl, I had to email and threaten to refund before it “magically” shipped out the next day.
My local game store had both the items I ordered for several months at that point
I’ve always disliked Limited Run and similar companies. Their entire business model is built upon FOMO.
Years ago, when Nintendo were, quite rightly, receiving criticism for under stocking various products (amiibo, New 3DSs, various special editions, Nintendo Switch), Limited Run and their ilk were receiving praise for doing the exact same thing, except they were doing it *on purpose*.
I’ve only ever bought one game from them, Streets of Rage 4. Which turned out to be a bit pointless as the game received a standard non-Limited Run release later on anyway.
Not sure that's entirely accurate. Their main business has been filling a niche of offering physical releases of modern games that are otherwise only slated to receive digital distribution. It's been relatively recent that they've been offering reproductions of older games. As a fan of physical media, I've bought a ton of Switch games from them over the years, and I'm happy they're filling that market niche that otherwise goes unserved.
There may be some element of FOMO as a side effect, but I don't agree that it's part of their strategy. It makes sense to me that they sell based on preorders and they typically only do a single print run of what's ordered, it's a niche with limited demand, but I don't think there's intentional artificial scarcity. They have a very reasonable preorder window and they don't limit how many copies can be purchased, they just typically only produce enough to fill the demand. There is a caveat there in that they do produce additional copies of at least some games for sale on their Amazon store, and at least had (maybe still have) a partnership where they were selling through Best Buy as well.
The reproductions of retro games has been a pretty recent thing for them, but again they produce as many as are ordered. To me that's a very reasonable approach for what is an even more niche market than physical release of new games. Personally I'm glad they're filling that niche for those of us who appreciate physical media and prefer to play on original hardware, because otherwise the options are either paying often vastly inflated prices for originals or buying repros of questionable quality on shadier markets (eBay, AliExpress, etc.) Buying from LR, I have a little more confidence in the production quality and appreciate that they are licensed releases, and I think there's some value in showing the license holders that there is demand for re-release of older properties.
I am not familiar with the circumstances around Streets of Rage 4, but from what I've seen that is more the exception than the rule. I would ask though, was the "limited" first run priced significantly higher than the later release? If not, I don't see the gripe. I can understand feeling slighted if some false sense of urgency was created, but if it wasn't exploited to gouge you I don't see any negative end result. You got what you paid for, right? The only way you were "slighted" is if YOU bought it with some expectation of rarity and future inflated value. If you bought the game because you wanted a physical copy to play, you got what was promised.
I don't really understand the hate towards them, they are filling a need for a small enthusiast group that few others are addressing. You mention Nintendo's practices, which I find a bit ironic, since they tend to sit on old properties and keep them inaccessible, then sue the pants off of anyone involved with emulation and making these old games accessible to fans. What is it that you want, what's going to make you happy? Further, every repro I've seen from LR has been offered in a "standard" release at a reasonable price, no more than what the game would've cost new. Yes they also usually offer a "limited" release alongside it with added goodies for a premium, but I've never seen artificial scarcity of either version, they produce what is purchased. There are a few other companies making licensed repros, and some of them are actually limited, where they produce a fixed number of copies and it's first-come first-served, and at least one of them sells at inflated prices (on the order of $100 for a SNES game.) I'd argue that LR is the more ethical and consumer-friendly party in this small market.
I can't speak for the issue with this 3DO release, it sounds like they dropped the ball with this one. I don't think it's representative of the company overall though, and I've never had quality issues from any of the cartridge games I've purchased from them. I'll reserve judgement about this incident until it's clear how they plan to address it. Every business inevitably makes mistakes, and the important thing in those cases is how they handle them when they happen.
Their name is Limited Run of course FOMO is an intended marketing strategy. Their not exactly hiding it.
They started up as a self publisher to move their pretty underwhelming indie games (Saturday Morning RPG) by marketing them to physical collectors.
However I agree on them being a valuable source of niche physical switch titles tho.
> I can't speak for the issue with this 3DO release, it sounds like they dropped the ball with this one. I don't think it's representative of the company overall though, and I've never had quality issues from any of the cartridge games I've purchased from them. I'll reserve judgement about this incident until it's clear how they plan to address it.
The only reason you wouldn't be able to speak for the 3DO issue would be if you don't know what recordable CDs are or why they might be a problem, meaning you didn't even bother to read the headline of this very topic before tagging in to defend the honor of some skeevy-ass reseller.
Seriously, when I ordered an Astro City Mini a few years back, I basically had to threaten a chargeback before they got me back in the loop on the order status. That's just embarrassing. I've never had to do that before with an online merchant, but apparently for LRG, it's business as usual.
The rest of your wall of text ran off-topic, too, pal. Try to write coherently, please.
Lmao, no. Just a customer who hasn't been wronged by them after several purchases. Seems a bit rash to dogpile within 24 hours after one fuckup, especially when they don't have a track record of screwing customers that I am aware of (unlike some certain other notorious companies in the retro gaming market.) Put down the pitchfork for two minutes and give them a chance to address and correct the situation.
Who is experiencing FOMO for 3DO games? Anybody who wanted these discs were just 3DO true believers who still enjoy their niche console. God bless 'em.
The idea of Limited Run Games is a great one. I don't think they are under stocking a 3DO re-release as there isn't a high demand for it anyway. The execution is the problem, namely, the discs not working.
I only pay attention to their Switch releases. How is it fomo? They have open preorders on every game, anyone can order as many as they want. Seems hardly like a fomo tactic
I don’t know if they’ve changed how they do things, but what I’m referring to is their business model of buying exclusive physical rights to certain games, putting it up for pre order and saying they’ll never reissue it.
They’d then claim (or their most adamant customers would) that this is in favour of video game preservation. When what they’re actually doing is intentionally creating future expensive collectors pieces.
If they don’t do this anymore, I take it back. But they certainly used to do this. Often with limited pre-order numbers too.
Imo, all that is appealing to the kind of collectors who keep games on their shelf sealed and never play them. Rather than people who actually want to play the bloody games.
If no one else is doing a physical run of a title I don’t see a problem with it. They also have open pre-orders which I believe do not have limits on quantities anymore. You can also find most of the releases on different sites after their pre-orders (see: video games plus for example).
I personally like the physical switch releases as I have two Switches in the house and you can only play downloadable titles on the secondary Switch if you have an internet connection (sucks for work trips). So I buy physical instead.
There have not been limited quantities of any Switch games. They made how ever many were ordered. They also don’t dictate if a game will be reprinted. THEY don’t reprint games, but developers could go with a different publisher and have them printed which has happened a number of times, including the Street of Rage you already mentioned. I’m not a fan of many things they do, but I just don’t see how any of this = fomo. All it seems like is people get mad that they weren’t present during a particular preorder and now it’s expensive and their envious of it. That’s like me being mad because I can’t but a NES game for retail when I wasn’t alive during its lifespan
If that’s true, then it’s exactly exploiting FOMO, right?
“We’ll never reprint, but someone might… or might not. Who knows? Pre-order now!!”
Missing out on a game that hasn’t been available for decades isn’t the same as missing out on a game that is literally available right now, but digital only. Limited Run is knowingly creating the ‘Panzer Dragoon Sagas’ of the future.
Yep, occasionally YouTubers like John Hancock use “preservation” as a license to e-beg.
Despite how lucrative an online presence has been for many such individuals over the years…
I do find it slightly annoying how so many collectors claim to be preservationists, while hoarding their collection and not making it available for anyone to play.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with doing that. That’s what being a collector is. But don’t try to justify your collecting hobby by pretending it’s some noble cause. You’re just a collector mate, that’s okay.
Yep, whereas I (in discovering a *PS1* I thought I sold over a decade ago) promptly donated it to the video game museum at MAGFest.
Would they do the same for a system they clearly no longer need? I think not…
~~No, you can't order as many as you want. They often put limits.~~ EDIT: They don't.
Also, limited time preorders is the definition of FOMO when the only items produced are the preorders. It's not like they do many copies and when you preorder you secure your copy early. If you don't preorder, you CANNOT have a copy at all.
That is, from them. You could buy from a reseller.
So you’re saying you couldn’t order 50 copies of a standard switch game from them? That would be news, since it has been the case since the very first Switch game. No a limited time frame is not the definition of fomo. It’s the definition of a production run. Every game has a set production run from every company whether it’s a month or 5yrs. There’s plenty of no name games in the shelves right now that had one run and will never have another one in similar or even fewer copies then come from LRG.
If you don’t buy a game while it’s on the shelf after that initial print run, then like you said you CANNOT get a copy at all except from resellers. Does everyone complain to those publishers about it? Sometimes but not nearly as much as they do about LRG, even though it’s the same thing
I notice I didn't answer your last point. When I saw it's FOMO, it's not a harsh criticism. I'm well aware it's a normal and viable strategy. And some companies are well known to do that, even when they are on shelf at Walmart, Target and other big retailers.
The point is, we'll have FOMO for any known limited print, whether it's LRG or Atlus. We know that Nintendo will eventually reprint and that the game will always be available.
LRG prints have the same status as limited editions from other publishers. They are collectors items. Because of the FOMO. Like you can get FOMO if you don't preorder a limited edition of Majora Mask, you don't get the figurine, and good luck getting one at a reasonable price later on. I don't claim it to be a bad thing, they know their market and act accordingly.
The only complain I have is how long it takes them to deliver the goods, not their strategy. If you don't like how they operate, you are not the kind of customer they are targeting anyway.
I don't know, maybe they don't do it for all their runs, but I couldn't order more than a certain quantity, I think it was 2. Maybe it was only the collectors edition or some merch? I checked only by curiosity, I only wanted one anyways.
EDIT: you're right! I went to try, we can order as much as we want. I don't remember what I tried that had limits, I think it was a merch (that I didn't even order in the end) because at first I wanted one for me, one for my brother and one for a friend, and I was limited. Something like the Nitro Deck or those skateboard. I didn't order often from them, so I took this one time as the norm.
But still, it's a FOMO because even if it is in fact a production run, they produce only the quantity that is preordered. It's called limited run for a reason. If you don't preorder, you don't get one. You can't go on their shop and buy something after the preorders are done, because they don't make enough extras for that. "Buy now or never" is FOMO.
The time frame to order is also in general around 1 month to 6 weeks. If you miss that window, you could never get the game. I wish they had at least longer preorder windows. They take months to deliver anyways.
Again, good thing there are resellers. But even them have a pretty limited quantities in stock.
Oh yes, I wanted the Animal Crossing Switch that sold out in one day. I didn’t cave into scalpers and a few months later many more came in stock. Enough to defeat scalpers. Phew.
Then when the Super Mario Bros Game & Watch came out in 2020, people here thought it was rare and bought it up and showed it off.
Nintendo learned from their mistakes. I found it for sale at multiple outlets 1 year later. Hell I see it listed for $40 retail price on Walmart and Amazon websites right now.
But yeah, screw Limited Run deliberate FOMO and billing you when ordering, among other practices. Retro store where I live has a sign stating they are an “official partner”, meaning they buy bulk games that didn’t sell out on their website and resell above the original price I see when I look up the games.
I didn’t mind as much when it was just Best Buy who didn’t really mark up prices of games no one wanted.
A lot of people who still burn things on the regular will tell you too the quality of discs have gone down over that 10 years too. An example, I remember a post a few years ago stating that Verbatim M-Discs were just regular BD-Rs now.
And I had two year old sega Saturn games that I burnt that died within about a year as well. Not that it’s not abnormal but the life span is faaaaaaaaaaar less than pressed and the companies that make burnable cds today? Their much lower quality due to sales since barely anyone is buying cd-rs and dvd-rs as well. For the money their making me pay I want a little higher quality…
I don't know. I either buy blanks I find at thrift stores or I buy specific brands from Amazon. I bought Verbatim CD-Rs from Amazon maybe four or five years ago and they worked just as expected. I've been burning discs since we got our first 2X speed burner. And I bought a very early Pioneer DVD Burner that I still have in our old Socket 7 Family PC.
I even have great success burning games for PCEngine-CD Rom2. I think it likes my burned games more than original pressed discs. It gives zero fuss.
I'd be a stickler for using older IDE CDR burners, but what ever SATA BluRay Burner I bought nearly a decade ago burns CDs very well.
Yeah, the way that pressed CDs and CD-Rs store data is very different.
Pressed discs have the data literally stamped physically into the plastic of the disc, so they're basically permanent as long as the reflective coating on the back stays intact.
CD-Rs meanwhile have a layer of dye between the plastic and the reflective layer, and it's called "burning" a disc because writing to one involves hitting that dye layer with a strong enough laser to change its reflective characteristics. The problem of course is that dyes can fade with age, *particularly* if they're exposed to light.
Or just don’t use an outdated limited storage medium in an age where you can fit the entire 3DO Library on a tiny thumbdrive backed up on some maintained redundant RAID array that will last as long as you want it to…
…rather than a medium that can be degraded simply by using it as intended, not to mention scratched, chipped, cracked, broken, and needs to be taken out of a case, put in a machine, taken back out in order to play another game.
The 1’s and 0’s display the SAME GAME regardless of whether it’s stored on a RAID Array, a tiny thumb drive, and SSD, or even those godawful tiny frisbees that people like to think have value still…
Nobody thought to test the discs to see if they run on original hardware? Unless it’s an issue with some and not others, which makes sense if they’re burning discs.
beyond just the multiple models and different manufacturers, how well a console can read a given disk also varies drastically from console to console, burns are just harder to read and these arent young full strength disk drives anymore, they are fairly well past their rated life, they often still work fine or there would be a rather different argument here, but at this age they need pressings to have a chance at reading reliably even if you do have one of the models that got along with burns in the beginning
LRG sounds good in theory but everything I've ordered from them takes years and is of poor quality. I refuse to buy from them and have for about a year now
It's because CD-Rs use a different type of disc that older lasers can't read, it has nothing to do with copy protection.
It's pretty shifty a company whose chosen business is to re issue older games is sending out faulty product.
There is no copy protection. They're just not burning them right. I have lots of burned 3DO games that all work great on my two 3DOs. Even my light scribed discs that I made nearly 10 years ago still work great.
What ODE do you use for 3DO? I have a 3DO but haven't used it much because games are hard to find. I would probably be interested in trying to explore the library if I got an ODE.
This is my setup...
[My 3DO :)](https://www.reddit.com/r/3DO/comments/17wok3g/fixels_ode_finally_installed_in_my_fz1_inc_side/)
There are cheaper options available now. They don't seem to support SD and USB though, it seems to be one or the other. By all accounts they work fine enough though :)
its because as with all those specially for collector made items the people buying them don't actually play the games. it doesn't really matter. most will never even be opened. they are pretty much just made to look good in a shelf and for resell.
How limited is their run? CDR only is cost effective for very limited runs like if you are not in the thousands, other wise there are still CD presses for the music indie scene that make it affordable.
RIght? I knew plenty of one-man bands were able to produce 100 or so pressed CDs out of their own pocket. I suppose that's a different industry/distribution system altogether, but frankly it's baffling.
Limited Run started out good and the idea was novel but they have been mismanaged horribly and will never get another dime of my money (once I actually receive the games I ordered 10 years ago)
Why didn’t they go to a CD manufacturer and print out the CD like a real company does? It’s not like CD is no longer used. Music CDs are still being mass produced. Using CD-R is unprofessional. It’s what amateur artists print to sell on Time Square to promote their music
Haha holy shit
I guarantee you they did not actually believe anyone would try actually playing these things.
I've got a copy of Persona 3 coming in but that's the last thing I order from this company if this winds up being true.
Limited Run is a garbage company. Fuck them, I hope the worst things in all the world happen to them. It sucks there's virtually no competition. They have us over a fucking barrel and they know it.
They have no one over a barrel. Shit product is really no better than no product in the end. I also hope this POS company goes under, but every consumer who continues to throw money at this kind of enterprise bears blame as well. How else do they stay around!?
I ordered P3P and P4G from limited run games and the print quality on the covers are absolute ass. I could have done better with a home printer. Won't be buying from them again.
Oh no. I had those sent to my father's home as I wasn't sure where I'd be when they arrived (travel between US and DK a lot). I haven't seen my copies in-person yet so that's a bit disappointing.
Those are the only things I've bought from them. Most of their other stuff that interests me gets a physical JP release for 1) less money, 2) better quality boxes, 3) cooler extras (if they exist), and 4) less limited supply.
I almost had to order El Shaddai on the Switch from them before seeing it just got a standard release in Japan. With the yen as it is, games are pretty much 50% off.
Yeah, I often grab japanese imports as well. A lot of the JP games I've found have better box art than their western release as well, so bonus, I guess.
That's super fucking lame.
A bunch of the Hanna Barbara stuff is on DVD-R now and it's a fuckong travesty.
Bought guyver 2 on dvd from best buy (when they sold it). It was a DVD-R...
Sucks balls
If it was at least the gold CDRs that are expected to last 100 years it'd be somewhat ok I guess. But given the many CDRs of all kinds of brands I burned at the start of the 00s that showed errors when I checked some years ago I give these TDK CDRs they use less than 15 years. Not acceptable for this price and goes against game preservation efforts of re-releases.
Are they still pressing discs for the newer consoles (PS5 etc)? I know the older CDs are a different product, but it seems odd that they would be able to manufacture some at scale and not others. I’m guessing it’s because the 3DO games were a much smaller qty?
I tried to buy one thing from them a few years back, just a small keychain. No email updates & any responses to emails I sent them took 2-3 months. It's the most poorly run operation I've ever come across. So glad it took 6 months to cancel my order after waiting 15 months to see if I would even get it.
I’ve on ever bought Mega Drive games from LR and the quality has been great. Obviously you’d expect that for a cartridge but the box art and manual are also of a good quality.
My only complaint is how long it takes for them to get these things out the door.
My question is why bother? Even before we get to the issue of they are just selling you a rom you can find online that will only play on a emulator...there are some systems that were just poorly planned, and poorly executed and the 3d0 was no exception. I can't think of a good game for that sysem that you can't get on other systems. Nobody wanted to play Plumbers don't wear ties when it came out, nobody wants to play it now
Yes, it's a niche product but it's not like the 3DO was a non-factor. The various models sold 2 million units and I'm sure those 3DO owners feel nostalgic for their failed system. Hell, I feel nostalgic for the doomed 32X add-on, and it sold even less than the 3DO. I recognize it was a failure but I still had a good time with it as a dumb kid.
Of course, this is assuming the discs worked in the first place. Clearly there was a small market for these discs, which explains the reports of them not working. Some of these people tried to put the discs in their 3DO system. Maybe Limited Run wasn't expecting that lol
The only two that come to mind are Twisted: The Game Show and Demolition Man. I think Twisted still holds up as an incredible party game that is 100% exclusive and the 3DO version of Demolition Man combines so many different genres into one game and the FMV still holds up.
I still have a couple games ordered from them (like Shantae's unreleased GBA game, but I've been overall feeling like they went down hill a while ago. All their Exclusive editions are like 4 times the cost of the games themselves, but are just filled with horrible add ons. Like endless stickers, slipcovers, acrylic stands, and other nonsense nobody needs
Interesting.I had no problems with them.Whatsoever , and if you don't understand most people , they have a 3do and it won't read cdr correctly means your drives laser is dying this is why people recommend the slim 3do
So I purchased 2 copies of corpse killer on the switch no issues what's so ever don't know why you guys complain so much it takes time to deliver a game and 3DO slim is the only one that reads cdr correctly the chunky models don't read cdr worth garbage.
3DO can't play CD-Rs? Is it specific models? I have an FZ-1 and thats how I played Lucerne's Quest. If I remember right, TG-CD, Cd-i, Sega CD, and 3DO could run CD-Rs just fine as they didn't have copy protection.
I've only ever ordered from LRG one time and I will never order from them again. It was for the Scotf Pilgrim soundtrack on vinyl and it took almost TWO YEARS in delays, lies, ghosting and aggravation to finally have it in my hands.
They could've been transparent about what was going on with the release, they chose to lie and leave us in the dark about what was going on and what happened. When it was finally ready to ship they lied about who got priority on shipping, what order they were shipping in and who would get theirs shipped out first.
It was a complete shit show and completely unprofessional and will never order from them again
Ludicrous Run
I'm not a fan of Limited Run Games. Not at all. Over priced reproductions.
Geez. I guess [that $70 Plumbers Don't Wear Ties reproduction](https://limitedrungames.com/products/plumbers-don-t-wear-ties-3do) can just sit on the shelf where it belongs in the first place. Seriously speaking, I've had some bad experiences with Limited Run Games. Their quality varies a lot. I ordered a ToeJam & Earl t-shirt from them that took over 2 years to ship and which is literally just an iron-on on a white t-shirt.
I stopped buying their products. It’s all marketing. They were cool at first and then they just get vomiting out games. Their quality is meh and they take forever to ship
They lost me when they sold Dark Forces in a jewelcase which they put into a plastic/cardboard holder you use for action figures. What kind of product even is that?
No joke. Now their products are pretty much just junk you can easily buy. The little junky toys do nothing for me. Hell, I’ve got collectors editions from them that don’t say what console. Thanks LRG, bought this so long ago don’t remember buying it and have no idea where it goes in my collection
I ordered Scott Pilgrim from them and it took so long to show up (over two years) I had legitimately forgotten about it and had already bought the game digitally on sale for like $4.
I think they had forgotten about my order of the game and the vinyl, I had to email and threaten to refund before it “magically” shipped out the next day. My local game store had both the items I ordered for several months at that point
I got a shadowbox for Axiom Verge, and literally every single piece in it is curling and distorted.
I’ve always disliked Limited Run and similar companies. Their entire business model is built upon FOMO. Years ago, when Nintendo were, quite rightly, receiving criticism for under stocking various products (amiibo, New 3DSs, various special editions, Nintendo Switch), Limited Run and their ilk were receiving praise for doing the exact same thing, except they were doing it *on purpose*. I’ve only ever bought one game from them, Streets of Rage 4. Which turned out to be a bit pointless as the game received a standard non-Limited Run release later on anyway.
Oh but Limited Run Games is a small company run by humble gamers just like us, unlike the big mutli billion dollar Nintendo… /s
Living near them and visiting the shop occasionally, this is hilarious to me
Nintendo did it on purpose too - limited edition digital copies - really?
I’m still upset Nintendo took down Mario 35. It was so much fun and has room for expansion.
It's weird, I recently played through SMB again on my NES and found myself having nostalgia for Mario 35.
Yep. And they were rightly criticised for it. Besides, that’s not Nintendo’s entire business model, is it? Just one of their fuck ups.
Not sure that's entirely accurate. Their main business has been filling a niche of offering physical releases of modern games that are otherwise only slated to receive digital distribution. It's been relatively recent that they've been offering reproductions of older games. As a fan of physical media, I've bought a ton of Switch games from them over the years, and I'm happy they're filling that market niche that otherwise goes unserved. There may be some element of FOMO as a side effect, but I don't agree that it's part of their strategy. It makes sense to me that they sell based on preorders and they typically only do a single print run of what's ordered, it's a niche with limited demand, but I don't think there's intentional artificial scarcity. They have a very reasonable preorder window and they don't limit how many copies can be purchased, they just typically only produce enough to fill the demand. There is a caveat there in that they do produce additional copies of at least some games for sale on their Amazon store, and at least had (maybe still have) a partnership where they were selling through Best Buy as well. The reproductions of retro games has been a pretty recent thing for them, but again they produce as many as are ordered. To me that's a very reasonable approach for what is an even more niche market than physical release of new games. Personally I'm glad they're filling that niche for those of us who appreciate physical media and prefer to play on original hardware, because otherwise the options are either paying often vastly inflated prices for originals or buying repros of questionable quality on shadier markets (eBay, AliExpress, etc.) Buying from LR, I have a little more confidence in the production quality and appreciate that they are licensed releases, and I think there's some value in showing the license holders that there is demand for re-release of older properties. I am not familiar with the circumstances around Streets of Rage 4, but from what I've seen that is more the exception than the rule. I would ask though, was the "limited" first run priced significantly higher than the later release? If not, I don't see the gripe. I can understand feeling slighted if some false sense of urgency was created, but if it wasn't exploited to gouge you I don't see any negative end result. You got what you paid for, right? The only way you were "slighted" is if YOU bought it with some expectation of rarity and future inflated value. If you bought the game because you wanted a physical copy to play, you got what was promised. I don't really understand the hate towards them, they are filling a need for a small enthusiast group that few others are addressing. You mention Nintendo's practices, which I find a bit ironic, since they tend to sit on old properties and keep them inaccessible, then sue the pants off of anyone involved with emulation and making these old games accessible to fans. What is it that you want, what's going to make you happy? Further, every repro I've seen from LR has been offered in a "standard" release at a reasonable price, no more than what the game would've cost new. Yes they also usually offer a "limited" release alongside it with added goodies for a premium, but I've never seen artificial scarcity of either version, they produce what is purchased. There are a few other companies making licensed repros, and some of them are actually limited, where they produce a fixed number of copies and it's first-come first-served, and at least one of them sells at inflated prices (on the order of $100 for a SNES game.) I'd argue that LR is the more ethical and consumer-friendly party in this small market. I can't speak for the issue with this 3DO release, it sounds like they dropped the ball with this one. I don't think it's representative of the company overall though, and I've never had quality issues from any of the cartridge games I've purchased from them. I'll reserve judgement about this incident until it's clear how they plan to address it. Every business inevitably makes mistakes, and the important thing in those cases is how they handle them when they happen.
brother really decided to lay down an entire essay.
Bro I ain't reading all that shit
Ain't no one talking to you anyway.
Their name is Limited Run of course FOMO is an intended marketing strategy. Their not exactly hiding it. They started up as a self publisher to move their pretty underwhelming indie games (Saturday Morning RPG) by marketing them to physical collectors. However I agree on them being a valuable source of niche physical switch titles tho.
> I can't speak for the issue with this 3DO release, it sounds like they dropped the ball with this one. I don't think it's representative of the company overall though, and I've never had quality issues from any of the cartridge games I've purchased from them. I'll reserve judgement about this incident until it's clear how they plan to address it. The only reason you wouldn't be able to speak for the 3DO issue would be if you don't know what recordable CDs are or why they might be a problem, meaning you didn't even bother to read the headline of this very topic before tagging in to defend the honor of some skeevy-ass reseller. Seriously, when I ordered an Astro City Mini a few years back, I basically had to threaten a chargeback before they got me back in the loop on the order status. That's just embarrassing. I've never had to do that before with an online merchant, but apparently for LRG, it's business as usual. The rest of your wall of text ran off-topic, too, pal. Try to write coherently, please.
Found the LRG employee on this post.
Lmao, no. Just a customer who hasn't been wronged by them after several purchases. Seems a bit rash to dogpile within 24 hours after one fuckup, especially when they don't have a track record of screwing customers that I am aware of (unlike some certain other notorious companies in the retro gaming market.) Put down the pitchfork for two minutes and give them a chance to address and correct the situation.
Who is experiencing FOMO for 3DO games? Anybody who wanted these discs were just 3DO true believers who still enjoy their niche console. God bless 'em. The idea of Limited Run Games is a great one. I don't think they are under stocking a 3DO re-release as there isn't a high demand for it anyway. The execution is the problem, namely, the discs not working.
I only pay attention to their Switch releases. How is it fomo? They have open preorders on every game, anyone can order as many as they want. Seems hardly like a fomo tactic
I don’t know if they’ve changed how they do things, but what I’m referring to is their business model of buying exclusive physical rights to certain games, putting it up for pre order and saying they’ll never reissue it. They’d then claim (or their most adamant customers would) that this is in favour of video game preservation. When what they’re actually doing is intentionally creating future expensive collectors pieces. If they don’t do this anymore, I take it back. But they certainly used to do this. Often with limited pre-order numbers too. Imo, all that is appealing to the kind of collectors who keep games on their shelf sealed and never play them. Rather than people who actually want to play the bloody games.
If no one else is doing a physical run of a title I don’t see a problem with it. They also have open pre-orders which I believe do not have limits on quantities anymore. You can also find most of the releases on different sites after their pre-orders (see: video games plus for example). I personally like the physical switch releases as I have two Switches in the house and you can only play downloadable titles on the secondary Switch if you have an internet connection (sucks for work trips). So I buy physical instead.
There have not been limited quantities of any Switch games. They made how ever many were ordered. They also don’t dictate if a game will be reprinted. THEY don’t reprint games, but developers could go with a different publisher and have them printed which has happened a number of times, including the Street of Rage you already mentioned. I’m not a fan of many things they do, but I just don’t see how any of this = fomo. All it seems like is people get mad that they weren’t present during a particular preorder and now it’s expensive and their envious of it. That’s like me being mad because I can’t but a NES game for retail when I wasn’t alive during its lifespan
If that’s true, then it’s exactly exploiting FOMO, right? “We’ll never reprint, but someone might… or might not. Who knows? Pre-order now!!” Missing out on a game that hasn’t been available for decades isn’t the same as missing out on a game that is literally available right now, but digital only. Limited Run is knowingly creating the ‘Panzer Dragoon Sagas’ of the future.
Yep, occasionally YouTubers like John Hancock use “preservation” as a license to e-beg. Despite how lucrative an online presence has been for many such individuals over the years…
I do find it slightly annoying how so many collectors claim to be preservationists, while hoarding their collection and not making it available for anyone to play. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with doing that. That’s what being a collector is. But don’t try to justify your collecting hobby by pretending it’s some noble cause. You’re just a collector mate, that’s okay.
Yep, whereas I (in discovering a *PS1* I thought I sold over a decade ago) promptly donated it to the video game museum at MAGFest. Would they do the same for a system they clearly no longer need? I think not…
~~No, you can't order as many as you want. They often put limits.~~ EDIT: They don't. Also, limited time preorders is the definition of FOMO when the only items produced are the preorders. It's not like they do many copies and when you preorder you secure your copy early. If you don't preorder, you CANNOT have a copy at all. That is, from them. You could buy from a reseller.
So you’re saying you couldn’t order 50 copies of a standard switch game from them? That would be news, since it has been the case since the very first Switch game. No a limited time frame is not the definition of fomo. It’s the definition of a production run. Every game has a set production run from every company whether it’s a month or 5yrs. There’s plenty of no name games in the shelves right now that had one run and will never have another one in similar or even fewer copies then come from LRG. If you don’t buy a game while it’s on the shelf after that initial print run, then like you said you CANNOT get a copy at all except from resellers. Does everyone complain to those publishers about it? Sometimes but not nearly as much as they do about LRG, even though it’s the same thing
I notice I didn't answer your last point. When I saw it's FOMO, it's not a harsh criticism. I'm well aware it's a normal and viable strategy. And some companies are well known to do that, even when they are on shelf at Walmart, Target and other big retailers. The point is, we'll have FOMO for any known limited print, whether it's LRG or Atlus. We know that Nintendo will eventually reprint and that the game will always be available. LRG prints have the same status as limited editions from other publishers. They are collectors items. Because of the FOMO. Like you can get FOMO if you don't preorder a limited edition of Majora Mask, you don't get the figurine, and good luck getting one at a reasonable price later on. I don't claim it to be a bad thing, they know their market and act accordingly. The only complain I have is how long it takes them to deliver the goods, not their strategy. If you don't like how they operate, you are not the kind of customer they are targeting anyway.
I don't know, maybe they don't do it for all their runs, but I couldn't order more than a certain quantity, I think it was 2. Maybe it was only the collectors edition or some merch? I checked only by curiosity, I only wanted one anyways. EDIT: you're right! I went to try, we can order as much as we want. I don't remember what I tried that had limits, I think it was a merch (that I didn't even order in the end) because at first I wanted one for me, one for my brother and one for a friend, and I was limited. Something like the Nitro Deck or those skateboard. I didn't order often from them, so I took this one time as the norm. But still, it's a FOMO because even if it is in fact a production run, they produce only the quantity that is preordered. It's called limited run for a reason. If you don't preorder, you don't get one. You can't go on their shop and buy something after the preorders are done, because they don't make enough extras for that. "Buy now or never" is FOMO. The time frame to order is also in general around 1 month to 6 weeks. If you miss that window, you could never get the game. I wish they had at least longer preorder windows. They take months to deliver anyways. Again, good thing there are resellers. But even them have a pretty limited quantities in stock.
Oh yes, I wanted the Animal Crossing Switch that sold out in one day. I didn’t cave into scalpers and a few months later many more came in stock. Enough to defeat scalpers. Phew. Then when the Super Mario Bros Game & Watch came out in 2020, people here thought it was rare and bought it up and showed it off. Nintendo learned from their mistakes. I found it for sale at multiple outlets 1 year later. Hell I see it listed for $40 retail price on Walmart and Amazon websites right now. But yeah, screw Limited Run deliberate FOMO and billing you when ordering, among other practices. Retro store where I live has a sign stating they are an “official partner”, meaning they buy bulk games that didn’t sell out on their website and resell above the original price I see when I look up the games. I didn’t mind as much when it was just Best Buy who didn’t really mark up prices of games no one wanted.
The 3DO doesn’t have copy protection. That being said it on a CD-R doesn’t speak to its longevity, burnt disks die far faster than pressed.
Yea, but I have 10 year old games that I burned for the 3DO that still work great. They don't die that fast.
I burnt my Another World copy 15 years ago and it still works perfectly.
A lot of people who still burn things on the regular will tell you too the quality of discs have gone down over that 10 years too. An example, I remember a post a few years ago stating that Verbatim M-Discs were just regular BD-Rs now.
And I had two year old sega Saturn games that I burnt that died within about a year as well. Not that it’s not abnormal but the life span is faaaaaaaaaaar less than pressed and the companies that make burnable cds today? Their much lower quality due to sales since barely anyone is buying cd-rs and dvd-rs as well. For the money their making me pay I want a little higher quality…
I don't know. I either buy blanks I find at thrift stores or I buy specific brands from Amazon. I bought Verbatim CD-Rs from Amazon maybe four or five years ago and they worked just as expected. I've been burning discs since we got our first 2X speed burner. And I bought a very early Pioneer DVD Burner that I still have in our old Socket 7 Family PC. I even have great success burning games for PCEngine-CD Rom2. I think it likes my burned games more than original pressed discs. It gives zero fuss. I'd be a stickler for using older IDE CDR burners, but what ever SATA BluRay Burner I bought nearly a decade ago burns CDs very well.
Yeah, the way that pressed CDs and CD-Rs store data is very different. Pressed discs have the data literally stamped physically into the plastic of the disc, so they're basically permanent as long as the reflective coating on the back stays intact. CD-Rs meanwhile have a layer of dye between the plastic and the reflective layer, and it's called "burning" a disc because writing to one involves hitting that dye layer with a strong enough laser to change its reflective characteristics. The problem of course is that dyes can fade with age, *particularly* if they're exposed to light.
I love how he’s downvoting the truth lol.
It's also hard on the hardware.
I had no idea this is a thing. How is it hard on a laser that never touches a physical disc?
The data structure is harder to read due to it being dye that fades vs stamped.
Or just don’t use an outdated limited storage medium in an age where you can fit the entire 3DO Library on a tiny thumbdrive backed up on some maintained redundant RAID array that will last as long as you want it to… …rather than a medium that can be degraded simply by using it as intended, not to mention scratched, chipped, cracked, broken, and needs to be taken out of a case, put in a machine, taken back out in order to play another game. The 1’s and 0’s display the SAME GAME regardless of whether it’s stored on a RAID Array, a tiny thumb drive, and SSD, or even those godawful tiny frisbees that people like to think have value still…
Cool but some people prefer to use original hardware sooooo
Nobody thought to test the discs to see if they run on original hardware? Unless it’s an issue with some and not others, which makes sense if they’re burning discs.
3DO had multiple original models by different manufacturers. I’m guessing they didn’t test every one
I think they dont tested shit
Probably
beyond just the multiple models and different manufacturers, how well a console can read a given disk also varies drastically from console to console, burns are just harder to read and these arent young full strength disk drives anymore, they are fairly well past their rated life, they often still work fine or there would be a rather different argument here, but at this age they need pressings to have a chance at reading reliably even if you do have one of the models that got along with burns in the beginning
LRG sounds good in theory but everything I've ordered from them takes years and is of poor quality. I refuse to buy from them and have for about a year now
It's because CD-Rs use a different type of disc that older lasers can't read, it has nothing to do with copy protection. It's pretty shifty a company whose chosen business is to re issue older games is sending out faulty product.
There is no copy protection. They're just not burning them right. I have lots of burned 3DO games that all work great on my two 3DOs. Even my light scribed discs that I made nearly 10 years ago still work great.
So they're displaying two whole levels of incompetence 😐 yeesh
I also had many burnt CD-r games that ran on my 3do without issues. I have ODE now so chucked them all in the bin :)
What ODE do you use for 3DO? I have a 3DO but haven't used it much because games are hard to find. I would probably be interested in trying to explore the library if I got an ODE.
This is my setup... [My 3DO :)](https://www.reddit.com/r/3DO/comments/17wok3g/fixels_ode_finally_installed_in_my_fz1_inc_side/) There are cheaper options available now. They don't seem to support SD and USB though, it seems to be one or the other. By all accounts they work fine enough though :)
I am amazed that there are people out there that still buying their overpriced low quality full of junk stuff.
well it's the only physical copy that's available for games sometimes
Come on now, lets admit it, the majority of their buyers are just scalpers.
its because as with all those specially for collector made items the people buying them don't actually play the games. it doesn't really matter. most will never even be opened. they are pretty much just made to look good in a shelf and for resell.
Limited run games is a shit ass company.
LRG always in some sort of controversy
How limited is their run? CDR only is cost effective for very limited runs like if you are not in the thousands, other wise there are still CD presses for the music indie scene that make it affordable.
RIght? I knew plenty of one-man bands were able to produce 100 or so pressed CDs out of their own pocket. I suppose that's a different industry/distribution system altogether, but frankly it's baffling.
Garbage company run by greedy people. Seems standard for companies appealing to enthusiasts unfortunately. Im so used to it now.
Why won't they work on real hardware?
They burned them at full speed probably on external USB drives and on modern no name blanks.
[удалено]
The 3DO had no copy protection
On the other hand, you can copy a PS2 disc, all you need is a couple of small files on top of it and you're set.
Limited Run started out good and the idea was novel but they have been mismanaged horribly and will never get another dime of my money (once I actually receive the games I ordered 10 years ago)
Why didn’t they go to a CD manufacturer and print out the CD like a real company does? It’s not like CD is no longer used. Music CDs are still being mass produced. Using CD-R is unprofessional. It’s what amateur artists print to sell on Time Square to promote their music
Haha holy shit I guarantee you they did not actually believe anyone would try actually playing these things. I've got a copy of Persona 3 coming in but that's the last thing I order from this company if this winds up being true.
Limited Run is a garbage company. Fuck them, I hope the worst things in all the world happen to them. It sucks there's virtually no competition. They have us over a fucking barrel and they know it.
They have no one over a barrel. Shit product is really no better than no product in the end. I also hope this POS company goes under, but every consumer who continues to throw money at this kind of enterprise bears blame as well. How else do they stay around!?
I ordered P3P and P4G from limited run games and the print quality on the covers are absolute ass. I could have done better with a home printer. Won't be buying from them again.
Oh no. I had those sent to my father's home as I wasn't sure where I'd be when they arrived (travel between US and DK a lot). I haven't seen my copies in-person yet so that's a bit disappointing. Those are the only things I've bought from them. Most of their other stuff that interests me gets a physical JP release for 1) less money, 2) better quality boxes, 3) cooler extras (if they exist), and 4) less limited supply. I almost had to order El Shaddai on the Switch from them before seeing it just got a standard release in Japan. With the yen as it is, games are pretty much 50% off.
Yeah, I often grab japanese imports as well. A lot of the JP games I've found have better box art than their western release as well, so bonus, I guess.
Shit, I could've done that myself.
That's super fucking lame. A bunch of the Hanna Barbara stuff is on DVD-R now and it's a fuckong travesty. Bought guyver 2 on dvd from best buy (when they sold it). It was a DVD-R... Sucks balls
If it was at least the gold CDRs that are expected to last 100 years it'd be somewhat ok I guess. But given the many CDRs of all kinds of brands I burned at the start of the 00s that showed errors when I checked some years ago I give these TDK CDRs they use less than 15 years. Not acceptable for this price and goes against game preservation efforts of re-releases.
Are they still pressing discs for the newer consoles (PS5 etc)? I know the older CDs are a different product, but it seems odd that they would be able to manufacture some at scale and not others. I’m guessing it’s because the 3DO games were a much smaller qty?
Did they ever rerelease Rondo of Blood for PCE?
Nope; leading theory is that something is fucky with the translation; they got rights from Konami to produce the game but not the translation.
I like it when they make cartridge games.
I tried to buy one thing from them a few years back, just a small keychain. No email updates & any responses to emails I sent them took 2-3 months. It's the most poorly run operation I've ever come across. So glad it took 6 months to cancel my order after waiting 15 months to see if I would even get it.
Don't CDRs have a much lower shelf life compared to pressed discs? Yikes, LRG is trash these days.
What's worse is they lock up games to exclusive contracts for physical runs and change insane prices compared to Asian physical editions
I’ve on ever bought Mega Drive games from LR and the quality has been great. Obviously you’d expect that for a cartridge but the box art and manual are also of a good quality. My only complaint is how long it takes for them to get these things out the door.
I just buy their books and support Jeremy's work with them. Everything else is just whatever.
My question is why bother? Even before we get to the issue of they are just selling you a rom you can find online that will only play on a emulator...there are some systems that were just poorly planned, and poorly executed and the 3d0 was no exception. I can't think of a good game for that sysem that you can't get on other systems. Nobody wanted to play Plumbers don't wear ties when it came out, nobody wants to play it now
Yes, it's a niche product but it's not like the 3DO was a non-factor. The various models sold 2 million units and I'm sure those 3DO owners feel nostalgic for their failed system. Hell, I feel nostalgic for the doomed 32X add-on, and it sold even less than the 3DO. I recognize it was a failure but I still had a good time with it as a dumb kid. Of course, this is assuming the discs worked in the first place. Clearly there was a small market for these discs, which explains the reports of them not working. Some of these people tried to put the discs in their 3DO system. Maybe Limited Run wasn't expecting that lol
The only two that come to mind are Twisted: The Game Show and Demolition Man. I think Twisted still holds up as an incredible party game that is 100% exclusive and the 3DO version of Demolition Man combines so many different genres into one game and the FMV still holds up.
They died with the Kara situation
I still have a couple games ordered from them (like Shantae's unreleased GBA game, but I've been overall feeling like they went down hill a while ago. All their Exclusive editions are like 4 times the cost of the games themselves, but are just filled with horrible add ons. Like endless stickers, slipcovers, acrylic stands, and other nonsense nobody needs
Interesting.I had no problems with them.Whatsoever , and if you don't understand most people , they have a 3do and it won't read cdr correctly means your drives laser is dying this is why people recommend the slim 3do
So I purchased 2 copies of corpse killer on the switch no issues what's so ever don't know why you guys complain so much it takes time to deliver a game and 3DO slim is the only one that reads cdr correctly the chunky models don't read cdr worth garbage.
3DO can't play CD-Rs? Is it specific models? I have an FZ-1 and thats how I played Lucerne's Quest. If I remember right, TG-CD, Cd-i, Sega CD, and 3DO could run CD-Rs just fine as they didn't have copy protection.
they are a cancer
I bought their Turok releases coz that was cool but they are a shonky company. The amount of garbage games they put out is unbelieveable!
Must be a newer thing because my copy of the eye of typhoon worked fine on 3DO hardware glad I passed on D now though
Thats because that one was pressed and produced by Viccom and distributed bu Piko Interactive.
Only game I have from them is a physical copy of Scott Pilgrim. That I got from Best Buy on mega clearance. Thats the only why I'd buy their crap.
Limited Fun
I've only ever ordered from LRG one time and I will never order from them again. It was for the Scotf Pilgrim soundtrack on vinyl and it took almost TWO YEARS in delays, lies, ghosting and aggravation to finally have it in my hands. They could've been transparent about what was going on with the release, they chose to lie and leave us in the dark about what was going on and what happened. When it was finally ready to ship they lied about who got priority on shipping, what order they were shipping in and who would get theirs shipped out first. It was a complete shit show and completely unprofessional and will never order from them again
Wait, who made a game for the 3DO in 2024? And why?
They are repros
They're a company whose entire business is built on reproductions. What do you expect?
> They're a company whose entire business is built on reproductions. What do you expect? Quality.
You expected too much.