So, if you shelled out your hard-earned cash for that collection, you are now the proud owner of an inferior package less than a year down the line. Additionally, if you overspent on a physical ‘Strictly Limited’ copy, you might feel none too pleased that it’s no longer strictly limited whatsoever.
The final nail in the coffin, though, of this poorly conceived marketing exercise, is that you can own this, the comprehensive ‘Anniversary’ collection, in digital format, for the grand total of $50. Yes, you read that right: fifty dollars. For many fans, you no doubt own these games in some form or another already, since they’ve been released multiple times over the decades on various platforms. For that princely sum you would have to be an absolute Wonder Boy die-hard to consider it — and digital die-hards will have doubtless purchased the previous collection, meaning you’ll be doubling up if you want the full set. Oddly enough, there are listings for the physical release online that are selling for $10 less, not including shipping.
Based on these circumstances, our appraisal is a difficult task. If we were tallying solely based on the content of the package, it would do well. If price isn’t an issue and you didn’t purchase the previous release already, you can add three digits to the scoreline, as this is certainly the superior of the two collections. But our primary job as reviewers is to provide information that helps you decide on how to spend your disposable income – income you’ve no doubt worked very hard to accrue. Since the entire release structure and its exploitative nature is so distasteful, however, we feel genuinely loathed to award a lofty score that indicates glowing praise.