Limited Run Games (producing physical copies of digital games)

[Gameguy]

I feel sorry for anybody trying to buy every PS4 game in existence, there's something like 4000 or more physical games. All I know is that if you come across a cool looking game in a store and pass on it, there's a high probability you'll never see it again. I've done that too many times. Didn't buy Cannon Spike for the Dreamcast, never saw it again outside a game convention. Ring of Rose for the PS2? Passed on it, goes for something like $600 now. Yikes. So if I find a game that looks fun and it's at a reasonable price, I try and grab it.

I was intrigued by Ring of Rose for the notoriety, but I can recall passing it up when I saw it listed at like $60 for a loose scratched disc so many years ago. I suppose even that goes for much higher now.

These posts are a bit old now but I guess I missed them the first time. I've passed on Rule of Rose at EB Games when it was about $60 brand new, I figured I'd wait for a used copy to turn up around $20. Never happened. Same with Solatorobo for the DS, it was I think $20 new at EB Games but it was an open copy being sold as new, so I wanted to wait for a used one or to find an actual sealed one at a different location. Again, never happened and I missed out. Who knows, maybe I'll eventually come across copies at some garage sale. Those are just some of the new-at-retail releases I passed on, I passed on used games at thrifts and other locations which were much worse to miss out on.

LRG in trouble again this time for selling cdrs for 3do games.
https://twitter.com/Voultar/status/1785760704663896230

I heard about this earlier today, some youtube posters were talking about it. I guess you're supposed to just keep the games sealed to be graded, you're not supposed to open the packages to view the contents.

I remember when posting negative comments on LRG here was frowned upon, any poor business practice by them was excused by supporters who bought every release. Time has really changed things.

[Tron 2.0]

I heard about this earlier today, some youtube posters were talking about it. I guess you're supposed to just keep the games sealed to be graded, you're not supposed to open the packages to view the contents.

I remember when posting negative comments on LRG here was frowned upon, any poor business practice by them was excused by supporters who bought every release. Time has really changed things.

I guess this shows how cheap lrg can be instead of paying to have pressed cds they went with cdrs,instead.There parent company embracer group isn't any better after they bought allot of devs it has cost them.Now the embracer group is shutting them down or selling them off to cut cost.

[Steve W]

Not to defend their actions, but where can a company go to in 2024 to find a manufacturer that still masters CD-ROMs? I can't imagine there would be any CD-ROM pressers left. Embracer Group are fairly crappy, but I can't believe they had a lot of options. They probably had to build their own CD reproduction set-up to make their own CD-Rs. They really should have informed people before they paid for the games. I can download a 3DO game and burn it to a CD myself, I don't need to spend a pile of cash and wait for months for delivery to play the game in a console.

[Gameguy]

Not to defend their actions, but where can a company go to in 2024 to find a manufacturer that still masters CD-ROMs? I can't imagine there would be any CD-ROM pressers left. Embracer Group are fairly crappy, but I can't believe they had a lot of options. They probably had to build their own CD reproduction set-up to make their own CD-Rs. They really should have informed people before they paid for the games. I can download a 3DO game and burn it to a CD myself, I don't need to spend a pile of cash and wait for months for delivery to play the game in a console.

Just search for "CD replication" and you'll find dozens if not hundreds of companies that offer the service of manufacturing pressed discs. In 2024 you can still get custom cassette tapes or VHS tapes duplicated professionally from certain manufacturers, CDs/DVDs/Blurays aren't a problem.

I spent 2 minutes searching on google and found several companies, I'll just post a link to one that specifically mentions CD-ROM replication. They offer CD-ROM replication which is factory pressed, or CD duplication which is burned. So far I just looked at companies that are actually near my area, there are tons out there.

http://www.cdmanufacturing.ca/dvd_replication.php


Another quick search, floppy disk duplication is still available.

https://www.dclmediaprints.com/colle...sk-duplication

[SparTonberry]

Just search for "CD replication" and you'll find dozens if not hundreds of companies that offer the service of manufacturing pressed discs. In 2024 you can still get custom cassette tapes or VHS tapes duplicated professionally from certain manufacturers, CDs/DVDs/Blurays aren't a problem.

I spent 2 minutes searching on google and found several companies, I'll just post a link to one that specifically mentions CD-ROM replication. They offer CD-ROM replication which is factory pressed, or CD duplication which is burned. So far I just looked at companies that are actually near my area, there are tons out there.

http://www.cdmanufacturing.ca/dvd_replication.php


Another quick search, floppy disk duplication is still available.

https://www.dclmediaprints.com/colle...sk-duplication

Dying businesses: I was backing up my video DVDs and some were unreadable. Attempts to find a place nearby that would resurface discs for the public didn't turn out. The local Half-Price Books told me no, and when I called up another business recommended by a Google search, they told me it wasn't offered anymore. Had the demand for the equipment/training to use it failed by this point as people were more accustomed to streaming services?

[Greg2600]

Look, I really don't care one way or the other, but why exactly are people BUYING these games? They can be burned and played on any 3DO as it is, if you don't have an original copy. I recognize LRG releases are "collectible" and need to be sealed in most cases, so does it matter if they put a CD of Spice Girls in the case?

[Gameguy]

Dying businesses: I was backing up my video DVDs and some were unreadable. Attempts to find a place nearby that would resurface discs for the public didn't turn out. The local Half-Price Books told me no, and when I called up another business recommended by a Google search, they told me it wasn't offered anymore. Had the demand for the equipment/training to use it failed by this point as people were more accustomed to streaming services?

Maybe those business are dying but they're not actually dead yet. LRG could have had the discs made from one of the businesses that still exist.

Also, disc resurfacing is different than disc manufacturing. It's like saying buying new TVs is near impossible as there's few repair shops offering to repair TVs anymore. Personally I also find it difficult to find any place locally that resurfaces discs anymore, there was a local used CD store I asked and was told that they send out discs to a place for resurfacing but this isn't an option they make available to customers.

Something else to consider concerning your DVDs, many DVDs are starting to suffer from disc rot and are becoming unplayable. This is mostly with a selection of specific Warner Bros discs that were made during a specific time period all from the same manufacturing plant. The same issue affects discs from other companies as well, including a large number of Disney Treasures releases. I'm getting nervous buying older DVDs now.

Here's a link to a list of affected Warner Bros titles by the way, there's probably even more that aren't listed yet.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...apl_0LTmN/edit

Look, I really don't care one way or the other, but why exactly are people BUYING these games? They can be burned and played on any 3DO as it is, if you don't have an original copy. I recognize LRG releases are "collectible" and need to be sealed in most cases, so does it matter if they put a CD of Spice Girls in the case?

The people buying them are the OCD collectors who need every release and ebay resellers, it's LRG's target demographic.

[Aussie2B]

Look, I really don't care one way or the other, but why exactly are people BUYING these games? They can be burned and played on any 3DO as it is, if you don't have an original copy. I recognize LRG releases are "collectible" and need to be sealed in most cases, so does it matter if they put a CD of Spice Girls in the case?

That's the problem. LRG takes advantage of the fact that many people won't open the games, so they think no one will notice when they pull stuff like this. Nobody who received these CD-Rs knew they would be getting a CD-R. There are people who open and play LRG's releases and people who value having an "official", legal release. (I use quotes because LRG's rereleases of old games aren't licensed by the hardware manufacturers, but they are made with the involvement of the game's publisher.) In the case of Plumbers Don't Wear Ties, LRG's release was cheaper than buying the original secondhand these days.

[Aussie2B]

I remember when posting negative comments on LRG here was frowned upon, any poor business practice by them was excused by supporters who bought every release. Time has really changed things.

Outside of posts that break the rules of the forum, nothing was "frowned upon." People were always welcome to post criticism. But that doesn't mean other people have to agree with that criticism and think it's well-founded. People also have the right to post their disagreement with criticism. What is a "poor business practice" to one person isn't necessarily regarded as the same to another.

For some people, yes, their opinion of LRG has shifted over time. That's to be expected as a company builds an ever-growing history and people derive from that a positive or negative opinion. This topic was created before LRG's very first title had even been put up for sale. They had no history at that point and thus virtually no reason for anyone to hate on them. But even in my opening post, there were criticisms, so this whole narrative you're pushing here doesn't check out.