@iAmJohn said:
Funny that you brought it up because I was just thinking about it a couple hours ago: I don't think JSRF/Sega GT 2002 would count because they're both games that had originally been released for the Xbox separately. Compilations are allowed if the games have not been released on the platform before, or if the compilation is the only way you can buy those games at retail; that way we can allow things like Super Mario All Stars, Capcom Puzzle World and Sonic Jam, as well as compilations like Qubed or other XBLA compilation discs.
Basically, to put it a simpler way, the rule according to Jeff is that an easy way to know if a compilation should get a page or not is to do one simple test: If I knew nothing about this product, would I be looking it up to see what it is and what games are contained within? Bundle packs like the Outlaw Golf/Seablade one that I totally forgot existed until you mentioned it or the two I got in the OP, more often than not, fail that test.
When was that said? It sounds like it may have been said before the introduction of "compilation" to the genre list, because I don't recall ever seeing it as an option before just now. It also seems like JSRF/SegaGT would be a more notable exception, considering the original print run of JSRF was incredibly small (NPD reported they only sold 89,808 copies), while the bundled edition that came with new xboxes was the one that most people encountered.
Additionally, as you said, you would never have known about that particular Outlaw Golf/SeaBlade retail product had I not just mentioned it, so people not specifically looking for it would never even know it existed without drilling down. It also inflates the number of releases in the database x times per compilation. Looking toward the future, these compilations will become more common than less common, and Jeff's ruling already shoots PC compilations in the foot since it's an ever-evolving platform that never needs to be out of date. For a game like Baldur's Gate, according to amazon it exists on at least 6 compilations. Factoring in expansions and sequels and the entries for those same compilations on their release lists, that adds up to about about 24 redundant releases added to the database for one game. That's assuming a 100% level of completeness and accuracy. It could easily swing the other way and there would be almost no acknowledgement of a game's existence in a re-released form, such as is the case with Pong that's only listed as being in 1 release since its introduction in 1972.
I'm just throwing this out there, I don't expect anything to be done about it. It's more of an item on a wishlist of things that should probably be changed if they're planning on upgrading the wiki at some point in the future (I think Dave has expressed an interest in it.) It's probably only #2 on my wishlist to the #1 of putting some secondary identifying information for wiki entries when they are returned for drop-down list results, so you don't end up with 8 options for "Jack" when you type it into the search field next to tiny, indistinguishable thumbnails. Maybe, in parenthesis next to the results, the game of origin for characters, and year of release for games.
Anyway, compilations should probably be their own thing, included on the left side alongside add-ons and achievements, and not counted as discrete "games" based on a granular sorting system. Functionally, they would be identical to the lists individual users get to generate, however publicly editable. but again, that's going completely off topic.
/tangent
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