Cheapy,
How can you hate on "gold editions?" You said something along the lines of, now you know to wait on activison games for the Gold Edition.
They way I see it, Gold Editions are just like price drops. The publisher, or whomever, is just trying to come up with a way to get more people to buy its game. You know that anytime you buy a game, a few months from now the price will drop - and that is what happens w/the Gold Editions game. The price of the game drops by 10 bucks, so then they include the 10 buck download content and sell 'em both for 59.99.
I think the Gold Edition is a very smart move on their part. I mean, it looks like Gold Edition games get way more press/advertising than the typical price drop does - and the more your game is in the public eye, the better chance of someone picking it up.
I agree it may seem frustrating as a consumer, but if you think of it as a price drop, it is really no different than any other game. And being a CAG, we all know that if you wait after the games release date, you will eventually get a better deal...