March 12th, 2008 The CEO
Play.com, the UK Gamestore has a listing up for an exclusive Steelbook edition of Rainbow Six Vegas 2. In addition to the nice case and unique artwork it also includes a bonus DVD with the following features:
- Desktop Wallpapers
- Windows Icons & Avatars
- Instant Messenger Thumbnails, Backgrounds and Emoticons
- Forum Icons and Animated Signatures
- A selection of the best Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 Videos
This edition is scheduled for release for both Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 20th at an RRP of £49.99.
Another Play.com Exclusive listed on their site is a SteelBook edition of Tom Clancy’s EndWar for Xbox 360. There are no details on bonus content yet but it’s scheduled for release on May 16th at an RPR of £49.99.
Games Discussed in this Article
Posted in Playstation 3, Xbox 360 | 1 Comment »
March 11th, 2008 The CEO
The first metal cased Collector’s Edition I ever owned was Halo 2. I wasn’t expecting anything special when I ordered it but when I found that the case was made of metal I was quite pleased, as well as intrigued. Looking back I was actually more interested in the packaging than the actual game and I quickly started seeking out other Special/Limited/Collector’s Edition games for the Xbox console. At this point I own nearly every “edition” made for the Xbox platforms and quite a number for other consoles as well.
While the Halo 2 Collector’s Edition case wasn’t a genuine SteelBook brand product, it was actually imitating that design. As the proud owner of many DVD movies and games contained within genuine SteelBook brand cases I can appreciate both the high build quality and appealing visuals that these cases offer over a standard DVD keep case and even over knock-off products like the Halo 2 case. Really isn’t that what a Collector is looking for? Something that not only protects your investment, but cherishes and embellishes it, particularly us game collectors spending $70 or $80 on a Special Edition here in the USA and equivalent to $100 elsewhere in the world. SteelBooks have raised the bar, I now find it disappointing when a Special Edition game is released without one.
You can imagine how excited I was when I was actually contacted by an employee of Scanavo, one of the companies behind SteelBook. I talked with him at length over email and he was kind enough to send over sample cases that they had produced. I received them today and wasted no time putting them in the photo-booth to share with you here. Not to mention I uploaded them at a higher resolution than I normally do for images here on CE so you can take in some of the details.
I also visited http://steelbook.com for the first time and was quite pleased with what I found there. It’s loaded with pictures of the different cases they’ve made and also features “behind the scenes” content discussing the evolution of the their design and the ideals behind the product from the people who actually designed it. It’s essentially the bonus disc to your Collector’s case. I thought it was a nice touch.
One thing that makes SteelBooks special is that steel is not a material you typically find on store shelves these days, nearly everything is plastics and paper, and if you do happen to find something made of steel there is usually an attempt to hide that fact. Metal can be quite beautiful if crafted properly, and it caries with it an association with high quality and value, while paper and plastic are most commonly associated with cheap or disposable products. Take a look at these comparison shots between the NTSC and PAL releases of John Woo’s Stranglehold Collector’s Edition for Xbox 360. Not only does the SteelBook version look sleek, sturdy and much higher in quality, but the graphics have a 3D quality to them and much better color fidelity.
Lets face it, if you’re going to spend extra to get the best possible version of your favorite game, movie, or TV show then it’s only right that it’s wrapped in metal. Of course I’m preaching to the choir here, as I’m sure most collectors would easily opt for a SteelBook over a keep case when given the option. I consider this write up for the benefit of game and movie publishers out there. Take note: collector’s want high quality and unique cases and SteelBooks fit that bill better than any other case design.
Beyond the build quality SteelBooks can do things that just can’t be done with a paper or plastic case. The natural brushed look, the natural shimmering qualities of the metal, the ability to emboss images and create textures, and most interestingly the ability to decorate with not just gloss and metallic finishes but also flat finishes really make them POP in the right light.
Personally some of my favorite features found in SteelBooks are also some of the things that separate it from other metal cases. The use of clear plastic on the inside of the case with printing on the inside of the metal shell to match the outside makes the whole case feel complete, especially considering that most other metal cases either have an opaque plastic or simply bare metal, the inclusion of additional artwork, coherent right across the inside of the spine is something that’s rarely found elsewhere, and when it is, the case is usually made of cheap paper.
The other thing I like about SteelBooks is the way their spine looks when sitting on a shelf. the curvature of the top and bottom of the case sandwiching the slender spine is slimming and gives it somewhat of an hourglass shape. The outline of the thin metal rails on either side of the spine give it a smooth hard detail that just makes every other case on the shelf look sloppy and inferior. The spine is something that separates real SteelBooks from imitations too, as they’re unable to duplicate the slick and slender design. Not only that but the spine on SteelBooks is built better, using a design analogous to stitch welding, which dramatically increases it’s lifespan. I can’t tell you how many Halo 2 Collector’s Editions I’ve seen on the used rack in stores with broken spines.
As you can see the SteelBooks in my collection are easily my most prized pieces, they have the ability to make a mediocre release stand out on the shelf, and to make a great release a prized possession for fans and collectors. I’d like to thank Dave and the other fine people at Scanavo for sending me these samples and hopefully I’ll be able to share more of this stuff again in the future.
-TS
Games Discussed in this Article
Posted in CollectorsEdition.org, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 | 2 Comments »
March 2nd, 2008 The CEO
I’ve had 3 separate sources tell me that we can expect a Collector’s Edition for the up coming Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, due out November 11th this year.
No word on if this package will be available for the PS3, or 360, or both, nor any information on pricing or what it will include, only that it will be available.
I’m sure if this rumor is true we’ll see listing for it shortly.
Posted in Playstation 3, Xbox 360 | No Comments »
February 27th, 2008 The CEO
IGN is reporting that the latest issue of the Japanese Gaming publication Famitsu includes details about a Special Edition release of Metal Gear Solid 4 in Japan. Apparently Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be available in 3 flavors when it arrives in stores on June 12th later this year.
The Standard Edition, A Special Edition that includes a Blu-Ray Disc with all of the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailers and behind the scenes footage, and a Premium Edition that is basically the Special Edition bundled with an 80GB PS3. Sony has announced that the US will see a MGS4 bundle as well, though there is no word on whether or not it will be a special edition.
Even if the US does not receive the Special Edition, both the US and Japan share the same region encoding for PS3 games so imported games from Japan will play on USA consoles and visa versa.
Games Discussed in this Article
Posted in Playstation 3 | No Comments »
February 11th, 2008 The CEO
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will be arriving in stores next month in both standard trim and a Limited Edition. In anticipation of the release I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the Limited Collector’s Edition of the first Rainbow Six Vegas to get an idea of what the new release might be like.
As you can see from the pictures the Limited Collector’s Edition was fairly standard fare with a standard 2 disc snap case inside a cardboard slip cover. What was nice was that the slip cover had a shiny reflective finish over it and the package also included a 48 hour Xbox Live trial card with the game art on it.
The bonus disc had a lot of nice behind the scenes content but it was unfortunately in a DVD Movie format which means two things: 1. 480p resolutions on all the videos which really diminishes the presentation quality and 2. no chance for bonus in game content or other things like gamer pictures or dashboard themes. The one thing Ubisoft did do right was make this version of the game actually limited in production. It’s quite a difficult edition to find and beyond what’s included that’s what really makes releases like this special.
Here’s hoping that for R6V2 we’ll get a steelbook case and a 2nd game disc with bonus content as opposed to just a DVD movie.
Games Discussed in this Article
Posted in Playstation 3, Xbox 360 | No Comments »
February 8th, 2008 The CEO
Capcom’s Devil May Cry 4: Collector’s Edition (PAL) for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 is released today to all major retailers in PAL territories with a Retail Price of about £40(UK)/$110(Aus).
Games Discussed in this Article
Posted in Playstation 3, Release Date, Xbox 360 | No Comments »
February 6th, 2008 The CEO
Both Amazon.com and buy.com have listed a Gold Edition of EA Games’ upcoming title Battlefield Bad Company for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in the NTSC region. No cover art or any other details have been included in the listing.
All we know at this point is that the Gold Edition has an MSRP of $69.99 (USD) and will be released on the same day as the regular version, March 24, 2008.
No word on a PAL region version of this Gold Edition.
Games Discussed in this Article
Posted in Playstation 3, Xbox 360 | No Comments »
February 6th, 2008 The CEO
Information has popped up on Amazon.com as well as Gamestop.com about a Limited Edition release of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. This NTSC release is poised to include:
- Collectible Poker Chip Key Chain
- Limited Edition Bonus Disk including:
- Strategy Video with tips and secrets from the developers, pro gamers, and the Frag Dolls
- Pro Gamer Interview: a look at the life of a pro gamer with MLG player FinestX
- MLG Pro Circuit ‘07 Season Highlights
- A “Sneak Peek” look at Tom Clancy’s EndWar - a video featuring a hands on look at this new Tom Clancy game franchise with the Frag Dolls.
- Limited edition case design
Both Amazon and Gamestop have different cover art and it’s unknown which (if any) are the final box art. Though, my money is on the Amazon art (right).
Pre-orders though EB and Gamestop will also receive a code to unlock the Comcast Optimized MLG map. It’s unclear if this will be a game code to unlock the map, or a one time use Xbox Live style content code.
The case material is also unknown though if past Tom Clancy/Ubisoft LE releases this generation are any indication it will be nothing more than a standard case with an extra disc flap and either a plastic or cardboard slip cover. The game Is scheduled for release on March 18, 2008 with an MSRP of $69.99 (USD). No word yet on whether or not PAL regions will be getting an LE of this game.
Games Discussed in this Article
Posted in Playstation 3, Xbox 360 | No Comments »
February 5th, 2008 The CEO
Capcom’s Devil May Cry 4: Collector’s Edition (NTSC) for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 is released today to all major retailers in North America with an MSRP of about $80.
Games Discussed in this Article
Posted in Playstation 3, Release Date, Xbox 360 | No Comments »
January 25th, 2008 The CEO
GameIndustry.biz is reporting that yesterday Rockstar announced an official worldwide release date for Grand Theft Auto IV, April 29th. The Special Edition will release on the same day as the regular edition. Collector’sEdition.Org has marked our release calendar to help you count down the days until release.
The Special Edition of GTAIV comes with the game, an artbook, a sountrack disc, a safe-deposit-box with key and Rockstar logo key chain, as well as a duffel back with an estimated Retail Price of about $90(US).
Games Discussed in this Article
Posted in Playstation 3, Xbox 360 | No Comments »
