Play.com has UK Exclusive Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and EndWar SteelBook Edition

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.

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SteelBook, Because Special Editions Should have Special Packaging

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

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Fable 2 Limited Edition Coming

Amazon.com recently added a listing for Fable 2 Limited Edition, No details on the release were included aside from an October 30, 2008 release date and a $69.99 price point.

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Rumor: Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 Collector’s Edition Coming.

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.

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Turning Point: The Fall of Liberty Special Edition NTSC Xbox 360 Photos

The name of this edition of Turning Point: The Fall of Liberty is unclear. In online listings before release it was listed as “Collector’s Edition” However the case itself has no moniker beyond the regular game name. The wrapping around the case did feature a sticker referring to it as a “Special Edition” But the bonus disc and the art book both carried the term “Limited Edition”. Special Edition is probably the most accurate label considering Codemaster’s last release of this type, Clive Barker’s Jericho, carried the “Special Edition” Label, also that is the term used on the outside of the actual case.

Despite the confusion with the name the case is distinctly different than that of the regular edition, while carrying nearly identical artwork the Special Edition comes in a 2 Disc Steel Book Case.

Inside the differences between the two versions further diverge with the inclusion of an alternate history timeline poster, a “Limited Edition” Concept art book, and a Limed Edition DVD which includes a behind the Scenes making of feature as well as the Game’s Soundtrack. In addition to the regular edition disc and manual.

Also included is a reminder that by registering your game you’ll receive a code that will allow you to use an infinite number of grenades in game.

You may recall that those who Pre-Ordered the game through Gamestop also received a Pre-Order pack.

It’s clear that a great deal of thought went into both the Pre-Order Pack and Special Edition, offering high quality items that enhance the experience as opposed to something that was thrown together to make some extra coin, this is further proven by the fact that the Pre-Order pack was free, and the Special Edition is only $5 more than the regular edition.

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Turning Point: Fall of Liberty Collector’s Edition [Xbox 360] (NTSC)

Codemasters’ Turning Point: Fall of Liberty Collector’s Edition (NTSC) for Xbox 360 is released today to all major retailers in North America with an MSRP of about $65.

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Gears of War 2 Limited Edition Announced

At the end of this year’s Game Developers Conference, Cliffy B, lead designer of the Gears of War series announced that Gears of War 2 would be arriving in Stores this November.

Full Details can be found on the official Gears of War 2 webpage.

While not specifically mentioned in the announcement the webpage provided placeholder artwork as well as pricing data for a Limited Edition of the game. Gamestop and Amazon.com are both taking preorders for the Limited Edition at $69.99 (USD).

The Limited Collector’s Edition of the first Gears of War ended up being a difficult item to find, even on release day. I would highly recommend getting your pre-orders in if you’re interested in the Limited Edition of Gears of War 2.

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A Look Back at R6V LCE in Anticipation of R6V2 LE

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.

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Devil May Cry 4: Collector’s Edition (PAL)

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).

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Devil May Cry 4 PAL Collector’s Edition Photos

My man in the PAL region Grim picked up his copy of the Devil May Cry 4 Collector’s Edition today, snapped some photos and sent them to me to share here. Contrary to my previous assumption it would seem that while the PAL region did get completely different case art they also only got one disc and a paperback art book.

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