Gaming
Games
The most memorable collectors’ editions ever
We run through the strangest, coolest, limited-edition releases of all time.
Video game special editions are funny things. Technically speaking, they’re not really there to help market a game or even generate publicity – ostensibly they’re simply there to give the true fans, the collectors either with more money or dedication than sense, a chance to own something tangible. An art-book maybe, or even a statue, a pack of playing cards; something to put on a shelf and say, “I really am that big a fan of DoA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, honestly. That’s why I just had to have the Collector’s Bikini Edition.”
But as with everything else this millennium, it couldn’t just stop there. The concept had to evolve into something bigger – something much, much bigger. The very act of announcing a Special or Collector’s Edition has become, for some, a war of attrition, a game of one-upmanship that has nothing to do with the consumer or even the game, and everything to do with column inches and social media trends. And some of those special editions have been outright insane.
We’ve picked out eight of the weirdest, most inappropriate or ridiculously expensive special editions, all of which were not only genuine but also honoured by the company responsible. No simple figurines or artbooks here. If you want to feel better about that steelbook version of Battlefield 1 that cost you an extra five bucks, read on.
Catherine – Love is Over Edition
Price at launch: US$80
Includes: Game, cardboard Stray Sheep Pizza Box case, printed pillowcase, Empty Hearts T-shirt, Vincent’s polka-dot boxer shorts. Yup, some pants.
While this particular special edition isn't as expensive as the others here listed, we've included it purely because it's bonkers. That being said, its level of weirdness is directly proportional to the game itself, in which you play Vincent (he of the polka-dot boxers), a young man plagued by nightmares featuring the love of his life, the beautiful, enigmatic Catherine. NiS America's puzzle-adventure also has the dubious honour of being the only game ever sold in a pizza box, or to ship with free pants.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection – Claptrap-in-a-Box Edition
Pandora’s box
© Gearbox Software
Price at launch: US$399
Includes: Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, steelbook case, limited edition art prints, a full-sized, app-controlled Claptrap robot.
Now this one we can get behind. At almost US$400, Gearbox's Special Edition is pricey but utterly worth it. Not only do you get the Handsome Collection itself (Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and all associated DLC), you also get a model of the CL4P-TP Claptrap robot featured in all the games to date.
Whether you love or hate the chatty little tin can, this is still an awesome collectible – and they’re even app-controlled. Incidentally, there was also a Gentleman Claptrap Edition, featuring a silver version with a top hat and monocle. Worth every penny.
Resident Evil 6 Collector’s Edition
Price at launch: US$1,300
Includes: Game, four Resi 6 branded tablet covers, a replica of Leon Kennedy’s leather jacket.
Despite Leon Kennedy's blonde boy-band curtains or that dress from Nemesis, the Resident Evil series isn't one well known for starting fashion trends. For the most part, non-descript military uniforms, bicep-hugging T-shirts, and body armour are long-stays of the franchise. Which makes Capcom's decision to offer a replica of Leon's leather jacket with the Resi 6 Collector's Edition and charge a staggering US$1,300 for it all the more bizarre. It didn't help that it looked a bit, well, cheap in the promotional material. Still, for Leon cosplayers the world over (well, in Japan, and of a certain size), it was a bonza deal.
Dead Island: Riptide – Zombie Bait Edition
Price at launch: US$100
Includes: Game, DLC, artwork, steelbook case, 31cm replica of a headless, limbless, mutilated woman’s body in a tiny bikini. As you do.
Imagine unboxing this one and not knowing what was in it. Game? Check. Nice shiny disc there. Art prints? Check. Ooh, they're pretty. Soundtrack? Check. Bit of mood music for the date on Friday night. And, oh, what's th… Holy mother of God!?
Only a game like Dead Island could possibly generate positive publicity from shipping with a model of a mutilated female torso, headless, limbless, the ample bosom clad in a Stars & Stripes bikini top and the whole thing covered in blood. Heck of a conversation piece for your next cheese and wine party, though.
Krater – Victor Edition
It’s not Gordon Ramsey though, is it?
© FatShark
Price at launch: US$10,000
Includes: Game and a meal home-cooked by game designer Victor Magnuson. Seriously.
Gamers sure love games, but everyone loves a home-cooked meal, right? And who wouldn't be willing to pay 10,000 actual dollars for a gourmet meal cooked in their own home by world-renowned (well, Sweden-renowned) chef Victor Magnuson. Why, it's a steal. Oh wait, he’s not a "chef", actually. He's just the game's designer. But he's really good, apparently. Doesn't own a string of restaurants or anything, but he put out a decent enough RPG, so why not?
GRID2 – Mono Edition
Price at launch: US$188,700
Includes: GRID 2, a PlayStation 3, and a BAC Mono supercar.
Buy a game for US$188K and get a free 280-horse supercar. Somehow we can't help feeling that the main event here was the BAC Mono, and the copy of GRID 2 and a PlayStation 3 to play it on were just being given away at the till. Arguably, if you're splashing out almost $200,000 on a sports car, you can likely afford 11 or 12 PS3s without a noticeable impact on your wallet. Still, it got Codemasters plenty of column inches.
Dying Light – My Apocalypse Edition
Who doesn’t need this?
© Techland
Price at launch: US$386,000
Includes: Four signed steelbook copies of the game, Razer Tiamat headphones, Dying Light branded night-vision goggles, a life-sized Volatile statue, advanced parkour lessons, a trip to Poland, some adult diapers (yes, really) and a zombie-proof house, because why not?
Here's to being prepared. It's often joked that gamers will be okay in the unlikely event of a zombie apocalypse because we've all essentially been training for such an occurrence for the last 20 years. Well, Techland clearly wanted to go that extra mile, offering night vision goggles to help navigate the darkness, parkour lessons to help navigate said darkness in style and adult diapers, for when the navigation falls apart and you just need to sit and cry.
Oh, and they also threw in a zombie-proof house in which you could live happily ever after watching Shrek over and over again until the zombies starve. Is it all worth US$386,000 though, you ask? Just read the above again if you’re not sure. Zombie. Proof. House. Of course it’s worth it. We’d have paid a million.
Saints Row IV – Super Dangerous Wad Wad Edition
Million-dollar madness
© Deep Silver
Price at launch: US$1,000,000
Includes: Saints Row IV: Commander-in-Chief Edition, a spy training day, a holiday in Dubai (plus flights), a holiday in Washington DC (plus flights), a plastic surgery procedure of your choice, a new wardrobe and personal shopper experience, a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Toyota Prius (plus insurance and Supercar membership for 12 months), a hostage rescue experience, a full-size replica Dub-Step Gun and a Virgin Galactic space flight.
Speaking of which, excess is kind of a theme of Saints Row. A franchise that began as a GTA clone, it didn't take developers Volition long to realise that the best way to distance themselves from Rockstar's colossal shadow was to dial everything up to 12 and go utterly nuts at every available juncture.
This intentionally irreverent insanity has spread through every facet of the brand, including the Collector's Edition of Saints Row IV. Aptly named the Super Dangerous Wad Wad Edition it included, in no particular order, two holidays, two supercars, actual plastic surgery, an entire new wardrobe and a day training to be a spy, among other things. The catch, though? That'd be the price. All that over-the-top craziness would have set one lucky punter back a cool 1m dollars – if anyone had actually taken the bait. Maybe we’ve been doing this too long, but that looks like a really good deal to us.
