Granted, I’m the special edition fool. It is beyond my strength; I fall apart in front of those vast and seductive boxes. If I think about it a bit, I realize that my imbalance has worsened pre-dangerously in this generation of consoles. In these years, the presence of these inventions of the devil has become more evident, generally because a hitherto unknown sophistication has accompanied them.
I do not know where this trend comes from. Perhaps it is a popularization of something more intimate that has always occurred among companies and the specialized press. Publishers and developers used to give packs to certain relevant media that included the game in question and contained a lot of memorabilia collected for the occasion. A simple act of protocol such as sending your new title to a medium thus became a demonstration of the care and good work that had been put into its development.
In my particular case, my illness rebounded a few days ago. A friend showed me his newly acquired ‘Alan Wake’ in a box that simulated a king-size book, you know, like ‘The Pillars of the Earth.’ Removing the cardboard that covered it, a fabric finish with silver letters appeared. But it is that inside was the best, the three more or less usual discs (game, DVD with extras and ost) were joined by a 144-page hardcover book with a story by Alan (the protagonist of the game is a writer) and different incredibly worked material.
Faced with such a spectacle and as if it were a paraphilia, my face must have looked like Homer Simpson’s when he thinks of donuts, and a stifle slips out of the corner of his mouth. I started to worry when it occurred to me to get a copy of that jewel, a fact that would not be strange if it were not for small detail; I do not have an Xbox 360. Sanity reappeared, and in the long run, my pocket appreciated it. I know, I do not doubt that if I had the excellent Microsoft machine, a Spartan helmet myself would adorn my already tight study.
This type of edition has a solid fetishistic character, but there are more practical ones. The one for ‘Monster Hunter Tri,’ for example, comes in the form of a trunk, costs 70 euros in Spain and contains, in addition to the game (50 euros), the classic controller (25 euros), the Wii Speak (30 euros) and the bust of a bug (priceless). Being this a hardcore title with a robust online component, this edition offers you, for a great price, the perfect equipment to get the most out of it.
The next wonder I have on the horizon is the limited edition of ‘Bioshock 2’, which is already starting to be at an affordable price. It is a beautiful box that contains a 164-page hardcover art book (which, due to the beautiful art direction of the game, acquires particular importance here), advertising posters of Rapture in A3 size, the soundtrack on CD and, which has left me more amazed, a 12-inch vinyl with the music of the first part. I never thought I’d add to my vinyl record collection with the sound of a video game.
I have searched my memory, and I think I have found a couple of moments when it could have all started. On the one hand, I think of one of the first video games that came into my house; that first ‘Zelda’ from the NES came in a beautiful golden cartridge. The second case is closer to what we know today, although those days were more straightforward and the special edition that I bought stood out only for its voluminous box and for a booklet of tracks of the same size but of course, I had never seen anything like it. It was the Spanish edition of ‘Illusion of Time.’ I still keep these games, and I look at (admire) them with great affection from long to long. Although well thought out, for my economy, it was like opening Pandora’s Box. By the way, speaking of Pandora’s Box, …
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
