Overview and Review: Adventure Time, “Hey Ice King! Why’d you steal our garbage?!!” 3DS Collector’s Edition (w/Pics)

Note: This review is for the Collector’s Edition of Adventure Time and NOT for the game itself.

What time is it? …

Well, disappointment time.

            I’ve been looking forward to the Adventure Time release for quite some time now. I figured that developer Wayforward’s love of old-school gaming would mean that the Collector’s Edition would end up including some really cool bonuses that reminded us a simpler time in gaming. In a way, they have, but that actually ends up being one of my main gripes with this set. Let’s see what we get for the fairly inexpensive 10 dollar upgrade.

What’s Included:

1) Adventure Time, “Hey Ice King! Why’d you steal our garbage?!!” 3DS game

2) Steelbook Case

3) Finn’s Sword Stylus

4) Land of Ooo fold-out Map

5) Book of Beasts Guide

Overview and Review: Zone of the Enders HD Collection US Limited Edition (w/Pics)

Note: This review is for the US Limited Edition of Z.O.E. HD Collection and NOT the game itself.

Controller for Scale

Y’know that saying about how sometimes you get what you pay for? Well, it’s true. Sometimes you do.

Sometimes you just barely do. Like many other Kojima Productions fans, I was expecting a repeat of the slightly overpriced but really slickly put together Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Limited Edition. What we ended up getting was more of a repeat of the Peacewalker Limited Edition for two times the mark-up of the aforementioned edition. Z.O.E.’s LE costs an extra 20 dollars and what you get for those 20 dollars is not quite enough to make it a worthwhile investment. Let’s find out why that is.

What’s Included:

1) Zone of the Enders HD Collection (w/MGR demo)

2) Soundtrack of Remixed Music

3) 100 page Artbook

Overview and Review: Assassin’s Creed III US Limited Edition (Gamestop Edition for PS3) (w/ Pics)

Note: This is a review of the Limited Edition’s Content and not the game itself.

  

Controller for Scale

            Considering that I do not get paid or reimbursed in any way to write my blog, I have to choose my reviews carefully. These things, quite frankly, are usually overpriced. So, even though I am a gigantic fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, it was not without some serious consideration that I chose to take a chance on the ACIII LE. This is the most expensive single-game Limited Edition that I have chosen to review and the fear of being ripped off was a very legitimate one.

At 120 dollars plus tax, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed III Limited Edition is a tough sell. Being twice the price of a brand new game, Ubisoft has to give fans enough content in this Limited Edition to justify not just going out and buying a second game from the crowded holiday release schedule. Did they succeed? Let’s find out. 

What’s Included:

1) Assassin’s Creed III Gamestop Edition)

2) Assassin’s Creed III Belt Buckle

3) George Washington’s Journal

4) Assassin’s Creed III Colonial Flag

5) Connor Statue

6) Mayan Temple and Sawtooth Sword DLC (Gamestop Exclusive)

7) Benedict Arnold Missions DLC (Exclusive to PS3 Edition) 

Overview and Review: Dead or Alive 5 Collector’s Edition (w/pics)

            

Controller shown for scale

            Quite a few years ago, I remember hearing about a fighting game that had breast physics. Honest to goodness breast physics. By today’s standards, such a claim is not a unique thing. Many games now have weight and bounce added to the female characters’ breasts, but back when the original Dead or Alive implemented such effects, breasts in video games were mostly known for their hard-edged polygonal appearance and their rock solid immobility. As amused and as curious as I was, I did not purchase DOA. There were many other fighting games on the market and the new presumably gimmicky breast game was not enticing enough to warrant a purchase.

             That all changed when I saw DOA 2 Hardcore for sale at a ridiculously low used price at Gamestop. The gimmick had finally hit the right price point. I can honestly say that I was VERY pleasantly surprised that the breast physics were merely the hook to get me to start playing the very excellent and fun Dead or Alive.

            Many years later, DOA 5 is using the same exact hook to try and ensnare a market share in a very crowded genre. Let’s see how well the hook part of DOA 5’s Collector’s Edition release holds up.

Contents of Collector’s Edition (Gamestop Exclusive):

1) DOA 5

2) Premium Embossed Steel Case Packaging

3) Exclusive Hardcover Art Book

4) Premium Swimsuit Costumes

5) Official Soundtrack

6) DOA 5 Poster

7) Bunny/Angel Swimsuits (Gamestop Exclusive Pre-Order Bonus)

Exhaustive Overview and Review: Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set (w/pics)

Forward:

            First things first. I have heard many people wondering just who exactly this Collector’s Set is really for. The general consensus seems to be that any Street Fighter fan willing to spend 150 dollars on this Collector’s Set is very likely a big enough fan to already own all of the contents that are included. In other words, only a big fan would want this set, but a big fan is the only one who wouldn’t need it. If one were to only look at the relatively light offering of included games, this general consensus would be 100% accurate. Thankfully, the number of inclusions to this Collector’s Set is vast enough to make it a worthwhile purchase for even the biggest of fans. This is not to say that the absolute biggest of fans will find value within the 25^th Anniversary’s pretty boxed set. In fact, there is very little in the way of exclusive content. Much of what is included can be purchased from various digital sources, online or brick and mortar retailers, importers, and second hand markets. The chances, though, of someone actually being enough of a super fan to spend that much time and money on acquiring those items are highly unlikely. And yet, should such a super fan come across this set, it’s easy to assume that he/she would need to own this piece of Street Fighter memorabilia regardless of potential redundancies.

            When it comes to the question of for whom this set is, the answer is simple. It is for fans with 150 dollars to spend. I can assure you that most fans, regardless of how big or small, will find lots of value in Capcom’s Street Fighter 25^th Anniversary Collector’s Set. The only question left, then, is whether or not it’s worth the150 dollar asking price. This is a question that can only be answered on an individual level. Hopefully, through this review/overview, I can help potential buyers with that question.

            To start things out, continue on for a ridiculously massive list of this set’s contents.

I Am Street Fighter: A Documentary – Review, Thoughts, and Recollections

I Am Street Fighter is a new documentary from Capcom. For the time being, it is only available as part of a large150 dollar Street Fighter 25^th Anniversary Collector’s Set. Said set was released for both the 360 and the PS3; both versions include the documentary on a Bluray disc. The use of Bluray will be something that 360 users will need to consider, as the 360 cannot play Bluray Discs. Thankfully, standalone Bluray players have gone down in price and are now fairly affordable. 

In-Depth Review: Darksiders II: Collector’s Edition (THQshop Pre-Order) for the PS3

Note: This is a review for the Edition’s extra contents and not the game itself.

I have been looking forward to this one for a long time. Let’s see if it was worth the wait.

What’s included:

1) Darksiders II: Limited Edition

2) Death Mask

3) Artbook

4) Soundtrack

5) Various forms of DLC

In-Depth Review: Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance: Mark of Mastery Edition

 

Note: This is a review for the edition’s extra contents and not the game itself.

            After what seems like a long collector’s edition dry spell, a new collector aimed edition has been released for the latest Kingdom Hearts title. In all honesty, I wasn’t going to review this set. I wasn’t even going to purchase it. However, after seeing prices on Amazon and Ebay skyrocketing for this modestly priced edition, I felt it necessary to type out an objective opinion for those considering spending an obscene amount of money to purchase the Mark of Mastery Edition from secondary sellers.

What’s Included:

1) Display box

2) Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance

3) 5 AR cards

4) 12 Art Cards

5) Kingdom Hearts Protector Case for 3DS

NECA Limited Edition Portal Gun: In-Depth Review (w/ Pics)

NECA Limited Edition Portal Gun

Disclaimer: Many of my reviews end with me stating that perceived quality has much to do with how much a fan someone is of a particular product. As such, I feel that I should note that I am not a very big fan of Portal. This replica was a birthday gift for my girlfriend (she’s the huge fan) and because of my relative lack of fandom for the series, my review may seem a bit harsher than what a fan would say of the same product. And without further ado…

Ninja Gaiden 3: Collector's Edition Review (w/pics)

In Depth Review: Ninja Gaiden III: Collector’s Edition

Note: This is NOT a review of Ninja Gaiden III, the game. Instead, this is a review of the contents of the Collector’s Edition’s Contents.

The Collector’s Edition of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 3 is supposed to contain the following:

1) Game

2) Online Pass

3) Download Voucher for Dead or Alive 5

4) Statue

5) Artbook

6) Soundtrack CD

Street Fighter Cross Tekken: Limited Edition - Not an In Depth Review

Street Fighter Cross Tekken: Limited Edition

 

Note: This was never going to be a review of the game itself. This was going to be a review of the Contents of the new Street Fighter X Tekken Limited Edition. In the end, it is neither.

BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend Limited Edition: Review with Pics

BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend Limited Edition (PS3):

What you see is what you get.

Note: This is not a review of the game itself. It is a review of the Limited Edtion contents.

I’ve been a fan of Arc System Works’ games since I played the original Guilty Gear on the PSOne. Since then, they’ve consistently made some really great fighting games (with the exception of the malformed terror that was Guitly Gear Isuka). I was more than willing to spend the extra 20 dollars that was being asked to both purchase and review their upcoming limited edition. Thankfully, though, Amazon sort of goofed and had the limited edition on sale for the regular 40 dollar asking price. Though Amazon more than made me suffer for the discount (more on that later), I am very happy that I ordered from them because I think I would feel very very ripped off right now if I hadn’t gotten this limited edition as a free upgrade.

In-Depth Review: Soul Calibur V - Collector's Edition

Soul Calibur V: Collector’s Edition 

Note: This review is for the Collector’s Edition contents of Soul Calibur V and NOT the game itself.

 

Another year, another chance for game makers to entice us with the promise of things we want but do not need (for a small fee, of course). Having been a fan of the Soul series since part 2, I was more than happy to pick up this new set and review it for you guys. This particular Collector’s Edition is for the PS3 and was purchased at Best Buy. As such, there are certain inclusions that are specific to both those choices. I will note the differences where necessary.

What’s Included:

1) Book-Style Display Box

2) Soul Calibur V

3) Hardcover Artbook

4) Soundtrack

5) Making of Blu-ray (PS3 only, 360 includes DVD)

6) White Knight & Dark Knight DLC

7) Dampierre DLC (Best Buy Exclusive)