Killzone 3 released exclusively for the PlayStation 3 in early 2011. There were several versions available: the Helghast Edition, which came with an action figure and Helghast helm replica, the Limited Edition, which could only be obtained through contests, and the Collector’s Edition, which is the one described here.

This version is a steelbook. It also comes with some digital content, namely a retro map pack featuring two maps from Killzone 2, a dynamic theme and a soundtrack.

The front shows a close up of a Helghast face, the back shows the Helghast emblem. The entire box also has a worn look, with scratches and busted corners.

On the inside we can see some artwork: a scene of a wide environment with spaceships looming above, and a few small figures watching. This looks quite nice, but it’s a shame that the transparent plastic that’s in front of it isn’t completely clear, which makes the image kind of washed out and difficult to see.

This is one of the more uninteresting collector’s editions I have seen. I like steelbooks, so that’s not the problem. The thing is that it looks too identical to the Killzone 2 steelbook, which also featured a close up of a Helghast face. But that one actually looked better. For one, the material used here is too shiny, as opposed to the more matte look of KZ2’s. It would have been a lot cooler if only the silver parts on the Helghast’s face would’ve been shiny. But the main problem is the eyes: you can clearly see that it are two orange overlays planted on top of the steelbook. It makes the thing look rather cheap.

The concept may sound nice on paper (a dark box with glowing red eyes) but the actual product just doesn’t look as nice. This collector’s edition could have been a lot better. It’s still a pretty cool design, as the minimalistic look of the box is something that always works. It’s just that the execution leaves a lot to be desired, and it might have been better if it wasn’t so similar to the Killzone 2 steelbook.

Rayman Origins released in late 2011, initially for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. In Europe, buyers could also purchase a special collector’s edition, for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. This is the Xbox 360 version.

This is one of the more unique and original collector’s editions I have seen. If you pull out the ‘drawer’, the paper characters and backgrounds will fold out to form a diorama in front of your eyes. This represents the actual style of the game, with layers of hand-drawn graphics.

In the box you will find the regular case of the game.

The game also comes with a soundtrack cd in a separate paper sleeve. Both the disc and the holder a richly decorated with artwork from the game.

Also included is a small, but hard cover art book. The cool thing about these arts is that the game looks exactly like this. So it’s not just concept art, in a way it shows the actual backgrounds, enemies, and objects that are in the game.

This is a great collector’s edition because it’s very original, and it uses the style of the game itself for the presentation of the box. There’s something magical and playful about a  tridimensional world created of paper.

Also, for a collector’s edition of this size it comes with quite a few extras, aside from the diorama it also has a soundtrack (and an actual one in its own sleeve, not just digital) and a hardcover art book. Despite this it’s still compact in size, and therefore easy to store, and it’s also pretty sturdy. In conclusion, a very well done collector’s edition.

Killzone 2 was released in 2009, exclusively for PlayStation 3. In Europe, a limited edition steelbook was released alongside the regular game. The only difference between this collector’s edition and the normal one is the case. It does not come with any extras.

It’s a pretty nice looking box though, with the dark tones contrasting with the bright red eyes of the Helghast, and the overall matte look and feel of the case.

Like all steelbooks, it looks best when taken out of the plastic sleeve, without all the additional text and logos covering the picture.

The back features some Helghan writing. I’ve tried looking up what it said, but it seemed like gibberish.

There is some art on the inside of the case, depicting tow Helghast in a destroyed warzone.

And that’s basically all there is to it. Nothing amazing, but a nice looking box nonetheless. It’s not a valuable collector’s item at all, and can easily be found second hand for modest prices, so that’s good news to people who haven’t got it in their collection yet but would like to. A decent collector’s edition.

Infamous 2 released exclusively on PlayStation 3 in 2011. Aside from the regular edition, two alternative version of the game were available in Europe: Infamous 2 Special Edition a more expensive Hero Edition. This version is the Special Edition.

The Infamous 2 Special Edition comes in a special paper box with lenticular front. It shows either good or bad Cole when you tilt it in front of your eyes, and it also has quite some depth (which of course isn’t visible on the photo). A pretty cool idea that ties in with the theme of the game.

Good Cole

 Evil Cole

For the rest of the box, the comic book style that was used the collector’s edition of the first game has been retained here: but this time the panels consist not only of artwork, but also ingame images.

When folded out (and the contents removed) the inside shows a large artwork, with a transparent disc holder at the right.

It comes with some DLC: an ‘Electrocution Grenade’, an ‘Original Cole’ skin and a ‘Golden Amp’. Aside from that, the box contains a 50% off code for the digital version of the first game, and an access code for the Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta. And of course the Blu-Ray holding the game itself.

Other than that, there’s not much to say about this special edition. It’s nothing too spectacular, but keep in mind this is the cheaper, simpler version, and the presentation is pretty cool.

What I also like about it is that it’s very compact, it’s about the same size as a regular PlayStation 3 case, but thinner. So it won’t take up a lot of room on your shelf. This also means the box is pretty sturdy and doesn’t dent easily, something which is often a problem with other paper collector’s boxes.

Halo 4 was released in November of 2012 exclusively for Xbox 360. Aside from the regular version, a limited edition was available as well.

The limited edition box is made of sturdy paper and feels quite heavy. It features a minimalistic design of the UNSC logo, with its most distinctive feature being the slanting corner.

You can also see a small metal plate with a number engraved in it. Apparently this is the unique number of the limited edition. I’m not sure wether it’s a random number or if the limited editions are actually numbered from 1 to the highest, I’m not sure. But if the latter is the case, that means there are a lot of limited editions (at least over 600.000), which in turn means that it isn’t very rare.

The box opens and closes using a magnet hidden inside the lid.

The first thing you’ll see when opening the box is a steelbook. It has the same minimalistic approach as the outer box, but this one has a bright color. There are 2 discs inside to account for all the data of the game.

The other contents together are called the UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet. It contains the following four items.

The red bag can be opened and closed at the top and contains four leaflets: a download code for Forward Unto Dawn (a live action movie), a 14 day trial for Xbox Live Gold, a bunch of DLC items, and a very interesting warning document.

There is also a silver bag. This contains a ‘mission briefing’, but I’m not going to tear my limited edition to shreds. This is just a piece of paper with some information anyway.

An armor schematic for Gabriel Thorne printed on a fold out plastic sheet. It may look like paper on the photo but it’s not, it’s sort of like the canvas of a tent. This gives it a high quality feel.

A ‘clipboard’ containing all sorts of information on weapons, a welcome notice and some letters. This is a pretty cool item: it has a hard piece of transparent plastic on the back, and a metal clip with the Infinity logo engraved in it on top.

There are some loose documents included as well, such as a letter to Gabriel Thorne.

What I find a bit strange is that all the contents are loose in the box, causing them to shake around inside. Especially the steelbook would have benefitted from another protective paper shell that fits neatly inside the outer box. In addition, this means there is some extra space in the outer box, making it prone to denting, even though the material is pretty sturdy overall.

All in all this is a pretty good limited edition. There are a few minor complaints, like the poorly protected contents and the fact that you have to tear one of the items apart to get to the contents, but there are also some cool items inside, and you get quite a lot of extras.

I’m not sure I would recommend it for its full price unless you’re a huge Halo fan, but for a reduced price it’s definitely worth considering.

Soul Calibur V released in Europe in February of 2012. A collector’s edition was released as well. This collector’s edition comes in a rather large case that is made to look like a book. Inside are quite a few items.

First let’s take a look at the book itself. There’s a paper sleeve around it with the logo and an artwork – this is actually the same as the regular box art – and some information on the back.

With the paper sleeve removed, the front of the book shows a fake leather cover with golden ornaments, and the game’s logo in the center. The sides are made to look like yellowed pages, and has some ridges to better convey this idea.

The cover of the book can be folded open, revealing the contents of the box. At the inside of the cover is a space with a bonus dvd in it, containing a making of. The inner sides of the box are coated with a red cloth. There is also a red ribbon, meant to easily pull out the contents.

As for the contents: first of all we have the game itself. Also included is a code that lets you download two new costumes for character creation mode: Dark Knight and White Knight.

The case also comes with an extra disc, which holds the official soundtrack of the game.

Then there is a hardcover art book containing character profiles, and a ‘signed’ art card, depicting Patroklos. There is also a piece of paper which is made to look like a medieval envelope, complete with red sigil.

On the other side of the ‘envelope’ you will find a letter from the developers, thanking you for buying the collector’s edition and explaining how much dedication they put into making this game.

In all honestly, this collector’s edition is a bit of a let down. All of the physical contents are somewhat disappointing, and could have been more than they are: the ‘parchment letter’ which is nothing more than a piece of paper with a simple print on it, the ‘signed’ art card – as if there is no difference between a fake, printed autograph and a real one – and most of all the art book, which is rather small and of poor quality. Believe it or not, but I had to glue mine together because it was falling apart. All it has are some character descriptions and a few drawings – the bare basics of what you might expect. But to be fair, I’ve seen worse art books, and at least it has a hard cover.

The one thing that did meet my expectations was the box itself, it looks very nice and sturdy. It’s easily the best thing about this collector’s edition.

Having said this, I would not recommend this version unless you can get it for a low price – which was the case for me. I don’t regret getting it simply because it was quite cheap, and, like I said, the box looks very nice. Still, it’s disappointing to see publishers not taking these collector’s editions more seriously. I have seen worse collector’s editions, but I have certainly seen better ones as well.

God of War III released in Europe in March of 2010. Several editions were made, such as the Ultimate Edition or Media Kit for journalists. The version here, called simply the ‘Collector’s Edition’ was available in Europe for early buyers at the same price as the regular edition.

The game comes in a special box that’s very different (and a lot better) than the regular case, which features a close up of Kratos’ eyes. This case shows an artwork on the front of Kratos raising an enemy, ready to tear him to pieces.

The cool thing about the box is that it has a relief, giving the logo and figures a slightly embossed look. It also has a specific gleam to it, which looks a bit like that of a jewel beetle.

With the outer sleeve removed, the inner box is made to look like it’s been crafted from stone material. The logo is printed on it with a transparent font, probably to make it resemble a stone carving.

When folded open, one side shows a large art work of Kratos flying into the sky. The other side holds the manual and an artwork of one of the enemies in the game. As can be seen on the photo, it looks like the half of the enemy and the half of Kratos fall together in such a way that they look like they belong together. Not sure if this is intentional, probably not, but it’s pretty funny.

When folded open again there’s the disc that holds the game, decorated with colorful artwork.

With everything removed from the case, you can admire three pieces of artworks from different enemies in the game, one of them being behind the transparent plastic of the disc holder.

This edition also comes with three art cards, they feature enemies from the game (two of which are also on the paper case), together with the God of War III logo. Nothing special, but a nice extra.

The game also comes with some DLC (taken from the box): a battle arena and seven unique challenges, and two unique skins.

All in all, this is a pretty nice collector’s edition. Because the regular box doesn’t look very good (though that’s a matter of taste of course) it’s a welcome alternative, and since it didn’t cost more than the game itself at launch, you couldn’t really go wrong with this version. Not really special in terms of extra content, but presentation wise it scores some pretty good points.

InFamous released in Europe in May of 2009. Buyers could choose between a regular version, or this limited edition.

What’s nice about this edition is that it in some ways resembles a comic book: from the material (paper), to the style of the drawings, to the panel-like grid on the cover, to the way the case folds open.

The case is entirely made of paper, which looks quite nice but at the same time makes the box more prone to damaging. These kind of paper cases often get squashed, resulting in dents en crinkles. What’s also annoying is the sticker placed right on top of the artwork at the bottom. Why couldn’t it be on the seal?

When folded open, the inner sleeve displays a bunch of colorful artworks on both the front and the back.

The game also comes with an art book, but it is even thinner than the manual. It does contain some cool artwork though. There’s also a code included for a new move to be used in the game.

To conclude, this limited edition is not stunning or very special (as the name suggests), but it does the job. The art book looks a bit like a joke when you first see it, but it’s just meant as a small extra. All in all, not a bad collector’s edition, but not the best I’ve seen either.

Devil May Cry 4 was released in early 2008. This is the PAL version, which comes in a special steelbook and with a (small) art book.

The steelbook has a shiny metal surface, protected by a transparent plastic sleeve. As with most steelbooks, it looks better and less cluttered with the sleeve removed. The art on the front features a high contrast, black and white picture of Nero, as well as the colored logo of the game.

The back shows a different artwork of Nero, this time with the only colored part being his blue glowing devil arm.

When opened, a colorful manual and disc are revealed, both sporting art from the game (respectively a boss and a scene of Nero and Dante battling it out).

As is the case with many steelbooks, the disc holder is transparent, showing additional artwork behind it. This time we can see an art of one of the locations in the game. The only downside here is that the plastic is actually semi-transparent, which is a bit of a shame as you can’t see the art as well as you could have if they would have used a clearer material.

In this steel case you will also find an art book. Though small, the presentation is pretty nice, with a sturdy cover and thick pages. It features colorful art of scenes, characters and weapons from the game.

All in all, the limited edition isn’t too bad. It’s a simple collector’s item, with few extras, but it has a nice presentation, and the small art book is a welcome bonus. It’s not really worth paying a lot more for, but on the plus side it won’t take up a lot of extra room as opposed to some of the larger limited editions.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow came out in Q4 2010. It was developed by Mercury Steam in collaboration with Kojima Productions.

Now this is a really nice collector’s edition. First of all, the presentation is close to perfect. This beautiful box is made from matte paper, with impressive artwork on every side. It also comes with a nice looking mask which resembles the one in the game.

The outer sleeve slides vertically over the case. It features a striking artwork of the game’s protagonist, Gabriel Belmont.

After removing the outer sleeve, the box itself is revealed, which is made to look like a medieval chest or book cover, and a drawing of the mask on the front.

This box in turn can be folded open, revealing yet another pair of artworks: one of them being the game’s weapon (the Combat Cross). In the compartment you will find two separate boxes: one containing the mask, the other containing the game and soundtrack discs.

On the front of the disc holder, the same artwork as the outer sleeve, but this time in sepia colors.

When folded open you will find two discs: one with the game itself, and one with the soundtrack. On the left you can see the manual. This case as well is richly decorated with art, including see-through disc holders to minimize the view of obtrusive plastic.

The mask actually feels like a high quality item. It isn’t made from cheap plastic, but from metal and has a nice weight to it. It has been created with attention to detail, and comes with a stand for easy displaying as well. It’s not actual size, but is still of good proportions.

All in all, this is one of the best collector’s editions I have seen. It isn’t too large but still has an impressive size, the presentation is awesome, and the extra’s that come with it (in this case the mask) have a high quality feel. It seems to catch good prices at Ebay nowadays, though that goes mostly for sealed versions. But regardless of the monetary value, this is just a beautiful collector’s edition in itself.