Dead Space 2 Collector’s Edition
Dead Space 2 released in 2011 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. All three systems got a collector’s edition aside from the regular version, but in Europe the PlayStation 3 version did not include the plasma cutter, but instead the game Dead Space Extraction, and an extra weapon. This article however is about the Xbox 360 version.
So, this is the famous – or should we say, notorious – collector’s edition that comes with a ‘replica plasma cutter’, something that sounds rather promising. Because of this you would expect the box to be bigger than it actually is, and it made us wonder how the game and a replica gun could both fit in.
The presentation of the box is very nice, dark with artwork in glowing silvers and golds, that go all around the sides. If you unseal the front, you can fold it open and it shows a schematic drawing of the plasma cutter. It’s made to look like an advertisement for the gun, with technical drawings. Initially we thought this was meant to represent the replica, but this is not the case.
Inside this outer sleeve is a smaller box with the same cool presentation as the outer sleeve, dark and gloomy, but without the text and logos. So this one looks even better.
Opening this thing was a real crime though, and it was difficult to get it open without damaging the box. Inside was, first of all, the game itself. It looks the same as the regular box, but it says ‘Collector’s Edition’ under the title, which makes this box more exclusive.
Also included is a soundtrack of the game, in a paper sleeve. It has 18 tracks on it, and the disc has a nice print. There’s also a ‘Scoring of Dead Space 2 video featurette’ on it.
There’s also a piece of paper inside with a drawing of someone transforming into a necromorph, a so-called ‘opening scene slasher transformation concept’, which is quite a fancy name for a piece of paper.
The last thing in the box is the thing we were most curious about, the replica plasma cutter. It was inside a kind of paper ‘drawer’.
Our first impression of it was one of serious disappointment. We had expected the gun to be made out of steel of some sort, or at least very realistic looking (it is called a ‘replica’, after all). But no, it looks more like a cheap toy.
First of all it is very small, which we kind of feared when we saw the size of the box. It’s also made out of cheap, light plastic, and it shows. They tried to add damage marks to the gun to make it look like it has been used, but they look laughably bad.
Calling it a ‘replica’ is giving it too much credit, it’s more like a toy, or a scale model perhaps. It has some movable parts, but they are nothing to write home about. We noticed it had something on the handle which looked like a battery cover, so we got a screwdriver and opened it.
And yes, there was room for two AAA batteries. We find it incredibly cheap that those aren’t included, but okay. After we inserted some batteries it turned out pulling the trigger will make the three laser points on the front light up green and a larger one on the side light up blue.
This is kind of cool, so it’s one redeeming factor for the gun, but we still think the presentation is too cheap for what you would expect for its price. All in all this is a pretty disappointing collector’s edition for the price/content ratio, because it isn’t exactly cheap. In our opinion it should either have been cheaper, or the gun should have been of higher quality. One or the other. Again, in the dark the gun looks somewhat nice, when you can’t see much of the thing itself but only the lights. But this is not really an excuse, of course.
All in all we think presentation-wise this collector’s edition looks quite good. The box is nicely decorated. It’s just a shame that the item that is supposed to be the highlight of the package turned out to be the biggest disappointment. Next time, either do a real replica that looks a little less like a one dollar toy and a little more like a collector’s item.