By Alec Meer on August 6th, 2009 at 11:51 pm.
The Modern Warfare 2 Ultro-Nerd Edition famously comes with a pair of functioning night-vision goggles, and now it seems the Uber-Geek Edition of Codemaster’s not-actually-Operation-Flashpoint-2-is-it Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising will come similarly laden with head-mounted silliness. Specifically, a full-size army helmet that’s roughly 48 million times larger than the game CD itself. What next – Mafia 2 Special Edition, complete with freshly-severed real horse’s head?
I quite enjoy the trinkets to be found in special editions of games – my Big Daddy statuette still stands proudly on my desk for instance, even if the odds of my playing Bioshock through again are somewhere up there with my learning to type with my nipples. There’s a level of practicality, though – I don’t want enormous items I’ll never, ever find a use for taking up space in my home. That said, the night vision goggles I can understand, even if they’re openly ridiculous – there’s a use to them. There isn’t a definable use to an army helmet. Sorry, Codies.
What I do wonder, though, is the purpose of this enormo-tchotchke trend. Is it simply to inflate the price of special editions? Is it to increase hype by making easily-amazed bloggers (hello!) publicly point and laugh at them? Or is it something to do with trying to refinforce the idea of boxed videogames as something with physical value that the unstoppable tide of download services could never match?
I really do miss physical game maps. Can’t we just have those back, and hang all the soundtrack CDs and dogtags? That said, do let’s hear your suggestions for other crazy special edition items…
(Helmetorama via Kotaku).
06/08/2009 at 23:58 Dracko says:
ODST‘s special edition should come bundled with a caseless SMG.
07/08/2009 at 00:04 Mike says:
There isn’t a definable use to an army helmet? You, sir, have no imagination.
07/08/2009 at 00:09 Oak says:
You’re supposed to eat ice cream out of it while waiting for the game to install.
07/08/2009 at 00:12 unclebulgaria says:
I have a plan with a buddy to go out clubbing later this summer in a pith helmet. There are plenty of uses for helmets. Have you never heard of Google?
07/08/2009 at 00:13 Über Nerd says:
Seriously, what’s next? A grenade? A rifle? Or better yet it’d be hilarious if they give away American Army 3 in box with pre-filled applications and they come and pick you up when you install the game. Or the new Alien game coming with a pet facehugger…
07/08/2009 at 00:14 Über Nerd says:
…the new Alien game with pet facehugger would be awesome though…
07/08/2009 at 00:15 Bobsy says:
Defcon with plutonium for everyone!
07/08/2009 at 00:21 Frans Coehoorn says:
If you have the OpFlash 2 special edition, you are ready for war. So only the people who buy that edition will survive. Darwin would be so proud……. really!
07/08/2009 at 00:21 McGhee says:
FUEL comes with…well…fuel.
07/08/2009 at 00:22 Sweedums says:
how about a new hitman game with some fibre wire… that way you could sneak around at night with your newly obtained night vision goggles and garotte people… i mean pretend to garotte people
07/08/2009 at 00:26 Über Nerd says:
L4D2 has to come with “Pills!” to compete.
07/08/2009 at 00:27 Dominic White says:
Best collectors edition I’ve seen lately was for Anno 1404. Only a few quid more than the basic jewel-cased version, and it comes in a shoebox-sized ornate wooden treasure chest.
I’m not joking. The thing is seriously fancy. Engraved detailing, metal studs and stitched faux-leather straps.
Inside this remarkably detailed chest is the game, a soundtrack/bonus disc, a hardback art-book, a poster, a similarly compass, and a small cloth bag full of almond seeds, as they can be planeted to grow yourself a forest, should you actually be a settler from the 1400s.
07/08/2009 at 00:31 Railick says:
Fallout 3 Isane F@#$@ Special Edition with working Pipboy that, among other things, connects to the GPS netowrk and gives you live directions, has a calcuator, and also measures your heart rate, body mass index, serves a a step counter, has a laser light, has a taser, and an I-phone interface built into it for listening to music watching videos calling people ect.
07/08/2009 at 00:43 Krondonian says:
I’m holding out on one of these (http://www.defensetech.org/archives/003846.html) being included in HAWX 2, or something.
07/08/2009 at 00:45 Railick says:
@Krondonian OMFG That is insane O.o I’ve never heard of such a helmet before. HAWX 2 Special edition will probably cost a few million dollars if you want it to come with that :P
07/08/2009 at 00:50 Fat says:
A few more war game special editions and we’ll be ready to fight IRL. =/
I’m looking forward to OFP2 though, it can’t be any worse tha ArmA 2, which was a huge letdown.
I’ve followed the OFP series since the first one was released, have gold editions of the previous games, but my God… ArmA 2 SUCKED. It could have been great had it not been released in an ”almost” Beta state. I say almost, because it was more like Alpha.
07/08/2009 at 00:54 Gap Gen says:
ArmA 2 was patched today, but yeah, the campaign is (was?) horribly bugged.
07/08/2009 at 00:58 KP says:
A real kevlar probably costs less. :/
How is the arma2 campaign bugged? I played through co-op just fine. It was a BLAST. :D
07/08/2009 at 01:00 Railick says:
Did you beat it KP?
07/08/2009 at 01:08 Nelson says:
I like nice retail packages if the stuff is usefull. Maps, tech-tree posters, stickers, soundtrack discs are ok, massive manuals, a well put together tri-fold, glossy, oversized, hefty box maybe. Things that would look nice on a shelf. Who has room for ginormous helmets or Halo figurines, etc?
07/08/2009 at 01:10 Serph says:
Mass Effect 2 with a real, working mini-Mass Relay!*
*may or may not lead to Reaper invasion
07/08/2009 at 01:39 El Stevo says:
Do you mean you don’t dress up when you play games?
07/08/2009 at 01:41 The Colonel says:
My good friend regrets buying stupid edition of Oblivion with coin to this day. It’s only worth it if the game is worth remembering. AvP will have to go some to compete with the film “quadrilogy” being served in a fresh alien head. I’m personally happy with a cardboard or metal case that is a little more interesting than a normal DVD box. If, however, the game is more complex to get out than a normal DVD box, it should just run without the disk. And yes, I am aware that one cannot parenthesise “however”. Kisses.
07/08/2009 at 01:42 Mo says:
It’s nice to see “proper” collectors editions making a come-back, but yeah, more practical please. I’m up for: art book, soundtrack, fancy (ie: tin) casing, and of course, a cloth map. I’d also like small trinkets, models (like the Big Daddy) and posters that could practically fit on my desk.
I have absolutely no use for a helmet and night vision goggles.
07/08/2009 at 02:21 Jazmeister says:
Cloth maps with games.
Cloth maps with games?
CLOTH MAPS WITH GAMES!
07/08/2009 at 02:35 Peter says:
I’ve been waiting for a flight sim deluxe edition that includes something like this.
07/08/2009 at 02:38 DigitalSignalX says:
The Anno package sounds awesome, the perfect sort of thing I’d spend more on. All the little trinkets and stuff that comes with games I end up re-gifting to someone with kids etc, but a nice treasure box would be sweet.
07/08/2009 at 02:49 Fat says:
@ Gap Gen – Will have to check that out. Last i read they were working on graphical stuff, not the bugs that seemed to pounce on me and my buddies.
@ KP – Managed to get to about the 4th mission, after that, completing the mission wouldn’t let us pass. Had to use a level cheat to skip to the next one after we completed it. Then any missions we went on following it, just ended up crashing randomly. Tried 3 different hosts. Still no joy.
Had no problems in single player, just MP. Online non-coop stuff seemed somehow less exciting than in ArmA or Op Flashpoint, too. Myself and friends were waiting for the next patch, so maybe we’ll try that out sometime. In all honesty though, we’ll probably wait a few more months until some beefier patches are out.
07/08/2009 at 03:28 ThornFalconeye says:
My god Jazmeister….. you are on to something:
giving people items that will actually last long enough for them to use them without being gaudy??
Screw the CD for operation flashpoint- just put your serial code on that dog tag they hand out and have it work with steam… or maybe engrave it into the hat so you can officially use it to play OFP2.
07/08/2009 at 03:32 Moonracer says:
For outlandish, yet sort of functional special edition items how about a unique keyboard/controller designed specifically for the game? What was that Mechwarrior type game that had a 300 button joystick?
07/08/2009 at 03:47 Über Nerd says:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Battalion
There have been talks about a usb peripheral that doubles as a drm device and a ui interface. Basically it would hold all the nasty driver stuff and contain some of the games code and have a little LCD screen that would show heatlh/mana/blink on target lock on… etc. But I think is abandoned quickly since not everyone places their case so they can easily see it. But I guess the dongle drm/whole game on dongle stuff is still around, just still not financially feasible…
07/08/2009 at 04:00 Serph says:
At least the Steel Battallion controller was useful, and made the game more fun – not to mention it’s compatible with other games. Getting an army helmet is only useful to stick on a shelf in your fallout shelter…or maybe Halloween?
07/08/2009 at 04:18 Koopa says:
Gamers are being equipped with army gear, so when the Revolution comes, we’ll be ready.
07/08/2009 at 04:32 Serph says:
But the Revolution already came…*ba dum pssh*
07/08/2009 at 05:35 Muzman says:
It needs to come with a special can of goo that moments before was your best friend’s face to pour into it.
(small print at the bottom of the can says: Contents consist of no actual (human) face. Contents may contain nuts.)
07/08/2009 at 06:08 GekkoX says:
The new metal gear solid game just comes in a huge box.
07/08/2009 at 06:55 FupDuk says:
I’d like to see the return of large cardboard box pc games. With maps and bits, these could be the special editions.
07/08/2009 at 07:44 Bob says:
ARMA2 Special Edition with complimentary M1 Abrahms!
07/08/2009 at 07:44 Lack_26 says:
Shame that the NVG edition of Modern Warefare 2 is coming out for PC. That and the helmet, well, I’ll be almost prepared for the next stage.
Now to wait for Doom 4 with real BFG.
Yeah, I preferred it when game boxes where the size of large books. I still keep the Mechwarrior 4, B17 and CC: IoN boxes around for comfort.
07/08/2009 at 08:13 jsgxfn says:
I’ll say!
07/08/2009 at 08:25 Darren T says:
I won a copy of CoD World At War Special Edition, which came with a hip flask.
Cool, I thought.
Until I looked more closely at it and I noticed the lid was glued on, and there was a label on it saying that it was not to be used to consume beverages and was for “decorative effect” only.
It did make a good noise when it landed in the bin though…
07/08/2009 at 08:32 Demon Beaver says:
@ GekkoX: That’s an amazing idea! Maybe throw in a pack of cigarettes and watch the authorities wail
07/08/2009 at 08:37 Lack_26 says:
Sims 3 special edition, features an actual Person (or token for mail order bride).
07/08/2009 at 08:57 Kommissar Nicko says:
Fallout 3′s “Pip Boy” was a real disappointment, in that it was large, kind of ugly, and in addition to not allowing me to heal headwounds by jamming a red-goo-filled syringe into my skull, it wasn’t a very good clock either (seemed to go through batteries like a hooker through blow).
Anyway, I’m hoping that Tropico 3 comes with a box of Cuban cigars. Or Cubans. Maybe a Swiss bank account.
07/08/2009 at 09:03 TeeJay says:
More games shoud come with: http://www.spafinder.co.uk/gift-vouchers
(to get rid of the gf/bf to allow a monster session and buy some brownie points)
07/08/2009 at 09:24 Bruut says:
Everyday when I sit at my desk I’m being greeted by the jolly smile of my vaultboy bobblehead. And everytime you just have to make it bobble around for a bit.
Also, I too was not impressed with the oblivion boxset. Coin was nice and all but I think I lost it somewhere. And the map was rubbish compared to the one that came with Morrowind (which was excellent!)
07/08/2009 at 09:42 Man Raised By Puffins says:
I hear the Dragon Age special edition will come with a book for wooing the ladies.
07/08/2009 at 09:53 Gap Gen says:
KP: “How is the arma2 campaign bugged? I played through co-op just fine. It was a BLAST. :D”
Ah, so you never experienced the joy of Razor squad’s AI? That was actually my biggest irk. That, and on one mission squad Boomerang was supposed to back you up and never did, causing you to have to fight an entire base, complete with tanks, with 4 guys and no AT.
07/08/2009 at 09:59 Richard Clayton says:
Leisure Suit Larry SE comes with a dose of clap… or at least should do…
07/08/2009 at 09:59 pepper says:
The next LockOn: Modern Air Combat(LOMAC) will ship with a full fledged working russian high tech Mikojan-Goerevitsj MiG-29 Fullcrum fighter jet.
07/08/2009 at 10:12 diebroken says:
I wouldn’t be surprised if people start to get more excited about the ‘free’ SE content than the game. Didn’t EA give out knuckle dusters to the press for some game a while back? Crazy.
http://www.dipswitchcomics.com/117
07/08/2009 at 11:20 plums says:
I wonder what Leisure Suit Larry could have included….
Faux chest hair anyone?
…. plums armed Only with gaming merchandise attempted to incapacitate the assailant. Whilst laying in wait on top of his fridge, ready with the cat like skillz he picked up
in Assassins Creed. But the intruder was canny. Due to the sudden shock of blinding kitchen light he jolted backward off his ivory tower… plums was subject to further misfortune first realized on his way down, seeing that in fact it was not snowing but that the sugar puffs he was eating out of his helmet whilst perched in wait rained upon him. plums head hit the kitchen floor undefended.
plums came to in the hospital only to discover he was short two nipples and was covered in scabs. Doctors frightened by the artificial lifeform, later named the sugar puff glades, saught to surgicaly remove it. Later realising the error it was cleaned and returned. Two nipples included.
The following day plums was finally able to subdue the invader after the sly swine came to remove his only witness. plums heroicly used the last of his props and suffocated the man with the faux chest hair. The autopsy revealed the primary cause of death was horror.
plums was sentenced for manslaughter. His mother being the cornerstone witness.
..tragicaly plums never had the chance to get to know his uncle.
plums was an optimist and was happy in the knowledge that half nipple thing to the left of his war torn chest survived.
Later plums and his mother reconciled. Alas this would only usher further tragedy. It had been 10 years since Portals release and Portal 2 had finally come albeit with a 4 year exclusive on Googledroid 5. Unfortunately game sales were damp at best due to the invention of a real Portal gun taking away the allure. Valve desperate to keep steam alive for fear of torture by its loyal customers losing the 250 odd games they had acquired over the last 10 years sought to include a “low cost” version of the device….
07/08/2009 at 11:41 Gap Gen says:
For Portal you could have one of the spheres that says various phrases, like snarling or cake recipes. You could collect them or something.
07/08/2009 at 11:47 Maxheadroom says:
I quite liked the authentic piece of Berlin Wall that came with World in Conflict.
Going back further though I remember they made a game for the Amiga based on Plan 9 From Outer Space that came with a VHS copy of the film. Not that anyone would watch it, not twice anyway
07/08/2009 at 12:14 antelope says:
The next King’s Bounty should come with a live pangolin.
07/08/2009 at 12:34 Kong says:
Real brain in a jar with L4DeadX
07/08/2009 at 12:46 Count Zero says:
The latest special edition I bought was the Bioshock one with the action figure two years ago, and the figure stood proudly in my bookcase for months before I upgraded my computer enough to play the game. I had a special edition of Guild Wars with a nice art book, and an even nicer dragon that I could show off in game. When the last Wing Comander game came out, it had this really neat star chart of the game’s universe, one that I happily displayed on my wall for years, even though it had no use in game whatsoever.
Anyway, it wasn’t that long ago that I read an article, probably on this very site, complaining about the lack of interesting things in today’s game boxes as opposed to 20 years ago or so. I for one like stuff like Fallout 3′s lunch box, or GTA4′s tee shirt, even crazy stuff like this helmet. Many gamers like to have physical objects they can display that remind them of games, which is why third party companies do a good business selling stuff like game shirts, halo action figures, or full size replica machine-guns from gears of war. Game companies themselves have seen this need and are catering to it directly with elaborate special editions. It’s good business for them, and it’s good for the fans, so why not?
07/08/2009 at 13:52 Ergates says:
Theif 4: Nothing. Just an empty box.
07/08/2009 at 14:10 Dominic White says:
My only real gripe with some of these collectors editions is that they’re hugely expensive. I mentioned Anno 1404 as being particularly good value – brand new, the fancy collectors edition (which, again, comes in a shoebox-sized wooden treasure chest which looks cool as hell on a shelf) cost £30 total, about standard retail price for any game.
If Ubisoft can afford to offer stuff like that for standard prices, other publishers can, and if it’s only a couple of quid more than the jewelcase version, I’m much more likely to bite.
07/08/2009 at 14:40 Chaz says:
How about including a great game on the DVD inside the plastic box, or is that just being silly?
07/08/2009 at 15:29 Malibu Stacey says:
Chaz wins.
07/08/2009 at 17:49 Lambo says:
I laughed so hard at the thought of Ergates empty Thief 4 box. A note inside where the disk should be saying “Couldn’t reisist it mate. – G” would be fantastic. If that happened to me I might actually hesitate complain.
07/08/2009 at 19:09 drewski says:
Pfff, already got one.
I’m not looking forward to the Codies F1 game being any good though, because I’m not sure how one would procure a full F1 style racing suit to play it in.
07/08/2009 at 20:39 zorn says:
The only problem I have with it, is that the helmet looks more like a WW2 helmet than a modern warfare helmet.
Give me a helmet like the one the soldiers in the game use, and im sold.
07/08/2009 at 21:55 Gap Gen says:
Zorn: Yeah, it does look a bit old. Try one of these guys.
07/08/2009 at 22:55 CMP5 says:
The helmet looks to be a Russian SSH68, first made in 1968, with a bunch of stupid logos planted on it
You can get a real one for about $40… I have one for airsofting.
07/08/2009 at 23:38 Rei Onryou says:
I thought everyone at RPS loved hats. Hats!!! Or is that just Jim?
Men of War 2 would be better off with this in its collector’s edition.
L4D2 CE editions should come with plushie Boomers that make the vomit sound when squeezed. Or a Zoey plushie…..don’t look at me like that!
08/08/2009 at 03:29 no says:
I hate collector’s crap. Just give me the fucking game and a manual. The last thing I need is more shit in my home that I have to throw away in a few weeks or months.
08/08/2009 at 06:56 Dreams of spiders says:
You know what’d be cool? Half Life 3 Special Edition coming with a solid-gold crowbar or a functioning HEV suit.
09/08/2009 at 02:14 DMJ says:
I won’t be satisfied with a collector’s edition until one turns up at my doorstep in a completely black unmarked lorry to a chorus of terrified neighbourhood dogs and cats, and then ten wailing, gibbering monks in sack cloth chant hymns as three stunted goblinoid creatures luch out to drag a frost-speckled iron casket from the back of the lorry using chains etched with eldritch runes. I want the game box to be bound in human skin and warded with dire threats in a tongue long dead, and I want there to be a sigh like the unsealing of a tomb when I open the case. I want the CD to be hand-carved from the ivory of a dead god and I want the manual to be hand-illuminated by elderly men who have lost most of their vision through squinting and copying manuals.
Bonus points if the game is actually any good.
09/08/2009 at 03:38 Serph says:
Considering that Valve’s episodes take 3x more time to make than a full game, by the time HL3 is released, making things out of solid gold would be pretty cheap.
09/08/2009 at 08:11 nutterguy says:
Excuse me now Mr Meer but I really like game soundtracks, I just wish they came with the normal edition.
The two special editions that I really liked where:
World in Conflict (Soundtrack, Discovery DVD on the cold war, piece of the Berlin wall!, poster, really nice box.)
Guild Wars pack (Really nice Soundtrack, Maps/posters, Artwork book, some other crap…)
09/08/2009 at 12:12 iainl says:
Drewski: fulfill your Stig-fantasies here, then.
10/08/2009 at 11:14 Corrupt_Tiki says:
Hmm I do say, maybe Dawn Of War 2 with Heavy Bolter?
Or maybe Half Life Ep 3 to come with a Head Humper?
11/08/2009 at 18:27 Guy says:
For DOW2 they just need to add guard in an xp then they couold give you a lasgun [read flashlight]