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007: Casino Royale Collector's Edition first Blu-ray Disc to double-dip
Studios just love to re-release older titles just before a follow-up film hits the silver screen, and Sony's making darn sure it milks the 007 franchise for every dime it's worth prior to Quantum of Solace landing in theaters. Not only are six Bond classics slated to hit Blu-ray on October 21st, but now one of Sony's best-selling 007 BD titles will be joining 'em. Yep, 007: Casino Royale will be re-released in a Collector's Edition with seven hours of new material, free e-Movie Cash to catch the aforesaid QoS in cinemas, Bonus View picture-in-picture visual commentary with Director Martin Campbell and Producer Michael G. Wilson and a "Know Your Double-O" BD-Live-enabled multi-player trivia game. To our knowledge, this is the first Blu-ray title to double-dip, as we're not counting the whole Fifth Element fiasco as a true double release. Prepare to spend $38.96 for the 2-disc Blu-ray set or $29.95 for the 3-disc DVD package.[Thanks, Chris]
Breakfast Topic: Where do you plan to get Wrath?
Alright, this is a question that's probably more important for those offshore than the people in the United States. When World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade were released, I had to call people in the U.S. to pick up our copies and send us our registration keys. I missed out on the Collector's Edition of the original one because of geographical limitations, but I'm fairly certain I would've camped out at Target or Best Buy the night before release in The Phantom Menace/ iPhone style just to get one.I was in San Francisco a week or so before The Burning Crusade made its way to the shelves (blast you and your moving ship dates, Blizzard!), but fortunately made arrangements to get a Collector's Edition before I had to head back home. I'm more prepared now, banking on a few channels to get a couple of Collector's Editions of Wrath of the Lich King when it comes out later this year. With the game right now shaping up to be one of Blizzard's best ever, I'm curious as to where people plan to get their copy. Have you pre-ordered? Is there a store chain near you? Maybe you, like me, are geographically challenged and will have to (ab)use contacts abroad? What's your Wrath of the Lich King release date battle plan?
Mythic publishes Warhammer Online pre-order FAQ
Mythic has created the beginnings of a FAQ intended to help would-be-customers sort out all the details about pre-ordering Warhammer Online. Info included in the FAQ: how to pre-order in Canada, who to poke to get pre-order codes when you place your order through an online store, and details and definitions on the beta testing phases, among other things.Mythic promises that the FAQ will be updated with new information in the future, but doesn't say what kind of information it'll be.The FAQ has some helpful information if you have those specific questions, of course. If you want a more in-depth and badass guide to pre-ordering WAR, though, check out our WAR collector's edition pre-order guide. Which retailer distributes codes in the most helpful way? Which one gives you the best extra goodies? It's all there!
Turbine announces partnership with Warner Bros. for Mines of Moria
Turbine has just announced its partnership with Warner Bros. to distribute the Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, the first retail expansion for the franchise. In addition to this, we get some details on what will be included with the Collector's Edition box, as well as the new Complete Edition. Turbine also states that there will be a downloadable version on their website for current subscribers, as well.If that's not enough to get you pumped, Turbine has also released a few new pieces of concept art, as we've included for you in the gallery below. Be sure to read the complete press release after the cut for detailed information on all editions of Mines of Moria and more.%Gallery-18340%
Gears of War 2 content unlocked by original Gears achievements, $130 Lancer bundle coming
A dynamic duo of details dropped yesterday at the Gears of War 2 panel at the San Diego Comic Con 08 regarding Epic's epic new installment in their well-received locust-splitting franchise. The first of these announcements, revealed by Cliff Bleszinski, was that the title will utilize "linked achievements" to unlock in-game content -- basically, if you have certain achievements from the original Gears of War on your profile, it will unlock certain bonuses (like extra playable characters in the online mode) in the sequel.The second, and arguably less thrilling announcement, came shortly thereafter -- the obligatory "collector's edition" of Gears of War 2 was unofficially announced at the panel. It will supposedly include a "miniature replica model" of a Lancer, the iconic chainsaw-infused gun from the series. Sure, the special edition's legendary price of $130 may seem a tad unreasonable, but who said that transforming your cat into a futuristic super soldier was going to be cheap?
Wrath Collector's Ed pet: Frosty the Frost Wyrm whelp
A lot of readers tipped this in while looking through Wowhead's comprehensive Achievements database. While we've actually heard of rumors of the Wrath of the Lich King Collector's Edition, with pictures of the box supposedly making their way out of the printers, this Achievement more or less confirms that there will be a Collector's Edition and that the Frost Wyrm whelp model leaked in Alpha is actually the Collector's Edition pet.The Achievement falls under Feats of Strength, along with the other Collector's Edition Achievements The requirement is possession of Frosty's Collar, an item not yet implemented in Beta. The Achievements page defines the Feats of Strength as "an accomplishment that players will find either very difficult if not impossible to earn. Feats of Strength are a collection of past glories on Azeroth."
Rumor: Wrath of the Lich King Collector's Edition box
Here's some good Wrath of the Lich King rumor-juice for you tonight. Pictured to the right is what has shown up on the internet as a Wrath of the Lich King Collector's Edition box. I for one think it looks real. It was posted on the Paladin Schmaladin blog two months ago, although reader Allen just tipped us to it this evening.The poster over there notes that the box comes from her friend Gene, who supposedly works at a printing facility. Gene couldn't get one out of the printing factory, so instead he snapped an image of the box with his cellphone.Through Paladin Schmaladin, we're also told that the printing press had the WotLK box orders pushed back four months. This could be an indication that Lich King will be coming out later than expected, although since Blizzard hasn't really announced a release date, we'd probably never know the difference.Nonetheless, enjoy your nightly WotLK rumor. It looks to be a good one.Click the image for a larger high-res version.
Real life Pip-Boy or wacky geek clock? You decide
Bethesda must really have faith in Fallout 3. Not only are they doing a "normal" collectors edition, but now they're actually going for the coveted Cat-Helmet Award® by actually creating some sort of uber-collectors edition. Available only through Amazon, the only difference between the "Survival Edition" and the normal CE is the replica Pip-Boy, which is actually a digital clock. Maybe some of the Fallout faithful out there will be willing to shell out $129.95 plus shipping for this, but frankly, we already have an alarm clock. We hate it, we don't need another one. Still, it'll be interesting to see how its sales pan out. Even though it's an Amazon exclusive, could it eventually see the price drops that the Halo 3 one did?
Definitely penguin pets!
Who doesn't love penguins? Well, definitely not us over here at WoW Insider. During one Insider show, we clamored for penguins to be the special pet to be included in the Wrath of the Lich King Collector's Edition. We know they haven't even announced a Collector's Edition yet, but since they've released one for most of their games -- they did it for both World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade -- there's a good chance they'll be announcing one soon.At any rate, fans of birds in tuxedos should rejoice. Tipster Josh led us to a collation of images (um, caveat clickor, as they say in Latin) that were apparently data-mined from the Wrath of the Lich King Alpha client. In it, we saw some blue dragonkin presumably from the Nexus using the same models with slightly different armor (ho-hum); some Undead versions of the Nerubians (Stratholme, anyone?) and the oversized Vrykul (interesting...); first looks at the Alliance and Horde siege machines (I want TOYS!); and -- you guessed it -- penguin pets (wahoo!). We have no idea how players will be able to get them, or even if they're obtainable as pets, but the spark of hope for pet lovers everywhere remains aflicker!
Fallout 3 Collectors Edition lunch box and contents
Twenty dollars more for a collector's edition eh? Well Bethesda looks to be making this one as worth it as they can, by cramming it full of creative extras. This isn't just a simple "Making of" DVD (though there is one of those too). There's also the bobble head, the 100 page hardcover art book, and the nuclear-devastation ready lunch box to hold it all in. Plus, y'know, the game. That is the most important part after all, but to tell the truth this looks like a great example of how to do a CE right. As long as the game is the at the level of quality we hope it is, we might just have to knuckle under and shell out the extra money ....[Via Big Download]
Fallout 3 Collector's Edition gets visualized
Click to embiggen As if you needed more incentive to pre-order the game, the Bethesda Blog has now revealed "representational images" of the Fallout 3 Collector's Edition. Based on the above design, the Vault Boy bobble head will likely be the same vertical size as the Vault-Tec lunch box, and the hardcover art book about the same diameter as a DVD. Alongside the game, it all looks like it will fit neatly into the carrier, which should be sturdy enough to block its contents from our drool.%Gallery-3507%[Via Big Download]
Unboxing the Age of Conan Collector's Edition
With the Age of Conan collector's edition sold out across the country, we thought it would be worthwhile to go through our copy of the box and share with you what Funcom has on offer. We've talked all about the CE before, as the company unveiled details all the way back in January. There's a big difference between knowing about the leather map or the art book, and seeing them firsthand, though.Today, in keeping with our Age of Conan launch-day coverage, we'll peel back the cover on this Massive chunk of MMO memorabilia. Check out the full gallery of unboxing screenshots here at Massively.com.%Gallery-23263%
Funcom unveils the size of Age of Conan's preorder horde
Tomorrow's the day the gates of Hyboria open to all and sundry, and in anticipation Funcom has revealed just how many people are going to be entering the Age of Conan this week. The massive Collector's Edition, which we've discussed several times here on the site, has completely sold out. They even did a second run for the thing, and it still sold out. According to Funcom 111,000 copies of that box are now slated for sale. The regular edition, which still offers the possibility for some decent extras, has also completely sold out in some market areas. The company estimates that "it will be unable to fulfill all pre-orders in some markets due to current server limitations." Some 700,000 copies of the game have been shipped to retailers to meet tomorrow's demand. The Conan developer also estimates that this these are the largest pre-order numbers for an MMO ever - even surpassing the original World of Warcraft's launch figures. They also note that (despite hopes to the contrary), the DX10 version of the game won't be available until August. They still need more time to patch and polish that aspect of the engine. If their numbers are accurate, Age of Conan could represent the first true runaway success since WoW's launch four years ago. If Conan cracks the million-subscriber mark - which seems at least feasible - it will be a big wakeup call for the industry. All we can do now is sit back and watch the show.
Age of Conan box/subscription pricing announced
Prices for Age of Conan's retail boxes, monthly subscription fees, and a number of other interesting tidbits have been unveiled in Funcom's new investor update. For those of us on the US side of the Atlantic, we'll be paying out $59.99 for the basic box and $14.99 per month to stay in Hyborea. If you're keeping track, that makes the collector's edition of the game not that much more expensive than the basic set. Other fascinating informational drops from the pdf document: The company expects to spend 12% of gross revenues from the game on further marketing. Funcom's server farm is scaled to handle some 500,000 - 600,000 subscribers at launch. AoC has had 20 front covers already, and expects to top 30 by the end of May. Last week Age of Conan's website had some 475,000 unique visitors (according to Google Analytics). The company acknowledges that its launch success also hinges on its partners. "The Company's most important partners/suppliers are IPsoft, SCi Entertainment/Eidos, Cisco, Dell and GlobalCollect." Funcom is up front about the bottom line on AoC's future: "The success of the game will depend first and foremost on the response it receives from players after several hours of playtime of the finished product." [Via Ten Ton Hammer]
The Daily Grind: AoC collectors or regular edition?
We've asked if you were a collector or not, but now we're curious about one specific title. Namely, are you going to buy the CE for Age of Conan or will you be settling for the regular edition?Lets review what you can expect to get for your extra 40 dollars in Age of Conan: Big, metal embossed game case * 128-page art book The Conan soundtrack Leatherette map of Hyboria Exclusive DVD with bonus material, trailers, interview and "making of" features Buddy card for five friends Ring of Asheron which gives you a 2% XP Modifier Drinking Cape that gives free drinks in all of Hyboria's taverns Cost: $89.99 The only in-game benefits are the two items, which are both arguably worth owning. The drinking cape will play into the PvP minigame where players can get drunk at bars and brawl with each other. As for the stuff in the box, we're always appreciative of soundtracks (especially so, since AoC has great music) and the exclusive DVD is something we could see popping into the computer at least once -- if only to check it out.The map, art book and big game case (with embossed glory) all sound neat, but definitely are something that will only see the light of day once or twice in most cases. However, the buddy keys are pretty nice. There are definitely some Age of Conan-cautious friends we can see ourselves tempting with five free trails.
Clan of Conan 15 looks at pre-ordering
The next Clan of Conan newsletter is finally here, and as promised by Jørgen Tharaldsen in a recent forum post, it goes a long way towards clearing up some Age of Conan pre-order confusion. First things first, the 3-day early access: the newsletter confirms that this is exclusively for pre-orders, and that your retailer should provide you with an early-access key. However, to actually get that head start, you'll need to take that key to the Funcom website, and pay $5 / €5 (depending on region) to activate it on your account. This was already known by some, but it's important to really get it out there in a fashion like this so that people aren't disappointed later.As well as this, the dates for access vary around the world. North Americans will be able to download the client early on May 13th, and start playing early from the 17th. For Europeans the early download will be May 16th, and the early access itself starts on the 20th. This is because the North American release date is also 3 days earlier, with the rest of the Europeans joining the head-starters on the 23rd of May.
Fallout 3 Collector's Edition sounds delightful
Did you know that it was scientifically possible to desire Fallout 3 more than you already do? We didn't until this morning when we saw the (unconfirmed by Bethesda) listing for the collector's edition of it at Gamestop. For $70, you'll get a Vault Boy Bobblehead doll, a hardcover book of art and a behind-the-scenes DVD. Oh, and the whole thing comes in a metal Vault-Tec lunch box. Yes. Please.There's also a date for the game of October 7, but that could just be an estimate. As far as we're concerned (thanks in part to today's announcement) the official date for Fallout 3 is "Not even close to soon enough."
AoC for life!
We can't wait for Age of Conan to finally go live. A few of us here at Massively even dropped coin for the gigantic Collector's Edition of this brutal, mature themed MMO. Apparently a great many of you feel the same way. However, if you haven't purchased the game yet, then Ten Ton Hammer has a contest you will absolutely want to enter.From now until April 18, TTH wants to know (in 250 words or less) why you think Age of Conan is the game you'll be playing for life. Ten people will get beta keys. Five of those beta key winners will also get a copy of the Collector's Edition. One will get the CE plus an autographed framed piece of concept art. Finally, one incredibly lucky individual will walk away with a CE signed by FUNCOM founder and AoC Game Director Gaute Godager and - hold on to your sword - a lifetime subscription to the game. You'll never have to pay for the game. Ever!Now that's one heckuva prize!
Head Coach '09 only available in Madden '09 Collector's Edition
One tiny little detail about NFL Head Coach '09 seems to have been buried at the bottom of EA's announcement yesterday regarding the "Collector's Edition" of Madden NFL '09. Turns out that Head Coach '09 is only available by purchasing the $90 special edition. Just to be clear: It won't be sold separately.Madden's Marketing Director, Christopher Erb, says the decision was not made out of fear that the game couldn't stand on its own, and explains it's a way for the company to "reduce the price and make it a bonus to our fans." He's got a point, if it was at retail the two games separated would cost $120, but given the tepid response of the original Head Coach and its niche factor, this may be the best way to move units. Erb believes those who play Head Coach are hardcore Madden fans anyway and the company may consider releasing it as a separate title if there's enough outcry.
Official Warhammer Online collector's edition info released
So, the bad news is that you're going to be waiting a little longer to get into the world of Warhammer Online. Today's earlier announcement of another delay in WAR's production is frustrating, but not altogether surprising. The good news is that, during the delay, you can anticipate wrapping your hands around the fantastic collector's edition EA Mythic has just revealed. If you've been following along the rumor trail on this particular product, you're not going to be too terribly surprised; several of the pack's biggest features have already been discussed on the site.Full official details, though, are always welcome. Here's what you get in the big, big box: A Games Workshop miniature shaped as Grumlok and the shaman Gazbag, the leaders of the Greenskin WAUGH. A hardbound graphic novel entitled "Prelude to War", with a single chapter in the book covering each of the armies of Chaos and Order. It's 128 pages, written by Graham McNeill, and illustrated by Tony Parker, Chad Hardin, Joe Abraham, Kevin Hopgood, and Rahsan Ekedal. The chance to enter the game early and start leveling your character before the plebes! A huge art book, with concept art and 'making of' information. A "Libram of Insight", which will apparently give you a 10% xp bonus for an hour, and has a three-use limit. "Rittenbach's Portable Camp: Rest your weary soul and heal your wounds between battles." More features after the cut.
