Special editions for games are getting more and more elaborate. Gone is the time when a special edition consisted of a “limited” cardboard sleeve over the DVD case. And perhaps some postcards. Now, though, in these days of night-vision goggles, cat helmets, packs of cards and poker chips? A game’s special edition better offer something… well, special.
Gran Turismo 5 is the latest to step up to the plate and show its goods. And there’s a selection of different editions to choose from.
The US “Collector’s Edition”, set to retail for $99.99, includes a 1:43 scale collectible diecast car, a 300-page book about cars and racing technique, a keychain, a voucher for 5 DLC cars and a certificate of authenticity. Yay for certificates! Oh, and it also comes in “stylish, premium packaging”.
Europe, however, get a choice of special editions to choose from.
The “Signature Edition” (above) is set to retail for a rather extravagant €179.99 (about $235). It includes a metal case, a miniature SLS AMG 1:43 scale car, a USB flash drive, a leather wallet, entry into a contest to win a Merc, vouchers for 11 DLC vehicles, a keychain, an coffee table art book and a driving technique magazine. Nice. But pretty damn expensive. It better be a really nice wallet. And the model car better actually have a working engine inside it. Maybe not. Disappointingly, there does not appear to be a certificate included with this edition.
The “Collector’s Edition” (above) costs a much more reasonable €79.99 (about $105). It includes a slip cover, art cards, the vouchers for the DLC and the driving magazine. It also comes with approximately 50% less guilt. And no certificate.
Sony are particularly excited about the Mercedes competition available to Signature Edition purchasers. This will combine both in-game and real-world driving challenges for the opportunity to win a real Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Series creator Kazunori Yamauchi apparently considers this to be “the most exciting car in the world right now”. But then he would say that, wouldn’t he?
These are certainly pretty fancy special editions. And there’s even a few things in them that might actually be useful. The die-cast cars will probably sit on a shelf and gather dust for most buyers. But the coffee table art book and magazine are cool bonuses for car enthusiasts. And the USB drive and wallet are items which have an actual function besides looking pretty.
€179.99 is a lot of money, though. Sony say that this particular edition will be in “strictly limited quantities”. It’s reasonable to wonder how many people are willing to splash that much cash on one game. However cool the bonuses are. Still, plenty of people purchased Modern Warfare 2 complete with night-vision goggles (and subsequently regretted it, particularly if living with a significant other). So perhaps there is a market for that level of “premiumness”.
It certainly looks like Sony are pulling out all the stops to make Gran Turismo 5 the most polished racing game on the market. Let’s hope the game’s actually good, otherwise all those Xbox Forza fans will never let the PS3 owners live it down.
