Lost Levels II - Expansion Pack

I'm posting another Lost Levels this week, which shouldn't really happen on a regular basis. Granted, I'm not trying to stick to a two-game limit or a set time frame, it's just been working out that way for now. Basically I wanted to expand on my prior post with a little tribute to a collector's edition that really deserved the attention. Hence my oh-so cleverly named post. Expand. Expansion Pack? Get it?

(*sigh*)...just read the full story after the jump.

• Far Cry 2: Collecter’s Edition (PC -UK) - This little number is a bit of a milestone for the collection: my first import. Even though this isn’t a difficult achievement what with the interwebs and all, it’s still significant to me. Importing games never seemed like a great idea, mainly due to the issue of cost. There are plenty of Japanese games I’d love to take a crack at, but researching a good supplier and justifying costs including shipping was always too much work.
  
  Now Far Cry 2 is definitely one of my favorite current-gen games. As far as open-world first-person shooters go, this game was a wicked experience. Sure, it has its flaws (no random lion attacks, or any lions for that matter), but overall a really solid game. So once I discovered the limited edition available only in the UK, I started hunting down copy. Eventually settled on a seller through Amazon that stocked a few in the states, and spent some trade in credit. 

• While not containing much out the ordinary in regards to extras, it’s the details that brings it together. Right of the bat the box is a work of art. Constructed from a type of composite board (stronger than cardboard, weaker than wood), the box has a sturdy heft. Add that to the wood crate design work on both the exterior and interior, and the whole thing knocks most other collector’s editions out of the park. I’d go as far to say it feels sturdier than the recent Halo Reach Limited Edition casing, for something of approximate size.
  
  But again, it’s the little things that really make it shine. There’s an appropriate amount of blood-splattering on the case, which has a slick, glossy texture versus the more matte finish of the box. Open it up and remove the extras, and there's our hero on the lid looking over the African savanna. On the bottom, a mock wood-burned image of the logo. It’s clear an amazing amount of time went into the design and it paid off.

• I know I’m gushing over the box more than anything, so let’s take a quick look at the extras. Like I said, nothing out of the ordinary, but worth noting. The standard bonus DVD and art book make an appearance, although the book is pretty light on content. Still better than most paperback versions (I’m looking at you, Castlevania 20th Anniversary Collection). There’s a rad t-shirt in here; The last of the extras is a large map of the gameplay region/poster. The image is the same as the cover of the art book, but it still looks nice. The paper map has a rough texture to it, and feels thicker than your run of the mill glossy map/poster.

I definitely went a bit overboard running through the contents of this set; I just had to cover every aspect considering it was all done so well. Anyone looking for a nice collector’s edition (on the cheap no less) should dig up a copy.