BlazBlue's Collectors Edition does it right.

The story:
Zen United, European publishers of Arc System Works goodies, chose today to announce the rare 'BlazBlue Continuum Shift II Extend Premium Edition', that will be available in Xbox 360, PS3 and PS Vita flavours.

The Premium Edition will cost £60 and pack in 12 detailed 'sketch cards', the 'Song Interlude' soundtrack, two full volumes of the BlazBlue manga and a poster featuring an illustration by BlazBlue character designer Kato Yuuki. Oh, and the game, natch.

BlazBlue Continuum Shift II Extend is the latest update to BlazBlue, the best 2D fighter available (trust us), and adds new character Relius Clover as well as bulking out the already impressive spread of content.

BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend II is released on February 22nd, alongside the Vita, and we'll have our scrutinising review in place ahead of that date. If you're interested in getting your mitts on the Premium Edition, and there's only going to be 200 of them printed so if you are we recommend running with that impulse, then you'll have to do so through Zen's official UK store.

Our Take:
In this age of big game releases every two weeks we miss the true 'limited edition'. If we're honest, too many games are celebrated in apparently 'limited' form nowadays, and often ignorant to the wishes and desires of their title's fans (assuming the game even has fans in the first place).

Too often the Limited Edition is put out purely to suffice a tick on the release box and make your game seems more valuable than it is:  Throw in a budget art pamphlet, a few pretty cards, a demo for the strategy guide and perhaps a code for some 99p DLC and package it up for £20 more. “look, that game has a limited edition”, admires Mr. Average Punter, “it must therefore be good and I shall purchase it".

Something like a Call of Duty artbook is the gaming equivelent of Greggs offering pictures of a pig to go with your sausage roll, or a Schwarzenegger film coming with detailed character synopses,  it's standard stuff you just want to enjoy for what it is, they are games that don't really need limited editions. Games with proper artistry in them? Those are worth exploring in more detail. Those are worth special editions.

Not BlazBlue. Pointing out the obvious, BlazBlue fits the bill for this kind of loving treatment; niche, loyal fanbase (even though it is awesome and everyone should play it), oodles of gorgeous design and art work involved in its conception, an addictive soundtrack and a large, if confusing, extended universe.

The art in this premium edition isn't simple stuff, they are concept sketches from a game that prides itself on hand depicted detail, they are interesting. Then there's the soundtrack that has exclusive music and mixes. Add to that two full novels from a rare manga series plus exclusive poster, and you've got a collectors edition that's brilliantly in tune with its fan base.

The icing on that cake? There will only be 200 printed, it's actually a limited limited edition tailored for fans and it won't demolish their wallets. Next time we walk into GAME and see an unsold EPIC edition of Gears of War 3, which will be this afternoon, we'll have a chuckle and reflect on this thought.

Words by James Bowden (@Dalagonash)

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