• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Steel Books/Collector's Editions

Steel books are even worse. I don't think I've received a metal case that hasn't had at least one dent in it. They have shitty hinges and the edges don't line up nicely and again they don't fit with normal cases and they stick out like a sore thumb (though I guess thats the point).

Plus they rust over time depending on environment. My Halo 2 LE Steelbook has been "rusting" for a while.
 
Years ago I had the CE bug, where if a CE was available, I needed it. I generally don't buy them anymore outside of when there's something in the CE that won't sit around collecting dust, or if I'm way into the game. For example, the upcoming Dark Souls II CE will be the first one I've bought in years. But I collect PVC figures as well, so I feel justified in this one.

As for steelbooks, they're nice. But I won't put any extra effort into tracking them down. If they come with a pre-order, or something I'm buying anyway, cool.
 
Has anyone else had this epiphany after buying so many?

Sort of. I wouldn't really call it an epiphany as I wasn't really much into this stuff from the beginning and only occasionally I conceded myself some little extra... But at some point after some of my last boxed purchases (Darksiders, The Witcher EE) I realized that I really don't give a damn about a lot of the junk that comes in those boxes, and it usually comes at the price of paying more and waiting days (weeks, if you're unlucky) for a courier when I could buy and download them immediately.
 
I don't like Steelbooks, but I do love collector's editions and the such...definitely in the minority here from the looks of things
 
I don't have many, but I do like them. Like the weight, and the colouring on tin.

steel53k1l.jpg
 
Huh, just realized that I have only 1 steelbook (Outside XII and MPT); kinda wish The Last Story's came to the States. I think this looks beautiful though.

dSdYah4.jpg
 
OP are you sure you actually have steelbook cases and not metalpaks or any of the various knockoff metal cases that are floating around?

Steelbooks are certainly prone to dents but they have a single interior piece for their hinges unlike metalpaks and thus the hinges are almost never going to cause a problem (as they're part of the whole body and not strictly hinges)

I much much prefer a good steelbook case to a regular case. They can look fantastic but yes they are prone to dents and scratches which is a pain

I should probably add that I'm somewhere over 200 steelbooks, just VG steels as I don't touch movie steelbooks

Also the Halo 2 CE metal case is in no way a steelbook. Steelbook is a brand much like Kleenex that people simply use to refer to all metal cases but it's not really accurate
 
I was recently successful in not spending the ten dollars on the Bravely Default CE. I'm well past the point of being tempted by crap that sits on a shelf for a fee months before being thrown out
 
I think the only steelbook I have is for Metroid Prime Trilogy. I usually never fall for the collector's edition unless I get it cheap on clearance or it comes with some kind of DLC that is actually worthwhile, which is very rare.
 
I never really cared for steelbooks and such until I stumbled upon the dark souls steelbook that was released as a europe exclusive a few months ago for PS3

ynUwdOF.png


since then I've kind of been on a small crusade trying to track down steelbooks of my personal favourite games (and a few blu rays) from last gen..which kind of sucks seeing as most of them were released years ago. it's pretty crazy how much money people are willing to pay for certain steelbooks.

High five! Got that one too. My other steelbooks are DMC4, FFXIII-2, GoW Ascension, Killzone 3, Mass Effect 2 (PC), Mass Effect 3, Metal Gear Rising, MGS HD Collection, RE5, RE6, Resistance 3, Uncharted 2, Yakuza 4 and Yakuza Dead Souls.

Steelbooks are basically the only limited/collector's editions I care about anymore, so long as they're not too much more expensive. Sure they're rarely of super high quality but they're still better than standard plastic cases (especially nowadays, with distributors trying to cut down on plastic).

The only thing that annoys me about them is the irregularly sized ones. Some PS3 ones are DVD size (FFXIII-2, Lightning Returns and Mass Effect 3) and they look fucking stupid in my PS3 lineup. Or the weird Killzone 2 case for the case, which was a metal case that held the entire Killzone 2 plastic case.

Aside from those, FUCK CARDBOARD CASES! SCEE has this dumb idea where they seem to rotate between steelbooks and cardboard cases with each game and I fucking hate the cardboard ones. They're flimsy, bend and fall apart after a few years, even if you take good care of them. I deliberately bought the cheaper version of The Last of Us to avoid that shit and I hate that I'm stuck with cardboard cases for Uncharted 3, Infamous, Infamous 2 (which is half the width of a normal case as well, which fucking sucks), Heavy Rain, R&C ACIT and a few others.
 
Steelbooks are a brand name and are of a certain design and usually better quality (still prone to occasional denting).

Halo 2, Halo 3, Dark Souls, Doom 3 are not Steelbooks.
I actually hate the big metal tins, those are definitely more prone to dents and such.

Steelbook is ruthless in defending their patent (killed IronPak, and Metalbox. Shitty Metalpak still survives though) and aren't too happy when companies also get confused an advertise their random metal case as a Steelbook.

It's a safe bet Dark Souls 2 isn't one.
 
Steelbooks are a brand name and are of a certain design and usually better quality (still prone to occasional denting).

Halo 2, Halo 3, Dark Souls, Doom 3 are not Steelbooks.
I actually hate the big metal tins, those are definitely more prone to dents and such.

Steelbook is ruthless in defending their patent (killed IronPak, and Metalbox. Shitty Metalpak still survives though) and aren't too happy when companies also get confused an advertise their random metal case as a Steelbook.

It's a safe bet Dark Souls 2 isn't one.

Wrong, Dark Souls is a Steelbook.

No idea about Dark Souls 2 though.
 
I love steelbooks, in fact they're the only collector's edition thing I really care about. They look great and fit nicely on the shelf with the other games. I'm really disappointed how few there were last gen, at least in the US. The only one I have is Ni No Kuni, and that was my first since FFXII. I'd have gotten the steelbook of DMC4 if I'd known it would be my last chance to get one until NNK 5 years later. So many games should have had them... FFXIII, GTA IV, GoW3, UC2, Fallout 3, Dark Souls, RE5, KZ2... WTF?
 
I love steelbooks, in fact they're the only collector's edition thing I really care about. They look great and fit nicely on the shelf with the other games. I'm really disappointed how few there were last gen, at least in the US. The only one I have is Ni No Kuni, and that was my first since FFXII. I'd have gotten the steelbook of DMC4 if I'd known it would be my last chance to get one until NNK 5 years later. So many games should have had them... FFXIII, GTA IV, GoW3, UC2, Fallout 3, Dark Souls, RE5, KZ2... WTF?
RE5 had one in the CE, didn't it?
 
I got these steelbooks:
-The Last of Us
-Killzone 3
-Uncharted 3
-God of War Ascension

$50 each on release day. Not living in the US has its benefits.
 
I only have a steel book for Mass Effect 3 as far as games go. I love Blu-Ray film steelbooks though, like The Wolverine, there's no writing or information scattered on the case, just nice and clean. It's actually my plan to get all Phase 2 Marvel Studios Blu-Rays in steelbook form.
 
I'm strange in that I actually prefer having the standard/original case version of my games, I just don't like the look of steel books that much.
 
RE5 had one in the CE, didn't it?

If it did I missed it... What was the CE like? Was it bundled with a bunch of other crap and really expensive? I'm only interested if I can get a steelbook edition by itself (plus maybe a OST CD or something) for like $5-$10 more. I don't care about action figures or junk like that.
 
If it did I missed it... What was the CE like? Was it bundled with a bunch of other crap and really expensive? I'm only interested if I can get a steelbook edition by itself (plus maybe a OST CD or something) for like $5-$10 more. I don't care about action figures or junk like that.

Where do you live? In the US you had to get a whole bunch of other crap with it. In PAL territories you could just get the Steelbook (I prefer just getting the steelbook too)
 
Where do you live? In the US you had to get a whole bunch of other crap with it. In PAL territories you could just get the Steelbook (I prefer just getting the steelbook too)

I'm in the US, that was really what I was talking about, I know EU got lots of them. We hardly got any here, and most of the few that were produced were bundled in expensive sets with other stuff.
 
I got these steelbooks:
-The Last of Us
-Killzone 3
-Uncharted 3
-God of War Ascension

$50 each on release day. Not living in the US has its benefits.

Where'd you get the Uncharted 3 and TLoU steelbooks? SCEE pissed me off with both when they only offered the fucking cardboard CEs. Retailer exclusives?

Yes, the UK one is indeed, I was referring to the person who posted a pic of the shitty US tin, heh.

Oh okay, yeah, you're right.

I'm under the impression that Zavvi actually orders some Steelbooks themselves (Dark Souls and MGS HD Collection for example), instead of going through publishers (though I'm sure they got the publishers permission). Pretty smart idea if so, as it's a quality retailer exclusive for the right games.
 
Uh oh. Really hope the Dark Souls 2 metal case is bluray sized and not like that one on the previous page. It'll be my first 'special' case (same price and comes with the soundtrack..). It'd drive me nuts if it doesn't fit on the shelf with the rest of my games.
 
I'm under the impression that Zavvi actually orders some Steelbooks themselves (Dark Souls and MGS HD Collection for example), instead of going through publishers (though I'm sure they got the publishers permission). Pretty smart idea if so, as it's a quality retailer exclusive for the right games.

Yep, they do do that. Since HMV and Play list most of their presence they've nearly cornered the market in exclusives for movies. It's a smart move for a niche market, but being Zavvi they take a lot of shortcuts (shitty packaging for shipping, increasing prices just cause)
 
I don't always buy limited editions unless they have something cool in them or unless it's a game I really want to support. I generally like the book style or steelbook cases the most.
 
That's my only steelbook, that came with the collector's edition of MGS HD collection:
10532517-1322241687-54372.jpg


steelbooks are cool and all, but I'm a sucker for artbooks.
 
Where'd you get the Uncharted 3 and TLoU steelbooks? SCEE pissed me off with both when they only offered the fucking cardboard CEs. Retailer exclusives?

I'm in Asia, most of the time we get everything that is included from all retailer bonuses in the US. Steelbooks are available on launch (or until supplies lasts) as well. Our AC4 includes every preorder bonus as well.

And this is our GT6 standard edition.
 
Not really a steelbook collector, but I kind of like the ones that I have.

UYUY8rG.jpg

The only steelbooks I own are in the bottom row of that picture, as I'm fond of all three of them I was wondering why so many in this thread disliked steelbooks so strongly, as they've all been talked about positively in this thread I'm guessing they're some of the best examples.

I liked some of the more budget collectors editions during the last generation especially on the PSP (P3P in particular) as they cost roughly the same as the normal version, Spirit Tracks was even cheaper. Sadly judging by the expensive collectors editions for ALBW and Bravely Default those days are over.
 
Some of the metal cases given by games are not really Steelbook. You can tell from the difference in quality. Also, US often get the shittier version for some reason. US' Mass Effect 3 came with a cheap metal case whereas EU and AUS got a real Steelbook. The quality of BEYOND: Two Souls Steelbook for US Steelbook is ghastly whereas in EU/AUS, the print quality is actually good.

To me there's nothing more valuable when it comes to pre-order items than a good quality Steelbook. The real McCoy not the imitations. Some of my favorite Steelbooks:

xGpLhob.png


(From L to R, Top to Bottom): Ni no Kuni, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dead Space 3, Collar Duty Ghost, RE6, and Yakuza 4.
 
Eh? I'm not following.

I would have bought some of that "junk"

With that said... I'm a sucker for steelbooks and collector's editions. I especially love buying them later off Amazon. Got Metal Gears Rising CE for $50 during black friday. Totally worth it!! That lamp is bad ass as is the game.

Edit:

Here's some stuff I got highly discounted on Black Friday sale:
pWu9Y9n.jpg


Resistance with move bundle $100
Splinter Cell Blacklist with remote control plane $80
Metal Gear CE $50
The other games were about $35 combined.
 
I'm in Asia, most of the time we get everything that is included from all retailer bonuses in the US. Steelbooks are available on launch (or until supplies lasts) as well. Our AC4 includes every preorder bonus as well.

And this is our GT6 standard edition.

Interesting. So you guys still end up missing out on the Euro bonuses like the Uncharted 2 steelbook?

Alright, so I gathered all my steelbooks together and took a picture. Lighting is a bit rubbish,probably should've waited until tomorrow, but oh well:

tPwfGtD.jpg
 
I didn't know Steelbook as a brand and was more referring to stuff like this that DJ_Lae posted:

I do have some real Steelbooks, and while their quality is okay, I still think they're a little tacky to have poking out of an otherwise uniform collection.

Collector's Editions are still bad bad bad. I'd rather buy the game and then source out a quality soundtrack/artbook/bust if I really care that much about the game. Though, I will say that video game CEs are not as bad as TV/Movies/Anime CEs and boxsets. At least most of the time with games they come with a normal case I can throw on my shelf unlike shit like this or this monstrosity:
 
I'm a sucker for Digital Deluxe Editions. Steam's Early Access program hasn't been kind to my bank account in this regard as many EA games have a few DDE tiers so naturally I opt for the most expensive one.

Over the past month, I've bought:

- Next Car Game Digital Deluxe Edition (base price: $45 versus $30 for the regular edition)
- Dungeon of the Endless Founder Pack (base price: $20 versus $13 for the regular edition)
- Guardians of Middle-earth Mithril Edition (base price: $80 versus $20 for the regular edition)
- Snow Founders Pack (base price: $60 versus $15 for the regular edition)
- Blackguards Contributor Edition (base price: $50 versus $25 for the regular edition)
- The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot High Roller Pack (base price: $100 versus $20 for the regular edition)
 
I remember the first steelbook edition I ever happened to come across for a game, found it in a small shop in the middle of nowhere too, it's the original PS2 Killzone, collectors edition, still have it here somewhere, I must get a photo of it up. I've never seen another one since, not sure how rare they were at the time. I've read on a few other forums that it's a fairly rare edition of Killzone.

Did anyone else get one of these at the time when it was released?
 
I remember the first steelbook edition I ever happened to come across for a game, found it in a small shop in the middle of nowhere too, it's the original PS2 Killzone, collectors edition, still have it here somewhere, I must get a photo of it up. I've never seen another one since, not sure how rare they were at the time. I've read on a few other forums that it's a fairly rare edition of Killzone.

Did anyone else get one of these at the time when it was released?

That's believed to be the first VG steelbook although there might've been a PC steelbook released previously, it's hard to keep track of a lot of the earlier PC steelbooks.

Anyways the original killzone steelbook is fairly rare in the UK market but in mainland europe and australia you can find it without having to pay an arm and a leg
 
Also the only game to come exclusively in steel book casing. So, I guess it all works out.

This is worth noting, because the game stop reprints were in generic Wii cases, thus making them worthless. People may as well bought a disc only copy.

I'd also like to say that The Last of Us Survival Edition was worth every penny. Steele case and all.
 
That's believed to be the first VG steelbook although there might've been a PC steelbook released previously, it's hard to keep track of a lot of the earlier PC steelbooks.

Anyways the original killzone steelbook is fairly rare in the UK market but in mainland europe and australia you can find it without having to pay an arm and a leg

I got it for €20 when I was halfway down the country (ireland), I think it was in Roscommon somewhere, one copy of it in the place. It wasn't an electronics or game store, just a regular old 'toy shop' in a small town. I never did come across another copy of it in any game stores around the time.
 
I remember the first steelbook edition I ever happened to come across for a game, found it in a small shop in the middle of nowhere too, it's the original PS2 Killzone

I'm jealous. I have the steelbooks for 2 and 3, but not for the first one. I didn't have the money back then, now it's hard to find.

I'd love a DS1 steelbook too. Will buy the Black Armor Edition of 2nd (if I can find it for the PC version...)

My favourite from my small collection is the EU steelbook of DMC4, infinitely better than the US one.

7r6t5r1.jpg
 
I'm jealous. I have the steelbooks for 2 and 3, but not for the first one. I didn't have the money back then, now it's hard to find.

I'd love a DS1 steelbook too. Will buy the Black Armor Edition of 2nd (if I can find it for the PC version...)

My favourite from my small collection is the EU steelbook of DMC4, infinitely better than the US one.

7r6t5r1.jpg

Not to be pedantic but you have that backwards. The DMC4 steel you pictured is the US/NTSC special edition while this is the EU [or at least the UK] special edition

http://collectorsedition.org/game-db/devil-may-cry-4-collectors-edition-pal-360

dmc4ce_360p_s.jpg


Note the Ratings logos as they tell you the region each is from. I'm curious if that version of the DMC4 steel was sold officially in mainland europe as I've never heard that before. I've forwarded a couple of the US version to European collectors as they have trouble getting it so I have my doubts
 
Top Bottom