Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Collector's Edition Unboxed

Voting with your dollars can sometimes be a bad thing. When I opted to buy the $100 Collector's Edition of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood from Gamestop, I knew I was voting for the floodgates to open to charge even more than the $80 precedent that was set by some of the more recent/notable Collector's Edition releases. But I also thought that the included jack-in-the-box was an amazing pack-in. Of course it also comes with the ubiquitous making of/promo DVD & hardback mini artbook as well as a map, but let's be honest, I don't think anyone would have even paid the going-rate of $80 for a set without the jack, here.

Honestly, I don't mind paying $100 for a release with something as cool as this (though I've been spoiled by high-quality Japanese toys, because I noticed a few places where this one had a blemish or cut corner, but overall it's awesome) included, I just hope it starts a trend of one-upsmanship where other big releases see the same - or better - "toys" included. Not that this started this trend per se - we had some crazy stuff with Halo & a few other games this year - but it's certainly one of the first that had something other than a plastic statue or helmet replica. (though I do recall some game coming with an RC replica of an in-game vehicle earlier this year)

As for the jack himself, the "normal" Collector's Edition (lol, I know, right?) sold by every retailer but Gamestop contained The Doctor, in a medical mask with a syringe. The Gamestop edition I got came with a jack that is actually a jack, or a Harlequin in the game. He pops out with 2 daggers in hand & looks more like the real creepy-looking Fisher-Price jack that everyone had as a kid. It even has the same plastic head & spring-covered-in-fabric body that, that jack had.

The art book is a typical mini-hardcover type, filled with concept art & the like. Some of the production art is very impressive, it reminds me of looking at art for the 8 or 16-bit games of yesteryear - in that, the game could never possibly be as good as the art convinces your imagination it'll be. Maybe someday a computer will beat the human imagination, but some of this art makes your mind really get lost in the settings or whatever. Ubisoft has some talented people working for em.