The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Xbox 360 Collector's Edition

Since everyone knows that the Elder Scrolls, along with Bethesda games in general, are the pinnacle of RPG goodness, this is not a game review. The one thing that I will say is that it so far appears to be a blend of the best elements of Fallout 3 gaming with the standard Elder Scrolls formula. I have by no means given it enough play to accurately review the quality of the gameplay itself. It'll take ages to get that far, but it's already the best game of this nature that I have ever played (25 years gaming). In this spirit, I will instead write a review of the marketing assembled for the Collector's edition. Being a quality skeptic and an avid collector of various memorabilia, I was a little concerned at the high price tag on this set. I worked at GameStop when collector packaging first became status quo, and I've seen many collector's edition games that included packaging and materials that were not worth the excess price. I was unconvinced until closer to the launch date when I saw the actual size of the set. Wow. The box itself is enormous and matte black with a handle on top. The matte black cardboard will absorb whatever oil is on your fingers and print up, I have noticed. Not awesome if you're into keeping your collection pristine. This is wrapped in a cardboard sleeve (a la Halo 3: Legendary) that has what appears to be a high definition screen conjured from the game models. It's pretty d@mn cool. Once you get the bad boy open, it contains a boxing setup I refer to as "cardboard padding." The game itself, as you can see from user-submitted pictures, comes in a jewel case that is NOT plastic. The presentation is excellent and has a high aesthetic appeal, but it not very practical. By nature, the cardboard this case is made out of will deteriorate with time. Another drawback is that once the internal box is out of the outer sleeve, the documentation slips out quite easily. As a serious collector, I am considering having it shrink wrapped again to maintain its condition. If you have children, fuhgeddaboudit (unless you have a place to keep it where it can't be destroyed by little hands). The papers included are, of course, the standard game manual, an advertisement for Dishonored, and the map. The map is questionable for me. I'm not sure what type of paper it's printed on, but it's definitely heavier than the maps that come with previous entries in this series. It feels nice to the touch, but I am disinclined to use it because there's a certain brittle type of feel to it when you unfold it. It feels like the folds will eventually disintegrate with too much use, so I'm going to frame mine. It's very nice, but it's definitely for someone that either doesn't care about condition, or is willing to go the extra step to maintain it (or just don't use it, but they're really quite handy with games of this scope). With a $150 price tag, that's something to consider. I have not watched the making of DVD as yet to assess its content, but it's there for those that are into it. Also contained in the cardboard padding is a high quality art book that I haven't spent too much time looking through because I'm too busy playing the game. The art book is actually probably the single heaviest component of the entire package. It's made of a material that I assume to be plastic, but has the feel and look of leather. It's embossed with the Skyrim dragon symbol, and is the most nicely assembled art book that I've ever seen released with a game. If you like to draw and are interested in design as I am, this is a definite plus that you will likely use as a reference in a multitude of ways. And even if you're not, it's just fascinating to look at. There's not too much in the way of description, it's mostly pictures printed on thick, glossy paper. I can't say much to how well it will hold up to heavy use. Once the cardboard padding and its contents are removed, you are left with another box inside the box. This one is pure gloss black, except for the Skyrim dragon emblem printed on the top. When opened, you're greeted with a greyscale print of the statue pointing to the assemblage. The styrofoam inside is actually molded with Elder Scrolls V SKYRIM on it. I personally thought that was a stylish little touch on the designer's part. The Alduin statue is spectacular. It comes in two parts: a stand, and the dragon itself. You just put the stand down, perch him on it, and there you go! The detail is so fine that it appears hand painted. It's made out of a heavy material that does have a bit of a smell to it, but the smell is pretty much that of an action figure. It looks and feels high quality, and makes a wonderful decoration to the gaming room (or anywhere, for that matter!). Overall, I would say that for a serious collector and/or hardcore fan of the series, this collector's edition is not only worth the money, but a must-have. There are some small gripes and issues, but the pros and cons are really quite balanced, overall. I wouldn't recommend it if you have issues with little ones that like to tear things up, but if you just have to have the game and want it for the dragon, I would say it's worth it. For me, personally, it was worth every cent, because I know I'm going to spend far too much of my life on the game itself. The collector's stuff is just a bonus as epic as the game. ;)

I paid over 160.00 for this collectors edition. I received a small box with a bonus disc only. No dragon statue, no collectors edition box, no art book, and no game! These people should be ashamed of themselves for lying to people like this!

This is one of the first collectors editions where I was like "Whoa, this thing is huge!" and it was, the packaging was substantially heavy because the art book is hardcover and full sized. I like the statue, though it's light weight but I don't mind that overly much... because it's a statue. It looks nice and went together easily. The game is great, though I'd suggest reading the manual, I for one accidentally killed 4 people in the 1st town I stayed in and now there's no inn keeper so.... and it'd be nice if there was a mortician because bodies are all over various towns. In all I'm having a blast, as is typical don't start playing unless you have heaps of time to invest.

For those who haven't played elder scrolls games, or fallout 3, games made by bethesda are the best western rpg games out there, and the worlds are hand crafted, beautiful, and HUGE. Skyrim is the next in the series after Oblivion, and after all of the hype, it delivered. This game refined oblivion's combat, whether using destruction spells, or duel weilding swords, or archery... everything is more realistic, easier to use, and so much more fun. The game is the same exact formula, but upgraded and refined in every way. They somehow managed to make the world even more beautiful and real looking. The voice acting and sounds in the game are WAY better than oblivion, and you truly feel like you're immersed in another world. To keep it simple, Skyrim is, in my opinion, the best rpg game out there, and it has so much gameplay put into it you can't even put a manageable number on how long you'll be playing, but it's a long time lol. Years. And apparently with bethesda's new engine, quest system, and depending on your actions and choices, your game will never be the same as another person, or a replay through. It'l always be at least somewhat of a new experience. This is truly the ultimate fantasy epic! It deserves a 10/10... 5 stars, hands down. As for the Dragon and Art book, they're amazing for fans of the series. Is the bundle worth 150$? Well, I can completely understand anyone thinking that's too steep for any game package, but I personally had no problem paying that much for this game. I don't buy collectors editions anymore because, yeah, I don't think they're worth it honestly. This was one of the only games I was willing to, considering how much work Bethesda puts into their games, and how much I love the series. The Dragon has a good level of detail, but the wall it can be perched on is fairly cheap. It doesn't easily fit onto it either. The dragon language is on the stone wall beneath the dragon, thought that was cool. Now the art book, what impressed me the most is simply the cover and binding. It's leather and it looks exactly like the book of Dragonborn, which is in the game, and the cover of the game of course, and has some slight (intentional) scuffed up art on it. It looks and feels like a real ancient book. Alright I won't exaggerate on that, but it's really cool. The art is a lot of the concept art on environments, and enemies, and weapons, and armor. Very cool. With that being said, I will admit some slight flaws, or at least what I kind of didn't like, but nothing serious at all. First is that, for how much the game focuses on the new addition of dragons, being the pinnacle of fun combat, they don't feel that challenging, or at least, you can work around their strengths. They also become a bit repetative in the way they fight. I mean, it's epic, but one dragon fight will be extremely similar to the next or last. Don't get me wrong though, they're awesome. I guess the only other flaw worth mentioning that I can think of, is the map. The map looks incredible, it really does! You're basically looking at an overview of the world in real time. You see the moutains and clouds and rivers from above as they would look from a hot air balloone. Very cool. The problem is, the map doesn't do a good job at showing you the road you're on or routes through the towns and mountains. It's only good use for me is fast travelling. Being a map, I figured it should help you find your way somewhere with the quickest or easiest possible route. After all, that's what a map is for isn't it? Other than that, Skyrim is one incredible game and I haven't even done the game justice on what I've said that's great about it. If you love rpgs, there's no debating it, just buy it. It's worth every penny and you'll be living in skyrim for years! Literally lol. And as for this collector's edition, I love it of course and I don't regret buying it one bit. If you're a fan of the series, well you shouldn't even be reading this, go buy the collectors edition now! If you're a casual gamer that likes rpgs, then the price is probably too steep and the 'goodies' are not as important to you. Either way, play Skyrim!

Bought for my brother for his birthday. Once he got it did not work but kept it because it was the collectors edition. game did not play at all.

very good book, really helped me with the game,learned a lot of secrets