Curse you, "supply chain issues!" You can blame them for the undignified nerfing of the Fable 2 Limited Collector's Edition, which will now ship sans Fate Cards, adorable Hobbe figure and splendid, premium box. Thankfully, the reduction also affects the package's price, which will go down by $10 to $69.99 (£39.99 for our UK chums). It will still include a "making-of" DVD and the bonus in-game dungeon, weapon and Spartan armor.

To make up for the loss, Lionhead Studios has offered a downloadable Fable soundtrack. To obtain the tunes, visit sumthingdigital as of October 6th and enter "FableCollection" as a promotion code.

You might need to fill that flask, er, "canteen" with more than just Kool-Aid if you plan to make it through the first few weeks of Call of Duty 5 Call of Duty: World At War boot camp. You see, you bought the "Limited Collector's Edition," which includes, in addition to a storage tin (guaranteed to fit other Treyarch games!) and the aforementioned sipping container, the infamous "Day One Advantage." As if spotting the guy with the ridiculously over-powered machine gun won't be easy enough, you'll also be pinned with a "uniquely colored clan tag" identifying your "VIP-status" in online multiplayer. In other words: Everybody kill that guy! Yeah, you.

Here's the thing: selling a Collector's Edition for a game made for collectors isn't fan service ... it's stealing. But if you're comfortable with that, and want to slip a crisp $70 bill into Joe Blizzard's overstuffed g-string, here's what he's offering in exchange:

• The Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack, helpfully jammed onto a DVD-ROM (take that, floppies!)
• A 208-page WotLK art book ... full of art
• Frosty, the baby frost wyrm – an exclusive in-game pet (what, no plushie?)
• A DVD jam-packed with dev interviews, intro cinematic (plus director's commentary)
• Soundtrack CD, featuring the #1 hit single: "Waltz of the Lich King"
• Mouse pad (adorned with a handy map of Northrend)
• Two starter decks for the collectible card game (see: collectors!) and two exclusive cards

You can try to resist, collectophiles, but alas ... you can't. Blizzard will once again triumph over frugality, and your epic quest for debt-free living will end on November 13th.

[Via WoW Insider]

Gun-toting xenophobes, rejoice! Sony has confirmed that Resistance 2, much like all games ever, will have its North American release in the alarmingly crowded month of November -- the 4th, to be exact. Insomniac's ambitious first-person shooter will also arrive in the company of a fancy, $79.99 collector's edition, complete with the usual making-of videos, art books and snarling statuettes.

If you're the impatient type who simply can't wait to take some shots with at a digital Chimera, you'll be pleased to note that Sony has a multiplayer and co-operative public beta planned for early October. To gain "guaranteed access," you'll either have to pre-order Resistance 2 at Gamestop, purchase an annual subscription to the PSN's interactive magazine Qore, or simply purchase Qore Episode 3. There's a free option too -- register here -- but it does not guarantee entry to the beta.

Do you feel confident in saying that you despise the chimera more than anyone else that you know? To be more specific, would you say you hate them twenty dollars more? You can prove your disdain for those yellow-eyed jerks by picking up the collector's edition for Resistance 2, recently unveiled by Amazon.com, which is quickly becoming one of the most comprehensive (if not somewhat unlikely) sources for video game news. Seriously. We're worried.

Included in the bundle (which, for the mathematically challenged, is currently priced at $79.99) is a behind-the-scenes making-of documentary, video commentary from the game's developers, a "Twisted History" chronology video, an exclusive multiplayer character skin, a double-sided art book, and a preview of the heretofore unannounced Gathering Storm novel, which is based on the game. There's also a five and a half inch tall Chimera Hybrid action figure which, due to your unreasonable chimeric hatred, you'll probably just end up microwaving in effigy.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

EA has announced that February 20, 2009, will mark the rather momentous occasion of stereotypical gamers finally venturing into the brightly lit outside world ... in the game. It's the day The Sims 3, the latest interactive simulation of an annoying, fickle, selfish and lazy race of creatures, will be distributed -- both physically and digitally -- to a bunch of annoying, fickle, selfish and lazy creatures.

If you'd like to append "supercilious" to that list of adjectives, you should consider purchasing The Sims 3 Collector's Edition, which will include an exclusive in-game "Italian-style" sports car for you to maneuver through your envious neighborhood (no wonder those floating diamonds are green). Also included in the package will be a Sims Plumbob USB drive, a tips and hints guide, The Sims 3 Plumbob stickers and, oh yes, the game.

A dynamic duo of details dropped yesterday at the Gears of War 2 panel at the San Diego Comic Con 08 regarding Epic's epic new installment in their well-received locust-splitting franchise. The first of these announcements, revealed by Cliff Bleszinski, was that the title will utilize "linked achievements" to unlock in-game content -- basically, if you have certain achievements from the original Gears of War on your profile, it will unlock certain bonuses (like extra playable characters in the online mode) in the sequel.

The second, and arguably less thrilling announcement, came shortly thereafter -- the obligatory "collector's edition" of Gears of War 2 was unofficially announced at the panel. It will supposedly include a "miniature replica model" of a Lancer, the iconic chainsaw-infused gun from the series. Sure, the special edition's legendary price of $130 may seem a tad unreasonable, but who said that transforming your cat into a futuristic super soldier was going to be cheap?

As if you needed more incentive to pre-order the game, the Bethesda Blog has now revealed "representational images" of the Fallout 3 Collector's Edition. Based on the above design, the Vault Boy bobble head will likely be the same vertical size as the Vault-Tec lunch box, and the hardcover art book about the same diameter as a DVD. Alongside the game, it all looks like it will fit neatly into the carrier, which should be sturdy enough to block its contents from our drool.

[Via Big Download]

Did you know that it was scientifically possible to desire Fallout 3 more than you already do? We didn't until this morning when we saw the (unconfirmed by Bethesda) listing for the collector's edition of it at Gamestop. For $70, you'll get a Vault Boy Bobblehead doll, a hardcover book of art and a behind-the-scenes DVD. Oh, and the whole thing comes in a metal Vault-Tec lunch box. Yes. Please.

There's also a date for the game of October 7, but that could just be an estimate. As far as we're concerned (thanks in part to today's announcement) the official date for Fallout 3 is "Not even close to soon enough."

One tiny little detail about NFL Head Coach '09 seems to have been buried at the bottom of EA's announcement yesterday regarding the "Collector's Edition" of Madden NFL '09. Turns out that Head Coach '09 is only available by purchasing the $90 special edition. Just to be clear: It won't be sold separately.

Madden's Marketing Director, Christopher Erb, says the decision was not made out of fear that the game couldn't stand on its own, and explains it's a way for the company to "reduce the price and make it a bonus to our fans." He's got a point, if it was at retail the two games separated would cost $120, but given the tepid response of the original Head Coach and its niche factor, this may be the best way to move units. Erb believes those who play Head Coach are hardcore Madden fans anyway and the company may consider releasing it as a separate title if there's enough outcry.