Treasure Hunter — A Bunch of Oddly Fitting Halloween Themed Releases (Part 1 of 2)

If you’ve managed to obtain a copy of the Dark Souls collector’s edition consider yourself one lucky gamer. A few weeks before the spiritual successor to Demon’s Souls was set to release various retailers stopped selling pre-orders of the collector’s edition. Gamers who hadn’t pre-ordered the game well before October were simply out of luck. But wait, it actually got worse! Just as the game was set to release it quickly became apparent Bandai Namco had not created enough collector’s editions to meet consumer demand. Newegg.com didn’t receive any collector’s editions of the game while Best Buy was only sent a few copies– well below what the retailer was expecting. Gamers who had pre-ordered a collector’s edition were instead given a standard edition of the game and a $20 gift card. So what came with the collector’s edition anyway? Gamers who pre-ordered Dark Souls ahead of time got a tin case, the game, a hardcover art book and digital versions of the soundtrack, the bonus making of videos, and the mini strategy guide. If you still want to try your luck at getting the Dark Souls collector’s edition you can find the game at Amazon and eBay. Dark Souls was released on October 4 for the Xbox 360 and PS3. It’s a shame Atlus USA lost the rights to publish this game in North America– I simply couldn’t imagine this fiasco occurring with them.

If you were more interested in the collector’s edition of Batman Arkham City instead of Dark Souls you’re in luck. Unlike Bandai Namco, Warner Bros has created more than enough copies of the collector’s edition for gamers. For $100 or 40 dollars more than the standard edition you’ll receive a number of goodies in this collection. Collector’s items include a Kotobukiya produced Batman statue, a hardcover art book, a copy of Batman: Gotham Knight,  the soundtrack (in digital form) and various in-game digital items. If you pre-order from Amazon an 8-page Batman Arkham City comic will be included with your order. Batman Arkham City will be released on October 18 for the 360 and PS3.

Jane’s Advanced Strike Fighters has to be one of the least interesting names for a video game I’ve heard in quite sometime. Everything about this Maximum Family Games developed and published title screams “generic video game.” The fact that this game has also been delayed several times doesn’t help either. J.A.S.F. is an action flight game which takes place in the fictional war-torn country of Azbaristan. As an American squadron leader you’re tasked with restoring peace to Azbaristan via aerial combat missions. If you’re a fan of aerial combat this game might already be on your radar. If you pre-order from Gamestop a t-shirt with the above logo will be included with your purchase. J.A.S.F. lands in stores on October 18 for the PS3, 360 and PC. The console version of this game will cost $50 while the PC version is only $30.

If you’re a fan of everything related to zombies Majesco has an interesting twist on the concept. In what appears to be an undead alternative to pet simulation games, Pet Zombies allows you to raise your own unique zombie pet. In glorious 3D you’ll be able to fully customize your zombie and choose from several common zombie locations. If you pre-order this undead pet sim parody for the 3DS from Gamestop you’ll receive a keychain with your order. Experiencing this pet apocalypse will cost you $30 and it all begins on October 18.

A month ago Disney re-released The Lion King in 3D in movie theaters worldwide. The release was supposed to be a limited affair but the movie has raked in over $90 million domestically since September 16. If you include worldwide numbers the total box office profit for TLK in 3D rises to about $127 million. With a profit of several million dollars each week The Lion King will continue to hold territory in movie theaters for a while longer. However, the real reason for the re-release was to promote the release of this traditionally animated classic on Blu-ray and 3D. There are a number of releases for TLK (including BD/DVD and BD/DVD/3D and digital copy bundles) but the Trilogy release is the King of them all. For an MSRP of $100 (currently $74 on Amazon) you’ll receive TLK on BD/DVD/3D and a digital copy, The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride on a BD/DVD combo and The Lion King 1½ on BD/DVD as well. Everything is housed in a box that resembles wood with intricate carvings and a drum is included. Unfortunately the drum also serves as a container for the movies which can’t be good for collectors wanting to keep their discs in pristine condition. The Lion King Trilogy was released on October 4.

In
August I wrote about the Aniplex of America panel I attended at Otakon 2011. There I mentioned Blue Exorcist would be released on DVD starting in October. The first of four DVD releases for Blue Exorcist will be available at various retailers in a few days. The 7-episode DVD set has an MSRP of $37.98 but is currently up for pre-order at Rightstuf for $29.98. Included with the DVD set is a nice doubled-sided poster that’s sure to please any fan. The sons of Satan will slash and blast their way into stores on October 18.

Part two of this month’s Treasure Hunter will be posted later this week.