Treasure Hunter – Everything From Uncharted 3 to Skyward Sword and Much More Than Your Wallet Can Handle (Part 1 of 4)

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception  is one of the biggest releases of the year. Both the original Uncharted and Uncharted 2 were extremely well received. The series has been hailed as a fantastic example of how to make games that play more like a blockbuster movies. Needless to say, fans are expecting a lot from Uncharted 3 and they’ll have to chance to discover how it all plays out very shortly. For some fans just having the game isn’t enough so we have the Uncharted 3 collector’s edition for the die hards. For a cool $100 you’ll receive Nathan Drake in mini-statue form, a steelbook, replicas of Drake’s buckle and ring, a traveling chest as the packaging and if you pre-order from GameStop you’ll also get the special Penny Arcade poster. The standard edition of the game will also include the poster as long as you pre-order it. Uncharted 3 will be released on November 1.

Fate/Extra is a turn-based RPG that was re-imagined from the original visual novel, Fate/stay night. Most fans of the series believed the game would never reach North America but Aksys Games surprised everyone with an announcement earlier this year. Many compare Fate/Extra’s gameplay to that of the PS2 Persona games. If you’re a fan of the series or the Persona-like gameplay intrigued you this game might already be on your radar. For $40 you can pick up the limited edition of the game which is only ten dollars more than the standard edition. For the extra money a soundtrack and a gorgeous hardcover art book are included with the game. As bonus if you pre-order the limited or standard edition of the game from GameStop a 20-page magazine covering the Fate/Extra universe will be included. Oddly enough, the bonus magazine is only available with online orders. Given the cost of shipping and the applied sales tax the magazine may or may not be worth the extra money to you. Fate/Extra hits store shelves on November 1.

Lord of the Rings: War in the North is the latest entry in the LotR gaming franchise. The last few years certainly haven’t seen a lack of games based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original novels. War in the North is a co-op action RPG developed by Snowblind Studios. The developer is best known for Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance. The co-op action RPG is an already crowded genre this year but hardcore LotR fans will no doubt try this one out. The collector’s edition of the game sports a fancy quiver case (for the arrows you may or may not own), an art book, a soundtrack CD and various digital goodies depending on which console version of the game you get. The collector’s edition of Lord of the Rings: War in the North releases on November 1 and will cost $140.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is an interesting release. It is the 2009 follow up to the 2007 release of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles for the Wii. So why am I including this game in this month’s Treasure Hunter? For some reason GameStop had the brilliant idea to bundle Darkside Chronicles, two wiimote skins, the RE branded wiimote gun and nunchuck knife combo together. While these products have been available separately for years GameStop is the only retailer offering this specific bundle for a reasonable $40. If you’ve yet to play Darkside Chronicles or this bundle interests you it’ll be released on November 1st.

Does this image look familiar to you? If you’re a regular reader of this blog it should. I previously wrote about Otomedius Excellent for September’s Treasure Hunter. At the time this game was slated to be released that month but was obviously delayed. Sadly, I had no idea until I saw this game among the upcoming November releases. For this description I’m simply going to repeat what I said nearly two months ago. If you’re a fan of shoot ’em ups or shmups, you might already have a copy of Deathsmiles or something similar. Otomedius Excellent is an arcade shooter released by Konami which better known for their Gradius
games. OE combines the gameplay from Gradius with cute girls to create a
quirky title that could only come from Japan. For a the value price of $50 you can own the collector’s edition of this game.
The collector’s edition includes a double-sided pillow case, an art book and a soundtrack CD. Otomedius Excellent touches down on November 1st.

Do you remember this cute little guy? I also wrote about him in September’s Treasure Hunter. During that month he came bundled with the DS version of Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns. If you own a 3DS and held out for the upgraded version of the game you’ve been disappointed several times already. In true Natsume fashion Tale of Two Towns was originally supposed to be released in October but was continually delayed. This latest Harvest Moon game is set to release on November 1. If you pre-order from GameStop this alpaca will be included with the game– unless Tale of Two Towns is delayed yet again.

Sonic Generations is Sega’s latest attempt at a Sonic game that will finally impress both new and old fans. If you’ve been following Geoff’s demo impressions you might have some idea what to expect from the game. To celebrate Sonic Generations Sega is releasing an impressive looking collector’s edition– in Europe. In a surprising twist the collector’s edition sold out before the end of September in the UK. What does that mean for you? A lot if you were hoping to import the game. Most likely the shortage is due to high demand both in and out of the country, a lack of adequate supplies or a combination of the two. Either way, the only way to get your hands on this collector’s edition is to import it from Germany for 96 Euros plus import fees. While you’re at it you should probably grab the region-free PS3 version of the game. Hopefully you’ve brushed up on your German or there’s an English option. Sonic Generations will arrive on store shelves in North America on November 1, sans the collector’s edition. The collector’s edition will be available for Europe on November 4– if you can find it.