Treasure Hunter– November 2014: Holiday Gaming Season Madness (Part 2)

The treasure hunting continues as the release of games and special editions of anime just keep coming. This part of my column is filled with releases that were flawed in some way or completely botched. This time I put Payday 2, Assassin’s Creed Unity, LEGO Batman 3, Sonic Boom, Sailor Moon season one, and part one of Gurren Lagann under the microscope. I should also note in the United States Black Friday is just winding down. Perhaps you were able to save a few bucks on the games and anime you were interested in. Or maybe you (smartly) avoided the crowds and stayed in to indulge in your favorite hobbies—if you didn’t have to work today.

 

 

Payday 2: Safecracker Edition | Release: November 11 | Price: $29.99 | Publisher: 505 Games

Payday 2: Safecracker Edition is the definitive edition of Payday 2, the 2013 four-player co-op shooter. In this FPS the masked Payday crew, Dallas, Hoxton, Chains and Wolf go on a crime spree in Washington D.C. Players can rob banks with friends, choose from available jobs or terrorize the population of Washington. The Payday 2 Safecracker Edition is packed with all of the game’s DLC, add-ons, glossy art cards and an embroidered Dallas mask patch. This game might be lost in the sea of huge triple-A releases, but it will certainly interest a few fans of the series.

 

Assassin’s Creed Unity Collector’s Edition | Release: November 11 | Price: $129.99- Varies| Publisher: Ubisoft

Recently, Assassin’s Creed Unity has been a prime example of how not to treat the release of a triple-A game, especially one debuting exclusively on current generation consoles. Geoff has written about it in his “Examples of Damage Control in Gaming” column not just once, but twice. One can only shake their head as they sigh in disappointment at Ubisoft’s botched handling of one of their biggest franchises. Assassin’s Creed Unity takes place during the French Revolution. Arno Dorian sets out to learn the truth behind his adopted father’s murder, and eventually joins the Brotherhood of Assassins. Unity also allows for players to host a game and to bring in three other players for co-op sessions. The Assassin’s Creed Unity Collector’s Edition contains a 16-inch statue of Arno Dorian, a wooden AC Unity branded music box, an art book with special concept art, a Notre Dame Cathedral showcase box, the game’s soundtrack, and special DLC. If you’re a hardcore AC fan and you don’t mind the issues with the game, the collector’s edition could certainly be worth your money.

 

 

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham | Release: November 11 | Price: $49.99, $249.99 | Publisher: Warner Home Video Games

The LEGO games are best known for their high fun factor while remaining family friendly. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham shouldn’t be an exception. In this game Batman joins up with the other DC Comics superheroes, and travels to space to stop Brainiac from destroying Earth. Players can unlock over 150 superheroes and supervillains within the game. Anyone who ordered LEGO Batman 3 before November 11 at GameStop or Amazon received a keychain as a pre-order bonus. (Click to see the Amazon bonus and the GamesStop bonus.) The game was also included in one of the 500GB PS3 bundles.

 

Sonic Boom | Release: November 11 | Price: $39.99, $49.99 | Publisher: Sega of America

So… Sonic Boom. The less said about the games, the better. To say the games didn’t live up to expectations would be an understatement. It would have been nice to see Sega finally get out of the rut it has been in with the Sonic series. Unfortunately, the Sonic Boom games aren’t the break Sega needs. As usual, Geoff has you covered with a recap the disaster. In Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric on Wii U, Sonic and friends arrive on an island and confront Lyric, a cyborg snake-man. Not unlike Dr. Eggman (I almost typed Dr. Robotnik there), he wants to turn everyone and everything into robots. Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal is slightly different from Rise of Lyric. In the 3DS game Amy is kidnapped by Lyric and is replaced by Sticks, a badger. For those unlucky enough to have pre-ordered the game, a GameStop exclusive Sonic action figure included as a bonus.

 

Sailor Moon S1 Part 1 | Release: November 11 | Price: $52.89 | Publisher: VIZ Media

Sailor Moon is an iconic series that needs very little introduction among anime fans. This 1992 anime adaptation of Naoko Takeuchi’s manga of the same name is one of the most popular anime series to date. I’m positive the majority of you reading this blog probably remember the DIC Entertainment localization that was heavily Americanized. Sailor Moon follows the adventures of Usagi Tsukino (Serena Tsukino for the old dub fans), as she discovers her true identity as Sailor Moon, the pretty guardian of love and justice. Season one is Sailor Moon gathering her follow Sailor Scouts to fight against the Dark Kingdom. For the first time ever, Sailor Moon is being re-released on Blu-ray in North America and features a new dub, and a localization that’s faithful to the original Japanese version by Viz Media. The Sailor Moon Season 1 Part 1 Limited Edition set also includes an art booklet. Sadly, this set has a few quality issues such as ghosting and blurred colors, which has become quite controversial among fans.

 

Gurren Lagann BD 1 | Release: November 11 | Price: $49.98 | Publisher: Aniplex of America

Another Treasure Hunter, another Gurren Lagann release from Aniplex. I wrote about both of the expensive (but impressive) DVD and Blu-ray releases more than a year ago. Aniplex is back with a slightly cheaper re-release of the series on BD. This set contains the first five episodes, a double-sided poster and a booklet. Adding up the various future releases of Gurren Lagann sets, at $50 per set, and this new release will set you back by $250. It’s still $300 cheaper than the previous BD release, and might be the way to go if you don’t already have DVDs from Aniplex or Bandai Entertainment.

 

Stay tuned for part three of November’s Treasure Hunter. Click here if to read part one!