Mass Effect 3 Collector's Edition has bonus character and mission

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 18 November, 2011

Fabric N7 patch! Robotic Dog! Additional content!

The innards of the Mass Effect 3 Collector's Edition have been revealed.

US shop GameStop spilled the beans. There, in the US, it costs $80 on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

A video showcasing the Collector's Edition reveals it includes exclusive "bonus squad appearances" for Ashley Williams, Liara T'Soni, James Vega and Kaidan Alenko, bonus Xbox Live Avatars and a "classified" bonus character and mission. What this is, we don't know.

GameStop's list reveals the following:

  • Premium metal case featuring male and female Commander Shepard.
  • Premium 70-page hardbound art book.
  • Limited edition Mass Effect comic by Dark Horse Comics.
  • Fabric N7 patch.
  • Exclusive 4x6 lithographic print of the SR-2 Alliance Normandy.
  • Additional in-game content including.
  • N7 Arsenal Pack - Bring the firepower with the N7 Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, SMG, and Pistol.
  • Squad alternate appearance pack.
  • Robotic Dog for on board the Normandy.
  • Mass Effect 3 digital soundtrack.
Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (52) Latest comment 5 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Springchicken #1 6 months ago

    Good to see Sony are still around in the 22nd Century, although not too sure I like that they've brought the AIBO back.

  • telboy007 #2 6 months ago

    Gah... I really want that dog! ARGH!!! Damn you expensive limited editions of games!!! *shakes fist*

  • jonfon #3 6 months ago

    Oh look, it's pay more = start with better weapons. Hurrah. I love that sort of feature and am delighted that Bioware continue to do it with every bloody release. Thanks Bioware.

    I assume the Day 1 DLC announcement featuring an ingame NPC who takes your credit card details is on the way too? That rocked in DA : Origins too and didn't feel like being shook down whatsoever.

  • s3y3 #4 6 months ago

    I hate it when you have to pay extra just to get the complete game.

  • NotoriousR #5 6 months ago

    Nothing Garrus related? Excellent. I'll carry on then.

  • BloodSaint #6 6 months ago

    It is a pretty sweet deal, considering its only $20(USD) more than the standard addition but includes soooo many bonuses. I might actually get a collectors addition for the first time in my life :D

  • Dr.Buckles #7 6 months ago

    Ordered.

  • pauleyc #8 6 months ago

    @telboy007

    Considering Bioware's recent approach to games I'm afraid you'd get a Muffit II (from Battlestar Galactica) instead of a cybernetic killing machine.

  • ZizouFC #9 6 months ago

    I want that dog!

  • jonbwfc #10 6 months ago

    @GotYourMoney
    Sorry but you're generalising a bit. I'm a 'gamer' and I've pre-ordered it. I rather like those concept art books y'see. if you're a fan of the series, there's plenty enough content in this one to justify the extra cost.

    (edited to attribute to right person)
    Edited by jonbwfc at 18/11/11 @ 10:51

  • Cjail #11 6 months ago

    And to think that we used used to kill those dogs in ME 2!

    EDIT
    I would like to add, for those that are interested, that in the UK also Gamestation is selling the CE for £69.99
    Edited by Cjail at 18/11/11 @ 11:17

  • SgtHowdy #12 6 months ago

    Currently £69.99 at Game. Is this a Game exclusive? Please no...

  • fiery_jackass #13 6 months ago

    @BloodSaint
    I'm afraid that makes you part of the problem. I don't mind collector's editions when they're fancy boxes or "making of" dvds or plastic helmets or other shit I don't care for.
    This is a completely different matter, bad news

  • Springchicken #14 6 months ago

    @SgtHowdy I don't think so, but I haven't seen it cheaper than 69.99 anywhere. That's a ludicrous price, almost double what's being asked for the regular edition.

  • ubergine #15 6 months ago

    I fucking hate these things. When it came down to it, the preorder shit for Skyrim amounted to getting people to pay AU$30 extra for a special packet and some stationary. I want the in-game content but the physical stuff is garbage.

  • Fox89 #16 6 months ago

    Go to hell, EA. And/or retailers that pressure them to do this. I don't care about your art book, I DO care about getting all the characters. But there is no way in hell you're taking a further £30 from me for the privilege.

    At least when Deus Ex pulled this nonsense the Augmented Edition was available for standard retail prices. Whereas in this case if I want all the game content I have to sacrifice my planned purchase of Assassin's Creed.
    Edited by Fox89 at 18/11/11 @ 11:02

  • mcreddie #17 6 months ago

    Asking for negs here but...I thought the second one was massively overhyped and feel this one will be too :p

    Plus I reckon the online will be bollocks.

  • jonfon #18 6 months ago

    @mcreddie
    I thought it was a decent enough game but I hated the dumbed down Inventory, lack of weapon upgrades and a lot of other things about it.

    Makes me sad seeing the way Bioware are going when you compare it & DA2 to the Witcher 2, another game with a set protagonist and the same sort of story driven RPG but where you still have the chance to go rummaging for decent ingame weapons & items (which aren't superceded by pay-for DLC items) and where the Developers actually give away any DLC they've done in the meantime to absolutely everyone a few months later.

    May be some spoilers for older Bioware games here, so beware :

    I'm really hoping Bioware get out of that "do first part of story, then branch out into 4 subpaths which you have to do but can do in any order, then tighten up again into a single story" framework they've used for so long. Knights of the Old Republic used it, so did MA1 & 2 and so did DA : Origins. I think it initially kicked off back with Baldurs Gate 2, and was excellent, but since then they've done it for nearly every release (Neverwinter may have used it too, I honestly can't remember much about that story other than dullness)
    Edited by jonfon at 18/11/11 @ 11:27

  • Cjail #19 6 months ago

    @SgtHowdy
    As I "edited" Gamestation also is selling it but it seem that they are the only two online stores selling it.
    I checked at Amazon.uk, Play.com, Zavvi.com, ShopTo.net, Tesco.com and they don't have it listed; it is still possible that these sites will sell it in the future but I wouldn't count on it.

  • darleysam #20 6 months ago

    So, coming to the UK?

  • telboy007 #21 6 months ago

    @pauleyc I'd still be cool with that too. :D

  • AndyboyH #22 6 months ago

    Got mine preordered since the day it went up on the Game website. ME is one of the few franchises (this gen) that I feel I'd happily pay double for the additional crap.

    I might be a chump for doing that, but Mass Effect, like Assassin's Creed, keeps me entertained for WEEKS.

    Compared to £8-10 for a cinema ticket or £50-100 on a night out (totally pulled the night out numbers out of the air based on friends going out to the Toon) or something like that, it's f***-all, and it's nice to get some random promo tat/trinkets, artbooks, or in ACR's case, a big, well printed, nicely bound encyclopaedia.

    But I do understand why it sucks for people that just want the digital content but none of the physical stuff. They should make a halfway house edition between standard and collectors.

  • LR100 #23 6 months ago

    I've had this preordered on GAME for yonks. The content has been known for pretty much the same length of time.

  • SgtHowdy #24 6 months ago

    @Cjail Looks like Game it is then. As a big ME fan, I'll pre-order it but fingers crossed the price comes down.

  • Cjail #25 6 months ago

    @SgtHowdy
    All the Special/Collectors Editions I have bought from them, even very recently, has always decreased in price...maybe not much but they all have!
    Still I would really like to have more options becuse GAME is not my favourite site at all.
    Edited by Cjail at 18/11/11 @ 11:36

  • WeakOrbit #26 6 months ago

    It's not as bad as the Skyrim edition to be honest. Granted the artbook looked really nice but I didn't want the Alduin statue. Shame there isn't a middle edition with just the art book.

    This isn't bad however hopefully they'll put a making of dvd in as well.

  • Cjail #27 6 months ago

    @WeakOrbit
    Dark Horse is going to release a nice 184 pages art book called "Art of the Mass Effect Universe" on February 21st.
    Probably it will have many more things that the art book of the CE so you could keep an eye on it.

  • sabbede #28 6 months ago

    Okay. That's it. I'm done.
    There is no way in hell I'm paying extra (again!) for content that you should get by default. That's bullshit.
    I am not buying this game. This will be the first of the series I am not buying.

    I will, however, steal it.
    Why? Because there is nothing immoral about stealing from thieves.

  • TenderChicken #29 6 months ago

    Being a sucker for the Mass Effect series (I'm sure a lot of you are too)Bioware know that I'll spend over the odds if there's an exclusive extra character or mission pack involved. It's one thing including Zaeed with the Cerberus network, but to actually force people to buy an extortionate collector's addition in order to get the most out of the game of the day of release is just wrong. It's a justifiable purchase if you're interested in all the other extras, but if not it puts the loyal customer in a horrible position.

  • jonfon #30 6 months ago

    @sabbede
    Actually if you want to get on your moral high horse the moral thing to do is have the conviction and willpower to stick by your stance and not play it at all.

    Trying to justify yourself in by saying "They're thieves" is ridiculous and I think you know it.

    It may be a business model I disagree with but it's their business model. All you are justified in doing is taking it or leaving it (or waiting until the business model offered shifts to something more palatable like a GOTY bundle)
    Edited by jonfon at 18/11/11 @ 13:18

  • Ducanoff #31 6 months ago

    GOD DAMMIT
    I bought Mass Effect 1 and 2. I bought all of the DLC (and I hate the concept of DLC!). I bought the pre-order bonuses I wasn't able to get at game launch on eBay.
    I had the Blood Dragon armor from my Origins copy.
    But I will not buy an overpriced chump edition.
    F*** this game and f*** you too Bioware.
    Edited by Ducanoff at 18/11/11 @ 13:23

  • couloir #32 6 months ago

    so it's not a version where you play as the collectors? i feel cheated.

  • Ror1984 #33 6 months ago

    Already pre-ordered, it'll sit nicely next to my Limited Editions of the first two games.

    I really don't see the need to include in-game stuff in LEs though. I like a nice art book, proper soundtrack cd, a behind-the-scenes dvd packed with content (the one that came with ME1 was excellent), stuff like that. In-game stuff either ends up being crap like gun packs, or exclusive characters and missions, which I don't think is really fair to people that only buy the standard edition, especially in a game like ME, where many people are going to want every tiny scrap of content they can get their hands on.

    I think the game should be the game, standard or limited.

  • eltonpr0n #34 6 months ago

    I can't wait for this to come out. Love the ME games and universe.

  • steviepunk #35 6 months ago

    For ME3, I'll buy the LE version.
    Though I'd had to say that I'm totally pissed that it's exclusive to Game, we all know it would be £5 to 10 cheaper if it was available from other retails as well.

  • duckmouth #36 6 months ago

    I don't mind DLC. NEG ME TO OBLIVION

  • Xardan #37 6 months ago

    Unfortunately GAME have took the rights to sell this edition and so have set the price on their own terms.

  • Mr.Spo #38 6 months ago

    Subtract ten dollars and get the UK price, eh Game?? Thanks. Thanks a lot. Please let Zavvi or Amazon sell this...

  • myk #39 6 months ago

    As it's exclusive to Game even the PC edition is £69.99 - over twice the price of the standard PC edition (£27.99) at Amazon. I'm getting a bit fed of up of retailer exclusives, they are blatantly anti-competitive.

  • rob_of_the_robots #40 6 months ago

    ""bonus squad appearances" for Ashley Williams, Liara T'Soni, James Vega and Kaidan Alenko"

    This I am suspicious about. Does it mean they won't be in your squad unless you buy this edition or that it's just extra content for those squad members?

  • Caimbeul #41 6 months ago

    Hmm, soundtrack may sway it for me BUT i will be buying for PC and 360 so that is a bit too much to swallow. I bet the soundtrack isnt the full soundtrack just like the first two. ThNeither of them included the music from the nightclubs... thankfully some folks on the Bioware forums were able assist in that regard.

  • Inmediasress #42 6 months ago

    So you pay extra for Skins and better weapons lol.
    lowest of the low Bioware or should I say EAware.
    My recommendation buy normal game and then torrent the DLC shit for it.
    Will be available on day one probably.

  • Gastrian #43 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • ilmaestro #44 6 months ago

    Pretty fucked up that so much in-game content is in this release. You should be able to get the full game in the "regular" edition, art books should be sold separately, and then have an expensive edition full of tat for people who like that sort of thing/somehow have the space in their house to keep it all.

  • evarofzentral #45 6 months ago

    Robotic Dog = sold

  • septimus #46 6 months ago

    Damn it. Mass Effect is stunning and I hope this preorder isn't an entire waste of money. I.e the game is good and not ruined by gimmicks.

  • Ternon #47 6 months ago

    Wow, this is absolutely disgusting...so much content that you have to buy for half again price just to have a full game.

    Unbelievable.

  • jimr9999us #48 6 months ago

    If the collector's edition does in fact include additional content than the normal edition that's crossing the line imho. I won't purchase either if that's the case.

  • fredrikpj #49 6 months ago

    Im a massive mass effect fan, so I'll buy the CE to get the full experience if the normal version doesn't include it. Doesn't mean I like it though.... Damn you, Im a fan, I shouldn't need to shell out more cash because I am :(

  • Hindle #50 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 23:04:43 04-04-2012

  • Hermiod #51 6 months ago

    @rob_of_the_robots I'm guessing it's extra outfits for those characters.

  • Charmaine #52 5 months ago

    I am late to this, and it says a lot about me that I registered purely to write this:
    the UK edition is not restricted to GAME. However, it may be restricted to it via physical media. You can pre-order a digital version off Origin (which I use, and thus pre-ordered from. This is not an Origin advertisement).

    And the alternate 'appearance' pack: it's an alternate outfit pack.

    Uh, I think that's all.