Assassin's Creed Limited Edition

This is the one that went all in. The Assassin's Creed Limited Edition for PS3, packaged in a large tin with a plastic slip cover, came loaded with the kind of variety pack that defined early PS3 collector culture. Inside you got a 3-inch Altair figurine, a Penny Arcade Assassin's Creed comic book, a mini strategy guide, and a bonus DVD stuffed with behind-the-scenes footage, developer diaries, producer interviews, short film contest winners, trailers, and artwork.

If you pre-ordered through EB Games or GameStop, you also scored a hardcover art book. That conditional bonus is the kind of thing that makes tracking down truly complete copies a legitimate hunt.

The PS3 era was disc-based paradise for collectors, and this edition represents the philosophy perfectly. Physical media, tangible extras, actual effort put into making you feel like you owned something special. The Penny Arcade comic alone is a time capsule from an era when that collaboration meant something specific in gaming culture. The tin housing gives it serious shelf presence, and the sheer number of items inside means unboxing one of these still feels like an event.

Complete copies with the pre-order art book are the real grail here. Without it, you've got a fantastic edition. With it, you've got a complete piece of PS3 collecting history.