Brink (SteelBook Edition)

SteelBooks hit different when they come from a game that bet everything on style. The Brink SteelBook Edition on PS3 delivered a proper metal case with dedicated Brink branding, a special edition art cover tucked inside, and a voucher code for a discount on either RAGE or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Bethesda was on a tear in 2011, and cross-promoting two of the biggest upcoming shooters through a SteelBook incentive was a smart move that aged into a fascinating collector's footnote.

Brink itself was Splash Damage's ambitious attempt to fuse parkour movement with team-based shooters, and while it didn't conquer the multiplayer landscape the way it hoped, that doesn't diminish the SteelBook one bit. The PS3 SteelBook era produced some of the cleanest shelf pieces in modern collecting, and Brink's case design has a sleek, utilitarian look that holds up well next to flashier titles. The real curiosity here is that voucher code.

Obviously long expired in terms of redemption, it's now a small piece of gaming marketing history. A nice, tight SteelBook from a game that swung big and missed is exactly the kind of piece that makes a collection interesting.