Call of Duty: World at War Limited Collector's Edition

Some collector's editions arrive carrying the weight of an entire franchise's legacy, and the Call of Duty: World at War Limited Collector's Edition on Xbox 360 is exactly that kind of release. Treyarch took the series back to World War II after Modern Warfare changed everything, and the Limited Collector's Edition marked the occasion with a package built for COD faithful.

World at War was a proving ground. After Infinity Ward redefined shooters with Modern Warfare in 2007, Treyarch had to justify returning to WWII's well-trodden battlefields. They answered with a campaign that was darker and more brutal than anything the series had attempted, a Pacific Theater setting that broke from the franchise's European comfort zone, and the introduction of Nazi Zombies, a co-op mode that would become one of gaming's most enduring side attractions. This was also notably one of the first games to include a Netflix trial, a quirky piece of 2008 ephemera that now serves as a timestamp for when streaming was still a novelty Microsoft was testing through the 360 dashboard.

The Limited Collector's Edition arrived in November 2008 during what might be the most competitive holiday release window the Xbox 360 ever saw. Call of Duty was ascending to its throne as gaming's biggest annual franchise, and World at War was the installment that proved Treyarch could carry the brand. For 360-era COD collectors, the Limited Collector's Edition is the proper way to own this pivotal chapter. It's the edition that says you were there when Zombies mode first shambled onto the scene and changed multiplayer gaming forever.