Dark Souls II HMV Limited Edition

Two thousand copies. Individually numbered. Japanese cover art. The Dark Souls II HMV Limited Edition for Xbox 360 is the kind of understated variant that serious collectors live for.

Packaged in a standard jewel case but featuring the Japanese cover art instead of the Western version, with each sleeve individually numbered out of the 2,000-unit production run, this was an HMV UK exclusive. The Japanese artwork for Dark Souls II carries a completely different mood, more ethereal and painterly compared to the Western box art, and having it on a numbered sleeve transforms a standard case into something genuinely collectible.

Dark Souls II doesn't need an introduction. The franchise redefined difficulty, patience, and reward in modern gaming. By the time the sequel hit Xbox 360, the Souls community was a force, and limited variants like this HMV edition were gobbled up by collectors who understood that 2,000 copies per platform is nothing.

The individual numbering is what elevates this from "neat variant" to "must-have." Every copy has its own identity within a confirmed limited run. No ambiguity about production numbers, no vague "limited edition" promises. Just 2,000 copies, each one accounted for. HMV exclusivity kept it locked to one UK retailer, and the store's own eventual struggles make this feel like an artifact from two disappearing worlds at once. For Souls collectors and Xbox 360 completionists, this numbered edition is pure gold.