Darksiders II Collector's Edition

Death rides a pale horse, but collectors ride eBay at 2 AM. The Darksiders II Collector's Edition on PlayStation 3 gives you one of the most impressive wearable props to come out of the PS3 generation: a life-sized replica Death Mask with display stand. Vigil Games understood that if you're going to send players out as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, you'd better deliver something theatrical.

Beyond the mask, you get a hardcover artbook showcasing the game's distinctive Joe Madureira-influenced art style, a DLC code for the official soundtrack, and a DLC code for the Shadow of Death in-game pack. The artbook alone justifies shelf space. Vigil's visual language for Darksiders II was a blend of heavy metal album art and comic book dynamism, and seeing that work in a hardcover format does it proper justice.

But the mask is the centerpiece, and it knows it. Mounted on its stand, it has the kind of immediate visual impact that stops people mid-conversation when they spot it on your shelf. The craftsmanship holds up well, with enough detail in the sculpt to read as a genuine prop rather than a cheap Halloween accessory. Darksiders II arrived during a period when THQ was struggling financially, which gives the entire Collector's Edition a bittersweet edge. The game was a passion project from a studio that wouldn't survive much longer, and this edition feels like Vigil putting everything they had into making something memorable. The mask has become one of those iconic PS3-era collectibles that transcends the game itself.