Dead Island Riptide Zombie Bait Edition

This one made headlines for all the wrong reasons, and that's exactly why collectors want it. The Dead Island Riptide Zombie Bait Edition on Xbox 360 ships with a weapon pack DLC, a steelbook case, and the infamous hand-painted figurine that sparked immediate controversy upon reveal. Deep Silver caught serious heat for the figure's design, which turned this edition into one of the most talked-about collector's releases of the entire 360 generation, for better or worse.

The steelbook alone would make it a respectable shelf piece, and the weapon pack DLC adds gameplay value. But we all know the figurine is the reason this edition exists in collector conversations. Its notoriety made it instantly scarce as retailers pulled stock and buyers either snapped it up or avoided it entirely, creating a split market that drove remaining sealed copies into serious demand.

Love it or hate it, the Zombie Bait Edition is a time capsule of a very specific moment in gaming culture. It's the kind of release that doesn't get made twice, and for collectors who document the full, unfiltered history of the medium, that's precisely the point.