Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Collector's Edition

Game Informer named it one of the best collector's editions of its time, and they weren't wrong. The Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Collector's Edition on Xbox 360 is a SteelBook package done right, wrapped in a plastic slip cover and loaded with extras that actually complement the game.

The two-disc SteelBook houses the game and a bonus disc containing the full soundtrack, trailers, and desktop wallpapers. Capcom also included an art book, a 48-hour Xbox Live trial, and a download code for an exclusive multiplayer map, though that map eventually became free for everyone in June 2007. The SteelBook itself is the real prize. Lost Planet's frozen, alien-infested landscapes translate beautifully to the metallic finish, and the two-disc format gives it a satisfying heft that standard cases can't match.

Lost Planet was one of those early Xbox 360 titles that pushed the hardware and gave the console an identity beyond Halo and Gears. The Collector's Edition packaging reflects that ambition. The art book documents the Vital Suit mech designs and the ice-covered environments that made the game a visual showcase for its generation. For 360 collectors, this SteelBook sits perfectly alongside other premium Capcom releases from the era. The slip cover is the fragile link, as always. A complete copy with the slip cover intact, art book unbent, and bonus disc present is the version worth hunting for. It earned that Game Informer recognition for good reason.