Resident Evil 5 Uber Edition Unboxing…

Is It A Rip Off?

Australia gets Resident Evil 5 almost 2 days early – technically

by Shadow Wave

© 2009 Ben Cadwallader

I was so excited I practically skipped all the way home from my local game store, for today (Thursday March 12th) was RE Day (NB: Resident Evil 5′s launch day – yes we have it now, on our 12th March, while it is still 11th/12th March in the US) and I had in my eager hands the Resident Evil 5 Uber (Collectors) Edition.   As an avid fan I was very excited and proud to express my love for Resident Evil by forking out $AU169.95 which is an extra $AU50 on top of the already high $AU119.95 RRP for such AAA titles.

It had all the good stuff! A collectible tin case, a figurine and a few other bits and pieces such as a bag that I personally would never use, but I didn’t care.  I would stick that figurine up there with my Bioshock Big Daddy CE figure and my MGS4 Olive Drab Snake who are all of course overshadowed by Master Chief’s fat helmeted head.

I could point to it from across the room and say, “that’s Chris Redfield, his muscles are unbelievably huge!” and all my mates who don’t care would say “great” and roll their eyes when they thought I wasn’t looking.

But I have to mention (sadly) that the Uber (Collectors) Edition of Resident Evil 5 is somewhat of a rip off – in my view.

I got home, opened the box, and noticed that half of the box was empty? WTF? There simply was massive empty space. I thought that maybe this box accidentally missed out on the figurine?

Nah, in the end I found it tucked in a corner underneath.

Have you ever wondered why it seems to be impossible to find out how big this bonus Chris Redfield figurine is? It must be because no-one wants you to know. It is unbelievably tiny. It looks like something you could get off the shelf at your local 2 dollar shop.

I think it was pretty obvious that for most potential buyers, the main selling point was that they were going to spend $AU50 to get a decent figurine and a bag, plus a few other bonus goodies that were cool extras.

The bag, well it’s pretty small too; it is smaller than the Far Cry 2 messenger bag, and it feels- well kind of flimsy. I certainly wouldn’t put anything heavy in the bag. Not that I overly care about the messenger bag, as I would never wear the bag out anyway…. it’s going straight back into the box.

The other bonuses I think don’t need much explaining: the necklace is well, a necklace, and the patch looks fine as far as patches go.

The Tin Case, though is great. It looks awesome and feels great. I’m also very happy that they also gave you the standard edition case of the game as well, perhaps for the true collectors that wouldn’t really open the box.

But is it worth an extra $50 here in Australia?  In my opinion – No Way.

Compared to some of the greater ones, such as the Metal Gear Solid 4 CE and the Bioshock CE which were both cheaper, the RE5 Uber (Collectors) Edition just simply doesn’t hold up.

If this collector’s edition was given a full size figurine then it would just scrape through as being acceptable. But where is the art book or soundtrack? It’s nowhere to be seen.

In Australia JB Hifi stores are giving out free figurines that are large; that’s right they are taller than a DVD case!  So if you are thinking of getting the Uber Edition, I suggest save yourself $50+ and invest into a standard edition with a bonus figurine, you will be much happier! 

Have a look at the pictures: do you think it’s worth an extra $50 now that it is revealed outside the advertised photos?

(Ed note: You’ll have to get in quick as stocks are limited according to a JB source)

© 2009 Ben Cadwallader

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Filed under: Console gaming, Editorial, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Game Reviews, Xbox 360 News Tagged: | BBAA, Capcom, Chris Redfield, Chris Redfield figurine, Resident Evil 5 Collectors Edition, resident evil 5 info, Resident Evil 5 reviews, Residnet Evil 5 Uber Edition, THQ, Tricell