Average Guy Reviews: Gears of War 4 Collector's Edition

Do you like motorcycles?
by ~ AS

I have been a die-hard Gears of War fan since the original release on Xbox 360. I fell in love with this franchise after the first installment, which I ended up upgrading to the Gears of War Collector’s Edition. I purchased a used version from a private seller on Amazon, and sold my standard copy to a friend. I made sure to never make this mistake again! When Gears of War 2 released, I went straight to pre-ordering the Collector’s Edition, and followed this same behavior with Gears of War 3.

I remember the sticker shock I felt when I spent $125 on the Gears of War 3 Epic Edition, which notably included the excellent statue of Marcus Fenix down on one knee with his lancer. Today, I still proudly display this statue in my home office.

Fast forward now, to 2016, when the Collector’s Edition of Gears of War 4 was announced. The entry price has doubled to $250. This asking price created pause and required a second opinion from the wife. $250 is a lot of money. Being an Amazon Prime member eased this blow to my wallet, with the 20% off all video game pre-orders, so the final damage was “only” $200.

So, what do you get?

The Statue:
The owners of this unique edition to Gears of War get is a statue of J.D. Fenix, sporting his motorcycle while holding a lancer. I have many gaming statues from numerous limited/collector’s editions, and this might be heaviest outside of the Titanfall statue. There is clearly no detail spared. The statue was made with consideration and thought that does not make owners feel they were provided a statue rushed into production. I love this statue. I also cannot fail to mention how his armor glows blue, just like in the game.
 
The Steelbook:
I am a sucker for steelbooks. I display all my video game cases on my shelf and these cases provided the necessary touch to stand out in my collection of plastic cases. I solely purchase premium editions of video game franchises I adore. Check out the unique art being displayed. 

The Season Pass:
I am noticing more often the inclusion of season passes in these next-level editions. I believe this should be a requirement for all higher priced editions moving forward. This should be seen as a small gesture of appreciation from publishers to their hardcore fans who spend over $100 on a video game we can easily wait for a price drop on or purchase used.

The Keychain:
The frag grenade is a nice-looking keychain, although a bit long, but I see this being added to the Collector’s Edition as a “throw away.” I personally would have preferred a keychain of the original COG grenade, instead of this new version. 

The Lithograph:
To be honest, I do not get this picture at all. It feels very random, especially when the motorcycle sequence takes place within a single chapter of the game. The statue is more than sufficient to represent this part of the game. The only appeal I see is the picture being placed in a frame and displayed on a wall. That is stretch though for a picture like this.

​Average Guy Review Score: 8 out of 10
​Price point worth of purchase: $200-$250
I can safely state that for this price, the Gears of War 4 Collector’s Edition is worth it for diehard fans. However, those who do not invest into the lore should focus their efforts on the standard edition.