The survivor edition however, currently listed on GAME/Gameplay contains a little less and takes the form of the bog-standard steelbook with a handful of multiplayer maps.  Given that this edition is only a fiver cheaper than the Hunter edition and comes with far fewer trinkets, sensible money would be on the Hunter…especially if you like facehuggers.  Who doesn’t?

Details of the Survivor edition, such as they are, follow:

Aliens vs Predator Survivor Edition

• The Game
• Steel Book packaging
• Exclusive Map pack containing:
  Docks – The caustic alkali waters of BG-386 put an end to Weyland-Yutani’s planned shipping activities. But this dockyard soon became an historic battleground
  Outpost – The site of the original Weyland-Yutani colony on BG-386 was abandoned, and soon reclaimed by the planet’s voracious jungle plant life. It is now the perfect hunting ground for all manner of wildlife.
  Machine – As well as processing exotic ores, the BG-386 Refinery provided electrical power to the colonists at Freya’s Prospect. The lights may still be on, but nobody’s home. Yet.
  Hive – Deep in the heart of the Freya’s Prospect Refinery lies the Xenomorph Hive. Beware all who enter here.

Coming housed in the now almost traditional steelbook packaging, the box of goodies contains a few token trinkets such as a fancy postcard and sew on patch, but the real prize is the fully articulated Facehugger model in all its Yoni, Giger-esque glory.

Could do better...nice hugger though

As is usually the case, one territory is left on the naughty step when the goods are doled out and this time only the US get the sexy sounding ‘hardcover special edition’ of the original AVP comic from Dark Horse Comics.  However, if those of us in Europe and Australia think that we are being hard done by, then we should all hold hands a moment and give a minute’s silence for our German friends who won’t be getting the game at all, whether in special edition or vanilla format.

Sega are avoiding falling foul of the fearsome USK – the German ratings board, by not even submitting the game, fully expecting it to receive a fat ‘nein’ and have avoided even splashing the cash on localisation, knowing that it will certainly not pass, thus sadly leaving the Germans little option but to attempt an import.  Sega did however, take the gamble with Australia’s similarly draconian gaming board and promptly got the game banned.  However, after a stubborn appeal in which the game remained unchanged – (go Sega!), the ban was overturned.

The full list of features are as follows:

• Steelbook packaging
• Game Disc
• 4 exclusive multiplayer maps (before they are released to the public) which are:
  DOCKS: The caustic alkali waters of BG-386 put an end to Weyland-Yutani’s planned shipping activities. But this dockyard soon became a historic battleground
  OUTPOST: The site of the original Weyland-Yutani colony on BG-386 was abandoned, and soon reclaimed by the planet’s voracious jungle plant life. It is now the perfect hunting ground for all manner of wildlife.
  MACHINE: As well as processing exotic ores, the BG-386 Refinery provided electrical power to the colonists at Freya’s Prospect. The lights may still be on, but nobody’s home. Yet.
  HIVE: Deep in the heart of the Freya’s Prospect Refinery lies the Xenomorph Hive. Beware all who enter here.
• A fully articulated Facehugger model
• Weyland Yutani sew on patch badge
• 3D lenticular postcard 
• US only: Hardcover AvP graphic novel from Dark Horse Comics featuring the original comic

Whether or not you think that the set, Facehugger aside, is a tad disappointing or a wasted opportunity, it may be worth picking up for collecting’s sake – on the other hand if it pumps your nads, you should be happy.  The real surprise is that the Hunter edition does not currently seem to be listed on any of the usual UK gaming retail sites.  Indeed, if Play.com have snapped up any UK exclusivity, as they often seem to, they are keeping it remarkably quiet and with only a few months to go, pre-orders should be going in, especially since there will be several hotly anticipated releases in the first quarter vying for cash.

In the US, the Aliens Vs Predator Hunter Edition is retailing at $99.99, which means that in the UK, if they don’t decided to skin us (no Predator pun intended, we can expect it for around 75 odd quid.

So, if you are one of the happy souls who doesn’t care too much about getting everything or simply want the Facehugger, then snap up the UK release.  If, on the other hand you are Magpie minded and a completion freak, you’ll be eyeing up a US import…good luck with that.

Features:
Bioshock 2 game (yep)
12″ Vinyl LP with the orchestral score of the original Bioshock game
Audio CD with Bioshock 2 orchestral score
164 page hardcover art book
Three vintage Rapture advertisement posters (rolled)

For the UK market, it seems that Play.com have snapped this one up, since as of yet, sketchstone.com have failed to find it listed anywhere else.  So whether Play have once again grabbed the UK exclusive remains to be seen, but it is highly likely.  It seems, according to 2K Games’ ‘Cult of Rapture’ news that this set is limited to a single production run, though it hasn’t been stated how many units this actually consists of, so in all honesty, you could be seeing it in bargain bins the world over until the end of time, or else going on Ebay for ridiculous sums within a month of release and sell out.  At this point it is still up in the air as to whether this set is ‘Special’ or ‘Limited’, but safety conscious collectors will no doubt quietly be adding it to their pre-order list regardless.

As far as standard offers go, GAME are offering an exclusive pre-order bonus of two extra multiplayer characters when you pre-order the standard edition:

“Experience Rapture’s Civil War in Multiplayer Mode with exclusive downloadable in-game characters. Play as two of the city’s most revered citizens, Zigo the Fearsome Fisherman and Blanche the deranged actress.”

In all honesty, the special edition looks too damn good to pass up for the standard fare and a couple of extra characters, so if dark and retro appeals to you or the allure of vinyl has pricked your nostalgic nerves, then it would be a top purchase.

http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=XT1338&title=bayonetta_with_preorder_bonus_scarborough_fair_gun_model!

Anyone looking to snap one of these up needs to move fast since it is a very limited offer and unless you want to be paying over the odds on Ebay in a few months time, you’d be wise to invest in a pre-order now.

Sexy.

The Australian exclusive ‘Bayonetta: Climax Edition’

It features (aside from the game, obviously), premium slipcase packaging, a 36 page hardcover art book, premium Scarborough Fair gun collectable, and a CD soundtrack.  The main difference between this set and the UK Play.com exclusive edition, apart from the gun, is that the picture features a stunning, large black outer box which appears to be in addition the regular slip case.  It should be noted that the replica gun is pre-order only and there is limited stock available, so get your skates on if you are planning on snagging one.

However, anyone from the UK leaping onto the net to find an import site may feel like staying their credit cards a moment because all is not lost.  The waters are a little less clear than first thought…it seems that the Climax set has been broken up and pieces of it scattered between UK retailers, so your alternative to importing rather depends upon your priorities.  Play.com have snatched the exclusive, pictured below:

Play.com ‘Bayonetta: Climax Edition’ UK exclusive Limited Edition set

It features the game (natch), Limited Edition slipcase packaging, art book, and the CD soundtrack and looks reasonably smart, though next to the Aussie edition, seems a touch lacking, since the stunning big box appears to be MIA.

However, anyone eschewing the rest of the set and merely lusting after the replica gun will be happy to note that developer Sega has revealed that anyone fast enough to get their pre-orders in for either the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 version through the game.com website would get the rather gorgeous, detailed replica of Bayonetta’s Scarborough Fair gun which comes with its own display stand.  So far, I have seen nothing on Game.com or Gameplay.co.uk which indicates a pre-order bonus of the gun, so if you are going down this route, it may be worth contacting Game directly to confirm before you decide.

So if the gun is your sole priority, order from Game.com.  If you want the nifty set and can live without the gun, go for the Play.com exclusive, and if you simply have to have the lot, including the smart outer box, then import it.  However, since it is supposed to be exclusive to Australia and New Zealand, many sites will not ship it to the UK, with a few exceptions.

http://dvdcrave.com.au/ViewProduct.aspx?Id=2a9a2a0f-b2f7-4e5f-bbe8-3591bc438ae0

http://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/PlayStation-3/Bayonetta-Climax-Edition-includes-Scarborough-Fair-Gun/3692662/

Personally, my money is (literally) on DVDCrave since it works out at half the cost of MightyApe, mainly down to the shipping, but the choice is yours.  Happy hunting.