Close Up: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition (NTSC version)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots came out on June 12th 2008, exclusively for PlayStation 3. In each of the three main regions (Japan, North America and Europe) a totally different special edition was released, at least in terms of packaging. For the PAL Limited Edition, go here, for the Japanese version, go here.

The one released in the US was exclusive to GameStop, the one in Canada to EB Games. At the time it was sold for around $84,99. Sealed copies seem to be somewhat valuable, while used ones are more common and can be bought secondhand for reasonable prices.

The North American limited edition has an appealing presentation. It comes in a sturdy paper container, that has a slanted top which can be taken off. The cover is decorated with a beautiful drawing by Yoji Shinkawa, showing Old Snake and Liquid-Ocelot.

As far as contents go it’s exactly the same as the European and Japanese version: the game, a soundtrack cd containing a selection of songs from the game, and a Blu-Ray disc with making of material. Thus, the same complaint applies here: the soundtrack cd is lacking a lot of great songs, and feels more like a preview version of the real thing. Still, considering how wonderful the game’s soundtrack is, just the few tracks that are on the cd are great already. The PAL version comes with an action figure of Old Snake that isn’t included here, while the Japanese version is the only version that contains a steelbook.

The NA version also comes with the regular PlayStation 3 case, While the boxart looks nice, many prefer the European cover which features an artwork by Shinkawa.

So, that’s basically it. This collector’s edition may not blow your mind in terms of extras, but it does look very cool and is reasonably priced at this point. In conclusion, it’s an appealing item for any Metal Gear collector.