World of Warcraft Collector's Edition

by Blizzard Entertainment

Product Features

• Play the full game on both CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
• 1 month subscription to World of Warcraft
• 200 plus page hardcover art book
• World of Warcraft Behind the Scenes DVD
• Exclusive in game pet

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001O10V8
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: November 23, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,828 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #13 in Video Games > Mac Games > Role-Playing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

We're very excited to now reveal the confirmed contents of the World of Warcraft Collector's Edition. This special-edition collector's set will feature an inventory of rare, exclusive items created to commemorate the launc h of your epic quest into Azeroth, including:

• The full game on both CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
• One-month subscription to World of Warcraft
• The Art of World of Warcraft, 200+ page hardcover art book
• World of Warcraft behind-the-scenes DVD
• Exclusive in-game pet
• Official soundtrack
• Cloth map charting the continents of Kalimdor, Azeroth, Khaz Modan, and Lor daeron
• Signed collector's-edition game manual
• 10-day free guest pass invite for one of your friends to join the epic ques t

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Collectors Edition rules., October 13, 2004

By 

J. Miller (NE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: World of Warcraft Collector's Edition (CD-ROM)

Until somebody writes the official specs for the Amazon ad, here's what they have on the WoW website that comes with the collectors edition.

# The full game on both CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
# 1-month subscription to World of Warcraft
# The Art of World of Warcraft, 200+ page hardcover art book
# World of Warcraft Behind-the-Scenes DVD
# Exclusive in-game pet
# Official soundtrack
# Cloth map charting the continents of Kalimdor, Azeroth, Khaz Modan, and Lordaeron
# Signed Collector's Edition game manual
# 10-Day Free Guest Pass - invite one of your friends to join the epic quest

The list is amazing all the extra stuff you get. A 200 page hard cover book, and the sound track easily are worth the extra $30. But they go on with 2 versions of the game in both CD's and DVDs. Plus, the ability to give a friend a trial version and the DVD of behind the scenes. If they are still available, I recommend buying this version over the regular if you really love the Warcraft series. It may be a risk to wait and see when the actual release date is, but they are nearing Open Beta, and my only guess is before Christmas.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a great MMORPG, a great RPG. Period., November 21, 2004

By 

Diane Kraus "banjo_di" (Moscow, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: World of Warcraft Collector's Edition (CD-ROM)

First: I have never played a MMORPG before this time. I'm not some kid with a gaming habit. I'm 27, fairly busy, and not about to spend money on a game I won't enjoy.

Up until this time the most incredible game I have ever played was The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. It was a perfect role-playing experience for someone raised on classic D&D, and the only drawback I ever found was that it was quite the lonely game. Months ago some friends of mine started talking about World of Warcraft. I was not even familiar with Blizzard or the Warcraft strategy games, so took all the hype with a grain of salt. Out of curiosity, though, I joined the Open Beta. And wow, what a couple of weeks that was.

The Warcraft world is richly diverse and deep in beauty. The scenery is gorgeous and the ambient sounds perfect, with some of the most beautiful music fading in and out as you explore. During the beta I played as human, undead, orc and night elf, and each race comes with its own history and its own future. Appearance is customizable enough that you don't "see yourself" walking around all that much, and the classes are all have strengths and weaknesses. Had great fun running down and slashing enemies with my undead warrior, enjoyed striking them with lightning from a distance with my orc shaman, smote the little beasties with my human priest and bound them with roots with my night elf druid. During that time I also learned how to make bandages and apply first-aid, fish, cook, and use herbs. It is no problem at all to create a character you will enjoy role-playing, and no, there is never another character out there just like yourself.

Of course, all that isn't taking in the social aspects of the game, which truly bring it up above and beyond the Morrowind experience. I played mostly on the special Role-Playing servers, where there weren't alot of people casually chatting about server lag, Halo 2, etc. On the RP server you stayed in character as you played, whether you were whispering to a partner, speaking to those around you, talking among your party or chatting with guild-mates. I never had a problem with finding a group - in fact, many times I was invited into groups by strangers. The quests can be done solo but really are more fun with at least one other person, and a little easier as well. There are some speaking options for your character, as well as lots of fun emotes. You can sit or lie down, eat and drink, fish (fishing is great fun) swim and dive, dance (also great fun) and on and on, all with other people. It truly is a living world, sometimes helpful and friendly, sometimes busy and crass, but how can one really RP without a realistic world to RP in?

The worst part is, now that the beta is over I miss that world very much. It is a place you can casually go to, enjoy the experiece, and then return to at another time.

As far as the game itself, I ran it sucessfully on an old 1.1 Ghz desktop with an anceint video card without much trouble, though getting a new card and some memory definitly helped, especially with the detail and lighting of the graphics. The servers were impressively stalwart under the pressure of 500,000 beta-testers, and when they did go down, it wasn't for long and no data was lost.

I would definitly shell out $50 for simply an RPG of this caliber. To play with friends and other folks in a living world, with new quests, creatures and features constantly being added and such great support from the Blizzard staff, the monthly fee is hardly a thought. I'm building a new system partially just to play this game, and hope it is successful for a long, long time.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Closed Beta tester's review, November 5, 2004

By 

Bayne (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: World of Warcraft Collector's Edition (CD-ROM)

I am a 1 year+ veteran of Star wars galaxies and 2 year player of EQ1. Like many I am a VERY disappointed SOE customer who has been eaglerly awaiting some sort of shift in the MMORPG market, and it's here.

I was recently accepted to WoW's "Final Stress Test/Open Beta" and have been playing it hardcore style for 3 days now. This game is without a doubt the best overal MMORPG to date. Blizzard has once again upheld it's flawless reputation. Any of you RPG/RTS fans that have played Diablo/Warcraft/Starcraft will know what I mean. This game (even in beta) is VERY polished. Many gamers have dubbed WoW as the possible holy grail for the online genre of games. While some will definitely find fault with its "cartoonish" graphics, and comparitively fast leveling times, NO ONE can deny the fact that this game is a GIANT in the FUN category. This is due mostly to the staggering amount of enjoyable quests, an incredible looking landscape, and a fantastic user interface.

For those looking for an answer as to which game "EQ2 or WoW" is better...I will give both sides a try, but drawing on my years of experience with Sony Online, I would say that EQ2 players can expect absolutely astounding graphics, several time-sink methods, bugs, and bad customer service. This seems to be the SOE norm.

As for me....I'm putting down my lightsaber and picking up a Battle-Axe to battle "The Horde". See you in Azeroth!