Are you ready for more of The Edition Examiner?  Ofcourse you are!  I told you I’d be back with a look at the Halo 3 Limited Edition and here it is.  It’s time to dig in and make the case for it.

The Edition Examiner covers two important things; craftsmanship and extras.  I’ll use a 5-point scale to gauge whether these types of editions are truly worthy of being called such.

Craftmanship - The Halo 3 LE comes in nice, black metal case that has some weight to it.  Once you pick it up, you know it’s sturdy and well made.  There’s a protective, plastic slip cover for it so that you can prevent any unnecessary scratches or damage.  Unlike the Halo 2 metal case, this one has two compartments that house the game and the bonus disc.  The case has two opening points to cut down on the confusion. 

I liked the case but I wasn’t impressed much with it because it had nothing significantly new or unique about it beyond the Halo 3 symbol.  I suppose when you sell over $300 million there’s no need.  

Extras - The additional goodies in the Halo 3 LE are a bonus disc with exclusive Xbox Live Marketplace Gamer Pics and Theme as well as a hardcover guide called the Bestiarum that details the species and cultures of the Halo universe.  It was a designed nicely and interesting to read. 

There are also plenty of featurettes to view and even a classic Halo-themed mini game on the disc.  There’s even an HD calibration tool for all of you high definition fans out there.

I think from an extras standpoint, the Halo 3 LE did well in that department.

Screenshots: The Edition Examiner - Limited & Collector’s Edition Photos

Edition Examiner Result - The simple black, metal case was a little disappointing but the extras helped spice up what was a less-than-stellar case.  It was nice but with the marketing that went into Halo 3, it could’ve been decked out with more than just the Halo 3 symbol.  And don’t worry, I know about the issues with Limited Edition copies and scratched discs.  Because of that, I had to score it the way that I did even though the discs are being replaced for free until February 1, 2008.