EA has announced a limited edition version of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and outside of the box looking different, the limited edition will grant those who purchase it access to six “special gameplay” perks right from the start.

How much more will this run you? Not a cent! EA promises that the limited edition retail price will be the same as the standard edition. The catch is that supplies are apparently “limited” and both versions hit stores on the same date.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a 2010 release scheduled to hit stores in the United States on March 2nd and Europe on the 5th. And remember, cool guys don’t look at explosions. Full press release below.

EA announces Battlefield: Bad Company 2 limited edition

Stockholm, Sweden – October 29, 2009 – DICE, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced a Limited Edition* release of Battlefield: Bad Company™ 2, the premier first-person shooter of 2010. The Limited Edition game features six special gameplay unlocks that give players a tactical advantage on the battlefield from the minute they fire up the game. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has been recognized by critics worldwide for its uncompromising action gameplay, unprecedented level of destruction, vehicular warfare, squad play and open sandbox environments in a modern warfare game. Available while supplies last, the Limited Edition version of the game will be sold at the same price as the standard version of the game with participating retailers in North America on March 2, 2010 and in Europe on March 5, 2010.

The Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition delivers six special customizations early to give players a day one advantage in multiplayer matches. Four vehicle warfare unlocks will immediately enhance the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 best-in-class online vehicle warfare experience, delivering extra firepower, radar, and armor for the vehicles. Additionally, the tracer dart attaches to any enemy vehicle and allows RPG-toting teammates to track, lock on, and destroy their adversary. Seasoned veterans of Battlefield 1943™ will be able to immediately re-acquaint themselves with two classic and highly powerful weapons, the M1A1 submachine gun and the M1911 pistol.

The full list of six unlocks are as follows:

Four vehicle warfare unlocks

• Improved Vehicle Armor – An up-armor package is mounted on all vehicle types, decreasing the effect of both explosive and penetrating warheads, significantly improving vehicle survivability.
• Supreme Vehicle Firepower – Additional weapon packages are mounted for the driver of all armored vehicles, greatly expanding the range of targets the vehicle can successfully engage and destroy.
• Vehicle Motion Sensor – Use this electronics warfare package to locate enemy units in direct proximity to the vehicle.
• Tracer Dart Pistol – This magnetic dart attaches to any vehicle surface, allowing squad members to track, lock on, and fire rockets onto moving targets even beyond line of sight.

Two classic Battlefield 1943™ weapons

• M1A1 Submachine Gun – Reliable but heavy this classic weapon is a powerful force in the hands of any Battlefield veteran.
• M1911 Pistol – Highly customized M1911 are favored for its dependability and the power of its large .45 caliber round.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be available on March 2, 2010 in North America for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the PC. The game will be available on March 5, 2010 in Europe.

Big thanks to Pepsi and Harmonix for sending us this 1 of 30 limited edition Rock Band guitars designed by artist Matt Moore. Ripten’s guitar is the Xbox 360 version and numbered 22 of 30. You can enter to win it below by leaving a comment (one per reader) and telling us why you think you should win. Our editors and myself will review the submissions and pick a winner by midnight next Saturday.

In addition to the guitar you can win right here, Pepsi and Harmonix are teaming up for a Drink Up, Rock Out summer promotion. Submit a Rock Band music video of yourself and enter to win an MTV Video Music Award Moonman for “Best Performance in a Pepsi Rock Band Music Video”. If you want a little more immediate gratification, check under the caps of Pepsi bottles for a chance to win one of 5,000 Rock Band downloadable tracks and other cool prizes between now and September 13, 2009.

Drink Pepsi and rock out with your coc…err web cam out.

CVG report that Capcom have announced the console-specific extra conent for PS3 and Xbox 360. For the PS3, the game will feature a Hollywood-produced making-of video. The 360 version, though, will come in a metal case with a soundtrack CD entitled “Biohazard 5 Selection Track” (translated from the original Japanese). The main difference is that the PS3’s making-of video will come on the disc, as opposed to the physical content shipped with the Xbox 360 version.

Capcom also announced the “Limited Edition” version of the game, as seen in the above picture, featuring a 2GB USB flash drive, a 32-page art book, and a waist pouch which features in the game, as well as the pretty box it comes in. Snazzy. Worth getting? Which one do you want?

Via Destructoid.

As if you all weren’t all excited for Gears of War 2’s launch tomorrow/tonight, here’s something to whet your appetite (and your pants) before the launch: Microsoft has plans to put out a Limited Edition Gears of War 2 Zune, in a similar vein of the Limited Edition Halo 3 Zune from September of last year. You’ll be excited to know that even though it’s a limited edition, these will be in production for a bit longer than the Halo Zunes, meaning that you’ve got a bit more time to grab one of these babies before they run out. Hit the jump for more details.

The Gears of War 2 Zune is also pre-loaded with 244 images of high-res concept art and gameplay screenshots, 9 Gears of Wars 2 videos such as trailers and behind-the-scenes work at Epic, and the entire Gears of War 2 soundtrack, all fit into 120GB with space to spare. If you want to get your grubby paws on one of these, you’ll be spending $279.99 starting tomorrow, when GOW2 launches. Check the gallery bellow for screenshots of the coveted Zune.

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Collector’s Editions of games are becoming more and more popular as video games slowly gain ground in today’s pop culture. Some embrace the higher prices and extra swag, while others are not so happy with some of the ridiculous price hikes. For example: the original Gears of War Collector’s Edition only jacked the price up $10, GTA IV’s crazy bundle cost $30 more, and Halo 3’s Legendary Edition was a staggering $70 over the regular edition.

So, how do we judge whether a special edition of a game is worth the dough? The items themselves really only have value to the die-hard fans and collectors, so only time and possibly online auction prices will tell how valuable these items will become. The only other measure is how well the special edition versions of the game retain their value compared to the regular versions. Some helpful charts from VGPC.com after the jump might surprise you.

Video Games Price Chart’s recent blog did some research comparing the launch prices of regular and limited/collector’s edition games to the current (as of Oct. 18, 2008) prices. They included mostly games launched within the last three years, which makes sense since the “collector’s edition” phenomenon is one that has very recently exploded in popularity among game companies.

As you can see, regular editions of games had an average of a $40 price drop. Compared to the drop of $37 for limited/collectors editions, it doesn’t seem like a huge difference. But we are talking about new games here; stores buy collector’s editions of games at a higher price than the regular editions. In turn, they can’t sustain as much of a price drop on these special editions — if they don’t drop the price enough, however, these games will only gather dust over time since most of the hardcore fans of a particular game will make sure to order and buy the special edition of the game as soon as possible after its launch. Look at Halo 3’s Legendary Edition for a good example of this: at launch it was priced at $130, and stores are now forced to slash the price down to $80 due to the slowing of sales.

However, the actual resale value of the products have more dramatic differences. This means that if you ever plan on selling your copy of a game (either to a store for credit or on eBay) then the collector’s edition of the game will retain its value much better.

In fact, collector’s editions actually have a chance of rising in value (which is the hope one always has when buying such things). VGPC reported that while all of the regular editions of games decreased in price, 3.4% of collector’s editions actually increased in value.

So, are collector’s editions worth the extra cash? The numbers here say yes. However, one last factor to consider is the individual. How much do you love a certain game or series? I am personally in love with the Persona series, so I made sure to pre-order the game for the limited edition art book and soundtrack CD, as well as the $30 Social Links Expansion pack for the game. However, I’ve never played any of the previous Fallout games (a crime, I’ve been told) so I didn’t run out and pre-order the super-extra-toys-and-stuff edition of the game.

So numbers aside, what do you readers think about this recent trend? Are you happy for the chance to get some extra swag, or do you think collector’s editions are merely a ploy for companies to get better unit sales?

Source (for information and charts): VGPC.com