Well I mean an email from the retailer. Something like what stores do when you buy, say, a video card, and it comes with a free game code.
Maybe GOG would know if there is such a deal for their own codes.
I'm also hoping Amazon will offer release day delivery again. They did deliver my TW2 CE on May 17th in 2011.
@Gilrond-i-Virdan Nope, I assume it comes inside the box. Too bad huh. Could have been playing now.
Hmm, I am a bit late in the party, but I would like to share my thoughts about this anyway. The Witcher 2's CE is one of the best CEs out there simply because it is contains a few stuff which you are using in the game, and it makes me feel even more connected to the world itself. I love to own a Temerian Oren. For some reason I don't really like the artbook from TW2 CE, I don't know why. Generally I don't really like the second game at all, compared to the first, but if I compare it to a different game it is still superior.
Anyway, I love the CE of TW3 even if it is lacking in world items. I do not count the medallion, because I had 3 before it two of them were silver.
I still want to hunt down a TW1 Artbook because I do not own it. The Hungarian CE does not included Artbook sadly, the box itself was way smaller than the Polish version which sould be the same size as the second CE.
Anyway, I love the CE of TW3 even if it is lacking in world items. I do not count the medallion, because I had 3 before it two of them were silver.
I still want to hunt down a TW1 Artbook because I do not own it. The Hungarian CE does not included Artbook sadly, the box itself was way smaller than the Polish version which sould be the same size as the second CE.
Finally got to unpack and experience my CE.
It's an impressive package, even the box is beautiful. And massive. Did I say massive? It's MASSIVE! The inner flaps are signed (probably prints, I doubt they hand signed every box) which is an awesome detail. It is also very well packaged. TW2 CE left something to be desired and many busts chipped. This time around 70% of the box is occupied by the statue, protected in a styrofoam case bearing the Wolf logo. Nice touch CDPR!
The statue is very beautiful and it now decorates our dinner table as a center piece. That was my wife's idea! I'll upload a picture later. It is also quite heavy.
The other items come in a sturdy, thick, shiny cardboard box: there's an amazing, high quality artbook, a heavy medallion and the game box. Beneath the game box is a steelbook with room for several discs.
Inside the regular game box, there are 4 game discs and one soundtrack disc in two regular game cases. The first one has 3 game discs and a micro manual for the current generation of book allergic gamers, in the last page of which there is the GOG.com code. Beneath the "manual", there's a detailed paper map. In the second case, there's a booklet titled "The Witcher Universe Compendium", which explains in 16 pages the history of the world, races, factions, witchers, Geral's companions and so on. About a paragraph for each. This second box also comes with stickers, the fourth game disc and the soundtrack.
I have to say that, if the map, soundtrack and witcher universe booklet were part of the regular edition, they shouldn't have been advertised as part of the contents of the Collector's Edition. Essentially the CE is: statue, artbook, medallion, and regular game. The regular game, it seems, also contains a code for an item in TWBA and a digital copy of The House of Glass. That's cool.
Regardless, I am very impressed with this CE. The presentation and contents are all TOP quality. Now I can't wait to play the game. BTW the CD installer is essentially the GOG.com installer
I feel kinda lucky I was able to grab a CE from Amazon US. Seems like a rare collector's item now.
---------- Updated at 11:08 PM ----------
One last thing: installing from the disc was initially easy, they just have the series of .bin files from GOG. But getting to play was a different matter.
GOG Galaxy kept saying it was still an hour before activation, and trying to download something (first patch I assume). It wouldn't download and wouldn't let me play. I ended up manually downloading the first two patches off the website (like in the old days). And they fixed it.
Then the game started in Polish! When I assume Polish during installation it seemed to me they were asking about additional voice overs. I had to quit and download some files for English. Then I could play.
Not ideal, really. The disc contents aren't any good without manually downloading the patch. Didn't work automatically.
Did WB put them up to this awkward type of distribution in order to make it DRM free? Regardless the CE is excellent.
It's an impressive package, even the box is beautiful. And massive. Did I say massive? It's MASSIVE! The inner flaps are signed (probably prints, I doubt they hand signed every box) which is an awesome detail. It is also very well packaged. TW2 CE left something to be desired and many busts chipped. This time around 70% of the box is occupied by the statue, protected in a styrofoam case bearing the Wolf logo. Nice touch CDPR!
The statue is very beautiful and it now decorates our dinner table as a center piece. That was my wife's idea! I'll upload a picture later. It is also quite heavy.
The other items come in a sturdy, thick, shiny cardboard box: there's an amazing, high quality artbook, a heavy medallion and the game box. Beneath the game box is a steelbook with room for several discs.
Inside the regular game box, there are 4 game discs and one soundtrack disc in two regular game cases. The first one has 3 game discs and a micro manual for the current generation of book allergic gamers, in the last page of which there is the GOG.com code. Beneath the "manual", there's a detailed paper map. In the second case, there's a booklet titled "The Witcher Universe Compendium", which explains in 16 pages the history of the world, races, factions, witchers, Geral's companions and so on. About a paragraph for each. This second box also comes with stickers, the fourth game disc and the soundtrack.
I have to say that, if the map, soundtrack and witcher universe booklet were part of the regular edition, they shouldn't have been advertised as part of the contents of the Collector's Edition. Essentially the CE is: statue, artbook, medallion, and regular game. The regular game, it seems, also contains a code for an item in TWBA and a digital copy of The House of Glass. That's cool.
Regardless, I am very impressed with this CE. The presentation and contents are all TOP quality. Now I can't wait to play the game. BTW the CD installer is essentially the GOG.com installer
I feel kinda lucky I was able to grab a CE from Amazon US. Seems like a rare collector's item now.
---------- Updated at 11:08 PM ----------
One last thing: installing from the disc was initially easy, they just have the series of .bin files from GOG. But getting to play was a different matter.
GOG Galaxy kept saying it was still an hour before activation, and trying to download something (first patch I assume). It wouldn't download and wouldn't let me play. I ended up manually downloading the first two patches off the website (like in the old days). And they fixed it.
Then the game started in Polish! When I assume Polish during installation it seemed to me they were asking about additional voice overs. I had to quit and download some files for English. Then I could play.
Not ideal, really. The disc contents aren't any good without manually downloading the patch. Didn't work automatically.
Did WB put them up to this awkward type of distribution in order to make it DRM free? Regardless the CE is excellent.
Is it the same one as this? http://www.amazon.com/World-Witcher-CD-Projekt-Red/dp/1616554827
I didn't manage to find it DRM-free in the digital format so far.
I wish! But no. The Witcher Universe compendium that comes in the retail games is a tiny booklet with minimal text and pictures. It's probably meant for newcomers, to learn the bare essentials of the Witcher world before playing.
That book actually looks pretty cool.
The artbook, though, is amazing.
Follow up on the CE:
I formerly said the griffin statue was my least favorite part of the set, not because it lacked aesthetic value but because in my opinion it made the CE unnecessarily heavy and expensive.
Well, it happens it is actually very cool and well made. So much that during the days I've had it decorating our dinner table I've received several compliments from guests as varied as ... my mom! Guess it just looks like a statue of a fantasy scene, not a crappy space filler that happened to come with a video game.
I changed my mind. Everything in the CE is quite cool.
I formerly said the griffin statue was my least favorite part of the set, not because it lacked aesthetic value but because in my opinion it made the CE unnecessarily heavy and expensive.
Well, it happens it is actually very cool and well made. So much that during the days I've had it decorating our dinner table I've received several compliments from guests as varied as ... my mom! Guess it just looks like a statue of a fantasy scene, not a crappy space filler that happened to come with a video game.
I changed my mind. Everything in the CE is quite cool.