Activision has unveiled the Hardened and Prestige edition of the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops and as expected, they are equal parts cool and expensive.
You all probably remember the Prestige Edition of last year’s Modern Warfare 2 but here’s a little reminder, just in case: night vision goggles. The over-the-top Mewtwo collector’s edition came with an equally over-the-top price tag of 150 bucks, but it was enough of a hit with hardcore fans that Activision has decided to do the same thing with Black Ops.
Behold! The Hardened Edition of Black Ops includes a custom, limited edition Black Ops medal, a Black Ops avatar outfit, four exclusive co-op multiplayer maps and a premium SteelBook case. It seems nice.
For the real collector, though, there’s the Prestige Edition, and this is where we separate the men from the boys. Along with all the goodies included in the Hardened Edition, the Call of Duty: Black Ops Prestige Edition also comes with an RC-XD Video Surveillance Vehicle, modeled after the in-game RC-XD Killstreak reward. It’s a fully-functional radio-controlled vehicle with 200 foot range, digital proportional steering and throttle, independent suspension, a display stand and built-in video camera and microphone that will transmit audio and color video to the pistol-grip remote, which is equipped with a speaker and two-inch backlit color screen with 220×176 resolution.
This kind of gaming goodness doesn’t come cheap: The Black Ops Hardened Edition carries a price tag of $79.99, 20 bucks more than the regular release, while the Prestige Edition will set you back $149.99. It’s a bit rich for my blood, but that doesn’t really matter because, just like Modern Warfare 2, these special editions are only being released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Sorry, PC gamers, no radio-controlled surveillance vehicle for you!
Call of Duty: Black Ops is set for release on November 9 for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.
