Listen up, strategy fans. Sega and Creative Assembly have announced a collector’s edition package for the upcoming launch of PC strategy game Total War: Rome II. It’s spectacular. (And also very expensive.)
I’m not much into hardcore strategy gaming, but damn, this has to be one of the most impressive collector’s editions ever made. In addition to containing an operational replica of a Roman Onager siege catapult, the CE includes a Tabula board game set and a Total War Cards: Punic Wars playing card game. Counting the video game itself, that’s three different forms of Roman-inspired gaming in a single bundle!
A classy steelbook game case and a canvas world map are the sweet cherries on top of the collector’s edition sundae. But you’ll need to have a fat bank account in order to enjoy this Roman delight: It’s available for pre-order from the online Sega Store for $154.99, plus another $25 for the shipping.
The Total War™: ROME II Collector’s Edition will be produced in a single, extremely limited run; only 22,000 individually numbered copies will be manufactured. The CE contains a wealth of custom, Roman-themed games and items, bound in a leather-effect presentation box, complete with gold logo and magnetic closure, including:
· Numbered copy of Total War™: ROME II
The most ambitious and expansive game in the Total War™ series to date, ROME II brings the statecraft, politics, intrigue, diplomacy and epic battles of the ancient world to life in thrilling detail. This version comes in a debossed Steelbook™ case, laser-etched with your unique collector’s number in Roman numerals.· Tabula set
The Roman forerunner to Backgammon, this Tabula set comprises 30 bone-effect game pieces supplied in their own burlap drawstring bag; the board itself is built into the base of the Collector’s Edition box.· Tesserae Dice
Three replica bone-effect dice for use in a variety of games. The design is based on original Roman Tesserae, found at the archaeological site of Herculaneum.· Total War Cards™: PUNIC WARS
Designed from the ground up to echo elements from ROME II, Total War Cards is a game of skill and luck for two players. Involving combat, territorial control, resource management and technological development, PUNIC WARS consists of 58 high-quality playing cards and a game-board printed with the PUNIC WARS tech-tree.· Canvas Campaign Map
A reminder of the world you must conquer, this ribbon-tied canvas map depicts each of the 57 provinces of the ROME II campaign.· Roman Onager
A complete, fully-functional Onager, or Roman siege catapult. This easy-to-assemble kit is constructed from weathered wood and steel, measures 26cm x 12cm x 12cm, and is capable of unleashing small projectiles at a variety of inanimate objects which may have affronted the glory of your empire.
Total War: Rome II will be available worldwide on September 3rd. Pre-ordering any edition will come with the Greek States Culture day-one DLC pack containing the Epirus, Athens and Sparta playable factions, each with unique missions, win conditions, units, buildings and tech trees.
Talk about celebrating Creative Assembly’s 25th Anniversary as a developer and the Total War franchise’s 10th in style. Catapults away!
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Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com. After a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez, Matt assumed full ownership over VGBlogger, and to this day he is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
