"The Last Refuge". Review of the Collector's Edition Gold Edition of Fallout 3
content auto translated from {from}

329 days. A long 329 days we awaited the release of the Russian version of Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition. Compared to the release date of the last expansion, that's a more impressive figure, but purchasing DLC electronically is a painful topic for Russian gamers. Live is not running, and we are often overlooked in Steam... But with Fallout 3, all that is in the past: the Gold Edition is on the shelves, and we have over a month until New Vegas to explore the expansions and refresh our memories of the original F3.

Yes, those who already own Fallout 3 will have to buy it again. But considering that each expansion costs 10 dollars in the West, 500 rubles for the Russian jewel is quite a reasonable price for five DLCs, especially since we also receive the original Fallout 3 version 1.07 as a bonus. Live, as before, is cut out, but there is absolutely no protection on the disc. No keys, no activations, no disc checks – nothing that could hinder the enjoyment of the game. However, the Gold Edition not only concludes the story of Fallout 3 in Russia; it also wraps up the story of its collector's item – the much-anticipated box with figures that was supposed to be released here, but... It's too long a story to tell here; the Russian adventures of Fallout 3 will get a separate post shortly. But for now, let's take a look at the collector's edition of the Gold Edition:

A familiar box format, though lacking any embossed details. The contents listed on the cover immediately evoke the image of a treasure chest:

Of course, it's pointless to expect figures from this box, but an art book and a DVD with video materials... Could it be the ones that were supposed to be there? Let's continue.

Perhaps this shot from the reviews can be removed now, as this is the new standard for packaging. Inside lies the game DVD-box, an art book, an envelope with the video disc, a game catalog of SnowballStudios, and a promotional flyer for Fallout: New Vegas... First – the strangest part of the edition.

The catalog of Snowball. There are no revelations inside, but it's interesting that it is present here. It is clear that Snowball Studios is part of 1C-SoftClub, and the games are released jointly. However, there was previously no catalog in the collector's editions: Mafia 2, BioShock 2... It's too early to draw conclusions; we must wait for the next collector's edition and see if the catalog will be there. But if Snowball is involved in the localization of Fallout: New Vegas, that's quite a pleasant fact. By the way, here's the promotional flyer for New Vegas:

On the back, as you can see, is Brink. Obviously, its publisher in Russia will also be 1C-SoftClub, so we can consider this flyer an announcement. And here’s how I expected to see Fallout 3: Gold Edition:

Fortunately, reality turned out to be more pleasant, and this is only part of it. Inside the white DVD-box is the manual and the game disc. The manual is new, not the one that was included with Fallout 3. I mention this because, for the gold edition of Oblivion, they didn't make a new one, just included the one from the regular version. The manual here is full-color, with 45 pages:

And finally, the most interesting part. The video disc is sealed in a separate envelope. The film for history isn't important, but the envelope is identical to the one that was in that treasure chest. On the right is the one from the gold edition, and on the left is from the treasure chest:

The disc, as you can see, differs slightly in color and the length of the copyright information. But the copyrights are still from 2008... Not waiting for the treasure chest from 1C back then, I bought it for PS3, so my second video disc is not DVD, but Blu-ray, but the recording on both is the same. In terms of quantity, the disc contains a little: two trailers, art galleries, and a making-of film. But qualitatively, all the content could be removed, leaving only “Making of Fallout 3.” Almost 40 minutes of comprehensive description of the process of creating Fallout 3. The first ideas, early builds, weapons, player interaction, recreating real Washington, recording the voiceovers... There are no Russian subtitles, but I had no issues understanding the English. A few screenshots:

![](/api/field/image/bWdZuCbMceMQy)

And finally, the art book. I will compare it once again with the Western edition:

The only difference is that the Western edition has a hardcover, while ours has a softcover. The page format is the same. Let's compare the contents. Here is the first page:

And, for the sake of purity in experimentation, the 49th:

As you can see, the same pictures, the same size illustrations. And the same thickness: 96 pages. But it's unlikely that this is exactly the art book that was supposed to be included in the collector's items two years ago. Firstly, it's in a softcover to fit in the new box; secondly, the print run of the Gold Edition is clearly larger than the planned couple of hundred treasure chests. A few spreads:

The art book, as you can see, is detailed with plenty of comments and notes, which I love. An excellent gift for fans of the universe. By the way, an interesting fact: if we chronologically arrange the art books of the last collector's editions from 1C, we get this picture: Aliens vs. Predator – 26 pages, Alpha Protocol – 28, BioShock 2 – 36, Mafia 2 – 64, Gold Edition Fallout 3 – 96! As you can see, with each new edition, the number of pages increases. I wonder how long this tradition will continue?

And here’s how the entire edition looks. It’s time to sum up… Usually, a collector's edition for golden editions is not customary, as the demand for them is relatively small. But this case is special because of the long story with the Fallout 3 collector’s item. There are no figures here, but then again, it would be pointless to release that treasure chest now: all interested parties have long ordered it from the West, and the rest won’t pay two or three thousand for a two-year-old collector’s item. But the art book and the envelope with the video disc, at a price of 899... Personally, for me, this edition looks like an apology. An apology for the long wait, for the absence of the collector's item for the original Fallout 3. It’s as if they’re saying, we are learning from our mistakes, and believe us, there will be no issues for Russian players with Fallout: New Vegas!

And what else can we do but believe?