The word special, it used to mean something; you would expect something other than the norm.  How many Special Editions does one game need for them no longer to be special? Splinter Cell: Blacklist is taking on this challenge with the details of four new Special Editions that will be spread across the retailers of the world.

Microsoft and 343 Industries have announced the content of the upcoming Halo 4: Limited Edition.  The Xbox 360 game package will include a drop ship worth of content for $99.  Content includes the full 90 minute Forward Until Dawn movie, nine maps for multiplayer, early access to specializations and much more.  Here's the complete breakdown of what you'll be getting with Halo 4.

It’s Saturday and that can only mean one thing, a lie in!  It also means that you get your regular fix of non co-op news from Co-Optimus.  This week, have a gander at the Assassin's Creed 3 Limited Edition, sigh as a Beatle writes music for Bungie and witness the birth of a FPS based in the Walking Dead universe.

The "limited edition" of Starhawk has been announced, and rather than spend extra money on a giant box filled with art books, soundtracks, and statues - you'll be getting a whole bunch of digital pack ins for the same price as the normal version.  The biggest piece of content included for co-op players is a map called Maw of Despair, which is a particularly challenging cooperative mission for four players.  

This month for MMO Co-Opportunities we look at Dragon Nest, a newly open-beta'ed F2P MMO with an action twist and the recently announced various editions of Star Wars: the Old Republic. We also visit the world of MOBAs.

We've seen some zany collector's editions in our day, but I think this one might take the cake.  The Lord of the Rings: War in the North collector's edition comes with a leather quiver case for the game.  It's a quiver for arrows, it's a case for the game, and you can wear it on your back while you play and shout "FOR FRODO" as you charge into the battles against Sauron.

One announcement we missed during E3 was for a Gears of War 3 Special Edition Xbox 360.  This custom painted Xbox 360 Slim comes with two custom painted controllers (perfect for co-op), a copy of Gears of War 3, and some limited downloadable content for the game.  The console itself will play Gears of War related sounds while powering on and opening the tray.  The console is also touting the biggest hard drive available for the Xbox 360 at 320GB.

Epic Games have unveiled the Epic Edition (oh..I see what they did there) of Gears of War 3 today along with a limited version of of the game.  The limited version will set you back an extra $20 for a few goodies like a COG flag, an unlockable multiplayer character and the will of Adam Fenix.  The Epic edition will include all of the above as well as a Marcus Fenix statue and other goodies.  

Congratulations, its a demon

Today developer Creative Assembly announced details for the two different North America editions of Shogun 2: Total War. There will be two available editions: the Standard Edition (the core game experience) and the Limited Edition. The Limited Edition will score you a unique playable faction (the Hattori Clan), an additional battle scenario ("Nagashino"), a full set of armor for your online avatar, and a starting bank of XP to spend on your online character. Well now doesn't that sound fancy? Now you have the option of making your Standard Edition buddies jealous as they watch your shiny Hattori Clan units strutting around on the battlefield during your fully cooperative campaign sessions.

Apparently, not content to have only one special edition of Dead Rising 2, Capcom has announced an uber limited edition of the game only available on their online web store.  Called the High Stakes Edition, the pack not only includes lots of a swag - but a chance to win something truly unique - a 6 foot zombie statue.

If you thought Activision couldn't out do the night vision goggles from Modern Warfare 2 - think again.  Today they've announced the Hardened and Prestige Editions of Call of Duty: Black Ops.  The cream of the crop Prestige Edition comes with a  remote controlled surveillance vehicle inspired by the RC-XD from the game. It has a range of up to 200 feet and contains a fully-functioning remote camera that transmits both video and audio to the handset.  Sounds perfect for those in home remote pest control situations - though you'll have to supply your own explosive C4.

Microsoft is on a roll lately with releasing new consoles, now on its 3rd version of the Xbox 360 S with the Halo Reach bundle.  This time the console comes in silver and is all marked up dead sexy with Halo inscriptions.  Included in the box are two matching controllers and a copy of Halo Reach - perfect for your local co-op sessions.  You'll also be getting a 250GB hard drive, the built in 802.11N Wi-Fi and the whisper quiet design found on the other Xbox 360 S.  

Like any big game these days, Dead Rising 2 is getting a special limited edition with all the trinkets that make you feel like it's ok to drop an extra $10-$20 on a game you're already spending $60.  No matter, when the dead rise again on September 28th you can get your hands on the Zombrex Edition of the game for $79.99 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 - sorry PC owners.

What you see above is the Legendary Edition of Halo Reach, which weighs in at an estimated $149.99 asking price.  You'll notice the distinct lack of cat helmet, a phrase that become famous with the Legendary Edition of Halo 3.