At this point, Ken Levine is more than a game designer. Ever since the BioShock franchise took off he’s become something of a figurehead for these games and of developer Irrational Games as a whole. Thus, it just makes sense that he’d personally detail the upcoming special edition releases of BioShock Infinite.
In a letter to fans posted to the Irrational Games website, Levine unveils both the Ultimate and Premium Songbird editions of the game. The Premium Songbird Edition, which is currently available for pre-order at $80, includes the following bonus items:
- A 3-inch baby version keychain of the sold-out Murder of Crows vigor bottle replica.
- A 5 x 7-inch lithograph by Jorge Lacera.
- A 25 millimeter, resin-cast Handyman miniature from the upcoming BioShock Infinite board game by Plaid Hat Games, makers of Summoner Wars.
- A mini art book, full of BioShock Infinite concept art and commentary, with a hand-distressed cover.
- Various digital goodies: exclusive in-game gear, a digital soundtrack, and platform specific downloadable content (Avatar costumes for Xbox 360, and Themes for PC and PlayStation 3).
That’s neat, but in addition to all of these extras those of you willing to shell out $150 for the Ultimate Songbird Edition will also receive the statue you see at right. According to Levine that’s a 9.5-inch-tall replica of BioShock Infinite’s Songbird, the monstrous creature seen in the image at top and the obvious inspiration for the “Songbird Edition” name. While we like all of the additions Irrational and Levine have planned for these collector’s edition bundles (and we do like that statue quite a bit) we’re finding it a bit difficult to justify an additional $70 purely for a still-life reconstruction of a fictional character that has absolutely no utility or purpose beyond looking cool on a shelf. Then again, BioShock has an incredibly dedicated fanbase, so we doubt that the Ultimate Songbird Edition will have much trouble selling out immediately.
