Rating video game swag - what's the best of the best?!

Swag.

"Stuff we all get" is the polite way gamers refer to giveaway items publishers, developers and public relations firms give at trade shows, events and other venues. Fans can also get swag in special and limited editions of games. The game-flavored items can range from basic items - keychains, stickers - to really cool and over-the-top items - a fully functioning gasoline-powered radio controlled buggy. I've seen all sorts of awesome gear, but these 7 items are, without a doubt, the coolest swag I've come across yet.

In no particular order:

1. ANYTHING Call of Duty. Price: Varies Yepp, you guessed it. From the working night-vision goggles atop the Soap MacTavish bust to the fake plastic-explosive radio controlled car - and the Steelbook cases for the games and other items are some of the sickest items around. Even nonfans of the game will be impressed with most of the swag. Soap's diary in the Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition, as well as a free year of Call of Duty Elite premium service, was just the tip of the iceberg. Even though Activision scaled back on the use of plastic with their special editions, the googles, the R/C car are truly fun to play with, with or without being a fan of the series.



2. Bullet pen from Max Payne 3. Price: Free Ok, the stickers were cool. The Max Payne 3 pill box was sick. The bullet pen? Beast. It was a giveaway from Rockstar Games to select fans at the PAX East conference (Penny Arcade Expo) in Boston. The pen looks like a bullet round - but if you look closer, you'll notice there's a small pen inside. If you want to attract the wrong kind of attention, this is your kind of pen.



3. Forza 4 press kit. Price: Unknown Here's the deal - the original, limited collector's edition kit came with some limited-edition in-game vehicles, an art book and a Steelbook case. Nice, huh? The press kit I was sent had the review copy of the game, but also had the review guide folder made of a rubberized substance - it felt like tire thread, a USB thumb drive in the shape of a key and a Forza 4 tire gauge. Yes, the press kit TRUMPED the limited collector's edition by a country mile.



4. Gears of War 3 Epic Edition. Price: $149.99. The 'Epic Edition' of Gears 3 was, well, EPIC, to start off with. The limited edition included an Octus Award Box with Octus Service Medal, an unlockable Adam Fenix Multiplayer character (the code for the character is on the medal), a COG flag and other items. The Epic edition included everything listed and added a limited edition Marcus Fenix statue, an art book and an online weapons pack for multiplayer. What makes it stick is the statue. It's heavy and includes a poster that can be arranged with the statue in the middle. If you have a burglar, hitting them with the statue will knock them out.

5. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword bundle. Price: $69.99 The bundle, only available on the Wii, included the game, a gold Wiimote with Legend of Zelda insignias and a soundtrack CD. What really set off the bundle was the Wiimote and the soundtrack, both only available in the bundle. Gamestop immediately sold out of the bundle, and a quick look of Amazon.com has the bundles for $155.



6. Resident Evil®: The Mercenaries 3DS case. Price: $50. This item was originally given away with preorders of the game, RE: The Mercenaries. When the 1,000 numbered cases were given away, finding one became so scare, some eBay sellers started selling the limited-edition cases for at least $150 each - and had buyers! It works good - the finish isn't slick and grips great, but it's fragile and can break easily. If you are rough on your equipment, avoid this otherwise stylish case.



7. Halo: Reach press kit. Price: Unknown This was set to select journalists around the time Halo: Reach was released. It included a press guide, a story book, a silver, Halo: Reach flavored controller, a novel and the game, before release. All of the contents were packed neatly in the silver brief case. I've only spotted one case in the wild, and the seller sold it to the winning bidder for a cool $375 for all of the contents listed above. Looking for one? Your best bet is eBay but don't expect it to be cheap. I'll add an update photo later on this even.

What about you? What's some really sick swag you think should be on the list?

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Asura's Wrath

Developed by: CyberConnect2
Published by: Capcom
Available: NOW
Available on: Xbox 360, PS3
Price: $59.99
Rating: T
Genre: Action

BY: William Phillips

Asura’s Wrath is difficult to really call a game. It is more like an interactive TV show with an extremely cliché plot that inserts awesome set pieces in an attempt to make up for the fact that you have seen the same plot before in a broad variety of other stories.

Asura, one of eight demigods, is in the midst of a war against a race known as the Gohma, a corrupted race of pure evil that want nothing more than the death of humanity. Asura is viewed by the other demigods as being extremely reckless, who eventually decide to betray him in the hopes that doing so will eventually lead to the remaining demigods, who become known as the seven deities, defeating the Gohma.

At first glance the gameplay seems interesting, especially in the first level, in which you drop from space, blasting Gohma in an epic battle, but within 30 minutes the gameplay proves to be extremely repetitive. The entire game requires you to beat up the same enemies over and over with power button mashing, in sequences that always end with you filling up a power bar that leads into a series of quick time events that get so repetitive that you’ll probably get tired of it and play something else.




Perhaps the only thing that makes the game semi-decent is some of the cinematic experiences that occur in the game. The cut scenes could best be compared to what would happen in someone put Michael Bay in charge of making an anime TV show, which would actually make the “game” far more enjoyable.

To sum it all up, this game would probably be one worth avoiding. The gameplay is dull, and you will spend the whole game wishing you were playing something else. If you want to play the game for the sake of exciting cut scenes you are probably better off finding a collection of good anime.