EA caused some controversy when it revealed the PS3 exclusive 'Divine Edition' to compete with the standard Vanilla Edition of this title to be released on the 360. In order to quell this disturbance and anger, this multiplatform Special Edition was revealed to contain all the bonuses included in the rival package, and then some. But does this edition evoke more of a 'back to school' feeling with its scores of explanatory and criticical material? Let us assess, one piece of content at a time.
The only in-game extra provided is a new skin for the titular character (or 'eponymous hero', since literature is prime within this title), which will outfit him in 'Isaac T. Clarke's Suit' as 'Dead Space Dante'. Surprisingly enough, this armour works very well in the Classical setting. A nice little franchise crossover, which I would not be surprised to see visited again in the future. One additional note about this piece of content: it is apparently exclusive to UK editions of the game.
Covering the development of the game are a 'Director's Commentary' Documentary and a 'Digital Artbook' in the form of another documentary included on one disc, covering how such a broad concept was eventually turned into the title released. The concept art displayed within the artbook is fantastic, with lead artist Wayne Barlowe discussing his long-term fascination with hell, and his interest in biology and anatomy to aid in creating the monstrosities encountered. They say 'the devil is in the detail', and this is especially the case with the artwork shown, with many classical and psychological concepts explored in his ideas. A fascinating look at the process, and a real shame that a physical artbook with detailed prints of the art featured was not been included, as the subject matter deserves much more than the five minutes allotted.
Having seen the background workings of the gameplay and the visuals, the music of the game is not glossed over at all, with the bonus disc featuring not only the full 'Original Soundtrack', but an additional documentary entitled 'Scoring the Inferno'. The musicians explore how they could even begin to create music to express the concept of Hell, especially when taking the idea of the realm as a character unto itself. The haunting vocal components are revealed to have been vital in creating the haunting compositions, reflecting Hell's owm composition out of human souls. Another interesting exploration of the ideas behind the scenes, but again limited to just over 5 minutes, which is not enough time to give the musicians enough depth for their explanations, which do feel badly edited for the sole purpose of speeding things up. A real shame.
Rounding off the bonus content, also all included on the one bonus disc, are three offerings that examine the epic poem itself: the 'Dante in History' documentary, a scene from the animated version of the tale, and the crowning glory of the Edition (at least, it should have been - in the eyes of a former historical English Language student whose main area of study was manuscripts and their digital preservation) is a Digital Edition of the entire poem. The documentary does cover its subject matter in more detail than those covering the development of the game (having been granted ten minutes), and does highlight the history of both Dante and his work, and its effects upon the Christian world, but once again, the material could have covered at least double this length. The animated scene serves as an advert for the film tie-in, worked in the same style as the storyboard cutscenes featured within the game. This, for me, hghlighted the extent to which certain games, and perhaps Dantes Inferno serves as a primary example, truly are greater than the sum of their parts, and are now becoming irreversibly interlinked with other forms of entertainment media. Or, to take another appropriate literary term, the intertextuality of the gaming world is becoming increasingly important.
The Digital Edition... as a digitization specialist (a side job while working towards my PhD), I must admit the idea intrigued me, but the actual outcome pained me. A passkey is provided, and the user must access the poem through a dedicated website. This version is an English translation, semi-animated over a static backgrond resembling a manuscript. It works, and anything more complex would stray into the realm of requiring specialist knowledge, but... a bit over simple for me. But still, it is nice to have access to the modern edition of the poem. If only I didn't already have a copy.
A bit of a hodgepodge of content, but ultimately it feels a bit rushed and all the subjects explored could have benefited greatly from a deeper exploration just by being given more time within their respective documentaries.
Retailer: Game
Price (New): £59.99
Box: Cardboard sleeve; carboard foldout container; Lenticular 3D cover.
In-game Content: 5
Physical Content: 7 - would have scored higher if a few of the pieces were actually physical, but still a nice collection.
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