Yesterday, it was announced by Sony that God of War III would be receiving the special edition treatment, which has become somewhat of the norm this generation. This won't be some cheap Kratos figure/keychaing. No, that would be too easy. Instead Sony will be blessing us all with a highly detailed Pandora's Box with the game packed inside, as well as a limited edition art book featuring exclusive art and interviews. Most of the time these art book special edition "throw ins" never really get my attention, but if anyone knows about the God of War franchise, you know how epic in scale everything is, and the art in this book should be no different. If the game looks like a painting, just imagine the art that inspired it! In the Ultimate Edition which will retail at 99 greenbacks, you will receive the following:

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Exclusive Collectibles

• High-End Sculpted Replica of Pandora’s Box

• Limited-Edition God of War Art Book featuring exclusive art, content and interviews

Exclusive Digital Content (Available via PlayStation Network voucher codes on day of launch)

• God of War Combat Arena containing an exclusive environment and seven challenges

• Premium Kratos Skin – Dominus

• God of War: Unearthing the Legend Franchise Documentary – a full-length movie documentary depicting the history of the God of War franchise

• God of War Trilogy Soundtrack – God of War, II, and III scores from the game (mp3 digital download).

• God of War: Blood and Metal EP – a heavy metal homage featuring original music inspired by God of War (mp3 digital download).

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That isn't all though, as there will also be pre-order retailer specific exclusives. The codes will be given out by retailers and they will include early access to this past summer's God of War III E3 demo as well exclusive downloadable skins for when the game launches in 2010. The retailers participating in the Pre-Order deals are: Amazon, Game Crazy, and Gamestop.

Wait... why are you still reading this? The Demo is available right now! Get to the store as soon as possible!

(VIA PS Blog)