Six. Or 6, if you prefer numerals. THQ plans to release six CEs, two for each platform. Which platforms? The PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 of course.

While the main CEs will be available at most retailers, the "Initiation" packs are exclusive to EB Games. The release says these are "extremely limited", and are contained in a pizza box from an in-game fast food chained called "Freckle Bitches". Neat.

Prices range from $110 (PC CE) to $150 (PS3 and 360 Initiation packs). All the details, including bigger pictures, can be found after the jump.

Fable 2 was classifed just two days ago, while the XBLA-bound Pub Games has been sitting in the database since mid-last month. So it's no surprise Microsoft has fired out a press release today declaring that Pub Games is now out on Xbox Live Arcade and the contents of the Collector's Edition.

According to the release, Pub Games is 800 MS points, or free it you preorder the game from a "participating retailer" (listed after the jump). Pub Games comes with the following "casino-styled" diversions:

Keystone: A combination of Craps and Roulette
Spinnerbox: An updated take on slot machines
Fortune's Tower: A "press your luck" style of game

Full press release after the jump!

There's no word yet on Fallout 3 and its future in Australia, so if you've decided to place your order for the Collector's Edition in a country that doesn't have draconian classification laws, I can't blame you.

Importing concerns aside, it's somewhat crucial the product in question can leave its country of origin. Unfortunately for reader Con, his order for the game was cancelled by GAME in the UK. Here's the reason why:

Sadly we will not ship this item over seas due to the weight of the item. If any orders exceed the 1kg weight limit, we will not dispatch this item and will cancel the order.

Looks like you lucked out with GAME UK Con. Can anyone recommend a substitute?

It looks like most, if not all, traces of the game have been removed from the retailer's website. Typing "fallout 3" into the provided search box returns no results, and trawling through its online catalogue turns up nada also. Direct links to the product go straight to the home page, though the banner advertising the limited edition exclusive can still be found.

It's not entirely unexpected, considering Fallout 3 was refused classification earlier this month because of its portrayal of real-world drugs. My guess is EB doesn't want to take any more orders until it's sure the game will actually be sold here.

Bethesda and Red Ant continue to remain silent on the issue, as well as their next course of action, but I'm confident they'll find a way to get the game into the country, be it by appeal, editing or that intercontinental cannon from Secret of Mana.

FYI, GAME still has the title and the preorder bundle up on its site.

After disappearing last week under mysterious circumstances, the limited edition of Metal Gear Solid 4 has returned to GAME's website, under a new product code. For those in doubt, proof can be found in the screenshot above.

As you can see, it's still going for the ball-busting price of $169.95, and what GAME defines as "Limited Edition" is up for interpretation. So, if you're keen, be sure to call ahead to check contents and availability.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition [GAME]

If you missed out on the limited edition of Metal Gear Solid 4 thanks to EB Games' silly exclusive, GAME appears to have packs for sale. Well, that's what its website says in any case.

Too good to be true? It's not, as long as you're comfortable unloading $169.95 from your purse/wallet/man servant. I can't imagine this will stay available for long, so if you're super-keen, you better be super-quick.

Update: Well, that went faster than I expected; the product has disappeared from GAME's website!

Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition [GAME]

For those of you out there that still doubt EB Games Australia has the exclusive on the Fallout 3 Collector's Edition, look no further than EB's own website. See that new banner, you know, the one that says "exclusive"? Yeah, that one.

Now, other retailers (such as GAME) have a similar bundle (the notable difference being a Brotherhood of Steel figurine instead of the PVC Vault Boy bobblehead), and some might believe it's the Collector's Edition. Sadly, I'm pretty sure you'll find it's the preorder bundle.

So what was it that had Bethesda's Pete Hines surprised at today's Fallout 3 preview? It wasn't that my bobblehead broke - apparently a number of journos reported similar mishaps soon after last year's Washington DC preview. No, it was the fact that the Fallout 3 CE is going to be exclusive to EB Games in Australia.

Not only was it "news" to Hines, he also wasn't aware of a similar deal anywhere in the world. He went as far as to say that all appropriate stores in the States will have the CE. Now, Hines knows a lot about Fallout 3, and probably a great deal on how the game will be distributed, but he's not omnipotent (sadly). So it's quite possible Oz publisher Red Ant decided to organise something under its own power without informing Bethesda.

There's a chance Hines will bring it up with Red Ant, and hence an outside hope retailers other than EB will see the Collector's Edition. We'll just have to wait and see.

Bethesda PR guru Pete Hines is currently in Australia to show off the company's upcoming FPS/RPG Fallout 3. Well, I should say "showed off" as today was his last press day, with the rest of his trip a meeting-fest.

I had a quick chat to Pete after the two-hour presentation, and one of the topics that came up was the Collector's Edition. Pete was a bit surprised about the arrangement we have here in Australia (which I'll fill you in on shortly), but he did confirm the bobblehead included in the Fallout 3 CE will be made of plastic, rather than the ceramic or plaster of the ones from the press preview last year.

At first, plastic might sound like a cost-cutting measure. I can assure you - it isn't. My bobblehead met an untimely demise when faced with the rigors of international flight. Seems Vault Boy had the ankles of a 90-year old grandma.

A decent plastic construction offers both quality, when done right, as well as structural integrity. I know which one I'd pick, given the choice.

I should probably open with the important news first: EB Games Australia has the exclusive on the "official" collector's edition of Bethesda's Fallout 3. So if you haven't put your pre-order down yet, now might be a good time unless you fancy missing out on the bobblehead and tin case.

Now, I've whacked quotes around "official" because Red Ant plans to put together a pre-order bundle for other retailers that may turn out to be very similar to the CE. A few may have noticed that retailer Games Warehouse has posted what it believes the pre-order bundle will contain. The thing is, Red Ant made it clear to me that it hasn't finalised these details.

Hit the jump for a comparison of the two "CEs", as well as specifics on availability.