Gears of Reach?

Brandon and I are out picking up some necessary items today: toilet paper, Kleenex etc... and he would like to go to Best Buy.  So we stop in and of course we head directly to the Xbox section of the store.  Here he seeks out the new tool he'd like to purchase: an Xbox cooling fan.

In theory I must admit this seems like a neat little nick-nack.  It directs the hot air that your Xbox creates away from the unit and into the room.  I wanted a little room heater anyway- maybe 2 birds, one stone?  But after further inspection Brandon sees this tool is actually intended for units which are kept in confined areas, such as in an entertainment stand.

You know the ones that electronic manufacturers always tell you NOT to place their equipment, but people do anyway?  Ya it's meant for those morons.
Since Brandon isn't one of those morons, and keeps his Xbox (alongside Doug's) in our otherwise adult living room, he decides he doesn't need this tool.

However, in his travels in the Xbox aisles of paradise, he finds this HUGE box.  It's a special edition-or legendary edition- Halo Reach game and other stuff...you know, the important things like: fake medals and badges you can proudly display in our home of fictional characters no one knows, and photos of this character receiving these medals, and fancy packaging (total not eco friendly).  But he's so excited.  It's something like half price of what it used to be.  So he buys it.

Of course it also comes with this large "statue", made of like a rubbery plastic.  It has all the characters from the game with their respective guns, and again gets to adorn the shelves of our home.  Brandon now has 2 of these great "statues".  One from his Gears of War 3 special edition pre-order package and one for his new Halo Reach purchase.  They sit on his bookshelves:

Gears of War 3 dude

Halo Reach guys

Together on the shelf

 Another fine point to note is that this new purchase today was something he already owned.  OK, not the whole kit.  But he already owned the game, why the need for all the extras in the large box?  We take the nearly 2' x 2' box up to the cashier and she asks, "Is this all for one game?".  Brandon explains there are a lot more collector items (ie nerdy items) inside besides the game, and also offered up the information that he already owns the game but just wants "all the cool stuff inside".  Her follow-up remark was, "So all your guests can see them?"  I think she seriously wondered why someone would do this.  I have to admit, prior to meeting Brandon I may also have wondered the same thing.  I still wonder, but it doesn't seem as foreign to me anymore- it's just our life.

The LARGE and in charge boxes these collector edition games come in- which take up considerable room in our storage closet.  So much that we have to move some of our out of season jackets to another closet.

Also just being informed yet another large special edition box set video game is on pre-order (see picture below)...yay.

Look at all those unnecessary items it comes with...besides the map- of course he needs an antique map for the game!