Sonic in Lego and Aloy on the pages, dino recipes and tunes on our stereo, shiny peripherals accented with lights – these are some of our favorite things (game merchandise).
In our quest to keep you up to date with the latest in games, technology and comics, we’ve spent time with great products that help you extend your favorite titles and properties beyond the screen.
5) Jurassic World: The Official Cookbook
Our first article is adjacent to gaming merchandise and won’t be released until April 19, but our staff are already enjoying flipping through the latest media link from Insight Editions. Jurassic World: The Official Cookbook is packed with recipes spanning every culinary category – from starters like the Ultimate Carnivore’s Burger or Jurassic Lagoon Crab Cakes, to breakfasts like Chorreadas De Nebular, to theme park-inspired drinks like The Splash Zone. Designed for cooks with minimal cooking experience, these concoctions would be a perfect way to refuel after playing. Jurassic World Evolution 2.
4) Horizon Zero Dawn Vol. 2: Release
Horizon: West forbidden was one of the biggest games of an absolutely stacked first quarter, but if you’re still craving more content in its post-apocalyptic future, check out Titan Comics’ Horizon Zero Dawn: Liberation. Bridging the gap between the original game and this new sequel, Release was written by Anne Toole, member of zero dawnof the writing team and carries on the spirit of its video game counterparts. Comics and novels have always been one of the most interesting categories of game products, drawing on events and canon from our favorite worlds, and Aloy’s Comic Adventures continues that trend.
(Read our review here.)
3) SteelSeries x Fate Collection
Solid peripherals and branded gaming products go together like peanut butter and jam, and SteelSeries’ new collaboration with Destiny 2 raises the bar just in time for the game’s best expansion yet. Our inaugural Brand of the Year winners produced a trio of their best entry-level products with superb Destiny 2 livery – the Arctis 1 headset, Rival 5 gaming mouse and QcK Prism XL mouse pad. This Rival 5 variant should be of particular interest to Guardians on PC, as it also won our Best Wired Mouse of 2021 award.
2) Endwalker: Final Fantasy XIV Original Sound Track
Speaking of “best extensions”, the Final Fantasy XIV community revels in the arrival of Endwalker back in December. As the game’s next major patch approaches next month, you can relive the expansion’s stellar score with the Endwalker: Final Fantasy XIV Soundtrack, available on Blu-ray from Square Enix Music. It features 62 tracks, accompanied by relevant scenes from the game, with bonus music videos and concert footage from The Primals, sound director Masayoki Soken’s band (with guest performances from director Naoki Yoshida and translation director Michael -Christopher Koji Fox).
The album is getting a second printing this month, or you can also pick up the expansion theme vinyl single “Endwalker – Footfalls”, an absolute banger I’ve been snoozing for months.
1) LEGO Ideas: Sonic the Hedgehog – Green Hill Zone
I wish I could go back to the mid-90s and bring my younger self a copy of this latest gaming merchandise. The LEGO Group produced this fan-designed set as part of their Ideas line in conjunction with Sega, and we fingers crossed that it develops into a full-fledged product line like their collaborations with Nintendo.
For just CAD$89.99, LEGO Ideas: Sonic the Hedgehog—Green Hill Zone (#21331) is a detailed and unique labor of love. It includes a Sonic figure, as well as a Dr. Robotnik Eggman and two of his robot sidekicks. You will also build a loop, item boxes, a palm tree, and a lever spring. The end result is an iconic Blue Blur very first level diorama, perfect for any shelf or ledge in your game room or home office.
(Speaking of LEGO and Horizon, if you’re looking for something a little bigger and a whole lot less subtle, you can check out the Tallneck set in May.)
There you have it, our picks for the crème de la crème of gaming products so far this year! It’s a great time to be a gamer, and we’ll surely have more endorsements as 2022 goes on, so stay tuned to CGMagazine for updates.
