Sonic in Lego and Aloy on pages, recipes for dinos and tunes on our stereo, shiny peripherals tricked out with lights—these are a few of our favorite (gaming merchandise) things.
In our quest to keep you up to date with the latest and greatest in games, tech, and comics, we’ve spent time with some outstanding products that help extend your favourite titles and properties beyond the screen.
5) Jurassic World: The Official Cookbook
Our first item is gaming merchandise-adjacent and not actually out until April 19, but our staff is already enjoying flipping through the latest media tie-in from Insight Editions. Jurassic World: The Official Cookbook is packed with recipes running the gambit of culinary categories—from entrées 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. Catered for cooks with minimal kitchen experience, these concoctions would be a perfect way to refuel after playing Jurassic World Evolution 2.
4) Horizon Zero Dawn Vol. 2: Liberation
Horizon: Forbidden West was one of the biggest games in an absolutely stacked first-quarter, but if you’re still craving more content set in its post-apocalyptic future, check out Titan Comics’ Horizon Zero Dawn: Liberation. Bridging the gap between the original game and this new sequel, Liberation was penned by Anne Toole, member of Zero Dawn‘s writing team, and carries on the spirit of its video game counterparts. Comics and novels have always one of the most worthwhile categories of gaming merchandise, building upon the events and canon of our favourite worlds, and Aloy’s comic adventures continue that trend.
3) SteelSeries x Destiny Collection
Solid peripherals and branded gaming merchandise 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 have produced a trio of their best entry-level products with stunning Destiny 2 livery—the Arctis 1 Headset, Rival 5 Gaming Mouse, and QcK Prism XL Mousepad. This Rival 5 variant should be especially worthwhile for PC-based Guardians, as it also won our Best Wired Mouse award for 2021.
2) Endwalker: Final Fantasy XIV Original Soundtrack
Speaking of “best expansions,” the Final Fantasy XIV community is revelling in—and recovering from—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 Original Soundtrack, available on Blu-ray from Square Enix Music. It includes 62 tracks, accompanied by relevant scenes from the game, with bonus music videos and concert footage of The Primals, sound director Masayoki Soken’s band (featuring guest performances from director Naoki Yoshida and translation director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox).
The album is receiving a second printing this month, or you can also pick up the vinyl single of the expansion’s theme “Endwalker – Footfalls,” an absolute banger I’ve had on repeat 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 last piece of gaming merchandise. The LEGO Group produced this fan-designed set as part of its Ideas line in conjunction with Sega, and our fingers are crossed that it turns into a full-fledged product line like their collaborations with Nintendo.
For only $89.99 CAD, LEGO Ideas: Sonic the Hedgehog—Green Hill Zone (#21331) is a detailed and unique labour of love. It includes one Sonic minifigure, as well as a buildable Dr. Robotnik Eggman and two of his robot henchmen. You’ll also build a loop, item boxes, a palm tree, and a lever-based spring. The final result is a diorama of the Blue Blur’s iconic, very first level, perfect for any bookshelf 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 lot less subtle, you can check out the Tallneck set in May.)
There you have it, our picks for the cream of the crop in gaming merchandise so far this year! It’s a very good time to be a gamer, and surely we’ll have more recommendations as 2022 goes on, so stay tuned to CGMagazine to keep up to date.
