World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (PC DVD)

In the week since the expansion went live, I have spent a ridiculous amount of time playing WoW.
The release went fairly smoothly in my opinion. The Alliance side had a bottle-neck quest requiring you to use a gyrocopter to shoot various targets. This caused problems for the first few hours due to lag and re-spawn times not being high enough, but was quickly patched and was no problem once the rush had passed.
The lack of flying at the start of the expansion really lends itself to the sense of adventure and exploring this new continent gradually. I had the same feeling of anticipation as when I first stepped through the Dark Portal, back in TBC. The visuals are stunning and each zone has it's own flavour while still being part of the larger continent and story. I'm currently at level 88 after a week of playing and exploring so I can't talk about the end game yet.
The questing experience is very varied (not all kill 10 mobs, collect 10 doodads) and there are numerous mini stories going on throughout each zone, so you get the re-playability aspect that Cataclysm's 'on the rails' levelling lacked.

The mini game of pet battles is something I was not interested in prior to buying the expansion. However, I am addicted to it now. I spent a whole morning, this week capturing and levelling wild pets around the starting zones. Trying to capture the elusive rares of each type of creature will keep me occupied for a good long while.
Talking of side games, the farming element (where you grow vegetables in your own phased field) is also quite fun and very useful (and lucrative) for existing characters. I have 4 level 85 characters now farming daily while waiting for their turn to level to 90.
If you enjoy the lore side of things, there are various objects and scrolls around the world telling stories to fill out the history of this rich new land.

As I said earlier, I'm not at 90 yet, so I can't review Scenarios, Heroic dungeons, Challenge Modes or Raids, but if they have had the same treatment as the rest of the game, then this may knock The Burning Crusade off it's throne as the most liked expansion yet.

As for the Collector's Edition specifically, as usual, the contents were of the highest quality. The Art book is amazing as is the mouse mat. I haven't watched the behind the scenes DVD yet so can't comment on that.

In summary:
As you can probably tell, I'm a long-time player (since Vanilla). I stuck through Cataclysm despite it's failings in content. Mists of Pandaria sets all things right again. Everything I've seen so far suggests this will be the best expansion yet!

I'll admit I haven't played WoW in over a year, but I bought the CE for the extras that come with it, so my review is based on the contents inside.
It comes with a nice mouse-pad, just like the previous CE's, and this features our friend Chen Stormstout.
There's also an exquisite art book filled with concept art and designs that I enjoy flicking through, time and again.
I have seen the majority of the DVD (also with a blu-ray!) Behind the Scenes features, which have standard fare about the lore, designing sound, landscapes, different versions of the MoP cinematic and many interviews that anyone who wants to know the background behind the game should definitely watch!
And finally, the OST CD is just beautiful. The composers and musicians have outdone themselves yet again. Highlights include Heart of Pandaria (log-in music), The Traveler's Path (with vocals!), Stormstout Brew and Serpent Riders. If this music is epic and gorgeous as it sounds on CD, then it must be even better while levelling in Pandaria.

As a final note, I still read updates on WoW, and it seems now is a great time to go back, what with the war being brought to the shores and 2 new awesome islands being discovered in Patch 5.2. People might complain about the many daily quests, but I actually enjoy them (in general). But it's not my choice, that's for you to decide! I would heartily recommend this item for any avid collector.

Great game, great art book, very satisfied! And I got it 3 days early! Been playing for 6 years so far, and will continue to play