Hi, and welcome to a new feature from The Next Level focusing on the strange and interesting promotional items that the gaming industry gives out year after year. There's a ton of stuff out there, from action figures and models to decks of cards, pins, and t-shirts, and even weird things that we just can't figure out at all. We aren't going to try to document every t-shirt or anything (most just aren't very good), but if it was a freebie item given away in support of a video game and it's even a little bit cool, I'd like to see it show up here at some point. This includes things such as E3 giveaways and the occasional retailer-only item.

The first item (of many to come) is the Testor Spy Hunter model given out to promote the first game in the new series. It's a beautifully crafted model with a metal body and several moving parts, including a working steering wheel. In the first picture you can see that the wheels are turned a bit to the right. The doors, hood, and trunk all open as well, and even the windshield wiper can move. The interior of the car has some good detail as well: in addition to the seats are the stick shift and gas/brake pedals and even a little decal for the dashboard.

All told, it's one of the nicer promos I've seen, and a great way to kick off what will be a parade of many, many more gadgets, items, knickknacks, and doodads. If you're really, really lucky I might even get someone to model the Maximo boxer shorts. Or not.

· · · James Cunningham

When I heard that James was documenting the wild world of game promos, I couldn't help but haul out my embarrassingly large trove of gaming-related paraphernalia and see what I could dig out. It's actually gotten to the point where I spend more time (and money) on gaming-related promos and retail toys than games themselves.

Last year, Midway followed up its Spy Hunter model car with a Spy Hunter 2 die-cast motorcycle that was given to customers who preordered the game at several retail outlets nationwide, including GameStop and Toys "R" Us. In case you're wondering, no, I neither preordered nor purchased Spy Hunter 2, but I wound up finding the bike in a big bag of promo stuff given to me so graciously by the employees at my local 'Stop. Unlike the car, this one requires no assembly.

The bike has a red die-cast body over plastic and metal innards – even some fairly well hidden components are modeled. The handlebar assembly moves with the front wheel, and the back wheel has some suspension, thanks to a spring in the bike's underbelly. It even has a functioning little kickstand. It's tough to make out in the photos, but the body has some fairly precise Spy Hunter 2 and Honda artwork in a few places.

The bike isn't nearly as rare as James' auto, and as such, you should be able to find it on eBay or maybe through sweettalking your local retailer. And for those who have to have it all, a retail Spy Hunter 2 car model similar but not identical to the promo is available from Amazon for $30.

· · · Anthony Onyrscuk