Renmauzo

Hi folks, It's been a month and I'm still just keeping the purchases in check before PRGE, but I was able to knock a few more of the inexpensive games off the list and those games just came in from the US box today! To start, Wario Ware was one of those games I had and traded back when the PS3 came out. That system was over $700 CAD at the time and EB was running one of their trade-in deals towards the system. Wario Ware was one of the casualties of that trade, and like the other games I traded at the time, I intended to re-buy them later and that plan got lost in the shuffle. It's been a while; it was time to right that wrong. Aside from that, both Dual Hearts and Ring of Red were games that I wanted to buy at the time but got lost in the shuffle in favour of other titles. Over the past few months, I've been going back over the library lists for systems I collect for just to see what I've missed and/or has slipped my mind over the years (with the goal of having a definitive 'to get' list) and these were two of the ones I'd since forgotten about. Otherwise, I was able to get a sweetheart deal on Skyshark (complete w/all inserts) for $30 CAD, the Demon Throttle pre-order finally showed up for me, and something I've been eagerly awaiting from Japan...Ramza!!! I LOVE Final Fantasy Tactics, and while I rarely buy any figures, this was a must purchase up there with the Xenogears Bring Arts figures. Disappointingly, Delita and Agrias were pushed back to November (iirc), so I can't set up a diorama just yet, but that is going to be amazing when they come in! And that's it for me. I might get 2-3 more games showing up before PRGE, but that's about it. I hope you all find what you're looking for!

This is a pretty cool feature(tte?) and was a fun read! Thanks for putting this idea together, Splain, and for the personal insight Code Monkey!

I went with a 5. There's nothing mechanically wrong with the game, and there are a few strong points (combat fluidity and graphics), but an obtuse story really kills any chance I'd ever play it again. Isn't this also where all the 'belt' jokes started with regards to Nomura's designs? While there were a few games before this that gave me this feeling, this game really cemented that the Square I knew and loved as a teen would never be the same. Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind when I think Kingdom Hearts is that it's story reminds me of something an edgy and angst-filled teen wearing a sweater two sizes too big while writing 'poetry' under a tree on campus would write thinking they were being clever and profound.

Friday mailbag (love it when stuff shows up just before the weekend!) I had participated in the Kickstarter campaign for Retro Fighters' N64 controller project and really love those controllers, so when they launched the campaign for PS1/PS2/PS3 controllers, I backed without hesitation. The turnaround time was on point and they just arrived today; I'm going to do some testing tomorrow Mario Party 9 was the last Mario Party title I was missing, and I got it for next to nothing from someone in the UK who had NA region games, so no one else was buying them. Other than that, part of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 CE came in from Nintendo, and my order from VGP finally shipped and arrived. For months, I've been seeing people get - and be able to play - Andro Dunos 2, but I'd ordered the North American version for Switch which took until this week to release; finally, I can play a new shoot 'em up that looks awesome! Between this stuff and the games that came in earlier this week (plus, I'm about 60hrs into Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition), my weekend is going to be pretty sweet (it's supposed to rain all weekend here on the island, so a good excuse to stay in and play :) Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

A box just sowed up from my US locker today, and it was freakin' sweet! I introduced my wife to NBA Jam, and did we ever have a blast playing together (she wants the arcade machine now, lol). so I watched a comparison video on all the home versions and settled on the Saturn port...just waiting for the kids to go to bed so we don't have to fight for turns, lol. Dive Alert: Becky's Version has eluded me for years and was the last game I needed for my NGPC collection. A deal came my way that was pretty sweet after such a long time of nothing regarding this game, so it's nice to put the NGPC collection to bed. Under Defeat HD just made sense to me as opposed to wrangling the DC version, and NOS is still easy to come by for cheap; always down for another shoot 'em up! Besides those 3, I'm on a mission to get the Koei SImulation Series games because I LOVE them (Nobunaga's Ambition was my gateway into these games) and Liberty or Death was my latest get. It's such a nice, complete copy that I had to pull the trigger; a few more to go now before I have all the ones I want. This box of games was a real treat to get today. The games provided laughs, critical thinking, and closure (in the case of Dive Alert). All the best on the hunt, everyone!

So, I'm still saving most of my pennies for PRGE, but in the meantime, a few things came out and a few things came in! I was re-working a shelf a few weeks ago and picked out a few games to cull, when I realized that I'd never bought a physical copy of Tokyo Jungle. Luckily, $10 w/free shipping from Japan was a pretty sweet deal Otherwise, Live A Live came out and FE came in (ordering something in addition to XenoBlade Chronicles 3 was the only way I was able to get my order to work) which I got because I tried it at my sister's house and enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. Omori is one I've been waiting for for a while; I get 'psychological horror meets Earthbound' vibes, so I'm in. And finally, after what...a year? (or something like that)...my order that had Castlevania Collection, Mega Man: Wily Wars, and Pixel Junk Eden finally showed up! And that's it for now. In another week or so, I should have another box of stuff from my locker in the US; only 4 games, but I'm very excited (finally finished my NGPC collection!!!). 'Till then, later everyone and good luck on the hunt!

I decided to take on Final Fantasy XV. I got the SE online exclusive special edition, and then later double dipped on the Royal Edition...and neither had been touched until a month and a half ago; I finally got the urge to take this game on. That said, I finally finished the game this evening. I didn't do a completionist run as I started to get tired of the MMO nature of this game, but I may go back for a New Game + run at some point and try to do some of the crazier stuff. All I'll say about this one is that its strength is in the relationship of the four friends. The rest of the game is a mess in design and execution. It's a bad sign when you've got to read a wiki breaking down the story because of all the things that aren't made available to you as a player or if you didn't buy/play the DLC episodes. I'll play the game again sometime to hang out with the boys again and buy/play the DLC episodes. The story (once I read enough to find out what the backstory/lore is) is actually really cool; this could have been an all-time great FF with proper execution. Anyway, a mixed bag but its charm grew on me. Now, on to the next!

The last two games I personally rented - at the same time - were Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG. My cousin (asshole) was coming over for the weekend so my Mom splurged and allowed for two rentals. We chose both of the games mentioned, and when we got back, he promptly started Mario RPG and 'let me' watch the whole time. 2 hours in, he got stuck, got frustrated, shut the game off and switched to CT. Within 10 minutes, he got bored of the story setup, shut it off and declared 'that game sucks'. He dragged me outside and I didn't get to play anything. When he left the next day, I started playing CT and fell in love with the experience. I extended the rental and got to the point where you're filling out everyone's side stories and brought the game back because I decided I was going to pull odd jobs throughout the summer for the $115 I'd need to buy the game and then play my own copy from start to finish. To date, it's one of my most cherished gaming memories

Mine is a Hitaru copy, and yes, the stickers are present (the sticker sheet folds in two inside the manual). I'm skeptical of a second print in which the stickers would be omitted given the very low sales of the game, so while I can't say for certain, I'd err on the side of 'the stickers are probably just missing' with the copy you're looking at. I hope you find a copy that suits you, and all the best on the Saturn hunt!

Great minds think alike! I double checked first 'cause I had the same thought

Some pre-orders finally all arrived (was waiting due to shipping consolidation) as did a small batch of things that went to my US box. My Mom just sort of annexed my copy of Death Squared (super addicted, lol), so I had to replace it with another I've been jazzed to play Record of Lodoss War (the first time I saw it in action, I had to do a double take because I was like "New Castlevania...!?!"). As for the Darkstalkers Fighting Collection (might as well be...all 5 games = AWESOME!) and Pocky & Rocky: great value for what both have on offer, and all the additions to P&R make seem to be making for a pretty definitive experience! BitHead1000 had a video recently where he played Sword of Vermillion, it looked cool, so I managed to find a copy w/ the strategy book for $18. I realized while going through things that I never got Evolution 2 to go with the first game, so I rectified that (it seems that a lot of people find the Evolutions games boring...I'll have to check that out and see for myself), and my brother game me Persona 2 and Sekiro since he was clearing out a whole bunch of games. (He figured he'd give me Persona 2 since my LE is still sealed...just haven't gotten to it yet ) I finally got Poképark 2 for my wife since I bought her the first game back in the day but forgot to pick up the second when it came out, and I thought - for years - that I had picked up Wario: Master of Disguise but recently released that wasn't so. Most importantly of all though was a Father's Day gift from my wife and kids. I love Horizon - everything about it - and so, when I found out there would be a Tallneck Lego set, I was over the moon. I planned on picking it up later this summer, but they surprised me with this and it was truly a touching moment. My daughter and I built it together, and it went right in the main game room on display in place of my Mega Man set-up; I am a massive fan of all things Mega Man, but this kindness from my family means the world to me. All the best to the VGS folks out there, and thanks for looking!

Proof that if you'd planted a dollar, a money tree would grow Damn, @goldenpp72, you're a machine! Beautiful additions to your collection .

I normally never get involved with these kinds of things or openly disagree with a person's opinion as these are all opinions, but the notion of Xenogears being overrated baffles me. That said, despite me wanting to write an objective dissertation about Xenogears being a flawed masterpiece that no one would read (and rightly, lol), I know better than to ever try to change someone's mind when it's been made up. To that end, the only real advice I can share is to try anything in a genre because you never know what you're going to like until you do. For some, Xenogears is overrated, for me, it's my favorite game of all time. The common thread is that we all had to simply try it to come to those conclusions and those impressions shouldn't colour yours about any particular game given that any title will have detractors and champions. Best of luck in the discovery!

So, while I'm still prepping for PRGE, I thought that I'd like to continue getting the odd title here or there in the interim (and whittle down the list in the process). Over the past few weeks, I picked up mostly modern stuff like Cotton, Strikers, and the Chrono Cross remaster which my wife kept bugging me to get (she's playing it atm). Speaking of my wife, she found this Super Mario toy and we thought it was neat. A few weeks ago, i felt like playing Sunshine, but realized that I'd traded it to Gloves, so I went to the pawnshop for a look and they had an incomplete (missing manual) copy for $30 CAD (but had the advertisement insert). Funny enough, there was a second copy of the GH version with the manual, so I asked the guy (new guy, was his first day) if I could grab the manual out of it (same manual between both versions) and he said, "Can't see why not" so I scored a complete copy for cheap. I also had a hankering to play MGS, which they also had for next to nothing. Then, yesterday, my Play Asia order came in for Same! Same! Same!, Rolling Gunner, and Dirt Rally 2.0 GotY Edition which I was over the moon about. I'd read great things about Rolling Gunner, and anything M2 releases under their M2Shotriggers line is a must buy for me. Dirt was unexpected. The last time I played a game with the Dirt name, I really didn't like it but had given it a try because I had enjoyed the Colin McRae games on the original XBOX. Forever after, all Dirt games felt like they strayed so far away from what made sim rally games so much fun. After a conversation with my younger brother about RalliSport 2 a few weeks ago, he suggested I try Dirt Rally 2.0 and started extolling its virtues. I was resistant, but he showed me some game-play and I decided to get on board. I found out that the Xbox One version plays in 4K w/HDR, and since I wanted physical, was going to have to get a European copy; I didn't know there was no region lock. They had it at Play Asia, and since I was already ordering the other two games, it was all perfect timing. Dirt Rally 2.0 is amazing. Like, really amazing. This is the most fun (and frustration due to the rust on my skill) that I've had with a racing game in years...since RalliSport 2 I'd say, and it is addictive. The hunt to try and shave seconds off of posted track times is exhilarating to say the least. They got rid of all the Gymkana stuff and skater culture aesthetic that really transformed what Code Masters has been doing for a long time now and refocused on pure rally. Thank goodness! That's it. Nothing crazy like a lot of the stuff I've been seeing in this thread (0_0!) but fun all the same. Later folks!

Hot damn, 'Slice! I've been looking for GB R-Type, Gear Works and Legend of the River King for ages. If you ever get tired of those, please think of me, lol. I can only dream of having the kind of access you seem to have for this stuff. Awesome gets as always

This might not count since I didn't include all the Xenosaga and Xenoblade games/versions/releases, but I'm pretty sure I have all the iterations of Xenogears, my favorite game of all time! The Square Enix Bring Arts Weltall-2 (ID version) is coming out soon as well and will be added into the case If anyone knows of another version I'm missing, please, let me know. I generally have no interest in sealed/graded stuff, but getting a black label copy sealed to go with the GH version would be pretty sweet. I also need that 20th anniversary music box...at least I've got Myth: Xenogears Orchestral album signed by Mitsuda (not in the display, it's over at the cd player in the living room). I really resonate with Takahashi's work and make it a point to get the games he makes (Soma Bringer is a great DS title!), but Xenogears is a flawed masterpiece that will always be an easy 10 for me.

Since I finally finished X6, I thought today that I would go for Mega Man 11. I remember being so hyped up for the MM11 release that I took the day off on launch day to play it, but I wasn't able to complete it. This time, instead of the Switch version, I played the XBOX One version from scratch. After struggling a bit at the same part I got stuck on back then (Wily stage 1), I made it through and the following Wily stages were cake! This game was a great return to form and a near perfect mix of old and new. It's a shame that the steam generated from MM11 wasn't followed up on for either a 12 or an X9, but I have hope that the passion the team clearly put into this project will be called on again for another Mega Man adventure. This (and Eddy tossing out a Gear cooldown item for Auto) really made me laugh, and it was nice to see that all the Robots Masters were being saved. Boy, do I ever love Ishihara's artistic vision for all the characters and designs! No, a big thank you to Oda, Tsuchiya, and the rest of the team for making a wonderful Mega Man game and giving me hope for the future of the series!

Mega Man X6, complete! (FINALLY!!!)

I pre-ordered Mega Man X6 back in 2001, eagerly anticipating greatness and a return to form from X4 (X5 was pretty good, but some design choices kept it from being truly special). What I got left me feeling...frustrated. Even back then, when I made it to the Gate stages, I couldn't figure out how to beat the stage boss. I'd go on to pick at it from time to time over the years, but always hit the same roadblock. Finally, after 21 years, I decided to Mega Man & Bass this game, and power through over 7 hours. Honestly, it's pretty embarrassing to admit, because I can practically speed run X1-5, but at least I didn't give up. I rescued all but 2 of the reploids (couldn't be bothered to get the armor piece as well as find the two reploids I needed in the museum...RNG, poor design), and only had a rank of GA because I couldn't be bothered to grind out an additional 2676 soul orb points. In any case, the victory is sweet. I got in a bit of trouble from my wife when I shouted at the tv that Sigma could 'go fuck himself' which almost woke up the kids. Yes Zero, yes it is.

I've been taking it pretty easy on the purchases these last few months (can be hard to show restraint when you're close to the end) but despite my focus on PRGE come October, I've decided to knock out some of the cheaper titles in the meantime. With that said, the last 2 months of games from the US box arrived today. I was feeling like playing MGS3 recently, but when I took a look at the shelf, I realized I didn't have Snake Eater on PS2 anymore. Then I remembered that I sold it since I have a new copy of it on 3DS. I decided that I'd rather play this on the tv, so I managed to score a pristine copy from someone the next province over for $40 CAD. I'll likely play this weekend... Otherwise, I was surprised I could get a new copy of MS: Anthology for $35, which is a swap out for the copy I had on Wii. In a similar vein as with MGS, I wanted to play some Outrun 2 and RalliSport 2 this past week, to find that I had never bough the one and had traded the other (promptly forgetting to buy it again later). A great racing game and one of the best rally games as far as I'm concerned! I swapped out my Japanese copy of Samba De Amigo for an NA copy, and TaleSpin...well, I just really like the Capcom Disney releases and I really like TaleSpin; I recently started re-watching the old series with the kids And finally, the obligatory Game Boy purchases. I got TTA2 fully complete for super cheap on open auction, and this month's game of the month for Yokoi Kids is Fortified Zone, a game I'd not heard of but that looks fun. I like looking through those old product catalogue posters that come with Konami and Jaleco games, what a trip! So, that's it for this month. Outside of a few Switch games that should be coming either next week or the week after, the end of June will likely be the next time I have anything gathered at the US box shipped here. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

I'll be making the 3700km trip to PRGE this year, I can keep my eyes peeled for you if you'd like. My stop-over on the way back to the island is TO.

Just beat Lunar: Eternal Blue this evening! What a wonderful game

Mega Man Battle Network is my favorite series of games, full stop. I was waiting all last year for Capcom to do right by the series, but I read a translated article by the director of the series who alluded to porting the games into a new collection being not in the budget or on the production docket. Instead, Capcom was looking for merchandising partners *sigh* Oddly enough, despite my love of Battle Network, I bought all the Star Force games but haven't cracked the seals on any of them yet. At this point, I'm just hoping for a collection for convenience sake. I'd buy collections for both in a hot minute if Capcom gets around to it; a copy for every region (because I love Mega Man so much) to help support further Mega Man releases.

I bought Lunar: Eternal Blue when it came out, pre-ordered it even, but when I did, I still hadn't played Lunar Silver Star Story Complete first. I played SSS and loved it...what an adventure, what a story, and what wonderful characters that I grew to care about. After beating that game, I figured I'd jump right into Eternal Blue; that was a mistake. My first thought was, "it's not the same...this isn't Alex, Nall, Luna, Nash, et all...". I had to put the game away and it took me 22 years to come back. The journey that I started 60hrs ago ended this evening with the true ending, and I'll keep it simple: the experience was just as wonderful as SSS. To be honest, I added this one to my list after playing Suikoden because I just really had a hankering to play it. Now, back to the rest of the list

Well, now I'm curious @goldenpp72: what Atlus games are you missing o_0?