spacepup

I received my Ruby 18 already from a company called Mountain Tea Company which I read a few reviews about, indicating they believe the sourcing is legitimate from Taiwan. I also got a roasted dark oolong. I'll try it out soon and share my thoughts! It was expensive, but I love trying new teas. https://www.mountaintea.com/products/ruby-18-black-tea-2oz My latest obsession is soba-cha or roasted buckwheat tea (not really a "tea" blah blah, but you get the idea). It is so yummy! It's like genmaicha but without the green tea. Very unique flavor profile and I am absolutely loving it. It has a toasty, nutty kinda flavor, almost savory, but then also has a decent amount of sweetness to it. I LOVE it.

Wow, good job. I was gonna guess some Ultima game. If this game expands into all sorts of consoles (and even PC) wew, it'll be hard!

Hahaha. Be careful what you wish for. Awesome is relative. I may put some funky things in there.

Awesome, thanks. If you get a chance, please share some pics of what you got! If I run one of these, I'm legit going to require that from participants, just a heads up hahaha.

Very cool find! I have several of the Test Sample PSP UMDs - some of those will match the standard retail release, and some of them will likely be unique / earlier versions. You can usually tell by comparing the version number listed on the test sample, to the version number on the retail release (which is located internally in the data). Once you get pictures and/or a list of them, I'd love to help compare the list to the known retail versions, and can help identify which are expected to be earlier releases (if you need the help that is). Sent ya a PM about maybe other ways we can work together regarding preserving them / documenting them. I'm not necessarily looking to swoop them all up, but I would like to help here. Although Rogue Galaxy is a game I absolutely love and would potentially be interested in that one. Either way, great find and I hope I can help here!

I was just reading about Ruby 18, it definitely sounds interesting. That is not one I've tried before - I will give it a shot and see how I like it. Thanks for the recommendation, it sounds very unique.

I understand the technical commonality of 'tea' mostly stemming from the same plant. But in terms of practical use, I conventionally refer to them as different 'teas' because it's just easier. I often call herbal tea "tea" and I've had some semantics-focused people harp on me "it's not technically tea" and I'm like yea yea, I know hah. The same as how rooibos isn't Camellia Sinensis, but I still call it tea just because it's easier. I fell in love with rooibos a few years ago because I was trying to consume less caffeine, and rooibos is caffeine free. You might also try Green Rooibos (it's just rooibos that isn't oxidized / is processed differently), but I still prefer red. I've made chai with it (red) and it works decently well. You are correct that matcha is basically just ground up green tea, which makes it much more concentrated. It is usually made from a high quality / high-grade green tea (if you get a non-cheapy one). I know matcha has become sorta 'trendy' these days, but I actually think it's really good and lives up to the hype. I often prefer matcha to a standard green steeped tea.

True. I think many of us do it all the time, we just know the things to look out for by now, to reduce that risk a lot. For that reason, it definitely is very rare that I actually get scammed. Not because almost all the sellers are great, but because I mostly know what to avoid. It's sad, but the reality is, there are a lot of people out there who will absolutely lie, cheat, manipulate, and scam you. Not everyone of course, but enough that we have to be vigilant.

I completely understand this approach. While I would love in my heart to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, when you've encountered so many bad actors out there, it's hard not to be skeptical. So that's the way I try to approach things - not necessarily treating people I don't know as guilty until proven innocent, but processing everything with a healthy dose of skepticism and caution. Over time, we all also learn lots of little tips and tricks, and things to avoid when engaging in transactions online. We know a lot of the red flags to look out for and avoid them, and usually have better experiences as a result. I don't always assume the worst - for example, if something says untested, there could be a number of reasons for that - laziness, too much stuff, etc. The beauty of all of this is, each person can have their own opinion on the matter and choose to engage in transactions however they see fit. If someone sees "untested" and immediately assumes it is too risky, they don't have to buy. If someone else sees it and wants to take the gamble, more power to them.

I mean, to be fair, I don't often put much weight into the statements they make on either side. I've encountered tons of listings that have a generic, mass-applied statement about how they thoroughly tested and cleaned the game inside and out, which was obvious BS as the item I received was broken and visibly horribly dirty. I'm sure some people do clean and test all their games, but there are lots of large sellers out there who put a completely false generic statement about stuff just to make it sound good. I don't necessarily view all sellers as malicious - I just have a healthy dose of skepticism with orders and know that each time is somewhat a gamble. Usually it works out just fine, occasionally it doesn't.

I don't mind if someone lists untested. My point is when they say it's untested and take the special effort to add a description about why they "can't" test it such as not having any way to do so, while also listing a bunch of consoles. It doesn't matter to me all that much, just sorta odd they'd add that line in there.

I'm not sure what you two are bickering about but hopefully it doesn't keep going on - I mean, it's clear the two of you don't see eye to eye on pretty much anything. As for the topic at hand, it certainly does feel frustrating with all the scamming and fakes out there. It's equally frustrating when it feels like there is nothing you can do much to help the situation or fix it. While it isn't 'fair,' one practical outcome is of course to try to help educate yourself and others to minimize being scammed. Stinks that's the way things are though. Fortunately, we have communities like this where people can help each other out and teach what to look for. It's a little bit more effort, but working together we can hopefully prevent people from being misled or scammed as much as possible.

What I will say, is that it's funny when someone says something like, the game is untested "because I don't have any way to test it" and then they are also selling the console in another listing. That one does raise an eyebrow hah.

When I was a child, I wasn't exposed to other types of tea, so the only thing I knew about 'tea' was that it was black tea that either came sweet or unsweet. I simply wasn't aware of all the other types. It would be kind of like growing up in a world where the only thing you knew about 'soda' was plain Coca-Cola. Never being exposed to all the other soda beverages out there. But the other ones taste nothing like Coca-Cola. As I got older, I learned about so many different varieties and flavors, that are *completely* different from the standard black tea. And now, I rarely rarely ever just drink black tea. The more I've explored different types, the more I've built a greater appreciation and love for tea in its many forms. Matcha tastes very different from turmeric tea, which tastes very different from chai, which tastes very different from an herbal tisane. I don't love every single type of tea, but there are some that I absolutely LOVE now, that I would never have enjoyed had I not branched out to try the many different kinds. It's a wonderful world of flavor out there, with so much to try, and usually very inexpensive relatively speaking. I don't expect everyone to try all these things, but much like every cup of coffee or every bite of 'apple' is not exactly the same, the same applies to tea in all its glorious forms!

Regarding the tested thing - I have run into the situation before where someone just had a ton of items and didn't want to spend the time testing, so sold as is. And the prices reflected that. I'm sure there are others who intentionally sell broken stuff and say "untested" but I guess it just depends on the situation. As for reporting to ebay, it's a noble endeavor but it certainly *feels* like wasted effort, because nothing seems to be done about it. I think it's pretty clear by now based on the responses here, but feel free to report stuff, just don't expect much action to occur from it.

Yooooo @neodolphino and @platformagnostic - Happy Birthdays! Enjoy it out there!

For me, this really is a case-by-case basis sorta thing. I find that most often, I have a deep love, respect, and nostagia for the original - especially given that in most cases, that is what I played first. And sometimes, the original is the best experience for me. More often than not, I think, is the case where I still love that original experience, but evolutions and expansions to the game have led to gaming experiences that I find more enjoyable later on. I will always respect and appreciate the original Legend of Zelda for what it is and what it started. But if I had to pick, I would always rather play Link to the Past over the original, because I feel it took the good things about the original, and expanded the game so much more into something I enjoy playing more. I feel the same way about Metroid. I LOVED Metroid back in the day, but I'd rather go back and play some of the sequels more, at this point. It doesn't mean I'll never touch the original LOZ or Metroid, and I will always appreciate and respect what they started, but in terms of how I want to spend my time in gaming, it is probably with other games. There are, of course, other cases where I still enjoy the original the best. Take Luigi's Mansion for example. I just love the first one. And while I enjoyed some of the later games, and thought Luigi's Mansion 3 was super fun, I still prefer the original. I'm sure I could think of many other similar examples as well.

Have a great birthday @ap123 and @The Count! Hope your day is fantastic!

I've thought about this a lot over the years, and basically, I try to think about the broader picture. We are all connected, and what we do or don't do, isn't just trapped inside a little bubble that only affects us. Our actions (or lack of actions) affect others around is in ways we can't even fully imagine. Everyone who purchases a game, sells a game, talks about a game, watches a video, makes a video, makes a post on a video game forum, shares information, consumes information, etc etc., has *some* marginal impact on the market for video games. It's just... well, a part of society. People making videos about games, even rare games, may upset some people because it could theoretically raise the price, but also, it gets the word out and helps more people become aware of the game who may actually want to play it. Video games are such an important part of my life, and have brought so much enjoyment to me over the years, that I want others to enjoy them as well. I'm ok with some games becoming more expensive, if part of the reason is that more people know about something fun and get a chance to enjoy it. Also, people enjoy this hobby in different ways. Some people enjoy by playing games, others, collecting. Others, competition. And some, enjoy making videos about games. All the things we do - wherever you lie on that spectrum - affect other people and the market in some way. It's just the nature of things. The only thing I guess I could parse out as being less....desirable, is if someone *intentionally* tries to inflate game values for personal gain - which probably does happen some. But the overall availability of interesting content out there, and the benefits it may bring to the hobby - either with existing parties or new ones - I think does more good than harm, looking at the big picture.

It doesn't need to be complicated. Basically, it's a plea / encouragement to be more positive on the site. Especially (I believe) aimed at people who maybe aren't so great at that. How you choose to implement the idea, is entirely up to you! If some people want to keep track here because it helps keep them motivated, then sure, you could do that. I personally won't be 'tracking' myself, but the aim to be more constructive and positive, and maybe less snarky or sarcastic, is definitely a good thing to strive for.

Happy beeeday @Jaden! Hope ya have a good one!

Ah ok. I really like Micro Mages but tbh, I haven't made it that far in the game. I need to get back into it and finish. I don't think I'd mind this personally, because at least it is kinda different, and I like seeing them through to completion. Who knows - maybe there are surprises in store for the second phase? Not really sure. I remember at first feeling a little disappointed at Legend of Zelda, but looking back, I'm very content with it. Maybe give it a chance and see if you enjoy it? Idk.

I think it depends on your own personal preference. For example, speedrunners use "cheats" and glitches all the time to accomplish their goals, and it is still super fun to watch. For me, it really depends on the game and how much it breaks it. Some RPGs have item duplication glitches that effectively break the game and remove all challenge. I'd choose not to do that personally, just so I enjoy the game more. If others want to, that is their prerogative of course. I also know many people who try to play through 'legit' the first time, but then subsequent playthroughs, anything is fair game. So I think it just depends on where you are in the game, how many times you've played it, what your goals are, and what your preferences are.

I understand your frustration, but at the same time, maybe consider that you can define completion on your own terms. You don't *have* to play through it the second time. If you want to see potential more content or the completion of the story, you can choose to play through it again, but it's optional like everything else.