The Gamer's Quarter

dessgeega · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 3:17 am Post subject: treasures of your collection.

i decided to take the initiative and start this topic myself because i want to see it so badly. this is a topic for games you are proud to own - the games that are your treasures, either because they are rare or because of the way in which you acquired them. tell stories!

here are mine:

marvel vs. capcom 2, playstation2 (us). because it is crazily rare. i spent a week with the game left on, unlocking every character and stage. then i promptly stopped playing. i own this for multiplayer only, and i am content to know that if i start it up for play with a friend, we will be able to play any characters at all.

tempest 2000, atari jaguar (uk). complete, in original box, sealed. it should be noted i do not yet own an atari jaguar.

REZ, playstation2 (japan). not only because it is rare and beautiful and one of the most beloved of my games, but because i spent a year of my life chasing this game, and coming very close to making it mine. i'd been holding out for the ps2 version, but i ultimately broke down and bought a used dreamcast copy on half.com. weeks later, i filed for a refund, as it had never arrived. the person who i'd bought it from had vanished with no trace. months later i had the opportunity to import a barely-used ps2 copy from hong kong for fairly cheap, and i did so.

on the ball, snes. because too few people know how this game shines. i consider myself lucky to be able to play it whenever i like.

sentinel returns, playstation (us). having largely missed out on the playstation the first time through, i spent a long bunch of months discovering and collecting used playstation games. this is also when i got my hands on umjammer lammy, nitrous oxide, magic carpet, and robotron x.

legend of zelda, nes. i still own the same cartridge i watched my mother defeat both quests on when i was a little child.

crossroads, commodore 64. in its original form: four pages of machine language in the december 1987 issue of compute!'s gazette.
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player 2 · . Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 585 Location: Madison, WI USA

HUNTER: THE RECKING for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE

You all are too dumb to understand its genius. I'm only being half sarcastic here.
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"It is a peaceful way of understanding life, to play"
_Marcel Duchamp

wourme · . Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 362 Location: Maridia

TOLLMASTER · nippon ichi PR man Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 187

Legend of Mana (PSX)--started looking for it once it came out, and didn't find it late last year. Easilly the most fun/hour I've had with a PSX game. The only things that compare are MGS1 and Vagrant Story, which is another one of my treasures.

Clash at Demonhead (NES)--this is a really, really great game, though to date I've never beaten it (still can't find all the bosses in it's expansive overworld, it makes Metroid look like child's play). I remember it mostly because I wanted it when I say it on the Home Shopping Network and my mother was too afraid of buying something over the phone to get it. About 5 years later, my father--who honestly can't even remember my name, at times, due alcoholism--picked it up for me at a sellout at Blockbuster. He said he'd felt bad that he couldn't convince my mother to get it all those years ago, and it bothered him ever since. That game has a story, man.

Pokemon Blue (GB)--went through the wash and dryer three times, fell three stories, had battery acid leak onto it, caught Missingno by accident. Never lost a Pokemon. Consumed at least 200 hours of my life.

Xenogears (PSX)--only game that has a curse on it. First played it hours before September 11th. Falls down very often--usually down stairs. Has a kind of demonic sheen to it, if you look closely. On permanent loan to a friend because it makes me uneasy--even inside a Bible, it kept finding a way to fall down, as if trying to commit suicide. Still love Disc 1, though.

Maniac Mansion (NES)--my mother starved herself for a week to get me this for my birthday. It's the first version, where you can make the hamster explode. Not as rare as everyone seems to think, but it's still cool knowing you have something that got by the censors.

Chrono Trigger (SNES)--first RPG I could afford, instead of renting, only to find someone had played my file during the week. I was in Earthbound somewhere between Threesome (?) and Fourside, and the next time I rented it, my party consisted entirely of
robots. Playing CT at least 11 times, got my characters to either 98 or 99; my save files were deleted by my sister right before I made it to level * and could fight the special version of the Master of War.

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

Silent Bomber for the playstation.

This US release for this one came and left in a matter of weeks. As far as I can tell, I never saw a single print advertisement for it, I only knew it from a OPM demo disc that was given to me by chance, where it was curiously left in japanese with a tedious intro and training sequence (fun fact: this disc also had a demo of the never actually released in america VFX-2). The gameplay itself however, was incredible, sort of a high-speed mix of bomberman and a scrolling shooter. The pacing feels like the original Metal Slug.

Thing is, because it was released at full price with the misleading demo and the complete lack of advertising and media coverage, by the time I started looking for it three weeks after release, the game had already vanished. I spent more than a week going through online retailer after retailer trying to find a copy (this was before MySimon and Froogle and all that jazz). Months later, I happened upon it completely by chance while I was one a site that sold region-free HK DVDs. It's not the most costly game in the world (around $30 on ebay), but that's only if you can find one. It's the only rare game for my psx I didn't liquidate later on.

disneyland · . Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 131 Location: Shinsei

Still have my original copy of Radiant Silvergun, received 3 days after the Japanese release. Pristine condition, spine card intact, etc. Happy to own it.

Panzer Dragoon Saga, English. It's apparently rare due to a pathetic number being manufactured. I had no problem purchasing it on release day. Still, a valued item that I keep in a safe and stable location.

But the real treasure: my copy of Rakugaki Showtime on PS1. Snagged right after it came out in Japan, before the big recall.
Such a weird little game, but simple and perfect for multi-tap sessions when friends are over. New people have no idea what to think at first (it's fucking strange), but they end up loving it. It's fun.

dessgeega · Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 3:36 pm Post subject:

special blend · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 6

Marvel VS Capcom for PS2 is crazy rare? Okay, I treasure that, even though my PS2 doesn't get along with that game, and as of a few days ago, doesn't get along with any game.

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne was long, satisfying, and a huge surprise in general for me. One of the most enjoyable games I've played since the SNES, and probably out of print.

The King of Fighters 00/01 & 02/03 because it's a special series, and I like holding the cases.

Xenogears, because of Mitsuda, among other things.

Last and probably least, all of my PlayStation Final Fantasy games, from the first to the tenth -- minus the obvious one -- because I like Final Fantasy and always have.

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

My Dreamcast. It is the only system I have ever had pre-US release. Probably the last too the way things are getting closer together. I had my Dreamcast for over 6 months before it was released in the US.

Ridge Racer Type 4 (jp release) for a good 2 years or so I would play this game more than once a week. The JogCon was just the icing on the cake for this game as I love custom controllers. I have spent far too much time with this game. Also, it shows, the cd's are no longer in the best shape, and the box is a little beat up. Still works though.

Silent Hill 2 (platinum hits): After waiting the amount of time that it took this game to come down to a platnium hit you can tell I was not in a rush to play this game. This game not only made me love the Silent Hill series, but look at games in a different manner completly. I had already been one of those people looking to justify their hobby as something more before playing this game, but now games can say something deeper, more reflective.

JSRF: This was the game that finally made me break down and get an Xbox. I heard news that "they" had stopped production on the game. It was true, they had stopped production on the single game to start producing it for the pack in. I have never finished this game and it is not as good as its origin, but still.

...

I have more.
I will add some later.

Lackey · . Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 1107 Location: Canada

Fantasy Zone for Turbo GraphX-16 (or PC Engine, if you will):
Except I lost the hu card. Now all I have is the manual and happy memories. Sometimes I just open the case and cry nostalgically into it. I played this game a lot though. I think the sound of the Opa-Opa exploding is permanently ingrained in some deep recess of my subconcious.

Loom for PC:
I love the story, setting, and characters of this game, and I still have the box manual and everything in pristine condition. I used to play this game once a year, when I was a kid, and I think it might still be the only game that really made me feel.
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| Little bird fighting against a bat sect game |

Persona-sama · Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 3:29 pm Post subject:

NiGHTS into Dreams for the Saturn.
At the time when the game came out, all the magazines were pimping the Ultra 64 and Mario 64 as the next savior of the gameworld. I didn't really want to play Pilotwings or another Mario game so I saved my money up for a Saturn ($300 at the time!). I waited patiently until I had enough money to get NiGHTS, going to Toys 'R Us and playing it on the demo stations they had and dying miserably each time I played. I even entered the Fox Kids contest where they were giving away Saturn systems with NiGHTS to a few lucky kids. Eventually I was able to pick up NiGHTS with the special analog controller and I listened to the cd in a stereo everyday (skipping the first two tracks as they were all data). Three months later, I got a Saturn to play it in.
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disneyland · . Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 131 Location: Shinsei

Track down a 192k version of the Nights Full Selection soundtrack. Probably the most accurate Nights music collection. The official OST is a mess. Many of the instruments are way off, and the awesome A-Life mixes (real-time PCM crossfade as you change the mood of the Nightopians in-game) aren't captured. The Full Selection does the job.

Probably one of my top 3 games ever. And yeah, the 3D controller is essential.

dessgeega · Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 5:26 pm Post subject:

Lackey · . Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 1107 Location: Canada

Disk version.

The CD version was also VGA, was it not? I much preferred the original graphics. What changes could possibly be made to the story?

Also, Loom has the coolest manual! Its got these great woodblock print style illustrations of all the different spells you can weave and a bunch that aren't even in the game (for colour, presumably).
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| Little bird fighting against a bat sect game |

dessgeega · Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 8:43 pm Post subject:

nameless scythe-weilding being: boy, i sure am the embodiment of evil! and my name is "winona!" run away from my absolute badness, pure-hearted swan people!

bobbin threadbare: we're not running away! we're going to come back tomorrow and beat you up, because we're clearly good and you're clearly evil! fooey with catharsis, there's no uncertainty in this ending! fooey on you, winona!
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

My time to pimp Castlevania... which are some pretty treasured items of mine. I am going to only focus on items that I had to track down.

Harmony of Dissonance: This one took the least amount of time. I don't remember where, but recently I talked about how I had a falling out with Castlevania in the late 90's through '03. By this time that I realized my falling out was due to a heavy mis-understanding, most of the Castlevanina games released since SotN had gone out of print. Making finding non-HK boots difficult enough, but with the box and all manuals? Hell this is pretty difficult. On top of that I am going to be picky about it and spend no more then $40 shipped for the GBA ones? Hell that is asking a lot, I know. HoD was the first that I acquired after only about 5 months of looking on and off.

Aria of Sorrow: This one, while more recent, was even more difficult to find as it was heralded as (and still thought to be) the best Castlevania ever. So it seems like most people with this game and box would not release it from their icy cold grip. Luckily earlier on this year… well actually late last year, I came across someone who was willing to part with it for the asking price of $30 shipped. So, as I said, late last year turned into early this year. The person was a bit hesitant and forgetful, but my spring finally got it and I was glad I held off on a different $50 offer I got.

Chronicles: The worst part about all of these so far (this one included) is that I could remember passing them up in stores. Not just passing them up, but actually picking them up, viewing the box, then putting them back. Chronicles was one I remember heavy debate upon because it was only $10 new at one point. Thanks to Friedchicken I managed to get this item used, but in pristine condition. It is a great addition and am glad that I get to play this version of the game and the IGA interview is quite … interesting.

Rondo of Blood: This is my most recent purchase for Castlevania. It was a spur of the moment purchase. I got it for $93 which was a great relief from the standard $150+ that I normally see the game go for. I don’t have a Duo, so I use Magic Engine… which is unfortunate, but there are not enough games that I want to play for the Duo to warrant the price of one. I was always nervous about buying this game as it was claimed to be so great and all that hoopla that we all hear. When ever this surrounds a game I always get nervous that I will be let down. This game truly needs to be re-released. It is Castlevania’s most shining moment. I don’t know if it is the best, but it is up there.

~~
I still have more to add, I have not gotten into anything really older than PS1 stuff yet.

ApM · Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:45 am Post subject:

Oh man, seriously? Shit. Thank God they only made three copies of the CD version, then.

Supposedly there was a sequel in the works, called Forge, centered around Rusty Nailbender.

Dessgeega, you should talk about The Sentinel in the C64 thread.

Twinsen's Odyssey [aka Little Big Adventure 2] (PC) - Tired "Frothing demand" jokes can't do justice to how badly I wanted this game when it came out. After discovering the brilliance of LBA1 in the demo CD of an otherwise-terrible game programming book, I was thrilled that Adeline was doing another one. Activision seemed to be pushing it well, the reviewers loved it, and so when I saw it at Costco for $50, I figured I didn't need to get it immediately. Surely the price would drop after a while and I could pull it out of the bargain bin like I always did.

Of course, after that one brief sighting, it disappeared from store shelves completely.

I searched for months, to no avail. Eventually, I decided the time had come to pirate it, over an unreliable dial-up connection over ancient phone lines out in the middle of nowhere. It took a week, but I managed to do it.

And of course the fucker didn't work.

Out of the hundreds of megs that I downloaded, the only thing that I managed to salvage was a solitary MIDI file, used by the installer. A new Philippe Vachey tune! It was beautiful. I considered the ordeal worth it.

Eventually it would begin appearing in bargain bins. The first time I saw it, I gasped and purchased it immediately. I wish Frederick Raynal was doing more these days. I love the French.

player 2 · . Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 585 Location: Madison, WI USA

I have this game called Killer 7. It looks cool. I'm about to start playing it.
_________________
Wii #: 8749 9109 9732 3653

"It is a peaceful way of understanding life, to play"
_Marcel Duchamp

Lackey · . Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 1107 Location: Canada

ApM, does it run on modern systems? I still have my coppy of Little Big Adventure, and I've been considering a replay. I believe a friend has the sequel.

That game had heart.

The only French designed games I can immediately think of are Out of this World, Little Big Adventure, and Beyond Good and Evil. I like/own all those games! The French are cool, clearly.
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| Little bird fighting against a bat sect game |

Lackey · . Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 1107 Location: Canada

I just found Wing Commander in my closet! Its cool, it has a bunch of spaceship schematics in the box. Other cool miscelleny! The manual is written as if it were an actual flight training manual. Its neat, there's lots of colour text.
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| Little bird fighting against a bat sect game |

dhex · Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:20 pm Post subject:

origin knew what was what when it came to packaging. cloth maps, etc.
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dessgeega · Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:22 pm Post subject:

my aunt stitched the map of ultima iv into a pillow. it is incredibly terrific.
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dhex · Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:43 pm Post subject:

that's pretty fuckin' cool.

especially 4. it's like "hey, check this out...they tried something new, and here's it's on my pillow. gonna rest my ass on some moral questing, i am."
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Mister Toups · Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:53 pm Post subject:

Mr. Mechanical · Friendly Stranger Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 1276

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

ApM · Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 9:44 am Post subject:

Tablesaw · . Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 303 Location: LACAUSA

I have grey-box packaging for Wishbringer and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I have occasionally brought the glow-in-the-dark wish stone with me for luck on major events.

The only things that I have that are special as products are from Interactive Fiction available at http://www.feelies.org. I've never broken the seal on the letter written on antique paper for Savoir-Faire.
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It's the saw of the table!

dessgeega · Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 9:13 pm Post subject:

i'm partial to the sundial that comes with trinity.
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wourme · . Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 362 Location: Maridia

dessgeega · Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 10:57 pm Post subject:

Blazehedgehog · . Joined: 11 Mar 2005 Posts: 21 Location: Colorado

My most treasured games... I don't really have very many interesting stories behind them. Well, some do.

Chrono Trigger, for example, I used to own. Then, for some reason, I traded to somebody. I don't even remember what I traded it for. About six months after I traded it, I started wanting to play it again. So much so I ended up trading somebody else my copy of Sonic & Knuckles for it. (I would later re-buy Sonic & Knuckles again, only to trade THAT copy, along with Sonic 3, for Sonic JAM on the Saturn)

Castlevania 3 was given to me by my brother's friend. He gave it to me because he found the game too hard. Being the age of 8, I didn't find it any easier. This game almost made me hate the Castlevania series forever because of it's difficulty, until I was blessed by Symphony of the Night (which I bought almost totally on a whim, and have never regretted).

NiGHTS might not have an interesting story behind it, but my Saturn does. If you look at my life over the years, I seem to be a somewhat lucky person. My Saturn was no exception. For awhile, my Mom was in to Bingo big time. Every now and then, I would tag along with her because I had nothing better to do - and it was legal for minors to play Bingo for cash prizes. Long story short: On my third time attending Bingo, I won $250 and used it to purchase a Sega Saturn and (I regret this) Bug! Too. However, a full six months before I got that Saturn, I had a Christmas NiGHTS demo disc and awaited the day when I could play it. I didn't have the analog controller until just a couple years ago, when I picked one up off eBay, brand new, still in box and even still shrink wrapped (!).

Other treasured games of mine without interesting stories: Jet Set Radio was a gift, Sonic CD was really cheap at Toys R' Us during a massive Sega CD clearance ($2.50), My Gamecube was the first new console I had gotten since 1999 and the first one I had ever boughten used, and My Sonic Adventure 2 is not the birthday pack because every store in town did not stock the SA2 10th Anniversary edition until the day after it's street date (something I still am totally pissed off about).
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dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

How could I have forgotten!

Christmas Nights. A birthday present from a friend when I was in junior high school. I still do a complete unlock of everything and then a round or two of sonic into dreams during holiday seasons where I have a working saturn. I totally mute the ending though (it's unbearably embarrassing).

Also. I have a foot-tall, weepy-eyed plush servbot I inexplicably found in a $4 bin.

Tablesaw · . Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 303 Location: LACAUSA

The C64 thread has reminded me that I still have a working VIC-20, though I don't know what to do with it, really. I still have a few Scott Adams cartridges, but the only thing I played on it the last time I set it up was Gorf.
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It's the saw of the table!

dessgeega · Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:32 am Post subject:

ApM · Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:00 pm Post subject:

SuperWes · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 7:29 am Post subject:

I decided to do a "treasures of my collection" pictoral! These aren't very artistic shots, so you'll just have to accept that the games within are indeed artistic....

-Wes
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dessgeega · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:14 am Post subject:

wow.

you have the vibrator. i am so jealous.

why does your rez look different than my rez? (mine has a network breach on it.) EDIT: you have the north american version, don't you?

someday, my name too will be known to mizuguchi.
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SuperWes · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 8:27 am Post subject:

Yeah, my Rez is the North American version. I should add that this is just Chapter 1 of my treasures. Stay tuned for Chapter 2 some time next week!

-Wes
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dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

Holy fucking crap, dude. I've never even SEEN a copy of poy poy.

To all interested parties, the trance vibrator is actually quite plentiful on ebay.

edit: Also, apart from the first two.. what ARE those japanese psx games?

SuperWes · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:19 pm Post subject:

From the Top:

Vib Ribbon - the game that I treasure most out of these by far
Detana Twin Bee Yahoo! Deluxe Pack - Set of Arcade Twin Bee Shooters
Planet Dob - Really, really odd point and click adventure game about a guy who's face always reads "dob".
Pocket Muu Muu - Virtual Pet featuring the Muu Muus from Jumping Flash
Paro Wars - Parodious Tactical Strategy Game
Baby Universe - Visual Equalizer for playing CDs on the Playstation

-Wes
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

SuperWes · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:27 pm Post subject:

Pretty sucky. I can't believe they charged full price for it (this was not intended to be a treasure).

-Wes
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dessgeega · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:49 pm Post subject:

holy wow. how's paro wars?
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SuperWes · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 3:07 pm Post subject:

DonMarco · . Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 349 Location: 33903

wourme · . Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 362 Location: Maridia

I accidentally got a sort of treasure recently when I ordered a cheap used copy of Growlanser: Generations. Not only was it in great shape, but it was the "deluxe edition," with all kinds of little extras. I almost feel guilty for paying so little for it. If I had known how much I'd enjoy the game, I would have bought a new copy to support the people behind it. But it was somewhat of a blind purchase.

Also, Klonoa.

dhex · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 7:44 pm Post subject:

i found metal slug x for ps for seven bucks in a mall in jersey.

sold it for 45 on ebay. didn't think much of the game, though.
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dessgeega · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 7:57 pm Post subject:

metal slug x doesn't thrill me.

3 is the beginning and end of metal slug for me.
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dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

1 (one) is the Strongest Metal Slug. It has rhythm to it.