Sunday Roundup: 4/7/13

New Games (4-7-13)Well folks, this is it. My very last Sunday Roundup whilst living in the wonderful state of Indiana. This coming Friday I’ll be making my move across the country to live in sunny California! Seeing as this week was the last full week I’d be in the Hoosier state, I decided to take it upon myself to go out with a bang. Well, at least in the video game collecting department. Rather than himming and hawing over a few dollars for a game, if I saw a game I wanted I just bought it. There aren’t too many great stores in the area I’m moving to in Cali, so I decided to take advantage of the wonderful selection I have here in Indiana one more time. So let’s get this thing started, shall we?


Bards Tale CoverThe Bard’s Tale
PS2
Release Date: October 26th, 2004
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $2)

Quickly, I’ll say this about The Bard’s Tale: It’s an RPG that my brother liked and I have heard not-so-great things about. I bought it because it was $2. But Disc Replay!! I’ll miss you so much! Seriously, if you are a game collector, you have to visit this store if you’re in the area. You’ll certainly be glad you did!

Chibi-Robo Park Patrol CoverChibi-Robo: Park Patrol
DS
Release Date: October 2nd, 2007
Purchased at: GameStop (West Lafayette, IN – $5)

I kind of wish I had bought the original Chibi-Robo on the Gamecube when it came out. It looked interesting enough but the ends never met and I have still yet to play it. But now I have Park Patrol to suffice my tiny robot gameplay needs.

Dance Factory CoverDance Factory
PS2
Release Date: August 29th, 2006
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Mishawaka, IN – FREE)

The better part of a buy 5 get the 6th free sale, Dance Factory was solid in concept: you insert a CD of your choice and the game will generate dance moves automatically to fit the music that you can dance to using a DDR-like dance mat. Except the game was lauded for being kind of lame in comparison. Still, I find it bizarre that I have just added this game to my collection: I’m such a huge music game fan I can’t believe it’s evaded my wallet for so long!

Everything or Nothing CoverEverything or Nothing
PS2
Release Date: February 17th, 2004
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $3)

My experiences with the James Bond series has been all over the place. Of course I have and love GoldenEye, but I’ve also completed Agent Under Fire on the GameCube, as well as played The World Is Not Enough and even that shitty Tomorrow Never Dies game. Everything or Nothing is a unique story for Bond only found on the consoles, and if it’s anything like the predecessor (Agent Under Fire and NightFire) I’m all game!

Fighter Maker 2 CoverFighter Maker 2
PS2
Release Date: November, 2002
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $2)

The strange brother to the RPG Maker series, Fighter Maker 2 has a weird place in my library. Mainly that it’s not really for me: I remember my brother buying the first one on the PS1, playing the hell out of it and trying to fine-tune the characters he’d created, and then buying this game expecting to do the same thing but on the PS2, then he never even played it! Oddly enough, he bought his copy of Fighter Maker 2 at Game Crazy before they went out of business, then traded it in to the same story. I bring it up because this case had an old Game Crazy sticker on it! Can you believe they wanted $30 for this?!

From Russia With Love CoverFrom Russia With Love
PS2
Release Date: November 1st, 2005
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $4)

Apparently I’ve been on a James Bond kick the last couple of weeks! From Russia With Love is obviously a game that takes the story of the movie with the same name and adapts it into the 007-style of First Person Shooters. The big draw to this game was the use of Sean Connery’s likeness as Bond!

Geist CoverGeist
GameCube
Release Date: August 15th, 2005
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $3)

Look at that! A GameCube game! I can’t even remember the last time I bought a Cube game. Perhaps those Harvest Moon ones when Game Changers opened in the winter of 2011? Hmm, regardless, I’m happy with finding this one. Now there’s really only a few GameCube titles worth tracking down that I don’t already have.

Ghost Squad CoverGhost Squad
Wii
Release Date: November 20th, 2007
Purchased at: GameStop (West Lafayette, IN – $6)

My brother, the same one that was into Fighter Maker, raves about this game. Don’t get me wrong, I like the on-rails shooter as much (if no more) as the next guy, but this doesn’t seem to be anything special. Oh well, I’ll have to check it out for his sake. And on a brighter note, on-rails shooters are what the Wii arguably does best!

Goblin Commander CoverGoblin Commander: Unleash the Horde
PS2
Release Date: November 11th, 2003
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Mishawaka, IN – $3)

This game reminds me a lot of Overlord, which itself reminds me a lot of Pikmin. You command goblins, if the name didn’t give it away, and that’s reason enough for me to be intrigued! Not only that, but damn was this in great condition! The case looked flawless and the manual was intact. Very nice indeed! As odd as the game is, I’m actually kind of looking forward to playing it!

Herdy Gerdy CoverHerdy Gerdy
PS2
Release Date: March 4th, 2002
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – FREE)

A super early PS2 release, Herdy Gerdy has been on my radar for some time now, but I just recently grabbed it. Much like Goblin Commander, I was very happy with the condition of the case. I’m happy to call it my own, but I likely won’t be getting to this one any time soon…

High Velocity CoverHigh Veolcity
Saturn
Release Date: 1996
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Mishawaka, IN – $6)

Normally I pass on racing games unless they feature someone from Nintendo’s roster, but there’s something about High Velocity that caught my eye: The Atlus logo on the very top of the case. Nowadays Atlus is all about the RPG, but seeing their name on a non-RPG is novel in and of itself. And it’s a complete Saturn game! Sold!

Hitman 2 Silent Assassin CoverHitman 2: Silent Assassin
PS2
Release Date: October 1st, 2002
Purchased at: Game Xchange (Lafayette, IN – $4)

I’ve never played a Hitman game. I know some people that absolutely love the series, so I decided to give the games a shot. Unfortunately, I bought them all separate this week for around $10, only to find them all together in the PS2 triple pack for $8. Oh well, you win some you lose some.

Hitman Contracts CoverHitman: Contracts
PS2
Release Date: April 20th, 2004
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $2)

Contracts is the second of three Hitman games on the PS2, and is considered to be a pretty good one at that. But the game was starting to get stale by this point, and that’s likely why after the sequel…

Hitman Blood Money CoverHitman: Blood Money
PS2
Release Date: May 30th, 2006
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $3)

… we didn’t hear from Agent 47 until 2012’s Hitman: Absolution. I’m sure they’re all fine games, and it’s definitely hard to release three games in a series on one console generation and expect them all to be grand. Anyway, you can see the “Bonus Disc” is included with this. I’m actually upset about that, because this version of the game is the one from the aforementioned PS2 triple pack, meaning it’s not the original! Now I have to find that version too, ugh.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon Premium Edition Cover (Johnny Cage)Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Premium Edition
PS2
Release Date: October 11th, 2006
Purchased at: Game Xchange (Lafayette, IN – $6)

I never liked the PS2 version of the MK games as much as the ones before them. MKII is still the pinnacle of the franchise, although 2011’s Mortal Kombat is pretty good too. Hell, I’d even take MK4 over this version! I always though Armageddon was a cool concept: bringing back all the fighters from the previous games in one huge title! But if only it were 2D. That’d be amazing.

Neo Contra CoverNeo Contra
PS2
Release Date: October 26th, 2004
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $2)

The second Contra game released on the PS2, Neo Contra doesn’t look to be anything spectacular to me. But it does look to be enough fun to warrant a playthrough with a friend, which is the exact reason I bought the game in the first place. I actually like Contra a lot, and even these pseudo-sequels are fun at times, so for two bucks I’d say it’s worth it.

Rayman Arena CoverRayman Arena
PS2
Release Date: September 24th, 2002
Purchased at: Game Xchange (Lafayette, IN – $5)

Just a few weeks after picking up Rayman Rush I’m happy to have found Rayman Arena! If you recall, Rush is a racing game that was released in the US after the release of Rush in Japan that features Rush’s on-foot racing exclusively. I’m looking forward to playing and comparing the two to see exactly what is the difference between the games…

Rygar CoverRygar
PS2
Release Date:
November 12th, 2002
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $2)

After finding the re-release of the game on the Wii I was turned on to this PS2 version. Apparently the game isn’t half bad, taking what the series that started on the NES is known for and successfully translating it to the 3D PS2 console. Action adventure games are a dime a dozen though, so I’ll have to work this in the mix if time allows.

Caution Seaman CoverSeaman
Dreamcat
Release Date: August 8th, 2000
Purchased at: Village Bizarre (Mishawaka, IN – $5)

Holy crap, five dollars! If you don’t know about Seaman on the Dreamcast, you’re really missing out. The game is a simulation game that came with a microphone (which I unfortunately didn’t get) that you had to use to actually talk with the fish/human hybrid “Seaman” in the game. It’s essentially Hey You, Pikachu before that was even an idea. Very cool find, at a great price, and in the most unsuspecting place!

Seek and Destroy CoverSeek and Destroy
PS2
Release Date: December 12th, 2002
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Mishawaka, IN – $3)

I’ve seen Seek and Destroy on the shelves at countless stores for years now but never bothered to give the game a second thought. That is until I stumbled upon another blogger raving about the game and it’s RPG-like gameplay. Not only that, but it’s part of the Japanese “ChoroQ” line of games, which is a solid series. For just a few bucks I decided this week was the week I bite the bullet and just buy it.

Simpsons Skateboarding CoverThe Simpsons Skateboarding
PS2
Release Date:
November 1st, 2002
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $5)

This game received absolutely atrocious reviews despite coming out during the skateboarding video game’s hey day. A cash-in at best and horrible attempt to clone the Tony Hawk games at worst, Simpsons Skateboarding is riding on the appeal of the Simpson’s name alone. Hell, that’s why I and countless other people bought the game!

Sin & Punishment Star Successor CoverSin & Punishment: Star Successor
Wii
Release Date: June 27th, 2010
Purchased at: GameStop (West Lafayette, IN – FREE)

Free because of an awesome Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal on Wii and DS games, I was more than happy to claim Sin & Punishment as my free title. An on-rails shooter of sorts, it is a sequel to the Wii Virtual Console release of Sin & Punishment, an N64 game only released as a download in North America.

Snoopy vs the Red Baron CoverSnoopy vs. The Red Baron
PS2
Release Date: October 24th, 2006
Purchased at: GameStop (West Lafayette, IN – $9)

I may have splurged a bit in buying this one, but after hearing the game is a bit harder to come by, it’s a damn fun title, and the game here is complete and in great condition, I decided I needed to own it. I’m pretty happy though, as I’m looking forward to popping this one in my PS2 once I get set up in California!

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory Limited Edition CoverSplinter Cell: Chaos Theory Limited Edition
PS2
Release Date: March 28th, 2005
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – $6)

Thanks to a friend over at Splitkick.com, I recently game into possession of every PS2 Splinter Cell game prior to this one. The added bonus that this is the limited collector’s edition with steelbook case just makes the find even better!

Syphon Filter Omega Strain CoverSypon Filter: The Omega Strain
PS2
Release Date: May 4th, 2004
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Lafayette, IN – FREE)

The Syphon Filter hunt draws ever closer to completion with this purchased. I actually found a copy of Syphon Filter III on the PS1 for something like two dollars, but it didn’t have the original case. The game isn’t too expensive so I decided to pass on that and continue the search. Perhaps California will be nicer to me in that department…

Taiko Drum Master CoverTaiko Drum Master
PS2
Release Date: October 26th, 2004
Purchased at: Village Bizarre (Mishawaka, IN – $24)

Ohhhh man, was I exctied to see this game there! Taiko Drum Master has you hitting a huge drum (Taiko, in Japanese) in beat to the rhythm on screen, not unlike Rock Band would go on to do well. Aside from it being a great game, I found it complete with the drum, stand, and drumsticks in tact. Even better, they are all in flawless condition! I don’t think they’ve ever been played. Besides a few nicks on the big box, everything is in great condition. Super happy for this find!

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 CoverUltimate Mortal Kombat 3
Saturn
Release Date: June 26th, 1996
Purchased at: Disc Replay (Mishawaka, IN – $7)

I’m happy now whenever I can find Sega Saturn games complete, but when they’re Saturn games complete that I’m actually looking to buy, then it’s even better. UMK3 isn’t my favorite in the franchise, but it is one of the better games in the series, and easily better than MK3Interesting side note, this is the only disc-based version of this game. Other home releases were on the Genesis and SNES, bypassing the PS1 altogether. That’s worth nothing because the PS1 did have a release of MK3 and Mortal Komabt Trilogy, while the Saturn had neither of these.

Laters,
Jsick

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