Sunday Roundup: 8/26/12

As a kid I remember thinking the original Ape Escape was a clever idea: running around catching cooky looking monkeys with strange helmets via a huge net. Pretty much a 3D platformer akin to Super Mario 64, Ape Escape was what I wanted it to be and nothing more; a simple, fun game with charming graphics. Well, ever since then I’ve somehow managed to not play any other game in the franchise. Until now hopefully, with Ape Escape 3 on the PS2!

This is the first game in several that I purchased from a friend looking to thin out her belongings before getting married. I was able to grab this game and about 10 others for just $20. I know that BloodRayne is not a good game, and no where near the amount of $20, but considering it was bundled with other fantastic games (which we’ll get to soon), I am not arguing. At least this game is somewhat a classic, right?

Story time! I was looking at getting this game at Gen Con’s auction, where it was sitting for just $12 in the back corner of the auction room. I debated and debated, eventually deciding NOT to buy it. Then I’m walking through the exhibit hall and what do I see but Chaos Bleeds for just $8 at none other than my old friend Half Price Book’s booth! I grabbed it up quickly, as $8 is much more appealing to me than $12.

Speaking of Half Price Books, I also grabbed this one from the same booth. Fun fact: this is the re-release of the original game in North America. The first version of the game was published under Bandai in 1997. I would assume this reissue came out in late 2004 due to the rising popularity of the Dragon Ball franchise. Regardless, I expect nothing from this game, as most DBZ games are notorious for shitty visuals and poor gameplay.

The second game in the friend bundle, Eternal Eyes was a game I never played but was interested in when younger. I recall seeing the game on the shelf at FYE for years, staring at me with those deep crimson eyes. Maybe I never looked at it or I simply just forgot, but a quick glance at the back of the box and I see the game is actually an RPG! Sweet! I know very little about the game, except that it’s made by Crave.

A stop in Indy usually means a stop at some point in Lafayette, which thankfully means we pass by Disc Replay. I know only of the Hellboy movies, and I thought the first one was just meh, but the second one was pretty cool. Good thing then, since this game features the same voice talents as the characters in the movies. The Science of Evil is an action game set in the Hellboy world. I honestly only grabbed it because it was so cheap, but perhaps I’ll get to it someday…

Another game from the Half Price Books booth, Redeemer is the third and final game in the Hunter: The Reckoning series, exclusive to the Xbox. My brother and I were somewhat in to the Hunter series, playing a lot of the original game on the Gamecube. Strangely, after that game two more were released: this one on the Xbox, and Hunter: The Reckoning: Wayward on the PS2. That means you have to own at least two game systems to own the entire series (the first game was released on all major consoles). Also, this game and case are in great condition, which is always a plus

My brother had this game well before I did. It is a LotR themed RPG that, if I remember correctly, takes a lot of queues from Final Fantasy X. The battle system, the way characters’ turns are displayed on screen, and maybe even character advancement were similar to FFX. Even when I was younger I didn’t mid that at all, because FFX is an amazing RPG, and if a game were to model itself after another RPG then there’s few better than that. I am genuinely interested in playing this one, but other games tug at my time effortlessly.

Here’s one of the steals. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete is a JRPG and sequel to the excellent Lunar: Silver Star Story also for the PS1 (Read my review of the remake here!). I was extremely happy my friend had this one for me, because it is incredibly hard to find and very valuable. Unfortunately, I do not have the game’s soundtrack which was packaged in, but I will do my best to try and locate that as well. Very happy to have this gem!

Rockstar games makes a lot of quality titles. I just never seem to get into them all that well. Aside from the mega hits Grand Theft Auto, the only other Rockstar Games game I played was the less-than-stellar State of Emergency for the PS2. Manhunt is actually supposed to be a good game though, with some gruesome deaths and violent action. I think this one lost some of its flair when Manhunt 2 came out years later and had a huge backlash from anti-violence groups.

The only thing I know about MDK is that people thought the game’s title meant Murder, Death, Kill, which is what I guess you do in the game because it’s a third-person shooter. Regardless, MDK is a great find for just three bucks, and it is one that even spawned a sequel with an HD update a year back.

I’ve played and reviewed the HD re-release on the PS3 and thought that game was pretty good, but I couldn’t pass up owning the WIi original for just five dollars. There’s just something about relentless violence, bloodsplatter, and carnage that makes a game memorable. Oh, and dishing it all out with what is essentially a lightsaber makes things easier too. The Wii version should be a more interesting play simply because it features the original controller setup, which has you swinging the Wii Remote and decapitating foes in the process.

By looking at the cover, I figured this was some sort of Harvest Moon-esque simulator. I mean, look at the cover: happy, big-eyed faces, animals galore, and a simple looking setting. I was wrong. Apparently the game is a “Frolf” game, meaning frog golf. What the hell? Boy am I glad I picked it up now. How many frog golf games are even out there? I’m gonna say just one. This one. And I bought it. For three dollars. Oh, and get this: it comes with a bonus disc too, that features a boatload of animated cutscense. Score!

Though this was part of the same bundle of games I’ve been referencing, this one actually came from a different individual (namely the cousin of my friend). I knew nothing of this game what I saw it, but quick online research taught me the game is none other than a robot fighting game! You get to build your bot, duke it out with other bots, and become the champion. Pretty sweet premise. They should make a TV show about this…

The only real complaint I’ve heard about both the Force Unleashed games is that they are over far too quickly. I have a friend that completed the game in less than five hours. Paying $50 for a game and then beating it in one sitting isn’t worth it in my mind. Unless you’re going to go back and do every possible thing you can there’s no way you can prove to me that paying that much for a game is worth it. Oh well, at least this one came to me in the form of a gift 🙂

The second stellar game I got from my friend is none other than classic RPG Tales of Destiny II. This game is one of a handful that I have been seeking for years because I first saw and enjoyed them at Hollywood Video when I was in middle school. This, Threads of Fate, and Final Fantasy IX all greatly shaped my interest in RPGs and video games in general. I already have a copy of FFIX (two, actually), so now I just need to get Threads of Fate and the hunt will be over. Oh, speaking of this game though, Tales II is part of the popular Tales series of RPGs, and this one easily commands $50 at auction.

How can you go wrong with a game for just two dollars? If you tried hard enough, you could probably find/beg for two dollars and get it most days. This action RPG has little going for it in my opinion, but as an RPG, hell, as a video game for under five dollars, I feel like I owe it to myself to pick it up. Who knows, maybe it’ll actually be a good game. Hahaha…

The final game this week in Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Duelists of the Roses. Funny story about this one: I originally wanted to buy this when it first came out because I was a fan of the TV show, but I couldn’t get it because of two reasons: at the time the PS2 was my brothers and I wouldn’t have my own for another year, and secondly it was $40. So what did I do? I settled for the Game Boy Advance game Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Eternal Duelist Soul and played the hell out of that instead. Unfortunately this game didn’t come with the featured trading cards, but honestly I don’t care. I’m just happy to claim it as my own.