Sunday Roundup: 9/1/13

For one reason or another I feel like I remember hearing this game wasn’t all that bad. Being a first-person shooter with, if I am to believe the front of the box, RPG elements, I decided at five dollars it was worth it to give it a try. Also I needed a game (or two) to round out a buy 2 get 1 free deal. So there’s that.

I made two separate trips to two separate GameStops this week, and strangely between those trips a new sale started (the Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale mentioned above). But earlier in the week and running through next week I want to say there was/is a 3 for $10 sale on some games. At this particular GameStop their Wii selection was expansive, so I picked up some older titles I’ve been looking for, and started with this one. It’s in perfect shape too!

At the Sunnyvale location I took advantage once again of the 3 for $10 sale. I’m honestly not sure why I decided to go with Bionic Commando as part of the sale… probably because the selection wasn’t as good for anything else. This game isn’t supposed to be all that spectacular. Which kind of sucks for a guy with a robot arm!

Jumping back to the San Jose store, the best game I believe I came across from the sale was Boom Blox. I have previously played the game with my nephew who first got it for Christmas a few years back. It was actually pretty damn fun, and wholly worth the price of admission on this sale. Now I just need to snag the sequel.

My girlfriend ordered this one for me as a late birthday gift, and I couldn’t be happier to finally have a copy! I’ve heard great things about Dragon’s Dogma, namely the originality of the title, and I’m looking forward to playing it. For some reason I always link this game with Asura’s Wrath, although they have nothing in common (except both being Capcom games).

The biggest expense at the Sunnyvale GameStop was this game, coming in at a staggering (!) ten dollars! Haha. My experience with the Crystal Chronicles sub-series of Final Fantasy games only contains the first GameCube exclusive Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. I remember actually playing that game with four players all at once and enjoying it, so maybe this one will be just as cool. Also, the game came with a sealed soundtrack, so sweet!

The second title in the 3 for $10 deal in Sunnyvale is a bit misleading. The steelbook case and “Special Edition” wording on the box made me giddy thinking this was actually going to be a special edition version of the game. But when I went up to buy it they only had the game disc and not the bonus Making of DVD that was supposed to come with it. Bummer, but at least the case looks cool! Unlike the Mortal Kombat: Armageddon steel case, this one’s not all dinged up or bent!

I have been looking for a decent copy of Lair for months. The game is in no way hard to come by, but for some reason every store I visit that has the game either has it missing the case or manual, or the case looked like it was eaten by a dog! Finally I have a good looking copy of the game, and it was free! I think because the game tanked so bad I’m actually more excited to play it! Sixaxis control scheme here I come!

The interesting thing about a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale or a 3 for $10 sale is how you buy games you would otherwise never lay a finger on. Take m&m’s Kart Racing for example. The game is so terribly bad that many reviews called it one of the worst games ever. But here I am, sitting in GameStop thinking, “Hmm, this could be fun.” And all because this particular GameStop didn’t have Cooking Mama that I could have bought instead.

Laura also bought me this amazing gift for my birthday! Look at that, it’s still sealed! I had to jog my memory to think about this one, but I do believe that this is my only factory sealed PS1 game in my entire collection! While I do enjoy the Mr. Driller series, I think I’ll leave this one in the packaging and just play the DS version if I get the itch to jackhammer some blocks.

No special sale linked with this game, I just wanted to buy it. This special Wii version of the strategy game introduced a new control scheme as well as some tweaks to the gameplay. I’ve played the original Overlord on PC and thought it was challenging, funny, and fun, and though this game is cited as being easier to complete, I’m still happy to have it in the collection as a side project before the true sequel.

Whoa!! I usually don’t buy loose games like this, but hot damn, how could I pass up Picross DS for just $3! I’ve been contemplating dropping upwards of $20 on the game complete, but at this price I think I’ll take the hit and buy the cartridge only. It was in the “Under $10” boxes of DS games at the cash register so I was expecting to find nothing but knock-off premium games and old sports titles in there. But I think I found the one awesome game that someone else was hoping to hide and buy later. But it’s mine now, muahahaha!

Square Enix has some interesting games on their hands, which is both good and bad. It’s good that they are trying new things with games (which this isn’t even new because it’s based on an existing IP), but sometimes the games are so niche they are destined to fail. Project Sylpheed is a strategy/RPG/space shooter/simulator game that many though was just alright. But for just a few bucks and in near perfect condition I took the leap.

Wow, I can’t believe this GameStop had Star Wars Battlefront! And in such good condition! The original seal is still on the top of the case, although the game has been opened and used. I have been eyeing Craigslist ads and eBay auctions with this game and the sequel for quite some time now, so to find it just lying on the shelf of other mostly crappy and incomplete PS2 titles was an absolute steal. And better yet, it fit into the Buy 2 Get 1 Free category! Everyone wins!

I’ve watched the price for this special edition drop month after month since it’s original release. I decided that $20 was the price to buy, which is markedly lower than the original price of $60 or more. Anyway, Tekken Hybrid was released prior to Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and as such is a sort of holdover for that game. This collection includes a full HD update to the original PS2 game Tekken Tag Tournament, as well as a demo of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and the full length CG movie Tekken: Blood Vengeance. On top of that, a special art book and CD soundtrack are also included. Being a big Tekken fan, I’m happy this one is finally in my collection!