We’re kicking off a brand new week today and what better way to get started than with some reader discussion, amirite? Plus it’s a good excuse to pretend you’re at the gym. The mental gym. Working a mental sweat. Anyway, today’s topic focuses on your gaming collections and which game has been eluding you for what seems like forever. What’s that one game that’s been missing from your video game library that you just can’t seem to find, no matter where you look? We want to hear about it!
I fancy myself a collector of sorts, though not in the rabid sense where I have to own everything that comes out. I mean, I have a decent library for each console, but my weakness usually comes in the form of Playstation 2 and Wii games, especially RPGs and survival horror titles — no matter how bad they may be.
I also have a special rule when it comes to hunting down games that I want, and that’s that I don’t shop online. I’m pretty anal retentive about my game collection and I can’t stand having cases up on my shelf that look like they’ve been living at the local homeless shelter, but I also need to be sure that the instruction manual and game disc are both in immaculate shape.
I know, I know, I could save a crap-load of time and just shop on Amazon or eBay, but I can’t physically see it and.. well.. there is just no thrill of the hunt, I suppose.
A few years ago when my girlfriend and I really started going after Playstation 2 stuff, she wanted a copy of Dark Cloud 2 and we had pretty terrible luck finding one that was actually complete with the instruction manual. We probably found 10-15 copies of the game that came with the case, but every time we’d open it up like a treasure chest in The Legend of Zelda, we immediately had the look of disappointment on our faces. This was actually the first instance where we both gave up and just picked up the case and disc, but thankfully we were regulars at our local game shop and one of the workers there let us have a booklet that eventually came in later on.
The other game that caused me to break my internet shopping rule is Rule of Rose on the Playstation 2. If you’re not familiar with it, let me get you up to speed! It’s a survival horror title that released in 2006 and had a limited run due to worldwide controversy it received because it featured violence and sexuality with the underage female cast. It was eventually banned in the UK, but a lucky few here in the States managed to get their hands on a copy. It’s often been described as “Lord of the Flies, but with lesbians“, although it’s a lot deeper than that.
Needless to say we had absolutely no luck even finding an incomplete version of Rule of Rose, but I surprised my girlfriend for Christmas 2 years ago and picked her up a pristine copy from a guy on Amazon. It’s the least I could do since she drove 6 hours from southern California to Las Vegas just for a copy of Fatal Frame when it released.
My elusive game right now though will probably seem a little silly to some, but I’ve been searching for over 3 years and have not been able to find a complete copy of Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon on the Wii. It’s a charming little cartoony adventure game with survival horror elements and happens to be the only Wii game left on my must-buy list.. but I’ve had absolutely no luck at all.
At one point last year I asked the local Gamestop (in South Carolina) if they could check their database and tell me if any Gamestop within 50 miles had a copy, and much to my dismay, the closest Gamestop with one in stock was all the way in Colorado; an incomplete version at that.
One day when I least expect it, I know I’ll stumble upon a copy just like I did with Ar Tonelico Qoga on PS3, but it’ll probably be one of those days where I forget my wallet at home or something.
So let’s hear it! What’s that elusive game that’s missing from your collection? Do you have any similar stories where you went to ridiculous lengths to buy a game? Let us know in the comments below!
Bradley Keene is an avid gamer & freelance blogger from Baltimore, MD who typically handles news and reviews here at What’s Your Tag?. If he’s not knee-deep in an RPG or some form of Nintendo game, he’s usually watching terrible horror films or listening to Gwar. Follow him on Twitter @amgfail_WYT, or contact him by e-mail at bradleykeenewyt@gmail.com.
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I know you can sometimes find them on ebay, but for me right now, the most elusive titles that I would love to have are the Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance games, on Xbox. That, and I would love to get my hands on a copy of Lunar for Sega CD, but that would probably cripple my bank account.
Aw man, I loved Lunar! I only played the Sega CD version at a friend’s place, but I bought the deluxe PSone remake (and Eternal Blue) the day they came out. Still one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
Finding original Xbox games is rough nowadays since Gamestop stopped selling them years ago, but they still have shelves and shelves of PS2 stuff oddly enough.
Good luck with your hunt!
For the longest time I couldn’t find a copy of Legend of Mana anywhere. It’s one of the most underrated PSOne RPG’s and one of my favorite games of all time. About 4 or 5 years ago I caved and bought it off Amazon used for $80. A few years later it was added to the PS3 digital marketplace for $9.99. I don’t regret my purchase and I’m pumped that I have an original copy of such an amazing game.
Legend of Mana was often overlooked since it came out during the RPG craze of 2000-2001. The art style of that game is still fantastic.
One Squaresoft PSone RPG I loved the hell out of (that no one else really did) was SaGa Frontier. So many neat characters and worlds to explore and a really fun combat system, but it wasn’t up to the quality of Final Fantasy so it was brushed aside. Then it had some shitty sequel on PS2 that was beyond awful.
The only game I really hunted for was Breakdown for the original Xbox. I don’t care as much about boxes and instruction manuals. I also have a copy of .hack//Quarantine and Guitaroo Man for ps2, which are also kinda rare.
Breakdown was weird, but enjoyable. There was also some oddball violent frisbee golf game that I don’t remember the name of on the original Xbox. Lots of quirky stuff on that console.
I remember picking up Guitaroo Man, Mr. Mosquito and Mad Maestro when they came out for PS2 for the sheer fact they were all weird as hell and pretty cheap. Guitaroo Man is still a classic.
I have had that trouble with Dark Cloud 2 when a previous boyfriend wanted it. Nice choice.
For me, I think it would have to be some of the Shadow Hearts games. I have not hard core looked for them, but when I do generally look for them when I drop by game shops, they are not there.
I’ve only seen Shadow Hearts 3 in stores, but I overpaid for 2. Gladly, of course, since it’s great lol.
This is a little bit of a cheat, but the elusive game for me is The Last Guardian. If you’re not familiar with this game, it’s the next release from Team Ico, which made Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. I say this is a cheat because it’s not a finished game and hasn’t yet been released.
For the longest time, I couldn’t find a copy of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. It’s easier to find now, especially since it’s been made available on PSN. Still, there was a time when that game was impossible to find.
Right? I loved Ico and SotC, so I can’t wait for The Last Guardian.
I’m glad I picked up Nocturne when it released, but Atlus did a reprint at some point and Gamestops were full of them used. It was odd.
The reprint has some different content. Dante doesn’t show up and has been replaced by Raido Kozunoha.
Ah, I never knew that.
Sealed copies of Final Fantasy 3 and Earhbound (SNES) I regret selling those back then.
and a complete copy of MGS Twin Snakes for GC.
Ohhhh, good choices! I have a complete copy of Twin Snakes in my Gamecube collection and still feel that it’s the best version around.
I miss my original copy of Earthbound, but I picked up the virtual console version on Wii U, so the wound is still there although there isn’t any salt in it.
There are a few titles that I want for my collection, but never could afford or find anywhere. These are as follows:
– Moonstone (Amiga)
This is an old action-RPG game renowned for all its gore back in the days (would be pretty innocent today). Have seen it go for over £100 on eBay
– Zak McKracken (Amiga/PC)
Excellent adventure game from Lucasfilm.. hard to find, very expensive. Actually have the hintbook for this one, but miss the game. 😀
– Day of the Tentacle (PC – big box version)
Awesome point and click adventure.. sometimes I’ve seen it on eBay, but tends to get expensive. Some day I will get it, some day..
For the Playstation 2 I got Gradius IV a while back, as well as LOTR: Third Age, so already happy with my collection for this platform. 😀
Cheers!
I grew up as a console gamer and totally missed out on the action/adventure PC boom. About 2 years ago I started playing catch-up thanks to places like GOG.com, but haven’t tried any of the three you’ve mentioned. I’ll have to keep an eye out!
Gradius IV was a lot of fun on the PS2 and there was another similar shooter called Silpheed that released around the console’s launch that I really liked.