Latest Purchases #40

Even with last week's (very) poor paycheck, I was still able to cop some good deals on games. A routine trip to fye and I came away with the following goods. A 10% discount helped me saved some green.

I never did pick up the first Battalion Wars on the GameCube even though I saw it for dirt cheap numerous times in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio. I was gonna make the same mistake when I saw a used copy of Battalion Wars 2 on the Wii for $4.99. It was complete, missing the manual, but for the price and the disc doesn't look too shabby, I can't really complain.

I don't even know how many Guitar Hero games there have been. Guitar Hero: World Tour makes the fifth Guitar Hero game I own and at a price of $1.99, it's also the cheapest I've ever paid for one. The song list is what encouraged me to pick this one up. Beat It and Everlong are among the songs featured and there are no covers. It's been years since I've played a Guitar Hero game so maybe I'm due to break out my guitar controller.

One look at Bomberman and I'm saddened that Hudson is no more. I don't really know what this PSP version of Bomberman is like but for $4.99, I figured it couldn't hurt to find out. This makes my 11th PSP game.

Latest Purchases #36

Went into fye and picked up DBZ Season Nine used on the cheap. This is the last of the orange brick box sets and it includes the Fusion and Kid Buu Sagas. The long and convoluted battle against Maijin Buu is wrapped up on this set and is the conclusion to DBZ. It's been years since I've seen these episodes but I remember loving every minute of the Fusion Saga, especially when Vegeta and Goku fused to from Vegito, my favorite fused character. All I need now is season seven and I'll have collected all of DBZ. Next I'll work on getting the rest of DBZ Kai.

It's been some time since I picked up any PS2 games and these were very cheap. I once owned Atari Anthology and loaned it to a friend and he ended up losing it. Needless to say, it's great to have this collection again. Among the 85 games on this disc are Tempest, Missile Command, Super Break Out and Warlords.

I've heard good things about Bully and thought about picking up the Wii's version of Scholarship edition but when I saw the PS2 version for chump change, I figured I'd skip out on the extra content and just go with this one. Not really sure what to expect from the gameplay but whenever I play it, I'll find out.

Devil May Cry 3 was featured in Retro Gamer's Future Classic feature. They talked about the special edition and while I've never really played the Devil May Cry games, I thought I might be able to get into them. I hear this one is really hard.

As I said in my previous post on Latest Purchases, I bought Tiny Toon Adventures Season One, Vol. 1. I started watching it Friday night and I finished with the first disc. I didn't realize how much I missed this wonderful show. The concept of the Tiny Toons being taught by the older Loony Tunes is great and while there may be a lot of topical humor, it still tickles my funny bone. Best of all, I get a lot of the jokes now that I'm an adult. I do hope Warner Bros. eventually releases seasons 2 and 3.

I owned Mario Kart: Super Circuit years ago but it was stolen. For less than $7, I was able to get a used copy off Amazon and it works great. I'm still making my way through Mario Kart 7 so I'll go back to play this in full. Not every cup has been unlocked yet on this copy.

I've always been a huge fan of platformers and Mario so I had to get New Super Mario Bros. 2. At first, I was going to hold off longer with people saying that the game was something of a let down, but I prefer to try things for myself and see. Besides, I was able to get a discount on it at fye.

At first I couldn't find Kirby's Dream Collection in fye so I went to K-Mart. Wasn't there either. I wondered would stores not have the game in until Sept. 17? Going back to fye, I asked a store clerk if they had the game and they had one copy, which they brought out for me to purchase. I also got this on a discount and there's a bit more on this collection than I thought. I'll have a separate post on this later in the day.

Memories #8: Grand Theft Auto III

In 2001 the PlayStation 2 really began to hit it's stride with a tidal wave of hit releases releases. One game that managed to stand out from the crowed was Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto III. While the series had a cult following with the two top-down view games prior and the London 1969 expansion game, GTAIII was the game that rocketed the franchise to juggernaut status that it enjoys to this day.

Everyone and their grandmother seemed to be playing this game. All the video game magazines were raving about it, all my friends were playing it, it was on the news and it was even banned in Australia. At first, I had no interest in playing GTAIII. I just went about my business, playing Metal Gear Solid 2, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Final Fantasy X. But sometime in 2002, I saw a used copy in GameStop for $34.99. When the game was going for $50 new, that price seemed hard to pass up and I'd finally get to see what all the fuss was about. The game had been hyped up so much that I began to wonder if it was actually one of those games that was in no way worthy of all the acclaim that it garnered. It turned out to be all that and ten bags of baroque chips.

The back of GTAIII's case labels Liberty City as "The worst place in America." Truer words have never been written. Right at the start of the game Claude, my nameless, silent in-gamer persona is betrayed by his partner Catalina and left for dead. The only person he can trust is a guy named 8-Ball whom you escape prison with. Adding to the depressing atmosphere was the rain and the song that happened to be playing on Head Radio when I stole a car, Fade Away, which would end up becoming one of my favorite songs in the game. While behind the wheel of the car I jacked, I made many mistakes. I ended up failing the simple task of driving to a destination on the map several times because I wasn't used to the driving controls. After a short while, I was successful in getting 8-Ball to his desired location and was free to take on missions or explore the first island of Liberty City.

"Your wheels or your life."

I like his chances.

The words "freedom" and "explore" carried a tremendous amount of weight in GTAIII. In the majority of the games I played, I was restricted by order and mission structure. Not in this game. If I didn't feel like doing missions, I didn't have to do them. I could beat people up with baseball bat (still one of my favorite weapons in the game), steal cars, run people over and engage in all kinds of juvenile acts to get myself in trouble with the law and then ditch them. It was these very activities that placed GTAIII in cross-hairs of parent groups and politicians and gave them the ammunition they needed to say the that the game was a bad influence on children and encouraged them to act out the events they saw in the game. Makes me wonder if these people have ever played a video game but to keep this particular feature from steering towards they headache inducing debate that is the war on violent video games, I'll let it go right there and just say this. Killing people with flame throwers, guns, running them over, beating them to death. All of it was massively FUN. Just thinking of all those times I went on a spree, offing people for their money brings a smile to my face. Every time I resumed my file on GTAIII I would always make sure I took the population of Liberty City down a few notches and I would revel in it.

Of course there was more to do in my free time than just mindless killing, joyous as it was. One of my favorite ways to make money was by playing taxi driver. Just jack a taxi, kill the driver and start picking up fares. It was a great way to rack up cash, especially since GTAIII was far more generous with the green than later GTA titles would be. Making quick cash early on in GTAIII was never a problem.

If it has wheels, you can steal it.

Being bad is very much encouraged, but you
can still make an honest living in GTA III.

The first few missions of the game were pretty simple. Pick up some hookers and escort them to a policeman's ball, take a car and attach a bomb to it, kill some members of the Triads. You know, nothing too complicated. But even on the first island of Liberty City, some of the missions approached Nintendo Hard territory. It didn't take much for your car to blow up in this game and shooting at it made it go up in flames that much faster. And in the world of GTA, you get shot at a lot. One mission has you pick up some mob bosses and take them somewhere but before you can get there, you get ambushed by a gang packing heat. So you have to keep the bosses alive as well as yourself. It was missions like this one that made me turn my attention towards the numerous cheat codes that GTAIII offered.

The fast rides are among the best.

Cause enough mayhem and eventually you'll get
some of these sent after you.

All of Liberty City is pretty much screwed
when you get one of these.

I had absolutely no shame in cheating in GTAIII. Instantly getting the fuzz off my back after going on a killing spree was such a relief. The no wanted level cheat was probably the first among GTA cheats that I memorized. And the weapons cheat. Ohhhh, the weapons cheat. Shooting people with a pistol is alright. Burning them to a crisp with the flame thrower, blowing them up with a rocket launcher? AWESOME. The rocket launcher was especially delightful to use. At times I would find some high ground and start shooting people and nuking cars. When the cops brought out a helicopter, I'd just take aim and it was down in a matter of seconds. But the granddaddy of all cheats would have to be spawning a tank. Talk about power. The tank was nigh unstoppable. Any car it touched was instantly blown up, which made me laugh like a madman every time police cars would try to stop me. The tank has never been as strong in a GTA game as it has in GTAIII, able to take a sizable amount of punishment before you can't use it anymore. As a result, it isn't as fun to use in later installments. A shame, really.

As good and well-thought out as the missions are, what I remember the most and had the most fun doing in GTAIII is screwing around. Being a misfit, causing all kinds of havoc, chaos and destruction is some of the most fun I've ever had, in a video game or otherwise. Being bad really does feel good. I've played the hero so often in gaming. It was refreshing to give that roll a rest and act on my destructive impulses. GTAIII may look dated and not be as deep as it's sequels, but this is still one astoundingly fun ride. Last year marked the tenth anniversary of GTAIII. I think I'll revisit Liberty City to celebrate.

Latest Game Purchases #21

A few more dirt cheap buys this week.

I've a ways to go before i collect the remaining Ace Combat releases but I knew that if I didn't pick up Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War for the $8.99 price, I probably wouldn't see it in the store like that anytime again soon. Complete, too.

OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast is my favorite OutRun and one of my favorite PS2 games. So being able to play it on the go will be pretty sweet. Also complete and just $4.99

It's getting hard to keep up with all the Dance Dance Revolution games. I vaguley remember their being a game with Supernova as a subtitle, but since it sports the EyeToy label, I'm guessing it came out at around the time that Sony's camera accessory hit the PS2. Complete and only $4.99

Buronout Dominator is a came I've had numerous chances to pick up but passed on, and each time I did, it seemed like I saw it less and less. Despite the fact the Criterion didn't make this game and there's no crash mode, I still want to see what it's about. Complete and just $7.99.

Latest Game Purchases #20

Who doesn't love a bargain? The latest game buys were picked up at insanely cheap prices and I once again managed to cover more than one platform. On top of that, I didn't pick up a single Wii game. Shocking, I know.

Despite not yet owning a PSP, this hasn't stopped me from buying games for the handheld. The Mega Man Powered Up + Mega Man Maverick Hunter X Dual Pack was my first PSP game purchase. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together has the honor of being the second. I'm not terribly brilliant at strategy games, let alone RPG strategy games, but there's something very appealing about the Ogre Battle series. Be it the stories, the beautiful artwork or the rich soundtracks, even a scrub like me can't help but take an interest in these titles. The last time I saw the price for Let Us Cling Together, it was $39.99 brand new at GameStop. Now it's an unbeatable $9.99 As they say in auctions "Sold!"

My third PSP game is another from Square Enix, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, an enhanced port of Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation. I only put a few hours into the original Tactics. I got stuck on the fourth scripted fight. Even so, I liked the game was very thankful for it's re-release in 2001 (suck it, you eBay clowns). I've always wanted to play it again but it seems like a highly advanced game of Chess to me and I suck at Chess. Not enough to pick up another version of the game, though. For $6.99 and complete at fye, I'd be crazy to pass that up.

The final game I picked up was Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, the second game in the Ratchet & Clank series. I've been wanting to get into this series but still haven't played any of the games. I bought Up Your Arsenal about five years ago and surprise, surprise, it's still unopened. I still need to get the original Ratchet & Clank so it will be some time before I play this one anyway. Going Commando was only $9.99 and complete at fye.

Latest Game Purchases #19

Here we are, with my very first game purchases for the year 2012. Some pretty cheap buys here, especially on the PS2 games but I found some good deals all across the board.

I bought Guitar Hero II on the PS2 back in 2007, complete with the guitar controller. I've been wanting to pick up the original Guitar Hero for some time now but all new prices for it were $40 or more. It figures that when the series fizzled out that I'd find a used copy and for less than $5.99. Guess I'll be breaking out that guitar controller somewhere down the line.

More Guitar Hero goodness with Encore Rock the 80s, what I believe to be the series first side game. The whole concept of an 1980s based Guitar Hero games was great in it's own right. What wasn't great was the original $50 asking price that Activsion stamped on that sucker. As much as I wanted to play that game, there was no way I was gonna drop 50 clams for it. It also didn't have as much content as Guitar Hero II, which from what I've read, also hurt the game. The $4.99 price I found it for was far more reasonable.

When I went to my friend Brandon's place back in Ohio, we'd play the 360 version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and it was a whole lot of fun. At $2.99 this was the cheapest of the three Guitar Hero games I picked up. It'll be nice to play this game again as I loved the song selection.

Despite not being a huge Dance Dance Revolution freak, I do like this series. The last DDR game I picked up was the first DDR Max (DDR Max 2 was my first DDR). Since DDR Extreme was only $4.99 and I remember wanting to buy this game a few years back but not wanting to pay the full price, now was probably the lowest I'd see the game sell for. It was also the store's last copy.

Excite Truck was one of the earlier Wii games and I know it wasn't met with much acclaim but I'd been meaning to pick the game up and try it out for myself. For $8.99, this was a bit of a no brainer. Being a big fan of the Excite series, it's easy to get my attention focused on any racer with the word "Excite" in front of it.

I've only played No More Heroes for a few hours, but I really like it. It's a shame both it and it's sequel, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle have not sold well. Shortly after the game came out, the price was already cut. At most places, you can find Desperate Struggle selling for $19.99 brand new. GameStop has it for even less at $12.99 new. I ended up getting it used for a little less than that. I really do need to finish the first No More Heroes.

It's nice to see Rayman return in his own game and back to his platforming roots, no less. Rayman Origins has been getting glowing reviews but even before the press gave their take on this game, I was stoked about it months ago after reading a nice lengthy preview in an issue of Nintendo Power. From what I've heard, the game is the same across all three platforms, it just has higher resolution graphics on the PS3 and 360, but if a Wii is all you've got, you still shouldn't pass on this one just because it's only in 480p. I picked this up brand new at GameStop, where it's only $29.99. Considering, it's going for $50 everywhere else, that's a pretty good deal.

Finally, I bought Retro Game Challenge at fye. It was on sale for $13.99. I vaguely remember hearing about this game. The plot is amusing. You get sucked into an 80s gaming world and to survive, you have to finish all the games. Not an original plot, but an entertaining one, none the less. Since Sonic Colors on the DS is slow going with me, I'll probably open this one up and start it out real soon.

Latest Game Purchases #17

I'm in the middle of Christmas shopping so I'm trying not to do much in the way of shopping for myself, but these games were so insanely cheap that it was hard to pass them up.

Another game that I used to own, loaned to a friend, said friend moved, and well, here we are. I never did get around to playing Xenosaga Episode I, but I heard good things about it. I've also heard it has some pretty lengthy cut scenes so I'll be sure to not play this game before going to work. I ended up paying even less for this when I bought it than I did the first time, so I view that as a win.

Since I was buying the first Xenosaga, I figured I may as well get Episode II. Never played this one and I'll hold off on it until I finish the first one. If I ever get around to either one, that is.

Crazy Taxi was one of the first games I bought when I picked up a Dreamcast in the summer of 2001. Still own my Dreamcast copy to this day. But I did play the PS2 version at Best Buy when it released and it was identical to the Dreamcast version. I know the cover art it simple, but I just love the way it looks. The log painted on a yellow background. That's just brilliant to me. Crazy Taxi is the prefect game to take out when I feel like going for a high score or playing something that doesn't involve some convoluted mission objectives. Looking forward to driving like a maniac again.

And speaking of driving with no regard for public safety, this is another game I own for another system, the GameCube version to be exact. Burnout 2 was the breakout game for the Burnout series. I feel this Burnout had the best Crash mode and the best AI out of all the games I've played. It's been years since I've played this one and getting a second version seems like as good a reason as any to play through it again.

When I originally went to buy a Classic Controller for my Wii, all I could find was the Classic Controller Pro. Much like Wii Motion Plus, The Classic Controller Pro has became the standard Classic controller, but I came across this baby a few weeks ago while I was in GameStop. Amazingly, it was still there, even after 50% off all Wii controllers on Black Friday. I didn't think I'd have another chance to grab this again, so I picked it up while it was still available. Despite lacking the grip handles that the Pro version has, this is still a very nice controller.

Latest Game Purchases #12: Video Game Heaven Haul Edition

For some reason or another I decided to take a trip to Video Game Heaven on Tuesday, one of my in between days off from work. I could have easily gone on Thursday or Friday since I have those days off, too, but I thought I'd go on Tuesday just to be done with it. Turns out every Tuesday is 10% off on all purchases. Score!

The $4 bin of PS2, Xbox and GameCube games had some nice titles to offer again. I was able to pick up a complete copy of Jak 3 and complete the PS2 Jak and Daxter trilogy. I'm really looking forward to going through this series and I may pick up the spin off Jak X: Combat Racing someday.

I also bought Burnout 3: Takedown for $7.99. Burnout 3 is my favorite Burnout game and one of my favorite PS2 racers. It's complete, but the case is a bit worse for ware. I'll have to get a better case. One of the best arcade-style racing game deserves it.

I'm a huge fan of Robotech. I once owned the GameCube version of Robotech: Battlecry and it was another of those games that I traded. It may not have been the best licensed game but I did enjoy what I played some years ago. I'm happy to have it in my collection once more. For those of you not in the know, Robotech is an action/drama anime series that features transforming mechs that can launch a barrage of missiles. That's the short version. It would take way too much time to explain in depth about one of my favorite animes here.

There are still a few GameCube games I need to pick up before I'm finished buying games for that system but Chibi-Robo! was a game I didn't ever really plan on buying. It was there the last time I was at Video Game Heaven and I told myself that if it was still there, I'd pick it up. I'm not quiet sure how to explain it, but I felt compelled to buy Chibi-Robo! as if the self titled character was staring right back at me with those little eyes saying "Buuuuuy meeeeee!" The came was complete and the more I read about it on the back of the case and  in the game's manual, the stranger it sounds. From what I gather, it's not your conventional game and I'm really surprised Nintendo published something like this six years ago.

A good friend loaned me his copy of the SNES game Demon's Crest a few years back. It's a fantastic spin-off title in the Ghost 'n Goblins series staring Firebrand, who looks like one of the enemies that Arthur encounters during his quest to save his lady love. Demon's Crest is far more forgiving than any of Arthur's adventures and it has a dash of RPG elements. I liked Demon's Crest so much that I sought out Gargoyle's Quest II on the NES about five years ago. It's another game staring Firebrand that I need to complete. Both it and Demon's Crest need to see Virtual Console releases. Make it happen, Capcom.

Remember the Super FX chip on the SNES? It maid polygonal graphics possible on Nintendo's 16-bit machine. Mention that chip and most people will think of StarFox but there were a few other games that made use of it, such as Stunt Race FX. This game doesn't have the greatest controls but it's still fun and it hardly cost anything. Looking forward to playing it again.

I was told by one of the clerks that no one was buying their Genesis games, which is odd because they have a nice selection. They had the entire Phantasy Star Genesis trilogy for chump change. The only reason I bought Phantasy Star II and IV is because I already have a physical copy of Phantasy Star III. Both games were only $9.99. I'd always assumed both of those games would go for $20 or more considering the reputation they have. Oh well, I'm not complaining. Wonder Boy in Monster World was even cheaper, going for $3.99.

Back in 1998, I played a demo of Einhander. A few years later, I found a new copy of the game at KB Toys for $24.99. Then for some stupid reason, I traded it in. Einhander ended up becoming one of those rare PS1 games. So I was surprised to see it in Video Game Heaven for the exact same price I paid for nearly 10 years ago. The case was cracked but the clerk replaced it with a fresh one. Was mighty nice of him. Not only is Ehinder a unique shooter, it also has a stand out musicals core. One of the boss themes, Shudder is hands down, one of the best boss tracks I've ever heard.  

I remember reading about Silhouette Mirage on the PlayStation in 1998 in Game Informer and Electronic Gaming Monthly. I wanted to play the game but was never able to find a copy. Years later, I found out that the game was originally released on the Saturn in 1997 and ported to Sony's system a year later. Being an import, I was worried that Silhouette Mirage would be costly, but it turned out to be pretty affordable at only $34.99. It's also on Sony's PlayStation Network in Japan. The American version is actually a lot harder due to the changes Working Designs implemented. I guess I'm better off with the Saturn version after all. I ended up buying this because it was a recommended import on Retro Gamer's Sega Saturn Collector's Guide feature.

I've always been a huge fan of the Gradius series and it's spin-offs. The Gradius Deluxe Pack has arcade perfect ports of Gradius and Gradius II. I was never able to get the arcade rom of Gradius on MAME to work so it's nice to finally be able to play the arcade version on the Saturn. Much as I like the NES version of Gradius, it's nice to have easy access to arcade Gradius at last. Gradius II seems to be just as hard and relentless as the PC-Engine version that I have on the Virtual Console. Both games have English text, so no knowledge of the Japanese language is required. Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus has three games on it, Salamander, Life Force and Salamander 2, all arcade perfect. Salamander 2 is one of my favorite shooters to play on MAME and now I can fire it up on the Saturn whenever I like. What little text it has int he game is also all in English.

Each time I went into Video Game Heaven, I saw Power Drift. I've never played the game, but I'm aware that it was developed by Yu Suzuki, of OutRun, Super Hang-On, and Space Harrier fame. I was still unsure of whether I should pick it up or not. What talked me into picking it up was Retro Gamer's "Why You Must Play" feature on Power Drift. That magazine has no problem swaying me.

Latest Game Purchases #11

I didn't get all of these in the same day or even in the same week. Well OK, most of them I did get this week, but I had some extra cash and ended up buying more games than usual and rather just make multiple posts, I decided I'd wait til I was finished shopping and do a single blog post.

Donkey Kong Country Returns. I own the entire SNES Donkey Kong Country trilogy and invested sometime into Donkey Kong 64 before I stopped playing it (too much collect-a-thon stuff for my tastes). When I heard Donkey Kong Country Returns would be a return to form, I was very excited. Not only would it be a side scrolling title like the SNES games, but much like those games, it also brought with it a Nintendo Hard difficulty, maybe even moreso than all the SNES games combined from what I've seen and heard. Anyway, K-Mart was having a sale and I picked this one up for $34.99! I could not believe that price because the game is selling for the standard $49.99 everywhere else. I'm sure Donkey Kong Country Returns will be a Nintendo Selects title someday, but since the day has not yet come, I consider what I paid for it a bargain.

After spending  alot of time with the DS version of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, I wanted to play the console version even more. K-Mart had a few copies months back for $20 but I always passed on it and when I did decided to buy it for the Wii, they were all gone. Lucky, GameStop had a used copy for $17.99. It was't complete, missing the instructions, but it's an easy game to play and I already know about drifting and tricks so I'm good to go. I played some of it last night and it's every bit as good as the portable game. Kinda makes me wanna buy Mario Kart Wii now. Yo, Nintendo, how about putting that on Nintendo Selects and saving me $50, huh?

Wario World. How many times did I pass on this game when I saw it at numerous GameStop stores? Not this time. They had a used, complete copy for $9.99. This is another game by Treasure. I love me some Treasure games and while it probably won't be on the same level as a platformer made by Nintendo I'm still very intrigued to see Treasure's take on Mario's fat rival.

On Wednesday I was killing time before work, talking with one of the store clerks and she told me they had Metroid Prime 3: Corruption used for $9.99. I was like "Seriously? I didn't see it anywhere." So she pointed it out to me and it turned out to be in a generic GameStop case, but she said they might still have the original case. Not only did they have the original case, but they had the instructions as well. So I finally have the entire Metroid Prime trilogy in my library. I just need to sit down and play them all someday.

While picking up Metroid Prime 3, I also got NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, used and complete for $4.99 This is my second time buying this one as my first copy had a manual that was in really awful shape. Yeah, I know that sounds insanely petty getting the same game to with a manual that looks brand spanking new, but the game was dirt cheap. I still haven't finished the original NiGHTS or even played Christmas NiGHTS so I gradually work my way to Journey of Dreams.

My trio of shrink wrapped $9.99 games, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves and Shadow of the Colossus all came from K-Mart. It took me forever to finish getting the Sly Cooper trilogy and I may have to pick up another copy of the original Sly. The last time I tried playing it, the game disc couldn't be read. I know from my good friend Lucas Stephens that Shadow of Colossus is an awesome game because it was all he could talk about when it released in 2005. I got my brother-in-law a copy months ago and watched him fight the second colossus. Words fail to describe how beautiful the game looks and the colossus bosses more then live up to their namesake. Nice to have a copy of this game for myself. I'll probably grab ICO if I see a copy. I wonder if I'll ever be finished buying PS2 games. The system has so many awesome games.

Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1 is one of my absolute FAVORITE compilation games. I played it on a regular basis when it released years ago. Console access to Final Fight (my favorite beat 'em up) is just too good. Of course it has a lot of other great games too like Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts (even if it is unfathomably hard), Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Commando, Mercs and more. I let a friend borrow this game, he moved and I never got it back. Thankfully, video game Heaven had a used copy for $7.99 and it was complete.

And speaking of video Game Heaven, they had a bin of used PS2 games for $4. In that bin, I found Jak & Daxter: The Precurssor Legacy, Jak II, and Destroy All Humans. I've yet to play any of the Jak games but have always wanted to give them a go. Years ago I played a demo of Destroy All Humans and loved it. $12 for 3 PS2 games even if Jak & Daxter and Destory All Humans were missing manuals is a steal in my book.

I can't remember the last time I bought a Genesis game but I do remember beating my friend's copy of Thunder Force III back in 2006. He loaned it to me and I spent some quality time with what I consider one of the greatest SHMUPs on the Genesis. There was a used copy in Video Game Heaven for $7.99 and I knew I had to have it. With that, I now have all three Genesis Thunder Force games.