Two new stores to find retro games! One store was brand new as of this week, and really isn’t a store. It’s more of just some guy that tacked on his game collection to an existing hobby game store. Nonetheless, there were a few titles there that caught my eye. The second store was a used music/movies/games store that I saw from the highway and decided to stop in and look around. Surprisingly there were games aplenty at this place, including a Dreamcast game of all things! Well, let’s get this thing underway!
 007 NightfirePS2 Release Date: November 18th, 2002 Purchased at: 8-Bit Gamers (Santa Clara, CA – $3) After securing Everything or Nothing before leaving Indiana, I can finally say I have Nightfire. I have the first Bond game, Agent Under Fire, on the Gamecube, so maybe I’ll try finding it on the PS2 as well for completion’s sake. Speaking of Agent Under Fire, I really enjoyed that game a lot. I actually finished it too. I’m hoping these games are just as good! |
 Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of CortexPS2 Release Date: October 29th, 2001 Purchased at: 8-Bit Gamers (Santa Clara, CA – $3) The first non-Naughty Dog developed Crash game, and also the first Crash game on a system other than the PS1, and also also one of the earliest PS2 games created, The Wrath of Cortex isn’t regarded as highly as the original PS1 trilogy, but it’s still regarded as a decent game. I should really play through the Crash’s and then get to this one to see how it is, but it’s likely I won’t get around to it anytime soon sadly. |
 Donkey Kong LandGame Boy Release Date: June 26th, 1995 Purchased at: 8-Bit Gamers (Santa Clara, CA – $3) Whoa, this game was originally released on my birthday! I remember playing this game around the time it came out on my cousin’s Game Boy and enjoying it. Now it looks dated, naturally, but even to this day the game is worthwhile. Certainly not as worthwhile as Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, but still a fun game. Also, it’s not a port of DKC, but rather a completely separate series designed specifically with the Game Boy in mind! |
 Mushroom Men: The Spore WarsWii Release Date: December 2nd, 2008 Purchased at: Streetlight Records (San Jose, CA – $6) A bit of a splurge on this one since GameStop sometimes sells it on sale for $5, Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars stood out to me at the time of it’s release as being a unique indie-ish title. The quote on the front cover says it’s one of the best games on the Wii since Super Mario Galaxy: high praise for a game not from a big developing house. I’m happy to have this game finally, and I’m still looking for the DS version. |
 Speed Devils: Online RacingDreamcast Release Date: December 16th, 2000 Purchased at: Streetlight Records (San Jose, CA – $5) There were only three Dreamcast games available at Streetlight Records: This one, the regular not-online Speed Devils, and something else I already have that I can’t even think of. For whatever reason, this version was only $5, but the vanilla Speed Devils was $10. Seeing as I have neither and this one was cheaper, I decided to go with this. I’m sure no one’s in the market for Dreamcast games, so perhaps one day I’ll head back there and pick it up as well. |
You may also notice the two strategy guides in the thumbnail. Here’s a bigger picture to see everything better:
The Ni no Kuni strategy guide is an official premium edition guide. The Gears of War strategy guide is also an official premium edition guide containing an extra artbook as well. The best part about these guides? They were worth $3 each! Oh man, three dollars a pop! Ni no Kuni is a hardback, several hundred page book, and the GoW one is a premium edition that’s a cool collector’s item. Huzzah!
Laters,
Jsick