8:55 PM on 01.03.2009
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am confused as hell as to where the hell this "trend" came from, as I left for a few hours and now there's a bajillion "hugging" blogs . . . o_O read more
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5:45 PM on 12.08.2008
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Welcome to another edition of A Compulsive Collector’s Haul! This time, witness EPIC SNES games, my 700th game, Atlus showing fans some love, and some super sweet Swag!
To start things off though, if you’re familiar with my hauls, you’ll know that I frequent Cash Converters (I guess you could say it's almost the Canadian equivalent of Goodwill/an upscale pawn shop) quite often. As some of you have asked who this "Diamond Dave" friend of mine is, he agreed to allow me to post a picture of him, so you can see the awesomeness of a man who calls me whenever EPIC stuff comes in.
He’s so awesome, he can summon flames, while playing guitar, have George Foreman endorse him, AND vomit diamonds! That is how hardcore kickass he is!
With that out of the way, let’s see what I got from Cash Converters over the past couple of weeks . . .
Some typical fair and all. Legacy of Kain: Defiance, Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light, Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel, Zone of the Enders (WITH the Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty demo disc!), Jade Empire – Limited Edition, and Sonic Riders.
Nothing overly special here either. Gyromite, DuckTales, Shadowgate, Super Team Games (only cause it’s a Power Pad exclusive), and Mario’s Picross!
YOUR EYES DO NOT DECEIVE YOU! This is why Dave = more AWESOME than AWESOMEsauce! ^_^ So in reality, I only got one copy of Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, and Super Metroid from him and Cash Converters. The top row I already owned, I just wanted to show that I now have 2 copies of 3 of the BEST games for SNES! And they were all a good deal too! Throw in Blackthorne and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island too, and you have kickass SNES haul! Thanks Dave! d(‘-‘d)
TA DA! Presenting my 700th (yes, SEVEN FREAKING HUNDREDTH) game in my collection! And none other than a SUPERBLY awesome title in Ninjatown!
Some stuff I got from EB Games and eBay! Advance Wars, Call of Duty: World at War – Limited Collector’s Edition (Modern Warfare is still far superior), World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – Collector’s Edition, Chrono Trigger (no promo soundtrack still . . . -_-‘), Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, and Metal Slug 7.
I can’t think of any other game company that actually treats its fans with this kind of awesome! GO ATLUS! Eternal Poison with Atlus Spoils Art Book (soundtrack as well), Luminous Arc 2 with Atlus Spoils Art Book (yet another soundtrack again), and reprinted Persona 2: Eternal Punishment! ^_^
Operation Darkness and Donkey Kong Country (SNES version) guides!
God I love swag! Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Scarf, Bella Sara Plus Horse (don’t ask about this one), Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party Beanie, Gears of War 2 Lancer Keychain, Gears of War 2 Bottle Opener Keychain, Little Big Planet T-Shirt, Kirby Super Star Ultra Promo Sign!
I may have some extra swag to give away for Christmas, so keep an eye for a contest closer to Christmas time! Gears of War 2 T-Shirt, de Blob Hat, Wii Hat, Mirror’s Edge Runner’s Bag, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Beanie, and Castlevania: Judgment Limited Edition Laser Cel.
That does it for another edition of A Compulsive Collector’s Haul! I hope you enjoyed it. Also, since the day is fast approaching, if you want to learn the history of CLUB NINTENDO, click to read my blog about that! Latez! read more
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1:34 PM on 12.02.2008
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*WARNING: This is a GRAPHIC and TEXT HEAVY blog*
So, with the announcement of Club Nintendo finally coming to North America in Winter of 2008 after a very long overdue wait, I have decided to try to help inform those who are unfamiliar about it, as well as ranting about how they hopefully don’t screw us over. I’ll begin with the guide . . .
The official Club Nintendo logo.
Club Nintendo is mainly known in Japan as a “loyalty program” that rewards consumers who buy primarily Nintendo products and registers them on their website. You register an account on their main website and get points by inputting a code on these little slips of paper that come in particular games, and depending on how expensive the game was, determines how many points you receive. There are also a number of exclusives you can get (albeit in extremely limited quantity) just by being a member or having registered a certain number of games.
Here we have 3 extremely exclusive items that Club Nintendo Japan gave away to their members, like the Mario etched DS, authentic Mario Hat, and Famicon GBA. Below that is what a typical registration slip looks like.
Now, with those points, you can redeem them for some of the COOLEST swag and such in general! They change what’s available roughly every year, and items you can redeem your points for are things such as: exclusive DS games, homage items/toys about Nintendo’s heritage, soundtracks, various carrying cases, and various other little trinkets and doodads.
Some of the current lineup of Club Nintendo swag we’re missing out on.
Even more cool stuff we in North America have to pay an arm and a leg for . . . at the moment.
Yearly, depending on how many points you manage to accumulate in a year, Club Nintendo gives a special “status” to their members, and allows them to choose an extra FREE gift for them to receive. I’m not well versed in Japanese, but all I know is that you need to register 400 points in a year to attain a “Platinum” member status, while there is also a “Gold” member status.
Here is an explanation of possible gifts you could’ve received as a member. The 2005 Platinum gift was a Wii Remote that works as a universal TV remote control. In 2006, the Platinum gift was Tingle’s Balloon Fight, and in 2006 the Gold gift was a Club Nintendo calendar.
As the years continue to fly by, it also seems that Club Nintendo Japan is listening to their consumers and members, and has been rewarding their most loyal members with rewards they have been asking for. Now keep this in mind, NOT ALL Nintendo games have the registration slips and whatnot, as they’re found only in Nintendo produced/published titles such as the Ouendan series, the Jump Super Stars series, and even Tales of the Tempest. Still, for the majority of Nintendo fans, it’s not particularly hard to get points, and most people would be able to get one or two of the “normal” gifts a year, and for the hardcore collectors like myself, you could probably throw in a Platinum member gift as well.
This year’s super awesome freebies for registering enough points. Platinum members in 2008 had the choice between the Super Famicon Classic Controller for the Wii, or the exclusive 2 disc Platinum edition of the Super Mario Galaxy Original Sound Track. Gold members were allowed to choose a 2008 Club Nintendo Calendar.
For those of you who are wondering roughly how many points you’d have and such if you were to register games in Club Nintendo Japan, I got my friend who is decent at reading Japanese to help me convert their points chart.
Game costing more than 5250 Yen = 30 Points
Game costing between 3150 Yen and 5250 Yen = 20 Points
Game costing less than 3150 Yen = 10 Points
DS Lite = 50 Points
GBA Micro = 40 Points
Playan (the GBA movie player thing) = 20 Points
Wi-Fi USB Adapter = 15 Points
DS Plausa (not too sure about this one) = 20 Points
DS <something> = 10 Points
DS <something> = 10 Points
Wii = 80 Points
Wii Remote = 20 Points
Nunchuk = 10 Points
Classic Controller = 10 Points
Wii Lan Adapter = 15 Points
DS TV Adapter = 30 Points
Nintendo Wi-Fi = 20 Points
Now, with Nintendo Japan obviously showing how awesome it is to its loyal buyers, Europe decided to follow suit. It’s still called Club Nintendo, but their rewards program stems from what they call a Stars Catalogue. As with Club Nintendo in Japan, a user basically signs up for an account and can enter in registration codes from Nintendo produced/published games for stars and can eventually redeem those stars for awesome gifts.
Basically the homepage for Club Nintendo Europe telling visitors the features of being a member, and how many points one can expect from registering particular products of various prices.
The Stars Catalogue offers a much larger variety of items to purchase with accumulated stars, although a large number of members have been disappointed with the selection, as there are mainly screensavers and wallpapers. After much criticism, Club Nintendo Europe in the past couple of years began to release items that members actually wanted, such as games, game themed clothing and everyday items, and Wii Points cards!
Here we have some wallpapers you can exchange for your hard earned stars, as well as a 300 Wii Points Card, and some Wii Fit themed items.
More Wii Fit themed items, some Pokémon Iron-Ons, a Super Smash Bros. Brawl jigsaw puzzle, and freaking Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising!
Club Nintendo Europe also had one of the SWEETEST items they had for members, which was the 15000 Star . . . The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Statue! It’s all gold plated and stuff, and I’ve yet to see one on eBay. (Yes, that means I’d pay money to get my hands on one of those bad boys.)
Epic statue is epic! This is the kind of stuff that Nintendo of America SHOULD be rewarding its loyal customers!
Now, let’s move onto Nintendo of America’s current extremely half-assed attempt at a somewhat “equivalent” Club Nintendo. So basically, Nintendo of America provides us living in North America, with none other than membership service known as My Nintendo, which in turn “rewards” us with free e-mail newsletters, order and repair status/history, and the ability to register Nintendo products! Yippee! Whoopity doo! Super dee duper! I know that made me super excited! The only reason I ever signed up was to register my Nintendo products, mainly due to the fact that I felt compelled to (must be a collector’s feeling or something), and to keep updated on how many issues of Nintendo Power I had left before I had to renew (this feature was eliminated after publishing went to Future US). Otherwise, aside from checking your status if you sent Nintendo of America anything to repair or if you ordered anything from them, and getting the couple of emails a week stating old news, promoting games that have been out for more than a week, etc. there is really no incentive to sign-up.
The super awesome home page to sign-up or login to your My Nintendo account! So much glorious effort put into it, eh?
This is an example of what one of the Nintendo of America registration slips for their games looks like. Hehehe! Someone had a field day in Photoshop with this one. =D
So, before the recent announcement a couple of weeks ago, in regards to how we in North America are FINALLY getting a Club Nintendo, former Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Affairs for Nintendo of America, Perrin Kaplan, stated that North America didn’t have a Club Nintendo, because we were “too big” of a market compared to Japan and Europe. She also claimed it wouldn’t be cost effective for the company as well. Another reason (or should we say excuse?) she said we didn’t have a Club Nintendo, was because apparently only in North America do you get pre-order bonuses and little trinkets from companies if you register their games, which you know, totally is the equivalent to a Club Nintendo. *Incase you guys haven’t noticed, I’ve integrated my mini-rants into the information now!* Now let’s see how many Nintendo games a serious collector has, how many of them he’s been able to register, and what he’s gotten from the oh so glorious My Nintendo . . .
*SIDE NOTE: These pictures were taken back on October 28th, so some sections (primarily my DS one) have grown a fair bit more from then*
So, basically those are all the games that I own that are for systems/handhelds that had My Nintendo registration slips in them. Doing a quick rough estimate from my latest “Collection File” update, that’s roughly 250 NINTENDO games you’re looking at. That’s not even including my retro collection that existed before My Nintendo. Now onto the My Nintendo registration process . . .
Oh look! It’s a loyal Nintendo fan registering his games . . .
My oh my! It’s still going?
Jesus . . . it’s STILL going . . . he must really think My Nintendo will reward him . . .
Wow! That only took 4 full screens to show everything he’s registered . . . I hope he’s got something for doing all that . . .
Yes, I have OVER 100 Nintendo games and consoles registered on that goddamn site! Now before we get to what I’ve gotten for doing all of that, IF (keyword: IF) Nintendo of America DOES NOT reward, accredit points, etc. to all previous games ALREADY ENTERED into My Nintendo for their Club Nintendo program . . . I sure as goddamn hope they all fucking burn in hell! There is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE for them to ignore those who have enrolled, followed, and used their previous program, and not take notice and somehow reward or acknowledge their contribution. Due to the fact they’ve been very vague on details about the program for us so far, I’m still very skeptical about it, as they can royally do this half-ass and screw a lot of us over with very fake promises. Now, with over 100 things registered, let’s see what I’ve gotten as “rewards” . . .
Nintendo of America’s paltry offering to its members.
WOOHOO! So, I’ve gotten a Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc that was later included with the game, by registering 3 games with My Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda Collector’s Edition, which was in turn super sweet and something I think should have been expected, and a The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Feather Stylus, which was also sweet, but was only rewarded for registering the game and filling out a survey. Hmmm . . . So, technically by registering like 5 games and completing a survey, I got 2 exclusive items and a Bonus Disc they bundled with said game . . . AWESOME! -_-‘ Now let’s take a look at the stuff I’ve had to import/had given to me as gifts/managed to find from the super awesome, properly done Club Nintendo Japan.
Three exclusive games! Zekkyou Senshi: Sakeburein (just call it the Power Rangers yelling game), Game & Watch Collection, and Tingle’s Balloon Fight (Platinum Gift).
Rainbow Colored DS Stylus Set, 2006 Animal Crossing Calendar, 2008 Club Nintendo Calendar (Gold Gift).
2004 Preview Disc of upcoming releases, Super Mario Galaxy Original Sound Track Platinum Version (Platinum Gift), Club Nintendo Star Tenbillion (basically a puzzle game of matching up colors that was one of Nintendo’s first toys), Mario Hat DS Carrying Case.
Club Nintendo Gamecube Controller, Club Nintendo Wii Super Famicom Classic Controller (Platinum Gift), Club Nintendo Mock Wii-Mote TV Remote (Platinum Gift).
So, that is all the awesome sweet stuff from Club Nintendo Japan I currently have. Doing a quick calculation again, if I were to register all the games, systems, handhelds, controllers, etc. that I have on Club Nintendo Japan’s site, I would actually pretty much have gotten EVERYTHING I just showed you guys, minus maybe the Mario Hat DS Carrying Case. Screwed over much? Just a little . . . As another quick representation to show how Nintendo of America totally freaking owes us, have a glimpse at my super collection file I keep up-to-date in Excel. Also, keep in mind, due to school and work, I’ve been working on this article for like a month so you can have a quick look into how much I collect.
My collection file as of October 21st, 2008. 682 games, 402 of which are Nintendo, making up damn near 60% of my gaming collection.
My collection file as of November 30th, 2008. 719 games, 423 of which are Nintendo (so basically 21 more Nintendo games bought in a month), still making up damn near 60% of my gaming collection.
Anyone who has made it this far, I applaud you. That Excel file is over 100 hours of work in terms of macros, programming, etc. About 95% of it was done by my other friend who is a big collector as well (1000 games), who’ll be joining Destructoid soon. It has automatic sorting, data entry, swag, soundtrack, guide lists, etc. That’ll be for another blog though.
Still, that’s my spiel about Club Nintendo and all. Hopefully it has been very informative to some of you, and has opened some eyes to how badly Nintendo has been screwing us over in North America, and what the program should and shouldn’t be. Even more so, hopefully some Nintendo representative will stumble upon this and actually consider what I’m saying . . . but that’s just wishful thinking. Still, with my final thoughts, here is what Nintendo of America SHOULD do for their Club Nintendo program:
- Make it as similar as possible to the Japanese one, where there are rewards of substance that people want, and exclusives for high registering members
- Make sure current games that have been registered are given points so that members who have registered dozens of games are not punished
- Create a much better interface and website for the program
If Nintendo can do those 3 things, then everyone should be happy and all will be well. Once again, thanks for reading and all, hopefully you’ve learnt something, and feel free to comment and all. Thanks! read more
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2:40 PM on 11.25.2008
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So, some of you already know I rate The World Ends With You as one of the best and most original games to have come out in the past few years. All I'll say is that having a friend who can read Japanese, and has a Yahoo Japan Auction Account, is pretty freaking sweet! To begin though, a very brief history . . .
My current collection of The World Ends With You stuff. The game, It's A Wonderful World Original Soundtrack, and It's a Wonderful World + The World Ends With You.
Forgot to picture the guide when I originally posted, and am way too lazy to take an individual picture of it, so top left guide is the one we're looking at. I haven't even read through it yet, but just needed it since The World Ends With You = awesomeness!
Yes, I have spent almost 100 hours in this game, because I am a completionist!
This is where my dedication shows! I have 4 starred ALL Noises, and am just leveling up my Anguis to have 100% Pin Mastery, and then need to buy one more item with that Anguis so that I'll have 100% Items Collected.
JAPANESE DS! WONDERFUL WORLD EDITION! =D
The back of the EPIC box!
It's a Wonderful World (note how the case is all sparkly and awesome?) and the super awesome limited edition DS!
Hopefully you guys can see how it says "It's a Wonderful World" on it, but I just freaking love that symbol and all. Also, anyone who has an imported Japanese DS. Is it me, or are the hinges and buttons a lot more firm and responsive?
That does it for this week, I have a SUPER AWESOME haul I'm looking to get up this weekend. I've just been backlogged as hell due to tests and group projects. If you're a retro gamer, or a fan of Atlus, you WILL NOT want to miss my next edition of A Compulsive Collector's haul . . . until next time, latez! read more
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2:28 PM on 11.16.2008
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So, my bi-weekly blog has been absent for a while, mainly due to the fact I misplaced my SD Card to USB adapter thing, so I couldn't upload my pictures . . . =( Luckily, I managed to find it today, so here's a quick update with another one that's even more epic in the next coming days . . .
Here we have my handheld haul from a few weeks ago. You've got good old Castlevanis: Order of Ecclesia, my NON-AUTOGRAPHED copy of Neverland Card Battles since I ive in Canada . . . -_-', and continuing my theory of I must collect all things Atlus is Master of the Monster Lair. Also, got cheap/rare/good GBA games off eBay for cheap, with Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising, Breath of Fire, and Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament.
Once again, if you haven't listened to JoeCamNet yet . . . listen to me! SIGN UP FOR GOOZEX! Freaking Zone of Enders: The 2nd Runner, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Raidou Kuzuhona vs. The Soulless Army, and Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos . . . ALL from Goozex!
The "Collector's/Special/Limited/Premier/etc" Edition bastard inside of me, reared its head once again. We have Fallout 3 Collector's Edition, primarily Amazon.CA (stupid USA only bullcrap) didn't get the Survival Edition, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Premier Edition, and Dokapon Kingdom were all new buys. CASH CONVERTERS and my buddy DIAMOND "FREAKING" DAVE pulled through for me again. I got an INBOX (look at it, that box is like MINT!) original GameBoy with Tetris, Gungrave: Overdose, and Monster Hunter!
SWAG ALERT! I LOVE having eBay friends and such, although I got some of this through "normal" means. GTA IV Blockbuster exclusive framed Niko picture, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin beanie, Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility 10th Anniversary Plush Cow (I have all 6 Harvest Moon plushies ^_^), Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Promo Soundtrack, Ydddra Union Promo Soundtrack, Wii Fit Socks, and Puchi Puchi Virus Stress Reliever with a PRINNY on it! =D
So, I work part time at BestBuy and we get a surprising amound of promo stuff that is usually left unwanted. I liberated some, some of which will be passed onto you guys when I decide to finally hold a contest. Not necessarily game related but . . . The Incredible Hulk Lithograph, Fallout 3 Nuka Cola Bottle Opener, Game Crazy Sticker and Looney Tunes DVD (from eBay friend), Farcry 2 Faceplate, Family Guy Lithograph, The Art of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, and my buddy gave me a Ninja Gaiden Wall Scroll!
COUNTINGCONFLICT FREAKING RULES! d('-'d) You guys may have remembered he held a contest for a Persona 4 shirt, which I won with helping to edit my buddy Chao's Persona 4 FAQ on GameFAQs! First of all, I hope you got that stuff sorted out with Atlus and Game Crazy CountingConflict . . . =S Still, it arrived and I found an interesting note! Another American who likes HOCKEY! =O Been finding you guys like crazy lately, lol. While I do AGREE with you the Flames suck . . . I believe you'll be even angrier to find out what team I do support CountingConflict . . . =P Thanks once again! read more
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12:48 PM on 10.21.2008
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So, here's another addition to my close to bi-weekly blog of "A Compulsive Collector's Haul!" This week, I got some EPIC games, and some even more EPIC swag! Let's begin . . .
First off, we have Time Hollow, which if you like adventure and text games like Hotel Dusk and Trace Memory, is a great, albeit short game. The rest of this haul is from my stomping grounds, Cash Converters! Once again, my buddy "Diamond" Dave pulled through again, with $5 for Kid Icarus, $10 for Excitebike, and . . . MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2 for only 15 DOLLAROO! =D I now own ALL THREE versions of it! ^_^ I also got a Japanese Digital Devil Saga and a Japanese Tenchu Shinobi Taizen from my other buddy who works there!
Once again, thank you JoeCamNet for posting that Goozex blog! 3 awesome games from Goozex, one from a fellow DToid'er by the name of TheFil!
I will only share this, because I know that you fellow DToid'ers will appreciate this, but ANYTHING by Atlus or NIS (Nippon Ichi), you should buy from RosenQueen! For ordering through them, you get KICKASS promos like a PRINNY STYLUS and a little figurine you have to put together, and which I lucked out on, because I got the ETNA and PRINNY figure! =D I unfortunately missed out on the Rhapsody soundtrack, but you don't have to pay anything extra aside from shipping and you get SWEET swag!
A slow week for swag again, but a Rock Band 2 T-Shirt, Dead Space Artbook, and Fallout 3 Soundtrack aren't too bad either.
That ends another session of a Compulsive Collector's Haul! I expect to be posting my 700TH game in my collection sometime before Christmas, so stay tuned! read more
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8:06 PM on 10.05.2008
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Howdy y'all!
So, instead of "liberating" NihonTiger's weekly blog name, I've decided to make my own weekly/bi-weekly blog of the swag, soundtracks, games, etc. that a compulsive collector like myself gets! This week has some pretty epic fighting games, as well as some Club Nintendo stuff! Also, prepare for an in-depth blog about Club Nintendo coming sometime this week!
Here we have my swag and Club Nintendo stuff! I got the Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood styluses, which surprised the hell out of me, since we usually get screwed for those in Canada. -_-' Also, the Harvest Moon DS Cute Cat, and the Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness Chicken! The crowning glory though would be Zekkyou Senshi: Sakeburein (aka, the Japanese Club Nintendo "Power Rangers" game), and a Wii Super Famicon Classic Controller! ^_^
Here I got the guides for Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and the crown glory for any Pokemon fan . . . The Ultimate National Pokedex!
For those of you who have read my previous blogs, my buddy Dave (better known as DIAMOND DAVE) at Cash Converters is probably the coolest and nicest guy around! I buy him food now and then, and he holds super kickass games that come in for me. Proof? Freaking . . . Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom on PS!!! =D Mega Man X2, Yoshi Touch & Go, and Alone in the Dark also came from Cash Converters, while I bought Kirby Super Star Ultra new!
Stuff from Goozex (thanks JoeCamNet), Cash Converters, and my buddy's parents from the States! Samba de Amigo, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am, Gladius, La Pucelle: Tactics (go NIS), Metal Saga (go Atlus), and Drakengard!
My Samba de Amigo maracas, and yet again . . . Diamond Dave . . . got me a NES Satellite! =D read more
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3:01 PM on 09.18.2008
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So, taking a page from NihonTiger90's blogs, I'm posting what I got this summer between when I posted my Gaming Setup and today! Hopefully this will make SOME of you who attended PAX jealous . . . hopefully . . . -_-'
This picture is why I love my Cash Converters and DIAMOND DAVE . . . better known as Dave! Aside from the Super Scope 6 cartridge and ActRaiser, I got all of these in one bundle after getting a phone call from Davey Boy! YES, that is KIRBY SUPER STAR and OGRE BATTLE on SNES! ^_^ Also, Snowboard Kids is there as my quest to collect ALL Atlus games continues!
My DS haul of the summer! More Atlus goodies, although I'm still PISSED that we didn't get the Izuna 2 Posters in Canada! *ANY Atlus employee that stumbles upon this blog . . . PLEASE send cool promos to Canada* Surprisingly, Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is actually a good game!
Slow summer of swag for me this year . . . -_-'
My Assbox 360, PS3, and Gamecube haul. Those of you who have seen my Gaming Setup, Soulcalibur IV has effectively screwed me over, as it doesn't fit on my PS3 shelf . . . =( Also, whoever posted that blog about getting a sealed Lunar from Goozex, thank you for introducing me to Goozex, as I used it to get rid of my extra Tales of Vesperia that I bought, because I didn't know there was a Premium Edition! d('-'d)
More Cash Converters goodness, aside from Chaos War (stupid Canada not getting it, or at least all the EB's in my city) and Drakengard (got game and guide for $7 on eBay)!
Here's where the good stuff comes! I basically either doubled or tripled my PS collection while you guys were all having fun at PAX . . . *tear* . . . T_T Still, TWO Atlus Bomberman games? SAY WHAT? Not to mention both Chocobo games, and a replacement for my disc only version . . . a complete BREATH OF FIRE III!
Dave = coolest/nicest guy! Got Final Fantasy VII non-greatest hits, perfect condition, and Tales of Destiny II mint . . . $15 EACH! =D Anyone have any Squaresoft or Atlus games they're willing to part with, in order to help me complete my collection? =3
According to my bud, who's a manager at an EB Games, they're apparently not going to carry guides any more, except for some really big titles. For those of you who are like me, and collect them, I suggest Chapters/Indigo or Amazon now!
eBay is a godsend for old school guides! After 2 years of searching for a decent quality, reasonably priced one, I have the guide to possibly my favorite game . . . SUPER MARIO RPG! Getting Breath of Fire III, Breath of Fire IV, Link's Awakening, and A Link to the Past guides were also almost the best day ever!
3 awesome soundtracks! That's The World Ends With You - Arranged Soundtrack in the bottom left, and the other games are I like 2 days ago . . . was really hoping for the Chicken or Cow plushie with Harvest Moon . . . =(
Go boxed GB and GBA games! Also, BOOOOOOOO for not getting the promo soundtrack with Yggdra Union . . . -_-'
Picked these two up yesterday night after I had taken the rest of the "group" pictures!
Still, I actually realize you all had lots of fun at PAX and such, and hopefully I'll be joining you guys next summer! On another note . . . anyone from Destructoid that lives in CALGARY, ALBERTA . . . leave a comment or send me a private message, if you're going to VIDEO GAMES LIVE 2.0 in May! We should meet up or something . . .
Also, cocks! read more
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5:55 PM on 07.10.2008
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Okay, so I recently added a Contra III: The Alien Wars to my collection, but when I received it, I realized it looked different than the copy my friend has. I immediately noticed that the copy I got was "Made in Mexico" while my friend's was "Made in Japan." We've tested both games and they both work fine, but I was wondering . . . is my Mexico one a reprint or a pirated copy? If anyone knows the answer to this, please comment, as it would be greatly appreciated. The following are pictures of the 2 cartridges with commentary about their differences.
JAPAN
MEXICO
As you can see, the Japan made one has the "typical" safety warnings and such on a sticker, while the Mexico made one has it like imprinted on to the cartridge itself.
JAPAN
MEXICO
The biggest difference here is that one says "Made in Japan" and the other says "Made in Mexico." The bottom half of the front of the cartridges are also different, but I realize that may be due to when they were produced.
JAPAN
MEXICO
Here are close-ups of the labels. I apologize for the quality, but if you look REALLY close, the "Made in Mexico" label is of lower quality and seems faded, not to mention, it doesn't have that "glossy" layer on top of it, that makes the label shine naturally in light and such.
Also, for those of you who missed it on the weekend. I updated my Gaming Setup blog with a zoomed out view and my 600TH GAME! Yes . . . I finally hit the big 6-0-0! ^_^ It was a sweet game I hit it with too! Check it out here! read more
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3:16 AM on 07.06.2008
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QUICK UPDATE! 07/10/08
So, some people were saying my setup looked cluttered and all, and well I decided to take a "zoomed" out shot of my setup to show, while there's a lot of stuff, it's actually well organized and not too cluttered! I'm also sharing my 600th game with you guys! The "update" pictures will precede my initial setup!
My setup from a distance. There's a lot of stuff, but I wouldn't say it's cluttered, although ignore the bottom right of the picture, since that's all crap from my storage room I was cleaning up.
Games I've gotten since my original post . . .
Secret of Evermore . . . GAME #600!
*ORIGINAL BLOG POST*
So, first things first! This setup has as of today (July 5, 2008) 597 games spanning 23 consoles/handhelds. That number usually increases every week, but I'll never get to posting my setup if I don't draw the line somewhere. Things to consider before looking:
A) I collect all things game, from games, to swag, to promos, to soundtracks, to figures, etc.
B) My Dad collects booze, that is why you’ll see a fair amount of it in some of my pictures.
C) I also really like Star Wars, football (soccer to those of you who don’t respect the beautiful game), and hockey.
D) Some games I collect purely cause I know that they're going to be hard to find, although usually they're really good games anyways! (ie. Atlus, NIS games)
E) I do something most "normal" collectors don't. I open EVERYTHING regardless if I never intend to play it, that way I can say it's mine.
F) If a game has a limited edition or whatnot, odds are I'll have to get it, since I'm a sucker for those kinds of things.
G) I HATE anything "Greatest Hits" and whatnot, and the 3 or so games I have of that, I'm looking to replace.
H) I keep track of my collection on Gamespot *cringe* and an Excel file my friend (who has MORE games than me, less swag though) spent over 100 hours making, of which I contributed MAYBE 10 to, lol.
I) I know my TVs suck, but one's my "retro" gaming TV and the other . . . I have no excuse.
Now on to the collection . . . (Note: I tried to Photoshop a panoramic view of my setup, but it failed miserably! -_-')
My beloved Kingdom Hearts II Standee and a poster and wallscroll.
My SUPER AWESOME Limited Edition Giant Silver Darth Vader PEZ Dispenser, Vader Standee, and Wii Countdown Clock. Due to the fact my panoramic view didn't work, there's also a Devil May Cry 3 wallscroll to the right of the Scarface poster.
My "retro" cabinet, with NES, SNES, Sega Genesis/Sega CD. Also, my SNES games! Probably my favorite and most cherished part of my collection! I've got almost all the really big names that everyone wants/has.
Final Fantasy XII and Han Solo Standees, my 4 Guitar Hero bundles, Rock Band as well, and original PSOne and Turbografx-16 on the ground, and some limited editions games.
My little stand/table by my couch, note the Chrono Trigger Clock, and Club Nintendo 2008 Calendar.
Some of my pride and joy, since we get screwed over in North America with our "Club Nintendo." I have 86 things registered on My Nintendo, and all I've gotten was a Zelda Feather Stylus and a Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Preview disc. Here (in clockwise order) is a Rainbow Stylus set, Nintendo's original puzzle product the Star Tenbillion, Club Nintendo Gamecube Controller, Mario Hat DS Carrying Case, Super Mario Galaxy Original Sound Track Platinum Edition, Wii Remote that functions as a TV Remote, 2004 Gamecube preview disc, and 2006-07 Animal Crossing Calendar.
My first cabinet of epic swag and games.
My PS2 game collection. Note the Kingdom Hearts Final Mix Platinum Edition, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ with Another Report Bonus, FFX Japanese with Other Side Bonus, FFX International, FFX-2: International + Last Mission, FFXII International Zodiac Job System, Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special, and various Atlus and NIS games! (Just for you Hamza, Dale, and Colette!) There's also some of my sweet swag!
More sweet swag. Of note would be: Autographed Video Games Live 2008 program, Okami Buddha Board, and Castlevania 20th Anniversary Bonus! Below that is my PSOne and PSP game collections. Nothing really special for PSOne, just your typical awesome RPGs and such. For PSP I imported one of my favorite games, Breath of Fire III from Europe, as well as Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable and Tales of Phantasia: Full Voice Edition from Japan.
Here's my Sega console stuff. Cool Spot I got signed by Tommy Tallarico at Video Games Live, and I'm lucky enough to have not one, but TWO Dreamcasts! Anyone who hasn't played Skies of Arcadia, Shenmue, Shenmue II, or JET GRIND RADIO . . . I might hate you, lol. My rarest things here would be my Sonic Adventure 10th Anniversary Edition, and What's Shenmue? Below are all my Nintendo Powers, and various other gaming magazines, as well as my numerous art books.
Coffee table with some of my controllers and my friend lent Assbox 360 that I'm using until it RROD's.
My numerous art cels and such from promos and pre-orders. A few posters as well, but the VGCats one is epic, since it's signed and addressed to me by the great Scott Ramsoomair!
Here, look at more consoles! My NES collection which has TENGEN TETRIS IN BOX WITH INSTRUCTIONS! If you don't know what that means, Wikipedia it! My boxed SNES games, my small stack of TG-16 games, and all my N64 games. I have TWO Ocarina of Times, because one is Collector's Edition with gold cartridge and all, and one is not.
My other cabinet of games.
First up is like my 80ish games on DS, which is now roughly tied with the number of PS2 games I have. Most notable are the Atlus titles, but I also have Game & Watch Collection and Tingle's Balloon Fight, which are both Club Nintendo Japan exclusives. I also have both Ouendans, both Jump Superstar games, Itadaki Street DS, and Tales of the Tempest. I also have my Neo Geo Pocket Color with games, as well as normal GB and GBC games there as well. Below is my Assbox, Assbox 360, and PS3 games. I have Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on Assbox and Dreamcast, only missing the most coveted PS2 version. Note the super awesome light blue Japanese Game Gear!
Wii and Gamecube games! Lots of swag too, like my Twilight Princess Master Sword and Hylian Shield and unopened Super Mario Bros. 2 Suspenders from god knows when. Nothing really too special with these sets of games, aside from having Tommy Tallarico autograph my Metroid Prime games.
Hmmm, here's more GBC games and my GBA collection. Lots of DS styli swag and stuff too. Lots of hard-to-find Atlus titles and in my world, the super awesome Jet Grind Radio! It also appears I'm out of room if I want to get any new guides . . . -_-'
My swag table/area. Note the Okami print on the wall! That's actually MADE by another Destructoid member, sylphx (the Spore Final Fantasy monsters guy), who asked me to mention he's selling prints. He's a big homo though, so don't buy from him! =P Also, those of you who are big Halo fans, what's the big deal with the shiny reflective Halo 2 poster I have? When I bought it from eBay, I had like 3 people email me asking if I would resell it to them for like quadruple what I paid.
Mini hockey jerseys, sticks, and trophies. Ultimate Collector's Series Lego TIE Intercepter. Various figures, plushies, and swag. Notice the PS2 Dragon Quest Slime Controller, and my Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles E3 Press Box.
Under the desk, where I store all my boxes and stuff I can't fit anywhere else. Note the IN BOX V-Saturn I just picked up yesterday, Beatmania, Taiko Drum Master, etc.
So . . . that’s my game collection . . . that's also a LOT of text and pictures, but hopefully you took the time to enjoy it. I figured my first Destructoid post should be epic, and hopefully this was. But wait . . .
BONUS ROUND!
So here is a small glimpse into my room. This is where I keep all my soundtracks, DVDs, shirts, and a few figures. If there's enough interest, I might do a blog about my soundtracks and how to avoid fake Hong Kong and Taiwanese ones, but that'll be another day. Also, those are all football (soccer once again for some of you) magazines! Also take note of the 1-Up Mushroom and barely visible Paragoomba plushies in the top left of the picture! The most notable things are my Breath of Fire Original Soundtrack Special Box, of which if what I’ve googled is true, only 5000 were ever made, my Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack Complete Box, and my Final Fantasy X Auron figure.
Here are my soundtracks and DVDs. Notice BOTH volumes of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Legend of Zelda Animated Series, two versions of FFVII: AC, and all 3 seasons of the best show TV ever had . . . ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT! Once again, I have something autographed by Tommy Tallarico, which would be my Earthworm Jim Anthology soundtrack! Also, if you go to Europe, get Lynx! It's the European equivalent to Axe, only it smells and works better, lol.
DOMO-KUN and DOMO-CUBE!
My most notable shirt is the light brown one in the middle bottom row. It’s from being in the 1st place cabin at the 2005 Camp Hyrule hosted by Nintendo, so I’m assuming that about only 500 of those exist in the world.
Well that's it! If you have any questions about what games, soundtracks, or crap I have, comment or send me a message!
For helping in my game collection and just being generally awesome, I give a shout out to the following people who work at EB Games, Cash Converters, and Video Game Trader: Joe, Ashley, Kevin, Safwan, Justin, Kyle, Dave, Dan, James, Steve, Jeff, Chris, and Karen.
Also, sylphx . . . he loves COCKS! read more
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