So, slightly inspired by my recent c-blog discussing my video game collection, I went on a mission this weekend: increase the collection. The focus was on PS2 and PS1 games. First stop, my parents' house to pick up some games from my little brother.



I sold Shadow Hearts to him a few years ago to fund my DS Lite purchase. I mentioned before that there were games that I didn't want to put on eBay and lose forever, so my little brother bought them from me. This one was one of those games. Can't remember how much he bought it from me for; I bought it back for $10.

Wild ARMs 2 was a surprise. He picked it up at the Play N' Trade store near us for $20, but wasn't thrilled with it. It so happens that I used to own it but traded it in (stupidly) to Gamestop many years ago. He sold it to me for $15, for the same reason I had sold him my games: don't want to sell them to someone outside of the family.

Next stop? The above mentioned Play N' Trade. Last time I went there, they had just opened, so their selection wasn't all that great. I did find a pristine copy of Thousand Arms, complete with the memory card sticks and hologram card. This time around?



That would be the third game in the Wizards and Warriors series (full name: Wizards and Warriors III - Kuros: Visions of Power). I own the first two and played the hell out of both of them when I was little. I never had the chance to play the third, and for whatever reason, never felt the need to search for it. When I spotted it in the display case, I decided it was time to complete the trilogy...especially since it was only $5. The clerk threw the plastic case in for free; he told me they had been selling them, but some guy came in recently and bought up most of them. They only had a few left, so they were throwing them in with NES cart purchases.

Also grabbed these:



The Fable purchase was one I mulled over for a bit. I never played it, and while I did like the second one, it was a bit on the short side (and had a disappointing ending). People told me the second was better than the first, but I was also told that the Lost Chapters version is better than the original version of the game. So, what the hell...bought.

And while they are the Greatest Hits versions of the games, Final Fantasy Anthology and Final Fantasy Origins are sealed. They were also part of the Great DS Lite Funding Purge of '06, so I snagged them as soon as I spotted them.

Alundra 2...yeah. Bought this one a long time ago, after playing through most of the first game (which I have been meaning to actually finish one of these days). When I popped it in the ol' Playstation, I was like "what the hell is this? Where are the sprites and the Zelda-feel?" I hung onto it for a while and then traded it in. I did later regret that I didn't give the game a chance. Glad I've finally found one out in the wild.

I was a little disappointed that I didn't find a few of the games that are on my "must-find" list, which includes:

- Shadow Hearts: Covenant
- Shadow Hearts: From the New World
- Fatal Frame 2 Crimson Butterfly - Director's Cut (Xbox)
- Mega Man X Collection
- Suikoden

There are others; these are the ones highest on the list.

But hey, nice haul, right?

Well, I decided that while I'm on a roll, I might as well continue my search. I found that there is a Play N' Trade near where I work, so I took a trip there during my lunch break on Monday.

Sadly, this store seemed to focus on the newer-gen games. They did have a Dreamcast, which I'm considering picking up, but most of the retro games were sports games. Bleh.

On the way back to work, I decided to make a quick stop at a nearby Gamestop. Glad I did.



Knocked two off of my list. Sweet. I know the third Shadow Hearts isn't the best in the series, but it brings me that much closer to completing the trilogy. And Mega Man X Collection has eluded my hands for far too long, teasing me a couple times (like when I visited a Gamestop to find they only had the case and instructions, no game disc).

Also grabbed these two:



Metropolismania was $5. It was also another one I owned and sold to buy my DS Lite and games...so kids, use me as an example: unless the game really sucks, hang onto it. You may end up spending far too much time trying to track them down later on.

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy is for my son. He's now 5 and loves to play video games. His favorites are the Lego games (Batman, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones), and the Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. Any game that has a fairly simple control scheme is something he can jump right into. Assuming this game is one of those (haven't tried it out yet; he's been getting into trouble recently so he lost his video game time on Monday).

Yesterday, on a whim, I went to Gamestop's site to see if they listed the second Fatal Frame for the Xbox. Sure enough, they did. And the site showed that there was one available at the store right down the road from where I work (different store than the one above).

I rushed over and found it in the bargain bin outside the store. Sadly, it had lost the case and instructions:



But, I couldn't pass it up. This is the first time I've purchased a game disc-only, and it'll probably be the last. I did remember reading about a site that sells case, artwork, and instructions for video games. After a quick bit of searching, I found it. And lo and behold, they've got the artwork and instructions for the game. Awesome. Just hope they aren't a scam. Guess I'll find out soon enough, eh?

Well...there you go. The weekend/beginning of the week haul. Blogs like this will probably be few and far between from me, as my list of "must-find" games has shrunk considerably recently. But, should I track down more or find something worth throwing up here, I'll make sure to write up another one.