Final Fantasy XIII

Finally, it came. The first new generation Final Fantasy game. Honestly, the game itself is not that good. It misses so many good things about the Final Fantasy Universe that... I don't know...

There is little to explore, and not that many sidequests to do. Not many places to explore, no cities and houses to go around searching for clues and items... the closes thing you get to that only happens near the end of the game and there isn't much to do anyway. The closest thing you get to a world map is the so called "open world" in Chapter 11 that's little more than a scenario like Calm Lands from FFX with enemies running all over the place. I miss a world map with cities and towns and airships to ride, I miss all those scenarios where you could talk to people and explore the houses searching for bonuses and small sidequests... where's all that gone???

The game is basically a one way road. When you seem to find an alternative path, it only leads you to one of those item balls - in fact you really learn that tere's nothing else but an item ball in every corner, in every alternative pach, in every place that seems to be the wrong way. Some scenarios are just too repetitive and if it wasn't for the battle system this game would be more suited as a hack n slash rather than an RPG with Final Fantasy in the title. the game's still big, but the ending is rushed... The story may become a mess if you don't read the datalog, and a lot of questions are very hard to ask. Despite all that, it's not a bad game. The storyline is good, the graphics and scenarios are stunning and the overall experience of playing the game is good. But still, not what I was expecting for a new Final Fantasy game. I miss those times when I played through VII, VIII and IX. After that it's been a downhill ride, seriously... Just sharing my opinion...

Above we have the two collector's Editions for both PS3 and 360, as well as a sealed copy of the regular 360 game with the limited edition slipcase. I expect to get the limited edition slipcase for the PS3 as well as the HMV exclusive slipcase for both editions. And not to forget the Crystal Bearers on the Wii which I got thanks to a promotion.

Read More »

Kratos is back. And more violent than ever

This game certainly lives up to its hype. Basically, what the previous games did well, this one does even better. Yes, the game's that good. A little short, but good. The violence is amazing, quite amazing. A few years back this game would be severely censored.

Above is the Ultimate Trilogy Edition with the Pandora Box and the Collector's Edition that was only available in certain european countries. There are other editions out there, including a media kit in a wooden box that I expect to get some day...

Read More »

Sexy w(B)itch

Bayonetta is a sexy witch that can seriously beat the crap of angel-like creatures while spreading her legs 180 degrees in every possible position. She even shoots from her legs while kicking and gets nearly naked as she reaches the climax while fighting some seriously huge enemies. And then we have Joy, some female-like angel that also spreads her legs and nearly masturbates when she first appears in the game. I said I love sexy babes when I first talked about Tomb Raider in the first messages of this blog, but this witch is serious business, she's probably more dangerous than sexy, she's just too much.

Now talking about the game itself, I did like the plot and loved the fast-paced action. It's a great game worth playing, specially if you don't mind some cheesy cutscenes with a fine shaped female ass fighting with extreme violence. Fan-service anyone?

Pic above is for the Climax Edition for X360.

Read More »

Black, White, Special Film... Anything else?

Seriously, why so many different editions for the same game at the same time? It makes no sense! I miss the time when games only had a regular release. Then there were those who actually had a special edition. Right now we came to the point where nearly every top game has a special edition and many have two or three different editions, some of which are exclusive to particular stores. And they sell like cookies. And to make it even worse, some are pretty crappy and include little more than a different package and some downloadable codes.

Thankfully it was not the case with this version of Assassin's Creed II. The Black Edition is actually packed with many goodies. No I did not get any other edition of this particular game, and I seriously don't expect to get them until I find a fine price drop. The Special Film Edition will certainly be an exception as it's not as easy to get. This Black Edition was a preorder as well, otherwise I'd probably be stuck with a used edition for a stupid price off ebay right now. Damn it.

Read More »

Mass Effectiveness

And this is one of those editions that sold out pretty fast. And then it was only found on eBay for OMG prices. Crappy speculators... I did get it for the retail price but I was 1 inch away of losing it. Right now the hype is over though. It's getting harder to decide whether I should invest in certain editions before they are released or wait until they actually drop their price. They usually drop, but it scares me to see them all sold out and hitting stupid prices after that. I never know if I should buy them now or wait. did buy this one as soon as I noticed it was completely sold out.

Read More »

The greatest Pokemon games are back!

It was certainly my favourite game besides the original Red/Blue versions. Pokémon Gold and Silver remade specifically for the Nintendo DS. I managed to preorder this particular edition with a 3D Holographic cover. I did not have enough cash to preorder the two editions, so I guess I'll be missing the Heart Gold version with the same 3D cover for quite a while...

Read More »

After taking a break... a new update!

Little time and patience to update this in the last couple of months. I had to make plenty of decisions of what to get and what not to get. As you will probably notice I can't keep up with all the limited stuff that's being released, some of which are sold out even before the release date. Prices for press editions on ebay are also rising a lot and that prevents me from getting them. Times are tough for collectors with less money when some foreign buyers pop up and pay 100s to get their hands in particular editions, increasing their prices to ridiculous amounts, far more than they are actually worth. Speculation on auctions sites right now is pretty nasty thanks to crappy sellers whose purpose is to get easy money from people that really care about particular items. And that sucks. It just plain sucks. I've never seen so many ridiculous buy it now prices before.

It's nearly impossible for me to keep up with this, so yes, I am leaving plenty of stuff behind. I hope that in the future my collection sees better days. I also have a personal life and I simply can't spend a lot of cash right now. I don't think that I will be getting those fancy editions I was used to right now, but I won't give up and I will deffinitely get them in the future. I've left a few behind and they will not be easy to find in the future. I've came this far in my collection and I'm sure I will be able to find them some day.

Here's the first thing I got before last Xmas... a Limited Edition Black Wii Console. I thought the price was pretty good, the console looks nice, it was a good purchase.

Read More »

I told you I would not resist for much longer...

...and I kept my "promise". I just could not really stand that one of my recent favourite consoles (probably due to its scarcity) was the only one without its original box. I've spent a couple of years trying to get the box alone but then I figured I'd do better if I'd just get another one complete as the box alone is nearly impossible to find.

Even though it was not the best moment to spend more money for me, I just couldn't resist, so I picked it.

Yes, I am talking about the beautiful Sega Multi-Mega Console. Finally, The only unboxed console I've had is no longer unboxed :). I did act like a 6 years old receiving his xmas gift when this came but I don't even care about that.

Read More »

Portuguese exclusive variants of limited editions

Something quite rare in the past, that is now becoming fairly common. Portuguese exclusive limited editions with Portuguese language on the box will certainly become rare variants in the future for several hardcore collectors, specially considering it's such a small country with less people, which means the number of these editions produced must be low. So far I was able to get the following editions:

-Uncharted 2 (PS3)

-Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time (PS3)~

-inFamous

-Forza Motorsport 3 (360)

-Gran Turismo (PSP)

-Motorstorm Artic Edge (PSP)

And I am still missing the following:

- Little Big Planet (PSP)

-The Godfather (PS2)

-Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)

I plan to keep all the editions sealed, but due to the lack of money I was not able to get inFamous still sealed, even though I do have a mint condition one.

Read More »

R/C Stuntcopter Boxset and a little something

I am extremelly surprised to find out that even after all this time there are still limited edition being found to my favourite console: the PS1. And this boxset in particular is quite a surprise: an R/C Stuntcopter limited edition with a t-shirt included. After all these years, I have never seen it before.

And at the same time, I found something that took me ages to get after my good friend Defcon got the one I found: a small, collector's edition promo of Italian Job. Thank you so much to Evgenij for sending this little beauty to me for such a low price and SO FAST. It really came VERY FAST by regular mail.

Read More »

Another PS1 pack

Another lovely PS1 boxset, a Spyro the Dragon combo edition with a themed disc case. Thanks to my friend Defcon that managed to send this one to me.

Read More »

Happy New Year 2010

Been a while. I usually never stop searching for games, but I get tired when I have too much work to do. That's wy I haven't updated this blog for a while. For now, I'll add a couple of the most important purchases. Mainly regular games and collector's editions, but nothing out of ordinary. I've had some personal and proffessional problems last month. Now that they are solved it's time to keep up with this stuff.

And since it's not too late yet, I whish everyone a happy 2010. We'll have some great games coming this year that I can hardly wait.

Let's start with something that could be rare but became quite common in the end. I heard about a boycot. In the end, it was one of the best sellers this year. Basically, I'm talking about Modern Warfare 2. And as you probably guessed already, I did get a Prestige Edition.

Read More »

Modern Warfare fever is rising up.

It's almost here, the most amazing shooter of recent times. Modern Warfare 2 is about to hit the stores with at least 2 collector's editions, including the heavly sough-after Prestige Edition. I already have one european edition preordered since last summer but I will only be happy once I have it in my hands as I never know if the stock will last to fill my order. I hope so because I really don't like to see it reaching prices of 300+ pounds on ebay >_>

With all the MW2 hype rising everywhere (what about the boycott?) I thought it was the right time to target something important I've left behind until now:

PS: Yes I will get the exclusive Veteran Edition as well :)

Read More »

Meet the new members of the family =)

Finally, the older syster of my first consle ever has made it to my collection. I'm quite glad I bought this piece of history. This ones the "Plus" pack, which comes with the extra gun. There's also a similar pack for SMSII.

Yes it's true, up to this point I missed one of the most important videogaing pieces ever. The original Gameboy with black and white screen. I was never given this little gem when I was a kid and it took me plenty of time to get it because I had other priorities. Now that a good chance came up, I decided to buy it.

Okay so this might not be as old as the other two, but it's a very interesting item. The most beautiful PS2 console in my opinion. I felt in love when I first saw it, and now I finally have one in mint condition with a near perfect box :)

I'm happy to say that my console list is nearly completed. I'm missing only Megadrive 1 and both mega CDs as well as one Gameboy Pocket from the older consoles. However, my top priority will be getting a complete Multi Mega console. It will take some months because I'm more concerned with this terrible wave of new releases during the Xmas season and so little money available right now. Once I get all the games I want from this season within the next 4 months or so, I'll search the whole world for a complete MultiMega.

Read More »

Tired as hell...

... and with little patience to update this blog. But since I have some new stuff to post here and even great things heading my way now, gotta spend some time taking pictures and updating the blog. It doesn't hurt much. Here it goes...

Read More »

Another one of these?

Yep... I did not resist to buy the white PSP Final Fantasy Dissidia Limited Edition. Might have been a stupid decision to spend s much cash in a console I hardly even play, but considering I already had the Crisis Core edition and I'm a real Final Fantasy fan, I decided to spend some cash. At least this was released in Europe. Too bad the original Japanese boxes are much better. Instead we get a regular commercial package instead of the fine box with the logo on it. But at least it was released over here, which is good considering the majority of similar editions never leave japan! The collector's edition of the game alone is already heading my way as well.

Read More »

A full set of interesting editions

As I've said before, I had a couple of editions in my sleeve but I was waiting for them. Now, to make a brief description of them...

Yes I know you've seen it before. But actually this one is different than the other. The picture included in the frame is not the same Prince but one of the bosses. And this frame is even numbered. I assume that there are more pictures of the other bosses with numbers as well, though I may be wrong, but if I'm rigth (I may be very wrong...) there are 5 diferent boxes and I currently own 2 of them.

This little gem is a FFXII press kit. Compared to its previous kits from VIII and X, this one's a little poor but still includes some nice art cards, a map and other extra stuff. All fit inside a fragile card box.

Bionic commando. Does this even have anything to do with the nes classic? Have to do some research... A promo edition in a nice boxset with a bonus t-shirt.

Ninja blade, a fine boxset that does not even include the game, only the promo stuff.

Now this one looks pretty good and even comes with the retail version of the game. Halo Wars, long box set.

One of the most original editions I've bought in recent times. This edition really seemed nothing special at all, but once I received it I loved it. A square box, completely green with the game logo on it. Once you open it, you see it filled with 9 real tennis balls. I usually take good care of these boxsets, so I only opened the box half way because I was afraid to open it all. But then I realised I was actually supposed to open the box like that when I noticed it was actually a tennis court. Very original indeed, I totaly underestimated this one!

Miss croft has this blue boxset with her sillhouette. Inside there are a few bonus items and a press disc, including an action figure and a t-shirt. Nice one too, but probably not as nice as the previous ones.

Read More »

Batman rules once again

It's been quite a while since a videogame based in a famous movie or merchandise was considered a hit. Batman, for instance, had all sorts of games for almost every major console. Great games like the SNES version, bad games like the PS1 versions... but finally, several years later, one of the greatest american super heroes ever created so far is finally receiving the treatment it deserves. Dark Knight was a fantastic movie. I am not a fan of Batman - at all - but even so the movie itself was surprisingly good, very good. And now, the newest game known as Arkham Asylum is relased. Honestly, I did not think this game would be that good, but surprisingly enough it's already considered a top choice by most editors and reviewers.

The special edition of this game itself is quite surprising as well - a least at first sight. We probably all knew about it and how good it would look. When it was finally released it really seemed to match our expectations. However, the most important item of this edition, the boomerang (sorry, I can't get used to call it Batarang...) is a major disappointment.

The difference in price between this big boxset and the regular game is small that it doesn't make that much sense to buy the game alone and leave this edition behind. But if you expect to buy this edition specifically because of the boomerang replica which seems to be the most impressive bonus, then think twice. Unless you want it for collection purposes or for the extra content still interests you, the boomerang will probably be a major let-down. The plastic looks cheap and bad, not quite the materials that should have been used. It's completely scratched and looks bad because it was purposely made to look like it was used, just like in the game. And finally, the boomerang and the stand are a single piece, meaning you can't remove the boomerang alone from the stand.

Looking at the original pictures before the edition was released, the boomerang really seems something much bettar than this cheap imitation. It's a shame...

Read More »

It took me some time to get this...

F.E.A.R. 2 wooden box with a creepy Alma doll. It really combines with my Ghost Hunter edition, considering how similar both editions are. This one was tough to get, but it's not the only one currently giving me problems.

More editions like this one will be coming very very soon to this blog, or so I hope.

Read More »

Slim line now available.

Now that the PS3 slim finally came out, I stumbled across this mint condition PS2 slim model. It's used, but if you're well informed you already know the differences between this and the current PS2 slim on sale. I expect to get the newest model too, but not any time soon.

I won't be buying the PS3 slim now, not even close. The PSP Go is also coming soon but I am not really that big a psp fan to buy yet another PSP especially knowing it will be DL-only without any physical support. I an a fan of physical media. It will be impossible to collect downloadable games when there's no physical support. I understand that the production of millions of games and discs wastes way too many natural resources, and we have to get used to that because soon enought most consoles should all be like this in the near future, meaning it should be the end of physical software, no matter how much we like it or not. So basically, for me, PSP GO and PS3 Slim are out of the question.

PSP Final Fantasy Dissidia version was just released and I expect to buy that console next month. It will be what I call a waste of money in an expensive current gen portable system with little or no use at all. I wanted to buy the Red Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 but I am currently struggling with so many things coming out at the same time that it is impossible to get a hold of everything. So, once again, I have to make decisions and sacrifices (if it's not a sin to apply this word when talking about videogames...) and decide what I really want to buy.

Read More »