The Nomad now has a new home

When we think about nomads, we usually think of those middle-east desert travelers such has Prince of Persia (lame comparison...) that face the desert while traveling through oasis and villages trying to earn their livings not really sure how. That's why I put a house in the desert for the background, see? Nomads... desert... house... er... whatever... In western societies nomads are different. I can't quite figure if nomads are really "extinct" or if globalization and the end of the "one-lifetime jobs" concept is moving more people around the world, creating sophisticated nomads... Anyway (and to cut the crappy speech about nomads), this portable console was never released in Europe but it's a system that allows to play Sega Mega Drive (meh... I prefer call it that way instead of Genesis) game cartridges. That's quite amazing if you ask me. Specially if you have an A/C adapter >_>.

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Shinku Hadouken! Shinryuken!

Street Fighter IV has brought back that nostalgic feeling and have not felt in a very long time. The combination of 3d graphics with 2D gameplay scared some people who started to cry out loud about how bad and ugly the game would me. Turned out to be an excellent game with amazing online gameplay - the Street Fighter I have been waiting for a long time, unlike the precious 3D Ex versions. I bought the Collector's Edition for the cheapest price I could find new, and it was for Xbox 360. But then, don't have live right now and I was still waiting for it to come. I did something crazy and bought the PS3 version of this game to play sooner and be able to experience the online gameplay. This game is fantastic, that's all I have to say! But I was disappointed with this collector's Edition. Unlike the american version we don't have a OST disc. Instead, we got a kinda crappy C Viper Figure. That particular box includes an additional Chun-Li figure, that looks pretty good compared to the other two.

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For the sake of the FUTURE I've killed my wallet.

I have broken a promise. I said I would never ever collect the SNK stuff. The prices are ridiculous, the games are impossible to find over here, most hit prices beyond expensive. But I found the console in a mint condition for a pretty good price and decided to buy it. I am pleased, seriously pleased. But now I'm stuck with the one that's possibly the most nightmarish console to collect... The NEO GEO Advanced Entertainment System!

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It's time to groove, get your body shakin'

A small promo edition containing a demo disc for those Eyetoy games. Nothing I particularly appreciate, but still worth picking for collection purposes.

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Tough to hunt down!

Yeah, this particular edition has been hitting stupid prices. Now that the fever is a little lower with the game finally released, I managed to pick it for a reasonable price. Considered one of the greatest shooters released in this generation of videogames, Killzone returns to its glory after the original PS2 release (which I did not like by the way). I still want to pick the collector's edition, but I can wait. This was definitely more important.

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The power of God. To Create worlds

This has to be one of the most original games released in a long time since the 2D platformers were almost left behind in the newest generation of consoles. In fact, this childish-looking game is one of the greatest creations in recent times, and will certainly become a reference.

Little Big Planet combines all the ingredients of a great game: its a game for everyone, very good graphics, provides very enjoyable online experience and it kinda resurrects the 2d platforms gameplay spirit into a brand new world of limitless opportunities in 3d. Media Molecul really did a great job with this title. Sackboy is now an idol :)

Here's my little something now:

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iT ScAreS mE a loT...

... not the game itself, but the fact that I am still missing so many editions of Resident Evil... And I also hate when I have things that I forget to add to these collection photos. Let's see what I forgot to add to the picture:

-Resident Evil 4 Collector's edition DVD

-Resident Evil 0 for Gamecube

-Resident Evil 4 with art cards and bonus disc from the Gamecube Resident Evil Limited Edition

-Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition.

Now let's see what I'm missing (teh horror teh horror):

-Resident Evil 2 and 3 for DC

-Resident Evil 2, 3 and Code Veronica X for GC

-Resident Evil 2 for N64

-Resident Evil Survivor for PS1

-Resident Evil Dead Aim for PS2

-Resident Evil The Umbrella Chronicles for Wii

-Resident Evil 4 Limited Edition slipcase for GC.

And I think I did not forget anything this time. So much stuff...

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Final Fantasy Updated

There are so many games, editions and consoles of Final Fantasy to collect, that if I wanted to complete my Final Fantasy Wishlist I would have to sacrifice many other games and consoles. In the past few years my Final Fantasy collection did not increase that much if you consider what there is to buy.

Before moving into games from other regions, I still wish to complete my PAL collection. This means that I will have to get the PSP versions of I and II, the european version of FFIV, all the Xbox 360 games (there are at least 5 of them ), Chrystal Chronicles Rings of Fire and Tactics A2 for DS, Crystal Cronicles box set for GC and possibly some spin-offs like Final Fantasy Fables on the Wii and Chocobo Racing for PS1. I do have some other spin-offs but I left them out of the picture. Once I have all those editions, I will move to some country exclusives such as:

-PS2 version of FFXI

-Gameboy games (Legends I, II III and Adventure)

-American titles for SNES

-Final Fantasy Tactics for the american PS1.

Only after that I will focus on getting the Original NES and SNES japanese editions, as well as some limited console versions that will be a pain to obtain. So far, I hope you enjoy my collection - it probably does not contain many games that most serious Final Fantasy collectors out there consider a "must", but this is my own collection :) And if you compare with the previous picture that I posted in 2006 over here, you'll see the collection still grew a bit :)

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Portuguese Purple Exclusives for Master System

I usually don't mind if the editions I buy are portuguese or from different countries. Sometimes it is best for me to find a foreign version of a rare game for a cheaper price as much as the language of the game remains in english. However, not always that is possible. Some games are one-country exclusives and I have to search for the in the original place they were released.

And that's the case of the portuguese purple versions of master system. These editions were released much later, when Mega Drive took the place of the older 8bit console in worldwide markets. Ecofilmes, the official distributor in Portugal, released the latest version of Master System (III Compact) which was officially released in Brazil by the hand of Tec Toy. Following Brazil's example of keeping a very successfull console still alive and for a cheaper price in the market, Ecofilmes decided to release their own edition of 16 Tec Toy games, some of wich are in fact unavailable elsewhere in the world besides Brazil, Portugal and Spain. So far I was able to get 13 of those 16 games as well as the console itself. The public attention was already concentrated on Mega Drive by the time these games came out and by that time not many people wouldn't be willing to buy an old console despite its cheap price. Basically, it is not easy to spot these games even in Portugal. Many of them have already left the country directly into foreign collectors' homes.

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They started in a basement. With rats...

Guitar Hero World Tour is the latest release in the Guitar Hero series originally released as a PS2 Exclusive. The game was really good, but seriously I don't think that's a reason to justify the release of at least six different games in such a short period of time (and that is excluding the portable versions...). Anyway, last Xmas my only gift (well not my only, but the only big one besides chocolates) was the complete band kit for the 360. Yes, I was quite happy. These editions are expensive, I hear of an economical crisis going around all over the world, yet such expensive game disappeared from stores faster than the candies Santa was giving away at the mall. In fact I first noticed it was already released over here when I saw several people carrying the box around. Impressive...

The item in the pic something you probably don't have and even I don't know what's inside because it's still sealed. But yes it's another one of those press kits. I hope to find another one unsealed to find out what it really as, because if it depends on me I'll just let it sealed.

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Zombies and stuff...

Creepy game, the one above... I can't really talk about it as I don't own the previous two and have not played any. But I know it's about creepy things in a survival horror style. The box is also creepy but at least it looks better than the Resistance 2 tin. A small box containing hidden papers, pictures and postcards, as well as the game disc and the additional disc. Rare and unusual, another item worth collecting.

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Resistance, but not against rust

Resistance was one of the first games on PS3, and probably one of the best options to spend your cash when the console was released. If you still have not played Resistance and enjoy shooters, then you should. It's a very nice experience. Unless of course you start whining about the lack of realism, as tha's not what resistance is supposed to be. I kinda enjoyed the first game and I am not a fan of shooters (DEFFINITELY NOT!). The fisrt game gave me some hours of joy but this one is a little boring, don't ask me why. It looks amazing to be honest, but it's not providing me enough enjoyment and I'm almost finishing the game. Besides, I only have the pre-release version and I've noticed several problems.

Anyway, I don't really like this edition. An imitation of an old tin case with real rust, containing some old papers and the two discs in the middle. This reminds me of the 24 The Game Edition, which is something similar (except it's a box of cigars that even smells bad on purpose!). I don't quite understand the meaning of theses boxes. It's like they are covering that a particular game is inside, probably expecting to surprise those vip employees that get them for free by mail every now and then (no I'm not one of those, I have to suffer and sell my soul sometimes if I want to get these editions). It looks ugly, dirty, and... it's not something that looks very nice for displat purposes. I hate rust, my regular tin editions start getting rust after a couple of yeas and I have to buy them again in factory sealed condition. Now I bought a special varnish to prevent that from happening.

Okay too much talk now, enjoy the pic (contents were left inside the box except the only clue that shows it belongs to Resistance 2).

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Agressive in the Pacific

The following edition belongs to a very well-known racing game on PS3: Motorstorm Pacific Rift. I have not tested the game myself yet as I've been enjoying the fact that I managed to get this complete edition from a very very kind person from the UK.

It does not contain anything that special but it does look very nice. The outer case resembles a tire, and even has grains of sand glued to it - very nice! Comes with two discs (one being the game), several leaflets, one poster and one of those id tags with info about the game. Also has a rubber band with the game logo on it. No big deal as I said, despite being one of the most important exclusives on PS3 :)

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Happy New Year 2009

It's never too late to wish you a Happy New Year 2009. It's been a while since the last update. But I have been busy and to be honest, a little lazy when it comes to write and take pictures of the new games I have. I still have some thigns I never showed until now.

Seriously, I expect to decrease the quantity of the games I buy this year. I have been spending too much cash every month, specially now that I have a job. But I need to think about my future, start saving some cash for the next years of the economic crisis, and also start paying taxes very soon. That sucks. A lot. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up on buying more games. I'll just reduce the purchases, search for better deals, sell some repeated and common games I get every now and then to make a profit allowing me to buy new ones.

I expect to update this blog next weekend. Promises, promises... anyway, this is for my personal enjoyment as not that many people visit this blog.

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New Stuff coming soon...

Did you miss my little special editions and kits that you can't find aywhere?

I did... It's been a while since I found the last one :(

But now, a few new ones are coming my way and one of them is REALY important: Sackman will be happy with it :). Just wait until tey come to me. And hopefully will be able to win a few more :)

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Fact: I CAN'T KEEP UP!

Yes, I definitely CANNOT keep up with so many games being released at the same time. The end of this year has been crazy with new releases and top games coming out every week. My main problem now are the special editions. These are comming out like drops during a rainy day. I can't keep up with all of them, specially knowing that I'm still missing SO MANY for 360.

Anyway, above were my latest additions. No Gears of War and no Fallout 3 variants yet, I can't buy so much stuff at once! I've chosen Fable 2, Saint's Row 2, Farcry 2 and I had to get Gears of War 1 before I buy the newly released edition... With it I also got a special edition for Rainbow 6 Vegas 2.

I don't buy just special editions. I also have to keep an eye on games that are released for certain consoles and sell very fast, making them hard to find not only later but even now! And I am talking to you, you damn Playsation. First, 4 PAL anthologies from SNK with amazing games. Then, a special edition Wild Arms 5 with art book (Yes, it does exist in PAL lands, as if the regular game was not hard to get already...). I also got a collector's edition of Naruto Ninja Storm for PS3, PAL verison too (I did not even know it existed...). For some particular reason, that game seems very hard to find anywhere. I only found a couple of shops that have a few copies... I could not miss my chance on that one either. Pictures some time later.

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Wii like special covers

Yeah I like those card sleeves and slipcases with a nice artistic illustration. I always try to collect them, even if they are nothing more than just exclusive gimmicks from certain uk stores to get more sales, maybe? I only know the ones I have above: Super Smash Bros. Brawl + post cards, Okami and Wall-E. Yes, I love Wall-E :P.

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Funny Money

What do the two items above have in common? They both contain a special coin with two of the most important videogame characters in history. Took me a while to get both, but I finally made up my mind and picked the first chance to get them.

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Master System Tec Toy: Portugal VS Brazil

Tec Toy, a brasilian distributor for most Sega consoles and games in the past, still produces several consoles and games from the old Mega Drive and Master System times. Some console and game variants are exclusive releases, unavailable in any other part of the world.

Back to the past... Tec Toy was responsible for the release of several (well, dozens, maybe even hundreds) top games in brazilian portuguese. But they went even further... in order to catch the attention of brazilian kids, tec toy released several exclusive games related to brazilian tv shows and comics and converted many important games from other systems (such as Game Gear) into Master System games. Some versions of several games, such as Street Fighter II', Baku Baku, Sonic Blast and Virtua Fighter only exist in Brasil. Besides the regular blue covers that are different from all the master system covers we're used to see around the world, there are also a lot of card boxes, originally released before they were replaced with the plastic ones.

Following the brazilian example, Ecofilmes from Portugal picked up some of those tec toy games and released their own versions. Only a very small amount of tec toy games were ever released in Portugal. These editions have two important tings: exclusive art cover, with the purple shading at the bottom of the box, and they also include the tec toy serial number. These are hard to get a hold of - even in Portugal, due to the low number of games available and sold. The ones pictured bellow are all the complete games I could ever find. There are at least 8 more tec toy games, including a very important one: Sonic Spinball. This Sonic Spinball version also exists in Australia, with a silver cart and box, and was released in Portugal - as I have one copy myself. But the original Ecofilmes release of that game... I am yet to find one.

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Quero é Sambar!

With its Wii sequel released not too long ago, I decided it was the time for me to pick up one of the most original dreamcast games: Samba de Amigo. The original version for Dreamcast was overlooked and now became a little hard to get. When I saw the Wii version on the shelves, I got that feeling that I should get myself the previous version of this game. And so here it is!

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