Games Acquired 2023

[prfsnl_gmr]

Japanese video games day! I got:

Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem (DS) - It has a fan translation!

Adventures of Lolo (Famicom) - It has different puzzles than the U.S. release!

Just Breed (Famicom) - Enix’s last game for the Famicom!

Chalvo 55 (GB) - Solid Japan-exclusive platformer!

Gargoyle’s Quest II: Demon Darkness (GB) - It has more content than the NES version!

Pinobee & Phoebe (GBA) - Japan-exclusive sequel to Pinobee.

Puyo Puyo: Arle’s Roux (GG) - More Puyo Puyo!

Phantasy Star Gaiden (GG) - This weirs spin-off isn’t a very good game! Still, it’s Phantasy Star!

Sylvan Tale (GG) - Supposedly the Game Gear’s best ARPG.

Jaki Crush (SFC) - Video pinball!

Pipe Dream (SFC) - Kind of weird this version of the puzzle game was only released in Japan!

Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis (SFC) - SMT-adjacent Japan-exclusive RPG.

Super Ninja-Kun (SFC) - The 16-bit JaJaMaru platformer will soon release on the Switch.

Treasure of the Rudras (SFC) - I’ve read it’s a pretty good JRPG…

Wizap! (SFC) - The inexpensive middle-entry in the dark lord JRPG trilogy.

[opa]

Cool stack of games

[emwearz]

emwearz 2023 Pickups - Running Total: $37 AUD

Call of Duty 2: The Big Red One (PS2) - $4AUD / $2.75USD
One Piece Ultimate World Red (PS3) - $5AUD / $3.50USD
One Piece: Pirate Warriors (PS3) - $5AUD / $3.50USD
Lego Avengers (PS4) - $5AUD / $3.50USD
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (PSP) $18 / $12.50USD

Call of Duty 2: The Big Red One (PS2) - $4AUD / $2.75USD

I check 3 or 4 thrift shops a few times a week on my way home, this store had a few, only one I needed / wanted.

One Piece Ultimate World Red (PS3) - $5AUD / $3.50USD
One Piece: Pirate Warriors (PS3) - $5AUD / $3.50USD
Lego Avengers (PS4) - $5AUD / $3.50USD

Walked into a thrift store and these were with the DVD's, I had been the day before, glad I decided to go in on my lunch break regardless.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (PSP) $18AUD / $12.50USD inc postage via eBay

I had been trying to get hold of this at a decent price for awhile, finally snagged one on eBay.

Little bonus!
Scored these two boxes (no games) from a friend who found them on a box of childhood stuff he was clearing out.

[REPO Man]

Pre-ordered the physical release of the Switch port of Metroid Prime. It'll be here next week.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Nice pickups! How is the retro game market in Australia? Have the prices exploded like everywhere else?

[emwearz]

Nice pickups! How is the retro game market in Australia? Have the prices exploded like everywhere else?

Utterly batsh*t insane, I think in most cases worse, as our market was smaller to begin with. I went to a pawn shop for the first time in a few year a couple weeks back, I messaged my friend a few prices saying this is why I don't go to them anymore.

Rayman Origins Wii - $39AUD / ~$27USD
Swords and Serpents NES - $45AUD / ~$32USD
Shadows of the Empire - $50AUD / ~$35USD

I only really go to a handful of thrift shops on my circuit home as I started riding my bike a few years ago, sometimes games are $5, sometimes they are $15, most the time there is nothing of Fifa, but still gives my the old thrill of the hunt.

I am sure like most people, a decade+ ago, I would go flea markets, thrift shops, pawn shops, etc. I generally don't have the energy (2 younglings) anymore as the prices are pretty insane so I stick to thrift stores on my way and ebay for the odd thin that slips through the cracks.

None of this is meant to be a complaint, more just painting a picture of the market here, it seems to be the same everywhere.

[Note]

Nice pick-ups Syndicate, prfsnl, and emwearz!

Syndicate, curious to hear your thoughts on Darius Gaiden whenever you get a chance to play it. Been interested in that one for a while too. Missed my chance to grab it a few times. I've also heard good things about Andros Dunos 2.

prfsnl, how do you normally play games with fan translations? Do you have a method to patch them? Just curious, as I'm glad that fans are still translating quality games that we never got here.

emwearz, it's cool to get a perspective on the gaming scene in your area. Good luck with the thrift store hunting!

[prfsnl_gmr]

prfsnl, how do you normally play games with fan translations? Do you have a method to patch them? Just curious, as I'm glad that fans are still translating quality games that we never got here.

A couple of ways. I have a variety of ROM dumping devices, and I create digital copies of moat of my retro games. I then get a translation patch from a site like romhacking.net, and use a software program to apply the patch to a copy of the file. (I usually keep one copy of the Japanese original and one patched file.) Assuming I dumped a clean copy of the ROM and applied the patch correctly (which is by no means guaranteed!), I can then play the patched file on an emulator. (I have an emulators for most systems on my RG350.)

If I want to play them on a television, I download the patches to the SD card for my Retron 5. That device will apply a patch on the fly each time you insert a game.

Also…it is worth noting that a lot of Japanese games don’t need patches. Many of them don’t require knowledge of Japanese, and some games even have English-language options! (The PS1 Wizardry ports spring to mind immediately.)

[ElkinFencer10]

To chime in on the fan translation topic, I use my Everdrives; I just load the patched ROMs to the SD card in my Everdrive, and that lets me play on real hardware. A lot of early CD consoles don't have copy protection, so you can just burn a copy of the patched game to a CD-R for those systems.

[ElkinFencer10]

Acquired in 2023 so far - 28 Games; 21 physical, 7 digital
(physical is in regular font, digital is in italics)

January (21 Games Acquired; 15 physical, 6 digital)

Crysis Trilogy Remastered (Series X)
Valkyria Chronicles (Switch)
Phantasy Star (Switch)
Serious Sam Collection (Switch)
Personal 5 Royal (Switch)
Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle (Switch)
Sonic Frontiers (Switch)
Modern Combat: Blackout (Switch)
Rise of Insanity (Switch)
The Diofield Chronicle (Switch)
NieR: Automata (Switch)
Psikyo Collection Vol 1 (Switch)
Psikyo Collection Vol 2 (Switch)
Psikyo Collection Vol 3 (Switch)
Fire Emblem Engage (Switch)
Azur Lane Crosswave (Switch)
Deathsmiles I & II (Switch)
VS Super Mario Bros (Switch)
Neptunia Sisters VS Sisters (PS5)
Harvestella (Switch)
Dead Space (PS5)

February (7 Games Acquired; 6 physical, 1 digital)

Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland (Switch)
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings (Switch)
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout (Switch)
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy (Switch)
Encased (Steam)
Green Lava Studios Volume 2 (PS4)
Kids on Site (PS4)

New for February 14
Green Lava Studios Volume 2 (PS4)
Kids on Site (PS4)