Games in your collection that mean something special to you?

[MegaHiro91]

This can be for any number of reasons. It can be because of who you got it from, or maybe you have a special memory connected to the game in one way or another... or maybe you just really like it because it's a good game.

Before I got really into buying games from eBay (or online shopping in general), I had to make due with what I could find in physical stores. After my brother told me about Kingdom Hearts, a game that not only had a unique sounding title, but also - according to his description - had the cool concept of being a Disney crossover game where you battled the forces of darkness... with a key sword of all things, I immediately got to start searching.

Everywhere I looked however the game was out of stock, and so it attained a kind of mysterious and ellusive status in my mind. This "holy grail" of gaming that didn't want to be found and that I would have to work extra hard to get a hold of. After weeks of searching and asking my local GameStop on a near daily basis, I then decided to give my local BlockBuster a go, deciding that if THEY didn't have it, I would quit my search, as I felt I had been literally everywhere.

When I entered the store and asked the clerk, "Do you have Kingdom Hearts for PS2?" he started typing and I expected that he would turn up empty like all the others, but then imagine my awe when he looked up and with a smile said "Sure, we have it! Go look on the PS2 shelf over there". Barely able to contain myself - part of me unable to believe I had finally found it and that surely he must have mistaken it for another game - I rushed over to the shelf, scanned the "K" section, and there my eyes happened on the unmistakeble key icon on the spine.

Almost trembling I picked it out and stared in disbelief at the beautiful dark blue holographic cover with the gang ominously staring into the distance under the heart-shaped moon (I'm not sure I had ever actually seen the cover before at that point), and so after admiring it for a bit and coming to terms the stone hard fact that I was finally holding it in my hands, I took it back to the clerk and said "How much is it? I'll pay anything!" to which he smiled again and said "How about just 100DKK?" I don't recall how much money I had at the time, but more than enough, so of course I bought it.

On the way home in the bus I then sat on the backseat and took the game out of the small plastic back, still flabergasted that I had finally been succesful in my search.

The joy was then hampered the next day when I, true to my daily rutine, swung by GameStop, where one of the clerks, as soon as he saw me, picked up a copy of the game he had lying on the counter and scanned it in, ready to sell it to me the moment I walked in. He had clearly been looking forward to finally be able to sell me the game after I had come by so many times to ask for it, so I felt bad when I had to tell him that I already found it the other day.

Almost that same second another customer walked in and snagged the game, so I tried to comfort the clerk saying that if I had bought it, that other guy would have left emptyhanded, but I could feel he didn't buy it.

So yeah, at heartfelt story with a bittersweet epiloque that left me with a bad conscience.

 

[Waffles]

My copies of International Super Star Soccer Deluxe and Jet Grind Radio used to belong to a friend, so they will always be important to me, as are my copies of Alone In The Dark I & II, for reasons best explained on the accompanying article. Then there's The Last Of Us, a game that reignited my passion for gaming at a time when I was throughly done with the whole thing. And even though I don't own it physically... damn it, I can't look at Stunts without remembering the good years we had.

 

[ConanTheDestroyer]

Arkham Asylum for me. My sister bought it for me for my birthday years ago. Funny thing is that the disc didn't even work. I did get to finally play the game some time later. I still have that game with the defective disc because it was a gift from my sister and I think that the cover for the game looked cool.

 

[jiyuuboyetsvi]

For me its gotta be Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix+

I remember the day when KH2 came out in America, i begged my Mom take me to Gamestop to get it, and TWO of the Gamestops we went to didn't have it. One of them specifically told us that they did have a copy, but on reserve for someone who pre-ordered. I remember crying my eyes out cause I couldn't play my silly keyblade game (I was in 3rd grade xD. My Mom said we could try one more shop, and they DID end up having it! That night I played all the way till the Twilight Thorn boss in the prologue, and that reaction command sequence at the beginning of the fight blew my freaking mind.

I'd say like... 5 years later..? I remember was still really into KH (still am) and had been on Youtube watching people play KH2FM+ on either modded PS2s via SwapMagic or imported Japanese PS2s. Watching people do the data org fights and learning about Terra via the lingering will fight and the secret ending was so hype and I so desperately wanted to play the Final Mix version. I remember I even used Gameshark codes to make my English copy of KH2 mimic Critical Mode from Final Mix as close as possible by purposefully nerfing my health to match the amount I would have on Critical Mode. Another thing I remember doing was going to Gamestop and buying a really cheap used slim PS2, opening it up and taping over the lid sensors with duct tape so that the PS2 couldn't detect if the lid was closed or not. That way with this mod done, I would be able to use SwapMagic to play KH2FM+. Unfortunately, apparently that PS2 I bought could only play CD-ROMs and NOT DVD-ROMs, so basically every single PS2 game was impossible to play on it besides Lego Starwars and Half-Life.

Eventually my parents got me a red slim Japanese PS2 and KH2FM+ for.. my birthday I think...? But they gave it to me on Easter for some reason xD I played the everloving shit outta that game. Still one of my favorite games till this day

 

[GardeniaSky]

So I have a PS2 copy of Haunting Ground. Didn't know it was actually worth quite a bit. I picked it up years ago at a secondhand shop for maybe 20$. I had a really close friend in high school who got me into a lot of the games and music I'm still into today. We stopped being friends because of dumb bullshit, but they had a lot to do with a lot of the stuff I like now.

I also have a couple of odd games in my collection. InuYasha for the PS1, Powerpuff Girls, Fullmetal Alchemist, and FFVII Dirge of Cerberus for the PS2. Not anything I'd have bought myself, but they belonged to a friend of mine that passed away in an accident shortly after we all graduated. I have a bunch of her manga books, DVDs, and games that I don't ever plan on getting rid of.

As for the rest of my collection, it's a lot of remasters and stuff I've collected, lost, and re-collected over the years. Between being almost homeless for a lot of the time, and having to sell things, I've gained and lost a lot of the same games. Now I'm trying to build a more permanent collection. I really hope they keep remastering the Metroid Prime series so I can actually collect them all again.

 

[MegaHiro91]

So I have a PS2 copy of Haunting Ground. Didn't know it was actually worth quite a bit. I picked it up years ago at a secondhand shop for maybe 20$. I had a really close friend in high school who got me into a lot of the games and music I'm still into today. We stopped being friends because of dumb bullshit, but they had a lot to do with a lot of the stuff I like now.

I also have a couple of odd games in my collection. InuYasha for the PS1, Powerpuff Girls, Fullmetal Alchemist, and FFVII Dirge of Cerberus for the PS2. Not anything I'd have bought myself, but they belonged to a friend of mine that passed away in an accident shortly after we all graduated. I have a bunch of her manga books, DVDs, and games that I don't ever plan on getting rid of.

As for the rest of my collection, it's a lot of remasters and stuff I've collected, lost, and re-collected over the years. Between being almost homeless for a lot of the time, and having to sell things, I've gained and lost a lot of the same games. Now I'm trying to build a more permanent collection. I really hope they keep remastering the Metroid Prime series so I can actually collect them all again.

I have a similar story about a classmate who introduced me to a lot of cool games every time I was over, and where eventually we split because of dumb reasons.

In his memory (no he is not dead... that I know of) I have since collected all the games that he showed me which I couldn't afford at the time. I remember he told me about Devil May Cry at one point, explaining that you played as this devil who had to scale a demonic tower, and while it sounded cool for sure... I had yet to be introduced to the world of "cool pretty boy anime demons with cool slick white hair and attitude" so my picture of these devils he spoke of... was the gargoyle kind you see in, well, the game Gargoyles on GameBoy

 

[jiyuuboyetsvi]

I had yet to be introduced to the world of "cool pretty boy anime demons with cool slick white hair and attitude"

my favorite kind of anime boys

 

[MegaHiro91]

For me its gotta be Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix+

I remember the day when KH2 came out in America, i begged my Mom take me to Gamestop to get it, and TWO of the Gamestops we went to didn't have it. One of them specifically told us that they did have a copy, but on reserve for someone who pre-ordered. I remember crying my eyes out cause I couldn't play my silly keyblade game (I was in 3rd grade xD. My Mom said we could try one more shop, and they DID end up having it! That night I played all the way till the Twilight Thorn boss in the prologue, and that reaction command sequence at the beginning of the fight blew my freaking mind.

I'd say like... 5 years later..? I remember was still really into KH (still am) and had been on Youtube watching people play KH2FM+ on either modded PS2s via SwapMagic or imported Japanese PS2s. Watching people do the data org fights and learning about Terra via the lingering will fight and the secret ending was so hype and I so desperately wanted to play the Final Mix version. I remember I even used Gameshark codes to make my English copy of KH2 mimic Critical Mode from Final Mix as close as possible by purposefully nerfing my health to match the amount I would have on Critical Mode. Another thing I remember doing was going to Gamestop and buying a really cheap used slim PS2, opening it up and taping over the lid sensors with duct tape so that the PS2 couldn't detect if the lid was closed or not. That way with this mod done, I would be able to use SwapMagic to play KH2FM+. Unfortunately, apparently that PS2 I bought could only play CD-ROMs and NOT DVD-ROMs, so basically every single PS2 game was impossible to play on it besides Lego Starwars and Half-Life.

Eventually my parents got me a red slim Japanese PS2 and KH2FM+ for.. my birthday I think...? But they gave it to me on Easter for some reason xD I played the everloving shit outta that game. Still one of my favorite games till this day

Aw yeah!! I vividly remember those early days of YouTube where, as you say, we would watch videos of all the exciting and Japanese-exclusive content from the FM games. What a time to be alive :3 Glad you got your copy of KH2 as well. I remember arguing with my brother that because I had the first game, HE felt entitled to get the second one. I pretended to agree, just to get him out of my hair, but then secretly went behind his back and asked our grandma for funds to buy the game. He then came home with the game in hand one day, where we discussed the the pictures on the backcover, me pretending like I hadn't seen it before, but it wasn't long before I (rather meanspiritedly) couldn't hold tight and shoved in his face that I had bought it too. I remember us both standing there with a copy of the game, and how sad he got that I hadn't kept my word. I immediately felt bad, and like many things, still haven't forgiven myself. And I never will.

Regarding imports though, you guys in the States at least got Re:Chain of Memories. I know it's the black sheep of the family, but I have very fond memories of the GBA game, so when I looked up information on FM and happened to learn there was a 3D remake of CoM, I foamed at my mouth and HAD to import it.

 

[jiyuuboyetsvi]

Aw yeah!! I vividly remember those early days of YouTube where, as you say, we would watch videos of all the exciting and Japanese-exclusive content from the FM games. What a time to be alive :3 Glad you got your copy of KH2 as well. I remember arguing with my brother that because I had the first game, HE felt entitled to get the second one. I pretended to agree, just to get him out of my hair, but then secretly went behind his back and asked our grandma for funds to buy the game. He then came home with the game in hand one day, where we discussed the the pictures on the backcover, me pretending like I hadn't seen it before, but it wasn't long before I (rather meanspiritedly) couldn't hold tight and shoved in his face that I had bought it too. I remember us both standing there with a copy of the game, and how sad he got that I hadn't kept my word. I immediately felt bad, and like many things, still haven't forgiven myself. And I never will.

Regarding imports though, you guys in the States at least got Re:Chain of Memories. I know it's the black sheep of the family, but I have very fond memories of the GBA game, so when I looked up information on FM and happened to learn there was a 3D remake of CoM, I foamed at my mouth and HAD to import it.

"Fights" with siblings over games is such a mood honestly.

Also I remember playing through RE:CoM and being able to use the GBA strategy guide which was cool. Though, tbh, I still prefer GBA version.

 

[Cu-Neo]

My copy of Silent Hill HD collection on PS3 is a little important to me because that was the last thing I ever bought in Microplay before they went bankrupt.

And the other one would be the used copy of Batman Arkham City that I got a long time ago, it came with a code for Halo Reach, thanks to that I got to like the old Halo games.

 

[DunkeyKong]

Maybe not exactly a game, but a handheld console? It's a bootleg one. My family used to bought me a PSP looking console with a price like RM10+ ($2+) I think. It's green and small, it is pretty cool to me at the time to have one. It was just a blocky looking arcade games but I've played it until it eventually stopped working

A few years later, we would visit a mall called a Paradigm Mall and saw this one store next to a movie place. I was interested in this one console, it was red and looked like a Gameboy. And the price was like RM20+ ($4) I think, or cheaper.

This time, it really surprised to see a much different library of games instead of just blocks. Especially with the NES classics, which I didn't know at the time. But it was really fun and a great way to discover what those games are. Here's the console for example

 

[poppy_]

I traded my cousin for Kingdom Hearts as a kid and I was stuck on destiny islands for like 3 years lol...

 

[MegaHiro91]

"Fights" with siblings over games is such a mood honestly.

Also I remember playing through RE:CoM and being able to use the GBA strategy guide which was cool. Though, tbh, I still prefer GBA version.

I prefer GBA CoM as well, both for nostalgia but also the impressive sprite work. I always admire what developers can achieve on limited hardware. It was cool to play the game in full 3D though, and Marluxia's second form took me by complete surprise.

 

[GundamJehutyKai]

On a personal level, I'd probably say that my copy or Resident Evil 2 is special to me. I remember getting a discount card for christmas one year which had enough to get me one game. Instead of going out and getting the latest and greatest at the time, I sat on it. And I sat on it for months until I had heard that Resi 2 was getting a release (remember, this was pre-internet essentially so games didn't have set release dates nor were they communicated very well. You just read possible dates from print magazines and/or spoke to staff at a brick and mortar store who might be able to tell you a little in advance).
Took a lot of patience but that card was marked for resi 2 so it was super satisfying to finally be able to take it into a shop and and it over for a copy after a very long wait.

Otherwise, I have copies of various RPGs like FF7, Parasite eve and Xenogears which are of importance to me as I got them signed by the music composers (Uematsu, Shimamura and Mitsuda respectively).

 

[Ian Naxieas]

I wish I could be even 1/10ths as eloquent as others on this subject, but I do have a few games that will forever be in my heart.

I think Twisted Metal would be at the top. There were many games I loved before it, but TM was the first game where I felt "wow this was made for me". I was big into demolition derbies and wrecked cars in general. My mom, aunt and especially grandma would often take me to the local junkyards just to look at the cars and we did it frequently enough to be known by the staff and my grandma would bring in baked goods for them when we visited. Good times. Anyway, a game with cars that fucking blow each other up? Hell yes! I saw the commercial on TV (can't find it for the life of me on the internet though) and begged my mom to rent us a PS1 with the game. Remember when you used to be able to rent consoles? We rented a PS1 more than a few times and by the time I got my own PS1, TM2 was out and I got that as well. Car combat games became really special to me and they led me getting into racing games too. TM definitely had a big impact on my overall tastes in media.

Digimon World for the PS1 would be another game that was big for me. Digimon was my favorite of the cute monster anime that rolled out after Pokemon became a national sensation, so when a game came along that let you explore the digital world I was over the moon. We moved across the country soon after and I did pretty much nothing but play my PS1 for like a year straight until I made some new friends. DW was easily my most played game during that time, though I never beat it because it was an absolutely bullshit game with a horrible battle system, soul draining training and a pretty unforgiving Digimon care system. I'm deep in this area, but I gotta hurry back out so my Digimon can take a shit because I forgot to bring a portable toilet and I don't want him turning into a fucking Sukamon. Anyway, I still sank some serious hours into it and my fond memories will never go away, even though I know it's kinda a bad game, though it's better than the borefest that was DW2 and the grindfest that was DW3. x)

Devil May Cry was similar to Twisted Metal in that it was a game that felt like it was made specifically for me. A rockin' soundtrack, a badass anime guy with a sword and guns and it was extremely fun to play too! Sign me the fuck up. I don't have much more to say about it, it was just a game I fell in love with instantly and it spawned both a (mostly) excellent series and even an entire genre that remains one of my favorite genres. There are better games in the series, but DMC1 is a super special certified classic.

Finally, Final Fantasy Tactics. It's my favorite game of all time, of course it's special to me. :> I wanted it for years entirely because it had Final Fantasy in the name and when they re-released it as a greatest hits game, I was all over that shit. I played Front Mission 3 shortly before, so I was at least a little familiar with tactical RPGs and I knew it had a reputation for being a tough game for new players, but I fucking hated it at first. x) I was a dumb kid and didn't know to hit shoulder buttons to change units in the first battle at Gariland, so I bashed my head against it a few times with only Ramza and NPC Delita. I put it down for awhile, came back and noticed that it said to press R1. Oh, I have more characters. Fuck. I kinda hobbled along, getting my ass kicked constantly (especially at Dorter, oof), but I eventually hit my stride and started enjoying the game quite a lot.

And then I hit the infamous battle with Wiegraf at Riovanes Castle. Oh boy. I was softlocked and only had the one save, so I had to restart the game. I knew what I was doing this time and started visiting GameFAQs and the forums there to enrich my knowledge using the school computers. All was good after that! I beat the game, started a new playthrough immediately and used a guide to help get everything. Multiple times. I even dabbled with cheating devices and did some character modding and eventually used save editors and game editors to do even more tweaking. Then I discovered hacks of the game and it was like I could experience it fresh all over again. I've played that game more than any other game and plan to do so again soon.

 

[freebie#47]

Blaster Master for Nes...first game I played only to listen to the awesome Music....still is a great game

Parasite Eve for Psx...Love It, it is my favorite horror game on the psx

Final Fantasy Tactics...my most favorite tactic game ever made. Super Robot wars is my favorite game series, but FFT is the game that made me the happiest to own and play.

 

[GundamJehutyKai]

Flipping Weigraf... In the end, my friend and I settled on a really long winded but 100% effective strategy on him, which we still use to this day...

Set Ramza as a squire and run the hell away. his movement is around the same as yours so you can stay just outside his attack range and get him to chase you around the map. On your turn, use guts to increase your stats. There's no upper limit to how many times it will stack so you just run away and use guts over and over again until you're strong enough to 1-shot him when you turn around.

 

[RanmyakuIchi]

My copy of Megaman X3 on the SNES.

I used to go to a local game and movie rental place that was inside of a grocery store with my mom, and I'd get to rent a game during our weekly shopping. We were friends with the lady who ran it and she would sometimes bend the rules for us. I was the only one still renting games from the SNES corner when the PS1 and N64 came out, and I rented X3 a bunch. She noticed this and told us to just keep the game and gave us a few other SNES games too. It was a pretty big deal to me as a kid. I have kind of an estranged relationship with my mom nowadays, so it kind of reminds me of better times.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Two in fact: My 64 in 1 cart for my PC Kid 2 Famiclone, the one that started it all, and a Pokemon multicart with Yellow and both Gold and Silver, thanks to that cart i got to enjoy Pokemon after the Anime introduced me and have been a pokefan since then