Previous years, I went massively over budget. This time, I stuck to around $100. And I swore, I’d only get stuff that I’m truly excited about.

So here’s what I got:

  • Warioland 1, 2, & 3. These are the Japanese versions. All were C$5 each.
  • Sub Terrania. I’ve wanted this game ever since I was a kid. Thrilled to have it in box for C$20.
  • Black & White 2. One of the best PC games of all time, but you can’t get it on any storefront anymore. Got it in box for C$15.
  • Dark Cloud. Despite what the cover art indicates, it is not like Zelda—this is the spiritual sequel to Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole. Got it in box for C$20.
  • Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade. A hack-‘n-slash action RPG. This was C$2.

I was tempted to buy a PC Engine console for C$50 but then I’d have yet another console hanging around my house.

All of the games I got are, in my opinion, must-haves.

top 21 comments

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[–] 1 point 1 year ago

Omg I owned untold legends when I bought my psp at release. I loved that game but my little brother destroyed my psp like a month after I bought it with my first job. I could never remember the game’s name

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago (9 children)

    Black and White 2 is SUCH a great game! I didn't realise you couldn't get it on any storefront!!

    Is it B&W2 or B&W1 where the game whispers your name if you play it at night?

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (7 children)
    1. That scared the crap out of me as a child. Absolutely no warning that it was coming.

    Also its not anywhere because the company that made it doesnt exist any more so technically nobody has the rights to sell it. There's going to be a lot more legal technicalities than that but that's basically it.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    Yeah, it terrified me too! It was also just one of those things that kind of made it seem like games were magic, in a way? Like, it was so unexpected and it expanded what a game could do in my child mind to such an extent that suddenly they could do almost anything! I miss that.

    Ugh, sucks to hear it's unlisted due to some legal technicalities. That's a shame.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (5 children)

    I wonder how many obstacles there are to running the CD ROM that OP got? (Apart from my obvious one of not having a cd drive!)

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    I'm a total dullard when it comes to these things but like, if you disconnect your machine from the internet so no outside checks can be made... Wouldn't it just run as usual?

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

    I believe it uses DRM that doesn't work on newer Windows versions. There's a fan patch that removes the drm and the game should run. Online (being connected to the internet) is probably not an issue.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

    Does DRM work without an internet connection? I always assumed that sort of thing needed to be able to communicate with a server somewhere to check... Something? 😅 Or is it just that the DRM used in this case actually just breaks in an unintentional way when running on new Windows systems and locks the game into not being able to boot?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    If you remember the "glory days" pre ubiquitous constant internet connections, you had to enter a big long code when installing any software. I think the principle is that the license key is some sort of decryption key that unlocks a core part of the software which would otherwise prevent it running.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    I do! I see okay, so it's like the private key is stored within the ROM somewhere, and that activation code is like a public key that just decrypts based on the locally stored private key, making anti-piracy software work whether online or offline. Quite clever, really! Thanks 😊

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  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

    I used to sing Sub Terrania’s praises long before it was cool. That game is a gem. The development team was a bunch of demoscene madmen who were able to wring miracles out of the Genesis and eventually created IO Interactive, which went on to make Hitman and the upcoming 007 game.

    Their later game, Red Zone, is a technological flex like nothing else.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zyrinx

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    If I recall, Dark Cloud surprised me. I think I got it on a whim for cheap and ended up sinking quite a bit of time into it.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Dark cloud is one of my favorites, I go back and replay it at least once a year. The second one was good too but it doesn't quite have the same vibe as the first

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Both are great, but the drastically changed a lot in the 2nd. In UK they even called the sequel 'Dark Chronicle' rather than 'Dark Cloud 2'.

    At least the 2nd one removed the system where you could permanently lose your best weapons if you forgot to repair in time, they just become unusable.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    Black and white 2 is phenomenal.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Nice haul!!! SUPER great era's for gaming!

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Amazing! The upper left quarter is essentially my childhood.

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