RetroEra IOTI 40 years of Classic Backlog

Fuzzy · Mar 24, 2019

SG-17 said:
That is awesome, thanks. I know a lot of NES and many SNES games pretty much required the manual to play.

Yeah, a bunch of people complain that the entrances for the last few dungeons are obtuse in LoZ. The game included hints on how to find them in the documentation to mitigate that difficulty.

Deleted member 135 · Mar 24, 2019

Fuzzy said:
Yeah, a bunch of people complain that the entrances for the last few dungeons are obtuse in LoZ. The game included hints on how to find them in the documentation to mitigate that difficulty.

I remember renting NES games and they only having a little square of basic instructions taped to the rental case. Some games were unplayable without full manuals.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 25, 2019

Mark off Shadow of Destiny, Shadow Hearts 1,2,3 and S.L.A.I

edit: aaaaand I bought Haunting Ground. It was $118 just missing manual. Couldn't pass that up, disc by itself goes for $140+

Metalix · Mar 26, 2019

Finally romped through Shemue II & beat it at the weekend, liked it a lot more than the first game although it did get a bit long in the tooth towards the end of disc 3. "The Story continues" damn, can't even imagine how blue-ballsed fans must've been seeing that back in the day and during the subsequent 18 (?) year wait.

Almost finished Disc 1 of FFVII, now.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 26, 2019

Got Metal Saga for $20. I need to stay away from eBay and Estarland this is hazardous.

asmith906 · Mar 26, 2019

My copy of kuon came in today. Time to see what all the hype is about.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 26, 2019

Only thing I hear bad about it is the combat.

leder · Mar 26, 2019

Metalix said:
Finally romped through Shemue II & beat it at the weekend, liked it a lot more than the first game although it did get a bit long in the tooth towards the end of disc 3. "The Story continues" damn, can't even imagine how blue-ballsed fans must've been seeing that back in the day and during the subsequent 18 (?) year wait.

Almost finished Disc 1 of FFVII, now.

Were you playing the new releases of Shenmue?

Metalix · Mar 27, 2019

leder said:
Were you playing the new releases of Shenmue?

Original DC! Complete with disc read errors aplenty throughout II, no better motivator to save often.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 27, 2019

Picked up Soul Nomad and a couple cheap games as well Summoner 1 & 2 and Tony Hawk Underground 1 & 2 for Xbox

Metalix said:
Finally romped through Shemue II & beat it at the weekend, liked it a lot more than the first game although it did get a bit long in the tooth towards the end of disc 3. "The Story continues" damn, can't even imagine how blue-ballsed fans must've been seeing that back in the day and during the subsequent 18 (?) year wait.

Almost finished Disc 1 of FFVII, now.

Just in time for Shenmue 3! This also your first time through FF7?

Laevateinn · Mar 27, 2019

Metalix said:
Finally romped through Shemue II & beat it at the weekend, liked it a lot more than the first game although it did get a bit long in the tooth towards the end of disc 3. "The Story continues" damn, can't even imagine how blue-ballsed fans must've been seeing that back in the day and during the subsequent 18 (?) year wait.

Almost finished Disc 1 of FFVII, now.

Yeah, I was pretty bummed when they decided not to release Shenmue II in the US back in the day but when I finally got a chance to play it over a decade later I was happy that I didn't have to wait as long for Shenmue 3.

asmith906 · Mar 27, 2019

Since the copy of Kuon I got was disc only, I decided to create a custom case for it. Let me know what you guys think.

TrojanAg · Mar 27, 2019

I need to stay away from eBay. With the release of the Mega SG, I purchased Contra Hard Corps, Streets of Rage 2, Aladdin, Sonic Spinball, Ecco the Dolphin, Earthworm Jim, TMNT Hyperstone Heist. I played all of these as a kid but simply rented and never purchased.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 27, 2019

asmith906 said:
Since the copy of Kuon I got was disc only, I decided to create a custom case for it. Let me know what you guys think.

Better then the NA box art!

TrojanAg said:
I need to stay away from eBay. With the release of the Mega SG, I purchased Contra Hard Corps, Streets of Rage 2, Aladdin, Sonic Spinball, Ecco the Dolphin, Earthworm Jim, TMNT Hyperstone Heist. I played all of these as a kid but simply rented and never purchased.

Good games to start off with though. If you are worried about price and just want to play them you could always try and get all loose cart to bring down the cost.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 27, 2019

Lame they canceled my Haunting Grounds. Think they caught on that they were selling it waaay under price.

Edit: Used the money on Skygunner, Ring of Red and Ribbit King. *closes eBay and Estarland tabs before it's too late*

leder · Mar 28, 2019

Rygar 8Bit said:
Lame they canceled my Haunting Grounds. Think they caught on that they were selling it waaay under price.

Edit: Used the money on Skygunner, Ring of Red and Ribbit King. *closes eBay and Estarland tabs before it's too late*

That sucks. It's a great game. I felt insane when I got a very good condition complete copy a couple years ago for around $100. Insane how much higher the prices have gone since then.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 28, 2019

leder said:
That sucks. It's a great game. I felt insane when I got a very good condition complete copy a couple years ago for around $100. Insane how much higher the prices have gone since then.

Would have been cool to play it, but I can live without it. Got 3 just as cool games to replace it.

Checking the prices of just a year ago a lot of PS2 games that were only going for $20 are now going for $60+ can't wait to see what they are like another year or two from now. Glad to get these before it it hits hard, and a lot of these hidden gems start going $100+

Glimlocker · Mar 28, 2019

Rygar 8Bit said:
Would have been cool to play it, but I can live without it. Got 3 just as cool games to replace it.

Checking the prices of just a year ago a lot of PS2 games that were only going for $20 are now going for $60+ can't wait to see what they are like another year or two from now. Glad to get these before it it hits hard, and a lot of these hidden gems start going $100+

What are a few of these games that have increased in price? I missed out!

Because I'm not particularly familiar with the library, I can't think of many outside a handful - Rule of Rose, Chulip, maybe Guitaroo Man...and it looks like Kuon and some of the games you listed further up.

asmith906 · Mar 28, 2019

Rygar 8Bit said:
Lame they canceled my Haunting Grounds. Think they caught on that they were selling it waaay under price.

Edit: Used the money on Skygunner, Ring of Red and Ribbit King. *closes eBay and Estarland tabs before it's too late*

I've got the Pal version. It was super cheap, is in English and plays at 60hz.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 28, 2019

Glimlocker said:
What are a few of these games that have increased in price? I missed out!

Because I'm not particularly familiar with the library, I can't think of many outside a handful - Rule of Rose, Chulip, maybe Guitaroo Man...and it looks like Kuon and some of the games you listed further up.

A lot of the games I've bought used to go for less just last year. Here's a few:

RAD complete $75 now $90+
Steambot complete $65 now $95+
God Hand complete $52 now $70+
Skygunner complete $49 now $60+
Mr. Mosquito complete $43 now $75+
Shadow Hearts complete $48 now $64+

Glimlocker · Mar 28, 2019

Rygar 8Bit said:
A lot of the games I've bought used to go for less just last year. Here's a few:

RAD complete $75 now $90+
Steambot complete $65 now $95+
God Hand complete $52 now $70+
Skygunner complete $49 now $60+
Mr. Mosquito complete $43 now $75+
Shadow Hearts complete $48 now $64+

Pretty sad that I missed out on RAD. That's definitely a game I would've liked to own, but probably not for that price.
Thankfully, I got Mr. Mosquito and God Hand a few years ago.

Now I'm researching all these games and finding out about a whole subset of unique, although super expensive, games that I did not really know existed. Really fascinating stuff. Wish I would've known about them about three years earlier!

asmith906 · Mar 28, 2019

Rygar 8Bit said:
A lot of the games I've bought used to go for less just last year. Here's a few:

RAD complete $75 now $90+
Steambot complete $65 now $95+
God Hand complete $52 now $70+
Skygunner complete $49 now $60+
Mr. Mosquito complete $43 now $75+
Shadow Hearts complete $48 now $64+

Probably going to use my ebay bucks on RAD.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 28, 2019

It's a good call to buy it if you want it, it's not going to drop in price only go up. Time is now if you want any of the games I've been buying. I've been buying all the games from every hidden gem forum/video I can find. Those are the ones that tend to climb in price.

asmith906 · Mar 28, 2019

Rygar 8Bit said:
It's a good call to buy it if you want it, it's not going to drop in price only go up. Time is now if you want any of the games I've been buying. I've been buying all the games from every hidden gem forum/video I can find. Those are the ones that tend to climb in price.

I almost bought it for $50 but it was disc only. Trying decide between RAD or Skies of The Arcadia

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 28, 2019

asmith906 said:
I almost bought it for $50 but it was disc only. Trying decide between RAD or Skies of The Arcadia

Dreamcast version? Hard choice both are damn good.

Glimlocker · Mar 28, 2019

asmith906 said:
I almost bought it for $50 but it was disc only. Trying decide between RAD or Skies of The Arcadia

Yeah, if it's any help, I own the DC version and now wish I would've bought the GameCube version, due to how much time is wasted in the battles on the DC. SoA Legends is something like HOURS faster than the Dreamcast original. There are a few minor setbacks in the GC version, but more content was also added.

If you're buying solely for playing, I think Skies of Arcadia probably has the upper hand here.
For collecting, looks like RAD is the better choice?

Purely speculation, but I think Skies of Arcadia has a somewhat likely chance of being re-released in a future collection, but we might not know for a while. Or until March 30th, at least.

leder · Mar 28, 2019

Man I had no idea Chulip got so expensive. Pretty sure I got it for $8 new almost a decade ago, but I have no idea what happened to my copy. At least it's on PS3.

asmith906 · Mar 28, 2019

Glimlocker said:
Yeah, if it's any help, I own the DC version and now wish I would've bought the GameCube version, due to how much time is wasted in the battles on the DC. SoA Legends is something like HOURS faster than the Dreamcast original. There are a few minor setbacks in the GC version, but more content was also added.

If you're buying solely for playing, I think Skies of Arcadia probably has the upper hand here.
For collecting, looks like RAD is the better choice?

Purely speculation, but I think Skies of Arcadia has a somewhat likely chance of being re-released in a future collection, but we might not know for a while. Or until March 30th, at least.

Yeah, I used to have the gamecube version when I was a kid. Ended up selling it (really regret that).

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 29, 2019

Picked up Valkyrie Profile 2 and Innocent Life.

asmith906 · Mar 30, 2019

My copy of shadow hearts came in today. This game is super violent.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 30, 2019

Yeah I can't wait to play through them. Never played them before.

Glimlocker · Mar 30, 2019

Inspired by all the posts here, I picked up Okage on PS2. Not that I think it'll go up in price, but the game has always intrigued me.

Now I have to find time to sit down and play it.

leder · Apr 1, 2019

Anyone have strong opinions on which version of the Neo Geo Mini is more worthwhile? I don't really know anything first hand about the exclusives for the NA version.

Rygar 8Bit · Apr 1, 2019

Anyone that has Sengoku 3 on it is the correct one.

Hmm one has Cyber Lip, but International has Crossed Swords. Tough choice.

Looks like international has waaay more shooters and the normal mini is more focused on fighting games.

I'd lean more international if I didn't have anyone near by to play KoF or Last Blade with.

TrojanAg · Apr 1, 2019

leder said:
Anyone have strong opinions on which version of the Neo Geo Mini is more worthwhile? I don't really know anything first hand about the exclusives for the NA version.

I have the one that was released in Japan as it is mostly fighter-centric. The international release has more Metal Slug games and variety in general, but less fighting games.

asmith906 · Apr 1, 2019

Didn't realize this would be the year of the heavy hitters for me. Got good deals on both Koudelka and Lunar 2

Rygar 8Bit · Apr 1, 2019

Nice! After getting Shadow Hearts I want to nab Koudelka as well.

asmith906 · Apr 3, 2019

Got around $80 in ebay bucks back. Time to see what heavy hitter I want to knock off my list.
Also I finally invested in a JFJ disc resurfacing machine.

Rygar 8Bit · Apr 4, 2019

Nice do you know what you're gonna get? I picked up Stretch Panic and Star Ocean Till the End of Time.

Here's everything except for 5 more that are still coming by next week

Glimlocker · Apr 7, 2019

Rygar 8Bit said:
Nice do you know what you're gonna get? I picked up Stretch Panic and Star Ocean Till the End of Time.

Here's everything except for 5 more that are still coming by next week..

The mother lode of PS2 games.
Which ones are standout titles in your opinion - especially if they're still somewhat affordable?

Deleted member 7130 · Apr 7, 2019

Just think it's worth noting that Pro Skater 4 is one of the few 720p games on xbox.

asmith906 · Apr 7, 2019

Sold some of my Duplicate games and got a good deal on MS Saga on PS2. It's a pretty uncommon gundam rpg

sixteen-bit · Apr 7, 2019

asmith906 said:
Sold some of my Duplicate games and got a good deal on MS Saga on PS2. It's a pretty uncommon gundam rpg

An appropriate pickup on the 40th anniversary of Gundam, lol

Rygar 8Bit · Apr 7, 2019

asmith906 said:
Sold some of my Duplicate games and got a good deal on MS Saga on PS2. It's a pretty uncommon gundam rpg

Nice get!

Glimlocker said:
The mother lode of PS2 games.
Which ones are standout titles in your opinion - especially if they're still somewhat affordable?

asmith906 · Apr 7, 2019

sixteen-bit said:
An appropriate pickup on the 40th anniversary of Gundam, lol

Hadn't even realized. This seems like a good time to give Gundam 00 a re-watch.

leder · Apr 8, 2019

TrojanAg said:
I have the one that was released in Japan as it is mostly fighter-centric. The international release has more Metal Slug games and variety in general, but less fighting games.

Rygar 8Bit said:
Anyone that has Sengoku 3 on it is the correct one.

Hmm one has Cyber Lip, but International has Crossed Swords. Tough choice.

Looks like international has waaay more shooters and the normal mini is more focused on fighting games.

I'd lean more international if I didn't have anyone near by to play KoF or Last Blade with.

Thanks guys, losing Real Bout 2 and Last Blade 1 hurts, and the JP version looks cooler... but decided to go with the International to get the extra metal slugs and Shock Troopers.

asmith906 · Apr 8, 2019

Used my ebay bucks to get a mint copy of Skies of Arcadia for $28 out of pocket

feels good

Glimlocker · Apr 11, 2019

Rygar 8Bit said:
Nice get!

Went through most of the stuff I have and put this together. There's no bad games in there I dug through every hidden gems thread and video I could find looking for the best of the best for the system. Still have a few more to get as well.

Some of these videos are on emulators running at higher rez and frame rate, but the gameplay is there.

$10-20 range
Downhill Domination $18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoFsAJirmH0
Gladius $15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3lcoXvW63s&t=1521s
Rygar $15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4ihd7ciOSg
Drakan $10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3zAR74Ahoo
Shinobi $12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfIpPVDTw44
Splashdown: Rides Gone Wild $8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH5EDUdS4fM
Odin Sphere $15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qbvkEOWBCA
War of the Monsters $15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW1DAZbOuTk
Stretch Panic $14 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nd_dMvx21g
Summoner $9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ykyeGi51WI
Summoner 2 $9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etu6CudHSZA
Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven $18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgYRGouKyV4
Sub Rebellion $12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek7WesWEtNw
Primal $10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEbSOmscB1Q
Airblade $14 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me38DdzDuaw
Chaos Legion $18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwSVf6vSlyE
Bujingai $15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1HfN7vPY7g
Mad Maestro $9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFLdnTZ-op8
Mojo! $7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1J7e4uSNQY&t=163s
Rouge Galaxy $15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7-D2tONlxY
Adventures of Cookie and Cream $15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDUgvyxDFdg
Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter $13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YsqWYK7eMc
Shadow of Rome $19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDWFbMdrYgw
Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon $18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq57KyoOUvk&t=1840s
MDK 2: Armegeddon $8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFZbgI1PvOk
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory $9 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s80QR439AvU
Twisted Metal Black $8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9F1jv1qJNQ
Half-Life $18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EiFLfT41iM
Musashi: Samurai Legend $16 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk_SzOIVO3M
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness $11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF0YpIqUnV0
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories $12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N21j4V3bdWI
Front Mission 4 $14 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evbpjyIr7MA
Xenosaga 2 $19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E96kCt3MZsA
Xenosaga $12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj7XxpLSUtk
Grandia 2 $16 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVjIavC2S3M
Dark Cloud $15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_UkO2sPU0Q

$20-30
S.L.A.I $20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKkeOcQFKjc
Grim Grimoire $25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-AePksfEOc
Tokobot Plus $22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YHi_l5JRow
Contra: Shattered Soldier $24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg9QYmnfEyc
Neo Contra $21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_h4kbKnaUw
Radiata Stories $26 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN2DDHswfjg
Ring of Red $24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsnVtEZIMR4
Dark Cloud 2 $25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAu2KvwPJyg
Metal Saga $24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqCw1llxTX8
Life Line $25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUYTfp0q3Ak
The Red Star $27 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls2rUXJsHLU
Valkyrie Profile 2 $29 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKIGoSgBdNQ
Shadow of Destiny $24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsR5v6ICeNM
Maximo vs. the Army of Zin $25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxAtWHGaljY

$30-40
Ape Escape 2 $39 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2RKacHQHT8
Ape Escape 3 $31 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDAGEoFVuQk
Soul Nomad $35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtyVb-QtCFI
Ribbit King $34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Ss7uRXnlU
Magic Pengel: The Quest for Color $35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCTKTmIZVSI
Shadow Hearts: From the New World $39 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3UvCZOOZLQ&t=595s
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim $39 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zypqb9_1Mn4&t=1281s
Clock Tower 3 $36 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdFe8NQrf8A

$40-50
Drakengard $42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG3PnfXFOYY
Under the Skin $45 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLQ-2ReaWWQ&t=344s
Shadow Hearts: Covenant $45 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xtMnzk8I9Q
King's Field: The Ancient City $42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEDAohPASO0

$50-60
Shadow Hearts $67 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkdnd9-9KA8
Drakengard 2 $69 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMxI2a05Zb4
God Hand $65 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6pNVG2nC_g
Gitaroo Man $69 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWPowTkixIw

$70-80
Skygunner $75 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdVDT8rzPOg
Robot Alchemic Drive $79 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkx2qr5z1f0
Mr. Mosquito $74 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZpzlNUH_Hc
Graffiti Kingdom $74 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XotDig-NSXg

$80+
Samurai Western $80 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUqYapr2A3g
Steambot Chronicles $99 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO2__cqBplk
Xenosaga 3 $109 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VIsG_n6e3o

Oh, dang! Thank you for going through all these, that's super helpful!

Ok, SkyGunner looks way better than I thought it would be. Super interested in that now.

Glimlocker · Apr 13, 2019

Glimlocker said:
Oh, dang! Thank you for going through all these, that's super helpful!

Ok, SkyGunner looks way better than I thought it would be. Super interested in that now.

Update: I have purchased Sky Gunner, for a reasonable price.

Rygar what is this dark road you've sent me down...

Rygar 8Bit · Apr 13, 2019

RetroEra IOTI 40 years of Classic Backlog

Completely non-threatening

User requested account closure

Unshakable Resolve

Unshakable Resolve

User requested account closure