Tag Archives: 2011

Gallery: U.S. PlayStation & PlayStation 2 Demo Disc Library (Part One)

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Absolutely not a complete set at all (I’m missing about 15 OPM discs from the later end of the mag’s run as well as a bunch of PS1 demos), but there’s a nice selection here that’s always great for reference purposes. It’s too bad US gamers didn’t see a lot of PS3 demo discs like the ones released overseas in the UK and Asian territories. At this point in time I only know of a handful of PS3 demo discs that were released here but I could be wrong. I actually need as many of them as possible just so I can see what actually made it out around the world. I really, REALLY miss the great days of being surprised by some cool US demo discs popping up in the mail, that’s for sure. I have some other PS1 and PS2 demos and Jampacks in a big box of PS1 games (or behind a few hundred games currently stacked on top of a dresser) that I’ll post at a later date.

Gallery: Xbox/Xbox 360 Demo Library

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I’m missing a few Official Xbox Magazine demo discs as you can see, but overall, I’m happy with what’s here. Actually, I have disc 31 in a slim case buried in a stack of games here (and possibly a few other demo discs), and disc 2 was supposed to come with the second issue a few years back. However, all I got after I subscribed was the mag itself and NO disc (grrr). As for the later discs I’m missing. I’ll dig those up at some point, as I see small to medium size lots floating around a few places for cheap. I actually want more single game demo discs as well as kiosk discs, as I know there are a bunch out there I don’t have yet. One day, one day…

Gallery: Xbox Import Library (PAL & NTSC-J)

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Yes, it’s a tiny selection, but hey, I’m working on it (albeit very sloooowly, thanks to not having any spare funds these days). Anyway, the good, the bad and the ugly here, as in Metal Wolf Chaos, Gene Troopers and Muzzle Flash. MWC is simply awesome (and a wee bit controversial, although a US demo was released), Gene Troopers is mostly awful but REALLY interesting as the weapons selection is amazing (and Insomniac Games would be proud of most of the guns here) and some of the visuals shine. Muzzle Flash is quite frankly, one of the worst games I’ve ever played for a few reasons I listed here. At least CT Special Forces, while equally hard and cheap, can actually be completed and is often intentionally hilarious. MF is just a total “m-f” to play and is one of those games it seems ONLY the folks who made it ever completed. When you lend a game out to six people and get it back with almost the EXACT same response, that’s a bad sign. I keep it around because I’m going to keep pecking away until I can complete it past the second stage (but it’s NOT on my bucket list, that’s for sure)…

Gallery: Assorted Preview/Review Disc Library

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Yes, I’ve kept almost everything I’ve gotten to preview and review (save for stuff I’ve had to send back), so here you go, a bunch of Xbox and PS2 games (plus a paltry few PS3 and 360 ones for good measure). Some are demos or incomplete beta versions, some are complete trade demos, check discs or debug code plus some quirky stuff like that E3 2006 PSP Memory Card. Of note are some titles that were almost to completely localized and SHOULD have been released (Dinosaur Hunting, and Rent-A-Hero #1), an awesome build of Arx Fatalis (it had the infamous “chicken cheat” from the PC version that was taken out of the console game plus a weird save game with a nude barkeep) and some other fun stuff. Yup, that’s Bedlam, an unreleased Sega Saturn game in the last photo (it was a port of a PC game). I haven’t played it, as I don’t have any way to at the moment, but it does have a nice Redbook soundtrack. Despite its popularity, I’m not one for “dumping” stuff, but I’m all for legal emulation on older unsupported consoles or abandonware PC titles.

Gallery: PlayStation & PS2 Demo Library (Japanese)

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Nowhere as many as I’d like to have and some aren’t pictured here, as I need to move about 500 or so games to get to the remaining few. I’ll update the gallery once I get that mighty task done. Some of these are incredible for what’s on the discs, from memory card download, interviews and exclusive content not seen outside Japan. Stuff like Net Yaroze demos (games made by those who bought the special Net Yaroze PlayStation model), some hilarious commercials and some great demos of games that were drastically different than what ended up on store shelves. The Project Zero disc is a DVD that features CG from the game and some other cool stuff, but isn’t playable. I know there are a ton of these non-playable demos out there, but I’m a lot more interested in trial version discs these days. The one other exception is the Summer Special 1996 disc that has a bunch of game trailers including the first look at Metal Gear Solid. That long movie was created entirely with in-game asset and actually makes the game look like a more action-packed experience than it turned out to be.

Gallery: PlayStation RPG/SRPG Library+

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I shot these earlier this year while moving some things around. Not my entire PS1 collection by a long shot, but that’s going to be photographed and posted in a bit. I sold off a huge chunk of it over this year and last (about 110 – 120 games) but I hung onto stuff I like or haven’t quite completed yet. I still think that some of these games need proper remakes or sequels in the future, but I doubt they’ll get done any time soon if at all. BTW, my copy of FF8 somehow disappeared a while back, but I think I may have accidentally sent someone it as a bonus by mistake. Oh well. Not like it’s rare or anything. I’ll probably post my US and Japanese demo disc libraries before the rest of the US games I have, as the demos are easier to get to.  Anyway, enjoy – more to come!

Gallery: Atari Lynx & Jaguar Libraries

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Hmmm. I’m missing a bunch of Lynx stuff here (commons like S.T.U.N. Runner, Hard Drivin’ and a few others) as well as some manuals. But I think I may have sold off a bunch of games a few years back thinking I’d replace them at some point. The manuals for most of the loose cards are most likely in one of the bins here packed with assorted game stuff, but it’s going to take time to get through all that stuff. As for the Jaguar games, I had a few more as well and I found my Cybermorph manual after I took the photo, but I can’t locate the cart. I need another Jaguar anyway, as I sold one to a guy in Japan about nine or so years back and the other one I was planning to buy got snapped up before I could get to it. Anyway, Alien vs. Predator is still the best overall game on the platform, but I also like Tempest 2000, Power Drive Rally, Iron Soldier, Super Burnout and for some crazy reason, Hover Strike. I always wanted to try Towers II: Plight of the Stargazer for the Jag, as I found the PC version for a buck on closeout and while I hated the controls, the game was a pretty interesting RPG. I’d played the Game Boy Color Towers game (which was pretty cool) some years back and it actually “feels” better than the PC game did in terms of navigation.

Gallery: Game Cube Library

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And here you go, minus a bunch of stuff I played and sold or traded. Yes, the Windwaker manual is signed by Miyamoto, so that’s something off my bucket list (only 90,000 things left… yikes). Note to Dreamcast fans (and the guy who emailed me): SEE, I do have Skies of Arcadia after all. I did have the Eternal Arcadia box at one point as well as the US SoA for my DC, but sold them both off a long time back.

Anyway,  Yeah, I need to get Baten Kaitos 2 one day, as I missed it when it came out and I liked the first game quite a lot.  Yes, the last pic with the demos, GameCube promo DVD and Pac-Man VS. is here because I found them after I took the other pics (oops). Note: I only had about a dozen or so Japanese titles, but those are gone now. I think I still have a promo DVD with a booklet from Japan around here somewhere. but I can’t find it at the moment…

Ubisoft’s Bad Rabbids Get An Unmerry Xmas Surprise…

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Merry Xmas from Ubisoft, er.. sort of. As much as I’d like an actual stuffed Rabbid sitting about the house lazing about and looking goofy. I just KNOW that all sorts of bad things would start to happen. Of course, Ubisoft has gone and figured out through the magic of CG all sorts of things gone wrong if there were real Rabbids roaming about. Thank goodness they’ve confined these brainless pests to the digital world…

Gallery: Sega Dreamcast Library

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Smaller than it once was (by around 40 or so titles), but still fun to go back to for some of these gems. Like a few too many Dreamcast owners, finding out the hard way that getting a new or replacement console meant those old Phantasy Star Online saves were no good was a shock (grrrrr!). But the game still holds up as a great RPG whether it’s played solo or online. Speaking of online (and in case you were scratching your heads at that last sentence), I recently found out that private servers (not officially run by Sega) exist for the game, so my crazy MMO suggestions from last week recently actually make a bit more sense. Not that I’ll join any of those few hundred or more still enjoying the game, mind you. I’m way too busy doing other stuff. Anyway, outside of the classics everyone always yaks about, I say D2 needs an HD remake, Illbleed needs a sequel and Rent-A-Hero #1 would be pretty cool to finally see, considering it was localized for the Xbox, but never completed.