So I thought I'd mix this one up a bit. This thread is for those games that you have searched long and hard for to find that have come out
since 2000. Some of them may be dirt common to some folks, others quite rare. But in any case each one was a quest all onto themselves to locate and add to your collection. I'll start off with mine:
Mass Effect Limited Collector's Edition (X360) - Sold only online and Canada almost didn't even get them at all. Boneheaded move I hope they don't repeat for
M.E. 2.
Forza Motorsports 2 Limited Collector's Edition (X360) - Looked everywhere and found the last remaining copy in the city tucked away in a corner, almost missed it.
Star Trek Tactical Assault (DS) - Another game that barely made it here, and even then only one chain carried it and that lone copy was 100 miles away. My wife found it for me while she was on a business trip.
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (DS) - Spent months on the lookout for this game, found one buried in a bargain bin just as I was giving up hope.
Ace Combat 4 (PS2) - Was 4-5 years old by the time I wanted to buy it, looked for months to replace the free GH copy I had, had to bide my time on eBay for a CIB regular version to come along, and even that took a while.
Gran Turismo 3 A-spec [Not for Sale] (PS2) - This is the red cover version that was a pack-in. No particular reason why I wanted it, I just wanted the red one for some reason. Bought one, clerk put a blue version disc in it but had no manual, bought another one, had the right disc but had a french manual, bought a third in another store, once again blue disc but right manual this time. So I put the best of each one together to make one good one CIB copy and sold the other two. What a pain that was and not all at the same time either, so it was a work in progress for a while there.
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 (PS2) - Holy crap this game is hard to find non-GH and CIB! When I found out that this version was different than the PC/XB/GCN version, I just had to have it. Took a year of keeping an eye out while hunting to find this CIB in the wild and non-GH. Even though Greatest Hits versions are a dime a dozen.
Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PS2) - I don't know if it's sought after or rare, but this is one damn hard game to find in my area. I stumbled upon it in a pawn shop for less than half of what it is used. It's one of those used games that even EB/Gamestop asks over $40 for years after release. Still the one and only copy I have ever seen around here.
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (GCN) - Since I didn't have a 'cube when this came out, it was a challenge trying to find the original big box version with the GBA cable in it. Every copy I saw seemed to be loose with no extras or Player's Choice versions. Finally found one lone brand new copy that must have been old stock let out for some air, from a grocery store no less!
APEX (Xbox) - You'd be surprised how hard this game can be to find. I bought it when it was new but I had sold it when I got rid of my first Xbox. It took a long time to see this again and it only resurfaced when everyone started dumping their Xbox stock in the last 6 months.
Samurai Shodown V (Xbox) - Longtime fan of the series, the copy I bought new a few months ago is the only one I had ever seen. I didn't think I'd ever find it without resorting to eBay.
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory [limited Collector's Edition] (Xbox) - Even though the Xbox had a shitload of "Limited Editions", I'm sure this one is actually limited. I was lucky enough to find this in good shape in late 2007, for $15 CIB 2 years after it was released. As a huge fan of the series I can breathe easy now.
Front Mission 3 (PS1) - I'm a late comer to this series. I was intrigued by FM 4 and enjoyed it so much I had to track 3 down. I was lucky enough to find this in a game shop that was closing, it came from the owner's personal collection.
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (GBA) - As many of you probably know, it can be hard to find GBA games CIB and mint. Even harder at a good price it seems. Both my wife and I are huge fans of all things Forgotten Realms, and the games are no exception. We looked for this game for months, loose copies, copies with manuals wrapped around them, boxed with no manual. Finally found a CIB copy for $30 used, a tough pill to swallow but it did end a long hunt for this game. Good game too BTW, simple, but addictive.
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