4w ago

Pick-ups from the Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo

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.

22 comments

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?
- 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.
  
  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.
- In the first one at least it would whisper "deaaath" if a follower died and there was no graveyard built. Terrified me hearing that the first time playing at night
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
- I played this as a kid. I was so bad at this game. I wanted to get farther but I think the third or fourth level broke me.
  
  It really was brutal, but in the way that makes you very aware that it’s your fault for sucking at it.
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.
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
- Never played the first but the second had some mind numbing gameplay loops that didn't do it for me.
- 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.
I vaguely remember playing Untold Legends back in the day. It was good.
Black and white 2 is phenomenal.
Amazing! The upper left quarter is essentially my childhood.
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
Nice haul!!! SUPER great era's for gaming!

22 comments