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.

  • @[email protected]English
    4•11 days ago
    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.

    • RayquetzalcoatlEnglish
      2•11 days ago

      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.

      • @[email protected]English
        1•11 days ago

        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!)

        • RayquetzalcoatlEnglish
          2•11 days ago

          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?

          • @[email protected]English
            2•11 days ago

            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.

            • RayquetzalcoatlEnglish
              2•11 days ago

              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?

              • @[email protected]English
                1•11 days ago

                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.

                • RayquetzalcoatlEnglish
                  1•11 days 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 😊