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The question bears asking: What games would you never part with? And by that I mean what games in your collection, if you had to choose, say, fifteen, would you not 1) sell, 2) give away, 3) lend, or 4) or otherwise part with on a meaningfully permanent basis. In my effort to minimize the clutter in my life, and maximize other things, like building a home studio, getting something nice for my girl, getting a new motorcycle, etc., I've often thought "I really don't need all these fucking games." Selling the lot of them is occasionally a thought, although the prospect of shipping them off individually on eBay just makes me want to pass out (I've got hundreds, perhaps thousands of games from the 16-bit era to the current-gen). But even if I ever did do such a thing, I know that there are a handful of games that no one could ever get me to part with, especially after reading how a lot of you (from my last post) sold Panzer Dragoon Saga for a quick buck. I don't know about you, but I would regret selling that game a lot longer than I could ever enjoy that hundred and fifty bucks I'd make from auctioning it off to the highest bidder. So, besides Panzer Dragoon Saga, what are the other four games I would not part with for any reason?
here is those 15
an user blog from 1up.
Quote:
1) Panzer Dragoon Saga (SAT):
An original RPG from Sega that fleshed out the universe sketched out in the previous two on-rails shooters, the Panzer world exploded in this amazing RPG, whose main characters Edge and Azel felt like old friends the moment you saw them together on screen. At first adversaries, and later inseparable, this is RPG-dom's unsung couple. The tragic fact is that to port this to any other system now is pretty much an impossibility, making those few rare copies of Saga on eBay truly the only way you'll play it, just short of Sega recreating the entire thing from the ground up. Don't count on that happening. Despite a limited number of characters (a design choice by Team Andromeda), Saga's world still felt huge, thanks to the high-flying aerial battles, and your transforming dragon. In one of Sega's most criminal moves (in a history of eye-rolling blunders), they printed fewer than 15,000 copies of this game, making it impossibly difficult to find on store shelves. Hey, gang. The solution to avoid paying high prices on classic games and the best way to get sequels to games like this is to buy them the first time around. Just sayin'.
2) Ico (PS2):
The U.S. cover art sucks so bad that whoever was responsible for it deserved to be fired for it. But, while the game is relatively short, it is 100% enjoyable, with some of the most unique, innovative game design (as well as graphic design) of the PS2 era. Shadow of The Colossus was slightly more hardcore, and perhaps slightly less accessible for it (despite selling ten times what Ico did), as Ico's boy-meets-girl near-silent storytelling still brings a tear to the eye by the time Yorda pushes the unconscious Ico out to sea alone in a boat. This is the sensation of solitude on a disc.
3) Radiant Silvergun (SAT):
The cutscenes were terrific, the ship designs are super sweet, and the action is hectic. Featuring a multitude of set weapons, each distinct armament made playing through this game (a shooter with RPG elements) a unique challenge each time, until you leveled your weapons up to the max, of course. Then it became easy. But not so easy that it didn't make every inventive boss, like The Origin, a sight to behold. Since it's the only other Saturn title that commands (and deserves to command) Panzer Dragoon Saga-level prices, that's just another reason not to let go of one of the most evocative shooters of all time.
4) Guardian Heroes (SAT):
Super controls, great soundtrack, cool little voice samples and the most insane side-scrolling 2D butt-kicking action ever, and that's not counting the multiplayer arena mode in which something like 4 million 2D sprites battle it out at once. Each character has their own move list, and I can remember the days when I played that game over and over and over again, so enchanted I was about it. Plus, the Undead Warrior, an ass-kicking A.I. skeleton who seriously bruised asses on your behalf was just unbelievable. That the GBA sequel sucked so bad was heartbreaking for me.
5) Final Fantasy XII (PS2):
My favorite FF ever, because I am tired of random battles, I'm tired of the ATB system. So flexible, so customizable, this game not only has the amazing character designs of Akihiko Yoshida, but it boasts a level of playability in an offline RPG that only Oblivion can rival, and I think Oblivion is ugly as fuck. FFXII is like FFXI minus the insane customizability (visually). If only Square would bring out the International Zodiac System edition here as the Greatest Hits version, they'd sell a million copies all over again. The amount of side-quests, contextually activated super-side quests, hunts, and collection quests give this so much more depth than the previous 'main game and a shit mini-game' formula of like the last 5 Final Fantasy games. Shane Bettenhausen is retarded for giving this game an 8.5. This FF, more than any other since the 32-bit era, deserves a 10.
6) Ninja Gaiden Black (Xbox):
It's hard not to love this game if you want some serious combat in a fully 3D environment. Featuring all of the original NG plus the Hurricane Packs all in one package, this is Ryu Hayabusa's shining moment, and the game that turned the tide for Tecmo, giving them a bona fide, triple-A title to put them in the big leagues for real. Ninja Gaiden 2 should be nothing short of spectacular.
7) Starcraft: Brood Wars (PC, Mac):
I can't really say any more about this game than I already have, but it's endlessly replayable, even today. The best strategy game I've ever played. The map editor alone supplied me with months and months of activity, and the playtesting that followed even more. Starcraft II better be the tits. The TITS I say.
NiGHTS Into Dreams (SAT):
The music, the time-attack style speed runs through each level, the A.I. nightopians, the numerous secrets hidden in the game (and by osmosis, the limited-release Christmas Nights, itself practically a standalone game), all make NiGHTS one of the biggest impact games in my 90s gaming life. I have a lot of great memories about this game that are irreplaceable. I could go on and on about this, but it gets better with time, unlike most games. I seriously hope they don't fuck the sequel up.
9) Sub-Rebellion (PS2):
A lot of people will probably look at this game and say "You're kidding, right?" But it's the 3D spiritual successor (called Underwater Unit in Japan) to the classic Irem 2D shooter In The Hunt. It controls so well and the underwater 'feeling' is so spot-on, from the sense of speed (or lack thereof) to the sound effects, to the surface battles (which makes the underwater parts seem even more underwatery), to the sense of scale when you fight enormous bosses and submarines in the game, just makes it one of my favorite, most unconventional shooters of all time. If you didn't play this game, you really, truly missed out. You should be able to find it in bargain bins for under $5.
10) Rez (PS2):
This game is as good today as it was when it first came out back in 2001. The music still kicks ass (especially Joujouka and Fear (The Mind Killer)), the action is still Panzer Dragoon-tastic
11) R-Type Final (PS2):
'Hardcore' types will undoubtedly point to the older 2D sprite-based games as the ones they'd put on their lists, but I loved Final's homage to all of the original games, as this was a labor of love for the producer and the development team. With all of the unlockable ships, this is like a greatest hits of R-Type games. This narrowly edged out R-Type Delta, which is equally fantastic, and even tougher.
12) Wave Race 64 (N64):
So glad the original F-Zero prototypes for N64 turned into this game, which kicks the ass off its GameCube sequel and DOAX2's jetski action for sheer playability and fun. I just downloaded the shit out of this game on Virtual Console on my Wii. One less reason to plug in my N64, but there's still...
13) Sin & Punishment (N64, Japan only):
So what if it's kids with guns. They're guns with fucking lasers in a futuristic society. The voice-acting is all in English and there's like virtually no text to localize. Can anyone in Christendom explain to me why this never came to the States? Best 3rd-person shooter you've never played.
14) Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction:
Responsible for destroying lives, relationships and years of one's life, and not necessarily in that order. How the same four fucking levels can be so insanely replayable is beyond me. But I could play this one to death for the next 10 years as well. Just wish they'd toss in a higher rez patch for kicks.
15) Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3):
The best of the VF games, although VF4 Evolution comes really close to this one. Still, more characters, unbelievably flexible and improv-friendly controls make this the most extravagant next-gen fighter around. The features list pales in comparison to DOA4, though, and will hopefully improve with the upcoming Xbox 360 release.
Hmm, I don't really have the free time to get into 15 games enough to never part with them. I guess the only games I own that I would never sell are:
World of Warcraft
PES6
Football Manager 2007
Deus Ex
I have tons of other games I own that I have no intention of selling at the moment, but the above four are the ones I would definitely keep as long as possible (until PES6 & FM2007 are replaced by PES7 & FM2008 of course!)
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NiGHTS Into Dreams (SAT):
