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Monday, November 16, 2020

I Bought Another Xbox 360 Console

I have both Hoarding and Impulse Control problems when it comes to my Video Game collection, and I happen to come across another Xbox 360 Console I just had to have.......

But First

It was really bothering me that my Modern Warfare 2 Console had the wrong color Hard Drive on it.

So I did what I do best, hopped on the internet to find a proper replacement

It's not the proper 250GB Hard Drive that originally came with the console, but I use my Xbox 360 E with the 500 GB Hard Drive to play my games anyway so as long as it matched, it was $10.00.

Much better than the gray HD.

Oh and while looking I also found one of these

A Halo 3 20GB Hard Drive for $10.00

The next console I am chasing is the Halo 3 Edition Xbox 360, a few of the ones I have looked at have been missing theirs, so figured might as well pick one up, just in case I need it.

And onto my newest console purchase from Goodwill for $12.99

An Xbox 360 "Arcade" model

I have always wanted one of these, just cause. This was the Entry Level model. The "Pro" models came with a Hard Drive, Chrome disc tray door and eject button. My original pro (I gave to a girl I was hanging out with when I bought my Elite) also came with a copy of Need for Speed Most Wanted.

Does not come with a Hard Drive, but instead has a cover in it's place.

And another difference with these

No HDMI port, just the standard Xbox A/V connector

Close up shows this is a Gamestop Refurbished unit.

I am going to leave the Gamestop sticker that was placed over the Microsoft sticker, but I might remove the other barcode, although it is nice to know when this was refurbbed (May 11th 2010), it looks sloppy.

I normally just pass these models by when I see them, but it was a base model that I had been looking for, and for the price I made an exception. Let's plug it in an see if it works, or it is just a shelf decoration, I am fine either way, I just bought it to put in a Xbox 360 display someday.

Works Great!

So how do you save files on this console? You get a Memory Unit, There were four sizes available, 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB and a 512 MB.

I have a 64 and 512, will get each of the other two, just cause.

Finally got to use those Memory Slots in the front of the Original 360's

A nice "new to me" working Xbox 360 with cords and a controller for $12.99, Nice!

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Star Wars The Force Unleashed II - Building the Ultimate Edition

Since I had recently been so disappointed with the latest Star Wars game offering (Jedi Fallen Order-Blog) I Decided that I wanted to go back to a better game to clense my palate, Star Wars the Force Unleashed II. I know it may come as a shock, but I had not played all the way through to the end, as I am sure I got distracted by some other shiny new game.

I picked up the collector's edition back in 2013? From a used game store for around $15.00. and got the artwork for the standard copy from a place I used to be able to get artwork and manuals from before they went out of business (R.I.P. BRE Software) and was the copy I played.

Sorry for the stock picture, my personal copy is packed away in a box somewhere

Collector's Edition extras: collectible steelbook, Starkiller 2GB flash drive designed by Mimobot, digital art book. In-game content (3 exclusive challenge mode levels, exclusive Ralph McQuarrie concept "Deak Starkiller" skin, exclusive lightsaber crystal)

Then I remembered, there were a few different editions of the game available from the various different retailers. Remember the dark times of gaming with the developers and their "online pass" and the different retailers were all fighting for your gaming dollar? The main players (Best Buy, Target and Walmart) Offered different pack ins to get you to buy the game from them. Well if you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know I like to make my own "Ultimate Editions" by getting all of the different extras, and putting them all in one copy for my Xbox 360 Collection.

The 4 various editions

If I was better or even decent with Photoshop, I would put all 3 of those bonus boxes down the left side and print the custom artwork. But I am not, so I cannot. Hey, I can admit when I an not good at things. But it still begs the question, Which case artwork am I going to keep and use?

Bonus Mini-Comic (Target)

Bonus Trading Card (Best Buy)

Bonus Mini-Hint Guide (Walmart)

What is weird about Walmart & Best Buy, is that it is usually Best Buy that was the retailer to have the Mini-Hint Guides. I have several other games with Hint Guides only from Best Buy.

Amazon and Gamestop also had digital codes for in game content, but since I am a snobby physical collector so do not really give a shit about these digital extras, so could care less about having those.

Everything Together

And packed in the case

Decided to use the standard artwork case

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Playstation 2 Game Pickups of the PAL Variety

I was out at a slightly out of the way Goodwill, but I was on my way home from St. Cloud, MN on a game hinting trip (Pictures coming soon) so I decided to swing in, and I found some PAL Region Playstation 2 Games.

The PAL region is a television publication territory that covers most of Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and Oceania. It is so named because of the PAL (Phase Alternating Line) television standard traditionally used in those regions, as opposed to the NTSC standard traditionally used in Japan and most of North America.

I picked them up mainly just to get the Region specific colored cases, just cause.

Tiger Woods

Blue Case w/Memory Card Holder

Stuntman

Blue Case w/ Playstation Logo stamped above disc

Gran Turismo 4

Silver Case with Playstation Logo stamped above Disc

with Need for Speed Underground Disc.

I swapped the artwork, manuals and discs into plain black Disc cases and traded them into a game store. I did keep the Gran Turismo 4 Art and Manual though, as it is one of my favorite game series. I think I might find a NTSC disc and keep the case varitation, Or maybe put it all in a U.S. PS 2 Case.

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Recent Playstation 2 Game Pickups Part: 2

As promised, more Playstation 2 Game Pickups for the Collection!

Same as last Blog, These were $1.99-2.99 either from Salvation Army or Goodwill

First up, some Cabela's Games. I am no Outdoorsman or Hunter by any stretch of the imagination, but I have always enjoyed the Cabela's games as they are great time killers.