Morrison’s Top 8 Acquisitions from 2023

Welcome all to another edition of The 8 Ball! This week, I’m here to talk about the big items that I was able to acquire in 2023. For most of the time I was in the hospital or otherwise indisposed but I did able to get some cool items from time to time when I was healthy. This isn’t all game related, since I am also a big DVD/blu-ray collector, so a few of those pop up on this list as well. Enjoy:

#8: Fortified Zone

Yes, I was finally able to acquire a copy of Fortified Zone. This game has eluded me for a while, one store put it up on their Facebook page and in the three days it took for me to call and see if they still had it, it was already gone. I was able to get my copy for $15 at a used/retro game expo that happens locally, which is nice. I also grabbed a few other things, which I’ll get into below, but now I just need to track down a copy of Kirby’s Dreamland 2 for the Game Boy.

#7: Contra 3: The Alien Wars (Not for Resale)

Now, I’ve actually owned a copy of Contra 3 for years, I think it was one of the first 10 games I got when I started recollecting for the SNES. Contra 3 typically goes for like $40 to $50 and isn’t that rare of a game. However, the “Not for Resale” version was a kiosk cartridge, which is the games they would put into the SNES kiosks, back in the day. It’s the same game, functionally speaking, just with a different game label. So, the store that had it posted it, I asked them to hold it, and I trudged down there with my original copy of Contra 3, sold it for like $20 and bought the NFR version for like $160. Dumb? You bet. But it is cool to have in my collection.

#6: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2 Innocent Sin (Limited Edition

While at that retro convention from above, I also managed to pick up this gem. The limited edition one comes with a small soundtrack sample CD, which I got for just around $160. Another booth had just the basic version of the game for $200, so I thought I got quite a nice deal on it. While there I also grabbed the original Final Fantasy 7 soundtrack, which still holds up pretty well. Sadly, I missed out on the Bung Game Doctor (Super Nintendo floppy drive thing), but if I had bought that, I wouldn’t have had money for anything else.

#5: Valkyrie Profile

Honestly, I’ve never played and only barely ever heard of this game before. I know it’s very well regarded and costs a lot of money these days. A store about an hour away put one up for sale for about $270. That might seem like a lot but at one point it was going for over $400, so that’s not so bad. The general price now is about $290, at least on ebay, but my copy is in VERY nice condition and the store I got it from is well regarded for having good quality stuff. Maybe one of these days, I’ll eventually play it.

#4: Psycho: Legacy Collection Deluxe Version

This is the first of the non-game stuff on this list. I saw this box set while online and knew I had to eventually get it. The “Psycho: Legacy Collection”. It is an 8 blu-ray box set featuring Psycho 1-4, the 1998 remake, the German uncut version of Psycho 1, the pilot episode of the 1987 Bates Motel series (which didn’t go anywhere) and a few documentary blu-rays. It also comes with art cards, posters, a “Do Not Disturb” door sign, notepaper from The Bates Hotel, a hardcover book and more. It’s one of the most elaboarte special editions I’ve seen for a movie and I’m very glad to own this.

#3: Cannon Spike

Now we’re coming up to some of the heavy hitters, especially when it comes to price. Cannon Spike is generally considered either the first or second most expensive Dreamcast game, with it being frequently tied with Giga Wing 2. I was able to score my copy in September for about $250, which was a bit of a bargain, considering it’s now about $300. I love Cannon Spike, it plays in a wonky way but it’s very unique and just having a game where Cammy, B.B. Hood, Mega Man, and Charlie from Street Fighter, teaming up to take down robots and soldiers is a ton of fun. This was always a game I really wanted for the Dreamcast, back in the day, and I’m glad to own it now.

#2: Kuon

Honestly, me picking up Kuon was almost on a lark. This copy had been sitting in a local game store, for months, for $700 and no one was biting for it. Finally, one day I just decided I was going to trade in for it, and that’s what I did, lowering the price to about $450. This store has a policy though of using coupons to get 10% off an item but only up to $25. I used one of those coupons but it rang up as a $70 off, because it didn’t take the “up to $25” part into the equation. So, I gladly took advantage and got the game for about $320, when taxes are taken into consideration. The funny thing is, I honestly have no desire to play the thing, it’s merely a displace piece and for me to say that I own the most expensive PS2 game on the market right now.

#1: Power Rangers Legacy Collection

The second of the “non game” part of my pick ups and the far more important one. Many people would love to have Kuon but seriously, who wouldn’t want to own the first 20 seasons of Power Rangers on DVD that is held in an oversized Red Ranger helmet? It is literally the best and I have this thing in my room so I wake up to it every day just to see the majesty of it. This set includes everything from the first Power Rangers season up to Megaforce. For what it is worth, this is my most beloved DVD set ever and I am over the moon that I actually own it. For anyone curious, mine is 0857 out of the 2,000 that were made.

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For comments, list which big games or DVDs you got in 2023 and why.

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Top 8 Missing Games Still