It seems to me we’ve stumbled upon a new era. Without even realizing it, a new criteria for game love has appeared. Though really, it isn’t all that new. It’s something that did happen before, once ports started becoming prolific, but now that we’re heading into the midst of the digital era, we’ve reached a point where the best way to determine the value and merit of a video game isn’t based upon review scores or peer pressure.
It’s how often you’re willing to buy it.
Which means for me, Persona 3 and the Phantasy Star series as a whole probably have a lock on my all-time favorites.
Let’s start with Persona 3. I bought the original game at launch for my PS2 since I have an ardant love of all things Atlus. When Persona 3 FES was announced, I gave my copy of Persona 3 to my then-boyfriend and put in a pre-order. Keep in mind I did this before I even beat the original game. When Persona 3 Portable was announced, I also grabbed a launch copy because the idea of having a female protagonist rocked my world and I couldn’t not buy it.
Then I got my Vita and made what is probably the biggest declaration of love for all things Persona and Atlus. I bought Persona 3 Portable again. See, I was going to be going on a road trip and, well, it’s Persona!
By the way, my Shin Megami Tensei love apparently knows no bounds as I also own the PS1 and PSP versions of Revelations: Persona and plan to have the PS2 and Vita versions of Persona 4 by the end of the year. I also have both the DS and 3DS versions of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor which is kinda crazy, when you think about it, since there aren’t that many differences between the two games.
Then there’s the Phantasy Star series. I’m going with series as a whole for this part, for reasons you’ll soon understand. Phantasy Star III was my first ever RPG. The closest I had come to an RPG before that was Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom on the NES. (Another game I’ve bought more than once!) The series changed my gaming life. I had Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, Phantasy Star IV and a Nomad. Life was good.
It also meant I was willing to get the Phantasy Star Collection for my Game Boy Advance, then Sega Genesis Collection for my PS2 so I could play my favorite three games on the big screen again and finally Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for my PS3 because even though it’s game list was almost identical to the PS2 collection, it also had the original Phantasy Star.
It just goes to show – as ports and enhanced ports appear more often and games receive digital releases, fans will keep going back to the games they love.
In case you’re curious about other situations where I’ve gone bonkers over games, here are a few other titles I’ve bought, then rebought, because I thought they were just that good.
- Cave Story: I loved the freeware game, so I grabbed the WiiWare port the moment it was released. I eventually also had to get the 3DS remake and a Humble Indie Bundle gave me the enhanced PC remake.
- Dragon Age Origins: I bought the PS3 version of the game and Awakenings expansion used, then double-dipped when I saw the PS3 Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition at Goodwill.
- Final Fantasy IV: I first got it on my SNES. Then I got it in a PS1 classics collection. After that, I caved and got the GBA, then the PSP release.
- Final Fantasy VI: I had it on my SNES. The PS1 release was a must-grab as well. Then of course I had to get the GBA version so I could play it anywhere. Wow. Square Enix is really taking my (and initially my parents’) money.
- Final Fantasy VII: I got it for my Windows PC first, then a PS1 copy when I got that system and I plan to get a PSN copy once the Vita gets PS1 compatibility.
- Final Fantasy VIII: See Final Fantasy VII. It’s the same exact situation.
- Mass Effect 2: I got the PC version for free because I bought Dragon Age 2, and then bought the PS3 version because I enjoyed it so much and it included some of the DLC for free.
- Phantom Brave: I originally had the game on the PS2 and never finished it. When it came out for the Wii, I grabbed it since it had an extra storyline. When the PSP version came out, I went for it again because after beating it I found I really loved it.
- Space Channel 5: This one’s going to sound like it’s out of order, but it’s not. I got the PS2 version first, then the GBA version was given to me as a gift. After I found a Dreamcast at a local Goodwill, I ended up getting the original Dreamcast release as well.
- VVVVVV: I got it from a Humble Indie Bundle and liked it so much that I grabbed it for my 3DS as well.
Of all the purchases, Mass Effect 2 and VVVVVV make the most sense in my mind as I’m rubbish at PC games that aren’t turn-based RPGs, simulations, or visual novels. By rebuying them, it meant I was actually able to enjoy them on a platform where I could actually do well and not die! (Virtually, of course.)
Your collection is nothing I own every megaten since the nes days
Impressive.
Very! I wish I could have collected some of the older games.
I wasn’t really talking about collections though. I was just talking about games I enjoyed so much that I had to buy it over and over.
Case in point – DA:O was just $4.99 on Steam for the summer sale, so I bought it (AGAIN) because I want access to all the PC mods.