No one read my last blog. Lame... And it was funny too. Well, I guess the title turned everyone off.

Anyway, some may have noticed that I added a handfull of PS1 games to my library. I never owned a PS1and thus never got to play some of the best games of the mid to late 90s. Long live eBay.

My first purchase was the ever popular Castlevania Symphony of the Night. The game has aged much better than other games at the time and is definitely one of the best 2-D games I've ever played since Zelda. Now I own a total ofthree Castlevania games. I had almost given up on getting this game since finding a mint condition, no scratches copy was hard to find and somewhat expensive. I got extremely lucky when I managed to find one for a Buy it Now price of $26. Shipping was free.Judging by the time left, the seller had posted it only two hours earlier. I didn't hesitate and bought it right then and there. I recieved it and it was flawless. No scratches whatsoever. The disc looked brand new. The case was nice and smooth with no signs of wear or cracks and the manual had no bends or tears. It was also the Greatest Hits version so it had that bright green label which is good since I wanted it to match all my other PS1 games which also had the green label with the exception of Threads of Fate (Dew Prism).

My next purchase was Final Fantasy VII. I borrowed the game from a classmate in my junior year in high school, but never had enough time to get past the first disc. That was my very first time playing the game. I had tried to finda mint condition, no scratches copy of the game. For over a year, I was consistently outbid and was discouraged at the high prices. A couple of weeks ago, my oppuntunity came. The black label version was out of the question since that was the collector's item. I wanted the Greatest Hits version anyway. I like that green label, it's pretty. And I wanted it to match with FFVIII. I stumbled upon someone who was selling his games because he "had a kid and didn't need this stuff." He had a copy of FFVII Greatest Hits in mint condition. He graded the condition of his games on a 10 point scale. Each disc was rated a ten for flawless.Near the end, the bidding went up to $50 at one point, but someone retracted their bid, dropping it to$36. When only 20 seconds were left, I entered $45 and hoped for the best. I won the games for $41.Most complete mint copies of FFVII often went well into the $50-$60 range. Got the game a week later and just like Castlevania SotN, it was flawless. You could take the game, reseal it and sell it as new and people would have no clue. I almost shed a tear. Once I get FFIII for the DS and FFIX for the PS1, I'll have the entire main series. Except for FFXI; that does not count and it never will.

The game has not aged well unfortunantly. Not being able to use the analog stick was my only gripe. When you see the difference in graphics between FFVIII and FFVIII, which came out only two years after VII, it's amazing how big the difference is. It's like looking at Halo 1 and looking at Halo 2. The game's translation was good for it's time, but now it's all too easy to spot all those grammer errors. "This guy are sick." "Off course," agrees Cloud. lol

Final Fantasy Tactics. That was not a planned purchase, however, the game's value has gone down in recent years. It used to fetch prices of $70-$80. I saw someone seeling a mint copy of it for a but it now price of $25-$30. I don't remember exactly. The game was once again flawless. The case got a few cracks during shipping. I told the seller about it and sent me a step by step guide of how to replace the case fromtaking outthe back art out to putting it all together again. According to him, PS1 jewel cases get damaged during shipping fairly often. Also you should take special care ofmultidisc cases like FFVII, or FFVIII since you can't just go to Wal-mart and buy those like you can with normal jewel cases. I found an unused clear jewel case on my parents CD rack. Only the front part was damaged so I didn't have to take the back art out or anything. I just took the front part off and snapped the new one on. Looks like new.

Silent Hill was next. Yeah, I already own a copy, (A friend traded it to me in exchange for a soda)but it had cracks in the case and the disc was covered in scratches. So I bought a mint condition Greatest Hits one for $25. The case was damaged during shipping, but it was otherwise like new.(What part of "handle with care" does the US Postal Service not understand? FedEx and UPS seem to understand that quite clearly when I buy CDs from Play-Asia). I didn't have any more jewel cases, but my friend Ben has plenty since he was a video game collector and thus has plenty of extra replacement cases. He's out of town so I'll have to wait two weeks for him to come back.

On a side note, I finally beat SHa few days ago. I put it off for a long time, but finally got to it. Got the best ending, now to get the UFO ending.

I also got my hands on a couple of strategy guides. I got FF Crystal Chronicles and FFIV Advance. Both in like new condition and for less than$5 each. Much cheaper than the $15 retail price.

Got my own copy of Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo for $19. Shipping was free. The disc has ahandful oflight scratches, but I let it slide since this game is quite rare and a mint copy was easliy around $40-$50. I had to buy a PS1 since this game is not compatible with slim model PS2s (75000-90001 series). I got a like new PS1 for $25. Shipping was free. I got it just today and immediately started to play Puzzle Fighter.

How did I pay for all this? Well, I used my money for Castlevania andPuzzle Fighter. Everything else was paid for by my parents. My brithday is coming next month, but I decided to get my birthday shopping overwith now. I can play all my games if I want except for FFVII and FF Tactics.I have to wait to play those though I did get to play them for a short time to make sure they worked properly.

I don't know if I'll invite friends over or not. If I do, I'll invite no more than five people.

So yeah. I probably won't post another blog till my birthday. When is that? The first day of September.

If you haven't, read my previous blog and comment if you want. I'm interested on what your thoughts are.