I just recently managed to get a mint condition copy of Dino Crisis for $12. I still had the save data on my memory from when I borrowed the game from a friend so I already had everything unlocked. Yay, infinite grenade launcher.

I remebered that I have quite a handful of RPGs on my GBA that I had never beaten - Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Golden Sun the Lost Age, Final Fantasy IV, V, VI (I actually haven't even opened it yet). There were some other GBA games I had beaten but never 100% completed like Metroid Fusion and Metroid Zero Mission.

The reason for this is beacuse in RPGs, I like to get everything. Every sidequest, every ultimate weapon, every treasure chest, everything. In the Metroid games, I don't know where every power-up is. Also I learn visually. While guides made by gamers on GameFAQs will usually help me get through a puzzle or beat a boss, I need a visual if I'm really stuck on a game. So I bought Player's Guides. A handful of them. I really shouldn't be buying anymore, especially with my graduation money I planned on saving, but the promise of awesome deals on eBay is too hard to resist.

Since these are all games on a Nintendo system, I tried to get the official Nintedno Power strategy guides if one existed.

From one seller, I bought the official Nintendo Power strategy guides for Golden Sun the Lost Age, Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime. Why Metroid Prime? Nostalgia I guess or maybe because I'm becoming a Nintendo Power strategy guide collector (I hope not). I recieved the guides today, and other thanvery slightshelf wear on the spine and the edges, they looked like new. Total (including shipping) - less than $15. Good deal, no?

From another seller I purchased the Nintendo Power guide for Final Fantasy V. Also I purchased a Zelda OOT button. According to the seller, when he was working at CompUSA, the employess recieved the button from a video game rep and he's had it since. Haven't recieved it yet. According to the Postal Service tracking updates, it should be here tomorrow. It's in a Dallas facility right now being sorted. Total (including shipping) - less than $15.

I purchase the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance strategy guide from another seller which I recieved today. Looks new. Got it less than $8. It was $5 if you don't include shipping.

I saw someone selling a new and sealed copy of the Halo 2 Collector's Edition. We have Halo 1 (PC) and Halo 3 (Legendary Edition), but we don't have Halo 2. Perfect opportunity. The auction's end time was 9:00 pm on Tuesday. I was in my English class at that time. Class normally ended at 9:00. Luckily, we got to leave early, so I called my mom to pick me up. That's sad, right? I'm a college student and have a driver's license, but I still want my parents to take me home. Drivers in Austin are nuts. I'm not driving with them. Let my parents do the driving. Anyway, there was a lane closure so we won't make it in time. I told my brother earlier before I left to go to class to bid for me. I wrote down instructions and everything. Anyway I talked to him using my mom's cellphone. My brother was on the computer already checking the bid. The current bid was $17.50. My original max bid was $25, but later pumped it up to $35. Me and my brother were going to split the cost. I told my brother to just put $35. Just slap that on there and hope for the best.

I got home around after ten minutes after the auction ended. I ran in the house and asked my brother how we did. He said our internet speed was faster than usual. Instead of bidding at the 15 second mark, my brother bid at 10 seconds. We won the item. The final price - $21.50. Total after shipping - $25.50. Yay!