The original XBox doesn’t have quite as many cult classics as the PS2 and Gamecube, but there are still some gems and oddities in the library that collectors do their best to snatch up.  Much like Gamecube games on the Wii, many of the games listed below still benefit greatly from being backwards-compatible on the XBox 360.

In stark contrast to the Cheapest Games series, this Rare & Valuable series by JJ Hendricks and I  will round up the rarest and most valuable games for a given console or handheld so you’ll know what to look for whether you are buying or selling. JJ owns the video game pricing website, VideoGamePriceCharts.com and writes a Video Game Pricing Blog which analyzes video game prices, pricing trends, and charts historic video game prices. He used his pricing statistics to find both the average selling price and the highest selling price for each game over the last three months. Below you will see two prices beside each title. The first is the average daily selling price, which is typically the going rate for the game by itself. The second price is the highest price in the past three months which is usually the price for the new/sealed game. The list is ordered by the balance of the two prices.

Treasured Standard USA Releases

	Marvel vs Capcom 2 – $73 – $155 If you want the biggest mashup of characters in your fighting games, Marvel vs Capcom 2 is the place to be.  It may not be the most balanced game for tournaments, but its one of the hottest mainstream 2D fighters out there.  Most gamers may flock to the PS2 version, but the Xbox  release is just right behind it in terms of value.  You can imagine how many fans would love to see this come to XBLA if they could work out the licensing issues. Check for Marvel vs Capcom 2 on Amazon Check for Marvel vs Capcom 2 on eBay
	Steel Battalion with Controller: $81 – $204 Steel Battaloin (Game Only): $30 – $35 It’s a bit unfair to include Steel Battalion so high on the list as most of the value of the full set is due to the massive controller that remains as a mech fan’s dream come true.  However, even the bare game still holds its own in the top 10, so we can’t complain too much.  If you aren’t familiar with it, Steel Battalion’s controller tries to replicate being inside a Mech and had nearly 40 buttons. Because the controller was so large the game retailed for $200 and only limited quantities were produced. The initial production was close to 2,000 units but the game was re-released, adding a few more copies to the market. Check for Steel Battalion on Amazon Check for Steel Battalion on eBay
	Sonic Mega Collection Plus & Super Monkey Ball Deluxe: $42 – $79 It’s not too often that a greatest hits re-release is more valuable that orignial releases, but in this case, it contains two excellent Sega titles in one.  The game originally sold for $19.99 when released (like all Platinum Hits titles) but now the game sells for nearly $40. The game released in December 2005 and like other late generation titles it wasn’t carried by many retailers. Check for Sonic Mega Collection/Super Monkey Ball Deluxe on Amazon Check for Sonic Mega Collection/Super Monkey Ball Deluxe on eBay
	Halo Triple Pack – $39 – $47 Halo Triple Pack is a bundle that came out rather late in the Xbox’s life resulting in rather small retail support. The Halo bundle includes Halo 1, Halo 2, and the Halo 2 Map expansion. Xbox 360 owners keep the price high because all three discs included in the package are backward compatible. Check for Halo Triple Pack on Amazon Check for Halo Triple Pack on eBay
	Jurassic Park Operation Genesis: $34 – $84 Jurassic Park Operation Genesis is one of the more uncommon original Xbox games. You have to recreate the Jurassic Park theme park by creating dinosaurs, building rides, and attracting guests. Just like the movie, the dinosaurs can attack the guests if you don’t keep them safe. The game received mediocre reviews but it’s rarity makes it expensive. Check for Jurassic Park Operation Genesis on Amazon Check for Jurassic Park Operation Genesis on eBay
	Street Fighter Anniversary Collection: $39 – $53 This is really one of the best fighting compilations out there, as it contains Hyper Street Fighter II and Street Fighter III: Third Strike on one disc. The compilations was already quite popular, but the buzz from Street Fighter IV recently helped increase the price for this game. Check for Street Fighter Anniversary Collection on Amazon Check for Street Fighter Anniversary Collection on eBay
	Sniper Elite : $33 – $45 Sniper Elite was released on the PS2 at the same time and neither version sold very well, but the Xbox version is the rarer of the two. The game is entirely based upon stealth and using long range weapons. The sniping in this gem is more realistic than most FPS games because it takes into account wind, your breathing, and even gravity’s effect on the bullet. Check for Sniper Elite on Amazon Check for Sniper Elite on eBay
	Star Wars Jedi Knight Academy: $25 – $55 Jedi Knight Academy sold quite well and there are quite a few copies available, but the game is very popular with Star Wars fans and received very good review scores. You play as a student at the Jedi Academy and complete missions assigned to you by Luke Skywalker and other Jedi. The game also has a network multi-player mode so you can compete with other Jedi in training. Check for Star Wars Jedi Knight Academy on Amazon Check for Star Wars Jedi Knight Academy on eBay
	Grand Theft Auto Trilogy : $30 – $42 Grand Theft Auto Trilogy includes GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas in one package. The game wasn’t released until November 2005, the same month the Xbox 360 launched. Most retailers quickly dropped support for Xbox titles after the 360 launched so the game was never fully supported. The game is backward compatible with the 360 and even with its high price is a relatively cheap way to play three GTA games. Check for Grand Theft Auto Trilogy on Amazon Check for Grand Theft Auto Trilogy on eBay
	Fatal Frame: $27 – $40 Fatal Frame is a survival horror game where your only weapon is a camera. When you snap pictures of the ghosts you can away their soul and protect yourself. The game was ported to the Xbox from the Playstation 2 but did not sell as well on the Xbox. Check for Fatal Frame on Amazon Check for Fatal Frame on eBay

Additional XBox Games of Value

• The Guy Game: $27 – $39
• Barbie Horse Adventures Wild Horse Rescue – $25 – $31
• Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance 2: $29 – $33
• Fatal Frame 2: $22 – $39
• Star Wars Knights of Old Republic 2: $19 – $34
• Land of the Dead Road to Fiddler’s Green: $18 – $33
• Steel Battalion: Line of Contact: $19 – $29
• Outrun 2006 Coast 2 Coast: $20 -  $28
• UFC Tapout 2: $17 – $27
• Airforce Delta Storm - $14 – $24
• Star Wars Battlefront 2 – $19 – $33
• Capcom Classics Collection Vol 2: $19 – $23

Rarest Games At Affordable Prices

Each of these games are quite hard to find, but routinely sell for $20 or less. If you are an collector and see a mint copy of any of these on eBay for a low price, you might want to snatch them up — you might not see them often and they could be a higher profile target down the line.

• Outlaw Golf 9 Holes of X-Mas: $4
• Outlaw Volleyball Red Hot: $4
• Outlaw Golf Holiday Golf: $5
• Outlaw Golf 9 More Holes of X-Mas: $4
• Dragons Lair 3D: $9
• Loons Fight For Fame: $6
• Totaled: $8
• Spikeout Battle Street: $13
• Kakuto Chojin: $7

Credits: Xbox Price List provided by VideoGamePriceCharts.com. Used prices are the average sales prices on eBay, Amazon, and Half.com between December 1st, 2008 and February 26th, 2009. New prices are the average sales price for a sealed copy on the same websites during the same time period. The list is ranked by average sales price during the last three months. All the games are not rare (hard to find with small quantities available), but relative to demand all of these are in short supply.

Now that the 360 has been on the market for a few years now, we’re starting to see some big name titles come down to single-digit prices.  And as long as you willing to go digging around in the used-game market, you can starting building an impressive game library for much less than the console cost you.

Now, I haven’t played all of these, but I’m going mostly on critic’s reviews and word-of-mouth from gamers with similar tastes.  I figured the $10 price point would the sweet spot for quality-versus-price, so I’ll list the top picks under that mark (Prices listed are an average eBay price and lowest Amazon.com prices for US games, including shipping.)

Since retail Xbox 360 games aren’t the only thing you can play on your console, I’m also including some of the most critically acclaimed XBLA titles so far and my picks for the best cheap games from the original XBox that are backwards compatible on the XBox 360.
Check out the other Cheapest Games Worth Your Time articles

Best Retail Games $10 or Under

	Forza Motorsport 2 / Marvel Ultimate Alliance Combo: $7 Once bundled with the console, this combo is now dirt cheap and both games are worthy of the price tag on their own (You can also buy them both separately for about the same price or a bit lower).  Forza is Microsoft’s answer to the Gran Turismo fand eatures stunning visuals, plenty of customization and deep adriving physics.   Marvel Ultimate Alliance is an excellent action RPG featuring tons of comic book favorites.Shop for Forza Motorsport 2 / Marvel Ultimate Alliance on eBay Shop for Forza Motorsport 2 / Marvel Ultimate Alliance on Amazon.com
	Crackdown: $9 Part Grand Theft Auto, part City of Heroes, Crackdown is a free-form action game is set in a futuristic, crime-ridden metropolis in which you can use initiate superhuman feats such as throwing cars and leaping across rooftops.  It plays brilliantly and is astonishingly easy to get into. For outrageousness and pure entertainment value, you can’t go wrong with Crackdown.Shop for Crackdown on eBay Shop for Crackdown on Amazon.com
	XBox Live Arcade Unplugged: $4 If you don’t mind having these games on a disc instead of the hard drive, this is a phenomenal deal and worth the price of admission simply for Geometry Wars.  However, this disc actually includes six full Xbox Live Arcade games (Geometry Wars Retro Evolved, Wik: Fable of Souls, Outpost Kaloki X, Bejeweled 2 Deluxe, Hardwood Backgammon, and Texas Hold ‘em) along with a 1 month account to Xbox Live Gold. Shop for XBox Live Arcade Unplugged on eBay Shop for XBox Live Arcade Unplugged on Amazon.com
	Lost Planet: Extreme Condition: $10 This blockbuster sci-fi shooter is just recently taking a dive in resale value, leaving bargain shoppers with a wonderful value.  Everything from its well-designed single player campaign to the never-ending online battles makes this adventure well worth the price of admission. Shop for Lost Planet on eBay Shop for Lost Planet on Amazon.com
	Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter: $8 As in earlier Ghost Recon games, Advanced Warfighter is filled with a variety of tactical mission types, including recon, escort, and full-on assault. The fantastic single player campaign will draw you in and the extensive online multiplayer options will keep you coming back for more.   This finely-polished title from Free Radical (of TimeSplitters fame) is a must-own for fans of tactical warfare. Shop for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter on eBay Shop for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter on Amazon.com
	Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas: $10 Rainbow Six: Vegas was one of the hottest 360 games when it came out two years ago.  If you prefer a first-person perspective to your tactical shooters, this is a great game to pick up for your 360 library.  And as you can expect from the best Tom Clancy games, the single player campaigns are solid and the highly customizable multiplayer keep it going strong.  Of course, if you want the latest and greatest, you can pay twice as much for the sequel, but if you’re on a budget, stick with the original. Shop for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas on eBay Shop for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas on Amazon.com
	Project Gotham Racing 3: $4 I’ve been a fan of this series since it transitioned from Metropolis Street Racer on the Dreamcast.  Personally, I’m not a fan of ultra-customizable and overly realistic racers (super-real graphics are ok) like Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport.  So the Project Gotham Racing 3 is just right for me when I want something a bit more arcade-like without spending much. Shop for Project Gotham Racing 3 on eBay Shop for Project Gotham Racing 3 on Amazon.com
	War Tech: Senko No Ronde: $7 If you are an old-school arcade fan that enjoys 2D shooting and fighting games, you seriously need to consider picking up Senko No Ronde.  It is essentially a modern crossover of the two retro genres and, despite its rather subpar reviews, its actually a pretty good game if you know what you’re getting into. Shop for War Tech: Senko No Ronde on eBay Shop for War Tech: Senko No Ronde on Amazon.com
	Top Spin 2: $7 Personally, I’ve always been a fan of Sega’s Virtua Tennis series, but Top Spin is its best competition when it comes to a tennis game that is easy to pick up and difficult to master.  These games always make for a surprisingly good party game and you can’t go wrong with it at this price. Shop for Top Spin 2 on eBay Shop for Top Spin 2 on Amazon.com
	LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy: $10 Whatever you do, do not write this game off as a kids game.  Lego Star Wars is an absolute blast – especially with two-player co-op.  My wife wouldn’t stop bugging me to play “just one more level”.  Just like the movies, “The Original Trilogy” is best of the bunch, but for a few more dollars, you can get the Complete Saga on the 360 instead. Shop for LEGO Star Wars II on eBay Shop for LEGO Star Wars II on Amazon.com

Cheap Backwards-Compatible XBox Must-Haves For Your 360

If you’re a 360 owner, you really shouldn’t overlook the quality titles that are in the original XBox’s library.  There are so many solid games that are still worth playing years later.  However, many of them have been out for a while, so you can scoup them up for next to nothing.  I’ve limited this section quite a bit, but if you want a more detailed guide, check out the Cheapest XBox Games Worth Your Time.

	Halo & Halo 2: $9 There is no doubt that Halo is still one of the most popular console FPSs out there and is the cornerstone of the XBox library. If you want to see the beginning of this landmark series, you can do so on the cheap while waiting for Halo 3 to come down in value. Shop for Halo on eBay Shop for Halo on Amazon.com
	Jet Set Radio Future / Sega GT Combo: $4 The original Jet Grind Radio from the Dreamcast is still one of my all-time favorites, and its sequel on the XBox simplifies the gameplay a bit in some areas, bring the story forward a number of years, and puts some XBox polish on the already slick graphical style. JSRF is an incredibly unique and entertaining game that should not be overlooked. What’s better is JSRF was combined with Sega GT for an XBox pack-in disk. You should be able to find the combo disc just about anywhere for next to nothing. Shop for Jet Set Radio Future / Sega GT Combo on eBay Shop for Jet Set Radio Future / Sega GT Combo on Amazon.com
	Panzer Dragoon Orta: $9 Even though your typical XBox owner probably isn’t even familiar with the Panzer Dragoon series, that shouldn’t stop you from spending a little cash on checking this gem out. The Panzer Dragoon series is a collection of cult-classics on the ill-fated Sega Saturn, but the on-rails shooter made a stunning return on the XBox. This under-appreciated title is one of Sega’s last great masterpieces. Shop for Panzer Dragoon Orta on eBay Shop for Panzer Dragoon Orta on Amazon.com
	Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge: $4 If you enjoy flight action games, you couldn’t ask for much more from Crimson Skies. In additional to it’s killer dog-fighting gameplay, it has outstanding graphics, an awesome soundtrack, easy controls, top-notch production values, a fun online mode that has a huge following, and professional voice acting that adds a blend of drama, noir, and comedy. Shop for Crimson Skies on eBay Shop for Crimson Skies on Amazon.com

The Best XBLA Games Under $10

There really are so many excellent games on XBox Live Arcade — and most of them are under $10.  This could be a rather lengthty list (maybe a topic for another time), so I’ll just list my highest recommendations.

• Ikaruga: $10
• Rez HD: $10
• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2: $8
• Alien Hominid HD: $10
• Bionic Commando Rearmed: $10
• Bomberman Live: $10
• Every Extend Extra Extreme: $10
• Mega Man 9: $10
• Pac-Man Championship Edition : $10
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2: $10
• Puzzle Quest: $10
• N+ : $10
• Soul Calibur: $10
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: $10
• Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix: $10
• Lumines Live!: $10
• Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting: $10
• Metal Slug 3: $10
• Prince of Persia Classic: $10

360 Games Near The $10 Mark

Here’s a few more 360 games that you may be able to snag for $10  if you’re really lucky, but average out to be a bit more.  But if you’re patient, these should drop under $10 before you know it.

• The Orange Box: $15 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Viva Piñata: $15  - eBay / Amazon.com
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2: $13  - eBay / Amazon.com
• Virtua Fighter 5: $17  - eBay / Amazon.com
• Dead Rising: $13  - eBay / Amazon.com
• Project Gotham Racing 4: $13  - eBay / Amazon.com

Other Cheap XBox 360 Favorites

• The Darkness: $10 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent: $10 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Call of Duty 2: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Quake 4: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Need for Speed Most Wanted: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Moto GP 07: $10 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Perfect Dark Zero: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Tony Hawk’s Project 8: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Kameo Elements of Power: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
• NBA 2K8: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Madden NFL 08: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com

Other Cheap Backwards-Compatible XBox Favorites

• Burnout 3: Takedown: $6  - eBay / Amazon.com
• OutRun 2: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Indigo Prophecy: $8 - eBay / Amazon.com
• Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee: $6 - eBay / Amazon.com
• Metal Arms: Glitch in the System: $5 - eBay / Amazon.com
• Shenmue II: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com

I personally don’t play a lot of games on my PC, but when forum regular, Mozgus shared his high praises of a freeware 2D action platformer, I had to look into it.  As the author, Daniel Remar, describes the game, “Iji is an action-packed strategic platform shooter with a detailed story, large levels with multiple paths, powerful bosses and lots of secrets. There are alternate gameplay events, dialogues and scenes depending on what you do, a wealth of extras and bonus features, and seven stats to upgrade through a leveling system. Iji herself has superhuman strength and abilities, and can crack Nanotechnology, use her enemies’ most devastating weapons against them, and be a pacifist or a killer which changes her mood and the fate of those around her.”

What The Game Is Like

Mozgus described Iji as a “Metroidish version of Out of this World” while others have called it a 2D version of System Shock or Deus Ex.  Regardless of what it resembles, if you enjoy 2D action adventures (with RPG elements), you’ll get a kick out of this game.  And of course, since it’s completely free, the only thing you have to lose is your time — and it will most likely be time well spent.

The primary purpose of this post it to simply bring some additional attention to the game and to get everyone’s thoughts on it.  Instead of doing a full review of the game, I’ll simply pass along this existing review at PopMatters.

The Interview

Mozgus was so fascinated with the game that he also wanted to interview Daniel Remar about his creation.  However, before we jump into that discussion, you may want to read this older interview at Planet Freeplay for more information and context.

Mozgus: I see that you gathered quite a few people to lend their voices to the characters. Were they friends and family, or did you find them by other means? Describe the process of assembling and recording the voice talents for a free, indie game. I was particularly impressed by Anna Ashabova. Iji, the character, had some of the most convincing little samples out of any action-centric female lead in a video game.

Daniel Remar: The voices were recorded in a studio at school, and the actors consist of students and teachers. I simply picked people whose voices I thought would fit, and sometimes I was surprised. Half of the cast is female, but many people don’t seem to realize it since I often chose women with heavier voices to suit the theme and mood of the game. Anna is a friend of mine with an interest in videogame voice actors, who promised to do Iji’s voice a few years ago, since I thought it would sound different from the norm and fit the character. And luckily it did, otherwise I couldn’t think of anyone else to cast the role. She has several lines heard in the Sound Test that appear only rarely in the game itself (the same goes for other characters – the Berserker enemy has a voice for a specific situation in the final level). Also, if you’ve played Garden Gnome Carnage, the guy who shouts “Carnage!” there plays the role of Asha in Iji.

Mozgus: I have to admit, I’ve listened to the album 5 times this week. It’s just flawless. The music perfectly portrays the sense of desperation and emotion that the story involves, as well as maintaining a certain retro-gaming sound and flying with the sci-fi groundwork. So, similar to the above question, what led you to choosing Chris Geehan and Dan Byrne McCullough to compose the majority of the soundtrack? How did you know they were capable of this? I can’t find any other music by them.

Daniel: It’s hard to remember. I knew since several years ago what Chris was capable of, but I had other candidates and contributors for the soundtrack as well. Chris and some of his friends did many test tracks and concepts, some of which were heard in early Iji demos, but when we got serious about it he grabbed a friend (McCullough) to produce the final soundtrack.

Mozgus: Will you be putting out a strategy guide soon, like you’ve done with some of your older games? Iji is ripe with secrets, if my two play-throughs are any indication. I’m very eager to experience all the content I have missed, but short of a few youtube videos, there’s very little online assistance to be found.

Daniel: It’s going to take at least half a year before I put up a guide, since although it only takes a week or so to make one for Iji, I feel a lot of players are too eager to get everything handed to them. It may be mean to impose the concept of “a secret isn’t a secret if it’s well known” on modern gamers with Internet access, but people usually have little trouble finding them on their own with a bit of exploration. I didn’t actually think the game would be popular enough that anyone would find Sector Z, for instance. So far no-one has found every secret in the game to my knowledge – some lesser ones are quite far-fetched though. So there will be a guide, eventually.

Mozgus: Is there any content that didn’t make it into the public versions that you could talk about? Any lost cutscenes, weapons, or other abilities? At the very end of the official trailer, I notice Iji performing some kind of full body explosion. I don’t remember anything that looked quite like that from the game. Perhaps that was an early version of the “Nuke” weapon combination?

Everything in the trailer is in the game, otherwise I’d feel like I was cheating people. :p It clearly shows two of the hidden skills actually, and how to reach one of the Posters. But yes, there was one weapon called “Doublestrike” which was later replaced by the Resonance reflector. It just fired the Shotgun immediately followed by the Resonance detonator, which was pretty useless. The Assimilate stat also reduced knockback, but prevented the player from reaching some secrets, and maxing the Strength stat gave a 20% chance of not being sent flying from heavy blows, again messing with reaching some areas. Apart from that, nothing comes to mind – I made all the cutscenes in one go near the end of production, but any alpha test levels were naturally deleted. When it comes to gameplay and story ideas, it was all sorted out on the planning stages as I was working on the game.

Mozgus: Do you have any plans on continuing to update the game past v1.2? With the recent attention, would any suggestions from the fans have a chance at being implemented?

Daniel: I’m going to continue fixing bugs and mistakes, but at this point I’m not adding anything major. I feel the game is complete, despite its flaws in graphics and writing, and I want to move on to something else so I don’t get stuck in it.

Mozgus:You’ve mentioned that Another World was an inspiration to the game’s overall visual style, but you also display unrelated sketches and other works on your site. After looking at them, it’s easy to see your own established style coming through in the character designs. Did you have any earlier artistic inspirations that took hold in the years prior to Iji’s development?

Daniel: My artistic inspirations come from all over the place, especially western games, eventually resulting in a comic called “Ultimortal” which no longer exists. Iji takes considerable inspiration from that comic eventhough it didn’t feature many humans – a common theme is the clunky, stylized geometry and characters. Some call Iji’s style “anime” though, which is oversimplifying things. I strived to make the characters look realistic and every scene unique, and move the camera around as much as possible. Unfortunately this also resulted in the difficulty of portraying the same face from many different angles and distances, which leads to making them look slightly different from panel to panel. I’ve never been a good artist, but I once wanted to be one, which is noticable in Iji’s amateur artwork.

Mozgus: Forgive this obligatory final question: What are your plans now?

Daniel: In terms of hobby games, Iji itself hints at both a sequel to Hero and another little game about a rectangular strawberry. It’s going to take a while before I start working on either of them, but that’s what I’d like to do next. They’d require about the same time investment as Retrobattle and Castle of Elite, that is two months each at most. Plans for Iji 2 are there, but it will likely never happen, and even
then it’d take another four years. :p

Where To Get It

You can download this gem of a game at the author’s site.  Make sure to let us know what you think of it.

Presented by: Mozgus, Ivo, and Racketboy
New To Together Retro? Check out the introduction to the club

What’s The Deal With This “Special Weekend Edition”?

Motivated by Blizzard’s announcement of Diablo 3 (and the rather enticing gameplay video), forum regular Mozgus suggested a revival of playing Diablo 2 on Battle.net (most likely, playing with the expansion, Lord of Destruction which noticeably improves the original). Also, Blizzard recently released patch 1.12, which conveniently lets you play without the CDs (you obviously still need to have legit CD-keys!)

The idea was basically to play with other members of our community rather than with unknown people. Anyone interested in this is welcome to join channel “racketboy” on Battle.net’s US East. Other members will hopefully gather in that channel before / between games, or try directly joining games named “racketboy”, (or, if there’s need for it “racketboy1″ etc), with password “retro”.

Although anyone is obviously free to join whenever and create their “racketboy” games, without set times and dates it is relatively unlikely that many people will be online to play together – for this reason we decided to make this blog post to give the idea more notoriety, and also to suggest weekend “official” sessions, which I decided dub with a silly name to help people remember it: ORDERS (”Official” Racketboy Diablo 2 East Revival Sessions).

The Goal

The idea is to play D2+LoD from start to finish with the same party of seven players, one with each class (details: normal difficulty only, Ladder characters on Battle.net’s realm US East. Those characters are meant to only be used in the group sessions, until it is finished when you can then use them for anything else)

When To Play

I’m counting on two Sundays. I want to start on the Sunday 13th, and conclude on Sunday 20th (we might have to play a bit more to complete Act 5 on the 20th).

Starting Time of First Session

9:30 EST = 15:30 BST = 14:30 GMT

(then after finishing Act 1 on the session 1 (13th) we decide together how much time we need for a break and reconvene for Act 2;
the session 3 (20th) starts again at 9:30 EST, and we decide how much time until we reconvene for Act 4, and Act 5.
Depending on how long each Act takes us, we don’t need to be too strict in this other than everyone showing up on the STARTING TIME)

Further Details

This concept was kinda a spontaneous idea, so not all the information has been finalized for this post.  Check these forum threads for more discussion of times, teams, and other details…

• Diablo 2 Weekly Weekend Get-Together Thread
• Diablo 2 “7 Player Team” Thread

Obtaining Diablo II from Blizzard

Mozgus writes, “I suggest also mentioning that people with legit keys can register them at http://blizzard.com/store/, after registering for an account. This lists the game as legally owned and gives you access to the new digital download version of Diablo 2 and Lord of Destruction. This disc-less installer is much more modern and slick, installs much faster thanks to it not asking you to swap multiple discs during the process, and it also installs pre-patched to 1.12, which obviously will never ask you for a disc. When you register your CDkey, there will be a link that says Show Key, which actually shows a new 26 digit key, which replaces your old 16 digit CDkey.

I followed this process with Warcraft 3, Frozen Throne, StarCraft, and Brood War. All 6 games nicely fit on one DVD-R, if you remove the Direct X installers. You can always use the 300KB DX web update exe from Microsoft. Some installers will mention the DX portion is missing, but just proceed anyway.
Another tip: All my machines run Diablo 2 poorly in Direct3D mode, so run the Vid Test from the Start menu, then select DirectDraw instead. Runs much better, and looks the same aside from D3D’s “perspective” mode being enabled, which just makes me go cross-eyed anyway.”

Finding Diablo II In Retail

Even though the game has been around for a while, you should be able to find it in just about any major retailer that sells games.  This includes the likes of Wal-Mart, Target, and GameStop.  You will probably be most likely to find the Diablo II Battle Chest.

How To Play Diablo II

Instead of spending too much time trying to explain the games, check out these guides at the useful StrategyWiki

• Diablo II
• Diablo II: Lord of Destruction

There is no denying that there is a great deal of buzz going around about the upcoming release of Street Fighter IV. Even though some of us long-term fans would have liked the game the feature hand-drawn animations in pure 2D, SF4 looks to maintain much of its heritage in terms of overall style and gameplay.

We have learned a great deal since the games official announcement back in October. Even though I can’t quite keep up the pace of updates that some sites offer, I wanted to post an overview of what we have seen so far via a collection of videos, screenshots, and links.

The Newest Trailer

To get the quickest feel for the game and most of the announced players, take a look at the new AOU 2008 Amusement Expo Trailer (high-def version here):

As you can see, all of the original eight characters from Street Fighter 2 are featured in addition to two new characters, Crimson Viper and Abel. While there hasn’t been an official “announcement” that I have seen so far, both Sagat and Balrog (the Boxer) have also been spotted in the arcade test units and, subsequently, various videos online.

Real Gameplay Video

Considering the use of 3D graphics, I was surprised to see how similar the character animation has been to previous Street Fighter games — primarily Street Fighter 2 and Street Fighter Alpha 3. The trailers show too much zooming in and special angles, but if you look at normal gameplay videos captured by those who have tried the game out, it will look much more familiar to you. Take a look at the video links below to see your favorite characters in action.

• Blanka: Vs Guile, Vs Abel, Vs Dhalsim,
• Chun-Li: Vs. Abel, Vs Ken, Vs Guile
• Dhalsim: Vs Guile, Vs Abel, Vs C Viper
• E. Honda: Vs Guile, Vs Ryu, Vs Zangief
• Guile: Vs Zangief, Vs Blanka, Vs Abel
• Ken: Vs Ryu, Vs C. Viper, Vs Chun-Li
• Ryu: Vs C. Viper, Vs Ken, Vs. Abel
• Zangief: Vs E Honda, Vs Guile, Vs Sagat and Balrog
• Crimson Viper: Vs Ryu, Vs. Blanka, Vs. Ken
• Abel: Vs Guile, Vs Blanka, Vs. Chun Li
• Sagat: Vs. Zangeif
• Balrog: Vs Zangeif

High-Def Screenshots

If you want to see more detail of the graphics, you can take a look at this collection of 720p screenshots of various characters courtesy of GGL Wire on Flickr. (You can also see them in Slideshow Mode)

The Gameplay Engine

We’ve heard a bit about the gameplay engine a bit as well and it will most closely resemble Street Fighter II, but will have Super and Ultra Moves in addition to the new system known as “Saving” or “Revenge”.

As the Wikipedia entry for the game states, “The system features a four-segment “Revenge” gauge that builds up as the character takes damage. A player can use one segment of the gauge in combat by simultaneously pressing both strong punch and strong kick to unleash a special attack that will deal instant damage and render the opponent immobile for a short time. The buttons can also be held down and charged to unleash a devastating unblockable attack at the cost of 3/4s of the full “Revenge” gauge. The gauge can also be used to fuel EX Specials — stronger versions of regular special moves — at the cost of one stock of the gauge. Both the Saving move and EX Specials can be “canceled” by dashing towards the opponent (the move will still be performed and will still do damage however), this dash can again be “canceled” by performing another EX Special or Saving move, this however will require pinpoint timing so that only skilled players may execute this kind of combo.Ono has stated that this system was incorporated in order to shift the emphasis away from combos and toward a more realistic system he has compared to boxing, in which “the skill is in reading your opponent’s move before he starts moving … We haven’t forgotten about combos and linked moves, but saving makes it so that you have to read your opponent.” The system aims to make ground attacks as viable a way of approaching opponents as jumping was in previous games.”

My Impressions So Far

I was rather worried about this game initially due to the original images and videos or Ken and Ryu, but now that I see actual gameplay video without all the zooming and effects, I am much less concerned. The gameplay does seem solid, but I’m still a little disappointed that parries and such are missing, but it will be interesting to see how the Revenge system makes up for it. I like the fact that the overall style and character animation seems like a blend of Street Fighter II and the Alpha series.

What Do You Think?

No, Capcom didn’t ditch its plan to make a fully 3D Bionic Commando game, but instead decided to please its old-school fans with this modern 2D side-scroller that will be available on XBox Live Arcade and Playstation Network.

Just from the trailer alone, it is easy to get excited about the silky-smooth visuals, the fluid swinging animations, and all the gameplay mechanics that we all grew to love in the NES classic.  This new remake will also feature a two-player co-op mode.

The storyline and setting in Rearmed is also a call back to the original according to Ben Judd, producer at Capcom Japan:
“Imperials? Yes. Master D. Ohhh yes. However, now that we don’t have the same memory limitations that the 8-bit game did, we have fleshed out the story quite a bit. Without altering the original story, we have added some new background information that helps tie Bionic Commando Rearmed to its next-gen big brother.” As you can see in our trailer below, the remake also retains some of the more eccentric elements of its forefather – the immortal line “Get the heck out of here you nerd!” is present in all its absurdist glory.”

Since I’m constantly preaching to the choir about how the classic names in gaming like Sega, Capcom, Nintendo, and Konami need to give some of their classic, and sometimes forgotten, franchises a 2D overhaul, you can understand my excitement to see Bionic Commando Rearmed in action.

Last year, I was especially impressed with the 2D Prince of Persia remake on XBox Live Arcade.  It kept everything that made the original Prince of Persia game remarkable, from its stunning aninmation to its sometimes frustrating acrobatics, while giving its the graphical polish that you would expect from Ubisoft’s modern Prince of Persia games.  Prince of Persia Classic wasn’t a runaway hit, but it was nice to see them make and effort.

This idea really seems to have sunk in with Capcom.  Between the HD Remix of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and this Rearmed remake, I can see a trend starting to catch on.  The hype has already started to build for this game and I hope other publishers and developers take note.  Sonic the Hedgehog 2 HD, anyone?