Pickups October 2020

Not a great deal of stuff this month, although I did manage to get one of my Holy Grail items which cost me a pretty penny, but more on that later.

Nintendo Game Boy Advance – Fuchsia

Please see separate console page here
I got this to go with my indigo Game Boy Advance. I eventually would like to get all the launch colours of the Advance.

Rating – Loose
Price paid – £15 (Cash Converters Online)

Retro-Bit RES+ Pal – NES Clone

Enjoy your favorite NES games like new again with the Retro-Bit RES Plus. Compatible with NES game cartridges, it allows you to play the classics you know and love in clear 720p HD—all you have to do is pop them into the top-loading cartridge. Outfitted with an HDMI and an AV output, it gives you multiple options to connect to a display. The side air vents help keep the system cool, while the LED power indicator lets you know when the system is on and off. Also included with the system are two controllers and an HDMI cable.
I purchased this as an easy way to play my Japanese Famicom games. (see post here where I review the console)

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – £22.01 (Amazon UK)

Burnout Revenge – Microsoft Xbox

In Burnout Revenge, players compete in a range of racing game types with different aims. These take place within rush-hour traffic, and include circuit racing, Road Rage (where players cause as many rivals to crash as possible within a time limit, or until the player’s car is wrecked), Burning Lap (a single-lap, single-racer time attack mode), Eliminator (a circuit race where every thirty seconds, the last-placed racer’s car is detonated, the race continues until only one racer is left), and Crash (where the player is placed at a junction with the aim of accumulating as many “Crash Dollars” as possible). A new gameplay feature in Burnout Revenge is the ability to ram same-way small to medium traffic, known as “traffic checking”, propelling the rammed car forward; the event in which a “checked” car hits a rival is considered as a Traffic Takedown. Traffic checking is the focus of a new race type, Traffic Attack (whereby a player must earn a set amount of Crash Dollars through checking traffic), which can be used later on.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Came with Xbox Crystal

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 – Microsoft Xbox

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 is a sports video game developed by EA Redwood Shores for the original Xbox.
The game features several types of play, including the development of golfers in a simulated PGA Tour environment. Among other things, the game also features a set of famous courses and players. Also it includes the Stroke Play, Match Play, and Skins Play among other numerous methods of play. It also includes the Four Ball, Best Ball, and Stableford modes of play.
By being able to customize golfers and advancing that character through several stages (from amateur to pro) the game allows a high level of identification with the character. The virtual ego can be equipped with various pieces of equipment and styled according to the wishes of the player. The custom outfits are licensed and include several brands which are commonly present in professional golf, among others: Nike, Adidas, Callaway, Ping, Taylormade, etc.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Came with Xbox Crystal

Unreal Championship – Microsoft Xbox

Unreal Championship is a first-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games for the Xbox, it is a console version game of the PC-based Unreal Tournament 2003, developed to take advantage of Xbox Live, Microsoft’s online gaming service.
Unreal Championship immerses you in adrenaline-packed multiplayer and single-player frag-fests. Designed specifically for Xbox and the Xbox controller, the game incorporates console-specific features such as joypad-activated special moves, double jump, power-ups, unlockable features, and more to keep gamers glued to their couches with knuckle-whitened tension. You have the choice to either fight through a series of matches in the single-player mode against computer-controlled opponents or play online against human-controlled adversaries.
The game is notable for being the first ever console game to receive a downloadable patch.

Rating – Boxed, No manual
Price Paid – Came with Xbox Crystal

Fifa Street – Microsoft Xbox

FIFA Street is a sports video game developed by EA Canada and was released in February 2005.
The game is a spin-off of EA’s FIFA series of football games, following the same formula as their other “Street” titles, NFL Street and NBA Street, by reducing the more complete version of the game into a simpler arcade style game. It focuses on flair, style and trickery, as opposed to what FIFA Football focuses on team play and tactics, reflecting the culture of freestyle football played in the streets and backlots across the world.
Using reputation and respect gained from playing 4-on-4 games with tricks and flair, the aim of FIFA Street is to build a team up of well-known and recognised players including Ronaldo and Ronaldinho to progress through street venues across the world.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Came with Xbox Crystal

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II : The Sith Lords – Microsoft Xbox

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords is a role-playing video game, it is the sequel to BioWare’s Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and was released for the Xbox in December 2004.
Knights of the Old Republic II starts five years after the events of the first game and follows the story of The Exile, a Jedi Knight who was exiled from the Jedi Order. During this time, the Jedi Order has been almost completely wiped out by the Sith. The game begins with the protagonist waking up from unconsciousness on an asteroid mining facility. After he or she escapes with the help of their party members, they find the person who exiled them ten years ago, who sends the protagonist on a mission to seek out the remaining Jedi to fight against the Sith.
The combat of Knights of the Old Republic II is identical to its predecessor. Several new lightsaber forms were added to the game. Each of them is useful for a different situation. For example, one is best for enemies using blaster weapons, while another would be good for recovering from using Force powers. The player can use a variety of melee and ranged weapons, including swords and firearms. Fighting unarmed is also an option. A new addition to the game is “prestige classes”, add-ons to the Jedi classes that were established in Knights of the Old Republic. They allow the player character to practice in lightsaber combat or Force powers, depending on player choice.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Came with Xbox Crystal

Midnight Club 3 – Dub Edition – Microsoft Xbox

Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition is a racing game developed by Rockstar. It is the third instalment in the Midnight Club series. Like previous instalments in the series, the game is an arcade-style racer and focuses on wild, high-speed racing, rather than realistic physics and driving. The name is derived from a partnership between Rockstar and DUB Magazine, which features heavily in the game in the form of DUB-sponsored races and DUB-customized vehicles as prizes.
By winning races, the player unlocks new cars and options to customize them with. These options include enhancing the performance, adding vinyls and new paint jobs, and physically modifying the car by changing parts such as wheels, bumpers, spoilers, neon, hoods, and engine components. The cars are divided into four classes: D, C, B and A, depending on their performance.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Came with Xbox Crystal

MB Vectrex Console

Here it is, my Holy Grail item. When I started out on this long road of being a games console collector, the Vectrex was one of the very few consoles that I just had to have, so when the opportunity came up, I just had to pounce.
They say you shouldn’t meet your heroes, because they may not live up to your expectations when you encounter them in real life. But that is certainly wrong in this instance, it was love at first sight. This console is amazing, pictures just do not do it justice. It’s certainly very difficult to describe why I love the Vectrex, but it just gives me a feeling that no other console in my collection does. The Vectrex just oozes cool.

Please see console page here for review and info

Rating – Loose
Price Paid – £260 including 6 games (Cash Converters Online)

Web Warp – Vectrex

Watch out for the barriers! You’re behind the wheel of your formula one racing car about to start the worlds toughest grand prix. Shift through all four gears as you try to stay alive through the city streets and country roads. Rev up your engine. The countdown has started.
The player controls a formula one race car whose objective is to advance through the rankings and either make the best time or accumulate as many points as possible depending on the game selected.
In Game 1, the player has unlimited cars and their goal is to finish the course in as little time as possible. In Game 2, the player receives 5 cars and the goal is to accumulate as many points as possible.
In both games, collision with either the edge of the track or other cars results in the loss of a life and the player is forced to start from a speed of zero.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Included with Vectrex console (Cash Converters Online)

Armor..Attack – Vectrex

All the excitement of the real arcade version! Manoeuvre your jeep through the streets and alleys of an occupied town. Hide from the enemy tanks behind buildings and launch your own surprise attack! Improve your chance of survival by playing with an ally. But beware of the deadly helicopter flying overhead…no place is safe from this treacherous enemy.
The player(s) controls a jeep(s) in a warzone. Waves of tanks and helicopters approach to annihilate the player. Each tank takes one hit to immobilize and another to disable its firing capabilities. As waves are defeated, the tanks will increase in both number and speed. Between waves of tanks, helicopters will fly over and strafe in an attempt to destroy the player’s jeep. The helicopters have the ability to both fly over structures and leave the player’s firing range.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Included with Vectrex console (Cash Converters Online)

Spike – Vectrex

The dastardly villain Spud has kidnapped our heroine, the lovely and oh so innocent Molly, and taken her far away to his secret hideout. “Eek! Help, Spike!”
Spike, our courageous hero and Molly’s true love, races to her rescue. He’ll be relying on your skills and split-second timing to help him in his quest to save poor Molly. Manoeuvre Spike through treacherous obstacles and avoid the dangerous creatures along the way to Spud’s hideout. If you’re successful, Spike can rescue Molly and the two will live happily ever after–that is until Spud strikes again. “Oh, No!”
As the hero Spike you need to rescue Molly. She is being held in a cage at the top of the screen; you need to find the key to the cage, and climb your way to the top. The screen consists of a moving catwalk which has several floors and gaps in it you need to jump over. There is also a ladder which can be moved around allowing you to climb between the different floors of the catwalk. As the levels progress, several enemies also appear which will be attempting to stop spike from reaching the top of the screen. To help out, Molly will occasionally drop a bow tie; if you collect this, all of the enemies on screen will temporarily freeze. When you have collected the key and reach the cage at the top, the level is complete and you move on to the next round.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Included with Vectrex console (Cash Converters Online)

Star Ship (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) – Vectrex

Welcome, Captain, to your command on the Starship. Your mission is to seek out and destroy the enemy Mothership. Travel through nine sectors of Space, each more dangerous than the last, or take the shortcut through the Black Hole. Be careful. the aliens are hiding in space, waiting to destroy you at every turn!
In Star Ship (also known as Star Trek: The Motion Picture) (the game), the player(s) take(s) on the role of Captain Kirk guiding the Enterprise through hostile space sectors while clearing out attacking Romulan and Klingon ships. It is a cockpit-viewed flight simulation where players must defend themselves from attacking enemies by destroying them and their shots (or dodging or deflecting the latter with shields). Players have a limited amount of photon torpedoes and shields (represented by lines at the bottom of the screen — firepower is on the left, with shield strength on the right — and noted on the overlay); run out of one or both, and the players are left vulnerable to enemy attack. If a player is hit by an enemy shot, they will lose a life, and when all lives are lost the game ends.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Included with Vectrex console (Cash Converters Online)

Web Warp – Vectrex

Enter a galaxy of the future filled with adventure and danger–a galaxy unlike any you have imagined before.
You became the Hawk King–a creature capable of incredible speed and power–as you attempt to capture the amazing creatures that inhabit the speeding Web of Fantasy. All 20 creatures are protected by guardians and the dreaded Cosmic Dragon and each will become progressively more difficult to capture. No one has ever captured the elusive twentieth creature. Will you?
In Web Wars, the player controls a bird flying through a Web of Fantasy, shooting enemies, dodging their fire and collecting various creatures. There are 20 different creatures to collect in all.
At times a portal will appear for the player to fly into to be taken to the Trophy Room, which displays all of their captured creatures.
If the player misses two chances in entering the Trophy Room during a wave, a Cosmic Dragon will appear over the Web, out of weapons range, and shoot down at the player.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Included with Vectrex console (Cash Converters Online)

Solar Quest – Vectrex

How many types of alien vessels will you be able to destroy? Seven different types are after you. You must first destroy them and then attempt to rescue the survivors before they float into the sun. Don’t get your ship too close to the sun…its high temperatures can destroy you.
In the game, ships fly around the screen and the player(s) must shoot them. When shot, a survivor will appear from the ship. The player(s) can either shoot or scoop up a survivor for points or else they will eventually fly into the sun (at the centre of the screen) and perish. Players can also employ a nuke that will cause a wide arc of damage. Hyperspace can also be used to send the player(s) to a random location on the screen in case of emergency.

Rating – Complete in box
Price Paid – Included with Vectrex console (Cash Converters Online)