I have a problem.

Diligent readers may have picked up on the vibe that the crux moment, such as it is, of the Reviewieran experience occurs in the post-market economy. The CD-Game Xchange. The local Goodwill. The used rack or clearance rack at a primary retailer.¹

"So you guys are cheap, big fecking deal," you say.

True, but the Pleasure of the Deal lies in the Thrill of the Hunt. It might seem, shall we say, loser-ish, to venture to Goodwill, espy a copy of Streets of Rage 2, think that US$4.99 is too much, go to the Xchange, see that thier copy is $9.99, grab Vectorman for US$3.50 instead, then go BACK to the Goodwill & get that copy.

And then, 1 day, you wake up & you have the pictured collection, acquired entirely at a single Goodwill, & every single thing for US$4.99 or less.

A. Dreamcast microphone.
B. Dreamcast VMU.
C. Dreamcast 4-in-1 Memory Unit.
D. Ecco the Dolphin
E. Beyond Oasis
F. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: the Hyperion Heist
G. Bio-Hazard Battler, a pretty rad shmup.
H. Contra: Hard Corps.
I. Partially obscured for good reason: Sonic Shuffle.²
J. Soul Calibur.
K. Shenmue.
L. Phantasy Star Online ³
M. Resident Evil:Code Veronica⁴
N. Sonic Spinball
O. STREETS OF RAGE 2!!(!!)
P. Golden Axe II⁵

An Ms. Pacman Genesis cartridge has been accidentally excluded.⁶

Also not pictured: 3 Dreamcast consoles, 4 controllers, at least 1 more VMU & a third-party MU.

Also, the Genesis console Fat found for me at his Goodwill.

-d.d.

¹ Okay, "clearance" isn't exactly "post-market," but its really close. "Pre-post-market" close, even.
² The stuff of nightmares.
³ A truly great day: I acquired the 4-in-1 MU, the mic, Soul Calibur, Shenmue, and Phantasy Star Online all one rainy Wednesday evening! I also got the rare Gundam: Side Story, or whatever its called, tho I sold that to Fat. None were more than US$4.99
⁴ I'm surprised to admit how much I've actually played this version of Resident Evil. I've dabbled w/ at least 2 versions on the PlayStation, & was completely uninterested. This one hooked me (sorta), tho. Go figure. Maybe I just never cared for Raccoon City.
⁵ Fat found Golden Axe II & Sonic Spinball for me @ his local Goodwill.
⁶ The vast majority of my Genesis collection being cartridge only - no case, no booklet - I am faced w/ a looming crisis. For tho' I can survive w/o the booklets, the lack of cases gets under yr skin. I figure I have 2 options: (A) Buy shitty sports games that ARE in thier cases, like Joe Montana Football & multiple editions of NBA/NFL/NHL/MBL 19xx. Take the game home, throw cartridges in a shoebox, throw shoebox in the toilet, take now empty case, print out a different slipcover from the 'nets, & taa-daa I have a case for the games I actually, y'know, like. (B) Order ONE HUNDRED empty cases from these guys. Which is too much? Spending $3-4 to get an individual spare case? Or dropping $40 for 100 empties?