10 Year Hunt over for Personal Grail - Pics Inside

[Dangerboy]

Short short version of story. No it's not NBA 2 Ball :) :

1. I first saw the variant 10 years ago. Already had the game, wasn't collecting. No big whup.

2. 3 years later I start collecting, variant is nowhere to be found.

3. 4 years after that, Came to DP, couldn't prove it. Began mad, mad search for it. No luck.

4. 2 years later, on a chance auction, find first half.

5. 1 year later, on a chance auction, find 2nd half.

Cue tears of joy:
http://www.game-rave.com/mk3/images/IMG_3313.jpg
http://www.game-rave.com/mk3/pages/IMG_3313.html

The Mortal Kombat 3 PSX jewel case variant has finally been assembled, piece by piece.

For the record and posterity, check out the auction pic I found it in. It's the small red/black blur underneath the two GH titles in the left sided stack of games.
http://i18.ebayimg.com/01/i/07/95/fc/1f_1_b.JPG

I've only seen this version 3 times; once at the store, and the 2 auctions I won.

Just had to share my joy. ^_^
The quest for the remaining PSX treasures continues...

[98PaceCar]

Congrats on finding your grail and having the good taste to play MK3!!!!

[gjb-sensei]

Very cool, congrats on the find.

[roushimsx]

Hah, well done, good sir. I don't believe I've ever seen this version myself, though I've been keeping my eyes out for it ever since I first saw you mention it. Hard to believe it's taken so long to crop up :)

edit - also, how the hell did you spot it in that stack? That's insane.

[jajaja]

What is the variant? I cant spot any difference.

[Dangerboy]

Jaja: The Jewel case itself is the variant. Mortal Kombat 3 exists in a long box jewel case, and a small music cd jewel case variant.

This is the small music jewel case one.


edit - also, how the hell did you spot it in that stack? That's insane

Honestly? I copied the image to photoshop and marked off the obvious ones. Then went back to the list and used the process of elimination to figure out the GH ones. Came down to the generic cases and the blurry red one.

I took every game from that list from my personal collection and compared spine colors. MK3 is the only one with red in it. :D :D :D

Yes...I'm that psycho ^_^

[cyberfluxor]

Dude... sweet! The only "variant" games I really care about are non-greatest hits. For some reason GH games just feel wierd, like it's not the original you know? But anyways great job! I don't have that kind of determination to hunt a game down in that fasion, maybe because I just randomly collect as I go. :)

[jajaja]

Ah ok, didnt know that. Congrats on the find! :)

[Fighter17]

The only thing that I'm really anal about is GH games, but Long Box and Jewel Cases versions are not that important to me (but the game better be complete).

[DigitalSpace]

Glad to hear your struggle with MK3 has finally come to an end. Congrats! :D

[Saabmeister]

Congrats dude!

[Kejoriv]

Honestly? I copied the image to photoshop and marked off the obvious ones. Then went back to the list and used the process of elimination to figure out the GH ones. Came down to the generic cases and the blurry red one.

I took every game from that list from my personal collection and compared spine colors. MK3 is the only one with red in it. :D :D :D

Yes...I'm that psycho ^_^

WOW. You deserve it after all that work. Good luck!!

[tholly]

i thought you found NBA 2 Ball when i first saw your post, but this is probably almost close enough to as good......congrats on the find.....

[Jorpho]

Honestly? I copied the image to photoshop and marked off the obvious ones. Then went back to the list and used the process of elimination to figure out the GH ones. Came down to the generic cases and the blurry red one.

I took every game from that list from my personal collection and compared spine colors. MK3 is the only one with red in it. :D :D :D

Yes...I'm that psycho ^_^

Yowza. Do you do that kind of thing regularly?

[Videogamerdaryll]

congrats on the find.....

[MrRoboto19XX]

Mozeltov dude, thats pretty freaking impressive!

[AMG]

Congrats on the personal grail! 8-)

[Dangerboy]

Yowza. Do you do that kind of thing regularly?

Yes.

I have the personal email of the NBA 2 Ball programmer, who lives on the other side of the planet, but not the game.

When I hunt, I hunt. :D

Thanks for all the support guys :D

[PapaStu]

Honestly? I copied the image to photoshop and marked off the obvious ones. Then went back to the list and used the process of elimination to figure out the GH ones. Came down to the generic cases and the blurry red one.

I took every game from that list from my personal collection and compared spine colors. MK3 is the only one with red in it. :D :D :D

Yes...I'm that psycho ^_^

Yowza. Do you do that kind of thing regularly?

Yes he does.... (and I do too).


Now to find another one.... FOR ME :D And to get that damn Syphon Filter 3 variant that you said never existed ;)

[Daria]

That's awesome Danger. Congratulations! (:

[Damaramu]

Congrats man. Half the fun is in the hunt, imo! :rocker:

[vintagegamecrazy]

Speaking of NBA 2Ball, is it known who owns a copy of that game, aren't only 1 or 2 copies of that game found. Great find though.

[Jumpman Jr.]

Honestly man, I think that is absolutely insane how you determined that it was indeed the variant you were looking for in the auction.
You sir, know your Playstation games (not that I didn't know that already).
Congrats.

[AtariBuff]

wow, what a story, DangerBoy :D

Congrats on your holy grail. I know how it's like. May be PSX PAL force be with you. 8-)

[badinsults]

I wish I could be as dedicated as Papastu and Dangerboy. Oh well, they can mock me on #vbender, which they don't do enough. :p

[Niku-Sama]

uhh, i didnt know any one was looking for this, i think theres one at my game crazy here.

[scorch56]

Congrats!.. that's awesome!

Several years ago I was on a quest for a "Mech" genre PC game called Team 47 GoMan; since I have to have every mech game ever made. Couldn't find it anywhere. Somehow I got ahold of the designer and even HE couldn't help me. It seems the pressing numbers were VERY small and he didn't even have one himself! (I asked and begged. How sad is that? You design a game and even you don't have a copy of it!). He asked me to get him a copy and about a year later I got a sealed box on eBay. Only one.. so I guess he's still waiting. Crappy game really (kinda like a cheap knock-off of Virtual On) but I had to have it. I know the feeling.

[PapaStu]

Speaking of NBA 2Ball, is it known who owns a copy of that game, aren't only 1 or 2 copies of that game found. Great find though.

We know where a whopping 2 copies are. One is owned by the guy who developed it and it isn't going anywhere. The other that we know about is owned by a board member.... and had a crack that runs right thru the disc and thus makes it kaput.

[Mr.Faxanadu]

regarding 2 ball.... I have an search sting in my daily ebay searches which has found 0 hits for the past 4 years :(

[Oobgarm]

And to get that damn Syphon Filter 3 variant that you said never existed ;)

Yeah, no kidding. I'm always on the lookout for it. Probably will never find it, though.

[Jorpho]

(Is that like an NBA game where they play with two basketballs instead of just one..?)

[Vectorman0]

Congratulations DB, I'm glad to hear the Game-Rave want list is one game shorter!

Here's to it getting even smaller! :)

[Nature Boy]

Out of curiousity, what's the Syphon Filter 3 variant?

I love reading stories like this Dangerboy. Can't wait for the 2Ball one! :)

[Austin]

@_@ You have good eyes, sir... never would have spotted it in that stack.

[PapaStu]

Out of curiousity, what's the Syphon Filter 3 variant?

http://i19.ebayimg.com/01/c/05/96/4c/33_7.JPG

Thats the variant. Seen one once, didn't buy it... grumble grumble

[Goodwill Hunter]

Congrats DB...I'll take that one off my look list.

Rich

[Synergy]

Congrats, Danger! I've never seen that version of MK3 before. I remember my friend's brother having the longbox version around when the PSX first came out. Glad you finally the copy you've been looking for.


Thats the variant. Seen one once, didn't buy it... grumble grumble

That cover is awesome, by the way. I love Syphon Filter. :)

[Nature Boy]

Thats the variant. Seen one once, didn't buy it... grumble grumble

*Sweet* looking little cover. Any info on why it's so limited?

[Dangerboy]

If memory serves right, it would have been right on or around the time of September 11th, so having a game where there's a guy in a building with the american flag waving surrounded by what could be considered debris / dust rather the virus...bad things.

Here's the whole sha-bang:
http://www.game-rave.com/variant/filter.jpg

The copy I have came from a store that admitted the trade in person worked at a sony warehouse...
Jason

[qbertandernie]

wouldnt it have been easier to email the seller and ask if MK3 was included in the auction?

the syphon filter 3 game, as i recall, was recalled. maybe due to the cover art, but i remember seeing signs or a memo that it was pulled, but shortly thereafter i saw it everywhere. this is a while ago, but if memory serves this was pulled with spiderman 2....i only remember this because it was early in my collecting days and i thought i should buy both games if i could find them, but only had seen them for original retail, and didnt have the cash to spend.

[Dangerboy]

wouldnt it have been easier to email the seller and ask if MK3 was included in the auction?

I did. His reply was cryptic. :)


the syphon filter 3 game, as i recall, was recalled. maybe due to the cover art, but i remember seeing signs or a memo that it was pulled, but shortly thereafter i saw it everywhere. this is a while ago, but if memory serves this was pulled with spiderman 2....i only remember this because it was early in my collecting days and i thought i should buy both games if i could find them, but only had seen them for original retail, and didnt have the cash to spend.

What's funny is Jackie Chan's Stuntmaster has the Twin Towers *everywhere* on the box art. I guess it's all in the timing.

Jason

[MrSmiley381]

Crazy, you finally found a variant that almost no one's even seen. Great job! My friend is a big MK fan as well, so I'm gonna direct him to this thread.