Many birthdays ago I asked my mom to get me SimEarth on the SNES for my birthday. I briefly read the synopsis in the Electronics Boutique catalog and it sounded pretty cool. (That was my source of knowing what game to buy back then) Instead I received EarthBound which I had never heard of. I didn't tell my mom that but it ended up being a pretty good mistake. I still have the huge box and guide it came with and consider it one of my favorite games. Incidentally, I did finally pick up a complete copy of SimEarth a couple years ago just to add to my collection.
Please share any similar stories.