No Value For Some, For Others A Goldmine – Old Games

I’ve never really been big on secondhand hunting, but lately there’s been a surge of retro game scavenging happening on Facebook, forums, and local groups. So I thought, why not give it a shot? I decided to check out a few spots around town—just in case luck was on my side.

And, well… it was! I ended up finding eight PlayStation 2 games. They might not be rare treasures for most collectors, but I was genuinely hyped when I saw their condition—brand new. Even better? I didn’t have to pay a single cent. They were marked with a 10 NOK sticker (roughly a dollar or euro), but when I brought them to the counter, the lady just smiled and said, “You can take them.”

Unexpected Retro Haul – Free PS2 Games and Collector’s Editions!

Yes, Burnout 2: Point of Impact, mint, never used—and probably never even shelved in a store- was mine, for free.

Burnout 2 was actually the reason I bought a PS2 in the first place. None of the launch titles appealed to me, but a local game store had a playable demo of Burnout 2 on display, specifically the crash mode. That demo alone sold me on the console. It’s still one of the best games on the system, and I’m thrilled to finally have it again. I sold my original copy—along with Burnout 3—when I upgraded to a slim model back in the day.

Speaking of Burnout 3: Takedown—it’s the only Burnout title that tops Burnout 2 in my opinion. It took everything the second game had and cranked it up, with better visuals, tighter gameplay, and more variety. A true milestone in the series. After that, things got a bit muddy. Burnout Revenge introduced features that didn’t sit well with me, and while Burnout Paradise on PS3 is brilliant in its own right, it’s also a very different take on the franchise.

Another game I picked up: TD: Overdrive – The Brotherhood of Speed. What a bizarre name. Why Atari went with that is beyond me—it probably hurt the game’s sales. TD stands for Test Drive, of course, the legendary series that began back in the ’80s and saw a solid reboot on the PSone. Surprisingly, Overdrive turned out to be a pretty decent game, and I’d never played it before now.

Next up: Downtown Run. Another racing game I hadn’t heard of before. Compared to titles like MSR on the Dreamcast (which came out the same year), this one feels a bit low-budget. Still, it plays well and handles nicely, fun for what it is. I imagine I would’ve enjoyed it more had I played it when it was new.

Then there’s Splashdown. Yet another weirdly named Atari title. I vaguely remember seeing this one on shelves over the years but never gave it a try. Turns out it’s actually quite good, probably one of the better watersport games on the PS2.

Bass Strike was a must-grab for me, I’m a sucker for fishing games, and I even have a rod controller for the PS2. It might not be the best fishing game out there, but it’s fun, and my son and I have already spent hours with it.

Everblue 2, now this one caught my eye. I’d never heard of it before, and there’s very little info about it online. That got me excited, thinking it might be rare. Sadly, the game just wasn’t for me. I didn’t get the appeal and turned it off after a few minutes. Let’s hope it’s worth something anyway!

Lastly, GTC Africa. I discovered this game about eight years ago when I filled up my modded PS2’s hard drive with, um… let’s call them “unauthorised backups.” I really enjoyed it, so I’m happy to now own a legit copy. Developed by Rage Software, which may not have made the most polished games, but their titles always had a certain charm that kept me playing.

All eight games are in mint condition—brand new, unused, complete, and best of all: free. I haven’t looked up their current value yet, but honestly, I have no plans to sell them anytime soon.

Bonus: PS3 Collector’s Editions

A few weeks before scoring the PS2 haul, I also managed to snag two pretty rare PS3 Collector’s Editions. I did have to pay for these, but they only set me back a few euros in total.

Devil May Cry 4 Collector’s Edition – Finally, a proper edition of this amazing game! The steelbook looks fantastic, and both the disc and manual look untouched. The included artbook is small but beautifully done. It’s odd—I don’t remember ever seeing this edition in local stores back in the day.

007: Quantum of Solace Collector’s Edition – The box has a small bump in the corner (my fault…) and a pesky Gamestop seal sticker, but those are easy fixes. Oddly enough, the collector’s edition doesn’t include any extras, which I confirmed after checking online. Still, as a huge Bond fan, I’m very happy to have it.

So yeah, I got lucky, really lucky. Hopefully, I’ll stumble across more finds like this in the future, but something tells me this kind of haul won’t happen often. Still, that’s part of the thrill, right?