Gripe

Just a quick gripe. Don't know why I'm posting this except I feel like complaining, and nobody at the house understands.

My original Xbox system stopped working years ago. I have a number of games that are only for that system, because they never got any other North American release that belong to the Karate Supers genre. Sometimes I really want to revisit those games. Not a lot; to be honest with you, none of the games that I have for that system are ones that I really love. The closest of them that I'd really want to play frequently is King of Fighters 2002, but I have King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match from Steam, so I don't need to anymore.

But every once in a while, I really think I'd want to play a bit of Neowave, or 2003, or SVC Chaos, and then I can't because my Xbox doesn't work.

Sadly, replacement hardware is shockingly expensive. I'd have to pay more now for a refurbished Xbox than I paid ten years ago. Sure, there's probably a shortage of supply given the system's age, but still—c'mon, nearly $200 for a system that's been obsolete for more sixteen years already?!

I could replace at least one of my Xbox titles with a PS2 title. I do have a PS2 that works fine, and I've replaced some of my Xbox titles over time, such as King of Fighters 00/01 and Capcom vs SNK 2. However, also shockingly, the 02/03 game is one that I can't find for less than $50! That's not terrible money, but it's quite a lot for a game that I already know that I won't play much. I don't need the 02 game at all, and I don't love 03 enough to play it more than a little bit here and there. I'd pay $20 to buy it for the PS2, and feel like that was a worthy deal. $50 is more than its worth. And of course, the other two games that I'd potentially replace, I can't because they never got North American PS2 releases. 

Anyway... I guess that that simply means I won't be playing 2003 anytime soon. Which is kind of unfortunate, because sometimes I just get jonesing to pull it up and play it again. I disliked some elements of the gameplay of that particular entry, but I did really enjoy the atmosphere and character selection a lot. I mean, check out that boss stage!