Sun, Sea & CEX

I've been on holiday. A trip back to the UK for two weeks.

Sun? Yes, there was a bit. Pretty decent for an English summer. Sea? Only seen from the plane as we crossed over from mainland Europe. CEX? Yes, several times.

It's lovely seeing family of course, but I also get excited about the little things when I go back to the UK. Popping in to Tesco, buying socks that fit properly, Marmite on toast for breakfast, takeout from the curry house, jogging an old route, and a trip or two to CEX to buy games.

I'm not sure whether I ever stepped foot in a CEX, a leading retailer of second-hand media, when I lived in the UK. Maybe there were less of them? I certainly didn't buy many used games back then, and I'd save most of my retro purchases for trips to Japan. But now that I live outside the UK, I consider CEX a little treat and will visit a couple of times whenever I'm back.

Inside CEX, the UK residents are looking for a few quid off PS5 games, and the collectors are considering over-priced 16-bit titles locked behind glass doors. Me, however, I'm picking through the DS section and inspecting filthy copies of 360 brown shooters like a proper degenerate.

Yeah, Akihabara's cool, but have you seen the Wii prices in CEX Milton Keynes? Geometry Wars Galaxies for only a quid!

As you can see in the picture at the top of the page, I indulged. I'm over the moon to have these games back in Japan and I might even play some of them!

You might not believe me when I tell you that I've had UEFA Euro 96 on my wishlist for the last two years, but I have. I love the Sega Saturn, recently revived a long-dormant interest in football, and until last year, Euro '96 might have been the last time I truly cared about the beautiful game, so nostalgia is at play here, as it often is. You'll never find a copy on sale in Japan, obviously, though it would be pretty funny if you did. 

As for the OG Xbox titles, I made a few mistakes here. I already knew that Max Payne 2 is back compatible on Series X, and that purchase was well-planned and fully intended. I knew that neither NBA Street Vol. 2 nor The Chronicles of Riddick would work on my Series X, but I assumed they would on my remains-in-the-UK-for-holiday-gaming Xbox 360. Well, do they fuck. I'm not too upset about NBA Street, as I have other ways of playing it, and you can never have too many copies of a classic like that. Riddick, however, was a missed opportunity; never played it and really wanted to. Later in the holiday, I discovered that Assault on Athena on 360 and PS3 is essentially a remake, so I returned to CEX to buy a copy, which they had. Unfortunately, I would be disappointed at the counter, as the disc had "gone walkabout" and I'm not quite mad enough to buy an empty case.

Who steals a copy of Dark Athena? Fucking nerds.

I can't go anywhere without buying at least one PS3 game, so I picked up Ridge Racer Unbounded, which might not actually be any good? It was the joint-most-expensive game of the lot, tied with Max Payne 2, at an eye watering £8 ($11, ¥1600). Video games are cheap, if you're happy to buy the stuff no one else wants! I only found out about the Prince of Persia DS game last year, after replaying the delightful 2008 entry on 360. I can see myself playing that very soon, as it's so easy to pick up the ever-charged DS.

Moving to the 360, Child of Eden is due a replay, and Series X back compatibility appears to be the best way to do so. The Darkness 2 was a spur of the moment purchase, but Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 was not. I've been on the lookout for a cheap copy since finishing the first game earlier this year and learning that the sequel is about four hours long, which is the best thing a game can be if it's not a must-play.

And then there's the Wii games. I'm not sure what possessed me, as pre-trip I had no intention of buying Wii titles. In fact, I hadn't bought one for years. But then I saw the low, low prices and remembered that I have a PAL Wii U in Japan doing fuck all. So I bought Wii games! 

I recalled someone saying something complimentary about Cursed Mountain on 1UP.com circa 2010, and that was good enough for me. I hear Trauma Centre is decent, Geometry Wars is better than decent, and there's no way Steven Spielberg would make a bad computer game, so Boom Blox was a no-brainer. Genuinely quite excited about that one. And lastly, Ghost Squad. Wii Sports aside, my Wii was essentially an on-rails machine, so I really should have played this earlier. I hear very good things.

New purchases aside, I also grabbed a few odds and ends from the boxes of games that I've stored in the UK. Some Wii-motes and nunchucks, and half a dozen PS3 games that are due a replay. Far Cry 2, Spec Ops, Ridge Racer 7 - you know what I'm like. 

And as if that weren't enough video games for one trip, I was feeling generous and treated my daughter to a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, because I knew she'd need plenty of entertainment for the 14-hour flight. She raced through it and adored every minute, and I was delighted to hear her regular progress updates.

All of these games are now sat in a pile in the spare room. Transplanted from their home in the UK to Japan, just like me. I'll clear some shelf space for them soon.

And once that's done, I'll start writing my shopping list for 2027.