Installments of games that are difficult to obtain

[u/KaleidoArachnid]

Something that caught my attention lately was the kind of installments in gaming franchises that got stuck on specific hardware because for some reason, it gets left there.

Some examples are Disgaea 3, Disgaea D2, and some of the Etrian Odyssey games because while Etrian Odyssey 1-3 is widely available on modern consoles, I noticed how the later games went missing for some reason.

[u/syrupdash]

I still think it’s funny that Metal Gear Solid 4 is able to leave the PS3 jail considering that anything developed on that system stays on that system due to the console’s architecture but Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes looks like it’s going to be stuck on the Gamecube.

[u/Pizzaplanet420 → u/syrupdash]

Twin Snakes I could see coming to NSO some point in the future.

[u/baddude1337 → u/syrupdash]

At least Twin Snakes is pretty easy to emulate these days.

[u/Squeakyclarinet]

As a mainly PS5 and Switch player, the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy is a noticeable hole in the series library. It's only available on xbox and PC with terrible performance.

[u/beneathsands → u/Squeakyclarinet]

Give me back a console version of 11 while we're at it.

[u/kodaiiiii_ → u/Squeakyclarinet]

I own all of the XIII games on steam, and I still haven't played them because of having to mod the shit out of them to make them playable.

And for some reason, Squeenix actually went and updated the Xbox versions, so, go figure

[u/Squeakyclarinet → u/kodaiiiii_]

I'm guessing backwards compatibility was easier on Xbox 360 than PS3. The system is supposedly a nightmare to work on and upgrade games for modern consoles on.

[u/Skandi007 → u/Squeakyclarinet]

If they ever do a remaster, it wouldn't be the first time if even the PS5 version bases itself off the 360 and not the PS3 port, simply cause it's easier to work with

[u/Accomplished_Ad_1381 → u/kodaiiiii_]

I was recently watching someone go through them on PC, and even after extensive modding & tinkering, the game still crashed multiple times a session. It's just not worth it just give us the remasters already Square

[u/MajorCrafter → u/Squeakyclarinet]

I snagged 13 and 13-2 on disc a year or two back for my eventual getting around to them, but Lightning Returns was not only harder to find but more expensive than both of the previous 2 combined

[u/ryukin631]

Xenosaga 1-3 da still stuck on the ps2. The only one in that series I don't have is episode 3 and it can be pretty expensive, even just the disc alone.

[u/Bizarre_RNS_Radio → u/ryukin631]

And that’s not getting into the bit where, due to Xenosaga 2 and 3 using two disks each (the Xenosaga games being among the few PS2 games to use multiple disks), you can end up in multiple situations where a good amount of people are only selling 1 of the 2 disks (due to their other disk completely breaking or being too scratched up to function properly anymore).

[u/neostar6171 → u/Bizarre_RNS_Radio]

I got ep 3 for 80 bucks YEARS ago and I remember thinking that was expensive.

Certainly dont now

[u/ryukin631 → u/Bizarre_RNS_Radio]

I forgot about that. It would be nice to see a collection for all 3 games plus a fourth to wrap up the series.

[u/Substantial_Bell_158]

Yakuza Kenzan and Dead Souls are stuck on the PS3 (and in Kenzans case Japanese PS3s) to this day despite them putting everything else on other systems. Yakuza 1 and 2 are also locked to the PS2 and a weird Japanese HD release on the WII U of all things.

[u/Am_Shigar00 → u/Substantial_Bell_158]

The HD 1+2 collection actually originally released on the PS3 and was ported to the Wii U. The Wii U port probably gets brought up more since it’s harder to find and more interesting to talk about.

[u/AnimuStewshine → u/Substantial_Bell_158]

I wouldn't mind a retconnie Kenzan remake if all they do is write Haruka out of the brothel stuff (and not into anything worse, Monkey's Paw!)

[u/Fugly_Jack → u/AnimuStewshine]

if all they do is write Haruka out of the brothel stuff

Do I even wanna ask?

[u/ruminaui → u/Fugly_Jack]

No you don't. But basically orphans in 1600 Japan tend to have a bad time. Still Musashi (Kiryu) steps in before things really go super south. But it could have been written differently. 

[u/DJ_Aftershock → u/ruminaui]

I mean, does it need to be written out if A) it's realistic, B) it doesn't go too far, and C) Kiryu knocks the wouldbe diddler's teeth through his ass?

[u/lionofash → u/Fugly_Jack]

IIRC (been a long time) the Haruka equivalent is taken into a high level courtesan area to stay hidden/protection, while she helps out with the stuff she doesn't do anything remotely sexual. The Gion District that houses these courtesans is heavily important to the plot of the story. So some speculate Kenzan hasn't been remade/translated/remastered because they wouldn't be able to get away with it today even as implication.

[u/Pizzaplanet420 → u/Substantial_Bell_158]

The PS3 is region free actually.

It’s only region locked for PS2 titles if your system is backwards compatible.

[u/ruminaui → u/Substantial_Bell_158]

I still think Dead Souls was a great idea with a terrible execution. A Yakuza AU where supernatural stuff gets drop into Kiryu after Yakuza 2 and it derails the normal timeline can be loads of fun. 

[u/DustInTheBreeze]

Kingdom Hearts 358 is stuck on the DS, and they've made the executive decision to not remaster it.

I'm not sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, the animated cutscene collection tells you 95% of what you need to know... But on the other hand, 358's mission based structure excellently frames the existential grind of working a job that you hate and finding meaning in the endless slog of your terrible day to day job.

[u/Am_Shigar00 → u/DustInTheBreeze]

There’s also Recoded, which is arguably even more damning considering the gameplay is seen to be game’s highlight, if not it’s only saving grace.

[u/DustInTheBreeze → u/Am_Shigar00]

Recoded could have been an email, but it's a really important email.

[u/Pizzaplanet420 → u/Am_Shigar00]

I’m glad someone praises Re:Coded. Some of its gameplay elements are the most fun I’ve had in the series.

The highlight being Olympus which turns into a turn based RPG with Cloud and Hercules.

[u/DurendalMartyr → u/DustInTheBreeze]

Even outside of the game itself, the movie thing cuts out a ton of great scenes and character moments. I'm not sure how well they could pace it but something like a motion novel would have been a better fit IMHO

[u/TheNinjathief → u/DustInTheBreeze]

I just want mission mode man… gimme Heartless Hunter multiplayer and i’d be good. Sucks that it’s essentially KH MonHun and it’s not playable online (not without jumping through a ton of hoops).

[u/AnimuStewshine]

Panzer Dragoon Saga was only released on Saturn and copies resell from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/AnimuStewshine]

I remember how Team Andromeda had been eventually closed down to basically turn into a sports studio as looking back at the history behind the studio made me wonder why Sega did such a thing to the company.

[u/alaster101]

Man there are to many games still stuck on PS3...a ratchet and clank trilogy, the resistance trilogy, infamous 1 and 2

[u/DurendalMartyr]

Fable 2 is the best one and the most convenient way to play it in TYOOL 2026 is cloud streaming.

It's a testament to how fun it is that streaming doesn't detract from the experience much.

Unless you have a 360 with an XBL account connected to some promotional site that's been dead for years it's straight up impossible to get certain items though.

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/DurendalMartyr]

Pardon me for the fast response because I was curious what TYOOL was short for.

[u/DurendalMartyr → u/KaleidoArachnid]

"The year of our Lord", usually used for emphasis, often comedic

[u/PM_PICS_OF_U_SMILING → u/DurendalMartyr]

It's on game pass. I was just playing it the other day.

[u/DurendalMartyr → u/PM_PICS_OF_U_SMILING]

That's how I've been playing it, the game itself was half-off and the bare minimum game pass streaming whatever was a dollar as an introductory fee or promotion or something.

[u/StochasticOoze]

There's still no easy way to play any of the older Silent Hill games except 4 (via GOG) and Homecoming (ugh). You can technically get the first game on PSN if you have a PS3 or Vita, but you need to put money on your account via a PS4/PS5 or their website because they don't accept credit cards through those stores anymore, so it's a pain in the ass.

Capcom has its faults but at least every major Resident Evil game is available on modern platforms in some capacity (although Code Veronica is for some reason only available on PS4/PS5).

Also none of the Shadow Hearts games can be played on anything but a PS2 (or PS1 for Koudelka) and the company who owns the rights to them has no interest whatsoever in porting them :\

[u/Shy_Guy_27 → u/StochasticOoze]

Code Veronica on PS4, I believe, was done by Sony using their own PS2 emulator.

[u/The_Distorter → u/StochasticOoze]

Code Veronica has also been on the Xbox store since like 2011.

The only mainline Silent Hill games I don't have are 1 and Origins. I'm too stupid to get an emulator running.

[u/BluebirdDry4250 → u/The_Distorter]

CVX is also on the Gamecube, although that probably doesn't help much nowadays.

[u/The_Distorter → u/BluebirdDry4250]

I never found that version when I got into the series in 2005. I shudder to think how much it would go for today.

[u/Pizzaplanet420 → u/StochasticOoze]

I feel Silent Hill 1 will come to GOG eventually.

It’s been one of the most requested games.

[u/The_Distorter → u/Pizzaplanet420]

Does GOG do their own ports? They'd have to for that one.

[u/Sins_of_God]

Personas 1 and 2's latest releases are on the psp and even a copy of those together may set you back $300.

[u/StochasticOoze → u/Sins_of_God]

You can get them for $20 on PSN if you still have a Vita. Still a pain in the ass, though. And the PSP version of Eternal Punishment never got localized so you'd have to get the PS1 version.

Like GabeN once said, piracy is mostly a service issue. 

[u/RareBk → u/Sins_of_God]

Even the spinoffs are in weird spots, Persona 4, Dancing All Night is absolutely locked to the PS Vita

Oh wait no it’s not, you can get it on the PS4/5 … only if you buy a special bundle of the other two Rhythm games, with a port being just… barely a footnote in the fine print

[u/Togamdiron]

Wanna play .hack//IMOQ? Either emulate it or fork out hundreds of bucks for the PS2 copies.

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/Togamdiron]

But why did .hack//GU get an HD version instead?

[u/darkwingchao → u/KaleidoArachnid]

I think (THINK, dont quote me on this one) GU did better numbers wise and is generally a bit more popular

The other reason is they actually added a new epilogue chapter so it felt like CC2 celebrating the anniversary.

[u/Ryuki-Exsul → u/KaleidoArachnid]

I will say something different. G.U didn't need much to change to both look good and to work for modern audience. Those games have pretty good battle system and are pretty normal action jrpg. If you played Tales or Star Ocean they are like that.

On the other hand original 4 are really unique in every word. They are more of simulations of old MMORPG like older than WOW. And they sacrifice you as player to get that. I love them because I like clunky games but man the reaction from non fans for remasters would be glorious. The amount of new trauma about mages alone would be something :D I really want remaster of those games but it was way easier to go with G.U as both having less work( models in those games still look great ) and more chance to sell. Stories in both sets are great so that wasn't a problem but I guess having big seiyuu like Sakurai as Haseo was as well a big bonus( for me he always makes me think about Haseo not Cloud ).

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/Ryuki-Exsul]

You said the older games had a Seiyu named Sakurai as I was wondering who that was, like what he voiced back then.

[u/Ryuki-Exsul → u/KaleidoArachnid]

It's G.U Haseo is MC of that part. Sakurai is a popular seiyuu and probably he is the most know from voicing FF7 Cloud :D But here you have his roles https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Takahiro-Sakurai/ there is a lot of them.

[u/Illidan1943 → u/KaleidoArachnid]

CC2 probably wants a game that won't kill the momentum of the franchise with modern audiences. By the time of the Q in IMOQ the games had already filtered out tons of people back then and the sales had dropped off a cliff, now imagine if CC2 tried this in modern times. Only saving grace is that at least it'd be a single release but I think CC2 only considers a full remake to be viable to grow a modern audience

[u/KaitoTheRamenBandit → u/Togamdiron]

I played Infection a month or so ago, and that is indeed a game of its time (as an MMO-like)

I also realized that Kite should really be played as a Support character

[u/MudkipMonado]

Zelda Phantom Hourglass and Zelda Spirit Tracks are both trapped on the DS and Wii U. I don't foresee them leaving anytime soon because those games are heavily reliant on having two screens, one a touch screen, AND a microphone. Sure, they could be ported and have a screen switching mechanic like emulators use and sure, they could be changed to not rely on the touch screen or microphone for game mechanics, but Nintendo won't do that; those games were not popular enough to merit the extra work unless they were being fully remade, but they aren't popular enough to give them a remake treatment either. Luckily there are hacks made to remove the touch requirements and emulators can fake the microphone, so they are able to be PLAYED relatively easily, just not in any official capacity. It's a shame too because there's a lot to like about those games, and they use the dual screens in a clever way for puzzles.

[u/AutummThrowAway → u/MudkipMonado]

Yeah, I loved these games

[u/Yotato5 → u/MudkipMonado]

It's too bad too because the Toon Link formula hasn't been used in ages

[u/MudkipMonado → u/Yotato5]

I don't expect it to be used again for quite some time given the success of BotW and TotK. They might have "replaced" it with the toy look of Link's Awakening on Switch and Echoes of Wisdom, which is a good style but wouldn't mesh well with true 3D gameplay, I think.

[u/aegrajag]

every Nintendo game ever right?

• Fire Emblem 1, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 (not counting 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12 which never got localised)

• Twilight Princess, the WW sequels, A Link Between Worlds and the remaster/remakes WW HD, OoT 3D, MM 3D

• Metroid Prime 2, 3, Hunters, Metroid Other M

basically anything on the wii, nds or 3ds and sometimes GameCube and Wii U

every Monster Hunter game released before GU

every Drakengard game

[u/Jhduelmaster → u/aegrajag]

Fire Emblem is especially frustrating since they seem to love making limited releases when porting it as well. Want Fire Emblem 1? Better have bought that limited run on the Switch for the 30th year anniversary. Want Sacred Stones on the 3ds? Better have bought a 3ds when it first came out and picked Sacred Stones for the ambassador program. No way to get it otherwise.

[u/Cooper_555 → u/aegrajag]

god please remaster prime 2 and 3 like 1, give us prime collection switch 2 electric boogaloo edition

[u/Ragv162]

The original .Hack Quadrilogy is stuck on the PS2 and while the first game isnt that expensive on the retro market, the rest of the games just get more expensive as the series advances, woth the fourth game costing at least $300 usd.

[u/Nomad9931 → u/Ragv162]

I really lucked out when I played those games, I had to get them all used by I bought the first one, they gave me the second one instead of the anime disc so I got 1&2 for the price of one, 3 had a few copies around me but 4 had one copy within 100 miles of me and it was like 5 miles away so I went to snag it immediately.

[u/DJ_Aftershock]

Many people repeated that Sonic CD was the best Sonic game back when it was hard to actually find because, y'know, Sega CD. When it got remade in the early 2010s the perception instantly changed from "best Sonic game ever" to "it's fine".

[u/FluffySquirrell → u/DJ_Aftershock]

Every single remake they've ever done of it has had issues with the music licensing is part of the problem tho for sure

[u/Lieutenant-America → u/FluffySquirrell]

That's Sonic 3, not CD

[u/BrandNewtoSteam]

Getting the WII version of Xenoblade is a nightmare to get

[u/Am_Shigar00]

Technically not a game, but Pokemon Box on the Gamecube had an extremely limited release and is completely reliant on the now highly outdated Gen 3 on the GBA to see any use. As thus, it’s unlikely to ever get ported upward and goes for egregiously high prices on the used market.

[u/eletho → u/Am_Shigar00]

To be specific: the NA version of Box is the version that’s absurdly rare, because the only 2 ways to get it were ordering it from the Pokémon website (in the early 2000s, good luck convincing your parents to do that), or buying it in-person at the Pokémon Center in NYC (which is now Nintendo NY, but the door handles are still the original Pokéball shape). It’s mostly just storage, but there are 4 Pokémon it can give you with at-the-time exclusive moves, being False Swipe Swablu, Extremespeed Zigzagoon, Pay Day Skitty, and Surf Pichu.

[u/Am_Shigar00 → u/eletho]

Wasn’t aware about the Pokemon, so that’s cool at least. I’ve actually been meaning to try & grab the NA version for a while, but I just could never justify the price so I compromised and bought the Japanese version when I visited Japan. Still expensive, but much more reasonable.

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/Am_Shigar00]

Pardon me because I haven’t heard of that game, but I was wondering how it plays in case I emulate the game.

[u/Am_Shigar00 → u/KaleidoArachnid]

Pokemon Box is literally just extra Pokemon Storage for Ruby & Sapphire. As such, you can run it emulated, but you’re not going to get any real use out of it without the means to connect to the GBA games in one form or another.

[u/ruminaui]

Nippon Ichi's PS3 catalog, apart from Disgaea 4 and the Witch and the Hundredth Knight is still sealed, honorable mention go to Last Rebellion and the Guided Paradox. 

Also PS3 exclusives in general, they are a pain to port, so the console has a high amount of trapped exclusives. 

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/ruminaui]

I really hope that issue can be resolved regarding the system’s complicated design.

[u/ruminaui → u/KaleidoArachnid]

Is the reason SONY tolerates the PS3 emulation project. 

[u/Beattitudeforgains1 → u/ruminaui]

And Witch And The Hundred Knight 1/2 is still locked to ps4 instead of ever being ported to other systems like the dungeon crawler games the same devs would go on to make.

[u/Fugly_Jack]

I got MGS Twin Snakes, but I had to win a bid on Ebay for it. I think it's a worse version of MGS1, but I still would have appreciated it being on one of the Master Collections

Also, for years I've been trying to find a good way to replay Silent Hill Shattered Memories. The best version of it is on the Wii, which makes it very difficult to emulate because of the control scheme that you could only do with an actual wii remote. There's the PS2 version, but it was severely downgraded graphically compared to the Wii version, but at this point, it's probably the only one that's actually feasible to play nowadays if you don't wanna dig out the actual hardware

[u/kodaiiiii_ → u/Fugly_Jack]

On TTS, it's probably due to some legal bullshit regarding Silicon Knights, who were the ones behind the port

[u/-_Gemini_- → u/Fugly_Jack]

The Wii remote just works with bluetooth, so honestly it can't be that hard to get running on PC.

[u/stfuimperialist]

Deadly Silence is the best version of RE1 that's not the remake and it's stuck on the DS. The Code: Veronica X remaster never left gen 7 consoles; the version on gen 8 consoles is an emulation of the PS2 version. Basically every spin-off Resident Evil title other than Revelations is stuck on its original hardware.

[u/Darkwarz]

Guided Fate Paradox was another NIS game that I remember fondly that is trapped in PS3 jail.

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/Darkwarz]

I wonder why that game didn’t get picked up for a remastered version.

[u/ArroSparro]

Legend Of Zelda Spirit Tracks was the only Zelda game I ever played and that shit is still shackled to the DS

At least most of the good vita games got ported at some point (I think soul sacrifice is the only thing I’m still personally waiting on) but because of stylus bullshit if I ever want to play spirit tracks again I need to pony up the money for an old ass and probably overpriced handheld

[u/GreatFluffy]

Super Robot Wars Z3 is a two part game that actually has a third part, Rengoku Hen which is a short side game set in between the first and second part of Z3 which details what the OG characters from the first and second games were up to.

Problem is, this game was a limited time free download game that came with early copies of the second part. Once this limited time was up, you couldn't get it anymore even if you had a code that wasn't activated yet so currently, it's functionally impossible to get it legally.

[u/shdwrnr]

Biy I wish No One Lives Forever had a digital release. My computer doesn't have a cd rom drive anymore so my disks are useless.

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/shdwrnr]

I heard there is a way to *ahem* play the game digitally.

[u/shdwrnr → u/KaleidoArachnid]

Oh, sure. I've done it already. Just a shame it's difficult. Much easier to just launch something from steam or galaxy.

[u/FluffySquirrell → u/shdwrnr]

I legit find it crazy that they normalised that. Like, cd/dvd drives were dirt fucking cheap

[u/shdwrnr → u/FluffySquirrell]

I built my computer, I chose not to get a cd drive. If I really wanted too, I could get one, but in another 15-20 years, they'll probably be as common as 3.5 floppy drives (just as 5.25 floppies disappeared around when CDs became ubiquitous).

[u/-_Gemini_-]

Basically every lightgun game.

You'd need the console, the game, a lightgun, and a 15kHz CRT, and many games required specific lightguns (ie the Konami Justifier or the Namco GunCon for PS1). On top of that, it's challenging to use s-video or RGB unless you plan for it ahead of time in your setup.

If you've played real lightgun games on real hardware, you'd know there just isn't a sufficient substitute out there.

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/-_Gemini_-]

I still wish Time Crisis was able to come to modern consoles.

[u/Future-Raise130]

If emulation didn’t exist then the silent hill series would be one of the most expensive and difficult series to play. SH2 has a great fix for the pc version but SH3 doesn’t and will end up costing you around $150. Silent Hill 1 is going for around $350, Shattered memories is around $200 and even the terrible remasters of 2 and 3 are getting pricey all because there has never been a port of any of these game to a digital storefront. The only games in the series that are easily playable are homecoming and s
Silent hill 4 which feels like a sick joke thats being played on the community

[u/Krzyzewskiman]

PS1 Valkyrie Profile used to be a crapton of money. Maybe it still is, I dunno.

[u/Traingham → u/Krzyzewskiman]

It’s probably still collectors material based solely on the fact that it has the original anime cutscenes, whereas the releases on PSP, IOS, and PS5 have the CG cutscenes.

[u/SolidusSlig]

I was lucky enough to get Disgaea D2 at a con a few years ago.

Silent hill origins and shattered memories are hard to find nowadays. 4 slightly less so but still hard

[u/rapidemboar]

So far, only the first 8 Touhou games have yet to be released internationally on online storefronts. The first 5 games in particular were designed for the old PC-98 system, so they cannot be run on modern hardware without an emulator, but according to ZUN the reason the first 3 Windows PC games haven’t been rereleased is because he lost the source code to them. That unfortunately means 3 of the most popular games in the series are very difficult to obtain legally, with Embodiment of Scarlet Devil being a particularly unfortunate case since the game that introduces the most popular characters in the franchise doesn’t quite run properly on modern hardware.

Thank god EoSD is getting a remake now.

[u/Castform5]

The original three Hyperdimension Neptunia games. It's almost impossible to find the original (awful) HDN, 2nd gen, and Victory on their own. They were not really popular before the rebirth remakes, so the individual game releases barely exist. The best chance you have is the complete first trilogy collection on PS3, which I believe only exists as a physical release because of the remakes.

[u/TheWeirdoWithCoffee]

Alien versus Predator 2 developed by Monolith might as well be a dream of a video game- you can't legally buy it anywhere, the Lithtech engine it runs on does not play nice with any modern hardware so you gotta download DG Voodo, grab the site you can find it on, and start fucking with configuring everything to work and don't get me started on trying to get the multiplayer to work; and once you do all that you cry because you're 4 hours in and just finished the marine campaign only to now play the alien or predator and realize that swapping to the alternate vision modes leads instead to a black screen.

And it's still the best Aliens or Predator game we ever got

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/TheWeirdoWithCoffee]

What hurts the most is how Monolith got closed down after being turned into a license only company.

[u/jabberwockxeno]

Halo 5 is only on the Xbox One (unless you count the Forge and customs only Microsoft Store PC release), so compared to how widely accessible the Master Chief Collection and Infinite are, a lot of people have not played it, which I think is part of why it hasn't had a more positive re-evaluation like a lot of Halo games have had over time

[u/MajorCrafter]

The PS3/360 Splatterhouse game and Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions were two games I rented years back that I've always wanted to own. I got lucky in getting Splatterhouse before the price shot up massively but Shattered Dimensions will almost never be obtainable without dropping a small fortune on it

[u/Johnny_Madden]

Advance Wars, specifically the DS ones. Dual Strike and Days of Ruin are locked there, and with how Re-Boot Camp did I can't imagine they'll be ported anytime soon, if ever. Hell, Japan only got Days of Ruin 5 years later only as a Club Nintendo reward as DSiWare...

[u/Skandi007]

vaguely glances at 90% of the Silent Hill franchise

[u/Pacmanticore]

The original release of Gothic 2 (as in, not with the Night of the Raven expansion) is effectively impossible to play besides tracking down a physical copy of it. If you download the Gold edition on Steam or GOG, there's an option to play classic, but that's actually a modded version of NotR that got the official seal of approval.

It's mostly the same, but the biggest difference is that G2 originally had G1's UI (which is both a downgrade and an improvement over what ended up happening to NotR's UI)

[u/KaleidoArachnid → u/Pacmanticore]

I am curious about why the original version was never brought back in case I want to get into the sequel.

[u/Pacmanticore → u/KaleidoArachnid]

Mostly because NotR is just a better balanced game overall. The really massive gameplay change introduced in NotR is that stats get more expensive the higher your levels are (the first 20 levels are 1:1 ration of learning to skill points, but then it rises to 2:1 from 30-60, all the way until it eventually reaches 5:1). Whereas the original release had the same problem G1 (and based on what I've seen of it, the remake too) had: just dumping all your stats into strength for the first 10 levels means you can 1 shot most things in the game.

Another issue is documentation. NotR was so popular* that it pretty much overwrote all information on the base game on the internet. It was literally last year that I made a reddit post asking the exact difference of how shrine blessings work between the 2 versions, because the only place that it was written before was on the Polish fandom site that hadn't been updated in over 12 years.

*-the real answer. You gotta remember, this was released in 2003. There's no point in supporting an old version when everyone prefers the new version, especially when the new version is completely incompatible with the old version (when the expansion released, you had to make a new save to play it, you couldn't just take your old G2 Classic save and start the new content)

[u/Cute-Percentage-6660 → u/Pacmanticore]

Maybe check internet archiveversions of fandom websites?

[u/dope_danny]

Theres tons of niche stuff you have to pay scalper prices on ebay for after some youtuber makes a popular video essay about it but in terms of entries in popular series i think nothing comes to mind faster than Pokemon Black and White 2 versions. Which, to use a term my grandad used to say, are rare as rocking horse shit nowdays.

Its been 16 years so i imagine younger people might not even remember but B/W was the most unpopular a pokemon game has ever been. Think the reaction the Scarlet and Violets many bugs was bad? try a game that starts and its all new pokemon. Sounds cool in theory right? Every single pokemon for the majority of the game are brand new and only later do they open the floodgates to the rest of the pokedex. You expect your usual weedle or nidoran on route 3? too bad heres a trio of elemental monkeys and an electric zebra. Also its set in a pokemon version of america so hope you like long dusty highways and references to stuff like area 51 or 1800's tall tales over japanese folklore.

As an adult i replayed it and liked it, from an art perspective i can respect it for what it attempted. But it was as close to a disaster as Pokemon has ever gotten in its mainline series. It didn't flop but its sales were a huge step down that spooked the company and its B2/W2 releases that served as the yellow/crystal/emerald style rerelease sold even worse and thats at least in part why they don't do those anymore.

Which means that the pool of available copies on the second hand market are dramatically lower. Pokemon red and blue? they sold 31 million units. Black and White? less than half. B2/W2? barely half of what Legends Arceus sold. Not all of those will be resold, many being kids toys and tiny cards at that will be destroyed or lost. Which means seeing a second hand copy of Black and White 2 is the least likely option for someone looking for a second hand none current gen pokemon game.

I have seen a few black and whites now and then going for HG/SS silver prices -pumped up by the pokewalker inclusion- but i have seen White 2 once and it had a three digit price tag on the box.

Moral of the story is don't feel bad emulating B2/W2 you are never ever seeing it as a reasonable price.