Harvest Moon: Part III - PlayStation 1 and GBC Days

In this part of my Harvest Moon blog series I will be discussing three titles released during 1999 and 2000. This was the first and last Harvest Moon would see of the original PlayStation. During this time there was also another GameBoy Color game released that I will discuss. Onwards!

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature/Bokujou Monogatari Haabesetomuun (Harvest Moon)

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature/牧場物語～ハーベストムーン
I'm not going to go over the developers and publishers again, because that would be like beating a dead horse (or other farm animal). No body wants that. If you would like to catch up, please read my previous two blogs (one and two) on Harvest Moon.
What I found interesting right away was the fact that the Japanese name had "Harvest Moon" in the subtitle. There was clearly some kind of communication with the non-Japanese publisher going on here, at least for a while. Another fact to note is that this is the first Harvest Moon game to be released on a non-Nintendo console. It really speaks to how much the PlayStation had taken over the market during this time. It was released December 1999 (JP), November 2000 (NA), and January 2001 (PAL).

The story this time around is a bit more realistic. The boy visits his grandfathers farm and ends up taking care of it because his grandfather takes advantage of having him there *ahem* sorry...he was "too busy". Ten years later the boy, now grown, inherits the farm and fixes it up. If he can't fix it up in three years, the villagers and mayor threaten his due inheritance of the farm. Not sure that is their call, but hey. We need a time limit!
One thing I always noticed while playing this game and watching other let's plays to freshen up my memory is that many of the NPCs are actually from Harvest Moon 64...except they are alternate universe versions of themselves. They have new lifestyles, families, and sometimes personalities and traits.

As far as gameplay, energy is an even bigger thing this time around. The tools you are given from the start wear you out quickly, so you have to manage the time each day very well until you can upgrade them. In addition the game insists that you find a mate and start a family before the three years is up. This poor guy never gets to make decisions pertaining to HIS life. Seriously though, I actually like these upgrades because there is a bit more strategy.

Rarity: This game is actually VERY easy to find. It goes for about $35 used and $100 factory sealed. However, if you get the Japanese version you will pay $25 for the used version and about $80 for the brand new version (at most).

Additionally: I will be talking more about this game as it has been rereleased several times...as well as having a "girl version" of this game that I will be talking about in this blog.

Harvest Moon 3 GBC/Bokujou Monogatari GB3: Booi Miitsu Gaaru (Boy Meets Girl)

Harvest Moon 3 GBC/牧場物語GB3 ボーイ・ミーツ・ガール
This was the last Harvest Moon for the GameBoy Color. Kind of the end of an era. However, they went out with a bang. Once again, you can choose to be a girl or a boy. In Japan they had these on separate cartridges for some reason. Eventually they came to their senses when they released this game for the US (this did not have a PAL release as far as I know). They combined the two into a single cartridge. As always, the developers and publishers are the same. The release dates are as such: September 2000 for Japan and November 2001 for North America.

Now to the gameplay...I have to say it is better than the last two games on the GB/GBC. Once again, you have the choice to play as a boy or a girl. If you choose the boy, you end up on the farm from Harvest Moon 2 GBC for a bit. If you choose the girl you end up on an island not far from shore owned by her father. Even if you are the boy, you eventually end up on the island with the girl character. So the rest of the game takes place there. This is quite different from other Harvest Moon games as you cannot visit town whenever you want. Instead you can only visit two days a week.
Now to get into some of the more sexist details. I love these games, but this cannot be overlooked. There are several things to note if you play the girl: The girl starts out with a free cow and brush, which seems nice until you realize only the male character can upgrade tools. The male character also has more stamina than the female and if the female character marries...it is game over. You win! If the male character marries, the game continues as normal.

As much as I just bashed the game for its sexism, it is still fun to play. Now for rarity:
Once again, SUPER easy to find. the North American version goes for $10-20 used and $80-90 new. If you get the Japanese version you can get it new for $30.

Bokujou Monogatari Haabesutomuun for gaaru (Japan only)

Bokujou Monogatari Haabesutomuun for Gaaru (牧場物語～ハーベストムーン～forガール) 
This game is a bit confusing as it has been rereleased to the English speaking world several times in recent years. I will, of course, be going over this in later blogs. This game was first released during December of 2000 for Japan only.
The story revolves around the girl character who washes up on the beach near Mineral Town with amnesia. The mayor allows her to live on the farm, and fix it up, until she is better. Through the fog of her amnesia she remembers trying to find a boy and random bits of poetry.

The gameplay is basically Back to Nature. Think of this as the "girl version" of that game if you will. However, just like Harvest Moon 3 GBC, once you woo yourself a man he proposes to you and you leave the town...ending the game. Besides being a tad bit sexist, it makes the game shorter than Back to Nature, even though it is otherwise identical gameplay wise.

As for rarity, this game is also pretty easy to find. It goes for about $20 for a lightly used copy. I was unable to find any new copies at this time, but I am sure they will pop up.

That is all for this blog. Next time I will be discussing the next three games in the series.
Thanks again for reading!

Sources: 
http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/harvest-moon-back-to-nature-review/1900-2665649/
http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/28/harvest-moon-back-to-nature
http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/16/harvest-moon-3
http://www.gamespot.com/harvest-moon-3-gbc/related/release/platform/gbc/
http://harvestmoon.wikia.com/wiki/Bokujō_Monogatari:_Harvest_Moon_for_Girl
For rarity: Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist
For gameplay on games I had not played in a bit: YouTube let's plays. from various users. 

Collectible Consoles - The GameCube's Development (Part I)

Because I am feeling extra generous this week, I am getting started on the GameCube blogs. I may not post another until I am done with the PS3 blogs, but since that is pretty soon I wanted to give some background to the GameCube. This blog is only going to cover the development process and the unveiling at the Nintendo Press Conference in Japan in 2000 and in North America during E3 2001. The reason I am going over this stuff is because, honestly, I have a lot of nostalgia attached to these events. I remember when it was called the "Dolphin" and "GameStar" and everyone was speculating about what it would look like. Fun times those. So let's jump right in!

In 1998 a company called ArtX, composed mainly of former Silicon Graphics Inc. employees, partnered with Nintendo to develop the graphics processor, which was codenamed "Flipper" at the time. During this time the GameCube was going by an early name of "N2000". In May of 1999 Nintendo formed an alliance with IBM to create the processor, codenamed "Gekko". Also during this time they released a statement that they were changing the name of the system, for the time being, to "Project Dolphin". The plan during that time was for the console to run off of DVDs, but they never confirmed that it would in the long run. As a side note, ATI acquired ArtX in 2000, but I could find no major changes to the project as ArtX had done most of the work already.

In August of 2000, during a Nintendo Press Conference in Japan, they unveiled the GameCube and the GameBoy Advance. I could not find any pictures from this conference and one article said the official unveiling would be at the 2001 E3. I assume they were not allowed to take pictures. They were however allowed to describe what it looked like and were told the final name of the console for the first time. Although the rumor mill about it still being called the "GameStar" was still going around. I will try to find some old gaming magazines that called talked about this for next time.

GameCubes being shown off at E3 2001

During E3 2001, Nintendo revealed the titles that would be available at launch, which was September 14 2001. They were: Pikmin, Luigi's Mansion, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Stars Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II, Raven Blade, Wave Race Blue Storm, NBA Courtside 2002, Disney's Mickey (working title), Donkey Kong Racing, Animal Forest, Metroid Prime, Mamokia, Eternal Darkness, Kameo: Elements of Power, Star Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet, and Zelda (working title). Notice the lack of a proper Mario game, which was a first for a Nintendo launch. I will go through these one by one as most did not release at launch. In addition, I am going through these because I have found no other site that has done so.

Pikmin: released about a month after lanuch.
Luigi's Mansion: This did release alongside the console.
Super Smash Bros. Melee: Well...this series never releases a game on time. November 2001 for this title.
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader: This also didn't release until the end of November.
Raven Blade: This game was sadly canceled by July 2001 so that the team could focus on Metroid Prime.
Wave Race Blue Storm: This game released on time for the launch.
NBA Courtside 2002: This actually didn't get released until January of 2002.
Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse: Although the article only mentioned a working title, finding the game was pretty easy as this was pretty much the only title with Mickey in the name. It did not release until mid 2002.
Donkey Kong Racing: Although it was announced at E3 2001, no gameplay was shown. In the end the game was canceled.
Animal Forest/Crossing: In Japan Animal Crossing is called Doubutsu no Mori (Animal Forest), which is why it was called this during the first Japanese press release. They changed the name for American and European audiences. The first Animal Crossing game was actually a Japan exclusive for the Nintendo 64 and was released in July 2001. The GameCube version, however, did not make the launch. It wasn't released until December.
Metroid Prime: Even with the extra effort, this didn't release until November 17.
Mamokia: I could not find a THING on this game. I am assuming it got canceled early in development.
Eternal Darkness: This didn't release until June of 2002. Play it. Do it. It is amazing.
Kameo: Elements of Power: This ended up with an Xbox 360 release in 2005, but never got a GameCube release. Rare Ltd. was going through some financial problems during this time, which is also most likely why Donkey Kong Racing was canceled.
Star Fox Adventures: I will just go ahead and say this one made launch, at least in Japan and North America. It was only a week or so late.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: This sadly wasn't released until December of 2002.

Shigeru Miyamoto during E3 2001 - Look how happy he is! :)

So yeah...the launch lineup was not spectacular. However, the system itself is. I personally love it. I will be going over a little bit more of its history next time and will cover early models.
Thanks for reading!

Sources: 
http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/10/30/ati-discusses-gamecube-graphics
http://www.zdnet.com/article/nintendo-tweaks-gamecubes-specs/
http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/05/05/say-hello-to-project-dolphin
http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/02/17/ati-snags-dolphin-graphics-chip-designer
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendos-gamecube-unveiled/1100-2619269/
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/090731qa/index.html
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2001-nintendo-unleashes-gamecube-software-a-new-miyamoto-game-and-more/1100-2761390/
http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/05/10/nintendos-history-at-e3-2001?page=2
PICTURES:
http://www.gamesradar.com/e3-the-good-stuff/?page=7
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/guide/1782/gamecube-faq-the-nintendo-gamecube
https://en.wikipedia.org (for release dates. I double checked, but didn't want to put all here. Email me if you want all the sources for release dates.) 

Collectible Consoles - Part VII: PS3 Slim 120GB Bundles

Welcome again to PS3 bundles! I have finally moved on to the PS3 Slim, which is where things get more interesting. I will be going in order of release dates, therefore I will be starting with the 120GB. Once I get past the early bundles, in the next blog and the blogs after that, you guys will start seeing some awesome consoles packed with pretty cool goodies. In the meantime, I think that the 120GB bundles have their interesting points as well, so don't stop reading!

PS3 "Slim" 120GB 
Just as a reminder, I am putting the word "slim" in quotations because Sony never referred to it as the Slim model. What we often call the "super slim" is actually called the Slim Model by Sony. They actually called this model the "PS3". The bigger model before it was called the "PlayStation 3". It is a bit confusing, which is why I felt a need to go over it once more.

Kidou Senshi Gundam Senki Bundle 120GB

The first bundle was released alongside the PS3 "slim" on September 3 2009. It was a Japan only release that included Kidou Senshi Gundam Senki along with a 120gb Slim. It also came with two DLC bonuses: codes for FA-78-3 full armor Gundam and RX 81-AS assault armor. As an extra extra bonus it also came with an HD animated film. Sadly, I couldn't find this bundle for sale outside of Japan. Keep an eye out though as I am sure it will pop up on eBay and Amazon occasionally.

All five of these bundles were released on November 27 2009, which was of course Black Friday here in the states...which is most likely why these were all U.S. exclusives. Starting at the top left and working clockwise, I will go through these. The first includes Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time and LittleBigPlanet. It was a Best Buy exclusive. The next bundle was an Amazon.com exclusive containing Infamous and Killzone 2. The Walmart bundle includes Infamous and two doses of Batman: Batman Arkham Asylum and a Blu-Ray of The Dark Knight. Still working clockwise (therefore the bottom image), we have a Sony Store exclusive that, shockingly(insert sarcasm here), comes with Infamous and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. The last bundle was a GameStop exclusive that weirdly contained God of War Collection and LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition. Maybe they were trying to market to the whole family...I'm not sure about this one. I had some friends who were working at GameStop at the time and I remember tales of some customers that were apparently put off by this bundle as they were buying PS3s for their kids. It seems that Sony was still working on the finer points of marketing bundles during this time, or perhaps GameStop made the decision. Neither would surprise me. (Opinion time over...for now)
As far as rarity goes, these all pop up on Amazon and eBay pretty frequently. All the bundles I have spotted were used, but very lightly. The majority of them went for about $200-300. Not a bad deal if you can get a hold of the one you want.

Pro Evo 10/World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 Bundle

Once again, the Pro Evo bundle was released as a Japan exclusive. As covered in the previous PS3 blog, this series is called World Soccer Winning Eleven in Japan. This bundle was released sometime in November of 2009. Despite calls from the European market, Sony sadly decided not to release this bundle over there with no reason given. Listen to your European fans Sony! You gave them so many bundles before and it seemed to pay off.

Michael Jackson's: This Is It Bundle

Speaking of Japan exclusives that should have been released elsewhere...the This Is It bundle. I cannot wrap my head around why this was a Japan exclusive when it would have sold well in the states and in Europe. Anywho...the bundle included a PS3 120GB, its usual peripherals and the Blu-Ray of This Is It, The Blu-Ray also included a background for the PS3 as a bonus.  It was released the same day as the documentary in Japan, January 27 2010. As far as I know, this was the last 120GB PS3 "slim" bundle ever released...although it would not shock me if I found another. If I am wrong, I will update this.

As stated before, my blogs are going to be a bit shorter, but I think it is for the best. It allows me to research more and take care of life stuffs. Thanks again for reading!

Sources: 
http://techcrunch.com/2009/08/19/gundam-to-be-the-very-first-sony-ps3-slim-bundle/
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/11/25/walk-off-your-turkey-dinner-with-black-friday-shopping/
http://www.dayoftheweek.org/?m=November&d=25&y=2009&go=Go
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pro-evo-10-ps3-slim-and-xbox-360-elite-bundles-show-up-in-japan/1100-6230651/
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/michael-jackson-ps3-bundle-on-the-way
http://kotaku.com/5441145/this-is-it-the-michael-jackson-ps3-bundle
Pictures belong to Sony Entertainment Inc. 

Collectible Games - The Beginnings of Harvest Moon

In this blog I will be talking about the first four Harvest Moon games: Havest Moon (duh), Harvest Moon GB, Harvest Moon 64, and Harvest Moon GBC. While most information can be found on each Wikipedia page, as usual I like to go a step beyond. I will explain basic gameplay, release dates, how rare the games are, and other random trivia. I ran into some additional development information that is also not on the English wikipedia pages for those who like a bit of trivia.

For more information on the series as a whole please check out my first blog.

Harvest Moon (North American SNES cover)

Harvest Moon/Bokujou Monogatari
The original Harvest Moon is known in Japan as Bokujou Monogatari (牧場物語), which means Farm Story/Tale. It was released there in August 1996, North America in 1997, and Europe the following January of 1998.
Although I explained at length in my previous blog that Harvest Moon was developed by Pack-in-Video/Victor Interactive (later Marvelous Entertainment), the first game was actually developed by Amccus. The only thing I could find out about them was that they produced one other game called Monstania. I am assuming that this company had something to do with Pack-in-Video, which was bought by Victor Interactive in 1996...although I know nothing for sure. Since no credit has ever been given to anyone else but Pack-in-Video/Victor Interactive for the creation of the series, this is the only guess I have.

Those of you who have played Harvest Moon games before already know the formula for the gameplay. However, for those who have not played the games I will quickly summarize. In this game you are a boy given a farm...because all small children should be given large plots of land and living animals to take care of. It is an adorable game. Do not question it. Anyways, the farm is failing and it is your job to fix it up! Your character has between 6am and 6pm to allocate time to different tasks on the farm. These tasks include planting and watering crops, buying seeds, talking to other villagers/NPCs, and feeding animals. There are even weather patterns and seasons to worry about. You sell what your animals and crops produce in town for an income. This money is used to upgrade different things around your farm, including your tools. You can also get married...I will resist rural jokes about underage marriage because it is an adorable game. 

I have seen many complaints about the gameplay not evolving as the series goes on, but I would like to inject my opinion here. It is a farm simulator. An adorable farm simulator. Simulators do not make major changes to their gameplay and that is pretty typical of the genre. Changes, however, ARE made from game to game, and they often mean a good deal to fans of the series. The makers know keeping a fanbase is like walking a very fine line. That is all I will say on the matter. 

Harvest Moon GB(GBC)/Bokujou Monogatari GB(GBC)
This is the second Harvest Moon game and the first for a handheld. It was produced by developed by Pack-in-Video/Victor Interactive and released in 1997/1998 (Japan/the rest of the world). A GameBoy Color version was released in 1998 as well. It was called Harvest Moon GBC. 

Because of the limitations of the GameBoy, crops are the main source of income. There are, however, two types of livestock: cows and chickens. In addition, you can choose a cat or dog for a pet and you get a horse for shipping items and farm work. Just like in the original, you can also upgrade your tools.
Unlike the original Harvest Moon for the SNES and the upcoming Harvest Moon 64, you can actually choose your gender. 

Harvest Moon 64/Bokujou Monogatari 2
While this game was known as Harvest Moon 64 in North America because almost every N64 game had to have that "64" attached to it, it was known as Bokujou Monogatari 2 in Japan and therefore the sequel to the original. The game was released in 1999. According to Wikipedia, it was developed by Toy Box Studios and Victor Interactive. When I clicked on the link to Toy Box Studios it sent me to Marvelous' page...
So I got a bit confused. The researcher in me got angry at the English Wikipedia page and suddenly I didn't want to waste the five years I spent learning Japanese in college. To Japanese websites I went! 
That cleared pretty much everything up. I have links up at the bottom of the page for any Japanese readers. I couldn't find any direct relation or mention of Toy Box Studios on the Japanese websites but I found a ton of copyright material for Marvelous. So I believe that clears that up pretty well. The two companies clearly worked closely on the game with both having hands in the development process. Pack-in-Video (owned by Victor Interactive) was the publisher in Japan while Natsume published and localized the game for the North American audience, as per the usual. 

The the persistent Harvest Moon development confusion out of the way, now to the gameplay.  Once again, the player is given a farm, this time by your in-game grandfather. Although feeling very much like the first game in that you need to raise crops and animals to turn a profit, there are some more RPG elements this time around. Not only is there a limited amount of time in the day to work, but your character has limited stamina. It reminds me a bit of HP in RPGs and forces the player to make more critical choices. There are also side quests this time around as well as the chance to raise a family for the first time. Once again, you have your pick of the ladies in town. However, they all have their own personalities so there needs to be a bit of strategy in the wooing process. Besides all of this there are more crops, tools, and animals.

Harvest Moon 2 GBC/Bokujou Monogatri GB2
This cute little handheld Harvest Moon was released in 1999 for Japan, 2000 for North America, and 2001 for PAL regions. Its development process was easier to track down. It was developed and produced by Pack-in-Video (Victor Interactive) in Japan with Natsume localizing it in the states.

I have not actually played this one, but if you watch let's plays it seems to be less sim like and focuses more on RPG elements such as story and getting to know towns people. The gameplay seems a bit more linear as well. Just like the previous handheld Harvest Moon, you do get the choice of gender, which is nice. The storyline is a nice change of pace too. You are given a farm to fix up and if you fail to do so the place will get turned into an amusement park by the mayor. As with all the games, you are given a limited amount of time to repair the farm. 

Rarity:
Harvest Moon - The American version goes for hundreds. If you have a PAL SNES you can find it for $50. I sadly could not find the Japanese version of the game, which is a real shame because I have a Super Famicom.
Harvest Moon GB(GBC) - This one was far more reasonable! I found the American/Japanese/PAL versions all ranging from $6-30 depending on condition. If you want new...it will cost a bit more ($1000-2000) but that is typical. Keep in mind that nearly no kid kept the boxes for GB/GBC games, so that really jacks up the prices of a new game. 
Harvest Moon 64 - This goes for about $50 used. If you get the Japanese version it is about $20-30 and that included the box. As a side note, it is almost always cheaper to get the Japanese version of an older game (with exceptions). New, the game runs about $150-300 for the North American release.
Harvest Moon GBC - This game was about $20 used and $150-300 new. However, once again if you are willing to buy the Japanese version and have a Japanese GB you can buy it nearly new with a box for about $20.

That about wraps that up! This blog ended up being far longer than I thought it would but I had a ton of fun researching for it. :) Check the bottom of the page tomorrow for my full list of sources. I wanted to get this up at the promised time, but my sources are out of order and the HTML doesn't want to accept the Japanese...so I need to fiddle with the page a bit.
Thanks for reading!

General Updates for July-August

For those actually reading my blog, I thank you! I am in my learning mode right now so please stick with me. I going to make some very small changes to the schedule to make it easier to cope with. Here they are:

- I make a Collecting Tips blog every other Tuesday from now on.
- The blogs are going to be (generally) smaller.

In addition, I was supposed to have the Harvest Moon blog up today, but life happened. Thus, the change in schedule to allow for life to happen without it affecting posts. The blog will be up by tomorrow.

It has been a bit since having writing deadlines and this is material I am not used to researching. I am learning slowly though. Thanks for reading it  :)

Collectible Consoles - The PS3 Part VI: The 3rd Generation

At first I was going to try to break this blog up more, but changed my mind as that would just be too confusing and would drag this out longer. So I am putting all the generation 3 bundles I could find information on here. If I missed anything, please let me know in the comments! Once again, most of these were pretty impossible to find, but I will update this blog if that changes. I will not mention rarity unless I actually found one available for purchase, with a few exceptions aside.

I will try to, kind of, go in order of release...but since there were not many release dates for these they may be slightly out of order by a couple of months. Nothing major.

40GB Model (CECH G/H/Jxx models) 

Metal Gear Solid 4 Special Edition - Gun Metal Black Version

Please check out my previous blog on the PS3 for more info on this bundle. I will quickly go over it one more time. It came with the pretty Gun Metal Black finished PS3, MGS4 Limited Edition, a documentaries DVD, and a soundtrack. This is super easy to find on Ebay and Amazon usually...although it may cost an arm and a leg.

Spider-Man 3 Blu-Ray Bundle

This bundle was released for North America only. One thing to note about movie bundles is that they are close to impossible to find new or even used. This is mainly due to the fact that Sony was pretty much selling every PS3 as a bundle during this time and that people never thought an unopened one would be worth much. So...long story short, I could not find this. The same goes for the other movie bundles. Which is a real shame because who doesn't want Spider-Man 3 packaged with an older PS3?! I kid, I kid.

The Blockbuster Bundle

This bundle is an odd one. I read several articles (which can be found in my sources) that stated that not only was this a Blockbuster exclusive, but that only a select few ever carried it. To make matters even more confusing, I found that some bundles had the 40gb and while others had the 80gb. While Tranformers: The Game was always included, it would seem that the movies differed. I found two different movies, although there may be more. The first was Spider-Man 3 (they were trying to get rid of that movie...) and the other was Click. This bundle also came with a remote and a 12 week rental card. I sadly could not find this on any shopping website, and believe me, I hunted for it. If someone finds this, for the love of all that is holy, let me know! I am super curious at this point.

Dynasty Warriors 6 Bundle

Check out my the PS3 Part II  blog for more information on the Ceramic White PS3. This bundle was a Japan only release that came with a 40gb PS3, Dynasty Warriors 6, nine metallic tags, stickers, and a book featuring characters and maps.

Devil May Cry 4 Bundles

These two bundles were released in Japan on January 31 2008 in both Piano Black and Ceramic White. Besides coming bundled with Devil May Cry 4, they also included a bonus Blu-Ray disc with extra content. 

This is the Ryuu ga Gotoku Kenzan/Yakuza bundle packaged with a Satin Silver 40gb PS3. This bundle was released in Japan alongside the game on March 6 2008. Besides the game, it came packaged with the dragon sticker set pictured on the right.

Both of these Starter Pack bundles were sold in Europe, although the one with NFS: Pro Street seems to have been exclusive to just France, at least for a time. Each includes an extra controller, a 40gb PS3, and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, although the one with Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction had a wider European release.

European Movie Pack Bundle

This movie pack was released for Europe on March 19 2008. It contains a 40gb PS3 along with the movies 300, James Bond: Casino Royale...and Spider-Man 3...yeah. They were trying to get rid of it.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue European Bundle (40gb)

This is the first of several GT5: Prologue bundles. This particular one was released for Europe with a 40gb PS3 on March 28 2008. There is also an 80gb bundle that is not to be confused with this one. It wasn't released until 2009.

GTAIV European Bundle (40gb)

This European only bundle was released alongside the game with a 40gb PS3 on April 28 2008. On a personal note, I worked the midnight release for this game and I have to say it was crazy enough without a bundled system. There was a fight and angry customers that suddenly wanted the collector's edition once they realized it was a thing (read: that night). I had to drive to the other side of town to get more collector's editions, even though people hadn't pre-ordered them, just to keep the anger at bay. Kind of glad this was European only. I would have been doing system runs that night too if it had been here!
(You guys and gals are going to get stories from time to time. Hope you don't mind!)

80GB Model (CECH K/L/Mxx models)

MGS4 and Killzone 2 Best Buy Bundle (80gb)

This U.S./Best Buy exclusive 80gb bundle came with both Metal Gear Solid 4 and Killzone 2, although the latter was download only. Even if you find this now, keep in mind there are no guarantees on being able to download Killzone 2.

LittleBigPlanet Bundle

This bundle was made available for Europe on November 5 2008. I have actually found a good bit of these for sale. They seem to have come in the standard Piano Black as well as Satin Silver. The Satin Silver was technically part of another bundle that was a wider release that came with another controller. They tend to go for about $700 lightly used.
NOTE: I do not have a picture of the Satin Silver here because I did not want to take pictures from Ebay. So far I have been using Sony's pictures while giving them full credit and rights in the sources.

  

Both the Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty (with an extra controller) and Infamous bundle were only found rumored on Spanish website. I couldn't find them anywhere else, except for other pages that were quoting that website as a source. So I'm not sure how widely released these were. If someone knows, please email or comment.

Killzone 2 Bundle (Australia)

This Australia only bundle was released on February 27 2009. Yeah...not much else to say here. Love the box art!

Pro Evolution Soccer/Winning Eleven 2009 Bundle

This Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, or World Soccer Winning Eleven in Japan, bundle was released with the game and two controllers along with a 80gb PS3.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue European Bundle (80gb)

As mentioned earlier, Europe got two exclusive Gran Turismo 5: Prologue bundles. One was the 40gb bundle mentioned earlier in the red packaging. This one includes an 80gb PS3 and an extra controller. It was released on September 10 2009. 

Resident Evil/Biohazard 5 Bundle

As covered in Part II of  this blog series, this bundle comes with the special Resident Evil/Biohazard (as it is known in Japan) version of the PS3 "fat" 80gb. You can find details on its rarity there as well. Because it is a special PS3, it is easier to find the entire bundle unopened or lightly used. Just be warned that it will cost a pretty penny. The bundle also came with the game and an extra controller. It was released on March 5 2009. 

Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan 3/Yakuza 3 Bundle

This Yakuza 3 (Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan 3 in Japan) bundle was also previsouly mentioned in Part II. Details on rarity and whatnot can be found there. Glad they replaced the sticker with a full on paint job! 

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift Bundle

Although Wikipedia says that this bundle was a UK only release, I am fairly sure that this was actually a wider European release from the articles I found. In addition, I managed to find it for sale on German Amazon (more fun than calling it Amazon.de) for 200 Euros. However, it was very unclear if it was this original bundle or one created by a third party as the pictures were very unclear. If I managed to find another, I will update this post. 

  

I love Gran Turismo, but for the sake of my sanity, I am grouping these last two together. This is mainly because they were both a bit difficult to find information on, therefore I would like to contain my frustrations in one place. Alrighty then...

The bundle on the left was a UK only release that also came packaged with Midnight Club: Los Angeles. An article I came across also mentioned another bundle just like this one, except with GTAIV in place of Midnight Club. It was supposedly released for Europe. I could not find an official picture though.

The one on the right...well I had to get the picture from forums, so I have no idea where the credit lies because I do not know who took it. I would say Fumitsu because they leaked the bundle release originally. However, they stamp their pictures on the bottom left corner so I am unsure. Picture aside, this seems to be part of a series of bundles released for Japan that were packaged with 80gb PS3s and GT5: Prologue. Besides the Piano Black pictured here, one article states that some bundles came with Ceramic White and Satin Silver as well. I just couldn't find pictures.

In all, there were five Movie Pack bundles released for the UK only, besides the one mentioned earlier with the three movies in it. I will not be talking much about these four bundles because there honestly isn't much to say. The only one I will comment on is the bottom left bundle. That is a movie called Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis for those that are wondering. Apperently it was a popular French comedy around 2009. Now for the fifth bundle...

Terminator Salvation Bundle/Movie Pack

You will notice this Movie Pack bundle comes with a game! It also doesn't say Movie Pack! Yeah. The reason I grouped it together with the others is because it was announced and released alongside the other Movie Packs in the UK. It was released in June 2009 and included an 80gb PS3, Terminator Salvation, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. 

Wall-E/LittleBigPlanet Bundle

Right along with the theme of movie bundles is this adorableness. This was a North American/Best Buy exclusive that included Wall-E and LittleBigPlanet along with an 80gb PS3. This actually wasn't listed on Wikipedia and I just happened upon it on...EBAY. Yes. I actually found a bundle. It was going for $274.99 used and was in decent condition. I also found the old SKU on Ebay's website. That history degree really paid off for the research skills!

This gives me a bit of faith that bundles can still be found intact... if you have your hearts set on a bundle, just keep your eyes peeled for long enough. One will pop up somewhere.

160GB Models (CECH P/Qxx) 

Uncharted Bundle (160gb)

Wow! Another North American bundle! We really didn't get many looking back on it. Anyways, I also found this one used on Amazon for $150. Like I said before, keeping your eyes open for these things for long enough will eventually pay off. Especially the newer the model/bundle is. 

Advent Children Bundle with Cloud Black PS3

I have mentioned this beautiful bundle before in Part II of this series. One day, when I am not poor...I will own you! (Have I mentioned my love for Final Fantasy?) 

Next up are the Slim and Super Slim models of the PS3 and their related bundles. I will TRY to fit all the Slim bundles into one blog. I make no guarantees though, because there are a ton of them. The Super Slim should fit into a single blog like this though. This blog series should be over by Part IX at the latest.
As a general update: For next week I will most likely skip the Collecting Tips blog so I can make sure that all of the Slim bundles go up in one week instead of spreading it out over two.

Once again, thanks for reading!

Sources: (In order. There are a ton and Blogger hates HTML. I am working on making this easier to look at.) 
1)http://www.nineoverten.com/2008/09/27/special-edition-sony-ps3-going-on-sale/#.VaNm6KSLtyU
2)http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Gear-Solid-Patriots-Playstation-3/dp/B001B3UOR4
3)http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/10/18/40gb-ps3-coming-nov-2-price-reduced-for-80gb-model/
4)http://www.amazon.com/Ps3-40gb-Movie-Game-Bundle-Pc/dp/B001COU31E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1436773348&sr=8-2&keywords=spiderman+3+ps3+40gb
5)http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/27/blockbuster-selling-high-end-ps3-bundles/
6)http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/10/japans-40gb-explained-dynasty-warrior-6-bundle-go/
7)http://www.siliconera.com/2007/10/09/dynasty-warriors-6-and-the-special-edition-ps3-package/
8)http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/20/japans-devil-may-cry-4-ps3-bundle/
9)http://www.gamesradar.com/ps3-devil-may-cry-4-bundle-to-hit-japan/
10)http://www.siliconera.com/2008/02/05/sleek-silver-playstation-3-bundled-with-ryu-ga-gotoku-kenzan/
11)http://www.amazon.fr/Console-Playstation-Starter-Uncharted-Manettes/dp/B0013HBI3W
12)http://www.exophase.com/3165/europe-gets-new-playstation-3-starter-pack/
13)http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/28/europe-getting-40gb-ps3-bundles-packing-gran-turismo-blu-ray-mo/
14)http://spong.com/article/14916/New-Gran-Turismo-5-Prologue-PS3-Bundle-Inbound
15)http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps3-mgs4-killzone-2-bundle-now-available/1100-6213036/
16)http://kotaku.com/5305883/ps3-bundle-includes-mgs4-killzone-2-update/all
17)http://wayback.archive.org/web/20100714005557/http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=PX3000&title=ps3_80gb_console_with_littlebigplanet
18)http://techcrunch.com/2009/05/12/ratchet-and-clank-infamous-ps3-bundles-headed-to-europe/
19)http://blogocio.eleconomista.es/pack-infamous-y-ratchet-clank-quest-for-booty-este-mes-no-16410/
20)http://blogocio.eleconomista.es/pack-infamous-y-ratchet-clank-quest-for-booty-este-mes-no-16410/
21)http://kotaku.com/5149230/australia-gets-killzone-2-console-bundle/all
22)http://www.videogamer.com/ps3/killzone_2/news/sce_confirms_killzone_2_ps3_bundle.html
23)http://kotaku.com/5069017/japans-latest-ps3-bundle
24)http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/08/sony-brings-new-ps3-bundles-to-japan
25)http://www.sonyinsider.com/2008/10/09/sony-japan-introduces-new-ps3-bundles/
26)https://www.gtplanet.net/europe-gets-new-ps3-gt5-prologue-bundle/
27)http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/08/europe-gets-gran-turismo-blu-ray-ps3-bundles/
28)http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1221083_1124.html
29)http://kotaku.com/5124199/limited-dragon-playstation-3-console-is-for-japanese-eyes-only
30)http://www.amazon.co.uk/COMPUTER-ENTERTAINMENT-Console-MotorStorm-Pacific/dp/B001EO7DNI
31)http://www.amazon.de/Playstation-Konsole-Wireless-Controller-Motorstorm/dp/B001ELK9QO
32)http://www.amazon.co.uk/COMPUTER-Console-Turismo-Prologue-Midnight/dp/B001U3ZLI2
33)http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=nl&sl=nl&tl=en&u=http://ps3life.nl/nieuws/2844-sony-lanceert-een-ps3-verjaardagsbundel-in-maart/&prev=hp
34)http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-PLAYSTATION-Console-Batman-Blu-ray/dp/B001JJCFDG
35)http://wayback.archive.org/web/20100302005940/http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=PX2000&title=sony_playstation_3_80gb_console_with_i_am_legend_blu-ray
36)http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-PLAYSTATION-Console-Legend-Blu-ray/dp/B001JJCFEK
37)http://wayback.archive.org/web/20100220000455/http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=PX1007&title=sony_playstation_3_80gb_with_terminator_+_blue_ray_pack
38)http://www.amazon.co.uk/Playstation-80-Console-Terminator-Salvation/dp/B002CGRULC
39)http://wayback.archive.org/web/20100220000455/http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=PX1007&title=sony_playstation_3_80gb_with_terminator_+_blue_ray_pack
40)http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-PLAYSTATION-Console-300-Blu-ray/dp/B001JJCFE0
41)http://wayback.archive.org/web/20100312112424/http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=PX2001&title=ps3_80gb_console_with_300_blu-ray
42)http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/27/two-new-european-80gb-ps3-bundles/
43)http://www.gamekyo.com/news28812_two-new-packs-playstation-3.html
44)http://www.ebay.com/itm/PLAYSTATION-3-CONSOLE-80-GB-SONY-PS3-BUNDLE-EXTRA-CONTROLLER-REMOTE-GAME-W-BOX-/321792223311?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aec4fa84f
45) http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/29/best-buy-selling-80gb-ps3-with-littlebigplanet-and-wall-e/
46) http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-playstation-3-80gb-with-littlebigplanet-and-wall-e/9367883.p?id=1218092611397&skuId=9367883
47)http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-160GB-Uncharted-Drakes-Fortune-3/dp/B001ELI4S
48)http://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-vii-advent-children-ps3-bundle-is-real-118513.phtml