Welcome to the Otaku Collection haul for the month of July 2026. This update features 19 anime releases, 8 physical video games, 7 live-action Asian Cinema releases and 3 live-action World Cinema releases plus 41 digital games and 3 other live-action releases.
For this haul, PlayStation 3 game collecting returns with a dozen classic PSN pickups from the console. Meanwhile more anime from AnimEigo, Discotek & Sentai make an appearance as well as a couple more live-action films on 4K in the mix.
Terracotta June Pre-Orders Haul
The first haul of the month would have appeared in June but the timing of the shipment lead to the package arriving at the start of the next month instead. From Terracotta store I pre-ordered two new releases from 88 Films and two new releases from Radiance Films.
From 88 Films we start off with a new Shaw Brothers release that’s also a Golden Harvest title. Alex Law Kai-Yui’s 1988 film Painted Faces (七小福) with actor Sammo Hung (Dragons Forever). The film also stars Lam Ching-Ying (Mr Vampire), Cheng Pei-Pei (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), Lee Din-Hing, Yeung Yam-Yin and Chung Gam-Yam. The Blu-ray’s first-print edition includes an o-card slipcase and a poster.
Next we have a new addition to the Category III collection of Hong Kong film cinema with Cash Chin Man-Kei’s 1996 film Sex and Zen II (玉蒲團II玉女心經), an erotic historical-fantasy film that is also uncut for its UK release. The film stars Shu Qi (Resurrection), Loletta Lee Lai-Chun (Shanghai Blues), Elvis Tsui Kam-Kong (The Grandmaster), Ben Ng Ngai-Cheung (Red to Kill), Ken Lok Tat-Wah (Black Mask) and Wong Yat-Fei (Shaolin Soccer). The Blu-ray’s first-print edition includes a clean o-card slipcase with uncensored artwork and a poster.
From Radiance Films we have two Japanese films from director Shōhei Imamura, a director I’ve known about for years but never once owned any of his films up to this point. The first we have is his 1966 film The Pornographers (「エロ事師たち」より 人類学入門) starring Shoichi Ozawa (The Ballad of Narayama), Sumiko Sakamoto (The Ballad of Narayama), Keiko Sagawa, Masaomi Kondo (Horrors of Malformed Men), Haruo Tanaka (Ikiru) and Ganjirō Nakamura II (Floating Weeds). This film is also presented on 4K Ultra HD from a 4K restoration.
The second is his last feature-length film with 2001’s Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (赤い橋の下のぬるい水) starring Koji Yakusho (Cure), Misa Shimizu (Shall We Dance?), Mitsuko Baisho (Dreams), Mansaku Fuwa (A Snake of June), Isao Natsuyagi (Like Father, Like Son) and Yukiya Kitamura (The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House). Both films’ limited editions includes a scanavo case with reversible artwork, and a booklet.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 & Pain
With Sony discontinuing the storefronts for both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in July 2027, this also causes a ripple effect with the physical media versions which happened during their previous attempt in 2021. During that time I did acquire a number of titles including the Ratchet & Clank Future saga, inFAMOUS games and a few others including Prince of Persia HD Collection, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, Way of the Samurai 4 and even the Japanese imports for Resident Evil Chronicles HD Selection and the Dungeons & Dragons Mystara Eiyuu Senki collection from Capcom.
So I came pretty much prepared for the most part with this inevitable news, but there are a couple physical versions that I can try and get my hands on. Two games that I picked up here came from retailer CeX and that was using the vouchers that I had earned from selling a couple items to the store.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is the 2014 action-adventure game by developer MercurySteam (American McGee Presents: Scrapland) and publisher Konami which continues the events of the 2010 game and 2013 digital PSN game Mirrors of Fate. This second game had been slowly going up in value so I went ahead and grabbed a copy before it was too late. Surprised both games haven’t been remastered yet but I suspect it’ll be handled last in the order of release.
Pain is a 2007 action game by developer Idol Minds (Life is Strange games, Ratchet Deadlocked HD) and publisher Sony which is a pretty simple concept that is similar to Burnout‘s Crash mode where you swing people into objects and cause them pain with ragdoll physics and random stuff. It’s gained a fair amount of popularity over time and has tons of DLC which I may look into if I enjoy it a lot. The online portion is no longer active but the physical version is sought after because there was no North American version and prices at the moment are around £40+.
There are more physical games for PlayStation 3 planned, which includes the Killzone Trilogy as I discontinued Killzone 2 & 3 from my collection in preparation (because Killzone HD is on the disc).
Dunkirk, Interstellar & The Prestige
In preparation for The Odyssey I watched many of Christopher Nolan’s films on 4K Ultra HD each day leading to the film’s release, but there were a couple that I hadn’t yet owned on the format so I went ahead and ordered them.
2006’s The Prestige starring Hugh Jackman (X-Men), Christian Bale (Batman Begins), Michael Caine (Dressed to Kill), Scarlett Johansson (Under the Skin) and Rebecca Hall (The Town). This one I knew the least from Nolan’s catalogue post Batman Begins and I was very surprised by its direction. It reminded me a lot of the Count of Monte Cristo story and I very much enjoyed it from start to finish.
2014’s Interstellar starring Matthew McConaughey (True Detective), Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Michael Caine, Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) and John Lithgow (Shrek). Last time I saw the film was on a regular cinema screening back in November 2014 so it’s been a long time since but it was so memorable that I remembered a lot of the scenes going into this rewatch. The IMAX scenes were great, the story and music are fantastic and I consider this to be my favourite Nolan work so far.
2017’s Dunkirk starring Fionn Whitehead (Great Expectations), Tom Glynn-Carney (House of the Dragon), Jack Lowden (Benediction), Harry Styles (Don’t Worry Darling), Barry Keoghan (Saltburn), and Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road). While its a solid war film and presentation-wise looked great, I do think its let down by its story-telling and a few predictable scenarios. Definitely one of Nolan’s weaker works but it’s not a bad film.
At the time of this write-up the only Nolan films I don’t yet own are Following, Memento and Insomnia, none of which have 4K UK releases but a few Blu-ray releases here and there.
Batman Arkham Trilogy
After watching The Dark Knight Trilogy again I was interested in exploring more of the Batman games. So after seeing The Odyssey I went to town straight after and sold more items to CeX to receive new vouchers. In the store they had copies available for the Arkham games for decent condition.
Batman: Return to Arkham is a compilation of two remasters for PlayStation 4 with Batman: Arkham Asylum released in 2009 and Batman: Arkham City released in 2011, both developed by Rocksteady Studios. I have played the first one on Xbox 360 but never got around to the rest of the series. The Return to Arkham collection has both games across two discs.
Batman: Arkham Knight is the fourth mainline game in the series but third in the main trilogy by Rocksteady Studios released in 2015 for the PlayStation 4. There was a trilogy set released later down the line but this meant that Arkham Knight was a digital download code only so if you wanted to own all three games on-disc you’ll need these versions that I have.
This does mean I don’t have Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate for the PlayStation 3 which weren’t developed by Rocksteady Studios so I’ll have to look into that at a later point.
Asian & World Cinema HMV Pickups
A little bit later in the town trip I went to HMV and acquired a number of films for the Blu-ray format.
Three of which belong to distributor Radiance Films and were available in their limited edition format that includes a scanavo case with reversible artwork, and a booklet.
Luchino Visconti’s 1957 Italian film Le Notti Bianche, known in English as White Nights. The film stars Maria Schell (The Hanging Tree), Marcello Mastroianni (La Dolce Vita), Jean Marais (Beauty and the Beast), Marcella Rovena (Europa ’51), Maria Zanoli (Europa ’51) and Elena Fancera.
Georges Franju’s 1959 French film La tête contre les murs, known in English as Head Against the Wall. The film stars Jean-Pierre Mocky (Litan), Pierre Brasseur (Eyes Without a Face), Paul Meurisse (Diabolique), Charles Aznavour (Shoot the Piano Player), Anouk Aimée (La Dolce Vita) and Jean Galland (The Earrings of Madame de…).
Jean-Pierre Mocky’s 1970 French film Solo also starring himself as well as Sylvie Bréal (The Man Who Lies), Anne Deleuze (Chloé), Denis Le Guillou, René-Jean Chauffard (Blood and Roses) and Marcel Pérès (Children of Paradise).
The Visconti film was released last December and I had forgotten about it until I noticed the set was on sale during Radiance Film’s webstore which sold out, and I don’t know if it was out of print or just out of stock in general, but fortunately it was available elsewhere (his other two films that Radiance have released sold out of their limited edition sets so he’s a pretty popular director).
The other two were released last June and were mostly due to Jean-Pierre Mocky being featured in both films. Whilst I wish I had another box set of his works, I’m happy to go with the individual sets. I originally was going to pre-order the June bundle that included the two Mocky films as well as the two Imamura films mentioned earlier but plans changed.
The next two films were individual releases that were on my radar and were available in the moment.
The first is Genki Kawamura’s 2025 Japanese film Exit 8 (8番出口), which is based on the very popular indie horror game of the same name. The film stars Kazunari Ninomiya (Gantz films), Yamato Kochi (The Samurai and the Prisoner), Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase (Suzume) and Nana Komatsu (Silence).
Neon acquired the US license in North America while Vertigo Releasing & Vision Home Video handled the UK side. I watched the film at the cinema last April and liked what I saw, and to give the distributor credit, they provided a pretty solid package altogether for the price point which includes a slipcase, scanavo case, double-sided poster and four art cards.
The second is Yoshihiro Nishimura’s 2008 Japanese film Tokyo Gore Police (東京残酷警察). The film stars Eihi Shiina (Audition), Itsuji Itao (Love Exposure), Yukihide Benny (Psycho Gothic Lolita), Jiji Bû (Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl), Ikuko Sawada (Helldriver) and Cay Izumi (RoboGeisha).
This very unique and bizarre film I’ve seen appear here and here on home video but never bothered to pick it up. And recently the director Yoshihiro Nishimura sadly passed away and figured this film may sell out not only because of that news but also due to being well received in general. The UK release was distributed by Yume Pictures which I have no information for, but I do know the US release was handled by Media Blasters which includes its own English dub, however the UK release has more extras on the Blu-ray disc itself (the US has a few short films on DVD).
Capcom Arcade Collection Vol. 1 & Hi-Fi Rush
Limited Run Games at this point were pretty vague on when their next titles were being released as the range is now quarterly than a specific month. Eventually these two finally arrived which I ordered together, though one of them definitely came out a while back as Video Games Plus eventually received stock.
Starting off with the Capcom Arcade Stadium Volume 1 which is the first time a Capcom title joins the Limited Run Games collection. This is a compilation of classic Capcom games that were released back in 2021 and definitely cheaper digitally but really cool to now own these on cart. Volume 2 is also ordered but not out yet.
In Volume 1 we have three sub-collections. The first is Dawn of the Arcade which includes 1942, 1943: The Battle of Midway, Bionic Commando, Commando, Forgotten Worlds, Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Legendary Wings, Pirate Ship Higemaru, Section Z, Trojan, and Vulgus; all of which released between 1984-1988.
The second is Arcade Revolution which includes 1941: Counter Attack, Captain Commando, Carrier Air Wing, Dynasty Wars, Final Fight, Mega Twins, Mercs, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, Strider, and Varth: Operation Thunderstorm; all of which released between 1989-1992.
And the third is Arcade Evolution which includes 19XX: The War Against Destiny, 1944: The Loop Master, Armored Warriors, Battle Circuit, Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness, Giga Wing, Progear, Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, and Warriors of Fate; all of which released between 1992-2001.
There are a couple duplicates in this set if you own either the Capcom Belt Action Collection or the Capcom Fighting Collection which will run better on those releases but everything else in this volume is a good selection of titles.
Next we have Hi-Fi Rush, the 2023 action game by Tango Gameworks (the studio known for The Evil Within and Ghostwire: Tokyo), which launched first on Xbox Series X and eventually made its way onto PlayStation 5. The studio was closed down by Microsoft despite the game’s success but Krafton rescued them. What’s interesting about this physical is that the booklet has English & Japanese versions and I suspect this is the exact same booklet used for the Japanese release published by SuperDeluxe Games.
MediaOCD Haul Part 1: AnimEigo
Next we have an AnimEigo catch-up haul with a couple relatively new releases that came out over the first half of the year. I ordered these alongside the Discotek Media Deep Dive haul and had been staying at Stackry for a good while until another haul helped bring them over here.
Focusing first on the AnimEigo pickups we have three Blu-ray releases with the MediaOCD store exclusive slipcases, which I still find the idea of having the sleeves separately is hit or miss because when you fold them to the correct layout it does feel like the glue is detaching itself.
The highlight of the haul is clearly Alien Nine, the 2001 four-episode J.C.Staff OVA series directed by Jirō Fujimoto and Yasuhiro Irie which gained a cult following over the years and is now back in print in North America thanks to AnimEigo. The classic English dub is also included with this release.
Next is The Dagger of Kamui, the 1985 Madhouse film directed by Rintarō and its a classic title that AnimEigo prior to MediaOCD acquiring the distributor have had in their back catalogue for a number of years and was also given a crowdfunding campaign for its Blu-ray release. The classic English dub is also included with this release and the original Japanese cast also features actor Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun).
And also here is a lesser-known anime with Hotori: Simply Wishing for Hope, 2005 Sunrise television special directed by Takashi Annō. It’s an obscure anime and one that I hadn’t heard of until the distributor mentioned it, but it’s cool to see TV specials come to home video even if it takes two decades to get to this point.
MediaOCD Haul Part 2: Discotek Media Deep Dives
Discotek Media since the start of the year have been bringing their back catalogue onto the MediaOCD store in a batch per month and has brought back many titles to “print” (basically more available stock in most cases) and it’s also a good opportunity to secure releases that you missed out the first time.
Now the catch here is that the prices on the MediaOCD store are full retail which is more expensive than Crunchyroll Store but in return you do get better packaging for shipment and points that can be used to redeem future hauls (which is what I did by saving a lot of money on the upcoming August pre-orders like Monster and Zegapain).
Anyway here we have another selection of titles that appeared in their Deep Dive batch around May 2025 and have been on the top of my priority list for a while.
First we have a four-part release with Fist of the North Star: The Legends of the True Savior, a collection of films and OVAs by TMS Entertainment released between 2006-2008. The first is the 2006 film Legend of Raoh: Chapter of Death in Love directed by Takahiro Imamura (Digimon Adventure 02: Revenge of Diaboromon), the second is the 2007 OVA Legend of Yuria directed by Hidehito Ueda (Cybuster), the third is the 2007 film Legend of Raoh: Chapter of Fierce Fighting directed by Toshiki Hirano (Baki), the fourth is the 2008 OVA Legend of Toki directed by Kobun Shizuno (Knights of Sidonia), and the fifth & final instalment is the 2008 film Legend of Kenshiro directed by Toshiki Hirano.
Five instalments released across four releases by Discotek Media (as they bundled the two OVAs on one release). This is more-or-less a reimagining of select arcs from the classic manga franchise so I would recommend either watching the original series or read the manga if you want a complete experience. On a plus side, these did receive an English dub (a proper one, not like the infamous new dub that’s on the latest anime adaptation). Discotek Media released the sets in February 2023, November 2023, December 2023 & March 2024 respectively.
Next we have the Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers collection, which includes the 1988 television series by Sunrise directed by Masashi Ikeda (Gundam Wing) & Mamoru Hamatsu (Glass Mask ’05) that span 39 episodes, as well as three OVA series; 1989’s Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers: Gaiden by directors Kazuki Akane (The Vision of Escaflowne) & Mamoru Hamatsu, 1989’s Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers: Legend of Kikoutei by director Mamoru Hamatsu, and 1991’s Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers: Message by director Masashi Ikeda. This franchise wasn’t on my radar until more recently, especially when Sunrise revealed a new anime series that aired fairly recently. Discotek Media originally released the series on DVD first but was then upgraded to Blu-ray years later. Discotek media released the collection on Blu-ray on December 2021.
And last but not least is Osamu Tezuka’s A Thousand & One Nights, Eiichi Yamamoto’s 1969 film produced by Mushi Production and the first instalment of the Animerama trilogy with Cleopatra and Belladonna of Sadness. Similar to Cleopatra, this is also a double-dip purchase as I own Third Window’s Blu-ray release from years back and the main addition for this Discotek Media release is the inclusion of a long-lost English dub which is neat. This film, despite its fanservice, is honestly a pretty fun time and worth a watch if you want a classic Arabian style anime adventure. Discotek Media released the film on Blu-ray in November 2020.
There’s two more Deep Dive titles ordered not long after this one but will make their appearance in the August pickups haul.
Sentai Filmworks Summer Sale Haul Part 1
The other haul that I consolidated with the MediaOCD titles were a number of releases from Sentai Filmworks’ Summer Sale which is one that I have been anticipating for the past couple of months because they have titles that I want for my collection and waited for the right price to grab them.
So the haul was divided into two separate pickups because they were adding a couple more in batches over the course of July, and this first haul was done as soon as the sale had started. And I’m glad that I had done that because a couple of the releases included in this list sold out pretty quickly (not out of print for clarity).
Starting off with a couple more steelbook editions for the collection that went on sale. We begin with 2.5 Dimensional Seduction Season 1 from studio J.C. Staff (DanMachi) and director Hideki Okamoto (Mysteria Friends) which aired in July 2024. First time I heard about the series was the manga which I have been collecting from the Ghost Ship label, a harem/cosplay series which has been doing well reception wise. A second season was also confirmed as soon as the season wrapped up so that’s good.
Next we have a double-dip purchase with Akiba Maid War from P.A. Works (Shirobako) and director Sōichi Masui (Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai) which aired in October 2022. The maid girls with weapons series received a release from Anime Limited which I do own, but then Sentai Filmworks one upped them with a better release months later. Their steelbook release includes an 80-page book with character designs, interviews and other artwork.
And going even further into harems and fanservice is Chained Soldier Season 1 from Seven Arcs (Blue Period) and director Gorō Kuji (Bungo and Alchemist -Gears of Judgement-) and chief director Junji Nishimura (Ranma ½), written by the creator of Akame ga Kill! which aired in January 2024. This ecchi harem series caught my interest even further namely due to the second season going viral on social media each time an episode aired and so it’s been on the top of my list to own for a while. I was initially going to focus on the standard release but I figured the second season may get pretty solid treatment, whether it be a steelbook or any other special edition, to match the first season.
And then we have four regular releases; three of which were previously released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks many years ago and were re-released recently which is neat as it means new discs.
First one to highlight as it’s a Blu-ray upgrade from a DVD release and that’s Azumanga Daioh from J.C. Staff (Reign of the Seven Spellblades) and director Hiroshi Nishikiori (Angelic Layer) which aired in April 2002. One of the first anime I had watched and also one of the first manga I picked up. I’m baffled the series hasn’t been rescued in the UK but at least it’s in print again in the US. The Blu-ray is an upscale but I’ll take what I get.
Next we have The Ambition of Oda Nobuna from studios Madhouse (Death Note) and Studio Gokumi (Endro!), and director Yuuji Kumazawa (Sunday Without God) which aired in July 2012. This is a type of isekai where the main protagonist is sent back to the warring states period meeting someone that isn’t Oda Nobunaga. It also has a harem like a lot of anime did back in that time of year. It’s been on my radar ever since I first learned about Sentai Filmworks but waited for a good opportunity.
Moving over to an anime that I have also seen and that’s The Perfect Insider, also known as Subete ga F ni Naru, from A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online) and director Mamoru Kanbe (The Promised Neverland) which aired in October 2015. This is a mystery series with original character designs by Inio Asano (Goodnight Punpun) and it did get a bit over my hand when I watched it at the time but I’ve thought about the series from time to time and figured I’ll rewatch it someday.
And of course we have another harem with Trinity Seven from Seven Arcs (Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls) and director Hiroshi Nishikiori (Azumanga Daioh) which aired in October 2014. I remember this series airing in a season going up against other harem shows of a similar premise, though this one did receive two anime films and its source material was released by Yen Press which is still on-going.
That wraps up Part 1 of the sale haul. Part 2 is arriving as part of the August pickups haul.
DAN DA DAN Season 2
Next we have a pre-order that actually arrived on time from Anime Limited once again. I was supposed to receive Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM but it was pushed back into August and fortunately DAN DA DAN Season 2 shipped out.
The second season of this Shonen Jump series adapted by Science SARU is a lot of fun to watch and there’s more to come which is great. I found it interesting that we are using Com’on Screen discs this time around but I have heard that GKIDS were dropping the ball on their disc authoring as of late so its a fortunate ordeal. I know this French authoring company has been meme’d to death but I have been made aware they’re slowly improving their processes, at least for the French audiences.
Haikyu!! Seasons 1 & 2
Next we have the first of hopefully many pickups from the Crunchyroll UK Summer Sale that’s started across different retailers. I’ve not really picked up any titles from them as of late (with the exception of Konosuba Season 3 as that was a gift) due to pricing, but I do want to at least grab a couple over the course of August.
Volleyball anime series Haikyu!! Seasons 1 & 2 finally join my collection and it’s a pretty exciting one. I have seen at least the first three seasons when they first aired and Crunchyroll UK are in fact releasing all of the anime seasons onto home video which is a surprise considering Sentai Filmworks handled the distribution in North America. Seasons 3 & 4 are scheduled for the August & September timeframe so I wanted to grab what was available right now. These are Sentai discs with Crunchyroll’s logo at the start (might be imports of the Australian releases in fact), but are region locked to B instead of being geolocked like Sentai’s were.
Armour of God
Arriving near the end of the month is an early arrival though technically it was originally supposed to have been released in June. Jackie Chan’s 1986 film Armour of God (龍兄虎弟) is another one from the 88 Films catalogue that has been re-released once again for the 4K Ultra HD format. Pretty much any film directed or starring Jackie Chan have been getting this treatment as long as there’s access to a 4K restoration. I do own the Blu-ray deluxe collector’s edition release and this one is packaged differently to match the recent 4K releases. 88 Films’ webstore also included an o-card slipcase with theatrical artwork on the covers.
This film also stars Alan Tam (Hard Boiled II: The Last Blood), Lola Forner (Wheals on Meals), Rosamund Kwan Chi-Lam (Once Upon a Time in China), and Ken Boyle (Bloodsport). The deluxe limited edition release includes a double-sided poster and a big book going over the film’s background and production.
Fear Effect 2 & Killzone Trilogy
The final package of the month comes from Canadian retailer Video Games Plus and it’s a mix of two different games.
The first is Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix which is the second game in the franchise developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment in 2001 for the original PlayStation and brought over to modern platforms by Limited Run Games on behalf of Square Enix, so what I have is the PlayStation 5 version. I have the first one that used a variant cover but they never planned one for the second game so I went with what was available.
The second is the Killzone Trilogy collection for PlayStation 3. This sci-fi dystopian first-person shooter series was developed by Guerrilla Games and is one of the big IPs from Sony during that generation. I did own physical versions for Killzone 2 and Killzone 3 but I decided to sell those copies in favour of this collection for two reasons; one is that it is much better for shelf-space and the other reason is because we have Killzone HD on the disc.
Killzone HD is a remaster of the PlayStation 2 game and the European version is very expensive (like we’re talking £100+ just for that one game alone) so it made more logical sense to just grab the North American release. Now you do need to install it onto the HDD but it’s only 3030MB and I suspect the UK version is a similar case. Also included in this trilogy pack is a download code for all of the multiplayer maps for both Killzone 2 and Killzone 3 which is neat especially since online multiplayer is free on the console.
Bonus: Classic PlayStation 1 & 2 Games on PlayStation 3
Also acquired this month were a whole bunch of classic PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games from the PlayStation Store on PlayStation 3. This was partly due to Sony’s announcement that they will be discontinuing the storefronts for both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in July 2027.
While I do support physical media, the pre-HD era is a lot more challenging due to UK/EU fans dealing with PAL versions, region locking and other factors like physical copies being pretty expensive, very uncommon or were only released in North America or Japan. So having classic games available on the storefront was super handy especially during this era where a lot of these games haven’t even been re-released yet on modern platforms.
I’ve done a couple batches a few years back so I had many of the bigger hits like Dino Crisis, Mega Man Legends and Parasite Eve and since then, half of them did end up getting re-released on PlayStation 5 via their newer emulator like Jumping Flash and The Legend of Dragoon, or remastered/ported from the ground-up by the publishers themselves like Final Fantasy Tactics, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Toy Story Racer.
Starting off with the PlayStation games that I downloaded from the North American PSN store so that I can own the NTSC versions (plus the storefront was more stable and accessible compared to the UK one).
Bloody Roar 2 is a 3D fighting game developed by Raizing (now known as Eighting) and published by Hudson Soft (which is now with Konami). This game has characters change into animal form kinda like the Killing Bites anime/manga series. The second game is considered better than the first and I did grab the first in an earlier batch so I figured I’ll get this one whilst it’s available. Released in 1998.
DESTREGA is a 3D fighting game developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. I hadn’t heard of this prior and I originally assumed that the first Dynasty Warriors game was their only fighter but it turned out there were others. The game ultilises a rock-paper-scissors approach with combat to change it up. Released in 1998.
Dirt Jockey: Heavy Equipment Operator is a construction simulator puzzle game developed by Syscom and it was known in Japan as Kensetsu Kikai Simulator – Kenki Ippai!!. It was released in North America a few years after its Japanese version and it’s such a niche pick that I only knew about it thanks to YouTuber Sean Seanson who covered this in his Obscure & Forgotten video which provided a solid insight on what the game is like. Released in 2000.
Echo Night is an adventure horror game developed by FROM SOFTWARE, and it’s considered a cult classic amongst fans for its story. The game was made during the generation where Armored Core and King’s Field were around so this was an interesting direction for them to go. The game did receive a few sequels but the second game was Japan only (and is available on the Japanese PSN store) whilst the third game was released in the west on PlayStation 2 but wasn’t re-released on PSN. Released in 1998.
Pandemonium! is a platformer developed by Toys for Bob and published by Crystal Dynamics. This game has a pretty intriguing presentation and style where you can choose between two playable characters with their own move set to overcome various puzzles along the way. Crystal Dynamics took over the IP for its second game which wasn’t re-released on PSN unfortunately, though it wouldn’t surprise me if both games get remastered at some point. Released in 1996.
Saiyuki: Journey West is a tactical RPG developed by Koei based on the Journey to the West Chinese novel. I wouldn’t have guessed this was a Koei game given the cover art but upon doing my research it looked like an interesting game to play. Koei loves the Chinese historical content as that’s how their other games were based on like Dynasty Warriors and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so it’s no real surprise they would bring another game to the mix with that inspiration. Released in 1999.
Silent Hill is a survival horror developed by Konami and is one of the most popular horror games ever made. Whilst many prefer the second game, the first game is still beloved and has yet to be readily available on modern platforms, however it is being remade by Bloober Team who remade the second game which did very well in reception. I reckon GOG will be able to get their hands on the PC version but for now I have the original PlayStation release just in case. Released in 1999.
Strider 2 is an action hack ‘n slash developed by Capcom and a sequel to their 1989 game. I actually had an opportunity to own the Japanese version of this because I was given (by accident from retailer Solaris Japan due to a mishap with my order but they let me keep it) the Strider Hiryu PlayStation 3 game which came with a download code but the date expired. The original arcade version of Strider is also included with this PlayStation game. Released in 1999.
Tecmo’s Deception: Invitation to Darkness is the first instalment in the Deception franchise developed by Tecmo dedicated to creating traps and watching people get caught up in it. It’s a tactical RPG of sorts with a tower defence element to it. I have the newest instalment Deception IV on PlayStation 4 so it’s going to be interesting to see how the first game holds up years later. Released in 1996.
Threads of Fate is an Action RPG developed by Squaresoft and still this game hasn’t been remastered for modern platforms. Not heard much about this one compared to the other RPGs that are on PlayStation but I figured I’ll grab it in case it doesn’t get re-released. Released in 1999.
Turnabout! is a puzzle game developed by Artdink and published by Natsume. The cover art did the job on what it was about and I wanted to have more puzzle games from the platform back in the day. Released in 2000.
Vanguard Bandits is a tactical RPG game developed by Human Entertainment, the team behind Clock Tower and Moonlight Syndrome, known in Japan as Epica Stella and published in the west by Working Designs. This is also another game that I hadn’t been aware of previously but I’m open to owning more JRPGs on the platform where available. Released in 1998.
Next we have the Japanese store which has way more on offer and the last time I bought any was 11 years ago with Squaresoft’s Bushido Blade and Tecmo’s Dead or Alive on the original PlayStation. Now it’s time to grab some more!
Advanced Variable Geo 2 (アドヴァンスト・ヴァリアブル・ジオ2) is a 2D anime fighting game (and the franchise also has eroge moments) developed by Technical Group Laboratory. The first game received the ‘Saturn Tribute’ treatment so I picked the second game instead. Menus/UI are in English whilst the story mode is in Japanese. Released in 1998.
Carom Shot 2 (キャロムショット2) is a billiards game that was also released in the west as Backstreet Billiards (which is on the US PSN store) developed by Agenda. Music is jazzy and there’s lots of modes available including trick shots. Menu/UI is in English whilst the story mode is in Japanese. Released in 1998.
DonPachi (首領蜂) is the first instalment in the Cave franchise and also published by Atlus back in the day. It’s an arcade shoot em up with bullet hell but plays great and graphically holds up well. Menus/UI are in English and there’s even English voice acting. Released in 1995.
Dragon Beat: Legend of Pinball (ドラゴンビート レジェンド オブ ピンボール) is a pinball game with a fantasy theme to it developed by Map Japan. Graphically simple but cool. Also has a Dragon. The entire game is in English including the voice acting. Released in 1997.
Ehrgeiz (エアガイツ) is a fighting game developed by Dream Factory & Squaresoft that was also released in the west (but the western version isn’t on PSN). The game has different modes including an RPG style Quest adventure, but what many would know this film game for is the Final Fantasy VII guest characters in the roster. Menu/UI is in English whilst the Quest mode is in Japanese. Released in 1998.
Einhänder (アインハンダー) is Squaresoft’s side-scrolling shooter that was also released in the west (but the western version isn’t on PSN). What I’ve played so far, this game is really good, and has great music too. Menu/UI is mostly in English and there’s English voice acting also. Released in 1997.
Gaia Seed: Project Trap (ガイアシード) is a 2D Side-scrolling shooter by Yoshiyuki Hashidume and developer Techno Soleil Corporation. Heard it was really good beforehand and soughtafter. Plays really well and has a nice art style. Menus/UI are in English. Released in 1996.
Gun Bare! The Game Paradise 2 (GUNばれ! ゲーム天国) is an anime/parody shoot ’em up by developer Jaleco and surprisingly difficult. Only the second game was on PSN but the first game did receive the ‘Saturn Tribute’ treatment. The text are in Japanese but its relatively simple to know what each option is. Released in 1998.
Harmful Park (ハームフルパーク) is a 2D cute ’em up shooter by developer Sky Think System. A very colourful game and pretty fun. Also one that I read that was high recommended. Menus/UI are in English. Released in 1997.
LSD: Dream Simulator is an experimental walking simulator type game developed by OutSide Directors Company and publisher Asmik Ace Entertainment where it randomly gives you visceral scenes based on where you go. The first dream I got was a bunch of dead bodies followed by a circus-like environment. Menus/UI are in English. Released in 1998.
Paca Paca Passion (パカパカパッション) is a rhythm versus-type game by Produce!, the developers behind Super Bomberman games. You got to be precise with the prompts but a neat game so far. Menu/UI is mostly in English (some parts in Japanese). Released in 1999.
Slap Happy Rhythm Busters (スラップハッピーリズムバスターズ) is Polygon Magic’s 2.5D fighting game with a pretty cool artstyle and vibe that reminded me of Studio Trigger and Jet Set Radio. Need to get used to the controls but is pretty fun. Menus/UI are in English. Released in 2000.
Smash Court 2 (スマッシュコート2) is a Namco tennis game that was also released in Europe as Anna Kournikova’s Smash Court Tennis. It’s Tennis but I’m bloody terrible at it. Graphics are neat but boy will it take a while to get used to this. Menus/UI are half English, half Japanese. Released in 1998.
SuperLite 1500 Series: Oekaki Puzzle Shū (SuperLite 3in1シリーズ おえかきパズル集) is a three games in one pack collection all dedicated to Nonogram puzzles (aka Picross). Developed by Success, it’s peak. Some parts are in English but in general its in Japanese. Released in 2002.
Touge MAX Saisoku Drift Master (峠MAX 最速ドリフトマスター) is a racing game attempt by Cave with Atlus publishing, also released in the west as Peak Performance. It’s a rough game, with steering not particularly great. Menus/UI are in English. Released in 1997.
Zanac X Zanac (ザナック×ザナック) is a compilation of two games; Zanac and Zanac Neo by developer Compile. Pretty interesting shoot em up so far. Was also recommended to play. Menus/UI are in English with some Japanese text for story related content. Released in 2001.
Moving over to the PlayStation 2 portion, which has fewer options available and a good number of them have technically been re-released or I acquired them in earlier batches. So at this point it was more cherry-picking.
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is an action-adventure game developed by Konami and the first in the franchise released for the PlayStation 2 format. It was released in Europe simply known as Castlevania, but I held off in the chance that it could get a collection release like the previous generations did but so far no news yet. Released in 2003.
Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore is a fighting game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo. This is an updated version of the original which made its way to the west on PlayStation 2. Whilst the Xbox release Dead or Alive Ultimate is considered the definitive version (which is also available via Xbox’s Backwards Compatibility), I wanted a version that was available on PlayStation and this was the way to go. Released in 2000.
Dynasty Tactics 2 is a tactical RPG game developed by Koei and is a spin-off of the Dynasty Warriors franchise but instead of being an action hack ‘n slash musou type instalment it’s a different gameplay genre. The gameplay looks to be very similar to the Fire Emblem games which intrigues me. Released in 2003.
Kessen II is a real-time tactics game developed by Koei and pretty much a forgotten franchise by the company these days considering Nobunaga’s Ambition and Romance of the Three Kingdoms took priority on the genre. Kessen II is notable for being a fantasised reimagining of the events of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel which adds to some interesting results for the gameplay and story progression. It’s a niche game but I heard it’s pretty solid, and the third instalment was also available on the PSN store. Released in 2001.
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory is an action hack ‘n slash game developed by Capcom and is based on the Ghosts ‘n Goblins franchise with Motor Toon Grand Prix character designer Susumu Matsushita. I honestly thought this was a Sony IP because of the character designs but discovering that it was Capcom increased my intrigue and I’ve always wanted to check out a game from the Ghosts ‘n Goblins universe, but hopefully its not too difficult. Released in 2001.
Midnight Club: Street Racing is a racing game developed by Angel Studios (Rockstar San Diego) and published by Rockstar. This was also a launch title for the PlayStation 2 and heard these games were pretty good so I figured I’ll give it a shot. Released in 2000.
Mystic Heroes is an action hack ‘n slash game developed by Koei and also based on a Chinese novel, this time being Investiture of the Gods. The art style is different to the realistic look of their other games but offers co-op which is neat. The game was released on Nintendo Gamecube first in Japan before its release on PlayStation 2. Released in 2002.
Suikoden III & Suikoden IV are two turn-based RPGs developed by Konami that continue the formulas introduced in the first two games in the franchise. While the first two are super popular, the latter two are not as known but still did well on the platform. They’re both one of the last remaining additions to the PS2 Classics line-up on the store and I don’t know if Konami will re-release them so may as well have access to them on here than wait a long while. The third game also didn’t see a release in Europe. Released in 2002 & 2004.
Trapt is an action strategy game developed by Tecmo and a spin-off to the Deception franchise. Another deep cut from Koei Tecmo to bring to the PS2 Classics line-up and had my intrigue for a while so I figured I’ll give it a shot. Released in 2005.
Bonus: Drakengard 3 DLC on PlayStation 3
And another quick bonus that I wanted to mention is that there are also a couple bits of content that I would still need to download before the PlayStation 3 store closes. The first priority came as I was exploring the North American store and that was for Drakengard 3, Yoko Taro’s action RPG that has yet to be remastered on modern platforms.
The game was never released physically on disc in Europe so I had to import the North American version back when it came in stock over at Video Games Plus in August 2017. Anyway the point here is that the game received a ton of downloadable content by Square Enix that was relevant to the gameplay experience and story, and that was the original Japanese voice pack and the prequel episode contents. So if you owned just the base game, it was English audio only.
Overall it was about $30 or so which was hefty but bloody hell the Japanese voice pack alone took hours to download as it was almost 10GB in size.
Bonus: Digital Game Pickups on GOG & Steam
If you thought that I had only focused on digital games for PlayStation, well you’re mistaken because I also purchased a couple for PC.
We’re starting off with the Arc System Works Humble Bundle which contained 11 games plus a couple discounts for season passes. I already owned Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code beforehand but the rest makes up for the cost.
In this bundle we also have 2021’s Arcana Heart 3: Love Max Six Stars Xtend!!!!!!, 2015’s BlazBlue: Central Fiction, 2018’s BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, 2017’s Chaos Code -New Sign of Catastrophe-, 1998’s Guilty Gear, 2021’s Guilty Gear Strive, 2017’s Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, 2012’s Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, 2019’s Kill la Kill If, and 2024’s Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes. Many of these are available on other platforms but figured having a version available on PC for that price was worthwhile.
Then we have a one-off purchase from the Steam sales with Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Collection which includes the base game as well as the two expansions; The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. I have the original base game physically on Xbox 360 but I wanted to have the option to revisit it on modern hardware and PC was the only way to do so, but it does require patches to improve the performance. I was hoping for a remaster on console but Rockstar’s too busy with Grand Theft Auto VI.
Then we move over to the GOG platform that offers DRM-free versions of games (meaning you can own the game than buy a license), and here I picked up Capcom’s Devil May Cry HD Collection and Monolith Productions’ F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. I do own these on Xbox 360 but it’s another way of having access on another platform.
Unboxing Links
You can view more photos & specs for the titles below:
- DAN DA DAN Season 2 (Yokai Edition Collector’s Edition Blu-ray)
Also have plans to sort out an unboxing for Armour of God at a later date.
What’s to Come for the Hauls
There’s been a fair amount of delays for a couple of the pre-orders. Some of these were supposed to arrive in July and are now expected to appear in August.
August 2026
- Aniplex Haul:
- Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files {Rail Zeppelin} Grace note (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files {Rail Zeppelin} Grace note Special (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- MASHLE: Magic & Muscles Season 1 (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- MASHLE: Magic & Muscles: Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Arrow Video Haul:
- Falling Down (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD)
- Swordfish (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD)
- To Live and Die in L.A. (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD)
- Discotek Media Haul:
- Dancouga: Super Beast Machine God (Blu-ray)
- Space Pirate Captain Harlock (Blu-ray)
- Radiance Films July Pre-Order Bundle:
- The Boxer (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- The Double (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Histoire(s) du cinéma and other works (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- The Hourglass Sanatorium (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)
- Sentai Filmworks Sale Haul Part 2:
- Loner Life in Another World Season 1 (Steelbook Edition Blu-ray)
- My Love Story!! (Blu-ray)
- My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Collection (Blu-ray)
- Queen Millennia (Blu-ray)
- Sorairo Utility (Blu-ray)
- Terracotta August Pre-Orders Haul:
- Once a Thief (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD)
- Operation Scorpio (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Terracotta July Pre-Orders Haul:
- Chūsei Sone Double Feature: Scars of the Sun / Blow the Night (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Ping Pong (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)
- Sex & Fury / Female Yakuza Tale (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Shawscope Triple Feature (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Other Pickups:
- Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls (PlayStation 5)
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM (Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)
September 2026
- AnimEigo & Discotek Media Haul:
- Hana Yori Dango (SD-BD)
- Monster – Collection 1 (Blu-ray)
- Sgt. Frog: The Original Movies 1-5 Collection (Blu-ray)
- Sketchbook ~full color’s~ (Blu-ray)
- Vampire Princess Miyu (Blu-ray)
- Zegapain (Blu-ray)
- Arrow Video & Toy Robot Video Pre-Orders Haul:
- A Better Tomorrow Trilogy (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD)
- Ninja Wars (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Raging Fire (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Wicked Priest Collection (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Other Pickups:
- Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter (PlayStation 5)
October 2026
- Radiance Films October Pre-Order Bundle:
- Fantastique: The Dreams and Nightmares of French Cinema (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- La marge (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)
- The Monster (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Planet of the Vampires (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)
- Visitor Q (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
- Other Pickups:
- Final Fantasy Resonance (PlayStation 5)
Late Q3 to Early Q4 2026
- Other Pickups:
- Capcom Arcade Stadium Vol. 2 (Nintendo Switch)
- Deadlink (PlayStation 5)
- Earnest Evans Collection (Nintendo Switch)
- Fighting Force Collection (PlayStation 5)
- Macross II: Lovers Again (Premium Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)
- Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition (Nintendo Switch)
- Tenshi no Uta: The Angel Verse Collection (Nintendo Switch)
Other Tidbits
Work has been better but still busy. August’s payday will show me what I’ll exactly receive on a monthly basis considering July’s had backpay involved. I am personally still dealing with the side-effect of my Flex payments being paid more as a result of the overtime pay being removed at the start of the year. So what I want to do for August is to tone down on purchases that have the item available immediately since I clearly have enough arriving for that month alone already. Spending less will also give me more control on the Flex payments and put more money into the savings. July was always going to be big month anyway but things should hopefully die down as we progress towards the end of the year.
Anime Updates
Anime Limited have announced they will be the new distributor for the Studio Ghibli catalogue, as Studio Canal have lost the license to release the films for the UK & Ireland. GKIDS technically were the ones that secured them but Anime Limited are handling the distribution on their behalf. I plan to grab these releases (and I have in fact sold the five Studio Ghibli Blu-rays that I owned to CeX prior; Arrietty, From Up on Poppy Hill, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Whisper of the Heart, and The Wind Rises) but I don’t want to go for the collector’s editions because they will no doubt take up way too much space on the shelf. Instead I am hoping we’ll just stick to regular editions or steelbooks depending on the format. I like these films but I don’t want to spend that much.
In other brand new license announcements, Banana Fish is coming to home video and with a proper English dub which is awesome. It’s a really good series and one that I had the chance to watch during simulcast on Amazon Prime Video years back, and it’s moving over to Netflix but Anime Limited have the dub rights so it’s not locked to Netflix like a couple other shows have done.
Currently no details are known for August but I expect another sale and a few other titles available to pre-order. The French branch have revealed packaging for Her Blue Sky, presented in a 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD triple pack that includes a 40-page booklet, 4 art cards, A3 poster and Shikishi. Now it looks nice, but I have been told that the 4K transfer is not particularly great (and it’s a common problem with Aniplex releases in general) and the film isn’t as good as Super Peace Busters’ previous works. We’ll see how it goes.
Other films not yet released on home video from Anime Limited so far also include Akira (4K planned), All You Need is Kill, Angel’s Egg (4K planned), Blood: The Last Vampire (4K planned), Cardcaptor Sakura the Movie: The Sealed Card, ChaO, The Concierge, Grave of the Fireflies, The Last Blossom, and Lupin the IIIrd: Immortal Bloodline. TV shows not yet released on home video so far also include Bleach Parts 10-13, Blood+, The Ghost in the Shell, InuYasha Seasons 3+, Macross Frontier, Macross Delta, Naruto Shippuden Volumes 7-20, Oshi no Ko Seasons 1 & 2, Sparks of Tomorrow and Witch Watch.
Moving over to Crunchyroll we have a dilemma with their US side. They’re adjusting how they handle their online store and now it’ll be exclusive to Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan tiers so I’ll be locked out of it unless I upgrade. Supposedly it won’t have much to offer but I suspect Aniplex of America releases will still be locked behind the store which is why I made an order earlier to grab Lord El-Melloi (which magically came back in stock) and Mashle before it was too late. I suppose I could have gone for the Rascal Does Not Dream series but we’ll see what happens next.
In the UK though, we’re dealing with mostly titles from the US side but we do have a few UK exclusive releases here and there. One example that’s been anticipated for ages is the Sailor Moon franchise, now finally making their way onto UK Blu-ray for the first time considering US & Australia have had access a decade in advance. I’m not 100% sold on the steelbooks due to the disc stacking so I’m hoping for standard editions to be available. Another example is the Haikyu!! franchise. The first two seasons were released earlier in the year and we’re now getting the next two seasons arriving in August & September which is neat, meaning that we’re now caught up with the anime over here.
Crunchyroll UK still has a summer sale and I am hoping to grab a couple in August, though pricing is a factor. I still need to grab My Hero Academia Season 5 collection because there’s a new season collection on the way in North America.
AnimEigo and Discotek both have panels and news coming from Otakon so I’ll save the discussion for the next monthly collection update and so far it’s exciting stuff. And so far Sentai Filmworks haven’t revealed anything for October which is weird but I suppose they’re dealing with licensing approval delays.
Asian Cinema Updates
Arrow Video have revealed their October slate and we now have the long-awaited A Chinese Ghost Story scheduled for the UK, which Shout! Factory released fairly early on in their roster. But this time we’re actually getting these films on the 4K Ultra HD format which is a big surprise considering it was released on Blu-ray only in the US. The packaging looks great and I look forward to owning it.
88 Films have two more Sammo Hung films on the way in October – his 1984 film The Owl Vs Bumbo and Ricky Lau & Philip Chan Yan-Kin’s 1986 film Where’s Officer Tuba. There’s also a hint by the distributor of another triple feature Shawscope box set planned for later down the line which is cool. Speaking of that release, my July pre-order haul hasn’t arrived yet because the Shawscope Triple Feature release was delayed to 10th August and since photos have been posted on 88’s social media I do think it will finally ship out sometime next week. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky 4K also sold out ahead of its release so I’m hoping I still have my copy with my order.
Eureka Entertainment have another release coming up. In October we’ll have a triple film set called Ghouls Gone Wild which features Lau Kar-Wing’s 1987 film Scared Stiff, Jeffrey Lau Chun-Wai’s 1987 film The Haunted Cop Shop and Chiu Chung-Hing’s 1988 film Magic of Spell. There’s still no news on their 4K Ultra HD release of Wheals on Meals but it may be saved for the end of the year.
Radiance Films have managed to get their hands on Takashi Miike’s 2001 film Visitor Q which was originally going to be one of their first releases during their first year but complications got in the way. Thankfully, with the support of New Wave Films in Australia, they were able to acquire the UK rights for this film as well as another Takashi Miike film Gozu from 2003 which is awesome. I was hoping for a box set but instead they’re releasing them separately. Next slate is probably going to feature their next Radical Japan box set so I’ll definitely grab that before it sells out.
Video Game Pickups Updates
So we’re now in an interesting ordeal. Let’s start off with the PlayStation 3 store news. This is happening in July 2027 and I’ve accepted that outcome considering we had a couple years since their first attempt to grab the games that we want before this moment, and now it’s time to make sure that whatever we have left to get it should be done sooner than later.
There’s a couple physical releases left that I can get my hands on but it’s not a major priority. To give some examples; the Resistance Trilogy is one and MotorStorm: Pacific Rift is another. I may try and grab others that might not have been on my list but I did as much as I had done over the years so I’m not in much of a massive rush compared to before.
Then we move over to the discontinuation of physical releases from January 2028 onwards for PlayStation. It’s too soon like many have said and going by what they have discussed it does look like they’re not going to reverse their decision any time soon. It would take a massive flop on their PlayStation 6 or a big security issue that impacts digital purchases to make it happen I feel but I expect most consumers will continue with the digital license purchases.
For me I will continue to support physical media as much as possible and I’m not against others who prefer the digital path as it’s all about consumer choice and having the options available. I do hope that certain games like Trails in the Sky 3rd Chapter will make their way onto PlayStation 5 before 2028 so that we have the trilogy sorted for physical media, otherwise I’ll just have to move over to Nintendo Switch 2 for those games.
The Game Key Card ordeal is obviously not ideal but it’s still better than digital and I will look into that format once we reach 2028. Especially considering I recall reading a tweet (annoyingly I can’t find it) from a distributor that claimed Nintendo won’t allow new versions of existing Game Key Card titles onto proper cart versions for the same region. But the goal long-term is that eventually I will commit more to growing the Nintendo Switch 2 collection which was my intent when the console was first announced.
That concludes this month’s haul. There’s a lot arriving in August so stay tuned for that.
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