Valkyrie Profile and FFCC DS...plus other details.

[Perversion]

Some guy was walking into the mall while I was on my break carrying a bunch of DS games, so I asked him if he was gonna trade them in. He told me he was, and I asked if I could look through what he had.

He had multiple (unsealed, but basically brand new) copies of the new Valkyrie Profile and FFCC DS games, and I told him I'd buy them for $30 for both of them, as they were probably gonna give him $10-$15 at most. He tried to entice me with a copy of GTA for the DS, but I told him I wasn't interested. Thing is, in retrospect, I probably could have offered him $10 each, and he would have taken it, as he later told me he didn't have an ID, and insinuated that he wanted me to try to trade the stuff in for him, meaning, it was obviously stolen, and he'd have been willing to take whatever he could for them.


Was it unethical to purchase these games, knowing they were probably hot? Is it more unethical to pirate DS games (which I of course do not do), where the developer/publisher make no money, or to procure stuff where the developers made money, but the retailer probably did not?



Also, are either of those games any good? I read a mediocre review of Valkyrie Profile, and I know Den at least was pretty excited about the prospect of finding someone to play the FFCC game via wifi with him. Were they worth my $30, seeing as how I ordinarily would not have paid full price for either of them?

[marcus]

Re: I probably procured hot games today!

i don't like making assumptions. dude says they're legit then they're legit.

the new valkyrie profile is pretty much a polar split between fans. i don't like it because the appeal of valkyrie profile is playing as immortals but apparently in this game you power up by sending your friends to valhalla I.E. killing them yourself.

final fantasy crystal chronicles? feh, who cares. now china town wars you should have picked up as it's pretty good. the camera is pretty annoying but the game is fast paced and fun and totally designed for the ds.

besides, 30$ for 3 new games? gamestop marks their crap up by the base price so you did good.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: I probably procured hot games today!

I don't think there's anything wrong with buying stolen goods when you didn't instigate or participate in the theft. It's not unethical it's just opportunistic.

[marcus]

Re: I probably procured hot games today!

I don't think there's anything wrong with buying stolen goods when you didn't instigate or participate in the theft. It's not unethical it's just opportunistic.

uh if you know the goods are stolen then you can get into some serious trouble for buying them. possession is 3/10 of the law or whatever.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: I probably procured hot games today!

I said I don't think it's wrong, not I don't think it's illegal.

[marcus]

Re: I probably procured hot games today!

I said I don't think it's wrong, not I don't think it's illegal.

oh well good to know your moral fiber. i guess if someone stole your couch and sold it to me i'd just stick my tongue out.

profitting off of other people's misfortune ONLY IN AMERICA YEAH

[Denmo]

Re: I probably procured hot games today!

I'm pretty sure if you get in trouble, so long as you testify that you didn't know they were stolen goods you won't get in trouble for buying them. And there's no way you're gonna get in trouble because he doesn't know your name.

The only unethical part about this is that you're supporting a guy for stealing the games. If it were me I would've let him try to trade them in. Most decent Gamestop employees can spot stolen goods from a mile away, especially when he has multiple, unopened copies of brand new games.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: I probably procured hot games today!

I just think the fault would lie with the thief. The person they sell it to doesn't really have any bearing on the situation.

[marcus]

Re: I probably procured hot games today!

I just think the fault would lie with the thief. The person they sell it to doesn't really have any bearing on the situation.

i thought you were implying that the buyer KNEW the seller was a thief.

it's a very rare thing to happen but if the court finds that you willingly bought from a known thief (as in you've had dealings with them in the past) then yes, you can be held liable.

[Kirin]

Re: I probably procured hot games today!

So long as they aren't sealed when the guy brings them in (and he had ID), GameStop would have taken them anyway unless he specifically alluded to stealing them. They make 'em accept just about anything, then deal with the police later.

Maybe it was wrong for you to buy stolen property, but hey-- GameStop was going to do the same, then make a ~200% profit on it. That being said, if somehow the police could get to you you'd be out $30 and in for a hassle because they'd seize the stolen property and maybe stick a "theft by receiving" charge on you. Not likely, but still.

Most decent Gamestop employees can spot stolen goods from a mile away, especially when he has multiple, unopened copies of brand new games.

True, but most likely they'll still accept one copy of each game. Only repeat offenders tend to get denied altogether.

[Perversion]

Re: I probably procured hot games today!

I should've posted this in the PG...you guys are making me all paranoid now.



And the OTHER part of the original post....are either of the games any good? Didn't you say earlier that you wanted to find someone to play the FFCC game with, Den? Or were you referring to the Wii version?


And I looked at the Wii version today...apparently, you can play co-op with people using either version even on the other system...is this true?

[Denmo]

Re: Valkyrie Profile and FFCC DS...plus other details.

Yes it's true. It's cross platform. Every review you read will tell you to get the DS version if you can though, because the graphics are essentially the same, and the Wii version crams both screens on to your TV set in an uncomfortable way.

I don't have a copy yet, I'm waiting for an excess of money and a used Wii copy to show up on the shelves. But when I get it, we'll get it ON brutha.

[Perversion]

Re: Valkyrie Profile and FFCC DS...plus other details.

I've embarked upon FFCC: Echoes, and so far, it's pretty enjoyable. It's like a cutesy version of Monster Hunter and PSO, kind of. I've not played online yet, but just so you know, Den, it appears in the few user reviews I read that only one Wii can be connected with up to 3 DSes, and apparently, the user with the Wii has to host, which means progress in the Wii player's game world, and no one elses. Meh. I've not tried yet, so I'm not sure how accurate this is.


I CAN say that even as short of a time as I've played so far, I can easily see this being more fun than either the PSP or the DS versions of PSO, unless they drastically alter the PSO format. There are multiple elevations, jumping, and what appears to be a fairly robust crafting system.

So far, my only complaints are that the characters only have HP/MP bars, ATK, DEF, MAG ATK, and MAG DEF stats, and therefore seem to really only be customizable via equipment. I DO like that even though there are only 6 basic spells, you can "stack" these to create different spell effects, even though all the button pressing to do so is a bit cumbersome (at least until I get used to it). I also don't like that each of the four "tribes" only has one male and one female character model, with no way to customize the look of each from I've seen so far (different equipment will undoubtedly allow you to customize the appearance to some extent).



Also, the opening cinematic reminds me of what would happen if John Locke and Christopher Lloyd were fused with pedo bear.

[Denmo]

Re: Valkyrie Profile and FFCC DS...plus other details.

Guess I'll hAve To GeT The DS version.