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Zombie's Ultimate X-COM Collection


Zombie

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Well, I guess I haven't been keeping this thread up to date much. Honestly, there have only been a few additions since March, most notably the 5-6 game magazines featuring X-COM/XCOM. Other than the magazines though, I did acquire a few special items.

  1. An XCOM Enemy Within promotional t-shirt (you can find the pics up in the XCOM Promotional Items page).
  2. I found a seller offering some X-COM/XCOM items and convinced him to combine them into one auction. I'm happy to report I picked up two more X-COM: Interceptor stickers which are nearly impossible to find, and also a Bureau double sided mini poster (which was basically the centerfold from a games magazine).
  3. Another XCOM Enemy Unknown poster this one only saying October 9. It's different from all the other XCOM posters I have so it was a good find.
  4. An XCOM: Enemy Within "Commander Editon" poster from GameStop. Didn't realize this even existed until I saw it up for auction. I like surprises!
  5. Yet another MPS Squadron wings pin, but this one was without the blue enamel. Dunno if that was intended or if it fell out, but I still like them.
  6. And the best for last: a Taiwanese version of X-COM: Enforcer still in it's original shrinkwrap! Here again, I didn't know this version even existed, and for it to be fully sealed yet was a rare find. It wasn't exactly cheap (even after haggling the price down $75) but I'm extremely happy to have this. Cool cover art too!

I'm still working on adding items from the giant lot I purchased from Quentin Chaney a while back. The latest was 5 Airborne Ranger Posters with two of them being signed by the programmer of the game, Scott Spanburg! You can find the pics at the end of the MPS (Other) Promo Items page (nearly at the end).

 

So that's the latest update. Kind of a mix of things, which is nice. :)

 

- Zombie

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Well then, that makes you a shrewd negotiator.

 

I'd like to think so. My favorite thing is to see the "Best Offer" button on an eBay auction! (I'm not kidding here, ask Thorondor if you have any doubts). wink.png

 

*mutters something about Enforcer not being X-COM* WHERE IS MY ALLIANCE?!!?!?!??111!1'!?!?!?

 

"Enforcer is like the red headed step child of the X-COM series", a quote most will probably agree with. I did lobby quite heavily to have it included in the Steam Complete Pack when it was released years ago, I wanted everyone to decide for themselves. The one game I wasn't able to get added was em@il X-COM. At the time the Seam rep mentioned that it wouldn't be possible due to the lack of a dedicated server to handle the moves (or something along those lines). Still hoping Pete can get Ade Scotney to divulge his code to allow you to play without a server. banana.gif

 

On a related note, I found out about a Finnish book entitled X-COM Tietokonepelien klassikot by Juho Kuorikoski (ISBN: 978-952-312-336-6). Been looking for how to order it, but Amazon and eBay do not have it. If anyone has any leads on who has it and how to order in English, it would be much appreciated!thanks.gif

 

 

- Zombie

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I doubt the book is available in English. I did some searching (translate and all) and if it was available on the internet, I'm sure we'd both find it.

 

I wasn't looking for the book printed in English, I was looking for a site (in English) which sells the book. It's available on some Finnish sites, but I'm having a bear of a time trying to order it due to lack of a clear translation. mellow.png

 

Though I'd hardly count this under actual game stuff.

 

True, though I also have a X-COM/XCOM literature collection and this falls under that label. ;)

 

- Zombie

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Ah, I stand corrected! How many books already?

 

Around 20 so far. These are the "legitimate" books - there used to be "books" on each game which were being sold but those were just Wikipedia articles and I don't consider those actual books. The only book not represented is the Art of XCOM which is way too big to fit in my scanner, so I'll need to take pics of that. wink.png

 

I was doing some searches for any new X-COM items last week and happened across a PC Accelerator disc from September 1998. A sleeve wasn't included and my research into it didn't turn up any pics of a sleeve either. Anyhow, I purchased it and put a scan of it up on my Magazine Compilations page. Kinda cool as I was losing hope I'd find any more compilation discs and on top of this it is September 1998 so that bridges the gap between the PCGames.exe disc (July/August 1998) and the GameStar Vollversion (October 1998). I loaded it on my Win7 machine and was floored when it actually worked fine (didn't try to run the Interceptor Demo though). I also found out it was mastered on July 15, 1998 - this is interesting because there is a press release on August 25, 1998 stating the magazine's official launch (technically the company was founded in March 1998 though). So yeah, September 1998 was the first issue which makes this even more special. :D

 

- Zombie

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I recently purchased an XCOM 2 double sided fold out poster which was included in the German game magazine PCGames.DE, so I put a scan of that up on my XCOM 2 promo items page. I tried searching for which issue this was included in but came up empty handed - if any of you have better luck, let me know. A nice find nonetheless, and it's easy to store since it's already folded. ;)

 

- Zombie

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  • 2 months later...

It appears that Monday the 26th will be the 12th anniversary of me starting this collection.Wow, a lot has happened in those years! If you would have told me in 2006 what my collection looked like in 12 years I wouldn't have believed you (or heck, even that I was still collecting). I think I did a pretty good job over the years at acquiring not only the mundane but also the unique, unusual and rare items too. It is obviously a lot of work, and surprisingly also requires a good memory in order to quickly determine if an item in question is one you need yet. Yes, I missed out on getting some items which is a bummer, but you can't get lucky all the time. no2.gif

 

Well, there hasn't been much activity in my collection since my last post, but I was able to acquire a sealed 3DO Game Guru game enhancer for PC (1996 is the release date) which features both EU and TFTD. I didn't quite know where to put it in my collection, but settled on the Game Compilations page as it seemed to fit that the best even though it doesn't have actual games - just "cheats". You can find the pics at the end. This is pretty rare, I ran across a copy (also sealed) earlier in the year and kept kicking myself for not buying it even though it was expensive. When this version came up at auction again, I sprung for it. It was expensive but the price was justified because of the condition and rarity. sweat.gif

 

- Zombie

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X-COM, Warcraft II, C&C, Duke Nukem 3D, Descent, Heroes of Might and Magic... that's some list, Zombie. And it's always fun to revisit some of the old system requirements: 2Mb Hard Disk. :P

 

Definitely appears to be in great condition overall, so congrats on your latest acquisition!

 

You continue to astound with your ability to find hidden gems and I, for one, am glad you have persevered in your efforts throughout all these years. Rock on! :cool:

 

Speaking of which, one day you should consider making a documentary about your collection. It is worth it, for posterity. Should you not feel like arranging it yourself you could always get someone like MetalJesusRocks to eventually pay you a visit as he often showcases classic collections.

 

That kind of visibility can be beneficial even, as there are people who may be willing to donate some of their stuff to you seeing just how invested and knowledgeable you are in all things X-COM. :)

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In my normal XCOM,X-COM searches last week I came across a XCOM 2 Collection poster, which I purchased (wasn't very much since the XCOM 2 collection is recent). So I put some pics of that up on the XCOM 2 Promo items page (near the end). It's kinda interesting as it's a totally square poster. smile.png

 

I also picked up a very, very rare 3.5" floppy (+ the cardboard sleeve!) from Software Evolution containing a Shareware (!?!) version of X-COM. It's a single disk though, so I'm not really sure how much of a full game it could possibly be. I don't really have much info on this right now, so I'm pretty stoked to get my grubby fingers on it to do some proper research. woot.gif Only downside was that it was rather expensive, but considering I've never seen this for sale yet it's worth it. tongue.png

 

- Zombie

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"Over $100 in value" indeed. Well, I'll say one thing, the abundant red glow behind the alien's head is immediately noticeable as an unusual feature amongst such XCOM 2 promotional posters.

 

And then you go stratospheric - a shareware version of X-COM?! oh.gif Man, oh man, if that floppy is still readable that's one crazy bloomin' heck of a find you've got there! cool.png

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"Over $100 in value" indeed. Well, I'll say one thing, the abundant red glow behind the alien's head is immediately noticeable as an unusual feature amongst such XCOM 2 promotional posters.

 

Yup, it's different, but it's just following the cover art for the XCOM 2 Collection. ;)

 

And then you go stratospheric - a shareware version of X-COM?! oh.gif Man, oh man, if that floppy is still readable that's one crazy bloomin' heck of a find you've got there! cool.png

 

Because it's only one floppy, I can almost guarantee that it's just the UFO:EU demo, but I'm hoping there's something different too. Here's a quote from the back of the sleeve:

 

Enclosed is a complete and fully operational SHAREWARE or DEMO package representing some of the best software available on a try before you buy basis. If satisfied, you may register the program with the author for an additional fee & receive additional benefits. We encourage you to register and support the shareware concept. Full technical support is included. See inside.

 

Even if it's the normal demo version, there might be some original software or text included for registering which could be cool. :)

 

Still hoping someday I'll run across the holy grail: an alpha. banana.gif

 

- Zombie

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I also picked up a very, very rare 3.5" floppy (+ the cardboard sleeve!) from Software Evolution containing a Shareware (!?!) version of X-COM. It's a single disk though, so I'm not really sure how much of a full game it could possibly be. I don't really have much info on this right now, so I'm pretty stoked to get my grubby fingers on it to do some proper research. woot.gif Only downside was that it was rather expensive, but considering I've never seen this for sale yet it's worth it. tongue.png

 

I got this in the mail the other day and took a look at it with my trusty imation USB 3.5" floppy drive. Just as I suspected, it's nothing more than a glorified UFO:EU demo (though internally it is named the usual X-COM: Terran Defense Force). What is interesting is that the sleeve is big enough for a CD, yet only holds the floppy.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7YYNaNy520

 

Ahem. tongue.png

 

- Zombie

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  • 1 month later...

Hi folks, just wanted to mention that I added some pics of the Apocalypse American style poster (which was folded to fit inside the big box) to the Apocalypse Promo Items page. And while I was at it, I might as well add a couple pics of a never-before-seen Apocalypse EU poster which I just received. It came from Australia damaged due to a poor quality mailing tube, but I was able to sorta fix it by pressing it. Kinda neat to still be finding old items from the original series floating around yet! smile.png

 

Just a reminder: if any of you have an X-COM item (or game) you would like to sell or donate to my collection, send me a PM and maybe we can work something out. Or if you know of something which I don't have yet, let me know about it here. My searches are pretty thorough, but I still miss things from time to time. hi.gif

 

- Zombie

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Gaaaah!! The invasion of the Multiworms! scare2.gif

 

Or so it would seem to the casual passer-by when seeing that new poster of yours, Zombie. wink.png

 

As for that other rarer Apocalypse EU poster, maybe because of its size, it makes one take notice of the 'L' even more (kind of at odds with the other letters, as it seems almost as if it's the only uppercase letter of the bunch).

 

Glad you managed to diminish the severity of the damage suffered. The colours are great! smile.png

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  • 3 months later...

Some more news to report on my collection! I recently acquired two more Magazine Compilation cds featuring X-COM from my favorite German seller on eBay (both are German compilations btw, so pretty rare). First up was a PowerPlay May 1995 cd which has the TFTD demo, and the other is a GameStar August 1998 cd which of course has the Interceptor demo. Neither unfortunately came with the outer sleeve so the search continues. While I was on the magazine compilations page I also fixed up the PC Accelerator cd image which was too small. Yes, the images at the bottom for XCOM:EU are still buggered in the site software, but I'll just rescan and reupload them maybe this weekend. And while going through my stack of X-COM cd's I ran across that Interactive Entertainment CD ROM episode 6 from 1994 which I haven't scanned yet, guess I'll be doing that as well (did a little bit more sleuthing on the cd and found out that Episode 6 is the September 1994 issue which makes sense due to the September date stamps on the files). ;)

 

- Zombie

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Looking at that magenta PowerPlay CD - Schnupperspiele?! *sractches head* tongue.png

 

And just look at that sweet GameStar CD illustration. I guess that's what they call drop dead gorgeous? wink.png

 

Just reading the names of the games mentioned there, it's a who's who of some of the very best classic titles of the time. Baldur's Gate, Diablo, Starcraft, C&C 3, Age of Empires, Freespace...

 

Good stuff, Zombie. May your hunt be bountiful! smile.png

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So today I went through my collection again with a fine tooth comb to make sure there wasn't any magazine compilations hidden somewhere. The answer to that was no. I did run across a couple CDs titled Games 96 OVER 1000 GAME Titles by an outfit called VastNet so I thought for sure there was something X-COM related in there. My heart skipped a beat when I found a folder named UFO, but unfortunately it's a different game called U.F.O Tracker (files are date stamped 11/11/1993 so this predates UFO:EU). Apparently when I purchased this CD I was under the impression it was UFO:EU, oh well. pardon.gif

 

While looking at all the magazine compilation CDs I saw that Ken & Brian's Favorite DemOs (correct capitalization) and thought I should take a peek to see when the disc was released. According to the date stamps, it was March 13 1997 so I adjusted the placement of the entry in the page. I don't think this is technically a magazine compilation as it came bundled inside the Conquer the Universe game compilation set from MicroProse so there isn't a true release date but March 1997 should be good enough to get an idea where it falls in the grand scheme. Oh, and since I had the window open I tried looking for the X-COM: Apocalypse demo but it wasn't present. wtf-question-mark-sign.gif I somehow got the installation program to run and found a preview button in the Apocalypse text entry which turned out to be 8 images from the game. I'll see about ripping those from the CD somehow (can't find the directory where they are in though so I might need to do screen captures instead). At least I solved that little mystery.

 

So keep an eye on this topic in the coming weeks/month as I have some more XCOM items arriving which are really cool and/or rare, a supposed game ad for X-COM: UFO Defense (same one I found online a while back) plus there's a few items I have my eye on. Turns out my search criteria in eBay was set up incorrectly for a rather long time so now I'm in the process of securing these items. shit-hits-the-fan.gif

 

- Zombie

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