Mystery Bin Dip Challenge

Ahhh…. The video game bargain bin. Home of the misfit games no longer worthy of shelf space. Are they yesterday’s favourites or today’s garbage? Hidden gems or stinky dog turds? Underrated rarities or lessons in agonizing torture? No matter how you look at it, bargain bins are a point of interest for every frugal gamer scrounging for a deal, but what happens when you throw caution to the wind and do the old bargain bin dip BLIND? That’s exactly what Mr. B and I decided to find out when we came up with this challenge. This has the potential to be a rather unpleasant experience, but I guess that’s what makes it a challenge.

A couple days ago, Mr. B and I, trotted our arses over to the local video game store. We were a little nervous but generally optimistic. The plan was for each of us to pick a game out of the bargain bin without looking, flip a coin, and then both buy a copy of the winning title. That way we’d both experience the potential bliss and/or suffering said game would provide. Before doing so, we had to first lay down some ground rules: It had to be under $20, it couldn’t be a game either of us had already played, and it couldn’t be a sports game (no one wants to play NHL 07.)

After we opened the door, we spotted the bin and dove right in. Mr. B picked Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, and I pulled out The Godfather II. Now for the coin toss:

Vs

And the winner is….

I have to admit that I was a little relieved but still not exactly excited about the victor. As I recall, it received mixed but mostly mediocre reviews upon its release. Apart from the rumor that it had a copious amount of topless women, it didn’t make much of an impression on me, but this is a challenge after all.

Mr. B and I have since recruited two others to join in on the challenge and are planning on blogging about our individual experiences. This will also be a topic of discussion on our very first My Bloody Sandbox Podcast, so be sure to check back for updates.

I’d also like to encourage anyone else who’d like to take part to do so. Comment on the blog or send me an email with your impressions of the game. mybloodysandbox@gmail.com Think of it as Oprah’s book club but for video game nerds.

Good Luck!