Collection Spotlight: Big Boss PSP

I want to start showing off a few bits of my collection that are actually unique. Like most collections of games, a good majority of it is stuff a lot of other people already own and is pretty common place. But like a lot of collector's, I have my gems. Now these items may not be worth thousands of dollars or super duper rare items, but they are neat or obscure. This one falls into the neat category.

This is the sweet carrying case, it says
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

This is my Big Boss PSP which came out about two years ago or so. I actually had no idea this thing was in the pipeline until it was released, but I was drawn to it immediately. I've been a big fan of the Metal Gear franchise since Metal Gear Solid, which is the fourth game in the series and some people would have you think it was the third. We'll talk about that at another time.

So since Metal Gear Solid, I've been a pretty big fan of the series. I would say my favorite is Snake Eater, although I've only played through it once it's still my favorite. The first Solid game is a classic, and I think I've beaten it several times both on the PSX and the Gamecube. Anyway, this is about the PSP and not the series.

The only camera I have is a cell phone camera and the lighting is terrible, so all my photos are shit.

The Big Boss PSP was released to coincide with the release of Peace Walker, which was an official canon release in the Metal Gear Solid series. The PSP had previous Metal Gear games with Portable Ops and Ac!d, which weren't canonical games, but I could be mistaken on that part. The storylines of that game are so convoluted, it doesn't even really matter.

I was going to go into my opinion of the PSP history and how it sorta tanked, but I'll just keep this post to my story of how I came across this beast. I first saw it in a Gamestop in Southlake Mall when I was out buying games with Derek and Khanh. It was tucked into the glass case next to the counter, sitting unassumingly at the bottom of the case. The following conversation happened between me and a lady who worked at Gamestop (which is another reason I loathe Gamestop, and urge anyone to cease purchasing games there):

Me: How much is this Big Boss PSP in the case here?

Lady: Did you pre-order one?

Me: No.

Lady: Well that one is already spoken for, they were pre-order only and we don't have anymore. You should have pre-ordered one!

Fuck you, Gamestop.

Ask Derek and Khanh, this is pretty much verbatim how it went down. Not only did she NOT ANSWER MY FUCKING QUESTION (it was $200 btw, I found this out later) she then chastised me for not pre-ordering something I didn't know existed until that point. I can see saying "They are $200, but unfortunately we only have 1 left and it is reserved." Instead she acts like I was a moron for not pre-ordering it. Fuck you, lady at Gamestop, fuck you.

So, at this point I was both pissed off and bummed. I went home to soak in my tears that this limited edition console was out of my grasp and I would have to pay hundreds for it years down the road just to have one. I admitted defeat, and cursed Gamestop and their cocky-ass employees.

As luck would have it, the lady at Gamestop was dead fucking wrong. So wrong in fact, that I almost drove down to her store to rub it in her face that I had actually bought one not even a week later. How did I manage this monumental task, you ask? A friend helped me.

I don't have an old version to compare to, but this one
is a bit more compact.

The following week at work I sitting in my little office farting around on the computer when Khanh pops in the room and says "Davey, those Big Boss PSPs are on Barnes and Noble's website." I immediately opened a browser, found the PSP on there and bought it without hesitating. A few short days later, it was sitting on my doorstep when I got home from work. A funny thing about it's delivery was that it was almost about to pour rain down the day the PSP was delivered, so the PSP was going to be sitting on the stoop of my house (which was uncovered). I raced the storm home to get the PSP a minute or two before the bottom fell out.

The PSP itself is a limited color variant of the revised PSP. The new model PSP was a slimmer version that boasted a better screen and more compact form. I personally like the bulkier PSP because it was easier to hold for me, but this one is a pretty nice console overall. The screen looks absolute great, and as far as I can tell functions just as well as the old one. This new version of the PSP features a revised disc tray on the back, which is less prone to shoot discs out and is a lot simpler than the old one.

The Big Boss PSP pack also came with the Peace Walker game (a game I admittedly haven't played more than an hour...sorry) and a slick little carrying case. The box set featured most of the stuff you'd get with a normal PSP, so I got a charger and all that. The box is also pretty neat, so it sits on top of my shelf on display.

A nice addition to my collection, I would say.

 I think this little thing is pretty cool, and one of the key items of my collection. It's not the only limited edition console I have, either.This is definitely something I'm going to hang on to for a while. You don't come across these everyday and it holds a special place in my collection. Finding things like this and getting my hands on it are what keep me interested in collecting.