My collecting focus for at least the first month of 2026 continues to be on the PlayStation 2 and the original XBox. Sports games are still a big part of my PS2 grabs, while Xbox pickups are a bit more varied.
Let’s see what came in from eStarland:
First up, we don’t have a game at all. It’s a strategy guide for my favorite arcade racing game of all time — Burnout 3: Takedown. This was the game that not only injected new life into a series of games that I was already enjoying in Burnout… and added a key gameplay element that not only changed the series, but also factored into other arcade racers down the line: the Takedown. Running opponents off the road and seeing them crash in spectacular fashion was (and is) spectacular. I’ll have to write more about the game down the line, but I’ve never had the guide until now. This is going to be a fun read, and might motivate me to run through the game again in the not-too-distant future with the guide in tow.
NBA Street V3 is a complete-in-case upgrade to the disc-only copy I’ve had. The NBA Street games still command decent prices, so I’d been holding off on this one… but stock had been tough to find and eStarland‘s price was lower than competition (though not eBay). While I have all of the NBA Street games complete for the original XBox, the play controls are really built for the PlayStation 2’s Dual Shock 2 controller and its four shoulder buttons. Basically, the PS2 is the best platform for the Street games (NBA, NFL, FIFA) and for the SSX games. I still want to land a black-label original NBA Street release, but with the game being pressed on CD-ROM, I have to be careful about disc condition. Still… it’s nice to have the three games complete, as I do with the NFL Street trilogy.
Wakeboarding Unleashed is an Activision O2 release that is another upgrade to complete-in-case. The Tony Hawk games are still the best of these, but the tangential releases (like Shaun Murray’s Pro Snowboarder and Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer) are fine. Wakeboarding Unleashed is a game like this that I enjoyed a bit more than the others, save for Pro Snowboarder, which I really liked. It takes some practice to learn the game’s ins and outs, but I think it’s pretty rewarding. To be fair, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve played. Maybe my opinion will have changed from what I remember. For now, though, it’s nice to have this complete. I think it’s the last of the O2 releases I needed.
Finally, for the original XBox, it’s Dr. Muto. I wanted to get this for the PlayStation 2, but the Xbox version was the one that was more readily available. This game is completely new to me. I have no experience with it, other than brief snippets of reviews I’ve read. That Midway logo, though… if you know me, you know I’m a sucker for all things Midway, so it’s a game I thought I should give a chance to. When will I play it? Heh. I don’t know. At some point, I hope.
That’s all for this go-round. We’ll see what’s in store for Collector’s Log #10 down the road.
Pete's Perspective 
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