Game Collecting Thread

[Ecto Jedi]

Originally Posted by Ninjinister

Just curious about how to proceed in the future, is this exclusively "retro" games collection discussion, or just mostly? And if the former, what's the cutoff? Just systems that are no longer in active production?

That'd seem logical to me. Draw the line at PS2/X-Box/Gamecube. (Does anyone actually collect for those?)

Originally Posted by Peanut

I've got a spare copy of Star Fox you can have. Picked it up at a garage sale with a pile of other stuff for a few bucks. Just drop me your address in a PM and I'll send it to you.

Hey, that's great! Gotta ask: is it in decent shape? (I'll still take it, even if it isn't.)

[AT-Man]

Originally Posted by Ecto Jedi

That'd seem logical to me. Draw the line at PS2/X-Box/Gamecube. (Does anyone actually collect for those?)

I'm not sure if it qualifies as collecting, but I bought a Gamecube and everything for it I ever wanted to play: Zeldas, Resident Evils and Eternal Darkness. I also got a GBA player for it and all the Zeldas and Final Fantasies. I'm still looking for reasonably priced PAL versions of all Castlevanias and Metroids for GBA, and then I guess that's everything. Next I want to do the same with 3DS, but so far it would be only the regular DS games I'd want to buy.

[Ecto Jedi]

I think that totally qualifies, actually. I bought the Gamecube Resident Evil remake a while back and hid it away for ages after having popped it in one evening and being sorely unimpressed. In all honesty, I maybe gave it five minutes. Just wasn't feeling it at the time.

Anyway, months later I sat down again and gave it a chance. For three days I played that sucker non-stop. What a fantastic game. The mood and tone are amazing. The graphics are amazing. The soundtrack is...Amazing.

I've got a copy of Resident Evil 0 sitting here in my apartment in Toronto. My Wii is in Nova Scotia. I haven't been able to take a look at it yet.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Ecto Jedi

That'd seem logical to me. Draw the line at PS2/X-Box/Gamecube. (Does anyone actually collect for those?)

Hey, that's great! Gotta ask: is it in decent shape? (I'll still take it, even if it isn't.)

I collect for Gamecube and I've been looking at adding some specific X-Box and PS2 games to my collection, so people certainly do. It's just not as big as everything post that gen. Although, Gamecube stuff has begun to rise in price at an alarming rate.

Here's that copy of Star Fox. I've cleaned it up, both inside and out and it works without fail.

Spoiler:

[Ecto Jedi]

The cart looks fantastic, Peanut! I'll be glad to take it off your hands. And I really appreciate the offer. It's very kind of you, and I appreciate it. It saves me the trouble of hunting through eBay auctions and waiting on some seller out of Boondoggle, USA.

I'm sending you a PM as we speak.

[Ninjinister]

I collect mostly specific genre or series across all platforms, so I didn't want to cross a line by indicating I got a new PSP game or something. Thanks.

[pannoni1]

I sometimes collect video games, though it takes a bit of a backseat to some other collectibles. One thing that's important is to understand the proper market value. I remember around 1999 when I noticed in a neighborhood dumpster someone dumped around a dozen NES games. I couldn't remember what they were, but thought that they would be worth something someday.

That said, the value of games comes from several factors:
-Rarity
-Demand
-Timelessness
-Completedness/condition
-Genre/publisher

Sports games as you know, especially those with a year on them are consistantly the poorest performers. Many are worth less than a buck each, even if complete with box and instructions simply due to a lack of demand and the instantly dated atmosphere, not to mention similar titles with similar game play. There are obvious exceptions though (Stadium Events).

Puzzles (including TV game show adaptions) tend to be the second poorest, even if addictive.

Typically, the RPG, action/adventure, FPS, and platformers tend to perform the best across the board.

About 70% of my collection currently are the original games I had growing up. Sadly, most of the boxes/manuals have been tossed over the years, due to a combination of wear, disinterest as I packed away the games into the basement as I grew into an adult, and not being aware of potential collector value at the time.

In terms of "retro/classics", I draw the line with the 5th generation (32/64 bit era), given the now vintageness of polygon 3D graphics, the final cartridges (N64), and the fact that the entire generation consists of games generally over 10 years old. It was also the last time I actively followed the gaming scene.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Ninjinister

I collect mostly specific genre or series across all platforms, so I didn't want to cross a line by indicating I got a new PSP game or something. Thanks.

I think that's fine. I just don't want people coming here like the one dude talking about buying a Wii U. Not that it's a big deal either way, but we've got a latest purchases thread for that reason.

Edit: Did some rounds today and ran into a whole lot of nothing. One dude had a stack of CIB Genesis games that had to be the absolute WORST pile of games I have ever seen. Another dude had a few great games, but was charging dumb prices for all of them. I did manage to find a mint copy of Strider on NES for $2, but other than that the day was a huge bust.

[Ecto Jedi]

Courtesy of Peanut:

Spoiler:

Still surprisingly playable after all these years, and I'll be damned if the graphics don't hold up. It requires a little imagination and an appreciation for the limits of the technology, but the combination of sprite-based menu and character graphics with old-school 3D elements is rather charming.

Huge thanks again to Peanut for the kind donation.

Originally Posted by Peanut

Did some rounds today and ran into a whole lot of nothing. One dude had a stack of CIB Genesis games that had to be the absolute WORST pile of games I have ever seen. Another dude had a few great games, but was charging dumb prices for all of them. I did manage to find a mint copy of Strider on NES for $2, but other than that the day was a huge bust.

Where was this?


Edit: Is this legit?

[Peanut]

No problem, man. Enjoy and "GOOWD RUCK!"

I was at the 400 Flea Market south of Barrie when I found Strider, which is home to a huge scam artist of a reseller. Old italian dude who's full of an incredible amount of sh*t. There was a dude outside in the morning who had a table setup with some VHS tapes and stuff and the copy of Strider was wedged in there. Good flea market tip there, just to search through old boxes full of junk and not just tables lined with games. Place was a total sh*t show, though. Not recommended in the least.

Anyways, Star Fox 2 totally exists and is a complete game, but Nintendo just decided to never release it, so that's a repro cart. It's incredible to me that these scumbags are charging such dumb prices for completely fake and readily available sh*t. Really incredible.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Peanut

Anyways, Star Fox 2 totally exists and is a complete game, but Nintendo just decided to never release it, so that's a repro cart. It's incredible to me that these scumbags are charging such dumb prices for completely fake and readily available sh*t. Really incredible.

Yeah, $80 is crazy. But suddenly I've got this strange compulsion to own an SNES SF2 cart! What do those type of Repros tend to run for in a sane auction?

[Peanut]

It all depends on where you look to get it from. I've seen repro carts of unreleased/untranslated stuff run at an average of around $50 for cart only, which is still stupid. There's a guy on Nintendo Age who recently started doing it for (I think) $25, because he thinks it's bullsh*t people overcharge so much on something they have no right to, but he requires a game donation to do the switch and he's currently swamped by requests.

The more impressive repro's can run high price, because they're done right with a lot of care. I still think they're way too expensive, but it's easier to see why something so niche would cost so much.

For instance, here's the Star Fox 2 SNES repro Timewalk Games does.

A fully complete game, with everything from a box and a manual. It even comes sealed. Their stuff costs about $95 per complete SNES game, SF2 being $105, but if you were to get into that stuff, I could see it being worth it because it's well made.

The assholes making their own low-end repros and charging $90 before shipping, or just buying and flipping repros on eBay to make clean profit off of people who don't know any better are disgusting.

[Ecto Jedi]

Just completed Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team. Total game time of about 50 minutes.

Well, what can I say? It plays like the original Battletoads, but I can't help but feel somewhat disappointed. It isn't nearly as difficult as the original, owing to an outrageously easier hover bike section and the lack of any other "vehicle" stages. Likewise, lack of variety is a bit of a problem. It still has more than most other SNES games, but compared to its predecessor B&DD naturally comes up a little lacking. If memory serves, the original had three vehicle stages and an awesome snake pit level -- one of the most challenging platforming stages ever.

The Intruder Excluder level, near the end of the original game, was also a climbing stage in the same style. Battletoads & Double Dragon doesn't have anything like this. It does have that great Asteroid-esque "pod" sequence, though, which is both adorable and great fun.

The Shadow Boss looks sort of...Off. And along with Robo Manus, he's much too easy. Ditto for the Dark Queen. The final boss fight is lengthy owing to her schizophrenic fight pattern, but otherwise it's a bit of a yawn. Your diminishing life and continue count naturally adds some tension to the mix, but with just a few batterings of some crows in Stage 3 enough lives can be garnered to make that a relative non-issue. 'Shame.

Anyway. No regrets. The graphics are primo and the Battletoads charm is evident through the majority of the experience. Love the soundtrack and WHOOP and WHAP! of the hits, and you can't help but love the enemy animations and attack styles. And it still plays better than nearly any other 2D beat-'em-up, 16-bit or otherwise.

So. Pretty rad addition to my SNES collection. Wouldn't want to be without it.



...And now off to Star Fox I go.

[Ninjinister]

I can't remember the place where I got my NES repros but they were decently priced, like $25-$30 with discounts in bulk purchase or if you donated your own carts. They're well-done, too.

I had hacked up a really s**ty word processor for GBA and got it on cart way back in the day with the help of some dude in Peru. All he asked was that he could keep profits from all of the carts sold to everyone other than myself, which I didn't mind, especially since there ended up being like two carts sold. I wish to hell I could find my copy, or at least the old ROM.

[Ecto Jedi]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

But suddenly I've got this strange compulsion to own an SNES SF2 cart!

Yeah, I'd totally drop some dough on a StarFox 2 reproduction cart. Like Peanut said, it is a complete, polished game in and of itself. The only reason it wasn't released was a bout of very strange logic from Nintendo. Something about wanting a clean break for their 3D games, given the impending release of the N64 and its own version of StarFox.

Really pretty astounding, given all the time and hard work that must have gone into the game. Then again it was the mid-'90s, and the N64 looked and sounded like the most revolutionary thing ever in the history of the world. I don't blame people for getting a little tipsy. Like Y2K.

Ironic that here we are collecting SNES cartridges and no one has yet mentioned the N64. Once. Like Peanut said a long, long time ago in a thread which will remain nameless, that entire generation "looks and plays like the asshole of gaming."

[Peanut]

It really is incredible. Outside of a very select few games the majority of it is just hampered by the growing pains of 3D gaming. I definitely feel more nostalgic for how ****** it all looks all these years later, but I still think so much of it is the absolutely awful. The selection of N64 games is also super limited in comparison to most other consoles, especially if you're talking about games that are playable. Like I just said though, probably close to half a decade removed from that statement I do have some nostalgia for bad 3D graphics. The controls and camera usually still kill it, though.

[Ecto Jedi]

There are very few N64 games I'd be tempted to revisit. GoldenEye would give me the greatest nostalgia factor, but it looks like ass. Maybe it still plays well, who knows? I'm inclined to believe fifteen plus years of first-person gaming will have left me wholly devoid of love for a muddy, blocky mid-'90s shooter.

Mario Kart 64 probably still plays great. Diddy Kong Racing was a big favourite of ours. Resident Evil 2, unfortunately, is damn near unplayable because of the god-awful voiceovers and character animations. And to think that game scared me half to death one night back in 1998/1999.

...Anyway.


Buying from Quebec eBay sellers is great unless you have to do any sort of communicating. Concerning my copy of Judge Dredd:

hi, the game is returned to me and you post office not accept because it'S supposed it'S a package not an enveloppe. i can try resend in the other enveloppe or i can refund you. just let me know thanks

Uhh. Sure.

[Peanut]

It doesn't help that the majority of N64 games worth owning are going for dumb prices these days. Most of them START at $30-$40 and only go up from there. There just isn't a big enough selection of titles on the thing to have people collect for their specific tastes, because if you're not getting the Paper Mario's and the Zelda's, what the f*ck are you getting?

Anyways, got something in the mail today and I'm excited to jump into it!

Spoiler:

Woowoooooo! Another Famicom only game that never got any NA love. I've heard great things about it, so I'm glad I got my hands on it and for so incredibly cheap. Same dude who sold me WaiWaiWorld 2 super cheap sold me this.

[CyberCubed]

Most N64 games haven't aged well, but the top tier games of the system are still worth owning. Although since they remade Ocarina of Time and Starfox 64 for the 3DS, you might as well pick up those versions instead of the originals. The graphics are so much better.

I noticed Rare's games especially aged the worst. I still love Banjo-Kazooie and Conker, but the others like Donkey Kong 64, Tooie, Jet Force Gemini, and Blast Corps are difficult to play now.

Goldeneye/Perfect Dark are alright if you can deal with the dated gameplay and shooting mechanics of 15 years ago.

[oldmanwinters]

I concur that Diddy Kong Racing is still such a blast to play even today. That game was so far ahead of its time. Even before it seemed like every franchise had to have a "Mario Kart" ripoff game, DKR revolutionized the genre by giving the player land, air, and sea options. What a great cart with tons of replay value, even if most of the characters aren't especially memorable.