Game Collecting Thread
 

$60 off Kijiji, complete with A/V cables and two controllers (no sign of yellowing). Pretty solid.

So:

Any SNES gems you'd recommend I track down?
Any locales in the Toronto area selling old games for cheap?
Any websites/eBay sellers doing same?



Please help.

I assume you've played most of these Nintendo games already, but just to list the best of the best:

Super Mario World
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Siper Mario All-stars
Super Mario Kart
Super Mario RPG

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Super Metroid
Starfox
F-zero
Super Punchout

Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country 2
Donkey Kong Country 3

Kirby Superstar
Kirby Dreamland 3

Turtles in Time
TMNT: Tournament Fighters
Killer Instinct
Adventures of Batman and Robin

Megaman X 1-3
Super Castlevania IV
Wild Arms
Zombies Ate my Neighbors
Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Contra III: Alien Wars
Super Turrican

Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy
Actraiser


Plus many more. The Super Nintendo isn't considered one of the best consoles ever made for no reason.

yep^^^^
Pretty much a good list to start.
My personally favorite is TMNT in time and Donkey Kong Country.

Ah not to mention Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, but the sequels on current gen systems are much better.

You picked an awful time to get in. SNES prices are/have been skyrocketing for about a year. Stuff that cost $20-$30 a few years ago costs $70-$80 now. Stuff like Earthbound regularly go for upwards of $200+ these days. CIB games are starting to get out of the question. Again, CIB Earthbound is well over $300.

Also, don't bother looking for stores around Toronto. I've been banging that drum for awhile now and the scene is awful. Over-priced and no decent stock. I'm assuming there's a re-seller out there snapping stuff up from around smaller places (Value Village etc) because I've had almost no luck in the last few months finding sh*t. Most stores around here also price according to eBay, which is an absolute sh*t show. Even the closer flea markets, like Pickering, are an absolute joke. I was there on the weekend and was pretty f*cking frightened by the prices. We're talking Kirby Superstar for $80 and anything that wasn't a sports game hitting $30 without question. Your best bet is camping eBay auctions, but unless you're totally committed you're going to get trounced, because competition is huge right now.

My first piece of advice is to look into Super Famicom eBay auctions. SuFami games like the DKC 2-3, Mega Man X and Super Metroid go for waaaay cheaper and the language barrier isn't an issue with games of the sort. In case you weren't aware, the SNES can indeed play Super Famicom games and requires very little work to do so. There are two little tabs inside the cart slot of the SNES that are easily removed with a pair of pliers and they're the only things stopping Super Famicom games from fitting in the slot. Easiest mod in history.

My second piece of advice is to focus! Focus in on what you want, set your price and drive for that one thing. If you constantly wait for "a better price" for games you really want you'll almost never get them. I floundered on the SFC Parodius games and could never pull it off until I sat down and said "I want these. I'm willing to pay $40+ for a CIB of these games. F*ck it!" and I bid super aggressively.

Good luck to you, sir. It's not an easy (or cheap) collection to begin. I'm here to help, though.

Edit: If you're looking for cheap good stuff, there's very little out there now that doesn't command dumb prices, but there are a handful that are still reasonable. Stuff like Star Fox, Super Punchout, Super Ghouls n' Ghosts, the Star Wars games, the first DKC and Super Mario World can be picked up for $15 or under. Past those few things really start to ramp up. Maybe if you gave me a price range you're looking for I could give you a better list of good stuff to find, but cheap simply isn't an option anymore. Unless you want old sports games or bad licensed sh*t no one wants.

If he owns a PS2 or an X-Box, he's better off getting Midway Arcade Treasures 2 since it has arcade-perfect versions of Mortal Kombat II and 3. It's for GameCube too, but the GameCube controller probably wouldn't be very good for those games.

I'll just recommend Illusion of Gaia. It's the only game I own that hasn't yet been mentioned. There's also Mega Man 7, except I have that through the Mega Man Anniversary Collection disc for the GameCube.

Final Fantasy 2 and 3 were epic. I also adore Zelda: A Link to the Past

Yep, I've perused through a few of the used game stores around where I live (Dufferin area) and, yeah, as a general rule you get f*cked up the ass. It's a joke. Like, come on guys, are you actually in the market to sell these, or is it your goal to just have them sit in the display case? Still, some of the games I'm looking to pick up are nostalgia purchases only, so there's still hope in finding some decently priced cartridges.

Case in point: Hit the Ice by Taito. Terrible, terrible game. But $10 isn't too bad a price to pay, I suppose. I found Street Fighter II, boxed, for $20. That ain't bad either. ClayFighter and C2: Judgment Clay I've found for $10-$15. (Haven't actually bought any of these yet, mind you.)

But the real gems I'm looking for -- Battletoads and Double Dragon and Battlemaniacs at the forefront -- are fetching absolutely ridiculous prices. Turtles in Time and Tournament Fighters are two of the worst offenders too, unfortunately. So I'm off to eBay for those.

I have all three Mortal Kombat games on my PSP Midway Arcade Treasures disc, but they're awfully flawed ports. Mortal Kombat I and II look like great buys for the SNES. I'm definitely in the market.

Spotted Killer Instinct for $15. Love that black cart.

I didn't own those games, but I borrowed them from a friend who did. Those are good games, and they've even got some good music.

How are they flawed?

I passed up Mortal Kombat for the SNES just for the simple fact that it didn't have blood, and I didn't own a Genesis either. Not that I was all that impressed by the Genesis version though. It hardly had any sound and the voice samples were lame. Anyway I got Mortal Kombat: Deception premium pack for the PS2 which has the arcade-perfect version of Mortal Kombat, so that kind of makes up for it. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is also available for the SNES, but the arcade-perfect version was available through the premium edition of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon for the PS2.

The black Killer Instinct cartridge was cool. I so wasn't expecting it when I opened up the box and slipped the cartridge out of it

Enjoy the SNES though. It's seriously my favorite console of all-time alongside the NES.

From IGN: "Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3 got the worst emulation of the bunch, mostly because these contemporary games require a bit more horsepower; many backgrounds are missing, and the game seems to be running at half the framerate, even though it's running full-speed."

And Gamespot: "The most disappointing problems, however, are in Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3. Both of them seem as though they're dropping frames and running too fast. And both are saddled by load times that infiltrate every part of the game. And the music loading totally messes up the way fatalities sound. On top of that, both games sound very tinny and, in a lot of cases, distorted. You get the impression that these games were thrown on here without much care for actually making them accurate representations of the arcade originals, which is pretty lame, considering they're probably the largest draws in the entire collection."

This is the PSP version of Midway Arcade Treasures, mind you. The console versions presumably play better.

Mortal Kombat is worth buying just for this:

Here's a few under the radar SNES games that I've enjoyed over the years. If you can find them at a cheap price, you might want to give them a try!

X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse
Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems
[Both of these Capcom Marvel games look and control fairly close to the classic 32-bit Capcom fighting games, but while the animation is smooth it's also PAINFULLY slow]

Sunset Riders [one of the 2 best Western-styled games on SNES! The other being...]

Wild Guns [colorful and fun shoot 'em up]

Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Aladdin [not as good as the Genesis version, but it's different enough to keep one entertained!]

Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose

Battletoads & Double Dragon didn't really live up to my expectations, but I've yet to track down Battlemaniacs.

I'd recommend Metal Combat but you need the Super Scope for it.

X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse looks pretty fantastic. I'll definitely check it out.

Prices for that game. Are. Insane.

I loooove Battletoads & Double Dragon. Love, love, love. Though I still think the original is somewhat superior.

Lastly: does anyone have any experience buying from Japanese eBay sellers? I've never done so, but Peanut's advice seems sound to me. The Super Famicom versions of Street Fighter II are much more reasonably priced, and are virtually identical.

Also, shipping charges are cheaper than U.S./Canada. How is that even possible?

I've bought from a ton of Japanese sellers and they're always incredible, to be honest. They're super nice and generally really fast. The shipping is usually cheaper, but that's because they ship by the slowest method possible. The reason for that being shipping prices can jump from $5-$10 to $30-$50 in an instant if you get a faster shipping method. They're always willing to do that for you, but you're going to have to pony up. Generally I just wait the 2-4 weeks and end up being pleasantly surprised when it shows up faster than that. American and Canadian sellers generally like to gouge on shipping, but every so often you'll get a great seller who'll only charge what it costs. My advice there is to buy in spurts from the same seller, combining shipping as often as possible. Better to pay $15 for 5 games than $7 for one.

Honestly, the only people I've had trouble dealing with on eBay are Canadians, specifically ones in Quebec. They're generally rude and slow. I won a copy of Castlevania for the NES last week on the cheap, paid immediately via PayPal and a day later had a complaint lodged against me for not paying. After e-mailing the guy and giving him proof, he ignored me and continued to act like an asshole. The e-check cleared almost 3 days ago and he still hasn't shipped it. I'm giving him until tomorrow to do it and then I'm lodging a complaint against him. Regardless, once I receive the game he's getting negative feedback for his poor attitude.

Anyways, SFII isn't terribly expensive now, is it? I've got a great copy of Turbo for $5 not long back, but I'm also not a very big SF fan, so I haven't looked into the price on that stuff.

Looking up Battletoads and Double Dragon, it looks like it sells for about $25-$30 +s/h for cart-only in decent shape. It's not an awful deal, as the game isn't one of the ultra commons you see floating around often. It's incredibly strange to me that I don't bat an eye at $30 prices for stuff like that anymore. I've actually got my original from when I was a kid still in great shape. I should pop it in soon as it used to kick my ass back then.

Anything else you're on the lookout for? I often check eBay on my phone during work (currently looking for a copy of Demon's Crest that isn't totally f*cked) so I can keep an eye out for you and give you a heads up. I'll also see if I can scope anything while I'm out doing my rounds. If anyone else on the Drome is kicking the SNES collecting habit or getting in, we can all help each other out. It works wonders to work as a team with this stuff.

Also, Wild Guns is one of the most insanely prices SNES games on the go right now. The crazy thing is most of the carts out there are tore the f*ck UP. It's insane. It's like every copy of that and MMX2-3 were owned by vicious animals.

I dont know why I laughed as hard as I did at the " owned by vicious animals," thing.

Turtles in time!

Here's a list of games I'm currently in the market to buy. I've already spotted some good deals for the various versions of Street Fighter II that I might act upon.


Street Fighter II: The World Warrior [purchased]
Street Fighter II Turbo
Super Street Fighter II

Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat II

Killer Instinct

Super Mario All-Stars [purchased]

The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare [purchased]

Hit the Ice [purchased]

ClayFighter 2: Judgment Clay [purchased]

TMNT IV: Turtles in Time
TMNT: Tournament Fighters

Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team [purchased]
Battletoads in Battlemaniacs

X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse

Judge Dredd [purchased]

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

Star Fox [acquired via Peanut]

Super Punch-Out!!


I can't think of any more at the moment. That's pretty much it.

^ Some really great picks there, Ive got almost all of them in my personal collection. I don't know if you're into sports games, But NHL 94 and NBA Jam T.E. are probably the best sports games on the SNES. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent playing them.

What makes NHL 94 better than, say, NHL 95 or 96? Anything in particular?

94 was the first year the game got the NHL license, that means it was the first time they were allowed to use the actual team names, player names, and player numbers. It was also the first game to include the "one timer" shot. Its honestly hard to describe what makes the game so perfect, you really need to play it to see. But its got a die hard fan following even to this day.
Check out this site:
http://www.nhl94.com/

Even now there are tons of people who use emulators to create online leagues and play against each other online. There are even Roms with updated rosters to match today's NHL.

If you're curious try a rom and see if its something you could get into.

It just has a certain magic and "feel" that wasn't replicated in the years to follow

I don't think you'll be disappointed. I prefer the Sega X-Men games, but the Capcom charm is clearly evident in the SNES game.

People must really love Clint & Annie! :)

I have been lucky enough to find most of my used SNES games for between $5-10 at some local stores. SNES games have always been more in demand on the resell market than Genesis carts, but I had no idea there such a recent spike of interest in them.

Heh, it's been years since I've popped that cart into my SNES. I loved Double Dragon II on NES but no other game in that series has been able to live up to my expectations. I actually haven't even spent that much time trying to advance through it either.
I am a fan of beat em' ups, good or bad. I do enjoy the Captain Commando port on SNES, even though it's very much watered down from the Arcade. I've also got The Death and Return of Superman, which is somewhat unforgiving but fun.

I've always preferred '96 over '94, even though '94 commands the most nostalgia and even has its own fan-site.

Each of the old EA NHL games have their own unique features and charm, which makes them hold up better today than EA other sports series from the 16-bit era. I'd say if you are a hockey fan, you might as well try to track down all of the EA hockey games since you can probably buy them loose for about $1 each.

It's just one of those things where there aren't a ton of copies floating around, especially in decent condition, so collectors blow it into astronomical proportions to justify paying the prices. Reading most SNES collection threads across the Internet, you could very easily be fooled into thinking Wild Guns is one of the most incredible SNES games ever made, which is an absolute load. Really, most of the super rare stuff out there isn't very good. It's the moderately rare, or at least highly sought after, games that really do warrant their going price tags.

Speaking of weird rare SNES games, I played a bunch of EVO last night and...what the f*ck IS that game? I got to the first boss, which handily destroyed me several times over, but I feel like that may be another game where the quality doesn't warrant the outrageous price.

Also, yeah, NHL 94' is the SNES hockey game.

Picked up my Super NES today. After a bit of dish detergent scrubbing, voilà:

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h2...psc43ab833.jpg

Also, to video game connoisseurs operating in the Toronto area: avoid Xtreme Games Interactive at 1539 Dundas. Man, do they ever operate a sh*t-show. Not only are their SNES cartridges obscenely priced -- up to $80 for a loose Super Metroid cart -- their trade-in valuations are garbage.

Five of my lesser-used PSP games could only count towards thirteen dollars' worth of store credit. So I said, "F*ck off," and off I promptly f*cked.

A place near the Dufferin branch Public Library knocked $30 off a (more reasonably priced) copy of Super Mario All-Stars for four of my PSP games. Gave 'em a fiver for the difference. That, my friends, made me happy.

Was most of the console yellowed? I'm asking because that's what happened to mine.

No, in general there was very little yellowing. There was, however, a couple of decades' worth of grime embedded into the plastic at various spots, most noticeably on the cartridge flap.

A little dish detergent and some scrubbing did away with that.

Oddly enough, only one of the controllers is actually a Super Nintendo controller -- model SNS-005, made in Japan. The other is a Super Famicom controller made in China.

Betcha I can't find 'em anywhere near that cheap.


...Aaaand I've just realized my A/V cables are useless because I don't have the original remote to my old-model Orion television set, and no way to access the Aux input.

God. Dammit.

Got a Nintendo RF adapter you can throw my way, Peanut? :ohwell:

So much for getting mine clean then.

Here you go, sir: http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Retr0Bright+Gel

And: http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Using+Retr0Bright


Not as simple as dish washing detergent, but there is hope.

I'll scrounge around. I know I've got at least two of them and probably a third somewhere. I've got all my post-NES Nintendo stuff hooked up via S-Video now, so I've got a bunch of spare A/V cables kicking around my game room.

Anyways, $80 for Super Metroid actually isn't terribly unreasonable at this point, as insane as that sounds. I mean...it's totally f*cking unreasonable, but in this climate it's pretty standard. Although the cheaper alternative of picking up the SFC Super Metroid at half the price complete, or a third loose, is easily the best way to go. Not only is it the exact same rom as the US version, it has far superior artwork.

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/me...etroid_box.jpg VS http://www.star-tmag.com/wp/wp-conte...2275699868.jpg

I can't believe Mario All-Stars is worth more than $15, though. That's completely insane to me, though it doesn't totally surprise me considering you see sh*t like SMB/Duck Hunt "selling" for $15 and SMB3 "selling" for $25-$30 at a lot of stores around here. Sh*t is totally ridiculous.

BTW, I've heard that Retrobright sh*t is a total risk. I know a lot of collectors who've ruined stuff trying to use it, but I also know a few people who swear by it. It's really luck of the draw with the yellow of SNES plastic. I have two original SNES's from when I was a kid. One is perfect except the plastic around the controller ports is slightly yellowed, the other one is moderately yellowed on the entire bottom. I've thought a few times about taking them apart and swapping everything around so I've got a fully un-yellowed machine, but I'm always afraid of ruining my childhood stuff.

Edit: If you need an RF adapter immediately. I've dealt with this place on numerous occasions and they're super fast and super nice.

Yep. I haven't found a North American copy of Super Mario All-Stars on Ebay, or anywhere else, for less than $25. And if it ever does sell for a little less online, then the shipping charges jack it right back up to $30-$40. The mom-and-pop shops probably tell themselves that to justify the price.

Xtreme Games Interactive had it for $45, for example.

Anyway. I traded some PSP games I was using as paperweights and got it for $5. It seemed an especially sweet deal after having the above-mentioned dealer say these games of mine were only worth $2 each.

I got a copy of Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings if ya want it....

Kidding, kidding.

I don't understand how any of these places are able to make a profit like this. I know they can on eBay simply because of how awful the "Buy Now" feature has become, but how does a physical store stay in business with such insane prices? Like I said before, I've been around a couple times to scope places and each time I go in it's like the exact same stock. Nothing moves. How is it possible!?

Maybe they make swift profit on the newer stuff? I dunno. I sometimes think they hold NES/SNES stock just to add a retro "cool factor" to the place without having any intention of parting with the stuff.

Maybe they deal meth out the back.

I can't really laugh too hard because I totally bought Michael Jordan's Chaos in the Windy City.

Never thought of that, but it's a brilliant theory. :lol:

I hope you find some good deals hidden among the prevailing price inflation.

I highly doubt you won't be able to find any "yearly" sports game for under $5. Half the time you can talk the store into throwing one in with one of those more expensive cartridges.

If you ever find yourself around the Pittsburgh/ Ohio area check out The Exchange. Its the best used game/movie/music store I've ever been too. Usually great prices and legitimate trade in offers. I honestly don't know how the Gamestops in my area are still in business. I swear people only go there for preorders.

No worries, problem solved: a trip to Value Village and one cheap-o universal remote was all it took. Now I can get to my TV's auxiliary mode. Which is a good thing, because I much prefer the A/V cable output. RF adapter video is just so bad.

What is? The retro street cred or the meth?

My Super Mario All-Stars cartridge is being a little b*tch. Not surprising, I guess. I read that the lifespan of the average SNES cart battery is 10-15 years. Mine will save and retain your progress, but sometimes will refuse to boot up once the power is turned on.

The TV screen flickers when this happens, so I'm assuming the SNES is outputting its video alright. The cart won't start though. A little blowing -- or simply ejecting and reinserting -- will get it up and running again, but sometimes the save files are gone.

I'm not entirely disappointed. Super Mario Bros. 1 and 3 sort of had save features before there even were save features. Warp zones. Brilliant idea.

Also, relevant to our discussion on pricing:

I believe I tried playing my Super Mario All-Stars cartridge a few years ago, only to see that the memory had been erased. I don't remember ever erasing it myself. However, it still works and still saves. The same thing happened with my The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past cartridge as well.

As for that video, I'm really not sure what to think of it. I'm really not. Though I'm kind of offended by it, really. I'm thinking it's supposed to make me feel guilty for wanting an SNES back then, and for even owning one at all. I remember my mother not wanting me to get an SNES at first. First, she told me that if I get it, I'd have to give my NES away. Then some time after that, she didn't want me to get it at all. In fact, when Christmas was drawing near in 1991, she told me about this time when she was in a store, a man came in asking for a Genesis for his kids. They told him they only have SNES units, and that the man said that his kids would laugh him out of the house if he came home with an SNES. At least I wouldn't have. I eventually got one though, and I think the price lowered by the time I did. People dug the SNES, even though some were afraid to admit it. Those Genesis fanboys were much louder about their Genesis love though, and the ones who hated the SNES just couldn't express their disdain enough. Me though, I never regretted owning an SNES. I wouldn't have minded having a Genesis either, but after enjoying the NES after so many years, the SNES was definitely a must.

Anyway, if those people interviewed in the clip thought Nintendo was so bad for putting out a new system that's more powerful than the NES and how it cost more, then that was only the beginning, and they can't make Nintendo out to be the devil anymore either. Besides, didn't Sega get the same kind of backlash from parents about the Genesis?

A shake of the head will do. It's typical local news nighttime filler made for adults and viewed by...Well, adults. You can practically hear the pitch. No murders, no rapes, no robberies -- Phil, slap together something negative and scandal-mongering featuring something tried and tested. Kids.

Kids being taken advantage of.

...By corporations. And finish with a nod to Pac-Man. Gold!