Game Collecting

[Jkmetal23]

I'll post some pics later this weekend of my game collection but I'd like to give everyone a tip, if your library sells donated books/cds/dvds, look for games there.

Just a list of what I've found over the years
-Castlevania SOTN
-Duke Nuke'm 3d
-Tomb Raider II
-Crimson Skies (xbox 1)
-Arcanum Of Steamworks & Magicka Obscura
-Return of Castle Wolfenstein
-Final Fantasy VII PC, Eidos Platinium Collection
-Penumbra
-Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000
-Splinter Cell 1 Xbox
-ICO (PS2)
-Fallout 4 XBONE (no joke, it was just the disc and my bro didn't have it so I put the $2 in the box, yes its the honor system, and gave it to him)
-Planescape Torment
-Myst
-Sim City Classic CD

[Meteor_of_War]

Castlevania SotN is always a nice find. Thankfully i already own a copy from when it was released because I've never seen it in the wild for cheap. Its just one of those awesome games people hold onto.

Used books stores can be unexpectedly good spots to find games too. Had a few scores at a book store near my work recently.

[Elysian]

Found an original NES at the flea market for $45, and found some decent games. The last NES I had I had to sell because I needed the money, had a bunch of games, NES Advantage, light gun, etc... I'm going to mod this one, remove the lockout chip, HDMI mod it...

edit: Having controller port issues, the contacts in the console are corroded, not having much luck cleaning them. Can get the controllers to work by jiggling, but after a few minutes it goes back to not working right.

edit2: WD40 and the GameTechUS YouTube technique for cleaning the pins worked perfectly. Console works like a dream now.

[SubCog]

Picked up a few items on my trip to Portland last week.

[Meteor_of_War]

Originally Posted by Elysian

Found an original NES at the flea market for $45, and found some decent games. The last NES I had I had to sell because I needed the money, had a bunch of games, NES Advantage, light gun, etc... I'm going to mod this one, remove the lockout chip, HDMI mod it...

edit: Having controller port issues, the contacts in the console are corroded, not having much luck cleaning them. Can get the controllers to work by jiggling, but after a few minutes it goes back to not working right.

edit2: WD40 and the GameTechUS YouTube technique for cleaning the pins worked perfectly. Console works like a dream now.

WD40 huh? I actually never ran into a NES console with controller port issues, but its good to know if I ever do.

As for modding it, I'd only bother with disabling the lockout chip if you wanted to play PAL region games on it. Don't do it just if you're trying to fix the blinking light issue. All it needs for that is a new 72 pin connector and it will work great. Unless you really just want to try it anyways.

[Meteor_of_War]

Originally Posted by SubCog

Picked up a few items on my trip to Portland last week.

Nice pickups. Convention or store?

Hit a few yard sales on Saturday and this is what I found. All games were $1 each, Mario Kart wheel was $0.50.

Nothing too crazy, but I thought it was note worthy because its the first time I ever found Famicom games in the wild. I'm not great at Japanese but from what I can tell they are Ninja Cop Saizou (Wrath of the Black Manta?) and Majou Densetsu II (or The Maze of Galious??). Not sure though so if anyone can help out and shed some light it would be much appreciated. Wish I had a Famicom or clone console that could play them. I also picked up a lot of 8 NES games last night for only $30 through LetGo but didn't clean them up yet so no picture until later.

[SubCog]

Originally Posted by Meteor_of_War

Nice pickups. Convention or store?

I hit a store in Portland, and one in Eugene.

I definitely feel like collecting is getting harder and harder nowadays. Partially because my collection is already pretty sizable and I have most of the common stuff, so it's hard to find things I want. But also it seems like inventory is running low everywhere, even for stuff that used to be commonly available, like mario games on nes for example.

It's been this way where I live (SF Bay area) for several years now, but it seems like the Portand area market has really suffered recently.

[Elysian]

Originally Posted by Meteor_of_War

WD40 huh? I actually never ran into a NES console with controller port issues, but its good to know if I ever do.

As for modding it, I'd only bother with disabling the lockout chip if you wanted to play PAL region games on it. Don't do it just if you're trying to fix the blinking light issue. All it needs for that is a new 72 pin connector and it will work great. Unless you really just want to try it anyways.

I was already in there so I did it. I also bent up the pins on the connector, so it works great now. I'm really excited for the HDMI mod.

[Meteor_of_War]

Originally Posted by SubCog

I hit a store in Portland, and one in Eugene.

I definitely feel like collecting is getting harder and harder nowadays. Partially because my collection is already pretty sizable and I have most of the common stuff, so it's hard to find things I want. But also it seems like inventory is running low everywhere, even for stuff that used to be commonly available, like mario games on nes for example.

It's been this way where I live (SF Bay area) for several years now, but it seems like the Portand area market has really suffered recently.

Its the same for me over here in the north east. Getting harder to find the old stuff.

I can remember when I lived in my first apartment with my wife back around 2004-2006 I used to go to the town flea market on weekends and I of course always saw loads of old NES and SNES games for a dollar each. I still go there but now its maybe only once a month and I'll hardly ever see any of that stuff. Now its been replaced with mostly PS2, GameCube, Xbox, etc from that following generation. I focus mostly on yard sales and selling apps like OfferUp or LetGo now.

I believe what's available in the wild for retro collecting goes in 10-year cycles. It kills me because while I was definitely a collector back then, I was way more casual than I should have been. I was too into PC gaming at the time, and would only pick up retro console games if I saw stuff I really wanted. I should have been grabbing everything I saw at those prices, but at the time I just wasn't thinking about it.

I think there will be a point though in maybe another 5-10 years where a large portion of NES collectors our age who jumped on the band wagon in the past 3 years or so since retro collecting exploded will lose interest and sell off their stuff and only the diehards will continue collecting. I just don't see it being this popular forever. Of course that doesn't mean the next generation of gamers wont get into it at that point, but then the hot thing will be PS2/Xbox/GameCube and their prices will climb.

My reasoning behind this is I look at what happened with an older generation platform like the Atari 2600. Back in the late 80's early 90's that was the hot thing the older guys were collecting for, and it kind of died out after about 10 years and now you can get Atari games for dirt cheap. Not saying every generation of games will follow suit the same way, but there will be similarities to how it plays out as the majority of collectors get older and move on. I am just now starting to see some younger gamers (in their 20's) getting into collecting the stuff from their childhood like PS2 and GameCube, and some of them have very little interest in NES and SNES, which is a telling sign.

[Meteor_of_War]

Originally Posted by Elysian

I was already in there so I did it. I also bent up the pins on the connector, so it works great now. I'm really excited for the HDMI mod.

Good for you on refurbing the 72 pin connector yourself. I have tried to do that on a couple but either I messed it up, just don't have the patience to do it right, or the ones I worked on were too far gone. Just couldn't get them working like new again.

I found a great seller on Ebay that has a big stock of OEM Nintendo connectors and I just get mine from him.

[Meteor_of_War]

And here's that NES game lot I picked up on Sunday.

Seller posted an ad on LetGo offering these games "for free" but then when I messaged her she asks how much would I offer her for them, as she doesn't really know how to sell stuff. Anyways I simply tell her the games are fairly common, nothing rare or valuable and that she can either research them and come up with an asking price or just let me make an offer. She messages me back about a minute later and says "$30." I didn't argue.

Couple games in here I didn't have actually. So they'll be added into the collection, which is always nice.

[Meteor_of_War]

Also, thought I'd share some updated pics of the collection, since I've done some re-organizing and curating.

[Seyiji]

Originally Posted by Meteor_of_War

Also, thought I'd share some updated pics of the collection, since I've done some re-organizing and curating.

Hawt :3

[Nascar24]

Seems like the Sega Saturn stuff has some high prices on fleabay, Still have lots of Saturn games and a working Sega Saturn. I should be selling. lol

[Meteor_of_War]

Originally Posted by Nascar24

Seems like the Sega Saturn stuff has some high prices on fleabay, Still have lots of Saturn games and a working Sega Saturn. I should be selling. lol

Yeah they're expensive, which is why I stopped collecting for it. Which Saturn games do you have? Any Working Designs stuff?

[Nascar24]

Originally Posted by Meteor_of_War

Yeah they're expensive, which is why I stopped collecting for it. Which Saturn games do you have? Any Working Designs stuff?

Honestly, its been so long since I looked at what I have I couldn't tell you, I have at least 20 or so games I believe for my Saturn. I have been using them to keep the cat from getting under the bed. lol. I will have to check what I have now.

[SubCog]

Originally Posted by Nascar24

Seems like the Sega Saturn stuff has some high prices on fleabay, Still have lots of Saturn games and a working Sega Saturn. I should be selling. lol

That's why nearly all my Saturn games are pirated!

[Meteor_of_War]

Originally Posted by Nascar24

Honestly, its been so long since I looked at what I have I couldn't tell you, I have at least 20 or so games I believe for my Saturn. I have been using them to keep the cat from getting under the bed. lol. I will have to check what I have now.

Definitely post up your list. I am curious to see what you have.

Originally Posted by SubCog

That's why nearly all my Saturn games are pirated!

Yeah aside from the occasional Japanese Saturn import, unless I can find a really good deal I just emulate Saturn games on PC.

[OverclockN']

It's great that you guys are keeping this thread going.

I put my collecting on hold for a bit due to other priorities. Hope to get back at it later this year.

[Meteor_of_War]

Originally Posted by OverclockN'

It's great that you guys are keeping this thread going.

I put my collecting on hold for a bit due to other priorities. Hope to get back at it later this year.

Yeah I've been using it as kind of a log to keep for my pickups.

Been meaning to start an Instagram account actually and post there too, but until then I will just post here.

[Elysian]

Found a UV discolored NES, a NES Advantage, grey zapper, 2 controllers, power brick/AV for $50, picked it up. Wanted the NES Advantage mainly, but I'm going to retrobrite the NES and probably keep that one, sell the one I got this weekend+controllers+zapper.

[Meteor_of_War]

Originally Posted by Elysian

Found a UV discolored NES, a NES Advantage, grey zapper, 2 controllers, power brick/AV for $50, picked it up. Wanted the NES Advantage mainly, but I'm going to retrobrite the NES and probably keep that one, sell the one I got this weekend+controllers+zapper.

Nice pick up. $50 is a good deal for all that including the Advantage.

If you are going to do the retrobrite, one tip I could give is when you go to let it sit out in the UV light for a day don't use sun light like some may suggest. Instead use a UV light in your house. This may be obvious, but the reason against using sun light is because it will come out uneven due to the sun moving through the sky throughout the day and the console getting light from differing angles.

But that's awesome man, and if you don't mind taking before and after pics I've love to see how it turns out.

[Elysian]

Originally Posted by Meteor_of_War

Nice pick up. $50 is a good deal for all that including the Advantage.

If you are going to do the retrobrite, one tip I could give is when you go to let it sit out in the UV light for a day don't use sun light like some may suggest. Instead use a UV light in your house. This may be obvious, but the reason against using sun light is because it will come out uneven due to the sun moving through the sky throughout the day and the console getting light from differing angles.

But that's awesome man, and if you don't mind taking before and after pics I've love to see how it turns out.

Thanks for the tip. I need to pick up some UV LED strips for my incoming SLA 3d printer, so I'll probably use those.

[OverclockN']

I never heard of retro rite and had to look it up. Pretty slick. I may try that with my SNES. It's definitely yellowed a lot since I got it when I was 10 or so.

[Elysian]

Originally Posted by OverclockN'

I never heard of retro rite and had to look it up. Pretty slick. I may try that with my SNES. It's definitely yellowed a lot since I got it when I was 10 or so.

Yeah it seems simple enough, I watch 8-bit guy on Youtube, and he's done a bunch of Retrobrite stuff.

[Meteor_of_War]

Originally Posted by OverclockN'

I never heard of retro rite and had to look it up. Pretty slick. I may try that with my SNES. It's definitely yellowed a lot since I got it when I was 10 or so.

Yep, its pretty amazing someone was clever enough to figure out a way to reverse that yellowing effect with standard store bought items.

[Nascar24]

And the Haul.....

Sega Saturn Collection
Pro Pinball
World wide soccer
Die hard arcade
Virtua fighter 2
Daytona USA championship circuit edition
NHL 97
Virtua cop 2
Fighters megamix
Clockwork knight 2
Tempest 2000
Three dirty dwarves
Sega ages
NHL all star hockey
World series baseball 98
Golden Axe the duel
Soviet Strike
Madden 97
NBA Live 98
virtua fighter
Nights
Virtua Cop
Daytona USA
World Series Baseball
NHL Powerplay 96
Revolution X
Sonic R
The Lost World Jurassic Park
Sega Rally Championship
Sega Touring car championship
Panzer Dragon

[SubCog]

Originally Posted by OverclockN'

I never heard of retro rite and had to look it up. Pretty slick. I may try that with my SNES. It's definitely yellowed a lot since I got it when I was 10 or so.

I cleaned up a super yellow snes with retrobright last year. Overall it turned out very well, although it took several treatments over several sunny days. The one problem is the purple buttons turned really foggy. I may have to paint them.

[Nascar24]

wth, some of these are worth some coin, I really need to sell.

[Meteor_of_War]

Originally Posted by SubCog

I cleaned up a super yellow snes with retrobright last year. Overall it turned out very well, although it took several treatments over several sunny days. The one problem is the purple buttons turned really foggy. I may have to paint them.

Awe, you didn't disassemble the shell before you did it? You only needed to use the retrobrite on the yellowed parts.

Originally Posted by Nascar24

wth, some of these are worth some coin, I really need to sell.

Yeah you've got a couple of gems in there. Sega Ages by Working Designs is worth a good chunk of money. That Panzer Dragoon wouldn't happen to be Panzer Dragoon Saga would it?