People who are NOT set collectors: which console are you tempted to collect the whole set for?

[Strange 1,642]

I don’t consider myself a set collector. Maybe small subsets like the Genesis black grid boxed games, but I don’t have any desire to own the entire NES or SNES library, despite loving those systems (Not knocking people who do, just a money and space thing for me).

But I think a lot of us non-set collectors have been tempted from time to time. For me, I’ve said in the past that Atari 7800 and Odyssey 2 are two sets I would consider completing. And as of now, I’m thinking doing an entire North American Master System set.

(Jesus, that’s three for me. Maybe I am a set collector in the making.)

Do any other “non-set collectors” have a set they would consider completing?

[Gloves 10,350]

N64 cuz it's easy, and I could see me playing most of the games.

[Jeevan 8,172]

I think I could see myself going 100% on snes kuz its so classic.  Like gloves said above I could see me playing most, if not all the games kuz that was the main staple of my childhood.  I don't know what it is about it, but snes is just sooooooooo fun, pick it up and go.  That being said, that is really a lot of games to buy tho, especially since i like cib  

[NEET.dreams 49]

I was never a set collector I always just bought games to play but a few years ago I decided to go for a full nes set just cuz I thought it would be cool. Still nowhere near that goal. I mostly just keep buying games for all different systems as I want to play them but I try to keep the nes goal in mind as something to keep working toward.
Lately I've been interested in going for full sets for the Tiger Game.com, Virtual Boy, 32X, and N64 just because they fairly small libraries that seem easy enough to fully collect. I'm also interested in going for CIB nes blackbox and PS1 longbox sets.  

[Tabonga 1,975]

Only the sega cd has ever even remotely tempted me.  I have about half of the set already - and I have most (if not all) of the really high end stuff.  And all those spiffy blue labeled oversized jewel cases do look impressive lined up on shelves (damn that pesky oddball Snatcher).

[Magus 169]

Honestly none of them.

 

But if i absolutely had to pick, i would say virtual boy CIB because it actually seems achievable without spending an absurd amount or having a ton of room to display it. And there was always something about that system that really appealed to me. How bizarre it was for its time, the fact it was a major failure by nintendo, nostalgia, etc. 

 

[Romiked2689 117]

Always had a special love for the cube even tho I didn’t have one as a kid pretty solid library has something for everyone 

[Tanooki 4,696]

Well I never was nor did i ever want to be, but well the icon to the left says otherwise (VB US set).  I let temptation get me because when I got the system I got 3 games with it.  Then I made a friend out of who repaired the ribbons and he gave me 5 more for the price of shipping and that had me at 8/14 games, so at that rate I was like whatever and just did it over a period of 7 months pretty much.  I had no intent or interest, just wanted what I had originally back, which ironically I still don't have as I lack Space Squash still.

[CasualCart 6,089]

I'm not a set collector, but I've always felt drawn toward accumulating a full Sega Master System set. It's relatively small (if you're only after the North American releases), and I'd love to get more exposure to Sega's 8-bit library.

I'm also interested in publisher-sets for the Atari 2600 (since a full-set is practically impossible).

-CasualCart

[portabello 87]

Regardless of the system or set, I could never see myself spending any amount on shovelware, so full set collecting has never been attractive to me. If I had to pick I'd go with original GameBoy. I like that system the best for the variety and collectibility. It's also small and wouldn't take up much space.

[Tanooki 4,696]

7 minutes ago, portabello said:

Regardless of the system or set, I could never see myself spending any amount on shovelware, so full set collecting has never been attractive to me. If I had to pick I'd go with original GameBoy. I like that system the best for the variety and collectibility. It's also small and wouldn't take up much space.

That there, the size and investment into garbage is why I never did it.  But realistically in all honestly, the VB only has one truly mediocre let alone downright crappy title of the 14 games, baseball, and that's like $5-10 to get, sealed even if you look, so it made things easier.  Waterworld catches some heat, but only because it keeps going up in price, but it's really a fairly good arcade style robotron-ish style game.  You turn and spin around firing on the bad boats to protect the humans in the water instead of bad robots and humans on foot.  Game even has similar point multipliers for saving some to all humans or a special one (the girl from the movie with the map.)

[Sumez 2,292]

As someone who buys a massive amount of games, and could probably be considered a "collector" (although I never intended that), I can't imagine why I'd ever go for any "set".

The concept of a "set" is so arbitrary. Even if you'd think it's as simple as "every licensed release for a platform" people always tend to make extra rules, like only SCN NES releases, or only North American Master System games, etc., which is ridiculous because you'd still be missing out on a huge part of what the platform has to offer. Right from the get go, what platform a game even comes out for is based on a bunch of circumstantial factors, and I can't imagine the logic behind a decision like getting the terrible SNES version of Doom over the original, "because of the set".

Following this logic, however, a "set" really can be anything. One aspect could be "every Castlevania game" or "every Zelda game". I'm interested enough in those games to buy and play even the shittiest ones. But "every NES game", or even a simple one like "every Neo Geo game"? Yeah, give me one reason why I should own a plethora of weird Mahjong and Quiz games that I'd never have any interest in ever playing? I just don't see the point.

I'm probably closest to having a "full set" mentality for the NES if I have to pick one. I'm interested enough in this exact generation of video games, and the technology supporting it, that even a lot of mostly shitty games, play a role that I feel makes them interesting to experience. To me, a full NES set is every single "interesting" game released for the platform, whether it's US, Europe, or Japan, and I can't stand seeing one exist that I don't have.
Crap like Muppet Adventure or Family Mahjong though? I'm not sure why I should own it. Even as a "collector". It's not in the set.

Edited March 27, 2020 by Sumez

[Estil 1,143]

Well with trading cards I like to get complete sets and have them in binders/sheets.  But I suppose that's a different kind of set.

Fun fact: The word set has by far the most definitions of any word in the dictionary.

[NEET.dreams 49]

6 hours ago, Sumez said:

I can't imagine the logic behind a decision like getting the terrible SNES version of Doom over the original, "because of the set".

I doubt anyone would want to play SNES Doom over the original but it is cool just for the fact that you can play Doom on a SNES. It's interesting to go back and experience it the way kids in the 90s who didn't own a PC had to play it. And who can resist that awesome red cartridge. That's another full set I'd be interested in collecting, every console port of Doom. Man, I love Doom. 

[Silent Hill 273]

In 10 years of collecting, I never went for a full set outside of Vita (which I stopped short at about 10 games left before selling a majority of it)

But now I'm less than 45 games away from a full Dreamcast set. 

[TDIRunner 2,369]

I'm definitely more of a sub set collector.  I have no real desire to go for full sets of anything except for PS1.  I currently have around 570 PS1 games, of which 515 are unique titles, which is about 40% of the full set.  So I still have a LONG way to go.  But I'm in no rush.

Edited March 27, 2020 by TDIRunner

[BreaKBeatZ 128]

If I could snap my fingers and own a full-set immediately, it would be Genesis. I'm not taking the value of the set into account, this hypothetical is just about what I would like to own for my personal enjoyment. DS is a close second.

With that being said, I don't see myself trying to complete any set in the future. I am one game away from a complete NES NTSC licensed set (SE of course) and buying hundreds of terrible filler games made me realize that set collecting wasn't for me.

[ginoscope 14]

I was originally going after a complete nes and TG16.  I pretty much stalled on about 400 nes games and have not bought any new games in months.

With the TG16 I think I may finish that collection.  It's relatively small and not a ton of shovel ware.  I am actually almost done with the US set I just need 1 cd game and 2 hucards.  After that I'm not sure I will complete any full set.  I will just go after subsets like all Shining Force, Ys, Castlevania, etc.

[MiamiSlice 2,924]

Good topic since this recently became relevant to me since this site has pressured me into wanting to get a full set. The one console I'm tempted to do this for is Neo Geo Pocket Color. Most sets don't interest me since there's always at least one game in a set I don't like and don't want to own. NGPC might be the exception. A complete Virtual Boy set would be cool too but I think that would be more expensive. 

[G-type 1,838]

when just considering the set as a collection of artifacts, I would probably go for the Oddysey 2, because I find the box designs appealing in their 70s retro-futuristic color schemes and graphic designs

[Tanooki 4,696]

Awww dumping on SNES DOOM?  That game is actually quite fun despite its shortcomings, and in a way it's like this sadists pro version in a way given you have no saving ever, and it's unforgiving if you eat it on what supplies you won't be seeing back in your hands.  The game in a way is harder than most others due to that, and oddly one of the most honest for a long time given it for ages had the most copied stages from the PC original which is just weird.

[Ghost Soldier 24]

SNES would be the system I'd try to collect every game for. I have fond memories of getting this Christmas present early from my parents, because they knew how excited I was to receive it. I have around 500 games mostly loose and continue to pick them up when I find them. 

[Estil 1,143]

8 hours ago, Tanooki said:

Awww dumping on SNES DOOM?  That game is actually quite fun despite its shortcomings, and in a way it's like this sadists pro version in a way given you have no saving ever, and it's unforgiving if you eat it on what supplies you won't be seeing back in your hands.  The game in a way is harder than most others due to that, and oddly one of the most honest for a long time given it for ages had the most copied stages from the PC original which is just weird.

Honestly, and I've been on record for saying this at least a few times on here and at NA, it's a frickin' miracle that Doom on SNES was even possible at all...with all the levels still intact and much better sounding music than the chopped down 32X version.  At least with SNES Doom you don't need no weird 'shroom on top of your system to play it!!

 

Edited March 28, 2020 by Estil

[Tanooki 4,696]

1 hour ago, Estil said:

Honestly, and I've been on record for saying this at least a few times on here and at NA, it's a frickin' miracle that Doom on SNES was even possible at all...with all the levels still intact and much better sounding music than the chopped down 32X version.  At least with SNES Doom you don't need no weird 'shroom on top of your system to play it!!

 

Got that right completely.  It's crazy and other than the few times you can kind of get a little stuck on some corners of various odd shaped walls it moves and handles exceptionally well.  The only off putting part of it in the end is the 1 monster view (at least have 2-4, there was plenty of room left) and the no saving which is just cheap out stupid.  I worked for Midway(Williams) and knew a supervisor at the time who worked on that (and N64 too) and it was the company being outright cheapskate.  They had the time and the money to put more views and a battery there, even a password to save, and didn't...outside of x-band modem oddly doing it.  It's a great game, just gimped by cheapness and stupidity.  DF Retro not that long back did an ALL DOOM video and evne they put the SNES above the 32x and some others too pointing out its good qualities that get overlooked.

[fcgamer 4,049]

You should ask @OptOut for his input. I was a terrible influence on the guy.