Which Parts of Collecting Do You Hate Most?

[Cadethian | 4]

The parts that have always made me the most uncomfortable are echos of what some other posters have said. The fear of missing out on something you want to get because the price goes up over time without you realizing it, which makes you feel like you have to buy something right now or you risk being priced out. Also it's fun to meander around to garage sales and flea markets and occasionally find something, but it seems to be so cutthroat that you need to be hyper competitive to find anything really interesting.

[Gloves | 11,776]

13 minutes ago, CasualCart said:

I especially feel bad for collectors who go for CIB and graded stuff since that part of the hobby seems to be in the biggest state of flux.

And I don't get paid for my art. All of the VGS staff is essentially a volunteer effort right now. We love the retro gaming community, and we're happy to be contributing to it with this site. Glad you like my drawings, though! Sometimes I wonder if people get annoyed when I post cartoons all over the place haha.

-CasualCart

Literally zero people get annoyed at your cartoons.

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

27 minutes ago, CasualCart said:

I especially feel bad for collectors who go for CIB and graded stuff since that part of the hobby seems to be in the biggest state of flux.

And I don't get paid for my art. All of the VGS staff is essentially a volunteer effort right now. We love the retro gaming community, and we're happy to be contributing to it with this site. Glad you like my drawings, though! Sometimes I wonder if people get annoyed when I post cartoons all over the place haha.

-CasualCart

 

13 minutes ago, Gloves said:

Literally zero people get annoyed at your cartoons.

Gloves beat me to it. Your drawings are awesome.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

1 hour ago, Gloves said:

 

1 hour ago, CasualCart said:

I especially feel bad for collectors who go for CIB and graded stuff since that part of the hobby seems to be in the biggest state of flux.

And I don't get paid for my art. All of the VGS staff is essentially a volunteer effort right now. We love the retro gaming community, and we're happy to be contributing to it with this site. Glad you like my drawings, though! Sometimes I wonder if people get annoyed when I post cartoons all over the place haha.

-CasualCart

Literally zero people get annoyed at your cartoons.

Well there was that one time...

On 4/1/2020 at 8:15 PM, Korckle said:

 

[Gloves | 11,776]

1 minute ago, JamesRobot said:

Well there was that one time...

 

You loved it don't lie.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

Just now, Gloves said:

You loved it don't lie.

Indeed I did.  Laughing at @SuperJimtendo is one of my favorite pastimes. 

[Astor Reinhardt | 199]

Oh there's a lot of stuff I hate about collecting.

- Having to compete against local resellers/other collectors to get to a sale first...and then missing out.

- People thinking their banged up loose copy game is worth CIB mint condition eBay prices.

- Game stores.

- Gamestop's retro program.

- Pokemon GBA games...god damn. Finding a real one is hard.

- Shipping prices when buying online (though in general I don't...)

- Stickers on the cover art/label/cardboard....WHY!?

- The high price of games. I don't pay these prices of course but...it just boggles my mind that complete shit games are worth so much...like Stadium Events.

- Online sellers who don't clean and test their games (and ones who don't say they own pets/smoke).

- Buying loose copies of games because you know it's probably going to be the only way you can afford it/find it and then the struggle of finding a manual and case for said game. I have a lot of loose DS/3DS/PSP games that are just...impossible to find case and manual only.

- Thrift store prices. The worst is Value Village/Savers. When they do get games in...they are extremely over priced.

- Goodwill sending every good game/older game to their online store and not having anything in their actual stores...because that makes sense. Also not locking up the disc games so when/if they get something semi decent...some lowlife steals the disc and leaves the case.

- Sellers who won't break up bundles. I don't need ANOTHER system, I just want one or two games.

- Selling consoles in bundles without the cords...I have so many consoles missing power cords/AV cables and controllers...and no idea what to do with them.

- Buying dupes when I don't realize I have the game at home (even though I keep a list updated...I still do this sometimes!)

- Lack of space....so many games and no where to put them.

And probably ten more things but my mind is going blank...yet even with all of this, I still really enjoy collecting. The thrill of the hunt, giving games a good home...cleaning old, beat up games and loving them...the way they deserve to be loved. They're pieces of art after all...well...most are lol.

[Hammerfestus | 3,837]

I wouldn’t say hate but it annoys me that I always find good deals all at once.  “Man I can’t buy that, I just bought X.  But man that’s such a good deal.  Ahh screw it.  I hope my wife doesn’t find out.”

[Nes Freak | 584]

On 5/6/2020 at 7:45 AM, ThePhleo said:

You mean you DON'T want to pay $159.99 + Shipping & Tax for a Mint CIB (Tiny unnoticeable 5 inch rip on the back of the box) copy of "To the Earth" with all of the Nintendo Power inserts, Now You're Playing With Power Poster, Nintendo branded dust sleeve, random Konami advertisement for some reason, AND plastic wrap still in tact!?

I mean, sure you can buy those inserts separately for a couple bucks a piece. But think of the CONVENIENCE factor.

oh please. i dont buy if the price is stupid high but i will pay a reasonable premium if the item is perfect.

[Cepp | 34]

Having to import NES games from the US

Not that its that much hassle, just the associated shipping cost and import fees can be a pain.

[cartman | 195]

Sellers who complain after having provided additional pics and not scoring the sale like they are entitled to a fucking medal or something just for describing the item they're selling.

Edited May 9, 2020 by cartman

[Armageddon Potato | 124]

On 5/5/2020 at 4:24 AM, LeatherRebel5150 said:

I'm curious do you have any specific examples? 

With the NA the database gone I can't say exactly, but it had a lot of errors in the Gameboy Color section and some others IIRC.

As for game collecting apps/sites I run into the same copy pasted lists that have dupes, games with the PAL picture in the NTSC section, or weird empty slots with just the games name sometimes misspelled. Stuff like that.

Things usually really get out of hand though when going over variants and what constitutes a variant.

A good example is back in the day people would say that Stadium Events isn't a variant and it is part of a vanilla set. However there are many other games such as Capcom Mega Man 6 that fall into the same boat and somehow you don't have to own that one to have a set. Usually I run into the following statements:

-It came first so you have to have it. (Capcom Mega Man 6 came first too.)

-It's has an official seal. (So does Capcom Mega Man 6.)

-Yahoo News/internet told me many years ago it was valuable and you gotta own one. (Ok they got me there, lol.)

Personally I would say you just need to own a single "version" of each "game" to have a basic or vanilla set for any console set. Any version being the key statement. So you can own Punch-Out!! or Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! We could go over to someone's house if they owned one and say we played the game, "Punch-Out!!" and it would refer to either version.

Most collecting apps/sites don't have both versions of Flying Dragon on the NES for example. It's almost always the Red version. Usually they just have just a handful of the most popular/well known variants listed in the main list, and exclude all the others. (They wouldn't even have a possible entry for Capcom Mega Man 6 for example.)

[fcgamer | 4,723]

4 hours ago, Armageddon Potato said:

With the NA the database gone I can't say exactly, but it had a lot of errors in the Gameboy Color section and some others IIRC.

As for game collecting apps/sites I run into the same copy pasted lists that have dupes, games with the PAL picture in the NTSC section, or weird empty slots with just the games name sometimes misspelled. Stuff like that.

Things usually really get out of hand though when going over variants and what constitutes a variant.

A good example is back in the day people would say that Stadium Events isn't a variant and it is part of a vanilla set. However there are many other games such as Capcom Mega Man 6 that fall into the same boat and somehow you don't have to own that one to have a set. Usually I run into the following statements:

-It came first so you have to have it. (Capcom Mega Man 6 came first too.)

-It's has an official seal. (So does Capcom Mega Man 6.)

-Yahoo News/internet told me many years ago it was valuable and you gotta own one. (Ok they got me there, lol.)

Personally I would say you just need to own a single "version" of each "game" to have a basic or vanilla set for any console set. Any version being the key statement. So you can own Punch-Out!! or Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! We could go over to someone's house if they owned one and say we played the game, "Punch-Out!!" and it would refer to either version.

Most collecting apps/sites don't have both versions of Flying Dragon on the NES for example. It's almost always the Red version. Usually they just have just a handful of the most popular/well known variants listed in the main list, and exclude all the others. (They wouldn't even have a possible entry for Capcom Mega Man 6 for example.)

The easiest way to solve this problem (it's what I do on Famiclone collecting) is to collect by title screens. If the screen is different, it counts, if it's the same, it doesn't.  This can help establish if it's legitimately a variant, thus you can choose to get it or not for a full set.

Edited May 10, 2020 by fcgamer

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

2 hours ago, Armageddon Potato said:

With the NA the database gone I can't say exactly, but it had a lot of errors in the Gameboy Color section and some others IIRC.

As for game collecting apps/sites I run into the same copy pasted lists that have dupes, games with the PAL picture in the NTSC section, or weird empty slots with just the games name sometimes misspelled. Stuff like that.

Things usually really get out of hand though when going over variants and what constitutes a variant.

A good example is back in the day people would say that Stadium Events isn't a variant and it is part of a vanilla set. However there are many other games such as Capcom Mega Man 6 that fall into the same boat and somehow you don't have to own that one to have a set. Usually I run into the following statements:

-It came first so you have to have it. (Capcom Mega Man 6 came first too.)

-It's has an official seal. (So does Capcom Mega Man 6.)

-Yahoo News/internet told me many years ago it was valuable and you gotta own one. (Ok they got me there, lol.)

Personally I would say you just need to own a single "version" of each "game" to have a basic or vanilla set for any console set. Any version being the key statement. So you can own Punch-Out!! or Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! We could go over to someone's house if they owned one and say we played the game, "Punch-Out!!" and it would refer to either version.

Most collecting apps/sites don't have both versions of Flying Dragon on the NES for example. It's almost always the Red version. Usually they just have just a handful of the most popular/well known variants listed in the main list, and exclude all the others. (They wouldn't even have a possible entry for Capcom Mega Man 6 for example.)

The Capcom-published Mega Man 6 was never officially released in the US, so that's clearly not required. I agree with you that Stadium Events is overblown and can be justifiably excluded from a full set. It was recalled after release and, per my understanding, it's literally the same game as World Class Track Meet.

Mike Tyson is more debatable since it was an official release and has a different title screen and content from PunchOut!!! I'd say it's required for a full set, but if someone excluded it from their own set, it wouldn't bother me.

In the end, as long as you're comfortable with your own definition of a full set, that's all that matters. However, if your full set doesn't clock in at 677 games, expect some pushback. 

[O.G. CIB | 415]

8 minutes ago, DoctorEncore said:

The Capcom-published Mega Man 6 was never officially released in the US, so that's clearly not required. I agree with you that Stadium Events is overblown and can be justifiably excluded from a full set. It was recalled after release and, per my understanding, it's literally the same game as World Class Track Meet.

Mike Tyson is more debatable since it was an official release and has a different title screen and content from PunchOut!!! I'd say it's required for a full set, but if someone excluded it from their own set, it wouldn't bother me.

In the end, as long as you're comfortable with your own definition of a full set, that's all that matters. However, if your full set doesn't clock in at 677 games, expect some pushback. 

I have to respectfully disagree with " I agree with you that Stadium Events is overblown and can be justifiably excluded from a full set. It was recalled after release and, per my understanding, it's literally the same game as World Class Track Meet." Once it hit the stores shelves it counts......... different title screen and it is on Nintendo's official release document (although the excluded Mike Tyson and a few Tengen games due to legal reasons)

One of each game no matter the variation counts (1st print, 2nd print, whatever). If someone wants to exclude SE fine with me but it's the first question you get if you say that you have a complete set. In the end as as you said as long as you're comfy with whats your definition of a full set that's all that matters. 

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Some full sets are fuller than others

[Armageddon Potato | 124]

I definitely believe collecting is in the eye of the beholder. Just collect what you like and have fun reaching your own personal collecting goals!

The odd thing with variants and game lists seems to be what definition everyone accepts as what makes it mandatory/valid to be included in a list or set. Hitting store shelves, being the first, title screens, having a seal, etc. There's not really an agreed upon rule. Maybe there shouldn't even be a rule, but it does make it trickier if you want a full list of what's all out there.

I have a Ghosts N Goblins NES cart that has the poison ladder glitch in stage 6 in it. Most copies don't, so I suppose it's somewhat rarer than a normal one? Should that thing even be on a list? Does that game even need to be more unbeatable, lol?

I mainly meant to point out most collecting apps/lists for a long time have usually had some common errors and they pretty much exclude almost all variants. They almost always have a few randomly thrown in and that's always made me raise an eyebrow.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

What is the poison ladder glitch?

[Foochie776 | 1,051]

On 5/5/2020 at 10:36 AM, kell said:

Reselling has taken a lot of my interest away from the hobby, I don't fault anyone for it and am guilty of it myself to some extent. It's typical in all aspects of society, people see an opportunity to make money and they take advantage of it. But I'd rather the prices remain low because once they get high enough I have a hard time justifying not selling stuff, especially with college just around the corner. I miss game collecting being a niche hobby, specifically sealed games.

But my biggest issue with collecting is I don't have anyone to share it with.  My family doesn't care and only complains about all the space it takes up and I have no friends that are interested.  So that leaves talking with random people on the Internet... lol.

 

Depending on your location you may be able to find Facebook groups for collectors specifically  to you’re area. 
 

We have a few for Minnesota and I’d bet if you’re not in a super small state there’s one. 

[Armageddon Potato | 124]

22 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

Some full sets are fuller than others

I've seen those crazy variant sets! 60+ copies of Super Mario Bros!

18 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

What is the poison ladder glitch?

When you reach the ladder with the Red Arremers up in Stage 6 there is one platform that has a ladder on the left side and a Red Arremer will actually be part of the top of the ladder and be invisible. When you reach the top of the ladder you'll immediately take damage and wake up the other Red Arremer. This is known as the "poison ladder glitch". There is a work around that involves climbing only partially up the ladder, then going back down to collect the earlier hidden armor, and then climbing back up. You will know you've done it right if the Ogre on that platform has turned into weird glitchy symbols and letters. (Careful cause he's still an enemy!)

[Tulpa | 3,492]

5 hours ago, DoctorEncore said:

I agree with you that Stadium Events is overblown and can be justifiably excluded from a full set. It was recalled after release and, per my understanding, it's literally the same game as World Class Track Meet.

 

There is actually no substantive evidence that Stadium Events was recalled. No one has been able to find any documentation from Nintendo or Bandai, or even an employee/ex-employee from either company that can confirm that it happened.

More likely Stadium Events was made in smaller quantities than other games from the Family Fun Fitness pad not selling as much as Bandai had hoped.

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by Tulpa

[Inzoreno | 102]

I collect the PS4 and I hate having to pay sealed price on games I intend to open and play. 

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

1 hour ago, Tulpa said:

There is actually no substantive evidence that Stadium Events was recalled. No one has been able to find any documentation from Nintendo or Bandai, or even an employee/ex-employee from either company that can confirm that it happened.

More likely Stadium Events was made in smaller quantities than other games from the Family Fun Fitness pad not selling as much as Bandai had hoped.

 

I do admit that I have never seen any strong evidence to indicate the game was recalled, but there is some circumstantial evidence.

• Reliable sources (Howard Phillips) have indicated that a minimum run of 10,000 cartridges was required by Nintendo for any official release. Phillips also does not recall any sort of special arrangement or release for Stadium Events.
• We can safely assume that at least a few games sold poorly and only received a single 10,000 unit print run, yet SE is significantly more scarce than any other title. If it received a standard print run, it had to have been recalled after release (or destroyed prior to reaching retail).
• No non-Nintendo published game was ever released in a limited test market scenario
• It was purportedly sold in multiple markets indicating a somewhat large initial release
• Nintendo has always had a strict approval process and would have known everything about the FFF mat and games prior to release. Why would they approve a full release of the mat and FFF Athletic World, but then arrange for a special limited release of the Series 2 game, Stadium Events? More likely someone at Nintendo realized they wanted the mat and series so they stopped shipments of the game and/or recalled it after a standard print run.
• Tim Atwood's (admittedly blurry) case photo looks like a standard release in every way

For me, this is enough to support the theory that the game was probably recalled and destroyed or the carts were used as donors for repairs.

Obviously none of this is concrete, but there is literally zero evidence for a limited print run beyond the fact that such a small number of them exist.

Just my two cents.

[Tulpa | 3,492]

There is evidence that Nintendo and Bandai had a special relationship since Bandai was the first third party retailer, and may have been given a pass on the 10,000 minimum. Direct evidence? No, but the lack of recall documentation is the biggest hole. You'd think SOMEONE would know about it. Yet, crickets.

I don't think the carts were repurposed. Philips did debunk that, as he said the removal of the old labels would have been too costly compared to just making more blank shells.

We'll probably never know the real story, but I can't accept the recall story without proof.

Pat Contri's SE video does lay it out pretty well.

 

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

Just now, Tulpa said:

There is evidence that Nintendo and Bandai had a special relationship since Bandai was the first third party retailer, and may have been given a pass on the 10,000 minimum. Direct evidence? No, but the lack of recall documentation is the biggest hole. You'd think SOMEONE would know about it. Yet, crickets.

I don't think the carts were repurposed. Philips did debunk that, as he said the removal of the old labels would have been too costly compared to just making more blank shells.

We'll probably never know the real story, but I can't accept the recall story without proof.

Pat Contri's SE video does lay it out pretty well.

 

Yeah, all very good points. And honestly, I'm cool with it remaining a mystery because it's kind of a fun thing to talk about. For my personal collecting purposes, I feel like I need to get a copy to truly have a complete set, but I wouldn't hold it against somebody if they felt it wasn't necessary.