Which complete set of games should I go for next? [Game Gear vs. N64]

[RH | 5,055]

I know we all have our own motivations and reasons to go for complete sets.  For me, I like reconnecting or discovering games for systems that were meaningful to me.  That was primarily the NES, Game Boy, Game Gear, N64 and PS1.  Secondary consoles that I played a lot either at friends houses or when I was very little were the SNES, Genesis, GBC, GBA and Atari 2600.

I really enjoyed the hunting experience, connecting with the community and discovering great games.  However, my income falls within the middle-middle to upper-middle income bracket for the Southern US.  I have a wife and two kids, so "big" purchases will have to come in the form of either trades or I'm going to have to plan for them.  Honestly, I'd love to go for a full cartridge NES set, which means I'd need a Stadium Events.  I think I'd have to trade my Game Boy collection to get a nice one with a clean label and that's not happening.  Of the other systems on the list, I'd rather not get over whelmed with piles of crappy shovelware titles.  So, that eliminates the other handhelds except the Game Gear.

I guess, what I'm feeling is that I want to find a console that's really fun to collect for.  One where there are some obscure games but with enough hunting, you should be able to find the more hard to find titles in a year or less, and the cost shouldn't be too high.  Specifically, I don't think I'd want to pay more than $1,000 for the highest, top-tier title.  Other rare gems will need to scale down from their quickly.

Nostalgia-wise, I'm pretty much most connected to these two systems N64 and the Game Gear.  I'm sure I'll continue to collect for both, but I'm feeling the desire to pursue another complete set.  Which one is a better choice, in your opinion.  Also, I'm willing to choose a system that's new to me, so long as the lineup is amazing (for it's NA launch.). Regarding games being carts or CIB, my general rule is if a game came in a keepable case, I want it CIB.  Disc games need to be CIB, cartridge games can be carts only... except for SEGA stuff because most of those came in clam shells.  You guys have any recommendations?  I don't want to break the bank buying up shovelware for the sake of shovelware, though I don't mind spending a lot of money on a game or two of the whole set isn't THAT bad.  I've considered going for the TG16 set but a lot of people say you need to collect the PC-Engine stuff instead and I really, really don't want to drop a few thousand bucks for Magical Chase.  If the top 2/3 tiles were half their price, that'd be a viable options.

Are there any other systems were researching and jumping into?  Maybe with a complete set coming in at $10k or less on the price charting sites?

Thanks for helping me hash this one out.

[a3quit4s | 4,153]

Just wrapped up the N64 set loose a couple months ago overall it was pretty fun. N64 games aren’t super high in demand and it’s a system I grew up with so I have that connection to it. The games weren’t super expensive although there were more $30-$50 games than I thought. I think the most rare game I bought was either Super Bowling or Sculptors Cut or Stunt Racer and they were maybe just over $300 a piece. You won’t break the bank collecting this set although you might want to wait for COVID pricing to back down on the rarer stuff. ISS 2000 despite being not that expensive was a bitch to find. The filler isn’t satisfying but it never is. Make sure you get the top labels!

my only knock against game gear is you won’t usually find a lot of them at game stores so you’ll be eBaying a lot to get them. 

[Craigly1234 | 110]

I have n64 and am currently working on game gear, about 40 away. Personally I think game gear is more fun because there more unknown and "hidden gems" for the system, and also it's more challenging to find the games not on ebay. Plus game gear is WAY more affordable at the moment. But of course at the end of the day you should collect for what you enjoy most:)

[O.G. CIB | 415]

Looking at your criteria I like Nintendo 3DS. Some harder to find titles where you can still score a rare for a decent price. Has about 420 games and IMO not that much shovelware (although the most expensive game is) You have a few rare items if you don’t catch now it will cost you later and a good selection of variant items. 

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

I'd say GG since it seems to be less popular than N64 and there is a pretty cool way to play it on the Analogue Mega Sg (and hopefully Pocket soon) with cart adapters.

[Strange | 1,706]

Also voting Game Gear for a few reasons.

1. Even though I can’t stand the hardware, the games themselves are pretty good. Like DoctorEncore mentioned, the new Mega SG Game Gear adapter will let you experience these games on a television with great results.

2. It’s different. Everyone has an N64 set or has a sizable amount of N64 games. I guarantee the Game Gear set will be something less people have seen and it’ll stand out.

3. This may be reason enough but N64 prices are through the roof right now. I doubt very much that they’ll stay this high forever, it’s the nature of the pandemic. Everyone wants to pop in Mario Kart 64 right now. (We see the same happening with the GameCube library and even the Wii to a smaller extent). I could be wrong, but that’s my 2 cents on that. And as far as general prices, for N64 you’ll be paying a pretty penny for a garbage game like Clay Fighter (which is posted to death on Reddit while legitimately interesting finds are left to rot with no upvotes, but that’s another rant for another thread). While on Game Gear, I feel most of the pricier games are games you would be more likely to enjoy playing.

[Craigly1234 | 110]

13 minutes ago, The Strangest said:

While on Game Gear, I feel most of the pricier games are games you would be more likely to enjoy playing

I agree. Imo none of the games above the 100 dollar range are even fun on n64 minus bomberman, as for the harder to find game gear games, they are pretty fun (at least for the pricier ones I have)

[The Count | 551]

The standard N64 carts are all readily available at any given time on EBay, however some Game Gear carts are going to be tough to track down. 

[nrslam | 477]

If you're OK with loose, I'll vote for the GameGear. Lots of fun titles, not much junk, and less competition from other collectors. And since there's no region lockout, you can expand the set with some very fun Euro exclusives if so inclined. Boxed is a different story as most folk seem to have tossed the original cardboard, making them quite scarce for a lot of titles.

[zeppelin03 | 314]

I like the N64 and am not at all into the game gear. With that said I would go game gear.  The N64 has probably 20 games really worth getting then it seems to drop off hard.  The filler titles for game gear seem like they would be interesting curiosities.  I can't say the same for N64.

[DefaultGen | 5,559]

I picked N64 but I guess the better answer is neither. I think Game Gear has more games you can't just BIN on Ebay any day of the week so it might be more fun to collect. The bulk of the N64 library is rough, so many $20 bulk racing and sports games. I'd rather put the money towards something cool like the top 40 N64 games and then CIB funtastic systems or something.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,021]

It's tough for me because both libraries don't display well without their boxes. I would rather focus on cardboard squares than plastic squares for both sets. 

Edited June 13, 2020 by RegularGuyGamer

[RH | 5,055]

I'm going to throw one more out there that I forgot about--the Wii U. I'm not a fan of motion controls but a "Switch alpha" seems fun and Wii U collecting now might have it's challenges without being expensive.

But... I might want to get a Wii U first.  Any thoughts on that?

[Strange | 1,706]

29 minutes ago, RH said:

I'm going to throw one more out there that I forgot about--the Wii U. I'm not a fan of motion controls but a "Switch alpha" seems fun and Wii U collecting now might have it's challenges without being expensive.

But... I might want to get a Wii U first.  Any thoughts on that?

If you have a Switch, you already have access to everything worth owning on the Wii U IMO. That library is a stinker once you get past the initial few games worth playing.

[Nintegageo | 582]

I voted GG just because you have a complete-ish (I think) Game Boy set no? Rivals can become buddies.

[RH | 5,055]

On 6/13/2020 at 1:27 PM, Nintegageo said:

I voted GG just because you have a complete-ish (I think) Game Boy set no? Rivals can become buddies.

I've completed my GB set but I'm also slowly looking to collect all cartridge variants.

[Omerta | 47]

The relative cheapness and smaller library of the Wii U are pretty attractive. I've been contemplating whether or not to beef up my collection.

Recent Switch ports and most decent third parties having ports to the 360/PS3 are keeping prices suppressed. There's decent chunk of variants that might make the chase fun and there's still a good chance of finding some mispriced titles. The library itself may even slink up in price at a fast clip once the fairly low print run for everything dries up...

...I feel like I made a similar pitch to myself for the Dreamcast a few years ago.

[samsamsamsmasmasma | 16]

Wii U is a good system to collect for. Im about 60 games in. The system is actually a really well done piece of hardware.  The controller is kind of like a switch where you can play somewhat portable around your house, depending on the game. So, if you don't want to sit in front of TV all the time, its nice. It can play Wii games natively and Gamcube games (no discs) kind of natively via hombrew. It's not bad for emulating the other Nintendo systems as well. So, it's a good all around machine if you don't want to have everything set up all at once. Ive heard some people complain about disc read errors but I haven't experienced this yet. There's not much in the way of game variant hunting though which is sad. There's some officially refurbished games, some players choice games, and a few other random titles.

Honestly, game gear is next on my list after I finish my Gameboy set. I was really wanting to finish the other gameboy sets but there is just so much junk with gameboy color, gameboy advance, and nds that I will not bother with those right now. I had a game gear maybe 15 years ago. I dont particularly remember much standing out in the library but that just means there's some titles to visit/revisit.