YOURTURN

I never got the chance. One of my bigger regrets is that I had jumped ship before the mainline Dragon Quest games came onto the DS. So while I did play Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, which I did not like, I did not have the money to get a replacement DS when I started to hear great things about XI.

I remember reading that in 2017 when I was making my first major attempt at doing a complete Nintendo-based Dragon Quest collection. It also made sense to me seeing that Enix was losing money doing business in North America. Which makes me feel guilty that I did not buy the last two sealed copies of Dragon Warrior VII at a Colorado Springs Toys"R"Us in 2004. Plus, I have to admit that Dragon Quest VI is (both) my guilty pleasure (and the reason why I broke down and bought these). I am still hoping to find a playable SFC ROM version, but I do love the job system and the whole "A Link to the Past" vibe. And do feel that playing it will make me be more excited for the Dragon Quest III 2D-HD remake.

Well... I went from the idea that I wanted to build a sealed "Switch only" collection to buying Dragon Quest VI (because it was my favorite in the main series) to me completing the Tenku (Zenithia) trilogy. With me only getting the versions of each game I wanted, and me making sure I got the print variant I wanted as well. With me also getting a game that was on my "grail" list but always missed out on each time I had the money.

Here is an update while I wait for a few more orders (that'll fill in a few gaps in my rebuilt Dragon Quest collection). - Dragon Quest IV (PS1): Asking prices for PS1 this print variant is officially scary. Finding a sealed copy is probably as easy to find as the later two "priced down" variants Square Enix had sold. Which is why I have very little to complain about since the alternative was to pay a "scary-level" premium for a more mint copy. - Dragon Quest Monsters 1∙2 (PS1): Sealed-wise, I believe this is one of the more rare PS1 titles out there. I mean for a Dragon Quest title, it had sold 292,275 copies during its run in 2002. But I had to buy it because it was on my "grail" list, the copy looked very mint (and it is), and sealed copies very rarely show up for sale on eBay. - Dragon Quest V (PS2): This one is probably not as rare sealed, but it is tricky to find a seller that shows any copies with the "Dragon Quest VIII video included" sticker. And while it is not as mint as I hoped for the price I paid, it does complete what I wanted (video game wise) for my Tenkuu (aka Zenithia) trilogy focus.

I disagree on grounds that those who factor stuff like that require some type of stimuli. It could be a nostalgic recreation that makes the game (or games) be special to them. I mean... That is pretty much it. Plus, I should note that I got to check out a Not Bansky art exhibit in Tokyo. The guy in charge sounded exactly like one of those types that talk about collecting and/or playing video games, but have no real clue what they are talking about. Yet they are there because the "environment" is their thing. So I do understand where you are coming from.

I 100% agree with @T-Pac. And not just because that name sounds like it belongs to somebody who went from being a member of D-Generation Xbox to joining Nintendo World Order (N.W.O.). But rather because the percentage where the hardware comes into play varies for me. So for somebody like me, a non-handheld console has a better chance to help me feel like it is 100% the software. Simply because I can phase out the fact I am playing an arcade game, or even a PC (via Steam)/Xbox Series S/Switch OLED if both the hardware and controls (as well as my environment) allow me to do just that. With me noting that most of that is tied to my variation of Asperger's. With the remainder being tied to the fact I just like making efforts to get deep into what is entertaining me. When in fact I should be giving said format and the controls it offers credit for allowing me to be in that state of mind. Kind of like how certain hikers are able to walk through a forest and give the path they took full credit for their enjoyment. When in fact that the variety of trees in a forest did do more than be part of that path.

[Disclaimer: What Wata did with HA behind closed doors should be limited to the day they sold that 9.8 A++ Super Mario 64 for an asinine amount of money. ]

I'm going to be in the minority here and say that the software is close to 100% for me. I mean, yes, hardware is always important to me when it comes to how the game plays, and how long I can deal with the controls on an arcade pad... A controller... Or even a handheld. But I do remember that my best times were when my friends and I would treat a game as a challenge. For example, one of my earliest friends and I looked for ways to be OP before we started the dungeons. And even got excited when one of us was getting close to beating the game. And when I fly solo, I often phased everything out just to get the most out of a game. Except Final Fantasy. That game had literally told me that my save data was corrupted and it had to be deleted. Then again... I might feel different once I reinstall Steam onto my PC, boot up my Xbox Series S after all these months, and hook up my Switch OLED and get my old account on that. Just because I have not played a game in months, and my return in Tokyo helped me miss it.

Not really 100% back. So you can blame my time in Japan for what I am about to show you. Breath of the Wild + Expansion Pass was my first Nintendo Tokyo purchase. At the time I wanted to avoid getting back into the idea of collecting video games. But I figured that I should get this one since it is never cheap online. Both Breath of the Wild (JPN-2 variant) and Tears of the Kingdom were purchased when I chose to return to Nintendo Tokyo when it was not a holiday. They were purchased as an excuse to "complete the set". Dreaming Island/Link's Awakening was both a surprise find and my last sealed game bought in Japan. I found it at a BicCamera store after I had lunch at the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. It's a "buy back" copy. This Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda was both a surprise find and my second-to-last game that I had bought in Japan. In this case I found out that Toys"R"Us in Odaiba had one left so I decided to buy it. According to the eBay seller, he had purchase this copy of Dragon Quest VI from an import game seller when it was new. He also left the seller's shrink wrap on it, with the price tag saying $29.99. I ended up getting it for $19.99 (plus tax and shipping)! With this game being one I plan to get graded ASAP (for multiple reasons). And to expand my Zelda collection (atop of this currently being my favorite console of all time), I caved and bought this. In a way if covers 50% of what I want in terms of the older Zelda games (and much more).

One of my worst years I had to live through. And yet, my time in Japan had me experience a Godfather 3 kind of event. (As in the moment I thought I was finally out, they pull me back in!) But yeah... My return was a fun ride in what was otherwise a series of events that had literally tested my limits. Which started with my belated birthday gift (to me) and kind of ended with a controller to go with it. I ended up striking up a deal with myself on the Switch OLED. And because Yamada is a "tax-free" shop, I used my credit card to buy it. With the JPY-to-USD difference making it slightly more than me buying a Switch Lite in California. The Japan exclusive pro controller was because I wanted a durable controller, with me doing a hunt (while injured) in Akihabara. It was bought at a store that sold both video games and TCG stuff. My first trip to Nintendo Tokyo (Shibuya) had me spot Breath of the Wild + Expansion Pass, with me buying it because it was on my "old elusive want list". With my third trip having me buy both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom just because I felt that I needed to complete the set. Dream Island/Link's Awakening was both my last Switch game purchase and a a surprise find after I left the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. Glad to have it again since it was originally my first Switch related purchase. The Game & Watch was also a surprise find. It was purchased at a Toys"R"Us (of all places) in Odaiba, after I gave up on finding their video game department. I have to believe this is the last one they had just because there were some minor scratches on the back of the packaging. And to cap off my Zelda hunt, I broke down and bought the anniversary OST at Kotokubiya. Around the same time I bought two TotK prize items from Mandarake, but chose to keep that one boxed up for the time being. All but the two "slime" items were ordered via Mandarake's online store while I had decided to start the rebuilding of my Dragon Quest collection. The remaining two were the last two claw machine prizes that I had won, with me getting them for a fraction on what their secondary market value is over there. The rest was tied to me ultimately building a "Tenku trilogy" (Dragon Quest IV-VI) collection. I bought a few of these books, but this one was too nice to look at. It was their second-to-last volume (1990 had 2 volumes, 1994 was skipped) and also premiered a week (or two) after Dragon Quest VI debuted in Japan. Mandarake had two of these for sale online, and I chose to get this one. This shitajiki debuted in 1994 and cost 250 JPY at the time. Granted that it is not like two I ended up selling, but I am happier having this one since it is an early promotional piece. This turned out to be my cheapest rare find ever! Because according to the Dragon Quest Perfect Collection 1995 book, it was an exclusive item that was only handed out to this one video game convention. (With the opposite side promoting another Enix title for the Super Famicom.) More of the sword later. Dragon Quest VI was one of my two eBay purchases while I was there. According to the seller, he bought it new at an import game store. Which makes sense as it was shrink wrapped and the price tag says "$29.99" on it. I ended up getting it for $19.99 (plus shipping and tax). The Barbara ("Ashlynn" in the English adaptation) is just yet another 'buy back' item (as she is my favorite canon character in the series). The DQ4 female here (Sofia) was the last Mandarake purchase I made at Nakano Broadway. She ended up being such because she is my favorite non-canon character in the main series. While Barbara (Ashlynn) was a must have. I mean there were others at their Micro-kun shop, but they also had wrestling merchandise. And I wanted to keep this rebuild very simple (and free of any chances Kenny Omega might ambush me). This was the last purchase I made in Akihabara. I went to the Mandarake store there hoping to find a nice copy of Dragon Quest Perfect Collection 1993 (for the Dragon Quest V cover), but ended up hoping to see if they really did have this in stock. It turned into one of those "buy backs" that I would have skipped if I did not revisit Luida's Bar. And to cap off "part 1" I thought I'd skip the other Mandarake related mail calls and post this. While the SNES Mini has Earthbound has an exclusive, this version of the system became my favorite console. With me buying it because it includes Triforce of the Gods/A Link to the Past (my favorite Zelda game), Super Mario RPG (my favorite Mario game), and Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (a remake of sorts, but I do plan to collect those). "Part 2" is in the works. But please note that I am debating about doing an X'mas giveaway if I cannot do my "Secret Santa" plan for my favorite video game Youtubers.

I quit for a second time (due to lack of faith in one of the staff members here)... Swearing that I am done with video game collecting (after I sold off everything but this one USJ exclusive arcade card)... Change my name to my original NA name... Return to a version of Tokyo where graded Pokémon cards are a new commodity... "Force" myself to buy a new Switch OLED at a 'tax free' store in Sumida... Be forced to see a few people talk about some game called "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth" on Square Enix's stage during my time at Tokyo game show... Rebuild my video game collection from that one card up... And so on, all the way to me failing to find a NA alternative that encourages people to show off their graded games. But yeah... CGA had a similar history during their Tom Darby days. But like those (here) that have defended everything they are doing wrong, there are those who will defend Wata as a business they like (and not much more). It can be seen as asinine, but honestly? It's more about the gratification than the list of issues for some. Which is why I say that I can understand somebody getting gratification from a grading company, I also agree with you that it is not an excuse to dismiss any 'behind the scenes' shit shows that have been done.

I'm saying this here because you also shot down one of my past requests, which contributed to the reason why I cannot be a Dragon Quest fan these days. If you need to know why, look up what long-term abuse can do to those with anxiety. So you want to know my issues with him? He had an issue with me saying that I have Asperger's, which I was diagnosed with on January, 2005. And instead of him looking it up so he could understand why I use that diagnosis, I wasted my time trying to make it clear that the diagnosis was still valid as long as was made before the DSM-5 was published in 2013. Then there is everything he said to me when I brought up Square's Tom Sawyer. Nothing he said was a response to what I was saying. Nor did he even act like the game existed, as per the constant use of the book's title. At that point did I not only give up trying to be rational with him, I left both that talking point and my goals of getting the game behind. And now? I have been reading everything this topic has to offer since page 1. By the time I got to his response, only one member brought up the thought that said game could be bought for $50. It was not him, as he stated that the current asking price was in the four digits. Another said otherwise, and I followed that reply with what I said. I was ultimately told that the topic was something that he did not make it out to be. And he acted like what I said was something that was anything but the point I was making to him. But seeing that you know him better than me, and you having the opportunity to just PM me about this (as opposed to take issue with what I said as a way to defend him), that is all I am going to say. Because I give up. With one reason being that his response to what I said is considered gaslighting. It is one of the things I am still getting over, circa a long winded scenario in 2012. With the site's founder/owner letting the member do it because that member gave his site news and data (that, ironically, brought in fans like me). Until then... I'll do you an obvious solid and make this my last reply on this forum until you are wiling to resolve this by getting to know me. Via PM. And I say that because your response is nothing new to me, but is still demoralizing to somebody like me. Especially since I care about VGS in a way you do not know. So sorry to everybody for the rant... But... Yeah, I give up on thinking me returning would not be a mistake.

Follow-up response: To ensure that you did not strain your eyes from rolling them too hard, or have caused a long-term hand print to be on your glorious face, please understand that the response you were given was Google's fault. So for future slip-ups I am to make here, please give me the following look while you hope to hear from a more sane individual. Thank you.

And your response is why I find you to be egotistical, arrogant, condescending, and annoying. For beginners, your sudden claim contradicts the actual facts at hand. With this being the entire the actual conversation before I gave you a response: Take note that @avatar! is the only person in that conversation who has brought up the $50 mark. With you saying "Good luck." (with me hearing "Good luck finding it at that price!") before you cite the amount sellers are asking for. Your response, at this point, contradicts your dismissal of what I had said. Because you did not convey anything beyond what sounds like you are saying this is the new value. And finally, note that @RegularGuyGamer responds to you with a comment that I chose to agree with. Does he also bring up the $50 bit you have claimed? No. He is not saying that you can get that for $50, as you are claiming the conversation is all about, but what it is really worth. Which makes your response to me not a lazy form of gaslighting, but just you being both arrogant and lazy. Because all I am hearing is that you cannot even put an effort with those who question your given statements. With it being an irony for me seeing that I have been backpedaling from the days I sounded like that! But seriously... I am literate. I do research. And I responded to what you said. So please, just stop. Thank you.

This is the best I can find in regards to your situation. LINK: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/960099-pokemon-heartgold-version/54274085 I hope that anything they say helps. Because it sounds like you might have to see if deleting the original save game will correct this issue.

From what I could find... Alright. It appears that your Xbox is modded to be compatible for both PAL and NTSC-J coded games. With there being cases that any game that is coded as NTSC, NTSC-US, and NTSC-UC might not be compatible. With this, I have three step suggestion on how you can resolve this: STEP #1: Get yourself a beer. Repeat this until you are ready for the next step. STEP #2: Once you feel drunk enough to deal with this, order a Xbox that can play NTSC games. STEP #3: Conclude that me walking into Wata's new lobby has created a temporal rift, and that rift is why you need to deal with steps 1 and 2.

If it is listed at that amount, but does not commonly sell for that amount, then it is not worth that amount. Pretty much my way of saying that the sold samples are more the definite answer to how much they are worth. With those following the 'sold' numbers being the ones who will sell theirs rather quickly.

Man... I have not played Dragon Spirit since my PS3 days! Especially during the times Bandai offered virtual rewards on Home if certain goals were met! I believe that I ended up getting the arcade cabinet, but was unable to get the other rewards. But these days? I should look into playing Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo! I believe the Capcom arcade app is available for the Xbox Series S, and that the game is around $2.00 USD. That is another fun arcade game that was ported on multiple consoles. Plus, it might be more fun to play the arcade port, seeing how I now own the GBA port of that game.

I managed to watch this. Thanks to you guys saying all of that stuff.

Not right now. Sorry. They never added that photo for some reason. And I also have it packed away for the time being.

And a new grading contender has entered the scene! I am not a big GBA fan, which is a long story. But I am a Sakura Kasugano fanboy. And have been one since 1997! Even though I have burnt myself out trying to be one in the past. This is the second time I had to clean the protective box/bag after I got it. And with me doing any inspections, I only found factory made pinholes being the issue. So I have no clue how Wata (or CGA) would grade the seal. But after looking at other copies online, the seal/wrap looks to be 100% legit. And case fresh. So I will have to wait and see if it will get at least a 9.8 A grade. Or if there is some minor reason it would grade slightly lower. Overall... I am satisfied enough with this purchase, and hope it looks nice next to my first Wata sub.

And I am reminded of the ancient times where I used to claim that Irwin Toys was being "lazy" because their Dragon Ball Z merch was in both English and French. When making virtually little to no changes saves the publisher money. Even though IT also packed that line with accessories that had nothing to do with the character.

^This. If I did not believe that you guys would fall apart without me being here, I'd be looking for a way to return to Japan. Because the stuff I have seen there makes me neutral on most topics. But also not want to see half of the fan produced stuff become canon in any way. But yeah, I cannot stand how extreme both sides are being. So much that the only sane thing I can watch is Bluey. And Detective Conan, Naruto Shippuden, and a slew of Japanese TV shows I often record.

Nope! What I mean is that I have my late Great-Great-Uncle's family research. And thanks to the fact my Multi-Great-Grandfather had 26 sons between two wives, Arthur Conan Doyle is my genetic cousin. I'm more like that because I am also part-Pickle. On my Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandmother's side. With her mother being a Dickie.