YOURTURN

“Ignore that nightmare at Heritage Auction. Just another ugly refugee from the VGA Generation, some doom-struck gimp who couldn't handle the pressure. @CodysGameRoom has always been able to accept the notion—often espoused by reformed investment abusers and especially popular among those on YouTube—that you can get a lot higher grades without Wata than with them. And so have I, for that matter.”
― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Video Game Sage

18 hours ago, MrWunderful said:

I have full faith in @Gloves interwebs wizardry

Not me anymore! He has not prevented Murphy's Law from hitting my life... Again!

Meaning that instead of having his magic touch, my alternative found out that my first purchase (for Operation: New Wata Case) might be a reseal, the second is not worth submitting, the third is not worth submitting without the first game, and the fourth game had a triangle-shaped tear on the back of the wrap. 

Plus, he had failed to digitize Jerry Springer's brain before his death! Which means that we do not have the chance to have an A.I.-like host offer closing commentary after one of our chair-throwing topics (or for most of @fcgamer's rebuttals).

8 hours ago, ApebitMusic said:

That is a waayy better design. Not sure what they were thinking with that wonky first attempt, tbh. 

They were thinking how they can make money while not being another CGA clone. Even if some of their dealings were things CGA did first. 

1 hour ago, Jynx said:

• Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
• Super C
• Life Force
• Track & Field
• Stinger
• Rush n Attack
• Jackal
• The Adventures of Bayou Billy
• Blades of Steel
• Gyruss

No worries about the double post since Konami had slip-ups in the past.

As for this list, I see a few that take me back to my NES days. And others that were part of my introduction to NintendoAge. So all I will say is great list and good luck on that quest! 

25 minutes ago, MrWunderful said:

Unless you are breaking forum rules, just say it.

And what would have happened if @SilverspoonGaming said this because the original quote was a game crashing scenario? Or that could only be fixed if the forum's batteries were drained? Then what?! 

20 minutes ago, a3quit4s said:

I still don’t like WATA and grading games in general but not for any real reason. Same for coins and comics I suppose. I guess it makes transacting business without physically seeing the item easier or maybe even possible but I’d still rather be in the presence of something I’m buying. 

I don't blame you! If I was taken a bit more seriously on the topic of any grading company in the past, I would have considered the idea of starting a topic on the subject. Simply because I have either used the services of, or even bought a graded product tied to, one of many grading companies. With me making a conclusion that CGA's policies make them the worst choice, while UKG would have been the best if they were not overseas.

But for me, the only real reason I am going to give WATA a shot is simply because their new cases have won me over. Atop of the fact that all of my submissions are sealed. 

I have played a few of the Tekken games. Which has me always rate them an 8/10. Not because I am a fan, which I am not one these days, but because they tend to be my favorite fighting games when I have time to kill.

4 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

I have no idea what's up with this Donkey Kong box but I had to have it. I'm currently in the process of asking those more knowledgeable than I.

Ghoul School was a pretty good steal at this price when I saw it 2 weeks ago but I didn't have time to buy it. I was amazed it was still there today.

 

I would like to know the answer on that Donkey Kong as well! But right now my best guess is that it is a Sears Canada variant. It pretty much reminds me of their 1980 "exclusive" Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back set. Which were simply that basic in terms of packaging. 

To simplify, anything that receives a "Qualified" by CGA (AFA, VGA, etc.) is guaranteed to have the contents be both new/unused and complete.

When it comes to AFA, they do this in the case of a product being unsealed or factory resealed. In the case of the latter, they put their own policies first. So even if the product came directly from the factory, or has a letter citing a QC check, they will ignore it if the submitter wants to have the item graded.

In the case of video games, with an emphasis on pre-GameCube era Nintendo releases, the product will receive that if it appears the packaging was opened at any point. But still require the contents to be both unused and complete.

I hope that helps. 

Deleted.

They have managed to do the impossible. They have made graded N64 games look sexy! 

And on a side note... I am curious to see how PS3, Wii, and 360 games will look in those cases. Which means I have to do at least one submission the moment I get paid!

EDIT: Gifting this because... Well... Murphy's Law. 

Just now, Sumez said:

Whose image?

Square Enix's.

Obviously it is an older game image, and I can understand why you would want to use it to argue.

But if you are going to object to what they did with this set... Use reviewer footage instead. Because you are going to get most of an argument by showing what they did wrong with this release. Because screencaps offered by the company can be seen as "examples" but tend to exclude what makes them either be good or crap. (Or in Square Enix's case, "Let's make this a store exclusive!" level of crap.)

And this is from somebody who'll agree with you that Square Enix shot themselves in the balls when it comes to a number of their re-ports. (Including the PS4/Switch release of Dragon Quest I.)

26 minutes ago, Sumez said:

It's objectively garbage, however. Most other people are able to see it  

Here's a more apparent example from one of the older games, if that helps.

Please don't use their images to snub a game. It's just another way to snub those who have taken the time to review it.  And that is as bad as snubbing fans of any game series. 

Yeah, Johnny has a digital copy of the games and is waiting for Playasia to send him a physical copy. But also shows the actual options that help make the game look nostalgically good.

With me agreeing that the PC font is not a good fit. With my reasons being tied to that giving me a more PSP vibe than a SNES/GBA vibe (which the other font option offers).

9 hours ago, inasuma said:

(who TF thought a giantblue label was a good idea)

No clue. But this is the company that was famous for making decisions that have even ticked off their supporters. 

8 hours ago, inasuma said:

Any other sizes I should consider? I don't have any Sega or Atari sadly but I'd include those if I did.

It's all good on my end. With any luck I'll have my "Walmart" Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations and "Digital Copy Only" DuckTales both submitted and graded before I am gone for six weeks. That way I'll have my two rarest games graded, and you can borrow the images if you need any for your blog. 

Plus, I am also interested in seeing how Wata will grade my copy of DuckTales. Mostly because it was sealed differently from the later/standard release.  Plus I would have considered submitting it to VGA, but I do not have a McDuck Enterprises size budget for the prices they are asking. 

On 4/20/2023 at 12:03 PM, Reed Rothchild said:

Troll thread.  No grown man has actually played The Little Mermaid.

Here's a fun "fact" about me: If the game has a hot redhead as a playable character, I'll be there. Especially if it means that I cannot buy you that super obscure print variant of an otherwise common game you are looking for.

2 hours ago, inasuma said:

Waiting for vga to drop prices rofl

Good luck on that! 

Oh, and unless I heard wrong (as we know how distracting Greg's tank tops can be)... Congrats on your HA day 2 win. 

3 hours ago, Gloves said:

I didn't like Downpour, but I didn't find Homecoming to be too bad. Mind you, I liked Origins a lot, so I'm not to be trusted. 

Actually... Origins is on my list if I ever decide to collect sealed PSP games. And right now the only reasons I'd consider getting both Homecoming and Downpour is to have the full PS3 run for that series. Even though the worst thing about Downpour was the price Konami asked for this apartment! (And yes, I did buy that space when it came out. )

Deleted.

EDIT: Tear in the wrap. It was weird where it tore, but it was there. 

43 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

@FenrirZero NICE.  I agree, but these days I have it on PC.  I did have a PiiU at the time, and it had that same pin, and when I sold the game I kept that pin and stuck with some other pin trader stuff on a disney lanyard where it remains.  That was a fun small cool little extra.

Thanks! And speaking of the Wii U version, a part of me wishes that I caught wind of the game sooner. I think back then people were asking for $250 USD or more for sealed copies. Which is sane compared to what they are demanding on eBay. 

Plus, I should note that I am being extra careful with my copy. It would be cool to have the pin be where I start off a pin collection. But I found out how badly scuffed those pins can become if they move around in the case. 

On 4/19/2023 at 8:22 AM, retro.magnus said:

Still think that label is such a downgrade. 

I want to agree with you, but I have learned that promo sample does not always end up being the final product. Which is why I'm waiting to see the final product before I decide to either go with their "Legacy" cases (it looks to be an option) or just uniform my collection and stick with VGA. 

Update: See graded photos.

EDIT: Sold. It was suggested that I do not submit it. 

My situation is similar to @RH's.

If I was starting to map out my collecting goals in 2011, I might have looked into this at some point in 2012. 

But since I don't have any real luck, don't really have others in my life that know more about this, and blah blah blah... I am currently focusing on select variants of any PS3 game that still interests me.

Granted that it's not Nintendo. But in my last pick-up's case, I don't really think I would have any additional chances to find a 2012 "Walmart" variant copy of any games for the price I paid. Something I think will go up once those variant hunters develop an interest in terms of what the PS3 has to offer!

Either way, I'd pass. Because knowing my luck, I'd probably miss out on a chance to get a sealed copy of either Afrika or NBA Elite 11 for cheap if I ever changed my mind! (And FYI, NBA Elite 11 is the PS3's answer to Stadium Events.)