AstralSoul

I think we all have that system that we always eyed but never took the plunge into. Either we wanted it as kids and never got it and kind of faded into obscurity or you just lost interest over time. Maybe by the time you decided you wanted to collect for it, the prices were just too high to justify. Whatever the case is, what system have you always wanted to collect for, wanted to play, wanted to like, but for one reason or another, just never did and likely won't ever get to? I always wanted a Sega Saturn. As a kid/teen I was all about the N64 and was also very familiar with PS1 at the time but had very little knowledge of the Saturn. Like everyone I knew at the time, the system was always considered the lesser 5th gen console. Even today looking back the library is relatively weak compared to most other big name consoles. But there was always something about it that intrigued me and the curiosity only grew as I got older. I was about to finally take the plunge into Saturn collecting last year, only I did the math and the high cost and hard to find CIBs and lack of must-have games put me off completely. There are definitely a handful of games I want - most are very very expensive - and while I'd love to have a Saturn just for experience's sake, I don't know I'll ever have $1000 to throw around for a system and a few of my most wanted games like the Panzer Dragoon games and NiGHTS Into Dreams. One that has been on my radar since its release in 1995 was the Virtual Boy. Yes it's more of a novelty than anything and I can't see myself or anyone actually playing it much. But it would make one hell of a collection piece. I've always wanted one even just for the experience. Like the Saturn, I almost made the plunge last year but decided against it when I realized there's a high chance the system of the system breaking or failing and I did not want something that I have to get fixed every few years.

Yeah seems that way. i think a lot of the bigger collectors are just getting older, having more responsibilities, less time for gaming, etc. A lot of the younger generations are more digital-based gaming and don't care for collecting. Not to say there arent' some of the younger crowd into collecting but game collecting seems to have a sweet spot in people born in the early 80s to the early 90s.

36. I'm one of the old farts now.

My collecting has slowed down a lot these days with a kid and a house to take care of. But when I do buy a game it's usually either current gen or it's a specific game I wanted to play regardless of its given system. So I don't concentrate on any one system, I spread my collection pretty evenly around 13 consoles and handhelds. But if I had the money I'd go for a complete N64 collection. My reasons are easy - it's the one I have the most nostalgia for. It's also a relatively affordable console, not too many very high end priced games, and a lot of cheap commons. On top of that, I just enjoy it a lot. I love the variety of the colors in controllers, consoles and game cartridges. It's also the console I've played more than any other. I have all the N64 player's guides, have a bunch of N64 related Nintendo Powers, have about 80 cartridges total, and 20-something boxes and manuals for them. I don't plan on going for a full set, it's just not feasible right now. But if I could I would. I've been enjoying collecting for PS2, PS3 and PS4 lately though because games have been very easy to come by and there's a lot of great games I haven't played for them so I've been buying a lot of those lately.

I suck at finishing games most of the time but if I really really like a game I will finish it. It has to really grab me though. I can enjoy a game and not finish it though, sometimes I just get distracted halfway and forget to go back. Or it will be such a huge game that there's no way I could finish it in a few weeks. I get bored if I play the same game for too many days/weeks in a row, I need variety. But if I really love the game I always come back to it eventually.

Not sure if the system for this forum makes this possible but if at all possible wondering if there was a way or intent to make trophies/awards a thing here like they were on NA. Like, for instance, "you have the entire collection of Zelda games, so you get the Zelda award" or something like that. Or badges if that's what they were called. I forget the exact term. Or maybe we could just implement the badges/awards in our signatures as we see fit I guess? Just something to think about, I'm not too bothered about it either way :)

#164 here - woo! I think it was only the second day it was live and already in the 100s..wow!

New F-Zero Pikmin 4 EarthBound/Mother 3 Bloodborne 2 New Chibi-Robo (more akin to the original) GTA Vice City 2

Blaster Master on NES. I know it's not a super hard game, nor a super long one. I've played it very far in many times over, but there's no password system and I hate relying on save states. I want to play it in its entirety in one playthrough one day.

Playing the Outer Worlds and loving it!

Don't even get me started on OSTs. Music is a big part of my enjoyment of games and often find a great soundtrack can elevate an otherwise mediocre game, or make a great game perfect. Welp, too late, I'm gonna talk about it anyway! Some of my favorites have already been mentioned - EarthBound, DKC2, Terranigma, Secret of Mana...but I'll add to those here: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles has an amazing soundtrack all around but this is probably my favorite track of the bunch. Legend of Mana is not only one of my favorite action RPGs (yes I like it better than Secret of Mana) it might be my #1 favorite OST of all time. That's a bold statement to make so I'll just say it's definitely top 5. This is my favorite track from it. Ratchet & Clank is another favorite game of mine, with an amazing soundtrack. The sequels could never hold up to the original in terms of music but all the games in the series are great. This level in particular has memorable and ominous music. I love it. Hollow Knight.... you want to talk about a game that is nothing but pure beauty? Here it is. The art is amazing, the gameplay is amazing, the soundtrack is amazing. I would honestly give this game perfect marks. This track in particular is beautiful. Mega Man 3.... What is talking about great OSTs without at least mentioning Mega Man? Snake Man is my favorite track in the entire series. Memorable, fast paced and catchy. Just how I love my Mega Man music.

Mudkip!

10/10 - Favorite band of all time (tied w/ Weezer) Also the first band I ever really got into back in 1994, in elementary school. Dookie was the first albums I ever owned. Still love them and listen to them today. Seeing Weezer and Green Day (with Fallout Boy) on the Hella Mega Tour next year and I can't wait!

Long Island, NY

• Super Ghouls n Ghosts - Feels like an old school 2D Dark Souls more than any other game I've played • Battletoads - For is impossible racing gameplay sequences • Punch-Out because button press timing and memorization is hard for me Dark Souls is one of my favorite games series of all time. The original Dark Souls took me 7 years to beat. No I wasn't playing it for all 7 years. But I originally played it when it came in 2011(or 2012) and couldn't even get past the Taurus Demon. The first "real" boss. I revisited the game a few times since then and never got far and would end up quitting in rage. I figured the series is just not for me. I picked up Bloodborne last year and ended up really falling in love with the game even though I found it to be just as hard as Dark Souls. I got really far though (still haven't beaten it) but far enough to know that I could eventually keep going to beat it and that I loved the game. After that I revisited Dark Souls and much to my surprise I actually beat it. I couldn't believe it. It took me a month straight of playing only that game, but 70 hours later and 7 years in the making it was well worth it. It might have been the single most rewarding gaming experience ever. I went on to play Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3, and loved every single one of them. I have yet to completely finish them all but I made very good progress in them all and I will go back (needed a break as they are very draining to play). But the games are genius in design. Yes at first they seem like they are BS. But really it employs the old school mentality of just learning enemy placements and patterns and if you know the game well enough you can blaze through it easily. There are a few unfair moments I've encountered but most of the games are completely fair. The series is an acquired taste so I understand completely about not liking it. But if you enjoy difficult but rewarding games I say stick with it, you will get a bit farther as you keep going and eventually (hopefully) it will just click for you and you'll get into a sort of flow and the rest of the game will be smooth.

EarthBound but Super Mario 64 is right up there next to it. EarthBound just has more nostalgia for me than any other game. It came to me at the ripe age of 13 back in 1996 and it was my 2nd RPG ever (Super Mario RPG was my introduction to the genre) and I loved the modern setting in EarthBound, the music, the humor, everything about it was memorable to me and I still replay it every year or two. Super Mario 64 though... I can't think of any other moment in my video game history where I was more "WOW"ed than the first time I picked up an N64 controller and played Super Marip 64. When N64 came out I was so uninterested in it, I just loved my SNES and didn't want to move on to the next gen. But I saw the game in Blockbuster in a demo unit and tried it out with much hesitation. It was mere moments later I knew I had to have an N64. All these years later I still remember everything about this game and replay it every so often. Because it's near impossible for me to pick only 1 or 2 favorites, here's my top 10 list: 1. EarthBound 2. Super Mario 64 3. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest 4. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island 5. Conkers Bad Fur Day 6. Final Fantasy IX 7. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars 8. BioShock 2 9. Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 10. Resident Evil 4

I use VGCollect to track my collection as well as a Google Docs Spreadsheet.

Yeah I know and that's why I kept my old username so long but at some point u just stopped caring and figured no one would notice or care anyway. I also distanced myself from the community to the point where I figured I'd just stop visiting NA but yet here I am. Lol

Thanks! Happy to be a part of VGS in its inaugural season!

Yeah I had that username for 4 years or so. I grew tired of it but kept it that long only so as not to confuse everyone but I wanted a name I would use across all sites and places - PSN, Reddit, other gaming sites, etc. So now at least I have that consistency.

People will know me best as KrakenSoup on NA, but I've changed my username several times, and more recently AstralSoul13 which is the username I use everywhere now.

Right now I have one foot in each door of VGS and NA, but it's only a matter of time til i close that other door completely.

I eagerly await in anticipation of the last 300 games! I appreciate the dedication you put into the list, and has inspired me to do one for N64 games, though I still have yet to play every single one, it's a long term goal of mine now.

Mortal Kombat 11 (story mode) beaten. Really fun fighting game. I kind of fell off the series for a while this entry is really solid.

Hey there - formerly KrakenSoup on NintendoAge (and currently AstralSoul13 over there) - where I was a member since January 2014, my passion for collecting has grown stale as of late, what with a house and a kid to pay for, and less and less time to actually enjoy said games, all that on top of mostly playing new games on PS4 and Switch that occupy most of my free time. That said, my passion for old games (and new) will never die even if I'm not an active collector anymore. Maybe when I win the lottery... Lol. That said I look forward to becoming active in the forums once again, since I enjoy talking about games just as much as playing them. See you all there!