Yeah - there's a middleground for me, too. Recca might make my list because it has gameplay value AND collectable value to me. But it could just as easily be ousted by a dirt-common game that I want - because with only a limited number of slots to fill, "collectability" doesn't hold as much weight.
And I guess it makes more of a difference for me personally because, since I don't pirate games, if I don't own a title I'll likely never get to play it.
[T-Pac]
"Cool for a purpose" is the operative phrase that I 100% agree with, but get confused about how it applies to certain high-end stuff like NWC. Sure, plenty of people genuinely think it's cool, but just as many only see it as the "must have" game because other people have convinced them to think that way (when they wouldn't have otherwise). I mean, if you actually participated in the competition back in 1990, an NWC cart would be the best thing ever. But otherwise it's basically some 90s kid's video-game equivalent of a little-league participation trophy...
I'll admit to some hypocrisy on that point, though. I'd love to have a genuine prototype in my collection, even though I have no involvement in the game's development. But I would only want a proto of a game that I love (hence the personal value over hype value argument), and I don't see a proto making my "only 5" list when there are so many games I'd rather own AND play.
[T-Pac]