9 hours ago, spacepup said:

So perhaps some of it is just jealousy or resentment, along with the anti-sealed high-price-trend sentiment out there.  

Bingo.

And don't take my word on it, there have been tons of studies over many decades that show this, and of course, envy/jealousy is something that has existed as long as civilization has existed --

Divided by Status: Upward Envy and Downward Scorn

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4479110/

Envy may be defined as “I wish I had what you do (and I would like to take it away from you).” Scorn may be defined as “You are not worth my attention (and I wish you would go away).” Envy famously eats at the envious, linked with resentful rumination.

4 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

You move quite a bit quicker than the other Souls games, so you can depend a bit on maneuvering in an absence of perfect parrying.  At least on an initial run.  Parries are definitely the path of taking the bosses down quicker and easier, if you can do it.  Basically they have health bars and stamina bars, and if you're skilled enough you attack the latter.

You've convinced me I should try it, if nothing else

3 hours ago, Gloves said:

Imagine.

James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of Michigan school shooter, sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for manslaughter

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/us/james-jennifer-crumbley-sentencing/index.html

After sentencing, Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald said the defendants expressed “feeling bad” but what mattered to the victims’ families most was an expression of remorse and “acknowledgement of the wrongdoing and some sort of reconciliation or apology for that – and that didn’t come.”

At their trials, prosecutors used testimony from shooting survivors, police investigators and school employees to prove that the parents were “grossly negligent” in allowing their teenage son to have access to the gun and ignoring signs of his spiraling mental health.

Jennifer Crumbley took the stand in her trial and blamed her husband, the school and her son for the shooting, while expressing no regret of her own. “I’ve asked myself if I would have done anything differently, and I wouldn’t have,” she testified. By contrast, James Crumbley did not testify in his trial, and his attorney argued he simply didn’t know about his son’s plans or mental issues.

The parents’ defense attorneys have argued the charges have no legal justification, but appeals courts have upheld them.

Good riddance! Parents need to be held accountable -- to an extent of course. You can't control kids, but you sure should know when your child has mental issues -- especially when directly told that by a medical provider! and of course they ignored gun safety rules, AND don't forget these two pieces of excrement HID in a warehouse after the shooting! Hope they "enjoy" prison...

4 minutes ago, Sumez said:

May... bea.

The timing and parrying stuff never clicked with me even after playing the entire game through.

It's a good game no doubt about that. Its just not made for me.

So you were able to complete the game, even though you were never great t the timing/parrying?

If that's the case, it's a bit reassuring  

So, I'm a fan of Bloodborne, Nioh, Dark Souls (although III was getting pretty boring in my opinion

Anyway, I never did play Sekiro but I did read reviews that claim you need to basically have perfect timing to succeed in the game -- I keep coming across reviews like this --

https://steamcommunity.com/app/814380/discussions/0/1850323802579762262/

This is not a very fun game at all. I don't mind dying in games, but the gameplay shouldn't be repetitive and not fun and there is absolutely zero sense of accomplishment even after beating a boss you have been trying to kill for hours. Combat is simplified, all encounters play the same, parrying and posture is simply a dull game mechanic, grappling is underutilized as half of the s*** you should be able to grapple cannot be grappled (even Tenchu on PS1 didn't have this issue), the story is supposed to be more linear and better than Souls, but it is absolutely not and the Dragonrot mechanic is a cheap gimmick. Every soulsborne game From released so far trounced this game by far. In fact, I learned to appreciate them far more in hindsight now that I played Sekiro.

So, what are people's thoughts? Did you play and/or beat the game? How frustrating and/or fun is it? Would you recommend it to someone that loves Nioh and Bloodborne or not?

45 minutes ago, T-Pac said:

I ... still don't get it...

Is that "card market" thread referencing a meme that already existed, or did you take that thread and turn it into a meme???

I don't know why I care so much. I just ... gotta know, y'know?

[T-Pac]

Haha, no worries, I totally get the need to know!

Basically, I thought the original thread title was so bombastic and amusing that I have usurped it and anytime I find "crazy/shocking" prices I like to say "the so-and-so market has just exploded!" So yeah

8 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

This Doom manual looks weird. It looks old but the red from the back cover is bleeding onto the front. Ultra rare misprint, @Hybrid??

https://www.ebay.com/itm/374830185615

I suspect the manual is distorted so that the back cover is smooshed and it looks like it's on the front cover.

Hope people had fun watching the eclipse! We were not in the path of totality, but still got a good 80% or so

4 hours ago, T-Pac said:

Slight tangent ...

Where did the "It looks like the (insert game) market has exploded!" thing come from?

I kept seeing that same phrase posted here over and over, and I was rolling my eyes at it until I realized it's probably some meme that I'm just not savvy to haha.

[T-Pac]

2 hours ago, Gloves said:

The guy doing the review has a slight UWU Kawaii to his speech - he pronounces "th" a "d" and "r" as "w" a lot.

"Da primawy way you twaverse is in yo bawwel". (slight exaggeration for effect)

Not enough that I think he's putting on an act, but enough that I feel English might not be his first language. Which is fine of course, but really caught me off guard.

But, it will never live up to this legend --

19 hours ago, Strange said:

Finally I can stop saying to myself “Damn, I need to get Half-Life”

Congrats! that's a beautify. I'm gonna ask, curious about how much you paid for it?

12 hours ago, Sumez said:

RNG and luck aren't the same thing. You can prepare for bad RNG.
That's like saying Tetris is luck based. And I feel like I've made that exact comparison before in a different thread.

Yes, you're technically correct of course. However, to most players, it is essentially the same thing. You can't manipulate RNG, unless it's flawed. I would agree that Tetris also has a high degree of luck involved.

Not sure how I feel about this. The last time I ran into a game-destroying plague was with Darkest Dungeon, that whole Crimson Court DLC while nice in idea, was TERRIBLE in practice. So bad, that I absolutely do NOT recommend anyone install it. This kinda reminds me of it --

Dragon's Dogma 2 Players Are Freaking Out Over a Mysterious Plague That Turns Pawns Murderous

https://www.ign.com/articles/dragons-dogma-2-players-are-freaking-out-over-a-mysterious-plague-that-turns-pawns-murderous

Some players have been sharing their frustrations after Dragonsplague nuked entire towns in their games, seemingly cutting them off from critical story paths. But other players may have found solutions.

I personally do not see how this can be enjoyable? I know many people quit Darkest Dungeon when the Crimson Curse basically destroyed their game, and I've heard some people claim they also quit DD2 because the "dragonsplague" similarly destroys your game, basically locking you out of the story and progression. Yeah, there's technically a solution in each case, but the work involved is so much that it effectively ends your game and your enjoyment. Seems like an asinine idea that someone thought looked good on paper.

14 hours ago, Sumez said:

Yeah, I don't think people beating Dark Souls without getting hit would ever be valid as an argument that the game isn't hard. Rather, the fact that it took so much practice is proof that the game is hard.

Likewise, all you're saying about Slay the Spire is that it's a challenging game with a lot to learn and improve at. Saying the game is about luck makes no sense at all given these arguments sorry.  As someone who only played through each class once or twice, and then a couple more runs to have some stabs at the heart, it was extremely clear to me that the game wasn't about luck - you don't need insane dedication to see that, IMO. That said, that level of dedication wasn't for me either.

While there's luck involved in most everything, I view Dark Souls as a very challenging game that requires the player to learn a lot of skills in order to complete the game. I view Slay the Spire as a game where you need some skill, and a good amount of luck. I don't see how you can argue in a game where you could have built a fabulous deck, then when you get to the boss, you get NO attack cards when you need it, and when the boss is about to attack you for major damage you get ZERO defense cards -- yup, happened to me. That really convinced me this game is RNG dependent. If people feel otherwise, more power to you. Again, I completed Slay the Spire and I stand by what I said, it's way too dependent on RNG. 

By the way, did you defeat the corrupt heart? Again, it's especially in Act 4 that the randomness of the draw really means life or death, and I just don't find that enjoyable.

5 hours ago, Khromak said:

Ehhh.. I'd argue against the slay the spire/luck angle. I think people who claim that STS is luck-based are just rushing too much and/or too inexperienced to play properly. If you've watched a video of high level STS players, they win like 99% of their games because they have insane levels of knowledge and go DEEP into the strategy.

Okay, I see what you're saying but I don't feel it's a fair comparison and I'll explain why. It's like saying "You think Dark Souls is hard? Watch this player finish the whole game without dying even once! See, it can totally be done!" -- yes, people have beaten Dark Souls I,II,III without even dying once, but after spending who knows how many hours upon hours upon hours. So sure, someone with as you say "insane levels of knowledge" knows exactly how this card will work with that card, and if they only manage to grab that other card they will easily be able to do x,y,z provided that... etc etc.

HOWEVER, most people don't devote that much time to any one game. For most people, whether you complete the game will come down to LUCK. I loved Slay the Spire at the start, but after spending what I would say is "a lot of time" in the game and completing it finally, I absolutely vouch that it comes down to RNG at the very end. A normal player will be able to use their skill to get to the boss of Act 3. That boss, and the final Act 4, absolutely come down to RNG.

23 hours ago, Gloves said:

The point of the screenshot is, and you may have forgotten this, but on your first playthrough Leshi just up and decides you're doing too well and pulls a full table of Grizzly Bears with boosts that make it near impossible to pass.

I vaguely remember that -- I think that's when the "Stout" even tells you he's cheating

18 hours ago, TrekMD said:

If he thinks he can just assemble his IKEA cabinet without any worries, well, he's missing a few screws...

38 minutes ago, MinusWorlds said:

I mean, I’m the buyer. Funny money? No. 

Which sectors? Because of the major ones $90k is nothing. Whether it’s MTG, Pokémon, sports cards, coins, comics…$90k doesn’t even get you into the tier 1’s in most of those hobbies. Forget grails. 

Why did we drop $90k on this? It’s without a doubt the #1 third-party hangtab, some argue, and rightfully so, that they’d rather have Castlevania than SMB. I’m one of those people and there were 5 other people thinking the same that were bidding over the $80k mark.

NES is the golden age of video game collecting. For sealed collectors Castlevania is a grail in the first print variant. As Jonas said earlier it’s a very desirable third-party hangtab. If any game should get scrutinized for selling for a massive amount this isn’t it. Most sealed collectors that I spoke to knew it was going over $75k. Others had it over $100k.

Also, from a high-level. There are 6 known copies. It’s the first time a first print has ever been auctioned. It’s in near mint condition. It’s a massive franchise. It’s cool AF.

On a personal level I’ve been looking for over 20 years for a first print. It was the first game my mom ever bought me. Nostalgia is powerful.

Lastly, raw or graded doesn’t mean much to me. I’ve been doing this for decades. With proper pics I can tell within a grade or so what it would get and if it’s authentic. Any more questions fire away.

 

Ah, wow! Congratulations

I was being facetious when I said in the original post Alright, who here at VGS purchased this??

58 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

Can anyone give me insight into how this price is reached? Like what factors play into it going to 90k?

2 or 3 to exist, so it's rare. 

Castlevania so cool?

A ton of money on the sideline from other HA auctions and switching into favorites or better long term holds?

Bitcoin went brrr so time to splurge?

Maybe a quick flip? Raw -> grade gets $110k?

Honestly curious. People saying they're not surprised by $90k but that's more than most grails in other sectors of the collectors markets. And those are for graded items. Pivotal game, sure but not historic in my book. 3 is a better game but I guess missing the hangtab factor? $90k is 3x $30k. Like, that's a proper amount of cash.

I feel people are numb to these huge numbers. It's $10k over $80k. That's nothing to stick your nose up at. It makes me think these purchases are with funny money from big profits pulled from other sales. 

I think any combination of what you said might be the case. If I had to guess, I would say someone with a good amount of disposable income (a millionaire) who remembers playing the NES and Castlevania, and decided this was a great investment opportunity.

As to whether 3 is a better game (it sure is), that does not factor into the price because this is the ORIGINAL Castlevania, one of the most influential games of all time. I would absolutely say Castlevania is "historic" and "pivotal" -- I could walk down the street telling people how important Our Town is to the American zeitgeist and why Thornton Wilder is a genius... and people will stare blankly. But, for better or worse, everyone will know what Castlevania is...  Anyway, while I think Castlevania III is fabulous, it's like saying "I think Mickey's Christmas Special is much better than Steamboat Willie" -- that may be the case, but Steamboat Willie is the first appearance of Mikey Mouse and will always be the more valuable and scarce collectible. 

7 hours ago, RH said:

You kind of get sticker-shock when you see that much money floating around a hobby that hasn't been that way for the prior 20 years.  I imagine that's the shock because even I feel that way from doing this for about 8 years now.

Yeah, the genie is out of the bottle. Now that games can be graded, there's no going back. Very much along the lines of all other highly collectibles -- Star Wars, GI Joe, Magic the Gathering, comic books, etc. -- once something can safely be authenticated and then sealed so that it basically appreciates in value, prices go up and up. Again, 20 years ago a Black Lotus was around $1k -- one recently sold on ebay for over $28k

1 minute ago, Reed Rothchild said:

I feel like this thread is a veiled excuse for @avatar! to vent his Slay the Spire frustrations yet again 

I mean, to be fair, how can you review one without the other

3 hours ago, Gloves said:

*ahem*

Sure you could in principle get super unlucky and get obliterated, but it's worlds apart from Slay the Spire   Also, to be clear, it's not that Inscryption doesn't have it's challenges, especially at the beginning. But, from start to finish it's about 10-15 hours and the game truly is meant to be experienced and completed. There's no artificially increasing the playtime by needlessly making enemies super challenging or always starting from scratch as in Slay the Spire --

My frustrations with Slay the Spire, 100 hours later

https://www.giantbomb.com/slay-the-spire/3030-59383/forums/my-frustrations-with-slay-the-spire-100-hours-late-1822259/

I have NEVER beaten the Awakened One...Yeah screw The Awakened One. I've beaten the games 4-5 times or something, but never won against him/that. I feel it was stupidly poorly balanced ...I really hope they change/balance the last bosses some more.

I did beat the Awakened One, it was tough, but I got lucky. And therein is the major problem with Slay the Spire, even if you play it for hundreds of hours, at the end, it comes to luck. While you can grind in Inscryption, there's really no point. Slay the Spire on the other hand SHOULD have a mechanism to strengthen your deck or at least re-balance the bosses so that it's not entirely RNG dependent -- as it stands, that's exactly what it is, RNG dependent.

11 hours ago, Brickman said:

I’ll check it out next year.

One thing I didn’t like about Slay the Spire is how random it could be. People here and in reviews commented how random it can be to beat the corrupt heart. This put me off and I never finished the game.

Is this game like that? I don’t mind a bit of RNG but not if I’m going to spend more time fighting against it.

Inscryption shares some game mechanics with Slay the Spire, that's really about it. I feel that in Spire you have:

1)Limited growth.
2)It's all about RNG.
3)No saves -- have to start from scratch every time -- gets incredibly BORING.
4)Artificially increase the game time by making the last stage incredibly challenging, so that's it's all about the RNG to win.
5)And lastly, is there a story or plot?

Inscryption basically bypasses all of the faults above. Again, without spoiling, let me say Inscryption wants you to win, it's the opposite of artificially increasing the difficulty. Even if you're "not so good" at deck building, you will complete the game, and what a marvelous game it is