4 hours ago, Tyree_Cooper said:

i wouldn't

But clearly lots of people are purchasing video games as an investment. I remember back in 2010 was the first time a comic book sold for over $1million -- it was Action Comics #1. Of course lots of people were saying different things including "well, if I had it I would just read it since comic books are mean to be read!" and so on. Hey, people are entitled to spend their money however they please. That said, all the recent Action Comics #1 auctions have broken $3million. Point is, video games are following the trajectories of all highly collectible "pop culture" items such as Magic Cards, D&D, Star Wars figures, LEGO, GI Joe, etc. Whether people collect graded/sealed games or not, those are the ones that will continue to gain the most attention and continue to appreciate in value the most.

Just now, Link said:

  .

Not to say I ever knew anything about the MTG scene, but what am I missing here?

 

Those are not original. The one listed at $14.99 is probably a fake -- people sell fakes ALL THE TIME.

Here is what a true black lotus goes for -- sold just a few days ago --

Yeah, I know, it's graded. Well, no one with a real Black Lotus is going to just put it in a sleeve!! All alpha/beta cards (and most unlimited) will all be graded. Now, the above was graded a 9, but I've also seen an 8 sell for that price! I'm not going to get into the whole alpha/beta/unlimited thing -- you're welcome to look into that. BUT, those sets published back in 1993, are the only actual Black Lotus cards most people are interested in -- AND those are the only Black Lotus cards that are tournament legal. In 2022 (30th anniversary) Wizards reprinted the Black Lotus as a proxy card, and again, that is not tournament legal. That said, even those cards have been selling for a few thousand dollars -- which in my mind is crazy! Anyway, so there you go, hope that helped

I LOVED the original Dragon's Dogma! It was just beautiful. It combined both Western and JRPG motifs and ideas in the best way. Fans have been clamoring for a sequel for ages, and Capcom has delivered! BUT, what did they deliver --

First, many "professional" reviewers LOVE the game -- it has "universal acclaim" -- an 86 on metacritic, okay great!

Oh, and it has a 50% on STEAM -- why? How can so many players be hating the game.

MICROTRANSACTIONS

When you pay $70 for a SINGLE-PLAYER game, you're absolutely not interested in paying another $3 so you can effin' fast travel!!

Sure, to be fair, you can find these items in the game. But the mere fact that Capcom has microtransactions is more than enough for many players, and I can't blame anybody. By the way, if you read discussions, the game had far more negative STEAM etc. reviews than it currently has, which has had some people speculating that STEAM etc are either playing with numbers (hey more negative reviews means less people are going to purchase the game) or something else is going on -- but again, that's speculation right now. Regardless, I don't purchase games with shitty microtransactions. So disappointing, and I hope Capcom is hit in the only place which matters for such corporations, right in the revenue. Apparently I need to wait for Baldur's Gate III before playing the next truly wonderful AAA RPG.

5 minutes ago, Tabonga said:

Tulipmania is alive and well!

At least the buyer got free shipping.

*Munches on an onion I found lying around - at least I think it is an onion of some sort.*

I honestly don't feel video games are a speculative bubble what will burst. I'm old enough to remember when people were saying the same thing about a Black Lotus from Magic -- "$400! that's crazy, just wait, it's bound to come down" It never did of course, with today's median price for a used copy being $20k

You could say "that's crazy! that's only for the rich" -- and by analogy, clearly only someone rich is going to spend $90k+ on a video game -- as @Hammerfestus noted that's orders of magnitude more than pretty much any of us can spend on a game. However, my point is that these games are iconic. They will only appreciate in value. If I had won the lottery I'd also be purchasing these games, getting them graded, and keeping them in a vault as investment.

As for discussion on NES games, well there's certainly some, but considering the NES officially ended in 1995 and considering the price of games is skyrocketing it's only natural there's going to be lots of talk about value. I don't see anything wrong with that. All that said, as much as I love retro gaming (I think by far the best system for that is the Evercade), I also enjoy new games and there are plenty of discussions regarding say how great that new PS5 game is, or why that indie game could have been better... I think it's the nature of things

43 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

This perplexes me. I genuinely have no clue why this would hold such a premium and to who(m). And raw?? Makes 0 sense to my plebian mind. 

Castlevania is of course one of the grandfathers of modern gaming, so I'm not surprised that a minty ungraded copy sold for that amount. I'm sure whomever purchased it will immediately send it for grading and then put it in some collection or bank vault. It's only going to appreciate in value.

47 minutes ago, Hammerfestus said:

I miss when conversations about NES games were about NWCs and hidden gems and whether Samson or Dino peak are actually rarer.

Totally see where you're coming from. The days of conversations regarding hidden gems is still here, just not when it comes to classic systems like NES, SNES, etc. Classic video games are now the hottest collectible, and they are following the same trajectory as baseball cards and comic books from decades ago. As much as we might be "shocked" at prices now, a few more decades and people will fondly look back at a time when you could purchase a minty graded NES game for "only a few hundred dollars".

Alright, who here at VGS purchased this??

https://www.euronews.com/2024/03/21/russia-preparing-for-wider-conflict-with-nato-sooner-than-expected-says-report

Russia is preparing for a large-scale conventional conflict with NATO, according to the Institute for the Study of War, based on an analysis of several Russian financial, economic, and military indicators. The think tank explains that while any such conflict won’t happen imminently, Russia is likely planning on a shorter timeline than some Western analysts have previously posited. The Russian military is undertaking structural reforms to simultaneously support the war in Ukraine while expanding its conventional capabilities in preparation for a potential future conflict with NATO. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has outlined several ongoing efforts to bolster Russia’s conventional military capabilities, claiming that the Russian military plans to form two combined arms armies and 14 divisions, and 16 brigades by the end of 2024. However, ISW's assessment is that Russia currently lacks the manpower, military infrastructure, and training capacity to properly staff the divisions and formations it will need in the short to medium term.

Most analysts believe Russia is indeed looking to widen the conflict. While an average Joe or Jane may say "that's silly, why would they do that?" you can't apply logic to Putler or other fanatical egomaniacs! Studies show people like Putler truly believe they are invincible and that they have a divine purpose in life. They also don't care if what they causes the deaths of millions, to them, it's all part of the game.

2 hours ago, a3quit4s said:

Thanks to @fsped09 for the hookup on the 8bit Xmas boxes that I didn’t have. The aesthetics of this pleases me greatly!!

Beautiful --

Question, the people who make the 8-bit Xmas series are here on VGS is that right? I have a question I'd like to ask them, so if someone could put me in touch I would appreciate it, thanks

14 hours ago, DarkTone said:

I was MEANT to lose?! I thought it was like DS2 and had to keep running. This game is gonna give me more grey hairs 

4 hours ago, D~Funk said:

Its so good! I was pretty excited about it beforehand just cuz Atlus & Vanillaware but damn! Its like everything i wanted in a strategy rpg. Its like the whole world is an on going Advance Wars style battle. I hope strategy fans don't sleep so we get more of this! 

I'm watching my girlfriend play Fire Emblem Engage along side and that just feels so uninspired compared to Unicorn. As far as the art style an things. Haven't liked the direction Fire Emblem has taken with the last few entries. Feel like they were nailing it on 3ds then it just got goofy on Switch. More silly & cartoony anime style with a less serious tone. Im just not into it as much. Unicorn Overlord nails what i was wanting as far as style & tone... & gameplay & music & everything, lol

You're such an enabler

As a huge fan of the FE series, I can honesty say that Engage is a decent game and you get your money's worth for sure, it's a long campaign. BUT, it doesn't have the magic of say the original FE for the GBA, nor is it as exciting as Awakening, and certainly not the same beautiful story as my favorite FE -- Echoes.

7 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

 

(he's playing Bloodborne,not Dark Souls)

FROM games start to all blend together

7 hours ago, TDIRunner said:

..., and 300 disc CD player...

Wow! 300 discs in one CD player -- I honestly did not know such a thing exits

7 hours ago, DarkTone said:

I had to fight a werewolf with no weapons, because I have no idea where I'm going. This is the pace I'm going at haha. 

Sorry, ignore that, I was in Dark Souls land not Bloodborne

Sounds like you're at the start in Iosefka's Clinic. You're supposed to lose to the werewolf and then you end up in the Hunter's Dream where you choose a starting weapon, I recommend the saw cleaver but all the weapons are effective. You won't be able to level-up until you make it to the first boss. Honestly, you'll need to explore a bit, collect any blood vials etc but don't be upset if you die and lose your experience, because that will happen until you reach the first boss. The first boss will likely smash you, but again, afterwards you can level up! 

2 hours ago, TDIRunner said:

New LRG shipment. 

 

Cool! do you collect cassette soundtracks? I've heard rumors they're making a comeback...

On 3/19/2024 at 1:55 AM, DarkTone said:

Any tips? 

In general I think the first thing to focus on and level up is your endurance. Also, get the tail-weapon from the first dragon (hit it below the bridge). That weapon will go a long ways. Get magic and use it a lot. The Ornstein and Smough battle is the hardest battle in the game -- it has made many a rage-quit. But, you're probably a ways off from that

On 3/19/2024 at 3:03 AM, D~Funk said:

Unicorn Overlord! Can't put it down!

I heard it's amazing. I've always been a fan of Vanillaware

1 hour ago, DarkTone said:

Bloodborne. Never played a From software game before. Heard this was good. 

It's fabulous, but also brutal. An "easy" From game to get into is Demon's Souls.

A student persuaded by his friend to get his legs amputated for a $1.3 million insurance scam wound up getting only $7,200 that he now has to return

https://www.yahoo.com/news/student-persuaded-friend-legs-amputated-071127189.html

The 23-year-old, identified only by his last name Zhang, plunged his feet in a bucket of dry ice for over 10 hours to get them so badly frostbitten that he would need a double amputation, the Taiwan Criminal Investigation Bureau said in a Thursday release. The bureau said a friend of Zhang's from high school, identified only as Liao, persuaded him to carry out the insurance scam.

"As Taiwan is a subtropical region, cases of severe frostbite requiring amputation are unheard of due to natural climatic conditions," the bureau said in a statement. Zhang's legs were amputated below the calf due to his frostbite injuries, but his case was reported to the authorities, per prosecutors.

4 hours ago, TDIRunner said:

Funny to think that if Kraid had just kept his mouth shut, Samus could have have never defeated the Space Pirates.  

It reminds me of Wart from SMB2.  The only thing that can kill him are vegetables, and he keeps a machine in his lair that generates and infinite amount of them.  I feel like if I were Wart, I would get rid of that machine.  I guess people do strange things in dreams.  

Well you know

On 3/16/2024 at 11:22 AM, MiamiSlice said:

Strictly Limited is out of their minds

When were the games originally scheduled to be released?

On 3/15/2024 at 11:16 PM, Hammerfestus said:

Are repro discs themselves convincing?

When I looked at the auction, the disc looked minty and authentic. I don't know if there's a clear way to tell if it's not an authentic PS1 disc without actually holding it in your hands, and even then I suppose it would depend on the quality of the repro.