She’s Going Down!

I’ve just done a recalculation of my collection… and for all my wheel and dealing, I’m lucky if I broke even at today’s prices!

The above games are an example of what I overpaid/traded for.  Collectively I traded $850 dollars worth of merchandise for these three games… which was an exceptional deal at the time!  Now collectively, these three games sell for around $610… that’s a 29% decrease in price since two years ago.  This is the reason I’m holding off on selling a lung and kidney for games such as Little Sampson, etc.!  I’m like a water : camels compared to NES games : Nintendo Joe.  I can wait dude!

I was missing these guys, so picked them up at the last Barrie Game exchange for a total of $30.  Not the best deal, but I haven’t seen them very often.  Honestly these games blow, but as I said they have been very elusive to my collection.

Back in the day, a guy offered me a mint condition version of this game for $125. Clearly this game was meant only for rich people!  I thought he was out to lunch… am I really going to pay that much to fight bloody carrots?!  Nope, I was going to pay $250 for the experience 4 years later and this was actually a deal even at today’s prices!

Maybe I’m getting old, and am thinking about my retirement in 20 years, but these games are just so damn expensive, and are going down in value!  If only I had invested in Google and Amazon when their stock was low I could quit now!

NintendoJoe1985 and Ultimate_Megatron on Instagram:)

 

 

New Haul!

Last weekend, we went to the Barrie Game Exchange (my wife stayed in the car).  I was able to pick up two NES games that I needed for the collection

This title is the last of the “super cheap” games that I needed.  By super cheap I mean under $10.  Nothing remarkable.  I thought this might be like the board game Taboo which can be a lot of fun, but no this is a game of Tarot cards.  In fact the instructions say not to play this game if you are under 14, and not to take the advice given to you seriously… Nintendo’s way of covering it’s ass if you do something bad based on what the game told you to do.  The music is actually pretty good, but that’s where it stops.  I can see why this is an under $10 game, and can’t believe people actually bought this thing at full price back in the 1980’s.

The game play in Pugsley’s Scavenger Hunt actually isn’t the worst title out there, and this is a way better game than the earlier Addam’s Family.  The controls are actually a lot like Mickey Mouse and the Castle of Illusion on the Sega Genesis in that it’s a platformer where you jump and sit on enemies to dispatch them.  The weird thing is that there is hardly any music in this game, and that’s a major bummer!  Overall I’d give the game a 5/10.

Over all the show was worth the drive, but I don’t understand why dealers bring their very rare/expensive games if they don’t want to actually sell them?  I mean one dude had Little Samson at $1800?!  What moron would fork out that kind of cash?  I’m waiting on the advice of Pat the NES Punk who predicts the game should take a drastic dive in price.  Also this guy had Stadium Events (that wasn’t even for sale) whom said he was going to get graded first.  He valued the game at around $14,000US… I think he’s either extremely high, or that he’s REALLY proud of it! Pricecharting.com values it at under $2700 Canadian dollars, and my collectors app has it at just over $3300 for a good condition copy.  Even this is outrageous considering the same game can be bought with a different label for under $5!  Essentially you are paying for a sticker…. a rare sticker, but just a sticker!  The guy also said that there were only between 35 to 50 copies out there.  Weird how they keep coming up?!!  Every where I look online tells me that the low estimate is 2000 copies.  Oh ya, this guy was real proud of it!

SEGA Corner:  Coincidentally after buying Pugley’s Scavenger hunt on the NES and comparing it to Mickey Mouse, I ended up paying $40 for a complete copy of Castle of Illusion.  This game is awesome… great graphics, sound, and game play… just some good wholesome fun!  I remember back in the 1990’s when I bought it (at full price!) that the Sega Dude thought I was crazy.  Well the jokes on him as this was one of my favorite games on the Genesis!

Retro Game Bros. Score!

If you’ve been paying attention to this blog (and judging by my views, you haven’t), you’re aware of my two Instagram accounts @nintendojoe1985 for games, and @ultimate_megatron for my g1 Transformer collection.  Well the reason I finally signed up for an account came true the other day.  The Retro Game Bros. also have an account, and they showed a recent haul of NES games… one of which I needed!  We negotiated a price, and all that was left was for me to pick it up.

I actually think I’ve seen Die Hard in their store before when I first started collecting, but as it is a rare game and kind of sought after the price tag was probably too high.  I just wasn’t Die Hard material yet.  But honestly this game is in great shape, and I’m proud to have it in my collection…. sort of.  Let’s be honest, this is a terrible game!  The graphics aren’t much better than an Atari 2600 title.  It reminds me of Berserk except there’s a reason to be playing other than simply surviving.  The music and sound effects are awful and the game is really hard right from the moment you begin.  NES had a lot of great titles, but this one’s a turd!

I had missed this game in the Retro Game Bros. list, but saw it in the store and inquired as to the price.  The price tag on the game wasn’t theirs, but rather from the collector who bought it.  I sure as hell wasn’t paying that price!  Without any negotiation, I was offered a way more than fair price, and I’m a cheapskate!  The offer was better than anywhere I’ve seen including retro video game shows.  Thanks boys, you made my day!  My wife has finally started to respect me now that I own this title.  The best part is that this game isn’t a turd… in fact it is the complete opposite.  It’s very similar to the first Chip and Dale game… just an extension for those of us who loved the original.  Now here’s the thing.  Remember in a previous blog entry I had said that I had a complete Capcom NES library,… and then later on I realized I had made a mistake when I added Ducktales 2, and Snow Brothers I NOW had a complete collection…. well I forgot about this guy.  So now, for REAL-ZEE I have a complete Capcom NES collection.

This Sunday April 7th is going to be a great day.  There is a retro video game exchange in Barrie, as well as a retro toy show in Mississauga.  It will be a full day, and I’m really excited for it… even if it means I’ll miss a mortgage payment or two!

SEGA Corner:  The action at the Retro Game Bros. didn’t stop with the previously mentioned NES titles.  I’m also on the lookout for Sega Genesis games I remember playing with the Sega Dude back in high school.  However they not only need to be in great shape, but also complete which drives the price way up!  I was accused by a guy that “Nintendo Joe shouldn’t be looking at the Sega pile”.  He as a point, though that being said I do stray from time to time… it keeps my relationship with NES fresh, and in the end I always come home.  Nintendo and I have an “open relationship” and often invite other partners into our fun!  I’m not a big fan of beat ’em ups, but Golden Axe was actually a lot of fun.  I didn’t like the sequel as much as it was just more of the same with slightly better graphics.  Forgotten Worlds is a classic two player game that I actually played semi-recently and thought that it stood the test of time.  The false god you have to defeat is way cooler though than the final boss!

Until next time… hell maybe even after the game exchange next week!

Nintendo Joe

Almost Famous!

The title will make sense later.

Last weekend I traveled solo to the Barrie Game Exchange as this will likely be the last big convention before next fall.  That’s a huge drought, but it gives me time to save up some money to buy more games.

After being at so many of these shows, you start to recognize the same people (both dealers and customers) which is both good and bad.  You know the dealers who are willing to haggle, and those that expect to receive no less than top dollar Ebay sold listing prices for their wares.  The other customers is kind of fun as you get to catch up on how their personal collections are coming along.  Watching the people new to the hobby is kind of fun, but I have to bite my tongue and not tell them that this is almost the WORST time to get into collecting games… prices are crazy high!  I saw one guy trying to sell his good condition Little Sampson for $1700.  Good luck with the sale!  Another dude was selling a boxed copy of Phantasy Star IV on the Genesis for $150… it’s a great game, but not worth that much!  However who made me the expert; the price of games literally seems to fluctuate daily.  For example, you’ll remember I traded for the Snow Brothers for the NES a few weeks ago, and already the price guide is telling me it is going for an additional $70!  As I say, it is the wrong time to start collecting retro games, and pity those of us schmucks who are already in too deep!

Anyways, lets check out my loot from the Barrie Game Exchange:

That’s right… Greg Norman’s Golf Power is now mine… no big deal… no really it is no big deal!  Just another crappy sports game that I didn’t have.  In fact this is what I was looking for… any of the 30 remaining games that are not on my wish list.  The other 12 NES titles pretty much out of reach… for now.

These next two games are titles that I’ve passed over for the last six years, but have no idea why.  I’ve never played them before, but the price wasn’t usually too bad.  For whatever reason I decided that today was the day to pick them up.  Of course I didn’t pay sticker price, but I have to say that in order to keep my marriage intact.

These three games were not purchased at the show, but were picked up in the early years when I was still trying to define what exactly it was I going to start collecting.  Back then I bought everything that was cheap, but as my goal is to have a complete North American NES collection (minus Stadium Events) these games don’t really count.  They are unofficial and therefore have no business in my stash of games.  None of them are particularly valuable.  In fact I think the Adventures of Dizzy goes for a mere $19 in good condition (which my copy is not).  I’ll be lucky to get $10 for it.  Captain Comic is what I’ll probably get the most for listing it at $18 and taking $14.  Quattro Sports is pretty useless and isn’t worth really anything.  The only other games I have for sale are most of my PS2 and XBOX 360 games.  I’m keeping a few for the memories, but most of them have got to go immediately!

Okay, onto the big news.  I’m kind of a big deal now thanks to the Retro Game Bros..  They saw a slightly below average looking dude and decided to include a few seconds of me in one of their awesome YouTube videos.  It took place a few weeks ago at the Durham Video Game Swap, and I think this makes me a star!  They have about five or six videos that they’ve made and they are actually really well done.  I met their video editor/videographer a few times and he seems to be a really friendly guy… more importantly he does a fantastic job creating their videos!  Also, you know how some people just have it on camera… Matt and Evan are quite the personality and I recommend checking them out at retrogamebros.com

That’s all for now, so until next time….

Nintendo Joe

SEGA Corner:  There hasn’t been a lot of news on this recently because honestly there isn’t much I need for my small SEGA collection.  The few remaining games I need are the first Mickey Mouse game, Quack Shot, Gaires, and Air Diver on the Genesis.  As far as the Sega Master System is concerned I only need Fantasy Zone and Psycho Fox.  Thanks to the Sega Dude and a few lucky pickups I have managed to score the rest of the games that I have nostalgia for.

Barrie Game Exchange

Yesterday my wife and I went to the Barrie Game Exchange which is about an hour north of Toronto.  Perhaps I should clarify.  I went to the Barrie Game Exchange while my wife waited in the car (like most wives, she isn’t into games).  In fact, the only women I saw at the show was the significant other of the vendor.  I don’t recall seeing any women buyers, which is odd since the floor was literally covered with nothing but handsome and athletic studs!

Now it has been a while since i’ve found games, and i knew that i wasn’t going to get a steal from the vendors at this show.  I did however manage to score a few deals.  I use the word “deals” lightly as I paid nearly book value for a few items.

The first score of the day was Balloon Fight and a copy of Baten Kaitos… the later which I know nothing about, but the price was right and is a game that I’ll give a go to.  Balloon fight is a game that I’ve been looking for, but for what ever reason (probably price) haven’t picked up yet.  I offered the guy $40 for the pair and he agreed.  Now he did mention that Baten Kaitos was missing the bonus materials disc, but this is not important to me and I appreciate his honesty:)

The next purchase was for a copy of The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker.  I’ve been holding out on this game since the HD re-release on the Wii U looks mint, but again the price was right at $30.  I didn’t even bother haggling with the guy.  Again I know nothing about this game other than that it somehow fits into the Zelda franchise which is something I stopped trying to keep straight for a while now.  With all the splitting timelines, and games being released out of order makes it too confusing.  Fortunately I have yet to meet a Legend of Zelda game that I didn’t really enjoy so this was a good purchase.  The guy actually tracked me down at the event as the game was locked away in a cabinet (his wife had the key).

I can’t put my finger on it, but the next seller kind of rubbed me the wrong way.  It wasn’t anything he and his wife said or did, but I came away feeling like a bit of a sucker???!!  The  games I bought from this guy were The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (which is an amazing game!).  This copy came with the Zelda music CD which I’m looking forward to listening to.  I hope it has a mix of the dungeon music from the original game as I can’t get that piece out of my head.  So for $75 I purchased this title along with Prince of Persia and Spy Hunter for the NES

The final sale of the day was yet another Zelda title… this one being one that I already own, but not on my 3D hand held system.  I’ve had the Ocarina of Time on my N64 for quite a while now and although the game has had stellar reviews, I just don’t really like the system that much.  In fact of all my Nintendo consoles, I would put the N64 as my least favourite.  I had picked it up at Value Village for next to nothing years ago, so no big loss.  This version I will play as I just love my 3DS XL.  I beat the Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and loved it.  It shares a lot of similarities with A Link to the Past both in game play and content, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as both are extremely good games.  A Link Between Worlds obviously has better graphics, and the 3D element added a lot of fun.  This is why I didn’t mind shelling out $60 for the Ocarina of Time and a copy of Maniac Mansion for the NES.

Oh, and I also picked up a copy of Turok: Evolution, and Time Splitters 2 for the game cube at a garage sale the other day for $3.50 each.  Both are complete and are in excellent shape.  I’m not really that excited about these games as I’m not really into FPS, but I didn’t already own them and they were too cheap to pass up.

I went to a shop in a flea market just north of the city that has the most outrageous (almost insulting) prices yet.  He wanted $89 + tax for a copy of Act Raiser on the SNES!  The game normally goes for around $20.  I can understand a bit of a markup at a store, but this is insane!  At first I thought I heard him wrong (I HATE having to ask the price), but then he also had a crummy bass fishing game for the SNES for a whopping $43 + tax.  I hate to say it, but for this price I would happily sell off my collection and retire down in the Caribbean.  It’s too bad though because this guy had a lot of games that I needed.  At these prices however, I will not be coming back to his shop!

Sega Corner:  I’m on the lookout for another Phantasy Star cartage for the Sega Master System as the Sega Dude apparently has a made himself a copy of the game that has extended dialogue which isn’t too much for kids like the original release was.  Also the game has the FM sound put on it so that will be nice to hear.  Not that the original release was bad… Phantasy Star was perhaps the best game on the system or even of the time… I’m just saying it will be an added treat and will give me a reason to play the game again.   Anyways if I can find another copy of the game, he’ll transfer over the improvements.

See you next time:)

Nintendo Joe