Two Sundays ago was the semi-annual Durham Game Swap. I was approached by Flavio and the Sega Dude to sell with them at their table, but I’ve got nothing left that I want to part with except for a few old PS2 and XBox 360 games that no one wants… hell I’d give them away for free if someone can actually make any use out of them! I actually thought that some of the titles (Rachet & Clank series, etc.) were pretty good, but I can’t even get a song for them! Anyways I went to the show as a buyer and I’m glad I made the trip. Here’s my loot:
The two games on the left, Solomon’s Key, and Championship Pool are nothing special, but Flavio had them, and I didn’t. The former is actually a decent puzzle game and is the prequel to Fire N’ Ice… a much more expensive game! Day Dreamin Davey is one that I see a lot, but it is never at a price that I want to pay. I started talking to the dealer as he had a copy of Chip N, Dale 2 (In a past blog I stated that I owned all the Capcom games…. This was an error that I hope to correct some day) with a great price on it… I picked it up and immediately returned it after seeing the label damage… to me a damaged label means the game is less than worthless! Anyways when it came to buying the Davey game I offered him $20… he took a long time to come down from the $25 he had marked stating quite emphatically that he “usually” gets full price. Not from this guy pal! I’m trying to complete a collection here! And $20 is market value so big whoop!
The dealer was also trying to tell me that Aladdin was a USA released game, and that it was his favorite Disney title. He wasn’t impressed when I told him it never left Europe, as you can tell by the circular Nintendo Seal of Quality symbol. Am I wrong?! If I am then there’s yet again another game I need, and I probably owe the guy an apology for being so matter-of-factually.
Onto the next booth. I’ve been on the lookout for these two games but the price was always way too high. I asked the guy for fun what he would take for the both, and he said $200… I thought this was a pretty good price as the labels are in great shape. I must have been blind though for as you can see there is some writing on the Tomato cartridge: Normally I would have passed, but I must have been caught up in all the excitement of the deal! Does anyone know how to get permanent marker off plastic? I heard that Mr. Clean Magic Erasers don’t work as they discolour the NES shell?? I hope there is a fix because if there isn’t then I’ll need to buy a replacement/upgrade at some point as I just can’t have a game in this condition in my collection. Got to love OCD!
These games were purchased from Peter at P- Market Games in Belleville Ontario who was also had a dealer booth in Oshawa. He claimed that he was giving me a great deal… and while his prices have come down substantially since I last saw him (he previously had $300 on Sword Master), they were just at market value and while perhaps a deal at a store, I want more from a retro game show. Then again, as soon as I picked up Sword Master another dude swore under his breath as he was about to pick up the game. Hey man, I’m glad I have it, but the price tag at $200 for what most people consider a piece of plastic with a sticker on it is still pretty high…
Home of my NES collection!
… which brings me to my next point. When I got home and my wife took a look at what I had bought, and I had to promise her that we would pay off the mortgage before buying the top five most expensive NES games (Little Sampson, Flintstones 2, Panic Restaurant, Bonk’s Adventure, and Power Blade 2). I agreed to this as the mortgage interest rates are going higher, and our money would be better spent meaningfully on our investment. However what if I’m presented with a deal I can’t refuse?! This will be hard, but it may blow over if I can convince my wife that we will donate the “savings” to the World Wildlife Federation. In other words what I’m trying to say is that it will be a couple of years before I can attempt to complete the North American released NES collection.
Sqoon was actually purchased online from JJgames.com. They don’t often have any real deals, but for $75 US including shipping this was decent. Whenever I see it here it sells for around $130CAN which is above market price and thus I’m not sure how many copies sell. You should check them out from time to time as you may find a good price every year or so.
Well that brings the needed NES games down to a mere 27 (unless I’m wrong about Aladdin). While it doesn’t happen often anymore as I’m pretty much at the mercy of Flavio, the Retro Game Bros., and game shows for NES titles to add to my collection… there are occasions where it just seems to work out!
On to other business…
Cannabis leaf isolated on white
Unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand, you’re aware of Canada legalizing the use of marijuana, and as many of you know I’m not a fan of Doug Ford (Ontario’s Premiere). The other day it was released what the Provinces rules/laws were around the use of cannabis. Namely you can’t use it within a certain distance of a school, etc.. I was just wondering if Doug Ford followed his own rules when according to the Globe & Mail newspaper he was allegedly selling it to people in the 1980’s?! Hmmm.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones holds a pre-draft press conference in the scouting atrium at Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, Monday, April 22, 2013. (Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT)
Joe’s Grievances: Has anyone noticed that the Dallas Cowboys get way too much air time on nationally televised NFL games?! They are owned by this racist douche bag, Jerry Jones who at one point took a knee in support of his players in protest during the national anthem before a game… then later said that he would fine players for kneeling as it was disrespectful to the country when Trump declared it “unpatriotic” to kneel. It’s clear what side you are on dude… not mine! While we are on the topic of the Dallas Cowboys, what do we think of a team whose star running back is a wife beater, and horrible human being in Ezekiel Elliott… or Zeke as fans like to call him? It’s amazing what people are willing to put up with from a dude who can run a football a few extra yards!
SEGA Corner: Well they’ve finally done it! They have fixed the bug in Phantasy Star Generation 2 (a remake of Phantasy Star II) that made the game unplayable on the Play Station 2. I can’t wait to get my mitts on this game as this was the chapter that made me fall in love with the series. That being said it was the first chapter I played on my newly acquired Sega Genesis in the early 1990’s. Playing the original game on the Master System “Power” Converter was a massive bonus! Phantasy Star III sucked, but was made up for in part IV!
That’s all for now. Until next time,
Nintendo Joe
My Nintendo Dimension 