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2019 Game Collection Status

2019 was an interesting year for collecting.  I've reached the point in my collection where the bulk of things I want are expensive, so there were significantly less additions to it overall.  Not that another 270+ games is anything to scoff at, but compared to just shy of 400 in 2018, it's obvious my habits were dictated partly by the expense.

It's not that I can't afford more expensive games, but I certainly can't buy them in bulk like I do with cheap titles to flesh out my libraries.  Nevertheless, I picked up some significant titles, and I'm inching ever-closer to 3,000.  How close?  Read on and find out!

2018 Game Collection Status

Another year in the books, and what a year it was!  My collection grew leaps and bounds this year, with some absolutely huge gets due in part to the first road trip I've ever taken to a gaming convention.

After many years of trying to convince me, I was financially stable enough to head to Wisconsin with my best friend to attend the Midwest Gaming Classic.  I had always intended on doing a big write-up of the trip, but never got around to it, so I'll summarize some of the highlights:
    

• Disc Replay Runs.  On our way to Wisconsin, we hit up no less than 10 Disc Replay (or Disc Traders, as they are also known in other states) stores.  Some were chock full of exciting finds, and some were duds - namely the ones in Illinois - but the fun was in the thrill of the hunt.
• Meeting Jeff Lee, creator of Q*Bert, and Brian Colin, creator of Rampage.  Both are classic arcade games, but Rampage in particular is one of my favorite games of all-time, hands down.  Brian's distinctly cartoonish art style was used in other classics such as Kozmik Krooz'r, Xenophobe, Arch Rivals, and General Chaos on the Genesis.  Both signed prints for a small donation.
• Meeting Michael Mendheim, lead designer of Mutant Football League (and the original Genesis Mutant League games) and the voice of NBA Jam and MFL himself, Tim Kitzrow.  Both were extremely friendly, and kindly signed two posters.
• Meeting Philo Barnhart, a legendary animator whose work includes the Dragon's Lair and Space Ace laserdisc games (as well as providing the voice of the Red Queen in Dragon's Lair II), An American Tale, The Black Cauldron, The Little Mermaid, and my all-time favorite animated film, The Secret of NIMH.  I purchased two beautiful signed prints, including a pencil sketch of Dragon's Lair II's Alice in Wonderland sequence.
• Billy Mitchell in the house!  Fresh off the recent disqualification of his Donkey Kong world records, Mitchell made the rounds at MGC.  We first spotted him at dinner our first night there, talking to some folks directly behind us, his feathered mullet as luxurious as ever.  He was later spotted on Saturday in an all-white (save for his trademark American flag tie) get-up.  In spite of the bad case of Saturday Night Fever, I can only assume the outfit was a statement that the former record-holder was ah-ah-ah-ah stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
• The Giant Arcade and Pinball Hall.  Hundreds of beautiful pinball tables and classic arcade games, as well as some nifty new doodads such as Zen Pinball's all-digital pinball tables, all set to free play.  But the real draw for us was the historical section, where old consoles and computers were set up for play.  Everything you'd expect was there - the NES, Genesis, SNES, Turbografx 16, etc. - was represented, as were Japanese favorites such as the Famicom and Famicom Disk System (with Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic loaded, of course), the PC Engine (playing Castlevania: Rondo of Blood), the MSX, and the Sharp X68000 (again showcasing its own exclusive Castlevania game).  The obscure microcomputers were the real stars.  I knew about stuff like the ZX Spectrum and the Acorn, but there were dozens of little computers I didn't even know existed.  The one and only (quite literally) Nintendo PlayStation was also on display, though it was enclosed in a case and not playable.  It was a fascinating trip through gaming history.
• The Vendor Hall, of course!  Who goes to a video game convention and doesn't buy a bunch of games?!  I brought about $1,900 with me, telling myself there was no way I'd spend that much.  After spending about $600 across all the Disc Replays we hit on the way there, I figured there would be no way I could spend $1,300 at the convention.  Famous last words.  In my defense, it wasn't all games.  I bought a lot of artwork, ranging from awesome comic book style reimaginings of games from Rusty Shackles, to the aforementioned signed prints from Philo Barnhart, to some amazing shadowboxes from Artovision 3D, which hang proudly around my arcade cabinet.  Of course, the games weren't half bad either. 
  
  Among the titles I picked up between the stores and the vendor hall were King's Quest (Sega Master System), The Adventures of Batman & Robin (Genesis), Sparkster (Genesis), B.O.B. (Genesis), Gain Ground (Genesis), Chiki Chiki Boys (Genesis), Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (Genesis), Mega Turrican (Genesis), Prince of Persia (Genesis), Last Battle (Genesis), Dragon's Revenge (Genesis), EGG: Elemental Gimmick Gear (Dreamcast), Cyberbots (Saturn import), Space Ace (Sega CD), Loaded (Saturn), Grid Runner (Saturn), Night Warriors (Saturn, to replace my original copy ruined in the fire), Last Gladiators: Digital Pinball (Saturn), Rayman (Saturn), WipeOut (Saturn), Dark Legend (Saturn), Alone in the Dark: One Eyed Jack's Revenge (Saturn), X-Com: UFO Defense (PlayStation, longbox), Warhawk (PlayStation, longbox), Operation Thunderbolt (SNES), Dragon View (SNES), and on the final day Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES) for half what the same vendor was charging during peak hours.
  
  All told, it was a fantastic trip.  The only gripes were the lack of anything else near the hotel, including restaurants, and the awful snowstorm we got caught in on Sunday.  We decided to leave earlier than anticipated to beat the weather, but we still had to white-knuckle it for a few hours until we got further southeast. 

This year, we plan to attend Too Many Games in Philadelphia.  Cheesesteaks will be had, games will be bought, and my bank account will cry for mercy!

But I digress.  This is about 2018, and how my collection stands, so let's get to the breakdown, shall we?

ATARI 2600 VCS
Total Games: 75 (+5 from 2017)
Not a lot of additions for the ol' 2600, and most of them happened towards the end of the year when local shops had B1G1 or B2G1 deals running.  Millipede, Ice Hockey, and Donkey Kong, Jr. were among the games purchased.

Colecovision
Total Games: 9 (+8 from 2017)
You may recall I accidentally purchased the Coleco version of Frogger II, mistaking it for the 2600 cart, a few years ago.  Luckily, a Disc Replay near me had an excellent condition Colecovision console for sale for under $100, so I not only expanded my collection of consoles, but games for said console.  The CV is a nice machine, with much stronger graphical capabilities than the competing 2600, and with the adapter (sold separately, naturally), you can play almost all of your 2600 games on the Coleco!  Unfortunately, the controller really puts a damper on things with its stiff and unwieldy joystick, awkwardly placed buttons, and number pad.  Still, the ports of Donkey Kong and DK Jr. are much more faithful to the arcade, and additional games such as Cosmic Avenger, Gorf, Lady Bug (an excellent Pac-Man-esque game), Omega Race, Pepper II, and Zaxxon fill out my meager collection thus far.

Dreamcast
Total Games: 135 (+17 from 2017)
I've reached a critical point in my Dreamcast collection where there aren't many games left I still want, but they're mostly expensive.  I did flesh out the collection a bit with games like Carrier, Heavy Metal: Geomatrix, Spawn: In the Demon's Hand, Looney Tunes: Space Race, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Spider-Man, Star Wars Episode I: Racer, and Street Fighter III: Double Impact.

Famicom
Total Games: 1 (+1 from 2017)
I don't own a Famicom, per se, but I do own an adapter that lets me play Famicom games on my NES, and for now that'll do.  I do want to get an actual Famicom, but in the meantime the adapter allows me to enjoy games like Duck Tales 2, which sells for a fraction of the cost of the domestic release.

Game Boy/Game Boy Color
Total Games: 57 (+12 from 2017)
Not much particularly noteworthy, but I picked up the Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle trilogy, Kirby's Block Ball, the extraordinarily impressive GBC port of Dragon's Lair, and The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror. 

Game Boy Advance
Total Games: 34 (+2 from 2017)
I have no recollection of what I picked up for the GBA, so it must have been pretty unremarkable.

Game Gear
Total Games: 31 (+6 from 2017)
Not a bunch of additions, but one of the GG's best - Arena: Maze of Death - joined the collection, along with Batter Up, Captain America & The Avengers, Road Rash, Shinobi II: The Silent Fury, and Psychic World.

GameCube
Total Games: 38 (+2 from 2017)
Once again, not much of note.

Genesis
Total Games: 250 (+61 from 2017)
The biggest increase of any console in my collection.  My Genesis shelf is officially full, including a row of games on the top of the shelf, and is spilling over onto my Saturn shelf - which is also full.  In addition to the games mentioned above in the MGC trip, I added Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team, Bimini Run, Blades of Vengeance, Crack Down, DJ Boy, Double Dribble: The Playoff Edition, El Viento, Fatal Rewind, Garfield: Caught in the Act (don't sleep on this game - it's a really fun platformer), Generations Lost, Hardball '95 (the best baseball game on the Genny, for the record), Jewel Master, Lightening Force, some various cheap sports titles, OutRun, Saturday Night Slam Masters, Scooby Doo Mystery, Thunder Force III, Ristar, Turrican, Rolling Thunder 3, The Punisher and Splatterhouse 3 - to name a few.

Nintendo Entertainment System
Total Games: 217 (+13 from 2017)
Not a huge increase, but some excellent games were added like Adventures of Lolo 2, Baseball Stars II, Little Ninja Brothers, Rad Racer II, Kiwi Kraze (aka The New Zealand Story), and R.C. Pro-Am II!  I also picked up the semi-official US release of Holy Diver from CastleMania Games.  While it's not a licensed Nintendo product, it was produced with the full support of the game's developer, Irem, making it no different than the old Tengen NES carts, thus, worthy of inclusion.

Nintendo DS
Total Games: 16 (+1 from 2017)
Puzzle Quest 2, moving on...

Nintendo 3DS
Total Games: 24
I'll be frank and just say that my DS/3DS collection probably isn't going to grow very much anytime soon.  I recognize there's a large library of outstanding games, but I simply don't play handhelds that much anymore.

Nintendo 64
Total Games: 39 (+1 from 2017)
I have no idea what that one game even was.

Nintendo Switch
Total Games: 15 (+5 from 2017)
Things slowed down a bit for the Switch in 2018 after an outstanding first year, but that's not to say it's on the decline.  For all the "Nintendo is doomed!" naysayers on the internet, the reality is it had another very strong year, which saw several high profile releases and exclusive releases from Limited Run Games.  I actually sold my copies of DOOM and Skyrim, simply because I'm finally over the need to have everything portable, but I picked up Katamari Damacy Reroll, Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition (the fifth time I've purchased that game - Steam, PS4 digital, Xbox One digital and physical, and Switch physical), Octopath Traveler, Yomawari: The Long Night Chronicles, and a little game called Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

PC
Total Games: 193 (+41 from 2017)
There's just something about Big Box PC games.  They're so beautiful to look at, honestly, and they carry such a strong sense of nostalgia for me - walking into Babbage's or CompUSA and browsing the shelves.  The only problem with collecting them is space concerns.  I've filled two shelving units already, and no have no place for a third unless I begin moving games downstairs.  After the Great Flood of 2014 where a great deal of my games were water damaged, including some unsalvageable BBPC titles, I'm reticent to do that again.  Like last year, this was one of my primary focuses, and like last year I added some incredible titles to the collection: Outlaws, Day of the Tentacle, Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet and Prisoner of Ice, Half-Life (the original box, not GotY re-releases), Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith, Quake, The Chaos Engine, The 7th Guest and its sequel The 11th Hour, The Legend of Kyrandia: Fables & Fiends, the stunning LRG release of Thimbleweed Park, Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers, Thief (in the trapezoid box), Shivers II: Harvest of Souls, the original foldout release of StarFlight, and Rise of the Triad: Dark War for a meager $30 (in MINT condition, I might add) were among the goods.

PlayStation
Total Games: 172 (+33 from 2017)
Man I love the PS1.  As much as I tried to deny if when I was a stalwart Saturn support in the 90s, Sony's first console is a machine just overflowing with incredible games.  I snagged a few key titles this year such as The Adventures of Lomax, Grandia, Suikoden and it's even rarer sequel, Suikoden II, along with some cheap but fun classics like Need For Speed 3: Hot Pursuit, Namco Museum Volume 1 (in the original packaging), Rollcage: Stage 2, Gunfighter: The Legend of Jesse James (an outstanding lightgun game in the vein of Time Crisis, but set in the old west), and a few obscure titles like Elemental Gearbolt and Project Horned Owl.

PlayStation 2
Total Games: 137 (+21 from 2017)
Not a whole lot of amazing pickups, save one: Rule of Rose.  One of the PS2's more expensive games, I finally snagged a complete copy for under the average going rate (ironically, there was a copy on eBay that was already bid up more than I paid for buy it now price).  Not that everything else I purchased was trash.  Bloody Roar 4 isn't going to change the fighting game landscape, but it's a fun button masher, to my disbelief, I didn't own any of the original Devil May Cry titles, so I rectified that and bought all three, I found a copy of God Hand for a great price, I discovered EA Big's overlooked arcade racer SHOX, replaced my black label copy of Silent Hill 2 that I foolishly sold off when the Xbox port came out, and right before the end of the year I found a nice copy of Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil.

PlayStation 3
Total Games: 93 (+7 from 2017)
It's better than nothing, which is what I added last year.  Everything was cheap, common games such as inFamous 1 & 2, Midway Arcade Origins, The Sly Collection, and Folklore.

PlayStation 4
Total Games: 171 (+42 from 2017)
Again the PS4 continues to be a powerhouse with a wide array of excellent titles.  2018 saw three extremely high profile exclusives released - Quantic Dream's Detroit: Become Human, Insomniac's Spider-Man, and God of War, which convinced me I needed to own a PS4 Pro just to experience its beauty in 4K.  Not only was God of War my third favorite game of 2018, the top two also appeared on the PS4 - Motion Twin's addictive Roguevania Dead Cells, which was also released on other platforms, and the absolutely mindblowing Tetris Effect.  I cannot say enough about Tetris Effect for there simply are not enough words to express my love for it.  It's a game that puts me in a distinct state of rapture.  I feel elated and calm, even when the pace quickens.  The audio and visuals work together in such beautiful harmony that it puts the player in a state of near-euphoria, not unlike the game's Zone mechanic where everything else fades away and you're focused on the pulsating lights and slick beats.  In VR, the visuals surround you and draw you in deeper.  Tetris Effect is, in no uncertain terms, a perfect game.  But that's just a small taste of the greatness that awaited the PS4 in 2018: Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Moss both proved VR is about more than short, gimmicky (albeit, often enjoyable) first-person experiences.  The former is being heralded as VR's "Super Mario 64 moment," and that's not inaccurate.  For those who do enjoy the first-person immersion of VR, there was a port of Home Sweet Home, a terrifying Japanese horror adventure.  2018 also saw some oddball titles come to PS4.  Bendy and the Ink Machine is a flawed but dark and engaging first-person puzzle/action/horror title.  The visual novel detective story Death Mark saw a limited release in the West.  We got an awesome port of the critically acclaimed PC RPG Divinity: Original Sin 2 (also on Xbox One), as well as Dragon Quest XI, which many longtime fans have declared the best Dragon Quest ever.  There was a new Fire Pro game, as well as an extremely fun and over-the-top Fist of the North Star title.  Mega Man 11 proved Capcom still knows what makes a great Blue Bomber game, and helped erase the memory of creator Keiji Inafune's spiritual successor, Mighty No. 9.  Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom revived the long-dormant Wonder Boy franchise in superb fashion with an insanely gorgeous, fun, and challenging non-linear adventure.  The Yakuza series continued to grow with its sixth installment.  Those are all games released just this year and doesn't include past releases or Limited Run Games titles!

PlayStation Portable
Total Games: 4 (+1 from 2017)
I didn't pick up a PSP in 2018, but I did pick up Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins for when I do.

Saturn
Total Games: 131 (+22 from 2017)
Honestly, I'm shocked to see such a big increase.  The Saturn market continues to rise and games that were once $20-30 titles are now $50-80.  Only the most common of games remain extremely cheap, which is why I didn't realize I'd bought as many Saturn games as I did.  A good portion of them were already listed in the MGC pickups waaaaay above, but I do remember also picking up In The Hunt, Robo Pit, Three Dirty Dwarves, imports of X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Thunder Force V, as well as some common sports titles.

Sega 32X/32X CD
Total Games: 19 (+2 from 2017)
It's hard to believe there are even still a few games for this failed peripheral/system that I still needed, let alone on my wishlist still, but there you have it.  I picked up Shadow Squadron, and the 32X CD re-release of Night Trap holds the honor of being my 2,000th game.

Sega CD
Total Games: 57 (+5 from 2017)
In addition to Space Ace above, I added Cobra Command, Lords of Thunder, The Adventures of Willy Beamish, and Flink to the collection.

Sega Master System
Total Games: 37 (+4 from 2017)
Another slow year for the Master System: King's Quest, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Time Soldiers, and Gangster Town were the only new additions.

Super Nintendo
Total Games: 92 (+16 from 2017)
I'm happy to see prices for SNES games are on the decline.  I managed to snag a few awesome games.  On top of the MGC gets, I crossed Metal Warriors off the wishlist two days before the close of the year for significantly less than eBay prices (and yes, I checked, it's legit).  I also took a gamble on a copy of Ghoul Patrol, the semi-sequel to Zombies Ate My Neighbors, that was all the way in the Middle East but was a price too good to pass up.  Not only did it arrive super fast, it's 100% legit and works great!  Realm, Rock 'n Roll Racing, Super Batter Up, Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest, and the underrated Mary Shelley's Frankenstein movie tie-in helped round out some great additions.

Wii
Total Games: 35 (+6 from 2017)
Remember when we were all stoked on the Wii?  Now I'm mostly buying $3 tripe like Alien Syndrome.  I picked up Guilty Gear XX Accent Core while on vacation over the summer, and Phantom Brave: We Meet Again, but I'll be damned if I remember the other three.

Wii U
Total Games: 16
Always 16.  Now and forever, 16.  No more, no less, but only 16.

Xbox
Total Games: 167 (+13 from 2017)
Again, mostly cheap, unremarkable games including failed mascot Blinx: The Time Sweeper, but there were a few gems like Guilty Gear X2: #Reload, The House of the Dead III (with the Mad Catz Blaster), HeadHunter: Redemption, and NBA Street Vol. 3.

Xbox 360
Total Games: 73 (+17 from 2017)
Another instance where I was surprised I bought as many games as I did.  What those games were is mostly anybody's guess.  I do recall Captain America: Super Soldier, Full Auto, Namco Museum: Virtual Arcade, Project Sylpheed, Serious Sam Collection, and the infamous flop, Too Human.

Xbox One
Total Games: 32 (+32 from 2017)
The other new console added this year, the Xbox One X is a technological powerhouse, offering a true 4K experience with high dynamic range lighting, UHD blu-ray playback, and the innovative Game Pass service, which allows access to over 100 games across the entire Xbox family for just $10/month.  The X has become my go-to console for most multi-platform releases, as performance and visual fidelity is consistently the best in class.  To that end, I bought a handful of games over just to experience them in true 4K, but there were plenty of additional experiences I missed out on over the past few years that helped me flesh out the collection on the cheap.  I picked up both Assassin's Creed titles - Origins and Odyssey, Burnout Paradise Remastered, Destiny 2 (which was given out free by Best Buy with any game purchase), Diablo III: Eternal Collection, DOOM, Forza Horizon 2, 3, and 4, which is arguably the greatest racing game ever made and inarguably the most stunning to look at, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Killer Instinct, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, Mortal Kombat XL, Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition, Okami HD, Onrush, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rare Replay, Red Dead Redemption 2, Sega Genesis Classics, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Shenmue I & II, Shining Resonance Refrain, Sonic Mania Plus, SoulCalibur IV, Sunset Overdrive, Super Bomberman R: Shiny Edition, Tom Clancy's The Division, We Happy Few, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Complete Edition, and Yoku's Island Express. 

One last thing of note: 2018 also saw me get into the repro game.  I have no intention of buying reproductions of expensive but commercially available domestic releases, but as someone who enjoys playing on original hardware whenever possible, I did pick up a few translations and PAL-to-NTSC repros.  These are NOT included in my totals, because they were never commercially available in the US, and they are not official releases unlike imports, but if you're curious they include: Final Fantasy II (NES, English translated), Final Fantasy III (NES, English translated), HeroQuest (NES - unreleased prototype), Sweet Home (NES, English translated), Alien Soldier (Genesis, PAL conversion), Golden Axe III (Genesis, Japan-only), UndeadLine (Genesis, English translated), Monster World IV (Genesis, English translated), and Oh No! More Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES, fan-made sequel).

Total Games in Collection as of 12/31/2018: 2,370
Games Added in 2018: 396

2017 Game Collection Status

"And that about does it. What will the new year bring? We've already got a big release with Resident Evil VII: Biohazard in January! Will I crack 2,000 games in 2017? Will I get my ass in gear and finish more than 30 measly games in 365 days? Will I finally slay my white whale and get a copy of Snatcher for the Sega CD? Will I lose my job and have to sell my entire collection to make ends meet?"

Those were the questions I posed at the end of 2016, and with 2017 officially over, I can now definitively answer them:

No.
No.
Yes.
No.

All-in-all, I'd still call it a successful year.  I'm on the cusp of 2,000 games, I more than doubled my collection of Big Box PC Games, which was another goal I'd set for myself this year, and I did finally add my most coveted game to my collection. 

Truth be told, 2017 was filled with so many amazing games, I'll be glad for the typical winter lull.  There are so many games I bought, but didn't even have a chance to experience, and this will be the perfect time to check some of them out. 

For now, let's take a look at how the collection is shaping up.

Atari 2600 VCS
Total Games: 70
Not the best start, adding no games to my Atari lineup.

Colecovision
Total Games: 1
Things aren't looking so good out of the gate.  No new Coleco games either, mostly on account of me still now owning a system to play them on.

Dreamcast
Total Games: 118 (+19 from 2016)
Now we're on the right track!  Some heavy-hitters were added this year, including Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves, Fighting Vipers 2 (import), the original Marvel vs. Capcom (can't believe I didn't own that already), Resident Evil 2, The Typing of the Dead, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, and Cannon Spike.

Gameboy/Gameboy Color
Total Games: 45 (+10 from 2016)
I thought I'd added more Gameboy games, in all honesty, but apparently not.  The additions were pretty minor, mostly more arcade ports like Bubble Bobble, Dig Dug, Space Invaders, and Q*Bert, and a few cheap titles like Balloon Kid and Bubble Ghost.  The most notable games were Mega Man III, Ninja Gaiden Shadow, and Metal Gear Solid.

Gameboy Advance
Total Games: 32 (+10 from 2016)
Contrarily, I had no idea I added 10 more games to the GBA library this year, including the last minute addition of Bubble Bobble: Old & New for Christmas.  Other entries included Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls and Final Fantasy IV-V Advance.

Game Gear
Total Games: 25 (+25 from 2016)
One of two new systems I picked up this year was a Game Gear.  I had one of these beasts as a kid, and while the Master System offers many of the same games (via import), there are still a handful of GG exclusives that I missed playing.  The unit I bought had all its capacitors replaced, and a new screen installed, though the d-pad is a tad bit mushy.  Regardless, I'm really happy to own one again and my library is off to a roaring start with stuff like Ax Battler, Batman Returns, Chakan: The Forever Man, Donald Duck: The Lucky Dime Caper, Dragon Crystal, Land of Illusion, Legend of Illusion, Ninja Gaiden, Ristar, Shinobi, Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2, as well as Chaos and Triple Trouble, both Streets of Rage ports, Tempo Jr., Vampire: Master of Darkness, and all three X-Men games - plus a few more!

Gamecube
Total Games: 36 (+2 from 2016)
Very little added for the Cube this year, and to be frank, the only game I can remember getting was Luigi's Mansion for Christmas. 

Genesis
Total Games: 189 (+20 from 2016)
Most of my Genesis additions were also pretty minor or obscure games.  I picked up Batman: Revenge of the Joker and Battletoads, which to be honest aren't really much better than the NES versions.  Devilish and Dinosaurs for Hire were weird additions.  Alisia Dragoon, Dynamite Headdy, and Splatterhouse 2 were by far the most high profile (and expensive) games added to the library.

Nintendo Entertainment System
Total Games: 204 (+4 from 2016)
Truth be told, I'm largely done picking up NES games.  Sure, there are a handful I'd like to get, but a lot of them are prohibitively expensive and I can't see myself dropping that kind of cash on them.  Honestly, I don't even recall what they were, save the black label Donkey Kong, Jr. Arcade Classics Series cart.

Nintendo DS
Total Games: 15 (+2 from 2016)
Final Fantasy III and Hotel Dusk: Room 215.  Moving on.

Nintendo 3DS
Total Games: 24 (+4 from 2016)
This one should be easier to tell what I bought, seeing as how they're all still sealed on my shelf, unplayed, as all 3DS games end up.  Culdcept Revolt, two River City games (Rival Showdown and Tokyo Rumble), and of course, Metroid: Samus Returns, which I'd love to eventually get around to.

Nintendo 64
Total Games: 38 (+1 from 2016)
Another year, another single game added for my least favorite Nintendo console: Quake.

Nintendo Switch
Total Games: 10 (+10 from 2016)
The second new system of the year, the Nintendo Switch is quickly becoming one of my favorite Nintendo devices ever.  It's ironic that I rarely play my handheld systems, but I play the Switch almost exclusively in portable mode.  I absolutely love having the ability to get reasonably console-quality experiences when I'm laying on my couch.  On top of that, the Switch has had one of the best first year line-ups of any console I can remember thanks to some incredible first party games and strong third party support.  There are legit Game of the Year contenders like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, bold and innovative new IPs like ARMS, great indie titles like The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, the sprawling RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 2, puzzle games like Puyo Puyo Tetris and Super Bomberman R, a stunning port of Mario Kart 8, and technical marvels like DOOM and Skyrim - and there are still several games I didn't even pick up!

PC
Total Games: 152 (+89 from 2016)
One of the biggest increases overall, my Big Box PC Game collection is one of the pride and joys of my entire library.  I added some incredible stuff this year, including most of the original release AD&D Goldbox games from SSI (not the cheaper WizardWorks repackages), Planescape: Torment, the original Alone in the Dark, Archon Ultra, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, Beavis & Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity, Blade Runner, Clive Barker's Undying, Crusader: No Remorse, Deus Ex, the original Diablo and its expansion Hellfire, as well as Diablo II, Dragon's Lair and the sequels Escape from Singe's Castle and III: The Curse of Mordread, Duke Nukem 3D, The Elder Scrolls Chapter II: Daggerfall, F.E.A.R. (admittedly, a smaller big box), HeroQuest, Hexen and its expansion Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne, Leisure Suit Larry in the LAnd of the Lounge Lizards (VGA), Lode Runner: The Legend Returns, Night Trap (Limited Run Games 25th Anniversary release), Realms of the Haunting, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Ripper, Sanitarium, Space Quest I: Roger Wilco in The Sarien Encounter (VGA), Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II and Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (in the collector's tin, complete with lightsaber keychain), X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance, Stonekeep (in the original tombstone box), Syndicate, System Shock 2, Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss, Unreal Tournament, Waxworks, X-COM: UFO Defense and Terror from the Deep, X-Men: Madness in Murderworld and X-Men II: Fall of the Mutants.  Oh, I also replaced my missing ephemera (manuals, etc.) for my Fallout games, making them complete once more!

PlayStation
Total Games: 139 (+12 from 2016)
Nothing particularly noteworthy among the dozen games I added, save for maybe the original Twisted Metal in the longbox and the black label Crash Team Racing.  Other than that, it was mostly cheap stuff like O.D.T. or Cardinal Syn.

PlayStation 2
Total Games: 116 (+10 from 2016)
Um... so yeah, I added 10 forgettable games.  All I can recall are Escape from Monkey Island and Fire Pro Wrestling Returns which, in fairness, is one of the best wrestling games ever.

PlayStation 3
Total Games: 86
Wow.  This one surprised even me.  Not a single PS3 game added to the collection this year.  I was sure I'd picked up something cheap at some point, but I guess not.

PlayStation 4
Total Games: 129 (+60 from 2016)
The second largest leap in my collection - only behind PC games.  I said this last year, but the PS4 is the most I've enjoyed collecting for a system during its lifespan since the original Xbox.  There's something about this machine and the deluge of amazing games, ranging from AAA titles to indie darlings, that just blows me away.  Just look at the variety of some of the games I added: Axiom Verge, Battle Chasers: Nightwar, Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, Broken Age, Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviors, Dead Rising 4: Frank's Big Package, DiRT 4, DOOM VFR, Dragon Quest Heroes II, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, The Evil Within 2, Farpoint, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Firewatch, Gravity Rush 2, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Injustice 2, Inside/Limbo Double Pack, Jotun, Little Nightmares, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Mass Effect: Andromeda (I know, it's trash), Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, Nex Machina, Nier: Automata, Night Trap, Nioh, Okami HD, Outlast Trilogy, Oxenfree, Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition, Prey, Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, Redout: Lightspeed Edition, Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, Shadow Warrior 2, Skullgirls: 2nd Encore, Skyrim VR, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Torment: Tides of Numenera, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition, Windjammers, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, Yakuza Kiwami, Ys Origin and Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA, and both the Zero Escape physical releases. 

PlayStation Portable
Total Games: 3 (+3 from 2016)
OK, OK, so I don't have a PSP as yet...but I couldn't pass up The 3rd Birthday, Loco Roco 2, and Lumines when they were so cheap.  I'll replace the machine this year.

Saturn
Total Games: 109 (+8 from 2016)
Saturn collecting is mostly at a standstill thanks to the absurd prices of most games these days.  All 8 additions were cheap games like Darklight Conflict, Impact Racing, Mass Destruction, and Star Fighter.

Sega 32X/32X CD
Total Games: 17 (+2 from 2016)
Last year I mentioned the need to add Kolibri if I could find it cheap, and that's exactly what I did this year, along with Toughman Contest.

Sega CD
Total Games: 52 (+7 from 2016)
In the middle of the year, one of the local haunts got a huge lot of Sega CD games in with some real gems in it.  There were so many, I missed out on a handful because I simply couldn't afford everything in one shot, and by the time I returned, the other desirable games had been bought.  I did add Shadow of the Beast II, Wolfchild, and a little game called Snatcher to the collection.  Snatcher stands as the most I've ever paid for a single game, but it was totally worth it.

Sega Master System
Total Games: 33 (+1 from 2016)
Only one SMS game, but at least it's the excellent port of Bubble Bobble with 100 additional levels.

Super Nintendo
Total Games: 76 (+9 from 2016)
SNES games are also getting ridiculously expensive, but I still added some great stuff like The Death & Return of Superman, King of Dragons, Final Fantasy II, Magic Sword, and Ogre Battle!  It's also worth noting that I did pick up a SNES Classic.

Wii
Total Games: 29 (+3 from 2016)
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Returns, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, and Xenoblade Chronicles were the only new additions, but hey, those are all pretty cool games.

Wii U
Total Games: 16
Hahahahahahaha!

Xbox
Total Games: 154 (+17 from 2016)
Once again, mostly a lot of cheap and obscure stuff to flesh out the Xbox library.  Honestly, I'd be hard-pressed to remember any of it. 

Xbox 360
Total Games: 56 (+7 from 2016)
Like its predecessor, I honestly cannot remember what trifles I picked up for the 360 other than Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.

Total Games in Collection as of 12/31/2017: 1,974
Games Added in 2017: 335

And there we are.  I still have two more reviews to write for games I completed in 2017, but I'll save those for another day.  It's time to start the 2018 gaming & collecting season!  Play on!

2016 Game Collection Status

Well, we made it.  Barely.  Many of us crawled on our knees, gasping for air, and ended up collapsing on the finish line, but we made it through 2016.

The less time spent dwelling on the seemingly endless number of terrible things, celebrity deaths, and what have you, the better.  Let's focus on video games and escapism!

I added 271 games to my collection this year.  It would have been more, but I'm still waiting on the United States Postal Service to deliver a package I ordered near the beginning of December.  There were some real gems added, thanks in part to a new Disc Replay opening two miles from my house just before Christmas.  I crossed several individual system milestones - including 200 NES games and over 100 PS2 and Saturn games!

In the new year, I want to focus on expanding my collection of big box PC games.  There's something about the way those look that just brings me back to being a teenager and looking over the shelves at Babbage's and CompUSA.  Of course, I'll still be picking up new games and other retro classics as well, and with my new job that pays considerably better than my old one, the potential to snag some major titles that have been on my wishlist for a long time is pretty great. 

But for now, let's look at how my collection improved between 2015 and 2016!  Happy gaming, everyone!

Atari 2600 VCS
Total Games: 70 (+12 from 2015)
Not a huge improvement over last year, but I did finally replace my copy of Frogger II: Threedeep, and I recently picked up a copy of Kung Fu Master.  Now if only I could find Q*Bert's Qubes for under $100...

Colecovision
Total Games: 1 (+1 from 2015)
Fun fact: I do not own a Colecovision.  You see, Colecovision and Atari 2600 carts look nearly identical, so when I saw a copy of Frogger II: Threedeep at a Disc Replay store, I picked it up thinking it was a 2600 cart.  It wasn't.  Rather than return it or trade it in elsewhere, however, I decided to hold onto it as I would eventually like to own a Colecovision.  The improved graphics over the Atari are a bonus, and with the converter it can actually play 2600 carts anyway.  

Dreamcast
Total Games: 99 (+32 from 2015)
I made some big strides in my DC collection this year.  Most of the games were semi-common, but I did pick up some real awesome titles such as Bomberman Online (still sealed - though I have since opened it so I can, you know, PLAY it), Daytona USA 2001, Deep Fighter, MDK2, Record of Lodoss War, Spider-Man, as well as some killer imports including HeadHunter, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service, and Samba de Amigo ver. 2000 with official maracas!

Gameboy/Gameboy Color
Total Games: 35 (+9 from 2015)
The OG Gameboy is one of my favorite systems to collect for.  My collection is small, but I just love the thing to death.  This is another system I want to focus on this year.  One thing is does incredibly well is enhanced ports of classic arcade games such as Burger Time Deluxe and Mr. Do!, both of which I added this year.  I also added a couple of Triple A titles in the form of Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Final Fantasy Adventure, and Mega Man!

Gameboy Advance
Total Games: 22 (+3 from 2015)
Not much to say about the GBA this year.  The three games I added were all top notch, at least: Shining Soul, Double Dragon Advance, and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow!

Gamecube
Total Games: 34 (+1 from 2015)
So, yeah... I added Puyo Pop Fever.  Moving on...

Genesis
Total Games: 169 (+25 from 2015)
Still one of my favorite systems and favorite systems to collect for.  Snagging a CIB, very good condition copy of Beyond Oasis for $30 under the average price was a big get, as was a CIB copy of Mystical Fighter for only $30 (even if the game itself is average at best).  Most of the games I added weren't particularly mindblowing, but I'm happy nonetheless to have Mercs, Super Baseball 2020, Gods, and Syndicate in the collection.  More noteworthy were the additions of Steel Empire and Shadowrun!

Nintendo Entertainment System
Total Games: 200 (+15 from 2015)
The NES remains my other favorite console to collect for because of the sheer volume of excellent and inexpensive games available for it.  Take games like Heavy Barrel or Conquest of the Crystal Palace, both of which I added to the collection for $20 or less, for example.  Most of my additions were inexpensive, and also included arcade ports of Galaga, Arkanoid, and Q*Bert, but on the less common side I finally added Shadow of the Ninja to my collection - a game I always wanted.

Nintendo DS
Total Games: 13 (+5 from 2015)
Huh.  I didn't even realize I added that many games to my piddly DS library.  I love my 3DS, but I just don't play it as much as I should.  The DS port of Tetris, which I added this year, is one of the best editions of the game to ever come out.  I was super happy to get Bomberman DS and Dig Dug: Digging Strike for Christmas because I'm a sucker for both franchises.  Easily the best addition this year was the port of Chrono Trigger, one of the best RPGs of the 16-bit era which makes it one of the best RPGs ever.

Nintendo 3DS
Total Games: 20 (+5 from 2015)
Without question the biggest additions here were Fire Emblem: Awakening (I had a digital copy, but I finally added a physical version) and the extremely limited special edition of Fire Emblem: Fates.  The Sega 3D Classics Collection is a nice little compilation with some excellent enhanced arcade ports, while River City: Tokyo Rumble is a great old school throwback beat 'em up.

Nintendo 64
Total Games: 37 (+1 from 2015)
I'm not a big fan of the Nintendo 64 fog machine, but I am a big fan of the only game I bought for it this year: Starfox 64.

PC
Total Games: 63 (+9 from 2015)
Dem big boxes doe!  I finally added a complete copy of Conquests of the Longbow from Sierra, and the physical definitive edition of Ori & the Blind Forest, my favorite game from last year, was certainly a welcome addition.  Imagine my surprise to walk into a comic book store and find complete copies of Icewind Dale I & II sitting there as well!  With only hours to spare before 2017, I snagged a complete collector's edition of Star Wars: The Old Republic as well, which appeared to have never been opened! 

PlayStation
Total Games: 127 (+19 from 2016)
Another favorite console to collect for.  There's just something about the startup screen for the PS1 that gives me goosebumps.  It doesn't hurt that it's one of the best consoles of all-time and, like the NES, you can expand your collection relatively inexpensively.  I picked up fun titles like Bomberman Party (my third Bomberman game of the year), Croc 1 & 2, Descent Maximum, Doom: Custom PlayStation Edition, Final Doom, NHL Open Ice, PO'ed, Rage Racer, Rollcage, Tobal No. 1, for between $10-$20 a piece.  Add in some classics like Crash Bandicoot (black label, which finally completes my PS1 trilogy - for $25!), Destruction Derby (in the longbox), Breath of Fire III, Einhander, and Brave Fencer Musashi, and my PS1 collection is one of my favorites for any system I own.

PlayStation 2
Total Games: 106 (+8 from 2015)
Not a whole lot of PS2 additions this year, and certainly nothing particularly memorable as evidenced by the fact that I can hardly remember what they were.  Taito Legends 2, the mediocre Street Fighter EX3, and Crimson Sea 2 (which just arrived two days ago) are all I can recall.

PlayStation 3
Total Games: 86 (+15 from 2015)
The PS3 was such a late-bloomer.  Early on, I practically ignored the thing, and while I still prefer the Xbox 360, the PS3 has its fair share of terrific games.  In spite of the questionably "remastered" Ezio Trilogy being released for the PS4 and Xbox One this year, I picked up all three original Assassin's Creed Ezio games (ACII, Brotherhood, and Revelations, which also includes a digital copy of the first game in the franchise) for under $15 total.  I finally found a copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut, both X-COM games for dirt cheap, the most excellent Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, and most notably, The King of Fighters XIII.

PlayStation 4
Total Games: 69 (+41 from 2015)
Not since the original Xbox have I enjoyed collecting for a current gen console as much as I do the PS4.  With the addition of PSVR, and a steady stream of excellent, inexpensive indie releases from the fine folks at Limited Run Games, my love for this machine grows.  I picked up both Atari Flashback Classics discs, because I'm a sucker for companies repackaging my childhood and selling it back to me, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Legacy Edition, the Dead Rising re-release, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, DOOM (one of the best games of 2016, for the record), Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour (see: repackaged childhood), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, Gravity Rush Remastered, Guilty Gear Xrd - REVELATOR - (the best fighting game of 2016, hands down), The King of Fighters XIV (the second best fighter of 2016), after more than ten years of waiting, The Last Guardian is finally in my possession (collector's edition, naturally), Marvel Pinball: Epic Collection Volume 1, Odin Sphere: Leifthraiser, Ratchet & Clank, the Resident Evil 4 remaster, REZ Infinite (after numerous delays from iam8bit), Rise of the Tomb Raider, the physical release of Rocket League, Shadow Complex, three Shantae games (two of them courtesy of LRG), Song of the Deep, Star Wars: Battlefront Ultimate Edition, Street Fighter V, Tales From The Borderlands, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (the best game of the year), Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Wasteland 2, and XCOM 2.  And that's not even everything!  I spent more time playing my PS4 this year than any other console by far.

Saturn
Total Games: 101 (+5 from 2015)
Another favorite console to play and collect for, and another 2016 milestone.  I hit the 100 games mark with Marvel Super Heroes, and Gex made 101.  Unfortunately, Saturn prices seem to be on the rise all around, so 2017 may be a slow year.

Sega 32X/32X CD
Total Games: 15
The only system I added nothing for, largely because there's so little to add unless I can find a copy of Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure or Kolibri on the cheap.

Sega CD
Total Games: 45 (+7 from 2015)
I've said it before, but the Sega CD is such an underrated machine.  It has its faults, but there are some truly entertaining games for it.  Without question, the best game I added for my SCD library (and my collection in general) was Lunar: The Silver Star, but I was thrilled to get Dungeon Explorer, Dungeon Master II: Skullkeep, Prince of Persia, Revenge of the Ninja, and Road Rash as well. 

Sega Master System
Total Games: 32 (+4 from 2015)
Nothing particularly amazing added for the SMS, but Alien Syndrome and the Hang-On/Safari Hunt combo cart are still fun games.

Super Nintendo
Total Games: 67 (+14 from 2015)
Every SNES acquisition feels like a big get because the prices for carts continue to increase across the board.  Though 14 doesn't seem like a high number, I still made some big strides in my SNES collection this year.  I managed to grab Knights of the Round at Disc Replay's grand opening, and added games like Breath of Fire, Cybernator, Secret of Evermore, Shadowrun, Street Fighter II Turbo, Super Smash TV, The Adventures of Batman & Robin, and U.N. Squadron over the course of the year.  Now if I can just find a copy of Final Fantasy II that isn't beat to shit for a decent price...

Wii
Total Games: 26 (+4 from 2015)
Not a whole lot to say here, but I grabbed New Super Mario Bros. Wii from Disc Replay since they had one copy priced several dollars lower than every other copy, and I got the Wii version of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands as well, which is an entirely different game from the PS3/Xbox 360 versions.

Wii U
Total Games: 16 (+1 from 2015)
Nintendo officially discontinued the ill-fated Wii U this year.  It's easy to see why, considering the thick layer of dust that gathers on mine.  I did get Yoshi's Woolly World in a Best Buy sale though.

Xbox
Total Games: 137 (+11 from 2015)
I still love the original Xbox so damn much.  Most of my pickups were super cheap games like BlowOut, Burnout 2: Point of Impact Director's Cut, Voodoo Vince, and Dungeons & Dragons Heroes, but I did find Phantom Dust finally.

Xbox 360
Total Games: 49 (+24 from 2015)
My 360 library nearly doubled in size from last year.  There weren't any spectacular pickups, but hey, it's a respectable collection again after I made the decision to sell off my entire collection several years ago when I had a JTAG.  I re-added some faves like Borderlands, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Gears of War 2: Collector's Edition, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Project Gotham Racing 3 & 4, Shadows of the Damned, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

Total Games in Collection as of 12/31/2016: 1,639

And that about does it.  What will the new year bring?  We've already got a big release with Resident Evil VII: Biohazard in January!  Will I crack 2,000 games in 2017?  Will I get my ass in gear and finish more than 30 measly games in 365 days?  Will I finally slay my white whale and get a copy of Snatcher for the Sega CD?  Will I lose my job and have to sell my entire collection to make ends meet (editor's note: I will whore myself before I do that)?  Only time will tell.  Happy 2017, everybody!  And 2016, you can piss off.

Caring For Your Carts

Anyone who collects retrogames has undoubtedly popped a newly purchased old game into their favorite console only to be greeted by a blank screen or the dreaded blinking system light.  Most people will reinsert the cartridge once or twice, and when that fails, they'll resort to the trick they learned when they were kids: just blow into it.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU MONSTER?!  STOP DOING THAT!

"But it worked when I was a kid," you'll say.  Yes, but you were stupid when you were a kid.  We all were.  Now you're an adult, hopefully wiser, and not a goddamn savage. 

I'm not saying blowing into an old NES cart was a placebo.  It was often the trick to getting games to work.  The problem is why that trick worked.

You see, blowing into a cartridge basically coats the connectors with a thin layer of moisture as your breath reaches room temperature.  Since water, and indeed moisture, are conductive, it's conceivable that it helped transfer electricity from the cartridge slot in your console to the gold pins inside the cartridge.  Over time, however, that moisture will eventually corrode those same pins, making your beloved games look something like this:

When it comes to old games, years or dirt, dust, and moisture can render a cartridge unplayable, but that doesn't mean you have to throw out the cart and buy another.  There's an extremely simple and inexpensive fix that only takes a minute or two.

The first thing you'll need is a way to open the cartridge.  To prevent bootlegging, Nintendo and Sega both used special security screws in their cartridges.  Gamebit screwdrivers are your answer, and they're readily available on eBay, various game stores online, and your local game shop may even sell them too (mine does) for around $10 (or less).  Unfortunately, Nintendo and Sega did not use the same security screws, so you will need one of each gamebit if you want to properly clean all your carts.

It's also worth noting that unlicensed NES games used yet another different screw, this time with a star-shaped indentation.  Most modern PC repair kits should have a bit that will work to open these up, and you may even have one in your standard toolkit for your home.  The catch is that, at least for Tengen games, you'll have to pierce the label on the back of the cartridge to access a screw.  If you're really anal about the condition your carts are in, this may pose a problem.  Personally, I couldn't care less about the label on the back of a cart telling me not to open it.  Screw you, label!  It's my cart now and I'll open it if I want to! 

Anyhoo, once you separate the plastic casing, you'll probably be surprised to see the PCB (printed circuit board) is smaller than you expected.  For NES games, it's probably one-quarter the size of the cartridge housing itself, which makes me wonder why Nintendo of America wasted so much plastic when the original Japanese Famicom carts were closer to the size of a cassette tape.  Regardless, remove the PCB and get yourself one of these:

Yes, that is an eraser.  Sorry, you can't enlarge the picture, but why would you want to?  It's a friggin' eraser.  You can find them in art shops, your local CVS or Rite Aid, Target, Wal-Mart, probably that one aisle in your grocery store, and numerous other places.

Take your eraser and scrub it over the gold contacts on the board.  There's no need to be too gentle.  It may look like a delicate piece of electronics, but PCBs are very resilient.  Just try to hold it around the edges to avoid bending any diodes.  With some good scrubbing, you should see the dirt and years of accumulated grime wipe away, and the eraser shavings are easily cleaned up. 

Next, you'll need a bottle of isopropyl alcohol.  Most drug and department stores sell this, and you want the highest concentration possible.  Anything over 90% should do fine, but if you want the best stuff, you can find 99% on Amazon.  The higher the concentration, the less water is in the mixture and the quicker it will evaporate, leaving no residue unlike your filthy breath and spittle from your mouth.

Dip a Q-tip into the bottle and scrub both sides of the contacts with it to clear off any excess shavings and any remaining dirt.  Use the other side to help wipe away excess alcohol, though it will likely dry almost instantaneously after application. 

By the time you're done, which probably took all of one minute or two at the most, your cart should now look like this:

Put the PCB back in the housing, screw it shut, and pop it into your system.  I've yet to purchase a single cart that hasn't been made like new again through these simple techniques.  I've seen some other people recommend Brasso, which is a polish, but it's also quite abrasive and can strip the pins of their gold coating so I wouldn't recommend it personally. 

You can also apply these techniques to most carts inside their housing if you don't have a gamebit, but why wouldn't you just buy one?  They're like $10 each.  Don't be a cheapskate.  If you're spending money on old video games and consoles, you can afford to make a small investment to keep them working.  The other benefit is you can verify the game you just bought is genuine by opening it up.  Pirated games are easy to spot with a cursory glance at the board and almost no prior knowledge.  They're really obvious, and you'll want to make sure that copy of Little Samson you found on Craigslist for $200 is real (ProTip: if you only paid $200, it probably isn't). 

The moral of the story is DO NOT blow into your cartridges.  Treat them with the tender love and care they deserve so future generations can hopefully enjoy them too.

The Thrill of the Hunt

One of the most exciting things about collecting anything is scoring a great deal.  Whether you're into records, comic books, video games, sports cards, or whatever, there's an indescribable rush when you walk into a store and find something you need at an amazing price. 

Don't get me wrong, I've ordered a large chunk of my collection online, and I don't regret it.  In truth, it was a stroke of genius on my part because I purposefully ordered a lot of the more expensive games in my collection several years ago before the prices skyrocketed.  Even most of my common games have gone up in value, but some of them have doubled or even tripled in value.  Coming home to a mailbox full of packages, and once an large plastic US mail bin, is always fun but there's no comparison to finding a bargain in the wild.  Your hands shake and your mind races, thinking of how you'd better grab it before someone else sees it or the store realizes the value of what they have.

One of the catalysts to my collecting occurred three years ago when I walked into a Salvation Army and found a handful of Dreamcast games at unbelievable prices.  There were a few common sports titles, but for $5 each I snagged Rayman 2: The Great Escape (one of my favorite DC games all around), both Sonic Adventures, both Crazy Taxis, Tennis 2K2, and Grandia II - all complete and in excellent shape.  Less than 24 hours earlier I had a complete copy of Grandia II in my Amazon shopping cart for $36, but something told me not to pull the trigger.  You can imagine how thrilled I was when I stumbled across the same game for $31 less than I had almost paid.

Then there's the story of my Saturn Bomberman exchange, not to mention several other great Dreamcast deals from various Disc Replay locations.  I picked up a complete copy of Power Stone 2 for $50 within the last year, and it regularly sells for nearly double that. 

Tonight I had dinner with my family at a local burger joint which is next door to one of the oldest local independent record stores.  We have a long history with this place.  Back in the day, it was the place to go for bootleg records, and as luck would have it the owner was a fan of the same artists we were and would often give us the hook up.  They were also one of the first places in the area that I can recall selling secondhand NES carts.  Every week I'd return with my $20 allowance and pick up two $8 carts ($10 with the manual).  We were in there so often, the owner used to let me into their employee's only lounge to test games I was considering buying.  I still remember picking up my copy of Shining Force CD here for $30 in my teens - the same copy I still have to this day.

Like most independent stores, times have gotten harder for our old haunt, but it's still standing and every once in a while I'll pop in for old time's sake.  Most often, their prices are right in line with eBay, if not slightly more.  I expected to walk out with nothing, but luck was with me tonight as I scanned their cabinet of Genesis cartridges and spied a complete copy of Mystical Fighter.  A quick glimpse at my phone and my suspicions were confirmed - they were selling it for a fraction of its value.

There were two cartridge-only copies on Amazon for more than the store was charging, and the only complete copy being sold on eBay (in the US) is selling for $93, yet here it was in the case for $30.  Sure, it had some Blockbuster Video stickers on the cart and the case, but those are easily removed with some Goo Gone, and the copy on eBay's manual was missing the front and back cover.  Needless to say, the rush hit me and I couldn't pass that up.

I'm not one of those elitist collectors who scoffs at those who buy their games online.  How anybody chooses to spend their money and build their collection is their business.  That said, there really is something special about walking into a store and picking games off the racks, even if they're at standard prices, and moments like tonight are definitely high points.

2015 Game Collection Status

As 2015 draws to a close, it's time to look over my ever-expanding game collection.

When it comes to collecting, I have a fairly unique mindset.  I'm not going to complete sets.  My drive isn't to collect every game that has ever been released for any and all systems.  I seek only to buy games that I have some kind of connection to or that look fun.  While looking over my collection the other night, I can honestly say there is only one game among the entire thing that I had never played or even heard of before I started collecting in earnest. 

Every other game is something I played in my youth.  Maybe I owned it.  Maybe I swapped games with a friend.  Maybe I rented it.  Maybe I played it on an emulator.  Obviously there are games I bought on launch day that I couldn't reasonably have played, but I had followed their development and had a general idea of what they were. 

My collection is very personal.  Even the truly bad games have some kind of meaning to me.  Deadly Towers was the first game I ever rented, being the only one still left on the shelves after my local video store began renting NES games out.  Shaq Fu was given to me by an aunt who worked for a radio station that was giving away copies as a promotion (now I understand why they were giving it away).  There's a reason I own just about everything in my collection.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the systems and games in my collection.  I'm going to list several highlights for each system - games that are either rare, valuable, or that I feel are simply must-haves (or sometimes all three). 

Atari 2600 VCS
Total Games: 58
Collection Highlights: Alien, Berzerk, Crystal Castles, Dark Chambers, Enduro, Mario Bros., MegaMania, Ms. Pac-Man, Pitfall!, Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, River Raid, Tac-Scan, Yars' Revenge

Dreamcast
Total Games: 67
Collection Highlights: Capcom vs. SNK, Crazy Taxi (1 & 2), D2, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, Grandia II, Guilty Gear X (Japanese Import), House of the Dead 2, Jet Grind Radio, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, Power Stone (1 & 2), Rayman 2: The Great Escape, Resident Evil CODE: Veronica, Shenmue, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram, Virtual Tennis

Gameboy/Gameboy Color
Total Games: 26
Collection Highlights: The Castlevania Adventure, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge, Donkey Kong, Final Fantasy Legend (I - III), Gargoyle's Quest, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, Metroid II: Return of Samus, Operation C, Super Mario Land (1 & 2)

Gameboy Advance
Total Games:19
Collection Highlights: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Gunstar Super Heroes, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Metroid Fusion, Metroid: Zero Mission, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Gamecube
Total Games: 33
Collection Highlights: Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, F-Zero GX, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, The Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Master Quest, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Metroid Prime (1 & 2), Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II Plus, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Zero, Skies of Arcadia Legends, Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II, Super Smash Bros. Melee, TimeSplitters 2

Genesis
Total Games: 144
Collection Highlights: Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse, Castlevania Bloodlines, Contra Hard Corps, Earthworm Jim (1 & 2), Fatal Fury 2, Flashback: The Quest for Identity, Gargoyles, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Gunstar Heroes, Landstalker: Treasure of King Nole, Master of Monsters, Mutant League Hockey, NHL '94, Phantasy Star (II - IV), The Revenge of Shinobi, Road Rash (1 - 3), Sagaia, Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Shining Force (I & II), Sonic the Hedgehog (I - III, and Knuckles), Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition, Streets of Rage (1 -3), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, ToeJam & Earl, Vectorman (1 & 2), X-Men (1 & 2), Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Nintendo Entertainment Systems
Total Games: 185
Collection Highlights: Archon, Balloon Fight, Batman, Bionic Commando, Blaster Master, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania (I - III), Contra, Deja Vu: A Nightmare Comes True, Double Dragon (I - III), Dragon Strike, Dragon Warrior (I - IV), Duck Tales, Final Fantasy, Gargoyle's Quest II: The Demon Darkness, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Kid Icarus, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., Mega Man (1 - 4), Metal Gear, Metroid, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, Ninja Gaiden (I - III), Popeye, Pro Wrestling, River City Ransom, Rygar, Shadowgate, Super C, Super Mario Bros. (1 - 3), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (I - III), Uninvited, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Nintendo DS
Total Games: 8
Collection Highlights: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Okamiden

Nintendo 3DS
Total Games: 15
Collection Highlights: Kid Icarus: Uprising, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Star Fox 64 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS

Nintendo 64
Total Games: 36
Collection Highlights: Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, Doom 64, Goldeneye 007, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (gold cart with lenticular label), The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (gold cart), Mace: The Dark Age, NFL Blitz, Perfect Dark, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Super Mario 64, WWF No Mercy

PC
Total Games: 54
Collection Highlights: Betrayal at Krondor, BioShock, BioShock Infinite, Blood, Borderlands 2, Dark Sun: Shattered Lands, Diablo II Battlechest, The Elder Scrolls Anthology, Eye of the Beholder (I & II), Fallout 3, Fallout Anthology, Prince Interactive, Laura Bow: The Dagger of Amon Ra, Phantasmagoria (1 & 2), Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (both EGA & VGA versions), Police Quest 2: The Vengeance, Quest for Glory (I - V, including EGA & VGA versions of 1), Star Wars: TIE Fighter Collector's CD-ROM

PlayStation
Total Games: 108
Collection Highlights: Alunda, Arc the Lad Collection, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Castlevania Chronicles, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (black label), Chrono Cross, Clock Tower, Diablo, Final Fantasy (VII - IX), Final Fantasy Anthology, Final Fantasy Chronicles, Final Fantasy Origins, Final Fantasy Tactics, G Darius, King's Field (I & II), Legend of Legaia, Loaded, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete, MediEvil (I & II), Mega Man Legends, Metal Gear Solid, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, Parasite Eve (I & II), Resident Evil: Director's Cut (original release, not DualShock version), Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Shadow Tower, Silent Hill, Strider 2, Xenogears

PlayStation 2
Total Games: 98
Collection Hightlights: Contra: Shattered Soldier, Dark Cloud 2, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, Fatal Frame III: The Tormented, Final Fantasy XII, ICO, Katamari Damacy, King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga, Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, Maximo vs. Army of Zin, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, Odin Sphere, Okami, Rez, Rogue Galaxy, Silent Hill 3, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Twisted Metal: Black, Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution

PlayStation 3
Total Games: 71
Collection Highlights: 3D Dot Game Heroes, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year Edition, Dead Space 2, Demon's Souls, Dragon's Crown, God of War Collection, God of War III, God of War: Origins Collection, Heavy Rain, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Mortal Kombat (2009), Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Portal 2, Puppeteer, The ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection; Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ultra Street Fighter IV, Uncharted (1 - 3)

PlayStation 4
Total Games: 28
Collection Highlights: Alien: Isolation, Bloodborne, Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition, Fallout 4, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, The Last of Us: Remastered, Mortal Kombat X, Shovel Knight

Saturn
Total Games: 96
Collection Highlights: Akumajou Dracula X: Gekka no Yasoukyoku (Japanese Import of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night), Burning Rangers, Darius Gaiden, Dark Savior, Die Hard Arcade, Dragon Force, Enemy Zero, Fighters Megamix, Guardian Heroes, Herc's Adventures, The House of the Dead, Lunacy, Magic Knight Rayearth, Mr. Bones, Mystaria: The Realms of Lore (later rereleased as Blazing Heroes), Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge, NiGHTS: Into Dreams (and the Christmas NiGHTS demo disc), Panzer Dragoon Saga, Saturn Bomberman, Shining Force III, Shining the Holy Ark, Shinobi Legions, Virtua Cop (1 & 2), Virtua Fighter 2, Virtual On: Cyber Troopers, X-Men: Children of the Atom

Sega 32X/32X CD
Total Games: 15
Collection Highlights: Blackthorne, Knuckles Chaotix, Mortal Kombat II, Star Wars Arcade

Sega CD
Total Games: 38
Collection Highlights: Dark Wizard, Eternal Champions: Challenge From The Dark Side, Final Fight CD, Heart of the Alien, Lunar II: Eternal Blue, Shining Force CD, Sonic CD, Vay

Sega Master System
Total Games: 28
Collection Highlights: Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse, Golvellius: Valley of Doom, Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse, Master of Darkness (EU import), Ninja Gaiden (EU import), Phantasy Star, Rampage, Rastan, Shinobi, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (EU import), Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos (EU import), Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap

Super Nintendo
Total Games: 53
Collection Highlights: Chrono Trigger, Contra III: The Alien Wars, Demon's Crest, Donkey Kong Country (1 & 2), EarthBound, F-Zero, Final Fantasy III, Final Fight 2, Killer Instinct, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Mega Man X, Nosferatu, Secret of Mana, Star Fox, Sunset Riders, Super Castlevania IV, Super Double Dragon, Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

Wii
Total Games: 22
Collection Highlights: Kirby's Epic Yarn, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Punch-Out!!, Super Mario All-Stars: 25th Anniversary Edition, Super Mario Galaxy (1 & 2), Super Paper Mario, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars

Wii U
Total Games: 15
Collection Highlights: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Mario Kart 8, New Super Luigi U, Super Mario 3D World, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xbox
Total Games: 126
Collection Highlights: Amped (1 & 2), Burnout 3: Takedown, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, Deathrow, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Game of the Year Edition, Fatal Frame (1 & 2), GunValkyrie, JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future, MechAssault (1 & 2), Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, Otogi (1 & 2), Panzer Dragoon Orta, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Project Gotham Racing (1 & 2), RalliSport Challenge (1 & 2), Shenmue II, Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams, Silent Hill 4: The Room, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Star Wars: Battlefront (I & II), Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (I & II), TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (1 -3)

Xbox 360
Total Games: 25
Collection Highlights: Alan Wake, Bioshock, Burnout Paradise, Burnout Revenge, Condemned: Criminal Origins, Dead Rising, F.E.A.R., Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Marvel Ultimate Alliance Gold, Mass Effect (1 - 3), The Orange Box,

Total Games in Collection as of 12/31/2015: 1,368

 

Pick-Ups: 8 August 2015

Hi.  It's been a while, hasn't it?  No, I haven't stopped playing or collecting games.  My old PC finally reached the end of its lifespan, and I have been spending a great deal of time getting my new Alienware Alpha up to speed, installing everything, etc.  I may eventually post a more comprehensive write-up of my experience with the Alpha in the future, but for now let's just say it's leaps and bounds better than my six-year-old PC.  It may not be capable of running the latest games at the highest possible settings, but that's what I have a PS4 for.  When it comes to emulation, this thing is awesome and I got an incredible deal on it - $150 off the retail price.

Speaking of incredible deals: Friday night my fellow collector texted me that one of our local haunts had gotten a copy of Saturn Bomberman in for $80.  Now that would have been a great price a year ago when I picked up my copy off eBay for $90 (which was still a bargain), but it's positively a steal now when the game regularly sells for over $200.  But if I already have it, what do I need with another copy?

Well, that copy I bought was practically ruined two weeks later when the Great Flood of 2014 hit.  Though the disc was still fully playable, the once pristine artwork and manual suffered severe water damage, as did plenty of other games.  While I wasn't happy about any of my games getting wet, I was especially bummed about Bomberman because it was one of the last rare, collectible Saturn games I had on my wishlist and I had just crossed it off!

Saturday morning I called the store right as they opened and asked them to hold their copy for me, gathered several items to trade in, including my water-damaged, aesthetically unpleasing copy of Saturn Bomberman, and headed to the store with my brother. 

I was prepared to take about $40 for my copy of the game, knowing it was in inferior condition to the one I was buying.  No matter how rare the game, condition is everything to a collector.  After what seemed like an eternity, the employee came back to me with his offer - $115.  For just my copy of Saturn Bomberman.  Wait, what?!  That was more than the pristine copy I was picking up!  They were PAYING ME to take a better quality copy of the same game! 

It seems they mis-priced their copy.  My guess is they meant to price it at $179.99, and a careless employee left off the 1.  Since the sticker was on the case and it was being held for me, the employee said they would sell it to me at that price.  Including my other trades, I ended up with over $200 in store credit!  As a result, I walked out with all of the following games:

How's that for a haul?  As if that weren't enough, one of the games was free thanks to the store's Buy 5, Get 1 policy, and I still have $53 and change in store credit!  That is, by far, the best deal I've ever gotten. 

$24.99 Super Punch-Out [SNES]$29.99 Mega Man X [SNES]
$3.99 Dark Rift [N64]
$10.99 Duke Nukem 64 [N64]
$6.99 FREE Perfect Dark Zero [N64]
$2.99 NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC [Dreamcast}
$9.99 Baku Baku [Saturn]
$79.99 Saturn Bomberman [Saturn]

Pick-Ups: 15 January 2015

You know that scene in Indecent Proposal where Demi Moore rolls around in a pile of cash?

I'm about to reenact that, but with video games.

That is all from today.  26 games.  Well over $300 worth of product.  I spent $45 in actual cash.

Today was the grand opening of a local Disc Replay.  There is already one semi-close to my work, but the new one is much closer to home for both me and my best friend, who is also a serious collector.  For weeks, we have been scouting out their stock, making our lists (and checking them twice), and trading in used electronics and ephemera to bank store credit.  Today was the big day that it all paid off.

We arrived about 15 minutes before the opening to discover there was an unexpectedly large line.  We expected maybe a handful of people, but we were gravely concerned when there were about 20 people.  What if they all wanted the same things we did?  Worse: what if they were scalpers?  Those of you who do not collect may not know this, but video games can be very lucrative.  This is especially true when the store you frequent sells things for well under current market value.

We stood in the cold for about 10 minutes before the doors opened and people hurriedly made their way to the glass cases where all the vintage games are.  NES, Super NES, Genesis, Nintendo 64, Gameboy, PlayStation, and Dreamcast games are all housed inside locked showcases.  The first few customers only grabbed one or two games each, and we thought our fears were unfounded until the customer right before us picked up every single Pokemon game in the store's inventory.  Yep.  A rat-bastard scalper. 

Thankfully, though he took a few of the minor games we had hoped to buy (with Street Fighter Alpha 3 on the Dreamcast being the only major loss), he mostly bought a bunch of crap.  I heard him telling another customer that he has his own collection, but he does sell doubles online.  Way to be a douchebag and prevent others from buying any of the THREE copies of Pokemon-whatever you bought, buddy.

Finally, it was my turn.  I was more than pleased to see nearly every game I had on my list was still available, including Mega Man 3 & 4 (NES), Gremlins 2 (NES), Astyanax (NES), the unlicensed Tengen version of Ms. Pac-Man (NES), the officially licensed versions of Gauntlet and RBI Baseball (NES - because Tengen carts are a bitch to open and clean), Road Rash 3 (Genesis), NHL '94 (Genesis), NBA Showdown '94 (Genesis), Sonic Spinball (Genesis), Columns III (Genesis), Pilotwings (SNES), Mortal Kombat Gold (Dreamcast), Jet Grind Radio (Dreamcast), Zombie Revenge (Dreamcast), Crazy Taxi 2 (Dreamcast), Mario Superstar Baseball (Gamecube), and both Star Wars: Battlefront games (Xbox).  Star Wars: Battlefront II is particularly noteworthy for it's low, low price of $16.99.  The Xbox versions of both Battlefront games are generally higher priced than their counterparts, with the second game selling for close to $50 (another local shop currently has it in stock for $46.95).  Just as they were closing the case, I happened to notice a copy of Marvel Super Heroes (PlayStation) for $12, so I snatched that as well.  It may be inferior to the Saturn port, but it sells for more than double that usually. 

Afterward, we headed out to the sister store near my work.  I didn't have any stored up credit there, but I did have a 20% off discount card, and an Ouya to trade.  They gave me $39 for the Ouya (not bad, considering I only paid $70), and with my 20% off I was able to snatch Super Mario Sunshine (Gamecube), Super Adventure Island (SNES), and oh, what's this?  A copy of Street Fighter Alpha 3 for the Dreamcast after all!  All told, I walked out with those three games for $5.91.

To cap the afternoon off, we stopped at my local haunt and I finished my day by picking up Robotica (Saturn) and Fantasy Zone (NES - another unlicensed Tengen cart). 

I couldn't be happier with my pick-ups.  All the Genesis games except NBA Showdown are missing the manuals, which is a slight bummer, but I can't complain too much about getting Road Rash 3 for $3.  All the disc-based games are complete-in-box, and obviously the NES and SNES carts are loose.  With today's additions, I am not sitting at 1,036 games.

Pick-Ups: 05 January 2015

Ahh, my first pick-ups of the new year!  Thanks to a $25 Visa gift card at work and a duplicate copy of a game I found lying around, I barely came out of pocket!

A nice little score, if I do say so myself. 

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is complete in box, with the manual and even the inserts.  I've never played this one, but Metroid Prime is a classic and I expect more of the same.

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is a sequel to the Sega Saturn classic NiGHTS: Into Dreams (and yes, proper spelling is NiGHTS).  As with most games that go a decade or more between sequels, the expectations ran higher than the game could ever possibly live up to, but it's not a bad game - especially not complete in box for $5!  This is the first Wii game I've bought since I sold my Xbox 360 and Wii collections several years ago, which financed my entire home theater setup.  I regret nothing, especially now that I see how cheap most of those games will be to replace.

Pac-In-Time is a spin-off with much more in common to the later 3D Pac-Man World games than the original arcade maze titles.  It's a side-scrolling platformer, and a decent one at that.  The SNES version is actually a completely original game, different from any other existing version (PC, Gameboy), though it still plays very similarly.

Lastly, Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast is an upgraded version of OutRun 2, the only official sequel to the arcade classic racer.  I own OutRun 2 on my Xbox, but Coast 2 Coast sells for near retail price on the same console, whereas it can be had for about $10 complete on the PS2.  It's a gorgeous game with addicting gameplay, great tunes (many of them rearranged versions of the original game's famous tracks), and a lot of extra content added to the core OutRun 2 experience.  This game was the basis for the HD  version, OutRun Online Arcade, which has sadly been delisted from both Xbox Live and PSN.

Today's pickups put me at 1,010 games, and in a little over a week I expect some big additions as I already have $120 in store credit at a local shop that's just about to hold their grand opening.

And now it's time to stop writing and start playing!