GRcade

As pointed out by people like Jim Sterling, publishers are focused on short term profit through 'live services', which can make loads of money then be turned off once the audience burns out/the next game is out. Given their recent push back against dmca safe harbour for museums to preserve games or allow for totally dead games to run private servers, games are now much more disposable.

I definitely see where you are coming from.

I still buy physical when I can, and while I do mourn the loss of manuals and I do dislike the day 1 patches stripping discs of content, I don't necessarily think that invalidates physical games as collector's items.

An interesting example is No Man's Sky, which I know you both enjoy as a game and dislike for shipping with an almost required day one patch that added a load of content and fixed a load of bugs. But think about it this way as a collector: No Man's Sky is playable straight off the disc without an internet connection, and in doing so you get to play a version of the game that you can no longer experience if you buy the game digitally. Sure it's buggy, broken, and missing content - it's basically an unfinished build. But imagine if you found a PS2 disc for a game that was pre-release and distinctly different from the final build. I think that would be quite a collector's item

Switch has been notable I think for all the physical games I have bought having no or very small day one patches. Being on catridges too I think they make for a great physical collection. Ittle Dew 2+ is my standout favourite from a physical perspective, as it has a full colour manual and some lovely boxart. I think I probably prefer the manual to the game itself!

Yeah I can see Switch consoles and games being far more collectible in the future than the big boy consoles, having these neat little cards just scratch that tangible itch that people have.

I understand too but I would point out it makes some games even more valuable to the collector such as eshop physical editions of Fast Racing Neo etc or the limited run of Shantae games for PS4 (6000 units) that hit my local indie revently for a very reasonable £20 each or so, so not necessarily expensive either.

My PS3 games all run offline as far as I'm aware so I would just avoid games with massive patches or always online or just generally not consider those games in the same way as yes they really are just licenses on a disk.

Accounting for taste kind of matters more making nice physical editions of great games more special.

I recently started playing Metroid Other M and could actually check the controls in the manual! Having said that the digital manuals are often very good on Nintendo at least and I believe they are stored on disk.

OrangeRakoon wrote:...An interesting example is No Man's Sky...

Definitely, dude - I bought the Collector's Edition of that (nice steelbook, a comic and an artbook) and I also have the download version .

OrangeRakoon wrote:...Ittle Dew 2+ is my standout favourite from a physical perspective, as it has a full colour manual and some lovely boxart...

Yeah, I do quite like the Switch cases and some publishers have made effort with them. I have The Binding of Isaac and that features lovely artwork and a full-colour manual; and I imported The End is Nigh from the USA as, again, that had nice artwork, a colour manual and a wee toy. Great stuff!

Just picked up a Banjo-Tooie cart.

Let's not talk about the price.

Don't look in the secret Santa thread

Can't wait for the N64 mini. So many 3d platformers to play that I never got round to and are now silly prices: Banjo Tooie, Conker, DK64...

Lor64 wrote:Just picked up a Banjo-Tooie cart.

Let's not talk about the price.

Cart only?

I got mine boxed near mint for £40 some years back

Saw a cart only im CEX today (where I bought a good condition boxed powerstone for £12)

Hyperion wrote:Can't wait for the N64 mini. So many 3d platformers to play that I never got round to and are now silly prices: Banjo Tooie, Conker, DK64...

I'm not sure if I'm falling into the "thatsthejoke.gif" trap... but it's pretty unlikely, Hypes, that we'll see any Rare games on an N64 mini. Of course, I'd love it if we did .

jawafour wrote:

Hyperion wrote:Can't wait for the N64 mini. So many 3d platformers to play that I never got round to and are now silly prices: Banjo Tooie, Conker, DK64...

I'm not sure if I'm falling into the "thatsthejoke.gif" trap... but it's pretty unlikely, Hypes, that we'll see any Rare games on an N64 mini. Of course, I'd love it if we did .

I'll be hacking them on to it jawa

Hyperion wrote:I'll be hacking them on to it jawa

I'm far too uncomfortable about hacking into consoles. I think I'm afraid that I'll bust 'em. Every couple of years I think about soft-modding one of my Xboxes but, after looking into it each time, I'm totally "Whoah! Nah, man!".

OrangeRakoon wrote:Cart only?

I got mine boxed near mint for £40 some years back

Saw a cart only im CEX today (where I bought a good condition boxed powerstone for £12)

Yeah, cart only.
My local CEX had one in stock for a while there, but it's gone now. It was £38.

I just looked on eBay there and it looks like boxed copies can go for around £40 now. I sort of feel like I should've waited a while and tried to get one of those instead...
Ah, well.

I got Pop'n Twinbee for the snes for £11 yesterday, really happy as it was one of the games I really wanted for my SNES review series

My games room has been coming along quite well recently. Got all my shelving in and all the consoles arranged. Just waiting on some posters I ordered to come so I can frame them and put them up.

I'll post some pics later on of what's there just now, but I think it's looking good.

I just grabbed Judge Dread for the SNES cart only for £8 another one grabbed to review, maybe I'll spend less when I finish these reviews.

I luckily found a copy of Auto Modellista for PS2 for £3 in CEX, in great condition too, and is one i'd been keeping an eye out for, as well as GTC Africa, a lesser-known rally game also on PS2 for 50p.

Isn't that the Namco racer that's cel-shaded or something?

Green Gecko wrote:Isn't that the Namco racer that's cel-shaded or something?

Close, Capcom.

This evening I went through loads of my ps2 racing game collection, there are a lot that are either derivative or I can get a similar experience on PC/newer hardware at higher resolution, so I'm going to add them to my sell pile; instead focusing on franchises I really like (GT, Burnout, Ridge Racer, Codemasters TOCA games) or games that are weird/unique like Auto Modellista, Stuntman, Tokyo Xtreme Racer or Maxxed Out Racing.

I've reserved a lovely actual grey NES for my birthday at the local indie for £54 ,and may even pick up boxed with super Mario bros and two controllers for £98. It would be my first 8 bit system (apart from Gameboy color).

They have Zelda, Mario Bros 3 (I tjink) and excitebike.

This would complete my partner's and my boxed Nintendo console collection (sans virtual boy and color the game 6...)

Anyone got thoughts/recommendations? Is it worth getting into?

I like the immediacy and short run playability of retro and cart games and don't have a problem with pixel graphics. But do enough games hold up today?

Here is my choice.





Alternatively there's a lot of good MD and SNES stuff including some titles I've never seen or heard of before and that won't be requiring a console. I like shmups and side scrolling action games. Most RPGs are shite and not into sport at all (except arcade racers). I also think top down and especially isometric ages pretty badly except for top down shooters.





SNES carts include Super Metroid £32, secret of evermore and some others

There's even a boxed Saturn for £75, but the price of the shooters I'd actually want to play

And some cracking N64 games, however I have quite a lot and they mostly age poorly imo (especially without RGB), I'm going back tomorrow after finishing off some t shirts to have a proper mooch.

I have a tiny PVM by the way, don't care about HDTV compatibility (although mine handles GC etc up pretty well). I just sit close so it's a very cosy and intimate experiential thing. Press A to jump/shoot

Looking forward to treating myself, I haven't just said to myself, "here's some notes, buy some games" in a very long time.