Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Star Wars Collecting Revisited & Podcast


With the Force Awakens coming out in two days I was inspired to revist a post I made in May of 2013. In this post I put together a small checklist of Star Wars games from the 8 bit to the 64 bit era. While my list was good it was not enough, it also had some errors and omissions. The new checklist goes beyond 64bit and now covers the range of original NES to the current gen systems. As the Collector's Quest Podcast is now up and going strong we also decided to do an episode on Star Wars game collecting whcih you can find on SoundCloud or iTunes.

This checklist is not yet complete and still a work in progress. If you see any errors please let me know.


Star Wars Game Checklist (Work In Progress)

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Collector's Quest Returns



The Collector's Quest Podcast has returned after a 6 month hiatus, and things have changed.

1.The biggest change is that we have a new host, Bobby the former host had to leave for work reasons, the new host is Kat, she is an awesome collector and you can find her on Instagram at Katslevania.

2. The old links you had for SoundCloud and iTunes are no good. Please find and listen to the Podcast at https://soundcloud.com/collectors-quest. I hope to have us back at the old iTunes link soon, but if that doesn't work I will get everyone the new one.

3. The goal, originally the podcast was formatted in such a way that Bobby asked me a ton of question about collecting and I handed out tips and talked about what it is like to be collector. All of that was fine, but it was just my POV, we now have two collectors, so double the knowledge double the power, and to add to that we are bringing on other collectors as guests to share what they know as well. More Better

The goal of the show is still the same. We want to talk about collecting for multiple system and share our experience and thoughts, we want to chat about games, we want to have some fun talking about this think that is taking up our free time and money.



https://soundcloud.com/collectors-quest

As always, Thank you for reading and hopefully listening
~Johnny~

Instagram

Friday, May 29, 2015

An Update and a Contest, Win a Jigglypuff Amiibo

So I haven't post anything here in a bit and the podcast that was going pretty regular is MIA. Why? For good reasons, Bobby the host of Collector's Quest just graduated and got a sweet new job, which also means he has to move across many states. All of these awesome things happened to Bobby all at once, so we had to shelf the podcast until things settled down. For those who might be worried that him moving will end the podcast, do not fear, we actually live closer to each other now, so location is not the issue.

So What about me, why am I not posting? I am just the general sort of busy with work and life that is leaving me very little free time. I have been posting on Instagram though, so if you don't follow me there, you are missing out. Instagram has been great, it allows me to show cool little collection pieces in a bite size, on the move, no hassle, no involved reading fashion. I am really enjoy the format of Instagram, so much so that I am doing a giveaway, it is pretty easy and the time commitment is low.


GameOverJohnny.com Presents the #JigglyJohnny Contest
Win a new Jigglypuff Amiibo in three easy steps
1.       Follow me @Johnny_iucci
2.       Like this photo
3.       Repost this photo (on Instagram) with #JigglyJohnny and #Amiibo
A winner will be selected no later than June 14th or when I hit 500 followers

Thank you for Reading and look for new podcasts and posts soon.
~Johnny~

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Blockbuster World Video Game Championships 2 Cart for the Sega Genesis

It is not very often in the video game collecting world that you get to show off an item that is truly rare. A lot of supposed “Rare” games were sold by the thousands, tens of thousands, and in some cases hundreds of thousands. These games get called rare erroneously, or because they are rare in comparison to major titles that sold a million plus. Some people say rare when what they should say is expensive; this is common in video game collecting. Today's post is not about addressing the issue of “Rare vs. Expensive” or to put a spotlight on the false rarity claims volleyed back and forth by collectors. Today is a day to show off a real jewel. Today I proudly present The Blockbuster World Video Game Championships 2 cart for the Sega Genesis.


How This Landed In My Lap
The how is pretty straight forward, it was posted that it was for sale on the SegaAge.com forum. The forum post linked to a 10 Day Auction on eBay. The auction had a few things leaning in my favor, the seller was new and the item was in Canada, also during it's first run, no pictures of the board were taken and the label is not in the best shape. These factors kept interest in the auction low and doubt high. When the dust cleared I was the high bidder at $1631, but I didn't meet the reserve. I contacted the seller immediately and let him know I was still interested. My eBay message lead to a Skype call, where we discussed the price. We did not come to terms so the item was relisted on eBay. Something happened in the relisting though because the auction wasn't easy to find, for instance if you typed Blockbuster and Genesis on the US eBay site the auction didn't come up, at least not for me. The auction format had also been changed to BIN / BO with the price at $4000, it was lowered to $3500, and eventually $3000. After about two weeks an only a few offers the seller and I spoke again and came to terms at $1900. The Seller was Game Hoard a retro game shop in Ontario Canada. They do not have a full online presence yet but you can check them out on face book, the store looks great. Paul of Game Hoard was easy to work with and fair, and the transaction couldn't have gone smoother.

So is Your Genesis Collection Complete Now?
In the world of set collecting people are constantly trying to tell you what is necessary for a set, even if you specifically let them know the parameters and the rules you are following. This Cart is a competition cart with modified versions of NBA Jam Tournament and Judge Dredd on it, and was never sold or given away like it's Nintendo counter parts. Given that this cart was never sold, I do not count this as necessary for a complete Sega Genesis set. When I posted my complete Genesis set I had some people insist this cart was necessary, I didn't agree then and I still disagree now, owning it has not changed my mind. I consider this to be more of the Ruby or Emerald Weapon of the Genesis set,not necessary but an awesome bonus.

I am really happy I got the opportunity to add this to my collection, it is estimated that only 67 or so were made, and that most were destroyed because Acclaim, the maker of this cart, asked that all of them be sent back after the competition in 1995. Acclaim is said to have wanted the carts back so that they could repurpose the parts and or destroy them, both of those scenarios are horrifying. As of now the confirmed number of these carts known to be in collectors hands is 10 or less.

The story of the Blockbuster Video Game World Championships is pretty interesting and I really want to share it with you guys here, but instead I am going to talk about it on our next episode of Collector's Quest so please take a listen Episode 4 is up now and hopefully Episode 5 the Blockbuster one will be up by next week.

Full disclosure, I had originally written about 4 pages on the history of the Blockbuster Championships and compiled some really good info. I was going to post but I decided I had a few more pages I could write to expand its scope and also I wanted to do a bit more research before I posted it, but through a series of silly mistakes I saved over it. Like a true novice I didn't save any back ups. I am unsure if I will find the will and time to rewrite it.
Instagram
I am posting pretty frequently on Instagram (Johnny.Iucci) I find it a really good way to show off parts of my collection that don't warrant a whole post, and also to show the games I am currently buying.



Listen to Collector's Quest on iTunes or if you prefer you can find  us on SoundCloud

Thank You for Reading, Listening, Viewing
~Johnny~

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

News! New Domain Name, Instagram, and a Joke.

 A New Domain Name

Please do not worry, you can still expect the same level of infrequent post under the new domain name GameOverJohnny.com.  Essentially nothing has changed, I still use Blogger, and the blogger domain still works if you prefer it.

I am now on Instagram Johnny.iucci

Instagram




Two great games that go great together.


Thanks for Reading
~Johnny~

Monday, March 9, 2015

Collector's Quest - Episode 3 (Now on iTunes) Majora's Mask 3DS, Amiibos, and Failure. We talk about Nintendo Blunderous First Quarter


We are now on iTunes or if you prefer you can find us on SoundCloud

On episode 3 we talk about Nintendo's Majora's Mask special editions, Amiibos, and the general fail given to us by Nintendo for this first quarter of 2015.

Thank You For Listening
~Johnny~

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

How to Establish Collecting Goals for Nintendo, Sega, and all the Rest.

How to Establish Collecting Goals


If you take a look at this picture you will see 9 systems represented, it is the very definition of unfocused. If you look more carefully you can see the games tend to be skewed towards RPGS, but that seems like a pretty thin link. So what does the .Hack series for PS2 have to do with Bomberman for the TG16, or Spot for the Gameboy? The only thing that truly ties them together is that they were cheap, or at least a good deal. With good deals coming fewer and farther between it is very tough not to take any deals you find and take the consequences later.

I am not advocating against taking good deal and making trades with the extras, in fact that is a great way to keep your costs down and also meet other collectors. What I am saying is when you do wind up with a pile that looks like this consider what your collecting goals are. Early on in my collecting days I would have kept all of this, displayed some of it and boxed the rest until I "figured it out". Pretty much I would have been a hoarder, collecting does take discipline and if you are like me it is easy to get overwhelmed with gotta catch'em all mentality. Having clear goals will make your collecting life a lot easier as it will give you a path and keep you from recklessly buying games for the sake of buying games.

My recommendations for creating goals.

1. Decide what you want to collect and what type of collector you want to be. Long and long ago I wrote a post about types of collectors, check it out if you want suggestions, but don't feel limited by this list.

2. Figure out how much money you can reasonably set aside for collecting. Retro game collecting is expensive so be realistic with yourself.  Make sure the amount of money you can spend aligns with the type of collector you want to be.

3. Set a time table. Having a time table  keeps you moving steadily in one direction and helps you plan your purchases, but you don't need to be so tied to it that you feel you can't adjust.

4. Know how much space you have for collecting, knowing this will help you keep your goals realistic, if you have a 1 bedroom apartment maybe full sets aren't for you.

These four questions tie together to form a whole that is greater than the sum of their parts. Make sure that the answer to each question is in harmony with the next. If your answer to question one doesn't jive with question four the whole thing will break down. Once your answers for these four questions  are complimentary setting your goals should be realistic and easy to follow.

I know this post sounds like it shuns the idea of the hunt and the random good buy, but that isn't true. You can go off path and you shouldn't avoid good deals, if oppurtunity knocks be ready to answer the door, but  also be ready to adjust your goals accordingly. My goal in this post is to give you some tips to avoid buying games just because and cluttering up your house. I see a lot of new collectors get overwhelmed, blow all of their money and in the end wind up with a subpar collection.

Addressing the picture at the top of this post.

For me what I really wanted out of this pile was the Playstation RPGs, as one day I would like to have a complete PS1 & PS2 RPG collection. Maximo is a bonus as I am fan of the series but all the NES and Gamecube stuff is strictly trade bait. Even though I don't currently have Bomberman TG16 in my collection is going to be traded or sold because right now it doesn't fit my current collectors goals, I am not collecting TG16 right now. Another problem with Bomberman is that it is not in it's original box, the fact that I got it for $1 and don't own it doesn't mean it needs to stay.



Thursday, January 8, 2015

New Retro Game Collecting Podcast: Collector's Quest. I talk about collecting.

Typically I take a break from all things retro during this time of the year, but I have done a terrible job. I have been buying games and I even sat down with Robert Downey of Do-Gooder Gamers (A collective of charitable gamers looking to make a difference, and have fun while doing it.) on his podcast Collector's Quest to talk about the process of collecting games, types of collectors, and some other basic collecting information.


In a landscape littered with hundreds of video game podcasts and YouTube channels what is interesting about Collector's Quest is that Robert/Bobby is not currently a collector. While he is a passionate and informed gaming enthusiast for retro and modern games he is a a total novice when it comes to the world of collecting. Join him on his quest to see if collecting is right for him. I am not sure how many episodes I will do with him but I look forward to seeing where it goes.

Listen to Episode 2  (I think we hit a good stride here and is a better episode overall)

Listen to Episode 1  (A good start with good info but not as refined as episode 2, stick with it)