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Collector's Quest Ep 39: The NES Mini, Is It Bad For Collecting?

Collector's Quest Episode 27: NES Value Charts

These are the charts we discuss in episode 26. The charts show Video Game Price Charts (VGCP) value for the top NES games, both loose and CIB, and they also show the current eBay price as determined by recent sold auctions. The True CIB and True Loose columns show my determined value, based on experience, forum prices, and of course the VGCP and eBay price already listed. The final column is the % of the total value of a CIB game that the cart makes up. Example, if a CIB game is 100 dollars, and the loose cart sells for 60, the cart % of the value is 60%

The second chart: Carts With Values Close To CIB is entirely derived from the VGPC. The VGPC has is a nice guide to pricing but not the end all be all in determining value. Please take this chart with a  grain of salt, and use it to establish a way of thinking rather than a definitive answer.

(Click To Embiggen)

I Have The Power! Every Issue of Nintendo Power and the Top 285 Nintendo Games

Welcome to 2016!!!

Just an update for those of you read here but don't follow me on Instagram. For all of 2016 I am going to post an image of every Nintendo Power all 285, I know big deal. Here is what I am doing to spice it up, in the last issue of Nintendo Power they named their top 285 games, so I decided I would match that rank with the issue of the Nintendo Power it corresponds with. The picture above is an example, NP#1 with the #1 ranked game Zelda Ocarina of Time. I am not going to just go 1-285, I am going to make it a bit more random so everyone doesn't know what to expect, I am also going to sprinkle in 15 personal choices that encompass the WiiU and 3DS.  Hope to see some new faces on IG, make sure if you read here to send me a message on IG so I can follow you back.

Happy New Year all
~Johnny~

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)

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.

As always, Thank you for reading and hopefully listening

~Johnny~

Find me on Instagram

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 14^th or when I hit 500 followers

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

~Johnny~

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.

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~

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

Two great games that go great together.

Thanks for Reading
~Johnny~

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~

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.

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)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

No matter what you celebrate, I hope the season finds you warm and free of worry.

Merry Christmas
~Johnny~

Off Topic: My Seven Themed Office Christmas Gift 2014, What's in the Box?

If you have been with me awhile you know I go in hiatus during the Holidays. I do this because I believe it is a time to focus on others and not myself and my collection. Another thing you might ask if you have been around awhile is, "How is this different than all the other hiatuses you take given that your average post comes out once every two months?" The difference is that I announce this one and ... and that's about it.

This is an off topic post so feel free to bail out now, but if your curious this short video shows the Christmas Gift I am bringing to my work Holiday Party tomorrow. It made me chuckle so I decided to share, and ust in case I don't get a chance to post again until after the holiday: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, or Happy Chanukah, or Happy Holiday if you prefer, Merry Something To You.

Merry Something To You

~Johnny~

A Smashing Good Time.

~Johnny~

How To Properly Assemble Your Nintendo (NES) Games

Your standard Nintendo (Nes) game box has five basic components: The box, manual, cart, sleeve, and styrofoam brick. In this quick video I show you how I assemble these parts to best protect each component.

Thank you for watching

~Johnny~

Happy Halloween. Video of all 31 Halloween Games + Bonus Material

Happy Halloween 2014

I didn't know if I was going to crank out a post a day but I managed. I will be the first to tell you that not every write-up was a work of art, but I am glad I did it.

The video above shows all the games mentioned in the last 31 posts pulled from my personal collection, with a few exceptions. Exception 1: I could not find Vampire Night, I have no clue where it went. Exception 2: Simpson's Tapped Out and Costume Quest are not game that have physical copies for any console. The video is pretty fast and has no talking, but it does shows some additional editions of games mentioned in the blog.

Thank You For Reading and Watching
~Johnny~

Games That Make You Think of Halloween Day 31: The Last of Us for PS3 & PS4

Day 31: The Last of Us - PS3 & PS4

The Last Of Us... Hands down one of the best games ever made, so good I bought a PS4 to be able to play the remastered edition as my Halloween game this year. So good my wife actually watched me play through it two times.The Last of Us has everything you want in a Halloween Game, A memorable setting, creepy locations, zombies, music that adds to the tension, fatal mistakes, tales of woes, and a few good scares. I could rant and rave about this game for pages, but why bother, if you have played it you know. I am really hoping this game doesn't get a sequel, it's perfect as it is, though I did enjoy the DLC.

I make Apocalypse jokes like there's no tomorrow.
~Johnny~

Games That Make You Think of Halloween Day 30: Maniac Mansion for NES

Day 30: Maniac Mansion - NES

I have already stated that I love Tim Schaffer, Haunted Mansions, and Point and Click Adventures. Given this information I am sure Maniac Mansion being on my list comes as no surprise to anyone. One thing that is different about Maniac Mansion from other games on this list is that I didn't get it for a birthday, and I didn't play it for the first time in October. Maniac Mansion was ported to the NES in September of 1990 but I didn't had never heard of it. I picked this game up in the summer of 1994 on a whim for a local game store that sold used video games for $5 (cart only).

Very shortly after beginning the game I knew I had found a gem, and a game almost custom tailored to my individual taste. I have since played through this game 3 or 4 times all in the month of October. Maniac Mansion is a splendid Halloween game that story wise still holds up. Maniac Mansion did receive a sequel  called Day of the Tentacle but it was for the PC only, I keep hoping it will be ported to Xbox Live or PSN. Something interesting I just found out is that it had a TV show that ran for 3 seasons and was over 60 episodes.

I must find the TV Show
~Johnny~

Games That Make You Think of Halloween Day 29: Parasite Eve for PS1

Day 29: Parasite Eve - PS1

Parasite Eve was released in September 1998 for the Playstation. At this point in time I had just joined the military and was getting ready to spend my first birthday away from my family and friends. Given my lonely state of mind I decided to fill the void with a new game. I went to the BX, think Target but on a Military Base, and decided to buy the first game that caught my eye.

Parasite Eve would be the lucky winner, as I was already a fan of SquareSoft and for some reason the game was rated M. I didn't know anything about this game when I bought it, so I was expecting an RPG more along the lines of Final Fantasy and was very surprised when this game went more the way of survival horror. This title is rated M, and features: exploding people, a race for sperm, a an opera, mutation, birth, dead sisters, purebreds, ultimate beings, and a hastily explained resolution.  All in all a solid Halloween title, that had a pretty good sound track, and a mood befitting a Halloween game.

How are your mitochondria?
~Johnny~