Is getting a game compilation of games you already own redundant or stupid?

[Urzu402]

Like I just bought Super Mario All-Stars / World when I already own Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario World. I apologize if there is already a similar thread :(

[Kitsune Sniper]

If it contains games that you don't have, or if it has enhanced versions? Nah.

In your case, though... yeah, redudnant. :p

[buzz_n64]

Not stupid at all. You now have the added bonus of not having to change out carts to play the other game/games. Talk about redundant, I own all those games, the different cart shape version on smw, and the super famicom versions of super mario world, and all-stars. I basically bought the japan version of world because it says super mario bros. 4 on it. :)

[Pantechnicon]

It's...risky. I'm going to just cop out and quote a portion of the last article I wrote for the DP Zine called "Wii Ennui", which dealt with some of the reasons people lose interest in gaming:

For the gamer, the simple question of “What game shall I play next?” may become rather daunting when one confronts oneself with hundreds, or potentially thousands, of choices in one’s collection. It can lead to a conundrum commonly referred to as “analysis paralysis”, wherein the excessive bevy of choices before the gamer prevents her from making any choice at all. At this point the collection is possibly less enjoyable than it might be if only she could find something to play.

I can hear some of you now: “Oh but you can never have too many games!” Maybe, but do you really need a copy of Atari Anthology for Windows and Xbox and PS2 on top of the original Atari 2600 cartridges you already have? Which one will you play? Perhaps paring down some of those duplicate numbers might save you from the overload of analysis paralysis.

[Gameguy]

Sometimes it's redundant, other times its more convenient. For the most part that's why multicarts are popular, I found it more convenient to take one for my Gameboy Color rather than a bag full of loose cartridges. I wasn't really into the hacks that were on some of them.

[buzz_n64]

It's...risky. I'm going to just cop out and quote a portion of the last article I wrote for the DP Zine called "Wii Ennui", which dealt with some of the reasons people lose interest in gaming:

For the gamer, the simple question of “What game shall I play next?” may become rather daunting when one confronts oneself with hundreds, or potentially thousands, of choices in one’s collection. It can lead to a conundrum commonly referred to as “analysis paralysis”, wherein the excessive bevy of choices before the gamer prevents her from making any choice at all. At this point the collection is possibly less enjoyable than it might be if only she could find something to play.

I can hear some of you now: “Oh but you can never have too many games!” Maybe, but do you really need a copy of Atari Anthology for Windows and Xbox and PS2 on top of the original Atari 2600 cartridges you already have? Which one will you play? Perhaps paring down some of those duplicate numbers might save you from the overload of analysis paralysis.


I don't get overloaded. Usually when I decide to spend a day playing games, I decide on one system to play that day, usually that choice is pretty easy, because of the type of games one system offers compared to another system. Then, from there, I just decide on what game to play first, knowing i'll get to other games that day on the system.

[Clownzilla]

Are you a game collector and fan? Regardless of what other people think, collect and play what you enjoy. If you really like the game and enjoy owning them then owning 2 is just the game fan/collector in you.

*star shoots across the screen* The more you know

[Graham Mitchell]

I think that buying compilations in this generation makes a lot of sense even if you own old carts because of resolution upscaling. I've got a signal converter that does a decent job of cleaning up the signal on my hdtv for older consoles with only composite output, but streets of rage 2, etc. Still looks better on my genesis collection for the 360 than it does on the original console with upscaler.

[Leo_A]

Sometimes its fun to see how things turned out if you like the source material, like buying Activision Anthology for the PS2 to see how well it ended up in regards to emulation and extras despite having a complete Activision collection.

[Swamperon]

In a way it can be but then you have multiple ways to play the same game so you may not have to waste time setting up a system or if a copy fails you have a back up.

For instance, I own Sonic the Hedgehog 5 times over, and it will be 6 when I eventually buy Sonic Classic Collection (DS). It's convenient above all else.

This analysis paralysis notion is interesting, I often find myself debating what game to play and this can sometimes go on for half an hour, wasting time essentially doing nothing. I know I have games I'd have put more time into if I didn't own so many.

Then again, the uni lifestyle doesn't lend itself to playing single-player games for hours on end.

[Dr. Dib]

Well Super Mario World on Allstars has different Luigi sprites. So I say it is worth it :P.

[Richter Belmount]

Its fucking tarded dats wat.

[VG_Maniac]

I'm not into buying game compilations for games I already own on consoles...but I definitely am on portable systems, so I can take the games on the go. Sega Genesis Collection for PSP is a good example.

[Gameguy]

For instance, I own Sonic the Hedgehog 5 times over, and it will be 6 when I eventually buy Sonic Classic Collection (DS). It's convenient above all else.
There's a new collection coming out for the DS? I haven't even heard about that one, I'll have to look into it.

[DigitalSpace]

There's a new collection coming out for the DS? I haven't even heard about that one, I'll have to look into it.

It just came out (and it snuck up on me too - I didn't even know about it until I saw a copy at a local game store). It features Sonic 1-3 and Knuckles.

[Leo_A]

Nice to see Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles getting a portable release. Had a lot of fun playing through Sonic 1 and 2 on Sega Genesis Collection for the PSP a few years ago.

[sixwayshot]

Compilations are cool, for the most part. Same reason why I like flash carts. It makes things easier for you to play all those old games that you may not have the money or the space for at the time.

- SNK Arcade Classics, for the Wii, is an awesome example. This game has 15 or so Neo Geo games on it.
- Neo Geo carts are expensive as hell
- Neo Geo consoles are expensive as hell
- Neo Geo arcade cabinets are also incredibly expensive (For the most part)
- Who has the time and money to track down each and every one of those games in their original, unaltered forms?

[Gameguy]

It just came out (and it snuck up on me too - I didn't even know about it until I saw a copy at a local game store). It features Sonic 1-3 and Knuckles.
I might wait until I find it really cheap, I thought it would have included far more games than that.

[Baloo]

I myself think that some compliations are good, but if you have all the games on the compliation, then they're not really worth getting. For example, it's one thing to have Super Mario Bros + Super Mario All-Stars when you have SMB 1, 2, 3, on NES and World on SNES, and it's another thing to get SMB/DH/WCTM on NES when you have SMB/DH, and World Class Track Meet already.

Really, I think if there's even one game that you don't have on the compliation, or there's some bonus or something, or you're really trying to consolidate, that's fine. For collecting purposes though, I find it to be as pointless as trying to collect variants.

In your case Urzu, SMB World + All-Stars is actually worth a little bit more than SMW and SMB All Stars alone since it was a pack-in only game and has one extra save slot for Super Mario World.

[Tron 2.0]

- Neo Geo carts are expensive as hell

- Neo Geo arcade cabinets are also incredibly expensive (For the most part)
- Who has the time and money to track down each and every one of those games in their original, unaltered forms?
Ok i'll say wtf carts expensive !? LOL yes on the aes it is but the mvs it isn't alot of games for it's arcade counter part can be had dirt cheap.

As for arcade cabinets it depends where you look such as auctions and arcade ops.Also you don't even need a cabinet to play it at home the mvs can be,consolized or run through a supergun for home use.

[The 1 2 P]

It might be redundant for some but I have so many multiple versions of titles due to compilations that I've lost count. I don't mind having more than one version though, especially if I like the game. I also think that compilations are a good thing for gaming.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I'm a compilation whore, so I'm just going to DQ my opinion on the matter as confirmation bias. :p

[Snapple]

It's another SNES cart to collect. From a practicality standpoint, I don't think it's worth it, but if you want to own it for whatever reason, knock yourself out.

[DigitalSpace]

I might wait until I find it really cheap, I thought it would have included far more games than that.

The $29.99 MSRP is a little much for me too - I'm going to hold out until I see it for $20 or less.

[mobiusclimber]

I'm actually on the fence about compilations. I played the hell out of the Sega comp on the Dreamcast, but barely touched the PS2 one beyond unlocking stuff on it (and discovering a few games that I ended up really liking and wanting the actual carts of, like Ristar). I traded for the 360 one but ended up just trading it away later on, even tho it has games on it I don't own. (Mostly b/c I don't play the 360 that much.) Part of it is that I hate unlockables and part of it is I'm a collector and would rather have and play the actual games on the actual hardware (or emulate it on the PSP... or take my Game Gear w/ a Master Converter around w/ me). But really I think a big part is just that I don't usually see a good reason for the compilation to even exist (or rather for it to exist in my collection) since the games are either easily obtainable or not games I'd care about playing, or both. The ONLY game I actually needed on the 360 Sega comp was Golden Axe Warrior and I plan to buy it for my collection eventually. I'd have liked to see the interviews and stuff, but not to the point of wanting to unlock them (or even bothering to dust off and hook back up my 360). I'll probably end up getting the comp again, but I think at this point I feel pretty meh about comps in general (and I don't care for most fighting/shmup games so some of the more "necessary" comps don't really matter to me at all).

But redunant? I own the Japanese release of certain games just for the artwork.

[Swamperon]

But redunant? I own the Japanese release of certain games just for the artwork.

This. I own several games in their Japanese format (despite owning the english counterpart) just because they are some of my favourite games and the box/artwork looks awesome. Thankfully I haven't paid any huge amount of money for them.

[BetaWolf47]

Redundant? Nah, not in the slightest. I love owning the original titles and the compilations both. Each has its own advantages.

-Getting the original allows you to play the game in its most basic, purest form. It gives you a nice sense of owning a piece of gaming history. Plus, most of the time, playing the games on their original console just feels righter.

-Getting a compilation allows you to play games in an alternate mode, such as using savestates or touched up graphics. Many also include unlockables and bonus material, such as developer interviews, concept art, and trailers.

As a fellow collector, I'd say it's hardly redundant.

[josekortez]

If you have the money to burn, no.

[The 1 2 P]

This. I own several games in their Japanese format (despite owning the english counterpart) just because they are some of my favourite games and the box/artwork looks awesome. Thankfully I haven't paid any huge amount of money for them.

I also own the US and Japanese versions of many games, mainly because the Japanese versions gave me an excuse to play back thru my favorite games again. Now if I could only get a Halo compilation with 1-3, ODST and Halo Wars on it.

[j_factor]

It depends on the compilation in question. I kind of have OCD about this. I will not ever buy a compilation of games I already own and/or can easily obtain (unless it has some impressive extras). I strongly prefer to own the games separately when possible, and I prefer to avoid duplication when reasonable. In general I only buy compilations of arcade games, and only if they contain (at least some) games that never had an accurate home port. When they mix the two, I have a dilemma. I reluctantly bought Sonic Gems Collection, and I just pretend it's a Gamecube version of Sonic the Fighters and the rest of the compilation isn't there. If they had made Sonic the Fighters by itself for any system, I would've bought that instead.

[Smashed Brother]

I'm actually downsizing my compilations, usually due to the fact of owning the physical copies of alot of those games. I'm dumping arcade compilations because I'd rather download them for play on MAME instead (which offers far more customizing options than you would ever find on console arcade compilations).

But yeah, back in the day, I had compilations plus the games and didn't think twice about it. I even had different compilations with the same games on them (Sega Smash Pack on the DC and Sonic Collection + on the Xbox, etc.) just for the hell of it. Now my tastes have changed, so I'm not really into comps anymore.

[mobiusclimber]

One other thing to think about is some comps are just absolutely butchered. Mega Man Anniversary Collection, for instance. As if the Mega Man series wasn't head-smashingly difficult to begin with, the comp screws up the controls royally.

[whoisKeel]

Nah. Usually getting a compilation offers something over the original, so it is usually worth it (compilations are rarely full price).

As for your case, well... I have to own SMB/DH because that's the cart I had as a kid. I also needed SMB/DH/Track because I picked up a Power Pad. I own a lonely Duck Hunt, because...I'm not sure...I just acquired it somehow (probably in a lot). I'd nab a standalone SMB in a heartbeat (for the right price ~$1), just to have it.

Plus, if you're into boxes (which I'm not) you'd need a standalone SMW and a standalone Allstars, just to have boxes. I'm guessing they didn't have boxes for the combo, as they didn't have boxes for SMB/DH and SMB/DH/Track.

It just wouldn't look right on the shelf w/o them.

[dreamcaster]

I have spent the last couple years purging unwanted duplicates, redundant compilations/individual titles and just generally games I am never going to play.

So in my opinion, it IS redundant - it's up to inviduals to decide if that's stupid or not.

[Emperor Megas]

I don't find it stupid at all; I purchase compilations all the time of games that I already own. I don't think that I've purchased (m)any compilations where I owned every single game on the disc, but even if I did, it's worth it to me to have them displayed in a better resolution.

There aren't very many compilations put out, and the ones that are are usually pretty cheap, and offer extras and superior visuals (if you're gaming on an HDTV), so it's nothing for me to pick them up. I purchase compilations of arcade games that I have emulated as well, too, for the same reasons. I enjoy MAME as much as the next guy, but I'd rather play games in front of my television than hunched over at my desk if I can help it.

I probably wouldn't purchase two compilations with the same games across different platforms though, unless one was for a hand held system and the other was for a console. Mega Man Anniversary Collection for example has different bonus content on each version, but I wouldn't bother hunting down more than one version just because of that.