Gbpxl's Encyclopedia of Retro Games

[gbpxl]

Ive been working on this project for a while now and finally I have decided on a format that is easy for me to work with. Essentially what makes my encyclopedia different from others' is that every fact is backed up by real evidence, not Wikipedia or anecdotes. I dont care if you were standing at Walmart at 12:00 AM in 1992 when Joe and Mac was released for the SNES, if I dont see paper evidence of that release date in form of a receipt or a press release by Data East, it is irrelevant to me.

Im not going to get into details of how my encyclopedia works but when I finally release it, it will be the be-all, end-all go-to source for a physical reference book. I am not asking for any help in this whatsoever or donations or anything like that, because I dont want to give anyone the wrong impression, but I want people to know that with all the bullshit out there, the crowd sourced information, there is one person you will be able to count on who can tell you specifically where he dug up the information, and the answer wont be "gaming forums."

Ill keep you posted, peeps. Remember to stay skeptical and always second guess what you read about vintage game info!

[Aussie2B]

I agree that there's a lot of unreliable info out there on release dates. But couldn't receipts and press releases be unreliable too? A receipt proves that the game was available that day and later, but it doesn't prove that a game wasn't available prior to that date. And press releases don't necessarily account for last minute changes that could slightly delay a game's release, or even earlier availability than planned.

Like originally, the N64 was scheduled for a September 30, 1996 release in the US. It was then changed to the 29th, because the 30th was a school day. But anecdote or not, I know for certain I got mine on the 28th (from Toys R Us). Supposedly, Kay-Bee broke the release date without Nintendo's permission, and in response to that, Nintendo then gave other retailers the go-ahead to sell early. So then what counts as the system's release date? The official date of the 29th? Or anytime between the 26th and 28th, when the N64 was said to be sold early?

[Niku-Sama]

so would a hand written receipt (from a retail store) for a launch day japanese sega saturn be of value?

[Bojay1997]

Kinda curious why anyone would really care very much about this information. Also, as others have pointed out, receipts and press releases are subject to inaccuracies. To make this totally accurate you'd need shipping records from the actual manufacturers or distributors cross referenced with retailer invoices.

[gbpxl]

so would a hand written receipt (from a retail store) for a launch day japanese sega saturn be of value?
All information is of value.

For systems, Im not too worried because they get a ton of press. Its more obscure stuff that is fuzzy.

[pacman000]

He's just limiting himself to what he feels is the probably the most accurate evidence. If well-worded the encyclopedia can still be correct, even if the evidence is inaccurate.

Something like this: "Based on [press releases/sales receipts/advertisements] [Game] was avaliable as early as [date]."

[gbpxl]

Yes! Thank you