Help me decide on which system to collect for completeness

[PDorr3]

Currently none of the systems I currently collect for have a complete library. I want to collect for a system that is affordable, with not TOO many very rare games. Here are the systems I would like to try and aim for a complete collection:

Atari Jaguar
-I already have 13 complete games w/ box and instructions as well as one boxed in loose cart. One of my complete games is Alien vs. Predator, which is pretty hard to find complete.

Sega 32x
-I already have a few 32x games, only a couble are complete, including knuckles chaotix, black thorne, and kolibri. It will be a bit hard to find boxes and instructions for my loose games though.

Game Gear
-I do not own one yet, but the overwhelming sonic games on this system make we want to own them all. There is a fairly large librabry to collect for though, not sure if I want to start on this one yet.

Game.com
-I have a topic up about this system. Some say avoid collecting for it at first as the overall feel of completion for this system is not overwhelming.

What are your suggestions? I am aiming towards the jaguar since I already own 13 complete games for it.

[Balloon Fight]

Go for whichever system you enjoy the most. Personally for me it is the NES, but if you like the Jaguar, then stick with it. Unless you just really want a complete set, then go for the Game.com. Game.com's library is so small, and inexpensive that you can complete it easily.

[djbeatmongrel]

i dont want to offend the other bu thank god your not aiming for a complete NES collection. too many people are into that and it lacks originality imho. i myself have just started working on a complete wonderswan/color/crystal collection (still need a complete list of games) cause its such an awesome handheld.

i say, pick what system you enjoy playing the most. if you go for jaguar you need to get one of these http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=27323&highlight=jaguar (this thread discusses the crown jewel of jaguar related hardware)

[KirbyStar27]

go for 32x!!! :D

[Ze_ro]

Atari Jaguar - I really like this system, there aren't a huge number of games available for it (80-something?), and it's not in high demand, so most games can be found for relatively cheap, and the system itself looks sexy in a collection... the REALLY hard games to get will be Battlesphere and Air Cars... expect to pay somewhere around $160 for each of them if you really want a complete set. Air Cars apparently sucks though, so you might want to just pass on that one, while Battlesphere is possibly the best Jaguar game out there (I own neither, so you might want to check reviews). Also, the CD addon might make things a little pricey if you want to go for that too... especially since there really aren't that many good JagCD games out there (Battlemorph (different game from Battlesphere) is completely awesome though). The JagCD will give you the advantage of tapping into the Jaguar homebrew scene if you're into that kind of thing. There are some real oddities out there for the Jaguar, including re-released prototypes like Space War 2000, goofy hardware like the Catbox and Voice Modem and such... it's a great system to collect for if you're willing to put the effort into it.

Sega 32X - I don't know as much about the 32X, but the rarest game seems to be Spiderman: Web of Fire... which might run you over $160 as well. There are some other goofy Euro-only releases that are supposedly rare too (Darxide?). If you restrict yourself to North American releases, this might be an easy one. Not many releases at all (35? 40?). Unfortunately, a lot of the 32X games are rather mediocre, so a 32X collection might not be as fun as it initially sounds.

Game Gear - This is kind of a huge thing to dive into... there are an awful lot of games out there for it, including some weird Brazilian Master System stuff if you happen to get pulled into that too. It's a fun system though. It'll take a long time to work up a complete collection here (especially if you're going for CIB games), but it's the journey rather than the destination, right?

Game.com - Well, like I said before, this system is rather poor... but it's certainly a cheap one to own. Getting a full collection for $60 seems realistic (Finding CIB games is super easy too), and you could probably manage to finish the collection in just a few months if you're lucky.

But hey, these are just my opinions... if you like the Game.com, then by all means. It's an interesting system in it's own right, and it's always fun having goofy, obscure systems like that. Personally, I was never into the whole "complete collection" thing... I say buy all of 'em, get each system's best games, and forget about all the crummy games.

--Zero

[hydr0x]

Sega 32X - I don't know as much about the 32X, but the rarest game seems to be Spiderman: Web of Fire... which might run you over $160 as well. There are some other goofy Euro-only releases that are supposedly rare too (Darxide?). If you restrict yourself to North American releases, this might be an easy one. Not many releases at all (35? 40?). Unfortunately, a lot of the 32X games are rather mediocre, so a 32X collection might not be as fun as it initially sounds.

he's right, you should go for 32X, you've already got Kolibri and Knuckles in good shape, so what expensive games are missing? Spiderman of course (saw a perfect one for under 100 bucks last month if i'm not totally wrong), what else? T-Mek? i don't know, not too many, so this might be an easy one AND an impressive too, a complete US 32X collection does look very nice :)

[Dangerboy]

I'm with Hydrox on this one, the 32x Library, in it's complete form, is a great conversation piece thanks to the bizarre release choices (arcade conversions, FMV game upgrades, non-upgraded games, original concepts, and the best damn 16 Bit space ship shooter on the planet).

As far as the rare ones, I was able to nab Spider-Man complete for $50 ebay-wise, so just be patient. Right now the ones I'm having trouble with are Sega's World Series, Blackthorne, and one of the 'commons', whose name eludes me right now.

If you're lacking them, hunt down Tempo and SHadow Squadron as soon as possible. SS is by far *the* game that could have sold a Thousand 32x'es had that damn machien been marketed right. MKII is also brilliant on it.

Jason

[Jaker]

PSONE is also *very* fun to collect. Sure, 1000 games, but still, 1/4 of them are awesome games that you shouldn't miss out on. I haven't even tried a virtual boy, but a VB collection would be nice to collect, it only has about 20 games I think(correct me if I am wrong) and it would look good too.
I disagree on NES. Some of the rarest games are on NES, so it is ahrd to complete. VERY hard to complete. But if you want a challenge, by all means go for the NES :D

[hu6800]

"System of a down"


Collect for PCENGINE .......
that and NEO GEO Cart sys.

those are the two big bastards to collect for.

[vincewy]

There's a difference between ease of collecting and will to do it because you really like the games, I'd rather pick the latter.

As for ease of completion, I can think of:

N.U.O.N. - only 7 games, but it's a question of whether you want them or not.

32X - for US collector, very easy and cheap to complete.

Jag/CD - Much easier to complete if you don't include Songbird titles, I actually had chance to complete this as my buddy ran a store and got Air Car and Towers II, but most games you can't even give them away to me. If it's just Jag CD, it's only like 15 games.

Atari 7800 - actually less than Jag, 50 or so but I'm not into 8-bit myself.

Virtual Boy - OK I have this one but I got them all at ToysRUs back in 1997 when they cleared them all out at $10 each, one shop plus a little search for Jack Bros did the job, I still won't brag about this unless I have all the Jp only titles.

N-Gage - I don't think it'll be around much longer so you can probably complete those easily.


Now back to consoles really worth collecting due to quality software:

SNES/Super Famicom (either US or Jp) - this will be the king of complete collection, being the most successful 16-bit system in Japan, as well as varietty of genres, of course, the main barrier, cost and space.

Neo-Geo AES - if you have money to burn, nuf said, you're collecting part of video gaming history, the time frame spans between 1990 until now with more games planned, all official.

Dreamcast Japanese- Unlike Dreamcast US, trying to complete Japanese Dreamcast collection will be monumental, even if you don't mind getting used games. Counting individual unique titles alone, they're close to 500, if you count all Special Editions and re-releases, it's way over 700, probably higher now, by the time Dreamcast is done in Japan, we might hit 1000 mark if you want to get all regular release, special editions (some games have more than one limited edition, like box set), and re-releases. Plus SE DC systems.

Saturn Japanese - I don't care too much about US Saturn, too many FMV junks and arcade ports are pretty inferior, but if you can get all Jp Saturn games, which was supported for over 6 years in Japan, has so many Capcom and SNK ports, and the Neo-Geo ports are almost identical to the original MVS carts.

PC-Engine hucards/CD/SCD/ACD - another console with vast library to complete and some prohibitively expensive games, but if you can get them all, you have one of the best 16-bit complete collections (the others are SFC and Neo-Geo), I've not heard anyone who has complete collection of this.

LaserActive - one of the most unique systems and game medium (LD), as well as the most versatile system, period. Unfortunately, the games, even some hardware accessories are next to impossible to find.

TurboGrafx hucard/CD/SCD - another decent complete collection, Joe has all hucards, yet Magical Chase will keep most people from completing this collection.


Other systems worth mentioning with medium level of difficulty to complete (DC US and N64 US have over 200 games but these are still easy and cheap to collect):

Dreamcast US - Sad to see Sega getting out of console arena this way, but it makes it easier for us to collect, it's still not too late to start collecting if you don't mind used games, although many games have started drying up and gone up in values, even used ones so hurry. Unlike Saturn, which arcade ports are done poorly, DC arcade ports are almost perfect along with 2D gmaes to back it up. Another big plus, no EA sports garbage on this system.

N64 (Jp and US) - A little bit more expensive than Dreamcast but still can be done.Tough part is getting all games complete with box in great shape (not crushed).

PC-FX - only for diehard anime fans, 70+ games (I'll check again), my main turn off is NEC's switching to regular CD jewel cases halfway through the releases.

Neo-Geo Pocket Color - less than 100 titles, you'll have the best complete portable collection, earlier Adol offered to sell his complete Japanese (http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65896&highlight=NGPC) and Euro (http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65892&highlight=NGPC) collections.

MegaDrive Japanese - all games are in plastic snaplock cases and far more RPGs and 2D platformers than Genesis, it also has far fewer EA sports games (I just want to throw those away).

MegaCD - again I'm leaning toward Japanese collection with less FMV and more RPG, while US collection alone is impressive (Joe has it) and much easier to complete, there're only 2-3 very rare SCD games such as Koei Flying Squadron. US collection has 150+ titles.

Amiga CD32 - very difficult for collectors outside Europe, but for European gamers this may be possible to get them all, about 180 or so titles.

[Cmosfm]

Yeah, I'd aim for 32X also. That was my first to aim for and my first to complete...not hard, and eBay is abundant if that is the way you prefer to go. I don't think aiming for a system with a HUGE library of games is a good start, too overwhelming. Now that I've done 32X I still havent yet to set my sites on a certain system, but ones that come to mind are...

Atari 7800
Sega Master System
Game.com
Sega CD

...But if you got for 32X, forget about Darxide, it's not a US release and last time it DID get on eBay it went for well over 200.00-300.00. I got Spider Man off of eBay loose for 35.00, boxed is over 100.00.

Anyways, just some suggestions.

[PDorr3]

When you people aim on collecting for completeness do you try and get all the games boxed/complete? or do you settle for loose carts too? Personaly I like having boxed and complete, but its gonna be a pain trying to find boxes and instructions for the few loose carts I have on 32x.

Well I am soon getting a boxed complete game gear, I will start off by trying to complete the entire sonic series on that system boxed and complete, I will then move on to 32x, and then jaguar, then game.com, then n64. My n64 collection is pretty large right now, as I own 33 complete and boxed games including a MINT complete harvest moon 64.

Thanks for the advice guys, more would be appreciated :wink 2:

[Arqueologia_Digital]

I´m with Ze_ro, try Jaguar, but if i have to choose one in special, i´ll choose Master system, it´s a great machine to collect...

Matías

[PDorr3]

OK I have decided not to collect for the 32x yet, I was thinking of expanding on my n64 collection (I have 33 complete games) or working on my dreamcast collection as I only have 11 games for it. I am also going to start a game gear collection. Is it hard to collect for the N64 and dreamcast? I would rather collect for the n64 instead of DC. Your thoughts ?

[Ze_ro]

The N64 has a LOT of real stinker's and kiddy games. The Dreamcast would be a fun system to go for I'd think. Lots of fun games, and some really interesting stuff out there like the Samba de Amigo maracas, Typing of the Dead, and so on. Some of the stuff is kind of pricey, but all of the North America releases are at least affordable (unlike most of the stuff vincewy mentioned, which would take years to find, and many thousands of dollars to afford).

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any SUPER rare games for either system though... nothing as rare as Darxide anyways. Although there are some really good Dreamcast games that you'll have to get from Japan or Europe (ie, Rez, Border Down, Shenmue II, etc). I'm guessing you'd be going for NA releases mostly, but there are some foreign games you'd just HAVE to get.

--Zero

[vincewy]

The N64 has a LOT of real stinker's and kiddy games. The Dreamcast would be a fun system to go for I'd think. Lots of fun games, and some really interesting stuff out there like the Samba de Amigo maracas, Typing of the Dead, and so on. Some of the stuff is kind of pricey, but all of the North America releases are at least affordable (unlike most of the stuff vincewy mentioned, which would take years to find, and many thousands of dollars to afford).

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any SUPER rare games for either system though... nothing as rare as Darxide anyways. Although there are some really good Dreamcast games that you'll have to get from Japan or Europe (ie, Rez, Border Down, Shenmue II, etc). I'm guessing you'd be going for NA releases mostly, but there are some foreign games you'd just HAVE to get.

--Zero

I've said it earlier and I'll emphasize again, you should collect ONLY what you like, not because it's rare/unique, of all the systems I collect for completion, I play a lot of them to begin with before collecting seriously. In the longer term, you'll be happier with your collection of the system of your choice, even if takes more time and money to do so. However, one should never collect and complete game collections for a massively popular systems, not only do they lose classic appeals with huge chunk of substandard titles, you'll have to go for over 1000 titles for those systems, such as PS1/2, GB/GBC/GBA, a little bit of this rule on NES, but NES has way more fun games so they're still worth collecting.

Many people have Dreamcast, in fact, complete Dreamcast collections, but the prices are bargains and I love at least 50% of the games, so why not.
I'm 20 games away from complete US (sealed) Dreamcast collection, I had the chance to pick up many DC games at clearance prices when my store was clearing them out like no tomorrow to make rooms for Xbox and PS2. There're less than 10 games that I actually paid over $30 for it. I've noticed certain games are going up in prices/values.

My fav game collection for a console is 100 to 300 titles range, less than 20% garbage games in the library (Neo-Geo has less than 5% IMHO), and at time I'm able to get when prices bottomed out. One exception is my LaserActive collection, 31 unique titles (http://www.neo-geo.com/gallery/collections/vincewy/Pic3.jpg), but you add all the hardwares and accessories (http://www.neo-geo.com/gallery/collections/vincewy/Pic4.jpg) which I weigh a lot, not only do I play and like them a lot, they're so rare and unique. Besides the systems I've mentioned, I came across one guy (Tony Walden) with complete Neo-Geo CD collection (http://www.neo-geo.com/gallery/collections/twalden/2.jpg), all 98 games.

I'd love to get my hands on all Super Famicom games, but it's just unrealistic, mamy of those games hold their values even today, especially RPGs. So I have to settle for a few I really want and roms.

[PDorr3]

Y ea I know n64 has alot of "kiddy" games, but I am a hardcore nintendo fan and I love their "kiddy" games. Besides games like powerpuff girls, scooby doo, ect I think I will do fine :)
Also, my alot of my n64 boxes are missing that white box that goes on the inside to hold the carts, do any of you have any extras or know where I can get some?

[Cmosfm]

Y ea I know n64 has alot of "kiddy" games, but I am a hardcore nintendo fan and I love their "kiddy" games. Besides games like powerpuff girls, scooby doo, ect I think I will do fine :)
Also, my alot of my n64 boxes are missing that white box that goes on the inside to hold the carts, do any of you have any extras or know where I can get some?

What's wrong with Scooby Doo?

Anyways, don't work so hard on just complete and/or boxed games. It's going to cost you way too much more or be too hard to find them all. I feel that carts are fine, but I do love boxes and will buy boxed games much faster than loose ones. But cart only is perfectly fine. Only games I stress over that MUST have the boxes are any CD games and Genesis or Master System cause there all more durable than just cardboard boxes are.

[PDorr3]

true, but all of my n64 games are already complete :o
I no longer buy handheld games that are not complete, so game gear games are a MUST w/ boxes. I cruised through the game rooms and noticed nobody had a visable game gear collection...so I think Im going to try collecting for it to see how it goes. If any of you have a GG collection I would love to see pics ! :)

[vincewy]

I'm curious who has complete collection of (or working toward):

Amiga CD32
Phillip CDI
3DO
Bandai/Apple Pippin
FM-Towns Marty

One guy (Aaron Mims) had near complete collection of FM-Towns Marty (who also has a lot of LaserActive) and had to sell all of them on eBay back in 2002 when he was going back to the reserves, I couldn't believe the amount of Hentai the system has. Pippin will be the most difficult to collect due to rarity regardless of the $$ you have.

[orrimarrko]

Other than the 32X, for reasons which aren't necessary to repeat, there are two that I would recommend.

Your original question centered around what systems would you have a relatively easy time in completing, without spending a ton of cash.

After a lot of investigating for my own purposes, I can offer you two.

The Nintendo 64 and the Sega Dreamcast.

Both systems have a US library of less than 300 games. Not too big, not too small. Challenging, but not impossible, like the 2600!

Neither system's library has a "Holy Grail", which means that you should have no problem completing either, with a little time and moderate effort.

The Dreamcast only has one title (Sonic Adventure - Limited Edition) that will take you any effort, and is probably the ONLY one that will cost you more than $40. If you pay more than $40 for any other game, you aren't trying hard enough. The system also has NO US exclusives, which makes things easier as well.

The N64 also has no "holy grails", but does have 7 exclusives. With Clayfighter 63 1/3: Sculpter's Cut being the hardest to find by far, it can still be found if you're patient. Even so, it shouldn't cost you more than $30 boxed. The other 6 exclusives (in no order) are: International Superstar Soccer 2000, International Track & Field 2000, Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, Razor: Freestyle Scooter, NFL Blitz: Special Edition, Transformers: Beast Wars - Transmetals, and Stunt Racer. Other than that, every title can be found at Gamestop or on eBay with some regularity. Although they are cartridge games, they are still inexpensive - on the average. Even a $30 complete game can be counteracted by a $2 game.

Other than that - the games are fun, for the most part, for both systems.

But, you didn't ask about the fun factor - just the collecting aspects.

Hope this helps - Good Luck!

Steve

[blissfulnoise]

I'm curious who has complete collection of (or working toward):

Phillip CDI

I'm starting towards a CDi collection. But good God there are a lot of off beat titles. I don't think there is a comprehensive list out there; DP included! (e.g. A Night in Nylon City isn't on the list)

I've got a decent start, Zelda and Link sealed, Hotel Mario, Voyeur, Tetris, Defender of the Crown, and some other reasonably desireable games.

Zelda's Adventure is going to break me though.... ugh. 80 bucks my ass. I'd pay a guy that this second if he was willing to sell it for that.

You can get CDi games for a song and dance in most cases. Plus I think it's a worthwhile system.

... and lots of R rated games if that's your thing...

No one has really mentioned the Sega CD. You've gotta push out some dough to get the WD games and biggies like Snatcher and Shining Force but people slip those into reasonable lots all the time. I bet you could complete a collection off of ebay for less than a grand easy. 32X would be a nice second jump.

And THOSE look good on the shelf. Not as good as Saturn games but what are you going to do? All that plastic... all that blue... plus you get some nice shining spine labels for the WD stuff!

I'd dodge anything that will require large amounts of foreign titles to complete (though the CDi MIGHT fall into this category). I find that unless you have some direct resources in the country you're trying to collect from, it's going to be hard to do. The two big exceptions are the Saturn and the PC Engine. Lots of titles on ebay for those two systems.

[vincewy]

The Nintendo 64 and the Sega Dreamcast.

Both systems have a US library of less than 300 games. Not too big, not too small. Challenging, but not impossible, like the 2600!

Neither system's library has a "Holy Grail", which means that you should have no problem completing either, with a little time and moderate effort.

The Dreamcast only has one title (Sonic Adventure - Limited Edition) that will take you any effort, and is probably the ONLY one that will cost you more than $40. If you pay more than $40 for any other game, you aren't trying hard enough. The system also has NO US exclusives, which makes things easier as well.

The N64 also has no "holy grails


Other than that - the games are fun, for the most part, for both systems.

But, you didn't ask about the fun factor - just the collecting aspects.

Hope this helps - Good Luck!

Steve


Wow, a great thread, anyway, Steve, perhaps I didn't mention the word "fun" often enough, of all the systems I collect so far, I play the games for fun to begin with (Neo-Geo, LaserActive, Dreamcast, Virtual Boy), I also have good amount of other 16-bit systems, such as SNES, Jag, TurboGrafx/CD/SCD/PC-Engine, Saturn, N64. The first 4 systems have gone to my dedication of completion, Neo-Geo was pushing me a bit toward the limit, have I waited just 2 years later, I'd never be able to afford (or want to) the rare games released in 1996.

As for N64 games, just like Saturn and PS1 games, the 3D games and arcade ports are still blocky and inferior compared to Dreamcast, if you look at that perspective, Dreamcast has the best combination/balance of refined graphics, game play, and classic remakes/re-releases.

Is this the Sonic LE (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4305&item=3076430258) you're talking about, if so, get it while you can from Sega-parts. A few games have already gone up in prices, try to get a new or like new copy of Cannon Spike, Giga Wing 2, SF3: 3rd Strike, Power Stone 2 or Virtual On and see how much it'll cost.




No one has really mentioned the Sega CD. You've gotta push out some dough to get the WD games and biggies like Snatcher and Shining Force but people slip those into reasonable lots all the time. I bet you could complete a collection off of ebay for less than a grand easy. 32X would be a nice second jump



Well I edited my first/second posts in this thread 3 times, read them again and check out the cool collection pics, I do see Snatcher, complete once a while, so it's not that hard if you're patient, but IMO the hardest one to find is Koei Flying Squadron, if you can get past that, the rest are pretty easy, compared to Neo-Geo and LaserActive, that is. Although I'd love to see someone having complete Japanese MegaCD collection.

[link1110]

SegaCD has the bonus of most of its games being common and cheap. The exceptions are the rpgs ($30-$50) and Snatcher ($100+) But still there aren't that many games for it. There are a few of the old "flimsy" cardboard box style games giving me troble (Final Fight, Monkey Island...)

[vincewy]

Hmm, I think this will be called Mission Impossible:

Complete GB - GBC- GBA collection, think about it, you must have a lot of $$ to blow, and keep yourself interested in this system since 1989, as well as all the limited edition hardware. Handheld is never my taste though.

Earlier there's a thread about MSX system, one platform Palcom, using MSX with Pioneer RX-7 LD player, has 16 titles, but yet no one has complete collection, one guy in Finland, Saku Taipale, comes close with 3 games missing, collecting and finding games for that system is incredibly insane, even more so than LaserActive. For info on his collection, check his home page (http://www.damage.fi/stt/)

[vision89]

I'd say you should find a system you really like, no matter what it is, and start collecting for it, whether it's hard or not. Don't be afraid to go long term in completing a collection, if you're going to do it then you might as well jump in head first. Do it right. Even expensive games can be gotten cheaply, and if you look hard enough you can find even some of the rarest of games. I found the entire Avolon Hill collection, all complete and unopen, at a flea market. You may get satisfaction from completing an easy collection, but nothing beats looking all over for one really rare game, one that may be worth $100+, than finding it at a flea market for $5, especially when you're collecting for a system that you really enjoy. It really feels good when you check that one off your list. Good luck with the collection.

[PDorr3]

Right now I am heavily collecting for the PS2, I have 60 ps2 games now (all boxed, some w/o instructions becvause they are from blockbuster) And I also have about 25 gamecube games and 20 xbox. I think I will continue collecting for these 3 systems, mainly the ps2 since my collection looks very nice lined up on my shelves. (pics coming soon)

[Ze_ro]

For someone who doesn't want to spend a lot of money on games, that seems like quite a few modern games to me!

--Zero

[PDorr3]

yes but these are games I actualy play, because say I started collecting for the atari jaguar, I wouldnt play the games I would just have them for looks. I dont want2 spend much money on something that is only there for show.

[Ze_ro]

I never understood why people collected games that they knew they wouldn't play :?

I may not play all of my games regularly, but I have played them each at least once, and bought them with the intention of playing them.

--Zero