Anyone Here Collect PSone Games?

[ItAllGoesWhite]

Hey all, I'm new here. In case any of you are curious I'm including the introduction I posted in the stickied thread at the end of this post.

Anyway, long story short I've started to collect PSX games and was wondering if there were any kindred spirits here. If not, what about other CD-based systems?

Oh, and I had a few questions as well.
1) Do you guys have any tips on purchasing games on ebay? Like how to spot a reseal and such? I recently bought about 500 dollars worth of sealed games on ebay and am worried about getting screwed.

2)Any tips on collecting in general? Is it a bad idea to go for the factory sealed games? I'm on the fence. Used will be cheaper and there's less of a chance of stumbling across bogus copies. But there's just something about those factory-sealed games...

Anyway, I'm really just looking for some pointers and maybe some other people who I can share collecting escapades with. I'm fairly new at this and company would be greatly appreciated.


Hello all!
My name is Mark, and I'm new here. It's 1:00AM in the morning and I stumbled across this website while looking for information about spotting resealed games. It seems like a place I wouldn't mind calling home, since I've recently plunged into the collecting scene.

I live in New Hampshire. It's a pretty decent place--and contrary to popular belief, we're not all hicks. I'm attending the University of New Hampshire because I followed a girl there. It definitely wasn't my first choice, but the girl is worth it.

I love RPGs, from popular ones (such as Final Fantasy) to more obscure and (in my opinion) underrated games like Azure Dreams and Quest 64.

I've recently decided to start collecting PSX games exclusively for the next few years until I've sufficiently built a collection--then I plan to move on to PS2 games. I'll most likely skip PS3 (I don't like the way this current generation is shaping up) and move onto another CD-Based system.

I'm a perfectionist and starting a collection of games that I can go back to years down the road was more or less just a natural progression for me. The thought of having an expansive library of old games gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

In 'real life' I'm constantly trying to better myself through reading, exercising, and meditation while I attend school. I'm going to find a job next semester since I'll be moving in with my girlfriend and our two puppies. My current major is English but I'm changing it to Computer Science (weird, huh?)

Apologies for such a dry dissertation. Like I said, it's late and my brain is a bit scattered. Bottom line is I'm really looking forward to participating in a community that enjoys collecting as much as I do.

[Daria]

I'm not a PSX collector per-say, but I do collect roleplaying games and my main focus for awhile has been PlayStation (still missing that Suikoden 2). I'm glad I'm done with it now though since it's no longer carried by any of my local game stores. And disk based games just aren't that much rewarding to shop for at fleas, too many incomplete games and scratched disks for my taste.

As for buying used or sealed games, just depends on whether or not you want to play them. And of course on how patient a collector you are.

[dbiersdorf]

You'll soon come to realize anything worth collecting has someone around here collecting it. :D

I believe someone here has a complete collection of the 1,000+ games.

[Daria]

I believe someone here has a complete collection of the 1,000+ games.

Someone named Danger.

[Damaramu]

I myself have a small, modest collection of PSone games as listed here: Click Me (http://vgrebirth.org/community/games.asp?list=&field=&order=&id=Damaramu&platform=PlayStation&x=9&y=6).

Oh, welcome to DP!

[exit]

I tend to collect PS games, they usually don't cost more than $10 if you hit the right spots. If I goto a pawnshop and see a few worth grabbing, I grab them just for the hell of it.

[Sammelhammel]

Hey itallgoeswhite

Yes, I'm also collecting sealed PS-Games....and most likely RPGs.
It's a hard job to get those games (especially when you are in Germany) but you have something special and you have games in the best condition.

My list so far:

- Silent Hill
- Vandal Hearts
- Vandal Hearts II
- Suikoden II
- Legend of dragoon
- FF Origins
- FF Anthology
- FF VI
- FF VIII
- Alundra 2
- Jade Cocoon
- Techno Mage
- Gauntlet Legends
- Darkstone
- Alone in the Dark
- Master of Monsters
- Baphomet's Fluch II
- The Note
- Chocobo Racing
- Resident Evil
- Resident Evil II
- Resident Evil III
- Resident Evil II LTD
- Dragon Valor
- Legend of Kartia
- Hellnight
- Ehrgeiz
- Breath of Fire IV
- Legend of Mana
- RPG Maker
- Chrono Cross
- Final Fantasy Chronicles
- Wild Arms II
- Hoshigami
- Torneko
- Xenogears
- Brigandine
- Dragon Warrior VII
- Beyond the Beyond
- Valkyrie Profile
- Persona 2
- Rhapsody
- Tales of Destiny II
- Saiyuki
- Saga Frontier
- Clock Tower II
- Tails Concerto
- Lunar Eternal Blue
- Lunar Silver Star


Tips for you:

- Look at the Y-folded seal !!!! Some games didn't have that seal (f.e. Working Design Games, also didn't saw Hoshigami and Parasite Eve with that seal).
- Look that there are no damages on the case or on the cellophane!!!
- And look that you are getting the 1st release....no Greatest Hits stuff or gqd-releases.
- compare prices...don't buy too fast. I think you also want to make good deals and not too expensive ones ;)

If you have questions, let me know ;)

[xmagxus]

I used to collect for the ps one, great system, one of the best rpg systems to date. I stopped collecting for it around 2001/ early 2002 and stopped at around 750-800 games roughly. I'm not sure I will surpass that number with any of my other collections... MAYBE DS or 360 im not sure yet. I did collect for the ps2 for awhile as well and reached around 500 games for that system but im pretty much done with that generation and focusing mainly on ds/360/wii now.

[AtariBuff]

hi and welcome,

yes, dangerboy has a complete NTSC (=US) collection and I'm proud owner of a complete PAL (=Europe & Australia/New Zealand) PS1 collection (at about 1500 games) but there are many more here who are hot on our heels ;)

have fun with the games!!!

[gepeto]

I am somewhere between 350 and 400 thinsincludes all the rpgs. I have been tempted to go for a complete set but there getting harder to find so I decided against it. Although I would like Vib ribbon.

[ItAllGoesWhite]

A lot of great responses, thanks guys.

So whoah, people have complete sets, huh? That's incredible and all the more reason to get started as quickly as possible. I get worried that I wont be able to find anything in a year or so, but then I remember that people are still collecting games from older systems and I'm comforted a bit.

Since Sammelhammel brought it up, I'll ask. Does everyone else feel that way about Greatest Hits versus Original? I've often noticed that sentiment, and it's something I'm on the fence about. My overall worry about not being able to collect the games quickly enough before they fade away makes me a bit hesitant about being even more picky than I all ready plan to be. Who knows.

Oh, and lastly, I've seen the y-folded seal issue mentioned and I'm trying to picture it but can't right now. Would someone care to explain that to me? Is it at the top?

Thanks again for such a nice welcome. You all seem like great people.

Edit:
Heh, I just did a quick scan of amazon and ebay and was unable to find any sealed copies of several black label games. That is exactly why I'm afraid to shun the GH versions...while we're on the subject, can someone PM me or just respond with some online auction sites that might have sealed PSX games? I apologize for all the questions. I'm just new to this and quite excited about it.

[Sammelhammel]

Look on the top of a PS-game (where the white spine-label is).
The cellophane has to be FOLDED. It looks like this:

>------<

If you see this, it's a good sign that the game is ORIGINAL sealed.
Also the cellophane is shiny and it feels like there is a little bit air between the case and the cellophane.

But as I said not every game (f.e. Elemental Gearbolt) has that seal....but are also original sealed (maybe Dangerboy can post the Elemental Gearbolt-pic from his collection :) )


Some games are really really rare and you will see a sealed one maybe once in half a year. For example Ogre Battle (the last one was sealed but damaged and went for 200 Dollars), Tactics Ogre or Brigandine.
If you decide to collect those games...than good luck :)

[Trebuken]

I've dabbled with collecting PS1 games. At times I have been able to find them cheaply and could not pass them up...

The large library of games for the PS1 seems to require a different approach than other systems might. Instead of debating Greatest Hits vs. Not Greatest HIts I think of them as two different collections. Not everyone wants multiple copies of the same game, but I like the collecting as much as the gaming. Then there is the long box collection (and its variants) which is actually a good way to start a PS1 collection, IMO.

Genre collecting of course. Lots of PS1 RPG'ers including myself. This is the system for RPG's, though the PS2 may have finally surpassed it with the flood of RPG's in the last couple of years (FFXII is the icing on the cake). Shoot-um-ups seem popular as well.

You can collecting by publisher/creator. Working Designs or Atlus or etc.; this works well.

Breaking the collection down helps to keep things in order since there are 1500+ games/variants to collect.

Collecting them new in pkg. is an excellent idea, but requires an exorbitant amount of money , money, and patience.

Good Luck,
Trebuken

[Flack]

So whoah, people have complete sets, huh?

That's actually kind of an understatement; I believe some of these guys are collecting every variation of every PSX game.

Welcome to Digital Press; don't forget to pick up your straightjacket on your way in ... ;)

[theshizzle3000]

Yeah I have been trying to dabble with the PSX games they are probably my second biggest set of games next to what I have for my NES. I would only suggest that you try to make sure that the games are complete because I hate looking at the couple of cd only games I have in my collection it bothers me.

Another piece of advice would be to find a decent place to store them because after about twenty or thirty PSX games you will start to have quite a load on your hands.

Good Luck and Keep us updated on anything good you come across.

[AtariBuff]

GH, White Label, Platinum, Classics,... as the re-releases were named here in PAL-land are... re-releases. nothing more. if you want a complete set it has to be "black label" ;)

Flack is right, I have up to 5 different copies per game (like the U.K, the german, the french, the spanish and the dutch release) - there the fun really begins ;) ;) ;)

[ItAllGoesWhite]

Speaking of rare or nice finds, I was rather proud of this:

I just bought two sealed mini-PSones with LCD screens for a total of $260. I was ecstatic. I've been having a difficult time finding brand new systems.

[norkusa]

Speaking of rare or nice finds, I was rather proud of this:

I just bought two sealed mini-PSones with LCD screens for a total of $260. I was ecstatic. I've been having a difficult time finding brand new systems.

Ugh. I think some stores have been clearing those bundles out earlier in the year for $50 each.

[cyberfluxor]

I posted back on 3/11/06'ish in the classical discussion:


Playstation:
Tekken 3, Wipeout, Ridge Racer, Doom, Descent, Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M., Atari Anniversary Edition Redux, Blast Master - Blasting Again, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Breath of Fire III, Breath of Fire IV, Bust-A-Move 4, Chrdinal Syn, Crash Bash, Cool Boarders 2, Descent Maximum, Diablo, Dino Crisis, Duke Nukem - Time to Kill, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy Origins, Gekioh: Shooting King, Grandia, Gex, Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo 2, Gundam Battle Assault, Heart of Darkness, Codename Tenka, Koudelka, Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, Motocross Mania 2, Parasite Eve, Parasite Eve II, Project Overkill, Qix Neo, Razor Racing, Rage Racer, Rainbow Six, Reboot, Rollcage Stage II, Reloaded, Shadow Madness, Tales of Destany, Time Crisis, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, Warcraft II - The Dark Saga, Wild Arms, Wild Arms 2, Worms World Party, Tomb Raider III, Twisted Metal, Castlevania - Symphony of the Night, Vagrant Story, All-star Slammin' D-Ball
That was then and my overall collection has nearly doubled since then so if all worked out I believe I'm twice that in PSX games. Last I checked it was 70-80 something, maybe a bit more. I'm trying to get things together and finish re-arranging my room at which point I'll be posting all my games for each consule. It's a shame DP was down for a couple of weeks and since then I still haven't been able to add new games to the collection page. But anyhow, once I get the chance I'll be posting my newly compiled list on vgoasis.com

[cyberfluxor]

Another piece of advice would be to find a decent place to store them because after about twenty or thirty PSX games you will start to have quite a load on your hands.

And as such we're Saturn gamers/collectors and that my friend takes up space. I have a shelf 6 feet tall dedicated to Saturn titles nearly filled and there's still hundreds of games left for me to buy for that system since I'm going internationally with my collection.

[8-bitNesMan]

Speaking of rare or nice finds, I was rather proud of this:

I just bought two sealed mini-PSones with LCD screens for a total of $260. I was ecstatic. I've been having a difficult time finding brand new systems.

Yeah no offense but someone saw you coming on that one...

[Xizer]

I collect PS1 games, but not intentionally. The funny thing is, the PlayStation is the system I own the most games for, but it's definitely not my favorite, nor have I purposely tried to collect games for it. In fact, there's probably about five that I actually specifically bought off eBay because I wanted them.

I find that the PS1 is everywhere. Every time I hit up a garage sale, if they have video-game related stuff, 90% of the time it's PS1 games or a PS1 console. I end up coming home with boxes full of PS1 games every time I go to a garage sale, and not much else for other systems. I've got 6 PlayStations at the moment stacked up in a corner of my room, for example. Why don't I pass them up? Well, it's kind of hard to pass up a box of 30 games for $10, no matter what system it's for.

The PS1 is definitely a good system to collect for as games for it are easily found just about everywhere. If you really want to build up your collection, hit those garage sales!

[Dangerboy]

TallyHo ol' chap.

I have the complete NTSC US Library and then some, along with crazy ass stuff I should never have had my hands on in the first place.

You can check out my work-in-slowass-progress site here:

http://www.game-rave.com/psx

As fer the questions:

1) Do you guys have any tips on purchasing games on ebay? Like how to spot a reseal and such...

Always check the feedback, always keep every email you have in contact with said person, and if you're worried, save the web-page the auction is on for future reference. I actually need to start writing down sellers names because the dev kit they sell end up getting pulled and I have no way to look for it. :(

At least with ebay you have virtual tracking of everything. Try sending $600 to someone you don't know for something you didn't know existed. >_>;;

2)Any tips on collecting in general? Is it a bad idea to go for the factory sealed games? I'm on the fence. Used will be cheaper and there's less of a chance of stumbling across bogus copies. But there's just something about those factory-sealed games...

Factory sealed is only if you plan on never, ever, playing it, or it's a variant to one you already have. Case in point I have no reason to open a sealed Walt Disney Racing w/ Watch Set because it can easily be photographed with the non-watch set. I will have to open the Rayman Watch set for my web-site since it's encased in cardboard.

The only time I've ever really bought factory sealed items were when they were my only alternative. Plus opened games allow you to check for disc variants (read: Lunars), Disc misprints (read: Namco museum disc having NBA Fastbreak on it), and other oddities (read: finding Triumph the Insulting Dog credited in a game).

The only fault here is that open games may not have everything; though that's half the fun (read: frustration) of collecting. They're also a TON cheaper and easier to come across.

From other questions, I've personally never had issues with GH stuff, though when it comes to PSX / PS2...it's literally almost a second library. There are enough GH games and GH variants to rival the entire Turbo Grafx / Duo library. >_>;;;

As far as sealed 'actual celaphane(sp?)', don't drive yourself crazy. Many box sets (3 packs) had regular heat gun shrinkwrap, some had just seal stickers (Lunars), and others were custom wrapped (Nascar '99 with Medallion), while the rest were 'slip' heat seals that as mentioned, look like clear wrapping paper thanks to the triangle folds on top.

The biggest problem right now with PSX collecting (and why I am so thankful I got into it so early) is that anything remotely PSX that has the letters R P G in its description will be waaaay overpriced. If you're trying to go for a complete collection, you can knock out sports games at like $1.49 a pop, if not cheaper.

There's also admittedly a lot of crap on the deck, so if you want a complete set, you'll have to stomach Mary-Kate and Ashley games, Hooters, and other stomach churning drivel. On the flip side, there's a LOT of really great games as well, many exclusive (or better) on the PSX.

If you have any question, feel free to drop me a line.

Jason

[ItAllGoesWhite]

Those comments about the PSX with the LCD screens made me cringe. Oh well, as far as I can tell the brick and mortar stores in New Hampshire are relatively stagnant. (I've never seen any independent stores around here). Supply and demand, eh? I'm still happy I have them.

Dangerboy: Thanks for the comprehensive advice. I think ideally I want at least two copies of every game I might want to play. Which means I'm looking for a brand new game and a used version of it in good condition. I told my girlfriend it was so I can sell the sealed games somewhere down the line...but honestly it's because I want redundant copies in case a favorite game of mine dies.

Your comment about RPGs made me chuckle. I spent $100 on a sealed copy of Azure Dreams. It was a complete and total rip-off since it was considered a sub-par game--but it's my guilty pleasure.

Anyway, I'm warning everyone in here that I may pester you all with questions from time to time. Especially those of you who have already completed your collections.

Oh, speaking of which: One last question and I'll be done for a while.

I found a comprehensive list of NTSC PSX games released. The total number is 1292--is this correct? If not, does anyone have a link to an actual complete list? Thanks again, everyone.

[PapaStu]

I guess I can call myself a PS collector. I've got in the realm of 750+ games before variants, a decent chunk of PS demo discs, a mostly complete Lightspan collection, a gaggle of systems (most still new sealed) including debuggers and all kinds of other wonderful stuff. On top of that I along with Dangerboy up there run the US PlayStation portion of the DP rarity guide.

Many people see the GH re-releases as the red headed step-child that needs to be avoided at all costs. To Dangerboy (and eventually me once I get back into the PS stuff) it's something that was/is done to keep our collections going, and for us to just learn more about the whole thing and to just get more shit. The games are the same (99% of the time, though there is the occasional code fix or the like) and its just if you want to get it cheaper (some GH titles are much easier and cheaper to get ahold of than their original release counterpart) or just want 'A' copy of the game. Remember at 1275+/- games BEFORE variants, you'll have quite a while to decide if it matters for you.

Going for sealed stuff is totally dooable, just it will be VERY slow going and not to mention expensive to no end. Do you really want to have 1275 sealed games, before having a 'play' set? Also going for aparently 2 copies of every game means that your ready to really devote some major space to this. Good luck with that. One set alone has just eaten up Dangerboy's walls and I've got good first hand experience when it comes to my collection which only needs those 'last' 500 or so titles.

Where did you see the list? You can dabble with the Rarity guide here and see what it pulls up as a count.

We've got a PlayStation thread in the Collectors Guide/ Rarity Database forum, just do a search in there, see if anythings been asked/ talked about already or just feel free to bump it back up.

[Xizer]

Speaking of rare or nice finds, I was rather proud of this:

I just bought two sealed mini-PSones with LCD screens for a total of $260. I was ecstatic. I've been having a difficult time finding brand new systems.

Wow, good work! You sure snagged a deal there! Why, I vividly remember when, just last year, Kmart was clearing these out for the ridiculously expensive price of $13.

Heh, just kidding. But if you're happy with having payed $130 each for them, then rock on. \\^_^/

[ItAllGoesWhite]

I guess I can call myself a PS collector. I've got in the realm of 750+ games before variants, a decent chunk of PS demo discs, a mostly complete Lightspan collection, a gaggle of systems (most still new sealed) including debuggers and all kinds of other wonderful stuff. On top of that I along with Dangerboy up there run the US PlayStation portion of the DP rarity guide.

Many people see the GH re-releases as the red headed step-child that needs to be avoided at all costs. To Dangerboy (and eventually me once I get back into the PS stuff) it's something that was/is done to keep our collections going, and for us to just learn more about the whole thing and to just get more shit. The games are the same (99% of the time, though there is the occasional code fix or the like) and its just if you want to get it cheaper (some GH titles are much easier and cheaper to get ahold of than their original release counterpart) or just want 'A' copy of the game. Remember at 1275+/- games BEFORE variants, you'll have quite a while to decide if it matters for you.

Going for sealed stuff is totally dooable, just it will be VERY slow going and not to mention expensive to no end. Do you really want to have 1275 sealed games, before having a 'play' set? Also going for aparently 2 copies of every game means that your ready to really devote some major space to this. Good luck with that. One set alone has just eaten up Dangerboy's walls and I've got good first hand experience when it comes to my collection which only needs those 'last' 500 or so titles.

Where did you see the list? You can dabble with the Rarity guide here and see what it pulls up as a count.

We've got a PlayStation thread in the Collectors Guide/ Rarity Database forum, just do a search in there, see if anythings been asked/ talked about already or just feel free to bump it back up.

Thanks so much for the thread recomendation--I'll go check it out after I post this. I'm thinking of just buying sealed copies of games that I already love, then buying used copies, and then searching for sealed copies after I finish a used collection. I guess I'll figure that out as I go.

Oh, and here's the link to the list I mentioned:
http://www.psxa2z.com/MasterPSXLIST1.html

Thanks again.
--Mark


Edit: In response to the post above me, I'm just going to go ahead and reiterate:
I've recently searched my local stores for various reasons and haven't seen even a used PS1 for sale. It's all well and good that a year ago I could have found one for $13. I can't now. It was the best I found, and as such, I'm happy with it.

[Poofta!]

i collect the games worth playing. not done although i am up to about 130 or so... all complete, most mint

[Daria]

Well don't feel too bad, some of us don't even have an LCD screen. I really want one, that and a PocketStation.

[AMG]

I pick up PSX games from time to time, a casual collector you could say.

[Dangerboy]

That list you printed has some GH listings that I've never seen, ever.
It's also missing Fifa 2005, Madden 2005, among other errors.

Check here for what should at least be the complete overall list of games:
http://www.game-rave.com/psx/playstation_perfect_guide/releasedgames/index.html