Retro is becoming expensive

[durkada]

One of the things I enjoyed most about my little retro hobby, is how cheaply one could purchase some of the older gems. And that worked well for a long time. But there are grails and missing portions of my collection that I want to fill.

So, year after year, I sort of neglected those great games. Now, however, having more-or-less gotten many of the a-class titles for several systems, I've been slowly breaking down and buying some of the rare, more expensive treasures.

It began by thinking about the original MSRP of the games, and feeling ok that it was still around that area. Then it became a matter of thinking of the retro titles as being cheaper than a modern day release. Now, however, I'm starting to think in terms of: this game really is better than two or three modern day releases. And I'm tempted.

Speaking of treasure, Radiant Silvergun, I'm looking at you. Harmful Park, Under Defeat... the list goes on.

Am I alone in this?

[VincentX]

I've been noticing it too; though sometimes it's nice to find a cheaper import version of a game (JP Burning Rangers 20 bucks ftw!).

I've also found myself buying more of the expensive games just in general; though sometimes they are planned for me, and it's because I sometimes can't help myself because I either "have" to have them or I really want them. I specifically went after Panzer Dragoon Saga shortly after I got my Saturn (both of which at one point I said I would never buy, hahaha). While one day I was at a local retro shop that had gotten nearly every single rare RPG for the PSone traded in and they were all in almost brand new condition...about 350 dollars later I walked out of the store going "Oh dear god what did I just do?"

For me it's mainly a measure of if the game is worth it to me; if I feel I'll get enough enjoyment out of a game; I'll be willing to pay the higher price.

[J T]

I think older games on the whole are not very expensive, but when you get obsessed with owning a gem like radiant silvergun, then you better be prepared to empty your pockets. In my local retro shop, that games sits on the shelf with a $300 price tag.

For me gaming is an expensive hobby because games are so cheap and I frequently indulge myself by buying many different games on sale. No single game costs a lot, but the prices add up over time. To me it is liberating to buy so many games because when I was kid I was always told that we didn't have enough money for the games I wanted and I would have to wait until Christmas or my birthday. Now that I have a little disposable income of my own, I enjoy picking up bargain bin games on a whim. It's been fun, but I probably do spend too much on games and I have more than I could ever possibly finish.

[hashiriya1]

Radiant Silvergun isn't really that much. So I think if you have patience, you can
get a good deal on a copy. All I want to get to finish my Saturn collection is Heim Waltz.
I won't pay more than $500 for it, but the cheapest I've seen it go for it about $750.
Super Potato has a copy on their online store for 85,143 yen (Roughly $900). They have
a copy at their Sendai location for 107,000 yen ($1,145). This is all I need to complete
my Saturn collection. So yeah, you are not alone. It's getting out of hand!
At least Eyeful Home can be had for about 15,000 yen.


http://www.superpotato.com/detail/163010002001/





As far as Harmful Park and Under Defeat are concerned, yes, they can be pricey.
Here is a copy I found at a local game shop. Below the pic is a link to Amazon for Under Defeat.

[yomomma1]

I have only recently been paying alot for snes games($25+) Other than that the games tend to be less than 5 dollars.

[VincentX]

It's been fun, but I probably do spend too much on games and I have more than I could ever possibly finish.

I can definitely relate to that. I counted the other day and I've got about 50 RPGs I haven't finished or started...and a couple of those are games with 50+ hours of gameplay in them.

[the7k]

Shmups will almost always demand higher prices than most other games, because they are produced in such limited quantities. Shmup publishers know there aren't a lot of shmup fans, so they pretty much produce only enough to satisfy demand for the game at the time of release.

As much as I love shmups, I only own about two or three on the Sega Saturn due to the extreme costs attached to most of them. It sucks that that's the way it is... but that's the way it is.

[MikeyW]

Retro gaming is such a large thing that I find that there's always cheaper things to buy than one particular, super-rare item. But that's just the way I conduct my hobby. I specifically look for old, cheap, games.

[Weekend_Warrior]

I absolutely refuse to pay more than $30 for ANY game that is over ten years old.

Sure, it limits the hell out of my collecting. But it definitely keeps me out of trouble.

I think I've been pretty lucky though. I've scored the majority of my whole game collection for less than $10 each. And I like to think that I have a fairly respectable game collection.

But yeah, I draw the line at the Dreamcast. I could pay $100 for a sealed copy of Ikaruga or Zero Gunner 2. But any game older than that, no way! Only if it's listed for $30 or less. That's my rule

[Flake]

Retrogaming only becomes expensive for me when I let myself get drunk and hop on ebay. "Oh yeah, thinksh you're gonna to outbid ME do'ya!?"

Then, like a night at the bar gone wrong, I wake up in the morning. I look at the computer. And I feel the need to get clean.