Collecting complete system libraries.

[retrosportsgamer]

True, the search is part of the fun. I found a near mint copy of Brave Fencer Musashi in a local thrift store, priced for about $1 if I remember correctly. The find alone made my day, notwithstanding the amazing game I just picked up. Going to a game store and rooting through SNES carts to find deals on ones I don't yet own is part of the fun, as is talking to the other guys doing the same thing or the fellas at the counter who ask me about how my collection has grown and what new recommendations I can make. A couple of weeks ago I picked up 9 SNES titles for $12 and discovered both Goof Troop and College Slam. And it was interesting for me to plug in both Super Pro Action Football and Madden and see the difference in presentation.

Oh, and RGS, it depends on the sport! I will try to give you some numbers based on my checking the lists:

American Football: 27
Baseball: 20
Basketball: 21
Soccer: 18
Hockey: 15
Golf: 10
Volleyball: 2
Bowling: 2
Billiards: 2
Tennis: 5
Fishing: 7
Multi-Sport: 8
Boxing: 6
Wrestling: 8

TOTAL: 151

Now I know some of you guys will jump on the large quantities of certain sports titles, but keep in mind that this is EVERY representation of the sport, so Soccer includes World Cup USA '94 as well as Mega Man Soccer. Others, like Boxing, include Super Punch-Out, though I admittedly left out Best of the Best, as I tend to count it as a fighting game. The Multi-Sport category includes any compilation of sports games, so the Olympics video games went here, as did winter sports, or the Sports Illustrated Football and Baseball game. Oh, and for the record, here's a comparison to another genre.

Racing: 38

That number includes Formula 1, NASCAR, BMX, Motocross, and fantasy racers like F-Zero, Super Mario Kart, and Speed Racer.

Fighting games I did not include with the boxing or wrestling categories. There are about 45 of those.

Thanks. Yeah I usually count in Olympic games (or multi-sport as you noted), where it gets dicey is the "Alternative" sports titles like skateboarding. GameFAQs breaks the sub-sports genres down pretty well but there are a LOT of alternative games I just wouldn't count.

[retrosportsgamer]

Are you just going for licensed or are you trying to find all the unlicensed stuff too?

Personally, i've culled out the unlicensed games with the exception of Tengen (for the NES). The quality is usually very lacking anyway (not that that isn't the case for some licensed games).

[prfsnl_gmr]

Also, for the record, I am trying to obtain a complete NES collection including all major label variants.

Do you just mean things like both versions of Metroid, Pac-Man, and perhaps things like Impossible Mission II, or do you also mean things like Oval and Round seal variants of Konami games? Just curious.

The ones that I can think of off the top of my head include

Blades of Steel (original vs. "greatest hits" label)
Gun.Smoke ("realistic" label vs. "stylized cowboy" label)
The Legend of Zelda (gold cart vs. grey cart)
Metroid (silver pixel art vs. yellow label)
Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt / World Class Track Meet (red overalls vs. white overalls)
Untouchables (blue label vs. movie poster label)
Wayne Gretzky Hockey (Wayne changed his outfit three times for this game apparently...)
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (gold cart vs. grey cart)

I also have the grey licensed version of several Tengen games (Gauntlet, Pac-Man, RBI Baseball, etc.) in addition to the unlicensed versions. With regard to Pac-Man, I know that there are two box variants for the Tengen version of that game, but the label on the cart is consistent. There is also the Namco version, but I consider that a different game, similar to the alternate versions of Impossible Mission II, Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, and Ms. Pac-Man. (Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom is kind of in a grey area. I have the Mindscape and Tengen versions, but I am not sure whether I would consider them different games.)

I also know that some of the Color Dreams and Wisdom Tree Games had different cart colors, but I have not yet listed out the variants that I need to add to my collection.

I am not trying to collect the various seal variants or the minor color variants. I may try to collect three- and five-screw variants at some point, but I am not there yet.

[retrosportsgamer]

Wayne Gretzky Hockey (Wayne changed his outfit three times for this game apparently...)

This is the popular answer to "What happens when Bethesda and THQ team up?"

[prfsnl_gmr]

Are you just going for licensed or are you trying to find all the unlicensed stuff too?

Personally, i've culled out the unlicensed games with the exception of Tengen (for the NES). The quality is usually very lacking anyway (not that that isn't the case for some licensed games).

I generally agree with this statement, but some unlicensed games have actually held up pretty well. Case in point, Exodus, Impossible Mission II, and Pyramid are simple games that has aged at least as well as many games in the NES library. Additionally, some of the Camerica games (The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy, Linus Spacehead's Cosmis Crusade, and Ultimate Stuntman) feature some of the best graphics on the system.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Wayne Gretzky Hockey (Wayne changed his outfit three times for this game apparently...)

This is the popular answer to "What happens when Bethesda and THQ team up?"

[retrosportsgamer]

Are you just going for licensed or are you trying to find all the unlicensed stuff too?

Personally, i've culled out the unlicensed games with the exception of Tengen (for the NES). The quality is usually very lacking anyway (not that that isn't the case for some licensed games).

I generally agree with this statement, but some unlicensed games have actually held up pretty well. Case in point, Exodus, Impossible Mission II, and Pyramid are simple games that has aged at least as well as many games in the NES library. Additionally, some of the Camerica games (The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy, Linus Spacehead's Cosmis Crusade, and Ultimate Stuntman) feature some of the best graphics on the system.

I'm sorry, I gave no context to my response. I meant in regards to collecting NES sports titles (i'm close to having them all).

[prfsnl_gmr]

I'm sorry, I gave no context to my response. I meant in regards to collecting NES sports titles (i'm close to having them all).

Oh...In that case, you are certainly correct. The RBI Baseball games are good, but the rest are pretty horrendous.

[Hobie-wan]

I am not trying to collect the various seal variants or the minor color variants. I may try to collect three- and five-screw variants at some point, but I am not there yet.

Fair enough. One could get really gonzo with variants too. For instance, the Bootgod cart DB has the round seal version of Jackal showing a normal board and chips inside.

http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/profile.php?id=62

I have an oval seal Jackal cart with a completely different board inside that is Konami branded and has Konami chips on it as well. I'm not sure if all oval copies had this board or if there was mix and match. I know that isn't a label difference though.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I am not trying to collect the various seal variants or the minor color variants. I may try to collect three- and five-screw variants at some point, but I am not there yet.

Fair enough. One could get really gonzo with variants too. For instance, the Bootgod cart DB has the round seal version of Jackal showing a normal board and chips inside.

http://bootgod.dyndns.org:7777/profile.php?id=62

I have an oval seal Jackal cart with a completely different board inside that is Konami branded and has Konami chips on it as well. I'm not sure if all oval copies had this board or if there was mix and match. I know that isn't a label difference though.

Agreed. You can go absolutely bonkers with NES variants, and I figured that I had to stop myself somewhere. Major variations that are readily apparent on the outside of the cart is where my OCD cuts off.