When will SNES games start going down in price again?

[prfsnl_gmr]

What's the fun in eliminating the hunt and always trying to get that game you don't have yet that everyone tells you that you should play.

This is the key to collecting. Hunting down games, IMO, is just as fun as playing them, and if you don't enjoy hunting them down or caring for a collection, then you should probably just stick with emulation.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I think we as retro gamers also have a tendency to "overrate" really rare games.

Look at the obsessive "need" people have to own something like Little Samson, despite it being just an okay platformer.

And I do enjoy Panzer Dragoon Saga, but if an identical game was a $30 PlayStation title instead of a $300 Saturn game it would probably get lost in the sea of great 5th gen JRPGs.

[darsparx]

Yeah, I kinda want to play little samson but it's not a must have. Just kinda interesting....so is that panzer dragoon saga but I think I can wait it out and play what I do have and will get. Plus someone is bound to sell something on craigslist or ebay eventually that gets overlooked and is a ton of great games for a decent price...

[alexis524]

This thread depresses me, especially because I still need Dracula X, MM7 and MMX3, and a manual to complete Harvest Moon (average $95).

Yeah tell me about it.
@ ninjaspandex: I know what your saying brother but I actually love owning the carts. I will buy the sdcards thingies but right now i want the decent priced games like punch out and zelda etc. I will get the card for Dracula x, mega man 7, x3,
We should call the snes sega Saturn or neo geo with some of the prices.

When you go to Valhalla, the plastic can't go with you.

It seems to be a pervading trait now that most gamers have more games than they can ever play these days. When second hand markets for previous generation software is priced so low it's easy to accrue large amounts of "good" games which can be appealing for various reasons. For myself I look at it as a gamer first and a collector second meaning, I buy games I want to play and I end up keeping them if they stand the test of appeal/playability/enjoyment. The key here is want, not need. Nobody needs to own video games unless they want to need for fulfilling some collecting objective.

It also seems when markets for older games start to rise in price due to "retro" demand down the line there are always a vocal group who decry the often expensive increases. That's fine but ultimately nothing appears to be or has been done regarding that. My question is why do you want the games right now? Why not 4 years ago and alternately why not 4 years from now? If you can't justify the prices now why not wait a while and see what happens and really what do you miss out on if your patience doesn't pay off - more cardboard and plastic. Really, looking at collecting video games costs very little compared to other hobbies where prices have rose significantly (precious metals in coins) or plummeted (sports card). It's also no patch on collecting automobiles or fine antiques which can put stuff like CIB EarthBounds to shame without blinking an eye.

My advice is to truly question oneself why you need something and if your life is any worse off without it (see: emulation, SD2SNES, saving $, etc.). It is a hobby after all and shouldn't be a cause of strife otherwise it seems a bit masochistic.

/\ this X 2

this is exactly how I feel and the realization I came to about 4 months ago. I have a family too and when I stop and think how much time I honestly have compared to the effort I've put into buying, reading about, selling, and coveting this hobby, it's a severe imbalance. I've decided why should I invest so much (time and money) into a hobby that is useless when I die? I had a modest collection around 600 titles, 25 different consoles and for what? It was all to say I owned them. I never played them. Most of the games and consoles I had have never even seen the light of day in the past 8-9 years, so why then, would I continue to throw more money at this hobby? My wish list alone totaled well into the 5 figure range of titles and consoles that are too expensive and would only be a "trophy" for my collection.

I too thought I could never part with most of my games and consoles, thinking I would be missing something. Truth is, since selling off a ton of stuff (few thousand dollars worth) i have honestly not even thought about what I used to own, let alone miss them. So I agree wholeheartedly with fahlim.

[darsparx]

Well it just sounds like you collected for the sake of collecting some stuff. While there are those(like I'm trying to be) that collect only for the sake of having games that I will actually play...(which like I've said before eliminates a lot of junk from it all and makes sure you only have decent games you will actually play)

[Retrogamer0001]

@alexis542 So, why didn't you play your games? Seems like it's your own fault for just mindlessly collecting without playing any of them. I have a large collection, but I'm always playing one or two games, constantly working on my backlog. Sure, it might take me ten years to beat everything, but it's my hobby, I enjoy it immensely, and I have a real passion for it. If you don't feel the same, then yes, it's a good thing you exited the hobby.

[alexis524]

@alexis542 So, why didn't you play your games? Seems like it's your own fault for just mindlessly collecting without playing any of them. I have a large collection, but I'm always playing one or two games, constantly working on my backlog. Sure, it might take me ten years to beat everything, but it's my hobby, I enjoy it immensely, and I have a real passion for it. If you don't feel the same, then yes, it's a good thing you exited the hobby.

M'kay.

didn't exit altogether, still game. Priorities change.

[Retrogamer0001]

@alexis542 So, why didn't you play your games? Seems like it's your own fault for just mindlessly collecting without playing any of them. I have a large collection, but I'm always playing one or two games, constantly working on my backlog. Sure, it might take me ten years to beat everything, but it's my hobby, I enjoy it immensely, and I have a real passion for it. If you don't feel the same, then yes, it's a good thing you exited the hobby.

don't need the reprimand thank you.

Why didn't I? Life happens that's why. Do I still play? yes. I just came to the realization that I had more than I will ever play and made a conscious decision to pare back is all. I'm glad you have such a strong passion, but priorities change my friend.

I'm not reprimanding you at all. Of course priorities change, and they should, but that should only happen if your hobby is bigger than your life. Family, jobs, etc, are all more important things. However, I think that there can always be room for a hobby that someone is passionate about and interested in. Sure, you may not play for two or three hours every day, but it can still be a part of your life (if that's what you want).

[alexis524]

Ok. Tones are always near impossible to pick up through forum messages as opposed to in-person, so I apologize for my reaction. Not out of the hobby all together, still going strong, just not as often as I'd like.

[vatermuzik]

I would surmise that a great many racketboy members also have these priorities, yet also manage to find time to collect and play video games. I've certainly managed to strike a balance between responsibility and my various hobbies; it really hasn't been that difficult for me.

I certainly appreciate that gaming takes a back seat to many other of life's offerings but this is a forum for gaming enthusiasts, right? Let's talk about the games.

I do find quality SNES carts to be the most difficult to find. Though to be fair, it's one of the strongest libraries of any cart based system IMHO. At least most of the really expensive titles are great games. As much can't be said for some other console libraries (I'm looking at you NES).