sealed game discussion

[soniklife]

to each is their own, but for me personally that just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. games are meant to be played. without opening and experiencing the gameplay, visuals, and sounds all you have is a box with artwork and plastic wrapped around it. where is the fun in that? i have never understood that extreme collector mentality. even as a collector in the world of action figures i'd always open my figures up and display them, appreciate the artistry in how the figure is painted and articulated. maybe it is just me but just because something is in demand- several thousand pieces of a game, toy, comic, card, etc, etc. doesn't really strike me as making that item rare. and considering so many collectors have this mentality of keeping something mint condition really how rare is that said collectible? but making every possible collectible to be "bankable" to me just seems hokey. i mean it isn't like we are talking about a honus wagner baseball card!

[Gamerforlife]

I sort of changed my thinking on this matter. I can see how people might want to collect sealed games of optical media based games, simply because of how shitty cds and dvds are. They are easy to scratch, damage or get marks on even if you handle your stuff well(as I can attest to). Sometimes the system itself will mark up your games(I'm looking at you Sony). So for this reason, I understand people wanting sealed copies of their favorite games. As a collector, you want things to stay in good condition.

I got two copies of The Red Star, one I play frequently and one sealed on my shelf. I don't really care what anyone says. I like having a copy I know is in pristine condition. This isn't practical of course, and I'm hoping to get all my systems modded at some point so I can play back-ups(like I do with my Saturn)and just buy one offical copy of any game I want and let it sit on my shelf where I don't have to worry about its condition.

I'd like to get sealed copies of some of my favorite PS 2 games, but getting sealed copies of some of the more popular PS 1 and Saturn games is insane. The prices on the more popular games(if you can even find them sealed)are astronomical. So in this case, I just look for mint condition. I only buy from ebay sellers now with actual grading systems so I know what kind of condition I'm getting and I can hold them to it.

With cartridge games though, I have zero interest in getting them sealed. Not only do sealed copies go for insane prices, but cartridges are built well and not cheap and flimsy like optical media, so I'm perfectly okay with taking those cartridges out and playing them. My only obsession with cartridge games is getting them all with box and instructions(and original releases only, not re-releases). Ironically, I find boxes for S-NES and N64 games more valuable than the games themselves because it's harder to find them in good shape(and for some games you won't be able to find them in ANY condition). Even so, I'm okay with any box that is intact with no major damage even if it shows wear, so with cartridge games I don't obsess at all over getting things sealed.

Bottom line, any form of collecting is easy to criticize as a stupid hobby, so I'm not going to bad mouth people who like to buy stuff sealed. To each his own, and it doesn't mean that they don't PLAY games, which is what all the haters like to say(including myself not that long ago). A person can have a whole bunch of sealed games, and they're simply playing the back ups on a modded system. Or the crazier route of buying two copies of everything, which I don't plan on doing(with The Red Star being the one exception)

[Pascal]

japanese SNES games were never sealed ....

thats right!

[fastbilly1]

My mistake. Mine was sold to me inside a hardplastic bag (much like a record) and I was told it was never played, I guess just figured the game was sealed by the description it was sold to me.

However I have one question for your Pascal, why did you bump up your old topic to agree with yourself?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

i like buying sealed old games then opening them up and playing them. Gives them that stillnew feel + i know where the cartridge or disk has been.

[Pascal]

yeah but you still lose some money when you do that ^

[thor9754]

I definately can see where everyone is coming from here, but I kinda feel a little different. I don't collect sealed games at all, however I am a stickler when it comes to complete games, like many other have said. But, look at it like this, if you have the money to purchase a sealed copy of your favorite game, then you probably already own an opened, playable version of the game ALREADY, or at least can afford one...

I come from a GI Joe collecting background (the 3 3/4 1980's-early 90's figures), so I can definately understand where these collectors are coming from. If you can afford a mint condition Destro still on the card, up opened, then you most likely already have had the loose figure for years, and this is just a crowning piece for your collection.

Take a die hard Final Fantasy fan. Say his favorite game is FFVII, he's probably beat it countless times, probly had a version of it since launch it one form or another. So for this fan to go out and spend like $500 on a mint, non greatest hits, black label, factory sealed version of FFVII, is again just a crowning piece for a collection...kind of a way to show how much of a fan of the series he is, plus to ensure to himself mentally, that he will have a pristine copy of his favorite game forever (or untill he needs some money and throws it back on ebay).

Now while I do too frown on the rich colectors out there who just purchase every rare title factory sealed that they can, just so they can flip them for a profit a few years later on ebay, I can sympathise with the die hard fans, who want pristine versions of their favorite games...

Can you really blame that die-hard zelda fan for wanting a factory sealed version of the gold cart zelda game for NEW (a link to the past?)? I know I can't... and deep down inside I think we can all understand why they do it... Bottom line: If people are gonna shell out hundreds for rare factory sealed games, then they are probably a die hard fan of the game already, and already own a copy, and this is just adding to their overall enjoyment of said title.

[The Apprentice]

I only buy a game sealed if it is a cheap game regularly. I would buy it sealed to ensure it would look good on my shelf, but I still intend to play it.

[molotovwars]

Now that I'm getting an M3 DS, for the DS games I do want to buy and support the companies, I'll probably just keep the copy I buy sealed and play the rom for it. I still buy Genesis games because I like playing on the TV with the genesis controller, but if I can still play actual DS games on the DS then I may as well do it that way. Same goes for PSP...though there is much less buying going on there.

[megadethdrumfire]

i have a sealed copy of Panzer dragoon saga for saturn! My aunt got it for me and my brother when it first came out, but we didnt have a saturn haha. I guess she just went in to funcoland and asked for the best new game.. Anyway i kept it for some reason then when i eventually got a saturn i found how much it was worth, and how good it is, so i bought a used copy on ebay, and kept the sealed copy hidden away! it still has the funcoland sale sticker on it!