Anyone here collecting an entire system?

[TheGregzilla]

Obviously with most systems its completely impossible/batshit crazy...
But for mostly every retro system it has been done, check youtube.

Anyone else on the forums trying to collect an entire systems library? Im working on N64 right now, Not CIB of course. I just want the games, not to drop thousands of dollars. Its coming along slowly but surely. Im saving the rarest games for the very end, I think I can justify Sculptors Cut if I have every other game on the system lol. I have found most of the games pretty cheap locally, with a large chunk being 5 dollars or under. Its an easy system to find crazy deals for. I found Goldeneye (cart only) with a 8/10 label for 5 bucks.
Finances willing I am hoping to complete the collection within the next year. Its the system I have the fondest memories of playing, (Came out in my golden years of gaming, I was about 10) And its something id like to pass on to my kids someday. Of course, I also see it as an investment. Once the collection is complete, if some emergency ever came up, Id know I had something I could sell in a time of crisis that would bring substantial financial help.

Who else is trying to collect for a whole system?

[prfsnl_gmr]

I am trying to acquire a complete set of games for the:

Arcadia 2001;
Nintendo Entertainment System; and
Sega Master System.

I need nine games to complete my Arcadia 2001 collection, but I suspect that finding three of them - Grand Slam Tennis, Red Clash, and Spiders - in complete condition will be virtually impossible.

I need 94 games to complete my cart-only NES collection, but again, I think that acquiring nine of those carts will be very difficult or cost-prohibitive. For those nine, I will probably just purchase reproduction carts.

I need 35 games to complete my collection of Sega Master System games. I will probably just import Sonic the Hedgehog; so, I will probably attain my goal at some point.

Finally, I am trying to acquire a complete set of PS1 long box games. I was very impressed with DSH's collection, and I need only 45 more games to complete my set.

[TheGregzilla]

Not too shabby at all. Sounds like you have a great collection. Id love a NES collection and I agree with the repro carts, some games are just TOO expensive. I was thinking about trying to tackle Genesis after I finish N64, I havent looked into Master System too much, is Sonic really that hard to find on it? I always assumed it would be easy like the Genesis version?

[prfsnl_gmr]

Not too shabby at all. Sounds like you have a great collection. Id love a NES collection and I agree with the repro carts, some games are just TOO expensive. I was thinking about trying to tackle Genesis after I finish N64, I havent looked into Master System too much, is Sonic really that hard to find on it? I always assumed it would be easy like the Genesis version?

Collecting a complete set of Genesis games in complete condition would be a beast, but collecting a complete set of carts would be a little more feasible. If you go that route, I wish you the best of luck.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a very common game abroad, but it received only a limited release in North America. Moreover, the North American "version" of the game is really the PAL version with a sticker over the UPC. Accordingly, people who pay large sums of money for the game are really just buying a UPC sticker...

Finally, I agree that some carts are too expensive. I have a good income, and I am dedicated to my hobby. I have never paid more than $100 for a single game, however, and I will only consider paying more than that when I am much closer to rounding out some of my collections. Moreover, I will never pay more than a few hundred for a cart. In my opinion, that money is better spent elsewhere (like charity)...

[Menegrothx]

I might get a complete set for platforms that have very few games released on them like Virtual Boy, Game.com and 32X. Mostly because I have to justify owning one, so I'm more willing to play any kind of crap (sports games etc) I normally wouldn't bother with with a platform that has a large library of games to choose from. Even then, I really don't see myself paying crazy amounts of money for bad/mediocre games that are really rare (like Jack Bros for Virtual Boy or Darxide for 32X)

Once the collection is complete, if some emergency ever came up, Id know I had something I could sell in a time of crisis that would bring substantial financial help.

You'll loose tremendous amounts of money when you consider how much time you spent finding a lot of the stuff (+possible traveling costs) and buying the games if you intend to sell the collections as complete sets. Value of individual games goes way down when sold in lots like that.

[TheGregzilla]

Its more of an emergency type thing. N64 is literally THE easiest system to collect for. Theres really only a handful of N64 games that cant be found for under 20 bucks if you look, and right now on ebay there are two listings for complete cart collections- 1 for $3000 and one (a bit ridiculously priced at) $8000. A full cart collection can definetly be obtained for less than 3000 from the prices Ive found.

[dsheinem]

I have a US 32x set all with boxes, most with manuals. I have 1 of 3 non-US 32x games.

I'm 6 carts away from a complete 7800 set (about 1/3 cart, 1/3 CIB, 1/3 sealed).

I have all the PS1 Longboxes

I'm still collecting all video pinball games (for any system) and most (but not all) shmups for systems I own.

Collecting these kind of small sets, each if which has taken years, is about all I can see myself ever doing. They're a lot of fun if you are curious to try it out. Collecting everything for a system with 200+ games (let alone closer to 1000 or more) would drive me crazy.

[Hobie-wan]

Even the systems with the best ratio of good games have crap in them. Unless a system was pretty much DOA with a tiny library, trying to collect a complete set will be difficult. Fun for some people, not for me. Admittedly I do have some complete or near complete sets based off a franchise, including some stinkers.

I'm looking at you Appaloosa Contra games.

[SpoonyBard]

I'm a long ways away, but i'm going for NES and Dreamcast at the moment. Glad to see other people putting off the most expensive titles for the end to help justify their purchase.


A full collection isn't particularly liquid, and would be really hard to count on if you were in a true bind. Once I stop enjoying the stuff and know of something else I can't afford that i'd enjoy more i'll part with it. But i'd much rather my kids or their cooler friends get some enjoyment out of it before that.

[Stark]

I have a good portion of a Saturn collection under my belt as well as collections by a certain developer or all in a series and I think the latter two are more fun than for a system. I think this is because, even if you like a good portion of a systems library, it's still gonna be mostly crap when it comes down to it, so having every game just to have em doesn't appeal as much as every game by a developer that you like or every game in a series you like.