Your top 5 favorite items in your collection

[soera]

Mostly a curiousity. What in your collection do you value more than the rest? Could be monetarily or personally.

#1 : GX TV. I have wanted one for so many years. I finally got one and even though its only 13 inch screen and the horizontal and vertical holds both need to be adjusted, I wouldnt play on anything else!

#2 : FFV pre order shirt. It looks like its been eaten by a weed eater but I love that shirt. I used to wear it 4 days out of the week for years.

#3 : Black Tiger stand up. Its the one item I reacquired from my childhood. Its the only arcade game Ill ever own.

#4 : Dragon warrior 1-4 CIB. Its what got me started on serious RPG playing. It took me a while to finally finish the whole set but I dont regret it at all.

#5 : PS1 RPG collection. Its my main staple collection wise. For the longest time, it was my only focus. If it goes back to my only focus (paired with their soundtracks *damn you Scott*) I would not mind.

[darko]

1. My SNES - sounds corny but I still have the one I bought with my own money after the one and only garage sale I've ever been a part of. I was only 8 or 9 so it was a big deal! Still think my grandma lied about the money I made and just hooked me up

2. The CIB games I've replaced from that garage sale (mostly NES titles).

3. My mint CIB of Illusion of Gaia - also a weird one but I really, really loved this game when I was young. I couldn't ever get past the mummy? towards the end of the game.

4. My boxed Bubble Bobble Part 2 on the NES - Grandma for the win. She paid $3.99 for it one weekend while I was staying with my grandparents. She picked it up from a video store that was unloading all of their NES titles to make way for SNES games. It's really what got me into collecting. I was just digging around my parent's house one day and found my games under my bed (had just started college). I thought, hmm, I wonder if any of these are worth anything now?

5. Dark Souls - literally one of the best games I've ever played. Sure there's basically no story, but there wasn't much of a story to The Legend of Zelda and I never hear people bitching about that! I ate, drank, and slept the game when it came out. I was so engrossed in the gameplay and difficulty that I put 200 hours + into it in about two weeks. I was averaging 2-3 hours of sleep at night, reading the forums at work, looking up how to get the best gear, etc. I haven't been that excited about a game since ALttP (which I bought with my SNES). The best part is, I almost didn't unwrap it after I bought it because I didn't really think I was going to like it. I was really excited about the upcoming release of Skyrim and didn't want to spoil my RPG appetite before it released. I enjoy Skyrim, but Dark Souls is exactly what I've been waiting for from a game since button mashing, health regenerating, easy mode bullshit became the norm. I grew up playing Super C, TMNT, Ninja Gaiden III, Fester's Quest, etc. Health regeneration? Fuck that. How about a game that takes some skill, a sharp mind, and a little luck? That is what gaming is all about. You either have what it takes or you don't. Easy mode? If you just want to kill some time, throw on an apron and pull out your Easy Bake Oven. I'll take three of those little gritty-ass "because I don't know how to cook for real" cupcakes...with extra frosting...just so I don't have to stop playing. While you're at it, I'll take a PB&J with blackberry preserves. What? You can't find the milk? Fuck off - I'm about to beat Super C.

EDIT: You remember that feeling of true accomplishment mixed with relief that rushed through you when you finally got through the 9th dungeon in LoZ, beat Gannon, and saw the credits roll for the first time? How about when you finally figured out the the trick to beating Mike Tyson and became the best boxer in the world? You remember what it felt like right before that - you've gotten so close the last 10 tries that you're pissed and you've almost given up...but you want this one last go before powering down? Your whole body tenses up because you have a sliver of life left and one more scratch is going to start you back at the beginning? All of a sudden you beat it - your brain hasn't even registered what's going on so you're in that weird state of pissed and excited because you'd already given up when you saw your life meter at a half full heart? That's what I miss and that's what it felt like to beat Dark Souls for the first time.

[teknophyl]

That is quite possibly the best Grandma in the history of the universe.

I don't have 5 (my collection isn't big enough yet) but for now its my CIB ICO. The disc is pristine. Too bad I didn't like the game enough to finish playing it. Maybe one day...

Nostalgia wise it's FF VII black label. This was, and still is, my favorite game of all time, and I got it pretty cheaply. I didn't feel like I was a real collector until I got it.

[blipcs76]

#3 : Black Tiger stand up. Its the one item I reacquired from my childhood. Its the only arcade game Ill ever own.

I LOVE Black Tiger.  It really doesn't do anything special or innovative, but it's just really well done.

[blipcs76]

My top 5:

1. Coleco Tabletop Arcade games
I'll just lump these in as one.  I have all 5 of the original games in the series, which include Pac Man, Ms Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger and Galaxian.

2. Double Donkey Kong arcade machine
A really cool 'official' deluxe DK arcade game.  It's a DK cabinet with a custom board in it that plays both DK and DK Jr (press 1P + 2P to reboot into the other game).  The cabinet is all original DK, but it has a custom marquee and one side has DK sideart while the other has JK Jr. sideart.  It's also nearly mint.

3. Pocket Power
A Nintendo Power promo booklet they gave out in theaters when you saw The Wizard.  I still have mine (I swore I had two though) and I have no idea if it has any value, but it's a neat piece of history.

4. Top-loading NES
The top loader might be ugly and only have RF output, but it plays pretty carts very reliably.

5. Vintage Blaster Master t-shirt
I got it when I was a kid for sending in a coupon from a magazine ad.  I don't think I've ever worn it, but it's such a cool collectible regardless if it has any value or not.

[turf]

1) My NES.  Hands down.  This was the same one that came with my Deluxe Set when I was 6 or 7 years old.  There have been some miles put on that system.  I still have R.O.B., The Zapper, Gyromite, and Duck Hunt that all came with it.  It is my A+ #1 favorite thing in the collection.  It started a lifelong love of video games.

2) My copy of Calton 6-in-1.  It's #2 because I have it and you don't.  The best part about that pile of poo game is the fact that I paid $4.95 for it out in the wild.  It's why I Game Chase/Trash Dig

3) My SNES.  Everyone has one, but this was the one I got for my birthday the Feb. after it came out.  Once again, this thing has seen some playtime.

4) Contra... Regular old Contra.  When people see my collection of games and want to power up the 8-bit'er this is the one they ask for.  More trips in "The Way Back Machine" have been taken with this game than any other. 

5) My Black Dreamcast.  I love the Dreamcast.  It's a shame that I was too much of a Nintendo Fanboy to give anything else a chance.  As cheesy as it sounds, this is a reminder not to be so closed minded and try new things.  I missed out on some good times because I wouldn't branch out.

[darko]

That is quite possibly the best Grandma in the history of the universe.

Yep! She's also responsible for me playing my first video game. She stood in line for like 2-3 hours to get me an NES for Christmas when it came out. I had zero idea. After that she always bought me games for my birthday and Christmas. I don't know how she knew what to buy, but she picked out games like Super C, Mega Man, Batman, etc without any input from me or my parents.

[amauriel]

I'm probably going to want to change these later, as I'm not 100% thinking about it. And I'm not playing the monetary game, really. These are things that mean something to me.  But let's see where we get.

1. Earthbound. It was the first game that I ever bought without renting, and my mom was sorta panicking about it. I finally told her that I could probably stand right there in the store and name off every boss, I knew that much about it. And it was clearanced for $25 or $30, and I said I might never get another good chance of it. It's now definitely the game I've played more times than any other and the one I usually declare as my favorite game ever.

2. ColecoVision. My dad loved games before me, and he and mom had the Coleco before I was born. I have one of their original systems (we had two because they thought the first one was worn out...just a bad RF switch ) and although I don't play it very often, I'm so glad that's the one I have. When I was little, maybe 4 or 5, before we had an NES, my cousins and aunts and uncles would come over to visit and it seemed like everyone had a favorite game. My aunt used to literally screech when one of the bad bugs would get close to her in Ladybug, and she'd do this little "oh ho ho" when she successfully got away from them. My cousin used to always play the second player and she'd reset Cabbage Patch Kids if she didn't get through the first 10 levels on her first try...which was awful if you'd done well on your first turn. I could give stories for a lot of my big, close-knit family, but you get the idea. When Mom heard that Coleco was going to stop selling the ColecoVision, she even contacted them and ordered a bunch of replacement controllers. It was awesome, years later, when my sister and I would start blaming our controllers for our poor performance and she'd just disappear and come back with two new controllers.

3. Snake Rattle 'n Roll. My uncle (other side of the family) never really got to know me. And I was a girl, and he was a car collector, so I got Barbie cars every year for Christmas. The year I got the NES from my grandma, however, he got me a game (I'm pretty sure Grandma threatened him), but because he didn't know anything about video games, he got me Snake Rattle 'n Roll because it had cute pictures and a lot of pink on the box. I didn't even play it for a long time, but finally my mom told me that I really should try it out, and she got on the floor to play with me. Mom really got into that game, and I have a lot of memories of the two of us playing.

4. Gold Legend of Zelda. I've told this story before, but basically, Ronalopolis gave me HIS copy from when he was a kid when we were dating. I never got into the Zelda games until Ocarina, so I was wanting to play the old ones, and he complied in an adorable geeky romantic way that won my heart.

5. Harvest Moon 64. First off, it's my favorite Harvest Moon game, and that's worth something. But there's a story here too...Natsume is pretty notorious for pushing back games, and the Harvest Moon games are certainly no exception. Harvest Moon 64 was slated for like September, but it kept getting pushed back. And it was the #1 thing on my Christmas list that year, by a long shot. So one thing lead to another, and finally the release date was moved to December 24th. Yeah, stupid Natsume. So my Mom had preordered it at Software, etc. and my dad headed over after work to get it. He got there, and there's a woman standing at the counter, flirting with the clerk, because her son really wanted that game for Christmas. As Dad is standing behind them, the clerk says that it's the last copy, but that he guesses he could give it to her and tell the preorder person that it didn't come in. My dad supposedly stepped between them, grabbed the game, and said that it's really too bad that the clerk isn't going to score tonight, because he is going to be taking that copy home with him (as it was preordered and everything). My dad was always a pretty reserved person, so I love hearing that this was how it went down, whether it did that way or not. Christmas day, I moved my N64 into the living room and played ALL DAY.

[scott]

This was slightly harder than I thought it was going to be, but I narrowed it down as best as I could.

5. Pokemon: FireRed Version - Mew Cart: Possibly the coolest gaming related thing I own. It's a copy of Pokemon FireRed for the GBA, only its not just an average copy of the game, it's an Event cartridge. These baby's were handed out from Nintendo directly to the folks at Toys R Us for a special Pokemon Event held on September 30, 2006. This was for a Mew distribution event which was only held on that day and afterwords the carts were left up for grabs for employees. My buddy was able to get one of the two they had. He held on to it for years. There are roughly 370 Mews on this cartridge, which is a little over 10 PC boxes full. According to my buddy, if no one wanted the cartridges, they were going to end up in the trash, so it's a pretty sweet find. When I found out he was looking to sell it, I had to jump on it.

Funny story; He listed it on ebay and mentioned that he was selling it on Facebook. I followed the link and watched it,  no one bid on if for a few days and he was getting antsy. I saw him mention something asking why people watch an auction if they weren't going to bid on it. I commented on the thread, but didn't make it seem like I was interested in it (he didn't know my ebay user name at that point) Once it got close, it was between me and another guy, but I made sure to bid it up (He was selling it along with a GBA SP). After it was over, I won, and sent him a text about it, to his surprise. I picked it up from him the next day.

4. Game Boy collection and Game Boy accessories: The Game Boy was a big part of my childhood. We went on vactaions all of the time when I was young and each trip involved packing the Game Boy, all of my games and a giant stash of AA batteries. I saved up money and somehow bought my Clear Game Boy Pocket when it came out and never sold or traded any of my games. Eventually I would like to amass a full loose cart collection of Game Boy games and build a special display case for them all. I found myself searching for random accessories and working toward finding as many as possible CIB and have managed to build a pretty interesting collection of them.

Favorite pieces:

Accessories: Game Boy carrying case (Had one growing up and found a replacement on ebay for cheap), Game Keeper, Game Boy Hip Pouch Carrying Case (Nothing says 90's like black w/ neon pink piping)

Games: CIB Castlevania: The Adventure and Super Mario Land 2: The 6 Golden Coins. Loose Kid Dracula, Metroid II and partially complete Link's Awakening.

3. Game Boy Light - Pokemon Center Tokyo: When I first found out Japan had a special backlit Game Boy released and that it never saw the light of day in the US, I had to have one. I spent years drooling over the Game Boy Light, but never went into buy mode on it. Finally 2 years ago I decided to use part of my tax return to buy one, but all the gold and silver ones that were available were in rough shape. That's when I saw the Pokemon Center Tokyo version and as soon as I saw a picture of the power light lighting up Pikachu's cheek, I was sold. It's in excellent shape and came with the bag that was bundled with it. Also the seller threw in the Japanese versions of Pokemon Yellow and Fighting Simulator: 2-in-1 Flying Warriors. I've since used to exclusively for playing Game Boy games. Now the only Game Boy I need is one of the Play-It-Loud ones and I'll have one of each type of Game Boy system.

Edit: here's a pic of it turned on. Tell me that's not awesome.


2. My entire Castlevania collection: I've always been a huge fan of the series. I think I first discovered the series while hanging with a cousin after little league. Then again after watching him beat Simon's Quest (no guides or cheats).Eventually he got Castlevania III and I was able to borrow it, played the living hell out of it too. For years I never owned a Castlevania game, it wasn't until I got my N64 that I got Castlevania for it, and loved it. Then after I got a PS1 I picked up Symphony of the Night, also falling in love with it. I started to pick up more Castlevania games as I saw them, but never hunted them down. By the time Dawn of Sorrow released for the DS, I had begun searching for all games, eventually getting a new NES and Castlevania 1-3 from Matt. I built up a fairly complete collection of loose carts and boxed discs. It wasn't until the last year or so that I started working toward the CIB set and I am now 3 away from it (not including early PC ports or variants).

Favorite pieces: CIB Castlevania 1-3, CIB Dracula X, Akumajo Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, Castlevania 20th Anniversary soundtrack & swag, Symphony of the Night for Saturn.

1. My Sega Saturn: When the PS1 and N64 were ruling the gaming industry, I was playing on the Saturn. I only had 9 games and a demo for it,  Daytona USA, Last Bronx, Lost World: Jurassic Park, NiGHTS, Sonic 3D Blast, Tomb Raider, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter 2 and the bootleg sampler that came bundled with the system. I loved every game I owned for that system and they all managed to get equal playtime. Unfortunately, I came to the game late and the Saturn was already a dying system. This coupled with the fact that I was 16-17 and didn't have steady income to buy up any of the super game deals stores were making to clear shelving space, caused me to miss out on a bunch of other games for the system. Eventually, I decided to jump ship and flip over to Nintendo. My feeble 17 year old brain thought it would be a good idea to sell off the Saturn to a friend of a friend for $30, a decision that I have been kicking myself for for years. I've since replaced my Saturn with the same model and replaced all my original games for it and have since been collecting Saturn games to discover all of the gems I missed out on. I'm currently up to 77 games for Saturn, that's quite the jump compared to my original 9. I also would like to eventually import some of the Japan-only shmups and Shining Force III part 2 and 3.

Favorite pieces: My original games, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Albert Odyessy, Dragon Force, Shining Force III

[scott]

I grew up playing Super C, TMNT, Ninja Gaiden III, Fester's Quest, etc. Health regeneration? Fuck that. How about a game that takes some skill, a sharp mind, and a little luck? That is what gaming is all about. You either have what it takes or you don't. Easy mode? If you just want to kill some time, throw on an apron and pull out your Easy Bake Oven. I'll take three of those little gritty-ass "because I don't know how to cook for real" cupcakes...with extra frosting...just so I don't have to stop playing. While you're at it, I'll take a PB&J with blackberry preserves. What? You can't find the milk? Fuck off - I'm about to beat Super C.

EDIT: You remember that feeling of true accomplishment mixed with relief that rushed through you when you finally got through the 9th dungeon in LoZ, beat Gannon, and saw the credits roll for the first time? How about when you finally figured out the the trick to beating Mike Tyson and became the best boxer in the world? You remember what it felt like right before that - you've gotten so close the last 10 tries that you're pissed and you've almost given up...but you want this one last go before powering down? Your whole body tenses up because you have a sliver of life left and one more scratch is going to start you back at the beginning? All of a sudden you beat it - your brain hasn't even registered what's going on so you're in that weird state of pissed and excited because you'd already given up when you saw your life meter at a half full heart? That's what I miss and that's what it felt like to beat Dark Souls for the first time.

This entire rant.

 This is why I love Bullet Hell Shmups so much. They are unforgiving as hell. Sure you can credit feed to the end, but what skill is that? There is a reason why the score counter resets on a continue. What you want a continue? Try playing some Robotron: 2084 and see what happens after you die the last time on wave 40. OOooh the initials screen.

[killerchameleon]

I only have one thing I can think of right now, actually it comprise of multiple items.  It would have to be my five Capcom Steel Battalion setups, that’s right five controllers five Xboxes networked and five TV’s and five copies of Steel Battalion and Line of Contact.  I need to pickup five LCD TVs to replace the tube TVs.

[soera]

Lol can you link them together or do you just really like the game?

[disgaeniac]

Mostly a curiousity. What in your collection do you value more than the rest? Could be monetarily or personally.

#1 : GX TV. I have wanted one for so many years. I finally got one and even though its only 13 inch screen and the horizontal and vertical holds both need to be adjusted, I wouldnt play on anything else!

#2 : FFV pre order shirt. It looks like its been eaten by a weed eater but I love that shirt. I used to wear it 4 days out of the week for years.

#3 : Black Tiger stand up. Its the one item I reacquired from my childhood. Its the only arcade game Ill ever own.

#4 : Dragon warrior 1-4 CIB. Its what got me started on serious RPG playing. It took me a while to finally finish the whole set but I dont regret it at all.

#5 : PS1 RPG collection. Its my main staple collection wise. For the longest time, it was my only focus. If it goes back to my only focus (paired with their soundtracks *damn you Scott*) I would not mind.

What, exactly, is a "GX TV"?

I don't think that I'm familiar w/ that name/term...

[kingrat101]

#1 My Copy of Earthbound with the Strategy guide and all the scratch and sniff cards with it, I wanted to list this because this was one of the games my Aunt gave me back when I was about 8 or 9 years old, I was still rockin the SNES long fter the PS1 came out and my aunt bought a SNES because they were getting cheap my parents bought her Earthbound from a walmart bargin bin for about $10 and she preceded to give it back to me cause she didnt understand JRPG's only later on would I realize that it's worth some money.

#2 Sega Saturn Like someone already listed above with the Dreamcast as a reminder to be open minded, I've had the same experience with the saturn, I personally think its more underrated than the Dreamcast, simply by the amount of quality imports for that system, along with the fact that it's a 2-d power house with arcade perfect ports of a lot of fighting games that havent made their way to other consoles. Great system with a lot to offer.

#3 gamecube, kind of a goofy choice but personally this system in my mind is the most underrated system of all time, the controller is great, tons of great exclusives, and more me it remindes me of summer time in middle school when buddies would come over and we'd game all night long. Sure we played Halo and such for a while but every time we'd have to break out Mario party and smash bros. and to be honest we had so much more fun with those games than anything else. I still break out the gamecube every halloween to play some Luigi's Mansion, great fun.

[soera]

What, exactly, is a "GX TV"?

I don't think that I'm familiar w/ that name/term...

http://www.retrothing.com/2009/06/samsung-tv-opens-its-doors-to-retro-gaming.html