VGCollect Forum
General and Gaming => Classic Video Games => Topic started by: wartoy on February 11, 2023, 05:39:53 pm
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Recently I decided to concentrate on collecting for the Sega Genesis and realized that I waited way too long to start.
Most of them are really expensive now, whenever I find one I'm kicking myself for not getting it years ago for half the price or more. Anyways I was wondering what are your top ten or most wanted Genesis games. Here are mine
1.Punisher
2.Truxton
3.Sparkster
4.Growl
5.Grind Stormer
6.Chiki Chiki Boys
7.Air Busters
8.Arcus Odyssey
9.Sagaia
10.Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel
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I've been focusing a bit on Sega lately myself. Always was more of a Nintendo/PlayStation guy back then, so I only really paid attention to the big Sega exclusives for a long time. I was lucky enough to get my #1 and #2 Genesis games recently (The Punisher & Thunder Force III).
My top 10:
1. Elemental Master
2. Phelios
3. Sol-Deace
4. Gaiares
5. Whip Rush
6. Fireshark
7. Mega Turrican
8. The Adventures of Batman & Robin
9. The Pirates of Dark Water
10. Road Rash
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At the moment- I only have 7 Genesis games on my wishlist. I've done pretty good at tracking down all the Genesis games I've wanted in the past few years. I may add more in the future. No particular order on any of these.
Crusader of Centy
Grind Stormer
Hook
M.U.S.H.A.: Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor
Onslaught
Punisher, The
Skeleton Krew
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Just remembered I also recently got my previous #2 Genesis game via the Genesis Mini 2: Crusader of Centy!
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I've been focusing a bit on Sega lately myself. Always was more of a Nintendo/PlayStation guy back then, so I only really paid attention to the big Sega exclusives for a long time. I was lucky enough to get my #1 and #2 Genesis games recently (The Punisher & Thunder Force III).
My top 10:
1. Elemental Master
2. Phelios
3. Sol-Deace
4. Gaiares
5. Whip Rush
6. Fireshark
7. Mega Turrican
8. The Adventures of Batman & Robin
9. The Pirates of Dark Water
10. Road Rash
I also need a few from your list as well but they didn't make my most wanted
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At the moment- I only have 7 Genesis games on my wishlist. I've done pretty good at tracking down all the Genesis games I've wanted in the past few years. I may add more in the future. No particular order on any of these.
Crusader of Centy
Grind Stormer
Hook
M.U.S.H.A.: Metallic Uniframe Super Hybrid Armor
Onslaught
Punisher, The
Skeleton Krew
Not sure I ever heard of Onslaught I'll have to check it out.
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After prices went up and the market basically drying up, I had stopped buying Genesis games for quite awhile. My list is mainly special editions or baseball games. I did not put any of the Demo or Game Factory carts on this list.
- Beavis and Butt-Head (big box)
https://vgcollect.com/item/170112
- Captain America and The Avengters (Collector's Pin Inside!)
https://vgcollect.com/item/133742
- Castlevania Bloodlines
- Hardball III (Win a Trip label)
- Mario Lemieux Hockey (Puck Inside)
https://vgcollect.com/item/133739
- Mutant League Hockey
- PGA Tour Golf II (7 Courses / It's In the Game / Limited Edition)
https://vgcollect.com/item/115512
- Quackshot (Sega Quality label)
https://vgcollect.com/item/173175
- R.B.I Baseball 93
- Maximum Carnage box set
https://vgcollect.com/item/109392
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After prices went up and the market basically drying up, I had stopped buying Genesis games for quite awhile. My list is mainly special editions or baseball games. I did not put any of the Demo or Game Factory carts on this list.
- Beavis and Butt-Head (big box)
https://vgcollect.com/item/170112
- Captain America and The Avengters (Collector's Pin Inside!)
https://vgcollect.com/item/133742
- Castlevania Bloodlines
- Hardball III (Win a Trip label)
- Mario Lemieux Hockey (Puck Inside)
https://vgcollect.com/item/133739
- Mutant League Hockey
- PGA Tour Golf II (7 Courses / It's In the Game / Limited Edition)
https://vgcollect.com/item/115512
- Quackshot (Sega Quality label)
https://vgcollect.com/item/173175
- R.B.I Baseball 93
- Maximum Carnage box set
https://vgcollect.com/item/109392
Even so some of these are still pretty pricey I can't believe how expensive cib genesis games have shot up in price. So many games are way over what I'm comfortable paying for now.
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After prices went up and the market basically drying up, I had stopped buying Genesis games for quite awhile. My list is mainly special editions or baseball games. I did not put any of the Demo or Game Factory carts on this list.
- Beavis and Butt-Head (big box)
https://vgcollect.com/item/170112
- Captain America and The Avengters (Collector's Pin Inside!)
https://vgcollect.com/item/133742
- Castlevania Bloodlines
- Hardball III (Win a Trip label)
- Mario Lemieux Hockey (Puck Inside)
https://vgcollect.com/item/133739
- Mutant League Hockey
- PGA Tour Golf II (7 Courses / It's In the Game / Limited Edition)
https://vgcollect.com/item/115512
- Quackshot (Sega Quality label)
https://vgcollect.com/item/173175
- R.B.I Baseball 93
- Maximum Carnage box set
https://vgcollect.com/item/109392
Even so some of these are still pretty pricey I can't believe how expensive cib genesis games have shot up in price. So many games are way over what I'm comfortable paying for now.
I don't worry about CIB with Genesis. Cart only is a-okay with me. As long as I have a legitimate copy to play.
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I've been hunting down CIB N64, SNES, and Genesis games for the last 3 or 4 years, so it's been at the top of my want list for a while. I actually picked up a pretty nice Sega lot from a local collector the weekend before last and scored several games that were at the top of my list. But as far as Genesis games I'm still after, here would be my Top 10.
1. Castlevania Bloodlines
2. Ranger X
3. Thunder Force III
4. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
5. Virtual Bart
6. Jurassic Park: Rampage Edition
7. Wolf Child
8. McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure
9. Revenge of Shinobi
10. Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
What's sad is I used to have almost half of these games CIB at one time or another, but unfortunately were part of one of my mandatory purges I've done over the years. I've since wanted them back, but unfortunately they're now worth significantly more than what I paid for them or even what they were worth when I sold them 4 or 5 years ago. All well, they will be mine again and this time I plan on holding onto them forever if possible.
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After prices went up and the market basically drying up, I had stopped buying Genesis games for quite awhile. My list is mainly special editions or baseball games. I did not put any of the Demo or Game Factory carts on this list.
- Beavis and Butt-Head (big box)
https://vgcollect.com/item/170112
- Captain America and The Avengters (Collector's Pin Inside!)
https://vgcollect.com/item/133742
- Castlevania Bloodlines
- Hardball III (Win a Trip label)
- Mario Lemieux Hockey (Puck Inside)
https://vgcollect.com/item/133739
- Mutant League Hockey
- PGA Tour Golf II (7 Courses / It's In the Game / Limited Edition)
https://vgcollect.com/item/115512
- Quackshot (Sega Quality label)
https://vgcollect.com/item/173175
- R.B.I Baseball 93
- Maximum Carnage box set
https://vgcollect.com/item/109392
Even so some of these are still pretty pricey I can't believe how expensive cib genesis games have shot up in price. So many games are way over what I'm comfortable paying for now.
I don't worry about CIB with Genesis. Cart only is a-okay with me. As long as I have a legitimate copy to play.
Aside from Castlevania Bloodlines, everything on my list would require CIB. But in general at least with Genesis/MD carts, they can be stored easily in cassette cases/racks so that is true.
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Some that come to mind...
OutRun
Space Harrier 2
Lotus
Midnight Resistance
Flicky
Mystic Defender
Dino Land
Zero Tolerance
Mazin Saga
Forgotten Worlds
I've only ever casually collected Genesis over the years. You never stumble over the interesting Genesis carts. It's much like Super Nintendo collecting, the shovelware was WAY more mass produced than anything solid. You'll see tons of kid movie tie-ins, game shows, sports games and Sonic 2, but the above listed? I've rarely sighted any of them in nearly 15 years of looking through stacks of Genesis carts. There's a lot of games you just never find while hunting, and I've never gone to eBay for Genesis stuff.
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Don't know if can get a Top10 together, but I'll try ... I mostly focus on RPG's when collecting. As I collect PAL-Games, the following are quite expensive and rare:
1. Phantasy Star IV
2. Shining Force II
3. Light Crusader
4. Shining Force CD (insanely rare and expensive in europe!!!)
5. Turtles Hyperstone Heist
6. Castlevania Bloodlines (only the packaging for I already own the cartridge)
7. Sonic 3
8. Sonic & Knuckles
9. Street Racer
10. PowerMonger CD
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Some that come to mind...
OutRun
Space Harrier 2
Lotus
Midnight Resistance
Flicky
Mystic Defender
Dino Land
Zero Tolerance
Mazin Saga
Forgotten Worlds
I've only ever casually collected Genesis over the years. You never stumble over the interesting Genesis carts. It's much like Super Nintendo collecting, the shovelware was WAY more mass produced than anything solid. You'll see tons of kid movie tie-ins, game shows, sports games and Sonic 2, but the above listed? I've rarely sighted any of them in nearly 15 years of looking through stacks of Genesis carts. There's a lot of games you just never find while hunting, and I've never gone to eBay for Genesis stuff.
Year’s ago I saw many of all of those games except for Dino Land I have never seen that one in all my years of collecting. But it’s has been years since I’ve seen any of those other games now. Like you it’s mostly Sonic and sports and other games nobody wants like Greendog!
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I have most of my top 10 Genesis games.
The one I haven’t found is Mutant League Hockey. I’ll get it eventually.
I’m still looking for Moonwalker. Punisher will have to be a stroke of luck.
1) Castlevania Bloodlines
2) Contra Hard Corp
3) Rocket Knight Adventures
4) Sparkster
5) Mutant League Football
6) TMNT Hyperstone Heist
7) Major Chaos
8) Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker
9) Batman and Robin
10) The Punisher (I’m hoping I find it in the wild)
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I have most of my top 10 Genesis games.
The one I haven’t found is Mutant League Hockey. I’ll get it eventually.
I’m still looking for Moonwalker. Punisher will have to be a stroke of luck.
1) Castlevania Bloodlines
2) Contra Hard Corp
3) Rocket Knight Adventures
4) Sparkster
5) Mutant League Football
6) TMNT Hyperstone Heist
7) Major Chaos
8) Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker
9) Batman and Robin
10) The Punisher (I’m hoping I find it in the wild)
Turf was your # 7 supposed to be General Chaos? I hope so cause if not I need another game I never heard of.
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I have most of my top 10 Genesis games.
The one I haven’t found is Mutant League Hockey. I’ll get it eventually.
I’m still looking for Moonwalker. Punisher will have to be a stroke of luck.
1) Castlevania Bloodlines
2) Contra Hard Corp
3) Rocket Knight Adventures
4) Sparkster
5) Mutant League Football
6) TMNT Hyperstone Heist
7) Major Chaos
8) Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker
9) Batman and Robin
10) The Punisher (I’m hoping I find it in the wild)
Turf was your # 7 supposed to be General Chaos? I hope so cause if not I need another game I never heard of.
Yeah. It was General Chaos. I had a bit of a brain fart.
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Man, Genesis exploded in value over the past several years, hasn't it? It used to be considered the cheaper alternative to SNES... but every somewhat obscure game that's actually good on the system is near or over a $100 bill for cart only. Most of you listed easily a thousand dollars worth of Genesis games in your posts. Probably would have totaled $50 back when we all started this journey. Absolutely nuts what we foolish collectors will pay for the things we want. Why we don't all just stick a flash cart in our systems and be done, I don't know.
I went into a local game store today, and noticed they had jacked the priced up on literally everything in there that I had made a mental note of prior. Average price of the common tier games was like $20 range. I just want to be done with this stuff. It's just getting financially stupid to pay new game level prices on every retro cart or disc that can be dug up out of someone's closet, while we can essentially have all of this to play for free now.
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Game prices did not change at my local game store from the past 5 years or so, but before that, their prices were maybe 10% higher than anywhere else. Now, their prices are cheap in comparison. BUT in regards to Genesis, they haven't gotten anything new in for that system in a couple of years. I think there is only a few Genesis games they have that I do not have, and I haven't bought them because I stopped trying to be completist on Genesis. Of course, it was cheap when I started that quest but now not worth doing due to prices.
My list has the high value items but they are just rare altogether. The baseball games non-withstanding since I just want those because they are baseball. Mutant League Hockey is just an example of a game I had when I was younger that I don't anymore, the game isn't even that great.
If I really wanted to play any of these games I could just get the roms and run them in an emulator, so I don't really see a need to put any of the general sought-after/high dollar games on a wanted list type thread.
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It's just nuts what anything goes for in this market. It's GOT to cool down. I don't expect a burst and everything to be worthless again, but there's def a lot of titles where I feel like they're just way over-inflated. People paying like $200 for Silent Hill on PS1, a common game. That kind of stuff cannot be sustainable forever. The market has always been really lopsided in favor of sellers. No one pays near what they try to resell something for, so they don't care to sit on it until people get desperate. At some point this desperation needs to dry up.... Why does Blades of Vengeance have to be a $50+ cart only game, when there are probably 30+ copies available on eBay? The price does not reflect the demand, a common theme in the retro game market. The price never reflects the demand, it certainly doesn't reflect condition, and prices almost NEVER decrease over time on anything.
In my store the other day, I noticed like all the common fodder tier NES games had been bumped up from like $17 each. All of the common PS3 games, $17 was also the average price. The store wants to make sure they're getting what most eBay sellers get with shipping charges included on this common stuff. Hilariously, they had bumped up a copy of Time Crisis 4 from $12 to $57. Which is wrong, as the game's value has not increased at all. They must have price matched it to a copy that had the gun-con, which they did NOT have. Just shows how desperate they are to stick these horrible prices to the customer, that they won't even do their homework.
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Yeah, I noticed last year how much Streets of Rage 3 has skyrocketed. I don’t really understand why, either. It always seemed to be pretty common, and not really in demand because of its weak reputation compared to the super-popular SoR2.
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Realistically , I'd really like to pick up:
1 Super Hydlide
2 Phantasy Star II
3 Phantasy Star IV
4 Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World
5 Steel Empire
6 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
7 Rings of Power
8 Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday
9 Beyond Oasis
10 Landstalker
At this point most will probably have cart only as prices are getting up there .
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Yeah, I noticed last year how much Streets of Rage 3 has skyrocketed. I don’t really understand why, either. It always seemed to be pretty common, and not really in demand because of its weak reputation compared to the super-popular SoR2.
how many years ago was this. because streets of rage 3 was always pretty pricy compared to the prior 2 entries which where also way way more common to find.
it had a weak reputation sure, but unless where talking super long ago it never was really cheap unless it was in a deal. and i can't imagine it ever being cheaper than the first 2 entries for rarity alone. The first entries where in many sega sets. 3 a hell lot less. part 2 and especially part 1 come close to sonic and altered beast rarity. 3 is in the uncommon tier.
Plus it's still part of a loved series. and it's definitely better than part 1 which is pretty choppy. the main downgrade is the music but gameplay and visuals wise it's pretty solid.
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- Gunstar Heroes (https://vgcollect.com/item/10216)
- Phantasy Star II (https://vgcollect.com/item/9584)
- Castlevania: Bloodlines (https://vgcollect.com/item/9579)
- Contra: Hard Corps (https://vgcollect.com/item/10095)
- Shining in the Darkness (https://vgcollect.com/item/10458)
- Shining Force (https://vgcollect.com/item/163383)
- Shining Force II (https://vgcollect.com/item/10460)
- M.U.S.H.A. (https://vgcollect.com/item/10294)
- Adventures of Batman & Robin (https://vgcollect.com/item/198330)
- Sword of Vermillion (https://vgcollect.com/item/10521)
Making this list makes me realize just how neglected my Genesis collection is.
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I'm not really in the market for more Genesis games at the moment, but if I can add Sega CD, I can come up with a top 10.
- Zero Tolerance (Gen)
- Road Rash 3 (Gen)
- Sonic CD (CD)
- Streets of Rage 2 (Gen)
- Ecco the Dolphin (Gen or CD)
- Sewer Shark (CD)
- Corpse Killer (CD)
- Space Ace (CD)
- Battletoads/Double Dragon (Gen)
- Lunar (CD)
I actually have all the others I wanted for the platform. Not sure I see myself getting around to collecting all these though.
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Man, Genesis exploded in value over the past several years, hasn't it? It used to be considered the cheaper alternative to SNES... but every somewhat obscure game that's actually good on the system is near or over a $100 bill for cart only. Most of you listed easily a thousand dollars worth of Genesis games in your posts. Probably would have totaled $50 back when we all started this journey. Absolutely nuts what we foolish collectors will pay for the things we want. Why we don't all just stick a flash cart in our systems and be done, I don't know.
I went into a local game store today, and noticed they had jacked the priced up on literally everything in there that I had made a mental note of prior. Average price of the common tier games was like $20 range. I just want to be done with this stuff. It's just getting financially stupid to pay new game level prices on every retro cart or disc that can be dug up out of someone's closet, while we can essentially have all of this to play for free now.
I've noticed that a lot of collectors migrate from one retro console to another once prices or availability get out of hand. Given how much more popular it was in North America, everyone jumped on the SNES first while the Genesis spent years in the background being like "hey, remember me guys?" Outside hardcore Sega fans, few collected for it and because of that it was a very cheap alternative for years. I noticed around the time SNES started to dip in interest and price, Genesis and Dreamcast took off (Saturn also, but those games have been pricy for a long time). I think it's starting to cool a little, but yeah, most of the better games go for 2x, 3x, or sometimes even way more than they did just 6 or 7 years ago.
I think with inflation being so bad on everything, people have already started prioritizing what they need over things they want (ie. video game collecting). While prices are sky high on most stuff still, I have noticed things begin to slip again somewhat. This started happening naturally in 2019 and the beginning of 2020 on most retro games, however we all know what happened later on in 2020. The combo of forcing people to stay in their homes, free money, and the need for escapism drove retro gaming and many other leasure hobbies through the roof in terms of prices to levels they'd have never reached under any other circumstances. I think it'll be a long, long time before retro games return to their pre-COVID levels, with some stubbornly staying way overvalued most likely for decades to come. But I see that natural decline in interest starting to manifest itself again and combined with general inflation, I can see prices on Genesis and most other retro games drop quite a bit in the coming years. Again, we are never returning to the days of $15 Mario Kart 64 carts and $5 Sonic 3, but I can see prices returning to where they were in 2017/2018 in the coming years.
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Man, Genesis exploded in value over the past several years, hasn't it? It used to be considered the cheaper alternative to SNES... but every somewhat obscure game that's actually good on the system is near or over a $100 bill for cart only. Most of you listed easily a thousand dollars worth of Genesis games in your posts. Probably would have totaled $50 back when we all started this journey. Absolutely nuts what we foolish collectors will pay for the things we want. Why we don't all just stick a flash cart in our systems and be done, I don't know.
I went into a local game store today, and noticed they had jacked the priced up on literally everything in there that I had made a mental note of prior. Average price of the common tier games was like $20 range. I just want to be done with this stuff. It's just getting financially stupid to pay new game level prices on every retro cart or disc that can be dug up out of someone's closet, while we can essentially have all of this to play for free now.
I've noticed that a lot of collectors migrate from one retro console to another once prices or availability get out of hand. Given how much more popular it was in North America, everyone jumped on the SNES first while the Genesis spent years in the background being like "hey, remember me guys?" Outside hardcore Sega fans, few collected for it and because of that it was a very cheap alternative for years. I noticed around the time SNES started to dip in interest and price, Genesis and Dreamcast took off (Saturn also, but those games have been pricy for a long time). I think it's starting to cool a little, but yeah, most of the better games go for 2x, 3x, or sometimes even way more than they did just 6 or 7 years ago.
I think with inflation being so bad on everything, people have already started prioritizing what they need over things they want (ie. video game collecting). While prices are sky high on most stuff still, I have noticed things begin to slip again somewhat. This started happening naturally in 2019 and the beginning of 2020 on most retro games, however we all know what happened later on in 2020. The combo of forcing people to stay in their homes, free money, and the need for escapism drove retro gaming and many other leasure hobbies through the roof in terms of prices to levels they'd have never reached under any other circumstances. I think it'll be a long, long time before retro games return to their pre-COVID levels, with some stubbornly staying way overvalued most likely for decades to come. But I see that natural decline in interest starting to manifest itself again and combined with general inflation, I can see prices on Genesis and most other retro games drop quite a bit in the coming years. Again, we are never returning to the days of $15 Mario Kart 64 carts and $5 Sonic 3, but I can see prices returning to where they were in 2017/2018 in the coming years.
Hard to say tbh, console gaming is at a peak and videogames made a decent splash in the movie scene in which you do get allot of regular folks to said media.
Maybe for the niche stuff, but I can't imagine the hyped things going back down even years later if they keep the popularity of these old ip's up.
Plus you still gotto keep up with the shrinking supply of said games which will naturally keep prices high because less and less is available each year. so for prices to go down you would need a faster pace of people dropping out compared to the supply dropping. but again with mainstream stuff bringing these things in the spotlight it might be more likely for more people to get into the hobby instead of dropping out.
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Man, Genesis exploded in value over the past several years, hasn't it? It used to be considered the cheaper alternative to SNES... but every somewhat obscure game that's actually good on the system is near or over a $100 bill for cart only. Most of you listed easily a thousand dollars worth of Genesis games in your posts. Probably would have totaled $50 back when we all started this journey. Absolutely nuts what we foolish collectors will pay for the things we want. Why we don't all just stick a flash cart in our systems and be done, I don't know.
I went into a local game store today, and noticed they had jacked the priced up on literally everything in there that I had made a mental note of prior. Average price of the common tier games was like $20 range. I just want to be done with this stuff. It's just getting financially stupid to pay new game level prices on every retro cart or disc that can be dug up out of someone's closet, while we can essentially have all of this to play for free now.
I've noticed that a lot of collectors migrate from one retro console to another once prices or availability get out of hand. Given how much more popular it was in North America, everyone jumped on the SNES first while the Genesis spent years in the background being like "hey, remember me guys?" Outside hardcore Sega fans, few collected for it and because of that it was a very cheap alternative for years. I noticed around the time SNES started to dip in interest and price, Genesis and Dreamcast took off (Saturn also, but those games have been pricy for a long time). I think it's starting to cool a little, but yeah, most of the better games go for 2x, 3x, or sometimes even way more than they did just 6 or 7 years ago.
I think with inflation being so bad on everything, people have already started prioritizing what they need over things they want (ie. video game collecting). While prices are sky high on most stuff still, I have noticed things begin to slip again somewhat. This started happening naturally in 2019 and the beginning of 2020 on most retro games, however we all know what happened later on in 2020. The combo of forcing people to stay in their homes, free money, and the need for escapism drove retro gaming and many other leasure hobbies through the roof in terms of prices to levels they'd have never reached under any other circumstances. I think it'll be a long, long time before retro games return to their pre-COVID levels, with some stubbornly staying way overvalued most likely for decades to come. But I see that natural decline in interest starting to manifest itself again and combined with general inflation, I can see prices on Genesis and most other retro games drop quite a bit in the coming years. Again, we are never returning to the days of $15 Mario Kart 64 carts and $5 Sonic 3, but I can see prices returning to where they were in 2017/2018 in the coming years.
Hard to say tbh, console gaming is at a peak and videogames made a decent splash in the movie scene in which you do get allot of regular folks to said media.
Maybe for the niche stuff, but I can't imagine the hyped things going back down even years later if they keep the popularity of these old ip's up.
Plus you still gotto keep up with the shrinking supply of said games which will naturally keep prices high because less and less is available each year. so for prices to go down you would need a faster pace of people dropping out compared to the supply dropping. but again with mainstream stuff bringing these things in the spotlight it might be more likely for more people to get into the hobby instead of dropping out.
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure 90% of all the people that ever wanted to go back and revisit a console like the Dreamcast or SNES have done so by now. Sure, some kids born well after certain older retro consoles were discontinued will want to get into them, either because of their parents or stumbling upon the games online, but from my experience most of Gen Z doesn't care about anything older than 7th gen, and I'd close to half don't care about anything that isn't on a tablet or phone. They're a generation pretty divorced from the experience of physical ownership, and one I don't see ever looking decades into the past when it comes to video games.
This leaves people that did grow up with it or were at least alive when certain consoles or games came out. Most of the people that wanted to get into collecting have done so by now, especially those over 30, and I find with each passing year fewer and fewer new people are jumping in due to prices and availability, as well as great alternatives like mini consoles, compilations on newer consoles, and flashcarts. I also see more people each year selling off their collection or at least downsizing.
The main driver for keeping retro game prices high at the moment is inflation, with demand still there, but noticeably waning. And inflation will prove to be a double edged sword on the retro game scene since a lot of people will have to pick basic needs over fun stuff, if they already haven't (I know a few that have fallen into this boat in the last year or two). I'm not going to say there's going to be a crash, but rather a gradual cooling that will probably take over a decade until it hits the bottom. And yes, certain games will never go down in price again, and some will even continue to go up given their rarity or desirability.
Just my prediction based on what I'm seeing, but I think when it comes to price and availability, it will get better slowly from here on out for the most part.
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I've noticed that a lot of collectors migrate from one retro console to another once prices or availability get out of hand. Given how much more popular it was in North America, everyone jumped on the SNES first while the Genesis spent years in the background being like "hey, remember me guys?" Outside hardcore Sega fans, few collected for it and because of that it was a very cheap alternative for years. I noticed around the time SNES started to dip in interest and price, Genesis and Dreamcast took off (Saturn also, but those games have been pricy for a long time). I think it's starting to cool a little, but yeah, most of the better games go for 2x, 3x, or sometimes even way more than they did just 6 or 7 years ago.
I think with inflation being so bad on everything, people have already started prioritizing what they need over things they want (ie. video game collecting). While prices are sky high on most stuff still, I have noticed things begin to slip again somewhat. This started happening naturally in 2019 and the beginning of 2020 on most retro games, however we all know what happened later on in 2020. The combo of forcing people to stay in their homes, free money, and the need for escapism drove retro gaming and many other leasure hobbies through the roof in terms of prices to levels they'd have never reached under any other circumstances. I think it'll be a long, long time before retro games return to their pre-COVID levels, with some stubbornly staying way overvalued most likely for decades to come. But I see that natural decline in interest starting to manifest itself again and combined with general inflation, I can see prices on Genesis and most other retro games drop quite a bit in the coming years. Again, we are never returning to the days of $15 Mario Kart 64 carts and $5 Sonic 3, but I can see prices returning to where they were in 2017/2018 in the coming years.
As I've stated before, my interest in spending tons of money on retro games is in a state of decline. I have an exit planned within a year or two, where I completely just say that I'm finished. My wishlists are coming down to the stuff I'll probably never get, and handful of other things I still can. Since the spring hit, I've felt an even stronger apathy towards retro collecting and a strengthened interest in modern day releases. Some say it's pointless to collect new releases with patches being so essential to their functionality, but I still wanna do it. Mostly buying PS5, and Switch games right now.
I'll probably return to some of my final hunt-downs soon enough, with retro. Mostly focusing broadly on 5th gen as I consider that my favorite retro gen, but a little bit of others as well. Still undecided whether I'll ever buy Klonoa. That one kinda stings. Might actually trade some stuff away to get it. But yeah, the retro chapter is coming to a close for me soon enough.
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Ooof, I'm a total Mega Drive/Genesis fanboy, and still forever kicking myself for not picking up the big wants on my list when they were relatively sane in terms of price. I'm in Scotland but I've got games on my wants list from all regions, so I guess as it is right now:
1: Twinkle Tale (JP)
2: Pulseman (JP)
3: YuYu Hakusho (JP)
4: Spiderman & Venom: Separation Anxiety (PAL)
5: Dragonball Z (PAL)
6: Humans (US)
7: Landstalker (PAL)
8: El Viento (US)
9: Cadash (JP)
10: Spiderman: Animated Series (PAL)
There's so many more on the list but this is just off the top of my head.
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I found a genesis game I've been trying to find for years, though not on my most wanted list Im happy to finally have it. Viewpoint!
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I found a genesis game I've been trying to find for years, though not on my most wanted list Im happy to finally have it. Viewpoint!
Heh, I picked that one up last month or so myself. I debated a long time over whether I wanted the PS1 or Gen version. Settled on Gen when I saw a nice cart for the right price.
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Finaly knocked another game off my list this was the first time I have ever seen Sparkster so I had to grab it.
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Sparkster is a fairly hard one to get ye, I've never come across one ever since my super early years.
Sales sure dropped off hard after rocket knight.
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SEGA Genisis is a good console, and harder to destroy the programming into it than my N64 collection was.