Messages

1

Modern Video Games / Re: Are Steelbook Editions Getting Too Expensive?

« on: August 17, 2019, 09:03:02 pm »

It's basically a buyer's market. If people stop buying steelbooks at the current prices, publishers will lower the price on them.

Buyers dictate the market.

This, and never buy from scalpers who are listing new copies of these steelbook editions at outrageous prices. They are the ones who are probably buying up all of these limited edition copies they can get their hands on and creating a false high demand vs low supply shortages for these items. Happened recently with Cyberpunk 2077 jackets, and from I've heard so far, Kingdom Hearts 3, both the PS4 Pro bundle and the Bring Arts Figures Deluxe edition copies as well.

2

Off Topic / Re: My house got broken into today. (How do you protect your collections?)

« on: August 17, 2019, 08:34:12 pm »

Glad to hear that you've found the answer as to who mysteriously broke into your house. My aunt never did find anything for her case, and pertaining to a recent but different situation, I am still searching for the group of individuals who keyed my car at the shopping mall. I couldn't even claim it under insurance as the cost of damage was assessed to be way below excess which meant that I'd be paying a lot more out of pocket if I had chosen to let the insurance company handle this. No note was left and that deep scratch is still present to this day, as I can't afford to repaint the car/replace the scratched part at the current moment.

It's truly bizarre how the police did not even leave a formal/proper note or tried to call you through an alternative phone number. This is quite unprofessional on their part and I hope things work out for you in this regard. If you have yet to return it, the camera that you've bought is still a great investment and I would recommend using it for its intended purpose just as a precautionary measure.

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Off Topic / Re: My house got broken into today. (How do you protect your collections?)

« on: August 12, 2019, 04:05:12 pm »

Just read this and I am sorry to hear what happened. As oldgamerz described, there's not really a 100% foolproof solution to preventing theft and housebreaking. The more determined the thieves are, the more likely they will find a way around your security and take whatever what they can and want. My aunt's house was broken into by unknown window-climbing individuals despite being on the fourth floor of an apartment building and having thick cast iron grills installed in front of the windows. Investigators believed that the perpetrators used bolt cutters to silently cut those bars, which is a bit strange considering that bolt cutters of that caliber cannot be obtained here without a permit. 

My motto to protecting myself and my stuff has always been out of sight, out of mind. Normally, I would try to make the place in front of my house look as plain and nondescript as possible, while keeping all the good stuff locked up in generic compartments that look quite decrepit. The only people that I would invite into my house would be people that I have known for a really long time, like relatives and in-laws. For others, like recently met friends, study groups and colleagues, I would normally just agree to meet them outside for activities and tell them that my house has nothing interesting and that I am not going to cook anything.

Do not trust anyone, and never underestimate even the smallest possibilities (aka Murphy's Law). Like you've mentioned, there's a chance the person who did this could be anyone and from anywhere, even eBay of all things. I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be the case, since eBay's size/reputation and penchant for lack of accountability make them the ideal platform for scummy people and criminals. Not everybody on eBay is like that of course, but just watch your back when dealing with any e-commerce platforms, and this includes steam and all the other digital distribution platforms out there.

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Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: August 09, 2019, 08:55:56 am »

Toy Story 4. A must watch for Toy Story enthusiasts, Pixar and animated films fans. Debatable whether this is the best in the series, but definitely a worthy entry.

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Marketplace / Selling Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis on PS2

« on: August 08, 2019, 04:49:42 pm »

Selling a used copy of Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis on PS2. Standard NTSC/UC edition, complete in box with manual and outer case. Tested recently with no issues. Minor shelf wear, disc is in good condition. Selling it for $31.50 USD plus shipping. Shipping and any other costs to be confirmed once I know where to send to. Paypal only. Contact me for further details. Thanks.

6

Classic Video Games / Re: Ducktales Remastered Is being taken off Digital Stores!

« on: August 07, 2019, 07:33:13 am »

Thanks for the heads-up! This is not the first, and will not be the last digital version of a game to be removed so always insist on a playable (right out of the box), physical version whenever possible or look for legal DRM-free versions whenever possible. Many game storefronts, publishers and developers do not share the same vision and views as game collectors and preservationists, so when things like this happen, games could potentially disappear into the void forever. Even mobile titles released on iOS and the Google Play Store are not immune to this, which is quite unfortunate as titles on those platforms are normally digital only. For a classic example of this problem, look no further that P.T, a game by Kojima Productions released on the Playstation Network for a very brief period of time only.

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General / Re: Your favorite controller

« on: August 07, 2019, 07:04:33 am »

Back then, when news of the PS3 releasing was still fresh and the PS2 was already set to hand over its throne, I remember gawking at a custom design PS2 controller sold in a store nearby that was fully wireless, one of the first for its kind. Me being a kid at that time, my reaction to that controller was that I HAD TO GET IT, so I saved up my pennies and bought it for around 36 USD (worth 45 USD today when accounting for the value of the dollar at that time). That thing worked like a charm when it does, but I do remember the occasional drops in connectivity, the random button mis-registers, and the battery life (AA batteries) going from full to zero in between 2 weeks to a month. It had rubber grips on the side which wore off after a year and felt icky to hold onto at that point. This was when the PS3 got fully released and the sixaxis/dualshock 3 was prevalent, making wireless controllers for previous systems less appealing and seem more like a novelty item.



I loved that controller despite those issues but unfortunately, I've lost it and I've gone to just using knockoff wireless PS2 controllers for my current set today. At least the ones I am now using retain the shape of the standard PS2 controller, so the button layout is more familiar to me if anything.

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General / Free time for games

« on: August 05, 2019, 05:19:18 pm »

For those of you who work long hours and at places which are more than an hour's drive from home, how much free time do you have for games and how do you balance all of your chores and personal commitments/responsibilities to make time for games?

For me, during the weekdays, I normally play my games at the very end of the day after I have finished everything I need to do and would have about an hour or half of playtime before I go to sleep. On the weekends, I normally play during the late afternoon to evening unless there is an event planned on that day or guests are coming over. What about you guys?

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General / Re: Your Ideal Game Room

« on: August 04, 2019, 05:14:48 pm »

If budget was of no concern, I would love to build a game room that is fully automated. Self-adjusting lights and air-conditioning, voice-activated monitors/TVs that would switch on once a specific command has been said, and maybe even retrofitting cd-based consoles with parts from a jukebox to automatically load games from my collection that I want to play. Easier said than done of course, but who knows if technology in the future will allow such a thing to be possible. For modern games, I mostly play those titles from my computer, so I would consider setting up the room in such a way that this would become the primary focus. For example, mini-bar fridge under the desk and electrical power strips with movable and detachable sockets to accommodate power delivery to the computer, monitors, routers, etc.

If I were going for a more budget-conscious game room, then the first thing I would do would be to upgrade my desk to a longer one with stow-away compartments for wires and place everything I use on top of the desk including the consoles. I would also replace my current chair to something more comfortable, and I would install wall- mounted overhead cabinets with locks to keep my collections safe and easy to access. Finally, I would put some bias lighting around the monitors and TV to keep eye strain at bay.

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General / Digital re-release of old games

« on: August 03, 2019, 12:41:49 pm »

Which old games would you love to see re-released digitally on platforms such as Steam/GOG and PSN/Nintendo eShop and why? For me, I would love to see something like Encarta MindMaze or The Sims 1 reappear on Steam or GOG just so that the newer generations (post 2010) would have a chance to play those games just like I did. What about you guys?

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Site Feedback / Re: Questions about new users using the Marketplace

« on: August 03, 2019, 11:17:58 am »

Okay thank you so much. I will take your advice and spend some time browsing around first before engaging in any sort of activity within the marketplace. I look forward to working with everyone in the VGCollect community and I truly appreciate the hospitality here.

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Site Feedback / Questions about new users using the Marketplace

« on: August 03, 2019, 09:41:50 am »

Good day everyone. I just signed up for VGCollect but I have a question about the forum's marketplace rules which indicate that "if you're only here to sell stuff then you're not welcome here". I am currently in the process of expanding my collection of games, similar to what many of you are doing and I would love to able to reach out to individuals who may have an interest in buying the game that I am holding or trading another title for my game.

However, seeing as a lot of the locked threads are new accounts which are trying to sell, I'm not sure if my post will be locked should I try to create a listing in the marketplace now. I understand from one of the administrators here that only active forum users may sell items on the site, however, I do not know what constitutes as active forum users as this is not specified. I am only curious and want to contribute to this site in a meaningful way.

Any help or assistance regarding this matter would be appreciated. Thank you!