Topics

1

General / VGCollect Secret Santa Feedback

« on: January 08, 2024, 11:23:05 am »

This past week, I polled 2023's VGC Secret Santa participants to provide anonymous feedback regarding this past year's event and the event on a general level in the hopes that our community's Secret Santa event can become more successful in the future. Of the eight participants, I gained feedback from six. Overall, the feedback collected pertaining to the general event—not specifically this past year's—was quite varied. Despite this event having been run for eleven years with most of this past year's participants having participated before, it was interesting to gain different perspectives. However, that is also a concern since there has not ever been any conversation regarding the finer details including how the budget is handled.

Once a fair amount of opinions are gathered with conversation hopefully following, I will introduce a second item worth mentioning, and so forth after that. This format may come across as a little formal (it isn't), but I'm wanting to introduce one concern at a time so that it's given enough conversation and focus. However, at any point, anyone can also voice whatever concerns or opinions they may have—again, this doesn't need to be formal.

To clarify, this topic isn't exclusive to 2023's Secret Santa participants nor is it exclusive to anyone who's participated in any of this community's Secret Santa events.

Previous VGCollect Secret Santa events
Secret Santa 2013
Secret Santa 2014
Secret Santa 2015
Secret Santa 2016
Secret Santa 2017
Secret Santa 2018
Secret Santa 2019
Secret Santa 2020
Secret Santa 2021
Secret Santa 2022
Secret Santa 2023

VGCollect Secret Santa Feedback questions
Question 1 discussion: the budget
Question 2 discussion: shipping costs
Question 3 discussion: region preferences

2

General / VGCollect 2023 Secret Santa!

« on: October 09, 2023, 11:22:13 am »

It's that time of the year with holiday spirit soon to be in the air! Presenting a tradition many here have come to love, I introduce VGCollect's 2023 Secret Santa gift-exchange, now eleven years in the running! I'd like for the event to go as planned without any issues or hurdles, so I politely ask that this introduction post be read in full. Additionally, we as a community have established that all who are interested to have been members of the forum community for at least three months prior to this announcement topic alongside some sort of site activity.

For anyone returning, it will be obvious (or perhaps not) that there has been a change in event organization. But fret not, the same event with all the same heartfelt love and focus on community remains. In preparing this formal announcement, I've decided to streamline steps so that most everything I need as the organizer is supplied all at once. With that said, I've created a Google Form for those interested in participating to fill out. For those concerned, the form does not collect e-mail addresses, and completing the form does not require a Google account. Be aware that to formally join the event, the attached form below is needing to be completed. With that said, for the sake of the establishing further interest and discussion, please be sure to also post in the forum topic if you're planning to take part.

VGCollect 2023 Secret Santa Sign-up
https://forms.gle/JC7t8WX7SLCuDmjs8

Feel free to publicly discuss what you think should be the expected spending limit, any updates you'd like to share with everyone participating, or anything else related to Secret Santa. As is typical, I think everyone would appreciate any and all discussion to help raise excitement and to maintain engagement. Toward the end of the sign-up period, I will publicly mention what the advised spending limit that has been selected by most participants is. If the spending limit becomes more than you originally were planning to spend, or if there is any reason you need to withdraw from the event whatsoever, please let me know via PM so that you are formally withdrawn. At the latest, please let me know by the end of Monday, October 23, as wish list information will be sent to all Santas the following day.

The event has started a little later than it has in more recent years, but I believe there is still plenty of time for a successful event when looking at the timeline of last year's event due to how I'm collecting information. I would still like for there to be enough time for anyone interested to see this topic, so the sign-up period will run for two weeks until around this original post time on Monday, October 23. Following the sign-up period, I will assign Santa/giftee pairs while forwarding wish lists, and the actual fun will begin!

Something I will mention is the advised spending limit. As one should assume, this limit tends to be more of a guideline. I don't think this has been any major issue in the past, but it's worth addressing, nonetheless. On that note, many participants in the past have gone above-and-beyond in curating their gifts and mailing them with love, so continuing that attitude would be fantastic to see.

2023 Santas
1. masamune
2. Cartagia
3. telly
4. ferraroso
5. kashell
6. puddingm
7. koemo1
8. NickAwesome

As stated above, this is now the eleventh year the VGCollect community has celebrated this Secret Santa event! Below are past topic discussions for each previous year:
Secret Santa 2013
Secret Santa 2014
Secret Santa 2015
Secret Santa 2016
Secret Santa 2017
Secret Santa 2018
Secret Santa 2019
Secret Santa 2020
Secret Santa 2021
Secret Santa 2022

As it's needed, I will publish follow-up posts while also updating this initial topic post below:

October 16 Update
The expected spending limit should be around $60 USD.

October 24 Update
Giftee wish list and shipping information has been forwarded to each participant's Santa. Packages should be mailed no later than November 15.

November 06 Update
After items have been mailed, tracking and shipment information should be forwarded to me via PM so I can ensure everything is running smoothly.

For any who are interested in watching this year's community gift-opening event, it has been uploaded to YouTube.

3

Modern Video Games / Like a Dragon: The Game Without a Disc

« on: June 10, 2023, 10:35:23 am »

So, news broke yesterday that the upcoming Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (LADG) will be a digital-only title, despite it being reported to retail at $50 USD. This news comes not long after Alan Wake II being announced without a physical purchasing option as well.

Of course, these reports could become outdated as times moves forward, in addition to these games also potentially receiving physical prints through online publishers. In the case of LADG, I believe the current speculation is that this event only affects the North American release. If that's true, then importing another region's copy may be an option, but many consumers will not go to those lengths ordinarily and will instead either purchase the game digitally or skip it altogether. A lot of people are comparing what's happening with LADG back to when Yakuza 5 released for the PlayStation 3 as a digital-only title. However, years later when the remastered collection comprised of Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4, and Yakuza 5 released for PlayStation 4, the pack was bundled with an empty PlayStation 3 case for the fifth entry.

For me, I think that many would agree—no matter what their preferred means is to play games—that removing any consumer option is poor business practice. Even though I obviously know where I'm posting this and to whom I'm directing this topic to (i.e. mostly physical console collectors), what is your opinion on this slow attempt to remove physical options for new game releases?

4

Modern Video Games / One week later: Have you been enjoying Tears of the Kingdom?

« on: May 19, 2023, 09:20:44 am »

For as much hype as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom received overall, it's a little surprising that no one here has really talked about it. For those who are playing or have played it, what are your thoughts on it? Does it do a good job at being a sequel entry to Breath of the Wild?

I'm personally not playing it and don't have any immediate intention on doing so. I've yet to even finish Breath of the Wild. With that said, I am very casually watching someone else play from time to time. As a spectator, it doesn't seem that fun, but perhaps that's the issue—I'm not the one playing it.

5

Style Guide and Identification / Sony PlayStation

« on: March 07, 2023, 10:08:29 am »

Below are the sub-categories in the PlayStation category.

PlayStation Accessory
PlayStation Demo
PlayStation Consoles
PlayStation [AU]
PlayStation [CN]
PlayStation [EU]
PlayStation [JP]
PlayStation [KR]
PlayStation [NA]

6

General / Which games do you value higher than $100?

« on: March 06, 2023, 07:13:24 pm »

We all know about gaming having gone up in value to high dollar amounts, including even some low- and mid-quality games. It seems as if nearly every other title for certain older systems reach $100 USD or more. For many of those titles, the current market value is certainly not justified for the item's actual content. In the past decade or so alone, games like Minecraft, Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto V, The Witcher 3, Breath of the Wild, and Elden Ring have released not only to critical acclaim with an abundance of content, replayability, and sometimes even moddability, but at affordable pricing too. There are even certain games that adopt the free-to-play model such as Fortnite that remain fresh years later with the upfront cost of free. At the same time, even if a game's amount of content may not be in overabundance, its lasting impressions can be monumental to us.

So, I present you all this question: which games would be worth paying a high dollar amount such as $100 USD? Higher?

7

Video Game Deals, Sales and Promotions / Brand new Xbox Series S available for $150 through Verizon

« on: March 02, 2023, 08:46:41 am »

Apparently, Verizon seems to be running a promotional deal for its customers for Xbox Series S consoles for only $150 with free shipping, while supplies last. Here are the instructions for how to redeem the deal through Slickdeals. I have not taken advantage of this promotion, so I cannot personally attest its authenticity. However, the thousands of comments on the Slickdeals page suggest that it's valid and working. It should be noted that the full discounted price only appears once logged in and after signing up for Verizon's free rewards program. I am also assuming that this promotion is for North America only.

To any who are interested, good luck in securing a cheap Series S!

8

General / Favorite game or game series you haven't played?

« on: October 31, 2022, 02:38:26 pm »

This has been a recent thought of mine that others may be able to relate to—what is my favorite game or game series I've yet to play? Or, maybe others can't relate, and I'm just someone who oddly doesn't pursue to play games which interest them.

With that said: Perhaps you don't own the game system? The game wasn't released in your region? Is there a language barrier? The game's market value has surpassed your spending comfort? Or maybe you just haven't gotten around to it?

For me, my favorite series I've yet to play is Boku no Natsuyasumi. As a franchise exclusive to Japan, it is simple enough that those unfamiliar with Japanese can still play and enjoy. Despite its low language barrier threshold while also having an elementary knowledge of Japanese, I just haven't gotten around to playing any of the games. So, until that time, I'll continue to appreciate them from an onlooker's perspective.

9

Modern Video Games / Previously limited print items given wide retail releases

« on: July 25, 2022, 01:22:32 pm »

More and more often now, titles originally exclusive to limited print company websites are being given wide retail releases. Just today, at least 15 games originally exclusive to Limited Run Games were given Best Buy preorder pages. Some of these pages are for items from popular franchises such as Shantae, Castlevania, and BloodRayne.

Personally, I don't order through limited print companies that often, so it's not something that greatly affects me. However, I know that there are many who order a lot through these companies. Since most of these companies don't allow combined shipping, ordering online as opposed to retail can become quite expensive just in shipping costs alone. Additionally, there was a time before when Limited Run (and maybe others) would post a disclaimer on product pages which stated when an item would be given a retail release that coincides with theirs. But now, this practice has stopped, which, to me, only accentuates the idea of FOMO to their audience.

For those who routinely purchase items through limited print companies, how do you feel about these practices? What other recent changes from these types of companies have become more problematic as time passes?

10

Video Game Deals, Sales and Promotions / Heavily marked down deals

« on: October 29, 2021, 11:34:01 am »

Every now and then, stores have hidden deals where prices are heavily clearanced in the system but do not reflect what is advertised on the pricing sticker. This is happening at Walmart now with about a dozen items being 90%+ discounted. Not every game listed below may be available with the clearance pricing. I just returned back from my local store and was able to purchase Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition for only $3.50.

brickseek.com is a great resource for finding deals and is the resource I'm linking for others to see what deals may be available to them. Here are the known discounted games that may or may not be available at your local stores:

PlayStation 4
Balan Wonderworld ($4)
Death Stranding ($2)
Immortals Fenyx Rising ($4)
Nioh 2 ($2)
Uncharted: Lost Legacy ($2)
Yakuza: Like a Dragon ($4)

PlayStation 5
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition ($3.50)
Immortals Fenyx Rising ($4)
NBA 2K21 ($2)
Nioh Collection ($7)
The Pathless ($4)

Switch
Balan Wonderworld ($4)
Indivisible ($3.50)
New Super Lucky's Tail ($3.50)
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 ($4)

Xbox One
Control Ultimate Edition ($3)
Madden 21 Nxt Lvl Edition ($4)

Having said all this, brickseek.com is not 100% accurate. Sometimes pricing may be outdated, and other times items aren't actually in stock. It's somewhat of a gamble. If possible, have the item price checked, and do be kind to retail workers if they don't honor prices.

11

Video Game Database Discussion / Style Discussion: Editions and the Hyphen

« on: September 29, 2021, 01:04:19 pm »

Presently, the style guide is firm yet brief in how to format Edition titles in that the edition name is followed by a hyphen (-).  Aside from this blurb regarding formatting, there is not much else said.

Found in the Item Name post of the Advanced Style Guide:

The Hyphen and the Edition
Edition or re-release series titles are a descriptor that is put after the hyphen but before the TLD in an Item Name.
The wording should match what is actually written on the packaging.

Examples:
Red Dead Redemption - Complete Edition
Dungeons & Dragons: Mystara Eiyuu Senki - Limited Edition
Alien: Isolation - Édition Nostromo

Do not use marketing names in the item title. Many items are sold online or advertised by publishers under an edition names such as "First Print Limited Edition" or "Launch Edition" and these can only be used in an item title if the text is present on the item itself.

Multiple Editions?! OK so this is the drawback of this format. Currently for multiple editions, we use multiple hyphens.
Tales of Vesperia - Definitive Edition - Premium Edition

While there are a lot of types of situations and specific kinds of items regarding how to potentially title Edition items, my examples will be focusing on a specific subset of items, although the discussion to come can certainly and hopefully will explore other aspects to the Edition/Hyphen dilemma. That being said, the Edition rules of the style guide do not consider multi-pack items. I've encountered four different multi-pack Edition items, and the lack of consistency across the database throughout all four kinds and even within one kind itself is extremely lacking. I'm introducing this discussion thread and possible subsequent poll as a means to secure some basis of formatting consistency.

Below are four varying examples of each type of multi-pack Edition item I've come across:

#1 Multi-pack with each game having its own edition
Baldur’s Gate and Baldur's Gate II - Enhanced Editions

#2 Multi-pack with only one game having its own edition
Child of Light - Ultimate Edition / Valiant Hearts: The Great War

#3 Multi-pack with games having their own edition in addition to the dual pack itself having a formal Edition name
Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts / Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 - Season Pass Edition - Unlimited Edition

#4 Multi-pack with games having their own edition in addition to the dual pack having a formal non-Edition name
Galak-Z: The Void / Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide Edition - Platinum Pack

Right now, I've considered two possible solutions to how multi-pack edition items may be formatted. The discussion to come may introduce other solutions.

Option 1 - Each title is formatted with its own hyphen when needed
Implication of this option being selected with examples
Baldur's Gate - Enhanced Edition / Baldur's Gate II - Enhanced Edition
Child of Light - Ultimate Edition / Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts / Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 - Season Pass Edition - Unlimited Edition
Galak-Z: The Void / Skulls of the Shogun - Bone-A-Fide Edition Platinum Pack

Option 2 - Hyphens for each bundled edition game are ignored. Hyphens are only present when the bundled item itself is an Edition item.
Implication of this option being selected with examples
Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition / Baldur's Gate II Enhanced Edition
Child of Light Ultimate Edition / Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts / Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 Season Pass Edition - Unlimited Edition
Galak-Z: The Void / Skulls of the Shogun Bone-A-Fide Edition Platinum Pack

While my examples focus on multi-pack Edition releases, there are many other scenarios which the current Edition style guide rules do not consider. For instance, another example to consider is for items that have "Edition" in their title but do not accurately depict the item itself to be an Edition variant, such as many Pokémon games like Pokémon Diamond Version compared to Pokémon - Edición Diamante.

12

Video Game Database Discussion / dhaabi's VGC Database Work

« on: May 11, 2021, 03:23:41 pm »

Following tripredacus and telly, I thought it may be beneficial to keep track of the progress I've made with VGC's database as I've just finished tackling a project I originally underestimated.

After about eight months, I've finally finished cataloging new entries and updating existing ones within PlayStation [JP]. In that time, PlayStation [CN] and PlayStation [KR] categories have been added to the database as well. Overall, I'm pleased with the work across the three categories, as nearly every entry is as fully fleshed-out as can be, aside from Box Text information. When I began the main [JP] project, the category had roughly 1,875 entries and now currently holds 4,620 entries. Technically, that number can still grow, as I didn't go out of my way to create separate entries for bundled items that include games in their own separate packaging. At the same time, there is information that I came across that I couldn't find physical evidence for, in addition to finding items that I couldn't properly identify well enough to create a proper entry.

Moving forward, I feel as if, for now, I will largely be working on improving the PlayStation categories, although I may venture into other areas from time to time. My next immediate project is to work on the PlayStation Demo category. I've already collected as much information that I've been able to find for PlayStation demos and non-retail releases, and I plan on tackling at least the Japanese side to it, although I'm sure I'll work toward the other regional sections within the category as well at some point. However, there is a lot less documented information on these items, unlike with retail releases.

I've documented all the information in a spreadsheet, although there is still a fair chunk that has been difficult to find information for. If you're wanting to take a look at what information I've collected so far and to see if you can fill in some of the blank information yourself, I'd be very appreciative.

On that note, if anyone would like to help me with information across some of the areas I've worked on and plan to work on soon, I've made additional spreadsheets that can be viewed publicly that details all the information I currently have gathered and what I'm still missing. If you know any additional information for the items I can't verify or have any knowledge whatsoever and would be willing to share, that would be a tremendous help. Thank you!

MISSING INFORMATION
Missing JP PlayStation Demo / 非売品 Spreadsheet
Missing PlayStation [JP] Entries Spreadsheet
Missing PlayStation [CN] Entries Spreadsheet
Missing Official PlayStation Accessory Entries Spreadsheet
Missing PSP UMD Video [JP] Information Spreadsheet
Missing PlayStation 5 Hardware Information Spreadsheet

Atari Demo Disk
Computer and Video Games Issue 128
Microsoft Xbox 360 - Lips
PlayStation Demo Disc - Ver.1.15
Playstation UR NOT (Red)e


CLEAN CATEGORIES
3DO: 3DO Accessory, 3DO Demo, 3DO Hardware, 3DO [EU], 3DO [JP], 3DO [NA]
Casio: Casio Loopy Accessory [JP], Casio Loopy Hardware, Casio Loopy [JP], PV-1000 Hardware, PV-1000 [JP]
Game.com: Game.com Accessory, Game.com Hardware, Game.com [NA]
Nintendo Network: DSi Shop [NA], Nintendo eShop (Switch) [NA]
Nintendo Other: Game & Watch, Nintendo iQue [CN], Nintendo Mini Classics, Pokémon Mini Hardware, Pokémon Mini [EU], Pokémon Mini [JP], Pokémon Mini [NA], Virtual Boy Hardware, Virtual Boy [JP], Virtual Boy [NA]
Nintendo Switch: Nintendo Switch Accessories, Nintendo Switch Demo, Nintendo Switch Hardware, Nintendo Switch [AU], Nintendo Switch [CN], Nintendo Switch [EU], Nintendo Switch [JP], Nintendo Switch [KR], Nintendo Switch [NA], Nintendo Switch [TW]
Pioneer: Pioneer LaserActive Hardware, Pioneer LaserActive [JP], Pioneer LaserActive [NA]
Playdia: Playdia Hardware, Playdia [JP]
PlayStation: PlayStation Accessory, PlayStation Demo, PlayStation Hardware, PlayStation [AU], PlayStation [CN], PlayStation [EU], PlayStation [JP], PlayStation [KR], PlayStation [NA]
PlayStation 2: PlayStation 2 Accessory, PlayStation 2 Demo, PlayStation 2 Hardware, PlayStation 2 [AU], PlayStation 2 [CN], PlayStation 2 [EU], PlayStation 2 [JP], PlayStation 2 [KR], PlayStation 2 [NA]
PlayStation 4: PlayStation 4 Accessory, PlayStation 4 Demo, PlayStation 4 Hardware, PlayStation 4 [AU], PlayStation 4 [BR ], PlayStation 4 [CN], PlayStation 4 [EU], PlayStation 4 [JP], PlayStation 4 [KR], PlayStation 4 [NA], PlayStation 4 [TW]
PlayStation 5: PlayStation 5 Accessory, PlayStation 5 Demo, PlayStation 5 Hardware, PlayStation 5 [AU], PlayStation 5 [BR ], PlayStation 5 [CN], PlayStation 5 [EU], PlayStation 5 [JP], PlayStation 5 [KR], PlayStation 5 [NA], PlayStation 5 [TW]
PlayStation Network: PlayStation Network (PS4) [NA], PlayStation Network (PS5) [NA]
PlayStation Vita: PlayStation Vita Accessory, PlayStation Vita Hardware, PlayStation Vita [AU], PlayStation Vita [CN], PlayStation Vita [EU], PlayStation Vita [JP], PlayStation Vita [KR], PlayStation Vita [NA], PlayStation Vita [TW]
Virtual Reality: Dedicated VR Accessories, Dedicated VR Games, Dedicated VR Hardware
Wii: Wii Accessory, Wii Demo, Wii Hardware, Wii [AU], Wii [BR ], Wii [EU], Wii [JP], Wii [KR], Wii [NA]
Wii U: Wii U Accessory, Wii U Hardware, Wii U [AU], Wii U [EU], Wii U [JP], Wii U [NA]
Xbox 360: Xbox 360 Accessory, Xbox 360 Demo, Xbox 360 Hardware, Xbox 360 [AU], Xbox 360 [CN], Xbox 360 [EU], Xbox 360 [JP], Xbox 360 [KR], Xbox 360 [NA]
Xbox One: Xbox One Accessory, Xbox One Hardware, Xbox One [AU], Xbox One [BR ], Xbox One [CN], Xbox One [EU], Xbox One [JP], Xbox One [KR], Xbox One [NA], Xbox One [TW]
Xbox Series X: Xbox Series X Accessory, Xbox Series X Hardware, Xbox Series X [AU], Xbox Series X [BR ], Xbox Series X [CN], Xbox Series X [EU], Xbox Series X [JP], Xbox Series X [KR], Xbox Series X [NA], Xbox Series X [TW]

* complete, incomplete

13

Video Game Deals, Sales and Promotions / itch.io's Bundle for Racial Equality and Justice: $5 minimum for 1,638+ titles

« on: June 11, 2020, 06:23:44 pm »

itch.io has partnered with over 1,300 unique game creators in offering over 1,600 unique titles (as of this writing) for the low, low price of a $5 minimum purchase with all proceeds going directly to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund split 50/50 in light of the recent events concerning George Floyd and police brutality. In short, it's a pay-what-you-want offer with a current value at over $9,000 for access of all titles in DRM-free format. Titles have frequently been added to the list, with all contributors getting everything regardless of purchase date.

The offer has been going on for several days already and ends in a little more than four days from now. It's an offer that any PC gamer really shouldn't pass up--not only in part to the amazing deal but also to the impact that such a contribution to these two organizations will make for a better future.

https://itch.io/b/520/bundle-for-racial-justice-and-equality

14

Video Game Deals, Sales and Promotions / Free Steam Copy of Aegis Defenders | Humble Bundle | Now - May 17

« on: May 15, 2020, 07:20:47 pm »

It's not too often that Humble Bundle offers a free game with no strings attached.

https://www.humblebundle.com/store/aegis-defenders-free-game