SoulBlazer Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 (edited) I was talking to a friend today about collectors vs game players and this question came up, and I thought this would be a good place to ask: Probaly the most expensive collection to assemble would be a Neo-Geo one, especily if you went after the Japanese and European copies and wanted CIB games. But what would be the CHEAPEST collection to collect for and complete? I was thinking it might be some obscure one country console that only had a few games, like the RCA Studio 2, but then I considered that cause the system never WAS so popular that one would have to pay a lot of money for the games cause they would be so rare. Then I thought about a more popular system where the games were made in huge ammounts like the original Game Boy, but then I considered that collectors and price gouging sellers probaly ensures that even the most common games are expensive. So which collection could you collect and complete for cheapest? Let's include a console also, along with the 'critical' parts that it may need, like a battery pack. I'm asking about both CIB and cart only, though it may be the same system. Could someone complete a collection for a low value, say, $200-300? Or would have to spend a lot more money? Edited February 19, 2013 by SoulBlazer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagitekAngel Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 I'm guessing you would want to go with a flop that only had a few games, like the Virtual Boy or Game.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpressed Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 I think there was a thread on this topic last year, and in it I replied that US releases for the Odyssey 2 are the easiest to acquire for the fewest dollars. The holy grail is Power Lords, and a CIB example of that will set you back only about $150. You can't give away CIB commons. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaperman Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 (edited) Action max. I'd say a full set of CIB games for it would run about $60. Even sealed games aren't that hard to find or expensive. Add another $20-30 to that for a CIB system. Pretty much a total waste of money, though. I've been debating 'completing' my Action Max collection for some time, but I just can't justify the $25 it would cost. Edited February 19, 2013 by Reaperman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 I was going to suggest the O2 also. Or maybe a system that even collectors don't want, like the V.smile... Those things seem to sit around in thrift stores for weeks before they get tossed out on their ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 I'm thinking of the Arcadia 2001, but you won't complete it for $300. If you assume $10 a pop for games on average, plus $100 for a working console, that's a tad over $500. The 7800 is probably one of the cheaper systems to get all the games for. Tank Command will get you for $100 to $400, maybe less if it's loose. Water Ski and Mean 18 don't even come close to that. A working console should cost you around $50. If you consider the monitor cart as part of the collection, that's your holy grail. If not, it's Tank Command or the 7800 light gun. My votes for most expensive are Atari 2600 and Game Boy, due to their extreme longevity in the marketplace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krslam Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Unpopular console + small library = cheap collection. Rzone, Action Max, Pico, Studio 2, game.com, and Micovision should all be doable for under $200. Channel F, Arcadia, and VIS for not much more. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpressed Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Adding to my earlier post on the Odyssey 2: you could probably complete a CIB production release collection for $900, maybe a little less. This would include a CIB console and CIB The Voice. That's not too bad for a major pre-Crash platform. Single games for the 2600 and Intellivision will run you more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Definitely not NES, that's for sure. I'd go with Virtual Boy, but Odessy 2 as someone brought up, is also a likely candidate. 7800 is too popular today and especially as a 2-in-1 system, you'll have to also collect it's VCS back-catalog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gemintronic Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 I'm collecting unlicensed NES and Genesis games. Besides Action 52 most are undervalued titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high voltage Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 N-Gage perhaps, I managed to complete the collection in a very short time with little money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 From personal experience the cheapest and easiet would be the Action Max, which I did in one fell swoop with a $50 Ebay BIN, which included 2 loose systems. A CIB system was only $25 extra with free shipping. So $75 total. Worth it just for the sake of having at least one system absolutely completed. Next easiest would be the Studio II, operating under the assumption that the Bingo game was not ever released or sold. If it was, then Studio II is easily the one of the most fiendishly difficult and (likely) expensive collections to complete, assuming it would even be possible to do so. If you include the also alleged Demo and Test carts for the Studio II, then you will likely never get a truly complete Studio II collection, no matter your budget. With all that in mind, it is easy, especially relative to other systems, to get a complete CIB set of US releases for the Studio II. A CIB system can be had for under $100 even on Ebay, and one with everything right down to the plastic and warranty cards and other paperwork can be had for under $150 (my pristine one was $125 shipped). All but 4 of the games can be had for around $10 CIB. The large box TV Schoolhouse can be had for around $20 in good condition if you wait or find it on a forum. Biorhythm is uncommon, but should never cost you more than $50 on its own, and can be found with lots of Studio II stuff on Ebay with surprsing frequency. Having recently finished my US Studio II collection last year, I can assure you that the two rarest (confirmed) games, Gunfughter/Moonship Battle and Speedway/Tag can be fairly difficult to track down (your best bet is forums), but should only cost around an average of $75 each depending on condition. A comple CIB US Studio II collection should never cost you more than $500 if everything is purchased separately, and will be cheaper if you purchase in lots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Definitely not NES, that's for sure. I'd go with Virtual Boy, but Odessy 2 as someone brought up, is also a likely candidate. 7800 is too popular today and especially as a 2-in-1 system, you'll have to also collect it's VCS back-catalog! I don't think VB would make the cut unless you limit it to only US releases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seob Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 odyssey 2 can be cheap if you only stay with U.S. releases, if you're going with box variations, Canadian, Brasilian, European, Japanese, then it will get costly very soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing Lazers Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 While the Odyssey 2 is relatively cheap to complete, the original isn't. Odyssey (original): looking at about $100-$200 for a CIB console, another $100 for the Shooting Gallery, around $50 each for the 6 extra 1972 games, $50-$100 each for the 4 extra 1973 games (if you can find them), and maybe $50-$100 for a boxed Percepts (a mail-in only game). So, about $800-$1100 for a CIB US collection. BTW, you will notice some high shipping costs on these items due to the size of their boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbd30 Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Atari Jaguar? Checking prices on Amazon, a few of the better games are relatively expensive, but you can get them all for less than $100 each and most for around $20 or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatta Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 What about Conquest of the World etc. for Odyssey 2? Don't those command pretty high prices? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Guys, I have to step in here and put a little voice of reason out here. Ask yourself why. Over the years I've tried to have a full set of this or that, and have on a few platforms. Who cares if you have a full set of Game.com titles, or every Jaguar release? If a full set makes you happy and you have the time and money, go for it. If you are doing it just because you could, and people will say, "whoa dude had them all" maybe not such a good idea. I've really become very self examined over the past few years. I can't help buying more games. With so much stuff I don't have that is important to me, it's goofy to have Battle Chess on three systems if I'm never going to play it, and it certainly adds nothing to brag about to my collection. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhd Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Or maybe a system that even collectors don't want, like the V.smile... How easy is it to actually find "games" for these educational consoles? I would include the Sea Pico in this same category. I see the hardware very occasionally (usually missing parts), but I have never encountered loose cartridges anywhere. I assume that even retro game stores do not cater to this market segment. It may be cheap to acquire a complete collection, but it would also take an eternity to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxpressed Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 (edited) What about Conquest of the World etc. for Odyssey 2? Don't those command pretty high prices? Not really. I just sold a Great Wall St. Fortune Hunt on eBay with the pieces still sealed in baggies. It sold for $30, and I was happy to get it. In my opinion, here are the most expensive O2 games for the US market along with a fair CIB price: Power Lords, $120 Demon Attack, $70 Atlantis, $50 Popeye, $50 Q*Bert, $50 Super Cobra, $50 Turtles, $30 Frogger, $30 Killer Bees, $20 Master Series Games, $20 Everything else should be below $20, with the vast majority being commons able to be had CIB for $1-$3 apiece if you buy a big lot. Edited February 19, 2013 by boxpressed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akator Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Entex Adventure Vision. After all, it only has 4 carts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Wait... ya'll missed the HyperScan. Spider Man runs $35, and I think Marvel Heroes runs $10. The rest of the games, the system, and the controllers can be found CIB for a buck. If you don't count getting every single card, the Hyperscan can be completed for under $50. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 (edited) First off, there is a huge divide between most titles CIB and loose. It's far cheaper to go the loose route. Also, why bother collecting for an obscure system just for the sake of "completing" a set? Are you actually playing the games or just hoarding them? That's just as ridiculous as modern gamers buying X title simply because it's easy to get a Platinum trophy to boost their PSN stats for bragging rights. It gets worse on Nintendoage which hands out awards for attaining "complete" sets. Edited February 19, 2013 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinju Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 32x, I think the only one that has quite a bit of value is Spiderman Web of Fire loose or CIB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrutallyHonestGamer Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 i was going to suggest the Game.com too, the most expensive piece in that collection I believe would be the pocket version of the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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