Your top 5 video game finds of 2014

[Zagnorch]

Hey now,

Time to look back on the year, and show off your five biggest, best, and/or most interesting video game finds of 2014.

I'll start things off, thereby providing a template for the rest of you to follow:


#5: Steel Battalion... game only

[img width=626 height=542]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score9-16-2014k_zps6f5675e9.jpg[/img]

One of the most interesting finds of the year. Sadly, my search for the accompanying controller rig proved fruitless. Love the $179.99 GameStop price tag, though. And that's its used price no less! Meanwhile, the hunt for the controller setup continues...


#4: Silver-Bronze Skylanders Swap Force Trap Shadow figure

[img width=327 height=579]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Tshad1_zpsf6cf3593.jpg[/img][img width=344 height=563]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/tshad2_zpse932aa7e.jpg[/img]

Going for $125-$200 on eBay, I discovered this rare variant on Black Friday at a Target store near work, just hanging on a peg with the "plebe" Skylanders figs.


#3:Year-long big-box PC game pickups

Get ready to scroll down for the next half-hour.


[img width=633 height=546]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score3-19-2014b_zpsf9ee1679.jpg[/img]

[img width=533 height=526]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score3-19-2014c_zps02beea9b.jpg?t=1395274211[/img]

[img width=530 height=529]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score3-21-2014l_zpsdcdba586.jpg[/img]

[img width=619 height=550]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-11-2014_zps31e3b3bb.jpg[/img]

[img width=616 height=568]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-23-2014_zps2b290dc2.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=503]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score6-13-2014b_zpse0fd74de.jpg[/img]

[img width=615 height=519]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score8-26-2014a_zpsc3449f42.jpg[/img]

[img width=427 height=588]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score8-31-2014b_zpsb6b784b7.jpg[/img]

[img width=560 height=562]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score9-2-2014aa_zpsc3197671.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=467]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score9-29-2014b_zpseead2ad9.jpg[/img]

[img width=418 height=543]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score10-1-2014_zpsede278b4.jpg[/img]

[img width=543 height=543]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score10-9-2014e_zpsa042079f.jpg?t=1412950105[/img]

[img width=700 height=473]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score12-17-2014m_zps65ec3f1d.jpg[/img]

[img width=521 height=494]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score12-23-2014i_zps38bcd4df.jpg?1419794366772&1419794367873[/img]

[img width=469 height=597]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score12-28-2014b_zps7dfc64ed.jpg[/img]




#2: Metal Storm cart

[img width=422 height=442]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/2014Top2_zpse3da4084.jpg[/img]


My reward for winning the 2014 "Pain Yourself with Submissions" contest. After reading CrabMaster2000's "Unloved" blog about this game (http://www.rfgeneration.c...d-21-Metal-Storm-1540.php) and watching the accompanying YouTube gameplay videos, I was sold.

#1:

Commodore 64 Superlot

[img width=700 height=362]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/c64main1_zpsa4f6739d.jpg[/img]

[img width=492 height=543]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/c64main3_zps919e2fa1.jpg?t=1397194054[/img]

[img width=700 height=427]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/c64main4_zpsc472e7bd.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=254]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/c64main2_zpsec54cf60.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=240]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/c64main6_zps3bbb529e.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=366]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/c64main5_zps939cae65.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=230]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/c64main7_zps8775dbd2.jpg[/img]

[img width=513 height=472]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/c64main8_zpsbf6b7d5b.jpg[/img]


A fateful call from my best friend "Shotgun" at an estate sale culminated in the addition of this beloved childhood memory to my ever-growing collection. The Commodore 64 was my first home computer and my first gaming console. This also marks the second time Shotgun was involved in my #1 video game score of the year:

http://www.rfgeneration.c...-Odyssey-odyssey-2411.php


Aaaand that's it for me. Now it's YOUR turn to brag a little; give it your best shot!


'Late

[MaterialHandlerMike]

This is going to be tough...It was a lot easier figuring out my top 5 for 2013.

[tactical_nuke]

It's fun looking back and seeing what additions came about this year. So much cool stuff, now seems long ago. Anyway, here's my favs.

5: Atari "Starter Lot"
My uncle called me up one day saying he found some Atari games. I got it all for 10 bucks, it included a Woody and Vader console and a VCS Game Center case, not pictured. The lot came with nearly every 2600 staple game. Very cool that I got my 1st gen start with the classics. I had to clean them up and make some makeshift end labels but that was part of the fun.
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/FWUKI0s.jpg[/img]

4: Scary Stories Series
This isn't even video game related but I was so happy to find these for 75 cents that I don't care.
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/qWkeZr9.jpg[/img]

3: Twitter Giveaway 2DS
Nintendo sent me a free 2DS in a drawing! Hell yes!
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/ZNociQS.jpg[/img]

2: Lucky Amiibo Pickups
In an act of apparent clairvoyance, I snagged these two buggers the week before they were discontinued. Marth sadly eluded my grasp.
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/YJeCLBw.jpg[/img]

1: The Jackpot
In April, I happened across a yard sale nearly directly in front of my house. This guy's girlfriend wanted his old games out by any means. I swooped down for a miraculous score of only 30$ for everything. Worth noting my cousin grabbed a boxed PS1, a Zelda DS Lite, some guides and some other goodies that I already had or didn't want to push my luck trying to purchase. An anonymous 3rd party made out with a boxed SNES and DKC1 which were left after I went to go get cash. It's going to be a while until I top this, for sure.
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/Q8Sj8Zm.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/wsFfQaI.jpg[/img]

Here's to a great 2014! 

[gbpxl]

Regarding the "scary stories" books- those were some of my favorite books as a kid. the pictures scared the shit out of me. apparently they remade those books recently with not-so-scary pictures- apparently to appease the soccer moms and wussy children.

[techwizard]

i don't keep track of when i buy things in any form, so i have no idea what was from 2014 and what was older...but the one i know for sure would be my #1 is Clayfighter Sculptor's Cut manual for $360.

[SirPsycho]

I was reviewing my image albums and I forgot how many awesome finds I had this year. I knew I added a lot, but the lots were great through midsummer! Not the best prices, but you can't argue against the quality of stuff I found. 2014 was the year of Zelda dupes for me. I must have found and flipped a good half dozen in a two month span, on top of random other games.

#5 Cheap Saturn Games

[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/u1oc1Qz.jpg[/img]

I know a lot of people have trouble regularly finding Saturn games locally, at least games that don't have the EA Sports label on it. I got lucky with this find, as these prices were cheap and I had store credit built up, enough to where I only had to spend like $5 out of pocket for all of these!

#4 Catching the Local Store Slipping

[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/5aXBxPV.jpg[/img]

I really don't go into my actual local game store too often. I should make another visit to see if I can't catch them slipping again! I flipped the cheap  and damaged Truxton cart to have it partially pay for a nice CIB copy, and King Salmon is a deceptively uncommon game on the Genesis. King Salmon's not expensive online, but finding it even cheaper locally was a nice treat! Here's the Truxton upgrade!

[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/HdrJogx.jpg[/img]

#3 Going out of Business

[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/KqiqcWJ.jpg[/img]

I was on the road and found a Flea Market type of store that was going out of business. Everything was 50% off and it wasn't completely picked clean when I got there! I don't think I'll ever find another Suikoden game for cheaper than $2, let alone the priciest one for the PS2! It was a dupe for me and made me quite a bit of extra scratch.

#2 Stop Calling Me I Have Battletoads Now

[img width=700 height=525]http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/gpro83/20140703_122044_zpsnlvyd4kj.jpg[/img]

This sweet lot wasn't super dirt cheap, but was a steal at $100 anyway. In terms of value the Bucky O'Hare is the big one. Add on the Majora's Mask and I would break even if I flipped these. I did use that MM to upgrade my old mangled copy, and the other dupes knocked my total investment down to about half the original price. An even better steal! I still kept most all of this lot.

#1 The Box

[img width=700 height=933]http://i.imgur.com/3ZwEdgS.jpg[/img]

This box came into my favorite local store. I was drooling. Since this wasn't a garage sale find I ended up paying a decent amount for what I picked out, but there are some classics I walked away with in two trips to The Box. Here's what I grabbed on the first trip.

[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/7ff63jF.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/U5JyGbh.jpg[/img]

And here's the second trip!

[img width=700 height=525]http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/gpro83/20140527_143150_zps7gxu2ufq.jpg[/img]

[TheSaintOfPain]

Well, here we go with my picks:

#5: Final Fantasy III

[img width=700 height=525]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0059.jpg[/img]

I found one of my biggest wish-list occupiers at a local community sale a couple months ago now.  Generally, around here in my neck of the woods, it goes for no less than fifty bucks, but I considered this stolen at 35 because of that, and that I also didn't have to resort to paying at least that much on eBay eventually.

#4:  Atari 800XL Lot

[img width=700 height=525]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0036.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=525]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0038.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=525]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0037.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=933]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0039.jpg[/img]

My first foray into Atari 8-bit computing was a garage sale find.  The people that held the sale listed the computer specifically in the newspaper ad, so of course I assumed they knew what they had and would price accordingly.  I was very pleasantly surprised to see the ten dollar price tag on the box along with all the extras, and whether they did know what they had or not, I wasn't gonna argue with it.  This find, in a roundabout way, led me to the next find on my list.

#3:  Commodore 16

[img width=700 height=933]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0003.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=525]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0012-1.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=525]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0013-1.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=525]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0014-1.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=933]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0015-1.jpg[/img]

After finding the Atari 800XL, it started bringing back memories of the old computers that I had used and had as a kid, which were a Radio Shack/Tandy TRS-80, an IBM XT, and a Commodore 16.  I am now on a quest to replace those now long-lost pieces of my computing/gaming past, and the first one scratched off the list was the C16, after finding one relatively cheap on eBay CIB, and with a 1541 disk drive.  It may not be as famous or as versatile as its 64KB ancestor, but it was the one that I was given, and I learned a lot of what I knew about programming in BASIC back in the day and was my introduction to text adventures.

#2:  Atari 2600 "Vader" Lot

[img width=700 height=525]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0009-1.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=933]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0011-1.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=933]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0010-1.jpg[/img]

This one came from a local thrift store while they were having a sale, and I paid a total of 42 bucks for the lot.  This is the second 2600 lot I've gotten this year, after a family friend game me her original "light sixer" with some controllers and games earlier this year, and the third version of the system that I now own.

#1:  Really, REALLY Cheap Dreamcast

[img width=700 height=933]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz294/Jeremy_Bosco/KIMG0002-1.jpg[/img]

This was definitely the best find I had all year, and really for quite some time.  It came from a thrift store, and for some reason it was in the housewares section, among their cookware.  I could barely hold in my excitement when I saw the price sticker that read 8 dollars, and I couldn't grab the thing fast enough.  Though lacking any games or VMUs, it's still a huge steal at that price for one of the greatest gaming consoles ever made.

[Techie413]

My TOP 5 is an easy one this year.

#5:  Lunar 2 Complete in a trade worth $50 with a local gamer and now friend.

[img width=700 height=699]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/S7305559_zps14007a37.jpg[/img]



#4:  Two different huge $5 per game lots, including boxed NES and Sega CD, from a company that bought out a local rental store.


[img width=700 height=413]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/WP_20140817_12_28_15_Pro_zpsda329c80.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=393]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/WP_20140623_19_50_50_Pro_zps567c3fce.jpg[/img]



#3:  A 3DO Lot from a Craigslist ad with 3 systems and over 60 games for $220.

[img width=700 height=488]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/S7305603_zps6a4d3f61.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=434]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/S7305610_zps00edff51.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=371]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/S7305608_zps27aaa40c.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=382]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/S7305605_zps863540a8.jpg[/img]

[img width=700 height=546]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/S7305612_zps6999d5da.jpg[/img]


#2:  E.V.O. for $6 at a pawn shop.

[img width=700 height=393]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/WP_20140819_13_03_08_Pro_zps835ba736.jpg[/img]


#1:  TMNT cabinet from an amusement park owner looking to update her selection for $250.

[img width=450 height=800]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/WP_20140424_22_35_32_Pro_zps0f5c1e2e.jpg[/img]


It was a REALLY good year!

[GrayGhost81]

Oooh I love a good show-off thread. Good idea Zag!

#5 - Beatmania Turntable and other junk from one of my favorite twice-annual local rummage sales:

[img width=700 height=515]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/grayghost81/IMG_20141018_111720_651-1_zps35fd1fc1.jpg[/img]

#4 - PSP Shopping Spree! - Feeling the PSP market had hit bottom, I pulled out all the stops on ebay and Amazon grabbing these, among many others.

[img width=674 height=799]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/grayghost81/IMG_20140321_193222_154-1_zps7ed890e8.jpg[/img]
[img width=639 height=799]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/grayghost81/IMG_20140329_173742_840-1_zps9c61bfc9.jpg[/img]
[img width=639 height=800]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/grayghost81/IMG_20140405_161001_118-1_zps8a996671.jpg[/img]

#3 - All three .Hack GU at once - When I was using Leaptrade more heavily and had a ton of credit there, I was lucky enough to get matched with a dude who traded out all three of these at once and I got them all. After piecing together the original .Hack series very slowly (with the help of Disposed Hero and Shadow Kisuragi), I thought the GU series would be a bit tougher to round up. It turns out it wasn't!

[img width=700 height=279]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/grayghost81/IMG_20140425_191125_161-1_zps53fdda4f.jpg[/img]

#2 - Earthbound - received in a trade with a coworker

[img width=700 height=404]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/grayghost81/IMG_20140822_183922_790-1_zpsdb5a7940.jpg[/img]

#1 - Rule of Rose - A game that I thought I would never own because of the crazy price point, but never gave up on wanting it. One day it appeared on my doorstep unexpectedly courtesy of my friend Steven, better known around these parts as Disposed Hero.

[img width=700 height=748]http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h32/grayghost81/IMG_20140606_200142_732-1_zps5b3312ae.jpg[/img]

[cverz2]

Looks like we have another member to ban.

EDIT: NEVER MIND LOOKS LIKE YOU GUYS TOOK CARE OF IT ALREADY. 

[techwizard]

Looks like we have another member to ban.

EDIT: NEVER MIND LOOKS LIKE YOU GUYS TOOK CARE OF IT ALREADY. 

aww i missed it. was it a spam account or something actually interesting?

[mumboking]

aww i missed it. was it a spam account or something actually interesting?

Nothing interesting, just word walls of spam... I think there were three accounts.