Collectors Corner

Posted on Aug 6th 2017 at 12:00:00 PM by (Addicted)
Posted under Hidden Gems, Consoles,Hidden Gems

[img width=500 height=320]http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/215/726/halolz-dot-com-futurama-thelegendofzelda-shutupandtakemyrupees.jpg[/img]


It's a widely held belief in gaming that exclusives sell consoles, and I believe it's often true. We've all bought a new console just to play a certain game that really captured our interest. In years past it could be playing a game at a friend's house, or playing a kiosk at a local retailer. These days Twitch streaming and YouTube Let's Plays offer new ways to convince us to take the plunge. I recently picked up a PS4 just to play Horizon Zero Dawn and started thinking of all the other exclusive titles that convinced me to purchase the system. I compiled a list of systems I purchased and the games that convinced me to buy them and would love to hear what games convinced you to purchase a console.





[img width=700 height=380]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/NES-Console-Set.jpg/1200px-NES-Console-Set.jpg[/img]

1. Nintendo Entertainment System (NES): Super Mario Brothers

I remember seeing this game running in a kiosk in a Target. I had been saving for an Atari 2600 but this blew away anything on the 2600. I saved for months and I'll never forget the day I walked out of the store with my very own NES and copy of Super Mario Brothers. The game seemed limitless as I pushed onward to save Princess Toadstool.


2. Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES): Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past

[img width=700 height=363]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/SNES-Mod1-Console-Set.jpg[/img]

I was a Nintendo Power subscriber when Zelda: A Link to the Past released, but my parents thought one Nintendo console in the house was enough. I combed through the pages of Nintendo Power staring at the screenshots and begging my parents until one day they relented. I purchased the SNES core console and immediately rented A Link to the Past. A couple months later I had scraped together enough money to buy my own copy of A Link to the Past and started a tradition of playing a Zelda game every Thanksgiving week.

3. Nintendo 64 (N64): Super Mario 64

[img width=700 height=525]https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/6ykINopkybsWkZrL.large[/img]

By the time the N64 was released I was more of a PC gamer, playing games from LucasArts, Sierra, and Origin. It wasn't until I saw Super Mario 64 at a kiosk in Incredible Universe (now Fry's electronics) that I knew I had to own a N64. The way Mario controlled in a 3D space was unlike anything I had seen before. I saved up until I had just enough to cover the cost of the system and tax. My parents were leaving for the weekend and thanks to a friend loaning me his copy of Mario 64 I was set to have a great weekend.

4. DM Game Boy: Final Fantasy Adventure

[img width=700 height=706]https://prodnote.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/25-jahre-game-boy-nintendos-kleines-grosses-wunder_nqxd.jpg[/img]

I had a chance to play the Game Boy at a buddy's house in 1989 but didn't own one myself until the summer of 1991.  We were taking a family trip by car and it was going take a while to get to our destination. I had rented Final Fantasy on the NES many times and was reading about this new game called Final Fantasy Adventure. I had to have it. My parents were nice enough to buy me a used Game Boy and Final Fantasy Adventure for the trip. I played through and finished the game a couple of days after the trip ended and the game is still one of my favorites for the system. This trip also netted me a special Game Boy camouflage carrying case that was made for Operation Desert Storm. The case was lost during a move and I hadn't seen another until GrayGhost81 sent me one. Thanks again!

5. Dreamcast: Sonic Adventure

[img width=700 height=381]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Sega-dreamcast-set.png[/img]

I purchased an imported Dreamcast from a local store in 1999 for $400. I had been reading all about the new system on Gamespot but it was the coverage of Sonic Adventure that made me want to own the system. I'm sure that the first level of that game sold a lot of systems. As much as the rest of the games content is questionable, I'll never forget the time I spent playing the Japanese version of Sonic Adventure to completion.

6. Playstation 2: Grand Theft Auto 3

[img width=700 height=466]http://cdn.gamer-network.net/2013/usgamer/NGL2---PlayStation-2.jpg[/img]

I didn't own a PS2 until the summer of 2002. I had a chance to play GTA 3 in a friend's dorm and had to have my own copy. I had played GTA 1 and 2 but this was something different. The range of freedom, the mayhem that could be caused, and the radio stations combined to make an addicting game. When Gamestop had a sale on used PS2s and copies of GTA 3, I placed an order and spent the summer on the streets of Liberty City.

8. Original Xbox: Splinter Cell

[img width=700 height=340]https://rectifygaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Xbox-console.jpg[/img]

My parents were going to buy me a console for Christmas as I was going to be spending most of winter break with my Grandmother, and she didn't have much in the way of entertainment. I had been reading Gamespot and the new game called Splinter Cell looked amazing. I went with my father to Circuit City and purchased a system and a copy of the game. Even though I was terrible at the game I loved playing as Sam Fischer sneaking around defending freedom.

9. Nintendo DS: Super Mario 64 DS

[img width=700 height=548]https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/nintendo/images/b/b1/Nintendo_DS_-_Original_Grey_Model.png/revision/latest?cb=20120827170725&path-prefix=en[/img]

In 2004 I was commuting more and spending longer hours at my job. I needed something to help pass the commute time and Mario 64 DS seemed like the ideal solution, if I could find a DS console. At the beginning of December I walked in to the local Gamestop and asked if they had any systems expecting to hear a no, but to my surprise they had one in stock! I quickly paid for it and ran over to Best Buy to buy a copy of Mario 64 DS. My commute became easier to deal with and I still have my copy of Mario 64 DS.

10. Neo Geo Pocket: King of Fighters R-1

[img width=655 height=396]https://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/0/7465/809820-neo_geo_pocket_ligts_on.jpg[/img]

My local game store imported some Game Boy Colors and Neo Geo Pockets in late 1998. I received a call from the owner who asked if I would like to try one out. I drove down and was impressed with the little monochrome machine. King of Fighters R-1 was much more impressive than any fighter on the Game Boy with it's large sprites and responsive controls. It ended up as the perfect compliment my new job at the HP Pavilion call center.


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Comments
 
Great story! I know I held out on the PS4 until Uncharted 4 came out.  I am still waiting for something on the Switch to get me excited to buy it.  So far most of the games I want to play are on other systems that I own.
 
I'm definitely with you on Horizon Zero Dawn. It was the 2016 E3 game announcement that made me realize that I had to have a PS4.  Super Mario Bros. was also the game that really got me, like many other kids of my generation, hooked on wanting an NES.

It may seem odd, but Smurfs: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle is what made me want to get a 2600. My cousin had the game and my father's co-worker had it on the Colecovision.  I've always loved that game, though I wouldn't really rank it amongst my favorites for the system now.
 
It's a little disappointing to say this, but I've only ever had a single game sell me on a console twice. Final Fantasy VII sold me on the original PlayStation, like lots of other gamers at that time. And, like singlebanana, Super Mario Bros was the game that made the NES a must have for me. Really, that's the game that cemented my love of not just the NES, but video games in general. It's not an exaggeration to say that game changed my life.
 
the ones I can remember:

NES: Super Mario Bros. 3
Genesis: Sonic The Hedgehog
Game Boy: Pokemon
Nintendo 64: StarFox 64
Playstation 1: Gran Tursimo 2
 
NES: Mario Bros. 3
SNES: Zelda - A Link to the Past
N64: Super Mario 64 / Ocarina of Time
GameCube: Luigi's Mansion / Super Mario Sunshine
Wii: Metroid Prime
Wii U: Tropical Freeze / Hyrule Warriors
Switch: BREATH OF THE WILD Tongue
PlayStation 4: Horizon Zero Dawn

I "recently" (may this year) bought my PS4 Pro, initially for Horizon Zero Dawn, but already own 60+ games for it and became a replacement for my now told PC, which just can't handle the pressure of modern games anymore. Still will upgrade it, but first ........ Q4 2017 releases on the horizon! -> need more pot smashing to gather more rupees
 
Persona 5 made me buy a PS4.
 
Final Fantasy VII definitely sold me on the PS1.  I was already a big fan of the FF series on the SNES, but when I saw FFVII for the first time at a friend's house just after the game came out, I knew I had to have it.  I remember telling my mom when I got home that I wanted a PlayStation and a copy of FFVII for Christmas that year.  I got the system and the game, and spent pretty much the entirety of Christmas day playing it.

I was probably going to get the system anyway, but I might say that Halo sold me on the original Xbox.  A friend of mine and I both got the system and the game for Christmas back in 2001, and we had planned on him coming over and us co-oping the game together.  He brought his Xbox and a TV, and we played through the entire game through LAN.  It was awesome!

I'm pretty sure those are the only cases I can think of.  I usually buy every new system sooner of later, and most of the time there isn't a single killer app that sells me on it.
 
What a good idea for an article! I've only had a single game sell me on a console a few times.

PS1: Final Fantasy 7
N64: Ocarina of Time
PS3: Ni No Kuni (though technically this made me buy a 2nd PS3 after I no longer had the first one)
 
Thanks to all who replied! It's interesting how many times Horizon Zero Dawn, and Final Fantasy VII came up.

@singlebanana: That game is the sole reason I own a Colecovision. I have fond memories of playing it a friends house.

@Bear78: Star Fox 64 is a great game. I was working at a grocery store during its release and was given the task of picking up some items from another store. Luckily this store was close to my friend's game store and I stopped there to pick up Star Fox 64. I played it for hours after work.

@Disposed Hero: That sounds like a great Christmas! I hope you received a memory card as well.

@douglie007: Uncharted 4 is a great book end to Nathan Drake's story. Are you going to play Lost Legacy?

@zophar53: I agree. If anything deserves to be on the list of Videogames to play before you die the original Super Mario Brothers is on it.

@Kam1Kaz3 NL77 : That's a great list! I too am using my PS4 and XB1 instead of my PC. There's something about sitting down on the couch with a controller in hand.

@SirPsycho: I started Persona 5 but I need to set aside more time for it. From what I've played it's a great game!

@Pam: I really enjoyed most of NI no Kuni but the end battle was rough. How did you like the game?

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