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I love racing games.
[Pause for readers to double-check the avatar and realize the obvious]
Being a collector, you always want those special titles. I tend to gravitate to the harder-to-find games that usually come with at least a good recommendation. Part of the thinking behind the Top 20 lists was to get others talking about games that would be highly rated, even if some of them were obvious.
The other side is that for many games, especially the harder-to-find titles, it's become a harder and harder decision as to whether to try and pick up a physical copy or just find another way to play the title. For example, as of this writing, authentic copies of
Final Fantasy III are selling on eBay in the $85-$95 range. I bring this title in particular up because not only is it a very highly rated game, it's available on a multitude of platforms.
It's obviously become a seller's market for retro video games, which begs the question: Will the market eventually flood?
But the other question that has to creep into even an avid collector's mind: Do I really want to pass up the money I could be selling my rare titles for right now?
In some cases, the answer will be a resounding 'no'. In my own case, I've had
Ninja Gaiden Trilogy since I was a teenager. I can remember sitting playing it for hours in my college dormitory. And the
Ninja Gaiden games in general are incredible experiences. With the nostalgia attached to it, not to mention how hard it would be to replace, it would be one of the last games I would give a thought to getting rid of.
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Mega Man Legacy Collection in its original form
But as much as I want to say that most of my games are definite keepers, there's so much more complexity than there was even ten years ago. Take the
Mega Man games on NES for instance. Together as a set, they command a solid price, and when I completed the NES set several years back, I bought 4, 5, and 6 off of a friend who decided it wasn't worth keeping all his NES copies when he could easily play them on the
Mega Man Anniversary Collection. Since then, we've seen the
Mega Man Legacy Collection released on all major consoles. I can't blame the guy for wanting to cash in when he has other facets for playing the game. The reality is, for many games, there are multiple ways to experience them, and that's not even considering everyone that uses third-party emulation that is continually becoming safer and more accurate.
I opened at the top with the statement that I love racing games. I know, duh. The idea for this article came from the personal decision I'm contemplating. A few years ago, I acquired
Stunt Racer 64 for just over $100. And while there's a cool backstory as to how I came to own it, I don't know how much I'll actually revisit it. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game with a one-of-a-kind vibe, it's just not something that I see myself constantly returning to. I originally purchased it while trying to add as many racing games as I could to the retro collection and knew it would be my only opportunity to own this unique title.
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A good experience, but hundreds of dollars good?...
It was worth it, and if I get rid of it, I know I'll never get one again short of crazy dumb luck. But I can't ignore the way its price has increased, not just what people are asking, but what people are
getting. At some point, everyone has their price. Having it come down to money takes some of the fun and joy out of collecting, at least to me, but it's not something to turn a blind eye to either.
At some point, the market is bound to crash, if only from the fact we'll be so far removed from the large cartridge generation not very many people will care anymore, and the reality is most of us will be dead or dying by then (just because it's cryptic doesn't mean it's not true).
How many others have given serious thought to this choice? Are there games in your collection that at one point seemed untouchable, and now you're giving pause to? There's an old skit that's applying more and more-
One person asks their friend, who is afraid of heights, "Would you go bungee jumping?"
The friend replies, "Heck no".
"Well what if I offered you $10 million, would you try it then?"
The reply, "Well..."
The moral- It goes back to what I said earlier. Everyone has their price, and with the post-COVID market continuing to rise, it's getting harder and harder not to let it come into, or in between, play.
