I'm pretty much zeroing in on a full RPG collection (CIB) for every system from NES/SMS to PS3. Then starting on the long road to complete NES/SNES complete in box complete NA retail/licensed collection.
Almost done with the 30 so black label NES CIB games... anyone have a CIB Donkey Kong Jr Math for sale?
For SNES I have Earthbound, CT, FFIII, FFII, SoM, Lufia, LTTP, Super Metroid, etc, etc, etc, all mint complete in box. All complete black label Working Designs and Square games on SNES, Sega CD, Saturn, PS1, etc.
Today I just picked up Final Fantasy, Crisis Core FF7, Growlanser, Disgaea 2, for PSP, along with Tales of Symphonia and Phantom Brave for Wii and White Knight Chronicles Intl for PS3.
Saw a Final Fantasy Tactics for PSP complete for $6 but it just HAD to be a red greatest hits, sigh.
More modern I just started on 3DS with Fire Emblem, Kid Icarus new for $15, Tales of the Abyss, Kingdom Hearts, etc
I've pretty much learned to pre-order and buy anything RPG ASAP as it comes out, because the trend is that RPGs always command the ridiculous prices on Ebay after they are out of print or sold out of special editions or once they become retro. The most expensive, rarest, and most sought after games are RPGs (Earthbound, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Skies of Arcadia, Suikoden II, to name a few on multiple systems).
So while I'm not even really caring for 3DS or much modern stuff, I'd rather buy them new for $39 and get the preorder cds and art books now instead of paying $100+ on ebay later when I get around to it.
And for me it's not even the value, I just happened to be genuinely infatuated with RPGs, always have been since a child/teen before retro gaming/collecting/JRPGs became madly popular. Starting on Dragon Warrior then Final Fantasy Mystiq Quest, then by highschool Final Fantasy II (IV) ruined me for life and made it impossible to enjoy other genres ever again. It was Final Fantasy II (IV) that cemented the RPG genre with me for life.
Its pretty easy to justify. They are worth what they are worth, its the same thing as buying gold. I see it as not wasting money but just changing forms of currency. At the minimum they aren't ever going back down in value, but some go up as well, and at best I find deals in the wild (like complete Tales of Destiny for $5 [$70+]) Hell if I was out of work I could sell a game or two on ebay here and there and live comfortably for a couple years just on my game collection
Well that's the financial justification, truth is I just enjoy and play retro games and have no intention of reselling now or later, but it's nice to know the thousands I have wrapped up in retro collecting is at the least not a bad financial decision.
Kinda pisses me off that everyone else in the world started doing it at the same time I started, making it extremely hard to find things sometimes... grrr maybe the bad economy will make some give up and sell their collections off at a loss
(actually, that was to save the cartridges from ET fate)
