Complete Nntendo 64 collection

At the beginning of this month I completed my North American Nintendo 64 collection. To say I was (am) excited would be an understatement. It is such a surreal feeling to know I owned every single game released for a system. To be fair the Nintendo 64 is probably the easiest Nintendo system to collect for. All in all i think it took me about 3 years to complete. When I first started I had no intention of going for a full set.Then I started reaching certain milestones and was hell bent of finishing it. Every step of the way was awesome. I discovered so many titles on the system that I had never even heard of. I also got to enjoy the games I grew up playing.

The best part of the whole journey was getting game from so many different people. The easy thing wou have been to buy everything off ebay. But through instagram I was able to trade with some very cool people.  I can honestly say I would have not finished my set as fast as I did if not for the help of others. The best part was getting the final game I needed from my buddy who went above and beyond to get my a copy of Clayfighter Sculptor's Cut. One of the coolest things anyone has ever done for me. That was just the bet way to finish my set. It's awesome to know that there are other people out there who want to help and support you through the whole process.

Now that I've finished the set I'm focusing on getting the variant carts to some of the N64 games. In total there are a little less than 15. Some are inexpensive but a few are up there in price. I'm in no rush to get that done though. Im happy with my collection and how it came together. Everything after is an added bonus.

I've had many people ask me what's next. I have a few things in mind but I have been focusing a lot on NES lately. Unlike the Nintendo 64, NES is a lot more expensive. I don't plan on getting a full set anytime soon but it will be damn fun to try.

For anyone looking to collect a full Nintendo 64 set I say, go for it! It's still reasonably priced (although I have noticed some price increases lately) and it's really fun to collect for. It's a great set to have and can be acquired fairly quick. But like a mentioned in a previous post. Don't do it just because, make sure you do it cuz you have some sort of passion for it. If not you'll get bored fast and not last very long.

*Side note*
It's been a very long while since I posted anything. I was dead set on keeping my blog updated frequently but got side tracked. Now I am back!

*UPDATE* Now Playing #1

Fire Emblem Awakening

I haven't played Fire Emblem since my last post. I haven't had a chance to sit down with my 3DS and play. I really want to finish this game. I just have to keep grinding and hope I get somewhere soon.

3D Dot Game Heroes

I've gotten used to the graphics and gameplay of this game. My only issue with this game so far is the lack of direction. I know a lot of this game is exploring. I walked almost the whole map and didn't know what to do. To be fair I haven't beat the second (third?) castle yet. I walked the whole damn thing and can't find the key I need! So i'm assuming my lack of progress is because of that. Also there's a castle on the map that I can't seem to get to. I keep walking to it and nothing. I think I need to play it while more relaxed. I don't want to google what to do. But overall it's a tough and enjoyable game thus far.

Chrono Trigger

Ok, so this game I was most excited about. I am sad to say that I cannot beat the first boss. It's literally the first big fight in the game and I keep dying. I don't know if I'm not strategizing enough but I keep catching a beat down. I decided to try and level up my party members to at least Lv. 10 so I can try and stand a chance. Haven't given up on it yet, just need to give myself more playing time.

I also just started playing God Of War Ascension since I fixed my PS3. I'll probably write a short review on it when I finish it.

It's ALIVE!!!!

I feel really guilty that I call myself a hardcore God of War fan, but have yet to play the latest installment. It's not because I don't want to, I just couldn't. I bought the game at launch and when I got home my PS3 wouldn't read the disc! I figured out pretty quickly it was the laser. I looked around and saw the laser on eBay for about $35. I'm not entirely comfortable with me hardware skills so I put that option off. Then I looked on Craigslist and found a place that could repair it for $75. I was about to go that route but it was a lot of money that I didn't have. So after more than a month ( and a google link later) I decided to do it myself. I found a laser on eBay for $27 shipped. It took 2 days to receive is from about a 10 minute drive from my house! Below are a few pics. This isn't a how to guide, I was just excited to do it myself.

New laser

Open up!

It's exposed!

Out with the old, in with the new

Please cover up!

Test time

After three attempts I got the disc eject thing working properly. Now I can't wait to play some God of War then move on to Ni No Kuni!

If you attempt to do this yourself, just remember that Youtube is your friend.

Now Playing #1

I've never been one to play multiple games at one time. I usually play one game all the way through before I start a new one. But with the recent amount of new games I've been recommended to play I can't help but to play a few at a time. Some of these games I'm just starting so I don't have much to say. I'll probably do one of these posts once a month since I doubt I'll be starting anything in between.

Fire Emblem Awakening

I'm still playing this one. I believe I'm on chapter 22 (23?). I've been leveling up most of my weaker character's for the last 2 in game hours. Since I didn't really know what to do in the beginning I didn't use the Master Seal til the later levels of the games. i still go back to this one at least 2 times a week for about 2 hours at a time. I'm not sure how many chapter's are left but I have a feeling im getting close to the end. Most likely not since I've thought that twice already.

3D Dot Game Heroes

I just started playing 3D Dot Game Heroes. I'm about 3 hours in. To be honest I was turned off by the graphics at first. I knew they were made like that on purpose but I didn't like it. But after about 15 minutes I got used to it and now I think it's pretty cool. I also thought the game would be pretty easy. When your walking around it's not difficult but once once you get into the temples, it get's tough. The puzzles are fun. I'm stuck one the third castle ( I couldn't find the second one) cuz I ran out of damn candles. I've always heard this game compared to Zelda so I guess that's all the recommendation someone might need.

Chrono Trigger

Just got this one yesterday. It's been on my want list for a long time now. Even when I hated RPG's I knew I had to have this one. I don't think I've ever heard someone say anything bad about this game. I've only been playing it about an hour but I definitely plan on investing most of my free time into this one. I hope the hype isn't disappointing. 

Thoughts on collecting and why I do it

I started collecting video games over 7 years ago. At the time no one was really collecting so I was able to find consoles very cheap. At the time I had it all. From Atari to Nintendo to Turbo Grafx to Neo Geo. I prided myself on all the consoles I had. At the time I didn't have a lot of income so I only had a few games here and there for each system. After about a year I became discouraged. I had no one who shared my same interests. I wasn't into going to swap meets. Hell, I could barely wake up before 10am. Then I decided to sell EVERYTHING. It wasn't a tough decision to make because I just wasn't into it anymore. I was still in high school and didn't feel like it was "my thing." I managed to unload almost everything I had to one guy. The only thing I wasn't able to sell was my Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD, and am I damn happy I still have those. A few years passed by. I still had the "Big 3." I enjoyed playing my modern games. I never really bothered to think about the old games.

Then about 2 years ago I was at a friends house and he brought out his SNES. We started playing and like a sonic boom the nostalgia hit me. Godamn do I love playing these games!! The first thing I did was look on craigslist for a SNES. Then I hit eBay to find the games I loved playing. Slowly I was building up my collection. At that time people still weren't going crazy for the "retro craze." My local used video game store was still selling NES games for $1. I wasn't looking to collect every game ever att he time. Just what I really wanted. I wish I had to frame of mind to just buy everything. My main thing was SNES at the time. Then I remembered my dad had an NES he gave a cousin of mine. I called him up and took that shit back. Luckily for me they had Super Mario Bros 1 & 3. Surprisingly my dad also had a complete in box Dr Mario (still one of my most prized possessions). After a few months the bug really took over. My wife started telling me about the swap meets she used to go to as a kid. Then we started going to them. I quickly realized I needed to get there earlier and earlier to get the good stuff.  At first I was hesitant to buy just any game. I felt that I needed to know about it before I bought it. But I couldn't possibly know everythign about everything. so I just started picking up whatever was cheap. I watched tons of youtube videos about the "rare" games. The games no one talks about. I tried to educate myself so I knew what to look out for. By this point I owned most of the "key" titles I really wanted. I started branching out to anything Nintendo, Sega, Playstation, etc. I wanted it ALL. If it was cheap I would pick it up. By this point my spending on eBay was getting ridiculous. I couldn't keep doing what I was doing. I decided to keep the eBay shopping to a minimum and try and buy stuff only at the swap meet and craigslist.

To say I was getting lucky at the swap meet or craigslist was an understatement. I found so much stuff that I couldn't believe. I found Castlevania Dracula X for $5! I found a Turbo Grafx (console only) for $2. On craigslist I got 4 boxed systems with tons of games and accessories for $100. Slowly I was building my collection from rinky dink to a somewhat respectable collection. I was obsessed with going to the swap meet. I would say 60-70% of my collection was found at a swap meet. Every week I was looking forward to what I was going to find next. All this time though I still had no one who shared the same interests as me. I started to hit that wall again. I was starting to feel bored and considered selling everything again. I was really enjoying the thrill of the search and finding gems. I was just feeling discouraged. I started to slow down again. Around that time my "real life" started to change for the better. My then girlfriend ( now wife) had just bought our first place and started to plan a wedding. It took my mind ( and wallet) away from games. We would still go to the swap meet and I would pick stuff up here and there but I tried to prioritize. A few months later a fire lit right under my ass again names instagram.

When I got on instagram it was like the flood gates had opened. I found people who had so much cool shit! They had tons of games and I could finally relate to people who gave a shit about the same things as me. (Now would be a good time to point out that I feel you should never collect anything just to have more than someone else or to compete with them). I still had all my gaming related stuff boxed. I couldn't wait to share it with other people. It was like my passion was reignited. I wanted to share stuff with other collectors. At this time the wedding had passed and we were trying to get back to normal. Again I started hitting up the swap meets. Now I was collecting to just grow the collection. It was exciting to try and get as many games as I  could. People were encouraging and were willing to help you out. It was a great feeling.

Just recently I made a hard decision. I love collecting video games but it does get out of hand when you try and buy for every single system you own. I decided to focus on certain games for certain systems and really focus on Nintendo products. Now I am not a "Nintendo fanboy" but I genuinely enjoy (most) of their products. At the moment I write this i'm easily over 1000 games total. I'm still in the process of weeding out games I don't want or need. At the resent moment I am as excited as I've ever been to collect. It's been made a lot more entertaining with the added bonus of looking out for the friends I've made on instagram and helping them grow their collections.

So why do I collect now? It's a tough question to answer really. There are so many words I can use to describe it. Ultimately its a thrill to know you can find anything in the wild. It's also great to have a collection you can be proud of. Also you know that on any given day or night you have tons of options. I told myself that when collecting get boring or feels like a job then that's when I'll quit. I still get excited to come home and be able to share what I've found with my friends on IG. It's not to show off, it's to be able to share stuff with fellow gamer's and know that they appreciate it as well.

Why I hate(d) RPG's

I know RPG's are a staple of the gaming community. But for basically my whole life I have hated them! 5 years ago I would dismiss anything and everything that had any ties with the RPG genre. If I read a game had  "RPG" element I would avoid it like the plague! To be honest I never played RPG's. I just hated them. I was all about the action. Running and gunning. Hack and slash. Blood and guts!!! If I wasn't stabbing someone every 2 minutes the games was crap to me. But why? Why did I hate a genre that I mingled in a few times?

When the Pokemon craze was going on I was HOOKED! I mean come on! I was about 9 maybe. So just like everyone else I bought into it big time. I bought the cards as often as my parents could give me the money. So when I found out about the Gameboy games I{ had to have them. Now let me stop right here. I've been informed by a friends (who shall remain nameless. Let's call him "Matt" ) that Pokemon games are "Light RPG's." I see now that they are easier versions of RPG's but at the time I thought that shit was hardcore! So I got Pokemon Red. I played it and played it. I never honestly beat it but I had a ton of fun with it. I think I was too young to know about the different genres of games so I never thought anything of it. I did get bored of the random encounters sometimes but overall it was awesome. Even with that exprecince behind me I still hated RPG's. I guess I convinced myself I only played through it because it was Pokemon related. My next (and final) venture into the RPG genre had a similar set up.

When I got my PS2 I didn't have many games. Then I saw an article in a gaming magazine for Kingdom Hearts. A game where I can fight with Disney character's? Say what??!! I begged my parents to buy it for me. Why wouldn't I want to kick ass with Mickey mouse, donald and Goofy. After a few months I got it. Right away I put it in. Then the cutscenes started, I thought to myself, " Ok this is a little weird." Started walking around and stuff still confused. Whatever i'll keep going. After awhile I started to understand the story and figure out wtf was going on. Then slowly the characters started coming up. I then invested a good chunk of my time into the game. I didn't really use the magic or use the upgrades system. I just kept pushing "X" to attack. I would loose and just keep going. It wasn't a bad experience at all. I never beat the game though. Ultimately I stopped playing it because I was stuck on a level and had no idea what to do. So that was the end of my Kingdom Hearts play through. So after those two somewhat decent experiences why did I still hate RPG's?

THIS IS WHY!!!!

Eye of the Beholder was one of the two SNES games I had growing up ( the first being Super Mario World). Although anyone can argue that you can play Super Mario World all day, it is nice to take a break. So I popped in Eye of the Beholder. This game pissed me off!! I mean I was a kid, yes, but wtf!! I hated everything about this game. The graphics, the endless walking, the walls, EVERYTHING! I honestly don't know how I got this game. Imagine having the time of your life playing Super Mario World then playing this. If you have not played this game its basically a First Person RPG. To be honest I don't know what to classify this game. I don't care to classify it. It drove my younger self crazy 'cuz I didn't get it. Even years later I thought to myself, " I was young and dumb let me give it another chance." NO!!!! Still didn't get it! WTF is this game! I don't know what happened to my original SNES and games but I know when I started collecting this was #1 on my want list. Why? I don't know why. It was a reminder of the darker days of my childhood I suppose.

All that being said, " Where am I now." Good question subconscious. I attribute my new outlook on RPG's to two different things. Instagram and " that guy we'll call Matt." Instagram has been my outlet for my gaming for almost a year now. As the "community" has banded together I tend to take people's opinions a lot more seriously. So when I saw everyone and their mom posting pics of Fire Emblem Awakeing I got curious. What is this game? What's so damn amazing about it? Ugh it's an RPG, gross! I decided I needed to man up and take the dive. I was burned out by the countless rehashes of COD and shooter's, etc. I wanted something I could play for more than half a day. And man oh man was Fire Emblem the game to do it. Even though I have yet to beat it (I am about 25 hours in) I'm still not bored. I can't say I fully understand what's going on but I'm having a great time figuring it out. As for "that guy Matt" he has been the main dude to push me in the direction of RPG's. From noob RPG to die hard RPG he has sent me ton's of stuff to look over. In the last month alone 74% (75% is too cliche) of my purchases have been RPG's and it's all thanks to him ( my wallet does not thank you though)

Now, can I say i'm a die hard RPG fan? Hell no!! I still don't know wtf I'm doing. I want to take it slowly and play some of the "key" titles one at a time. Will I ever hate an RPG again? Most likely. But I've learned that not everything put out is in anyway similar to Eye of the Beholder. As soon as I realized that game scared me I knew I could move on. Now I can move on and enjoy a whole new library of games I always shunned. Now gaming won't take a half a day of my life but most likely weeks per game. Awesome!