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Pick-Ups – Super Nintendo Classic Edition

Posted by Sega Dude on November 6, 2017

Posted in: Games, Hardware, NES, New Release (Hardware), Nintendo, SNES. Tagged: Entertainment System, NES Classic Edition, nintendo, SNES Classic Edition, super nintendo. 4 Comments

When the NES Classic Edition launched in November 2016 I was super excited to get one. But I never did… stock was so limited and demand so high that the NES Classic Edition became a scalpers dream. I didn’t want to spend $200 CAD (~$157 USD) on an $80 (~$60 USD) product so I ended up empty handed.

More recently the SNES Classic Edition has launched and again it entirely disappeared before many of us could find one for ourselves. And again ebay, local classifieds and game swaps were the only places to find them but at greatly inflated prices. I felt like I was going to miss out yet again on what appears to be an amazing product. My wife even waited in line at a local brick and mortar shop in the hopes of getting one of the few they just received to surprise me with but she could not. In an age of simplified shopping it’s frustrating to fail so hard.

I was starting to think that Nintendo just wasn’t interested in meeting demand. I feel like the hype is more valuable to Nintendo than the money earned from these products.

So I caved. And I am a bit embarrassed to say I that helped legitimize the flipping trend by participating. On my local classified it was very easy to find the SNES Classic Edition for between $160 and $200 CAD. They are everywhere! So I found a seller that was actually walking distance from me and selling his brand new SNES Classic Edition for $180 CAD (~$140 USD). I sent an offer of $160 (~$125 USD) and said I could pick-up right away. He agreed.

We chatted for a little while and I asked how he got it. He said he pre-ordered two from Bestbuy with the intention of keeping one and selling the other. He told me the pre-orders were sold out in just minutes.

In Canada the retail price for the SNES Classic Edition is $100 CAD (~$78 USD). With tax that’s a total of $113 meaning that I paid a $47 CAD (~$37 USD) premium to get one. Not terrible but I still feel a little dirty.

So, how is the SNES Classic Edition? I don’t know yet. The wife has snatched it from me promising that I’ll get it back this December 25th. She finds it hard to buy for me and this year she wants to give me something that I’ll really like! *I was allowed to borrow it for the photo shoot.

What’s your experience with the NES and SNES Classic Edition? Were you able to find one? Did you have to take a hit to score it? How does it look and play on your HD TV? I would love to hear from anyone who wants to share.

Regarding the NES Classic Edition. There is hope. Nintendo is promising new stock this coming Summer 2018. Be ready!

“NES Classic Edition will return Summer 2018.”

Pick-Ups – SNES and NES Games from eBay Auction

Posted by Sega Dude on January 16, 2017

Posted in: Games, NES, SNES. Tagged: Kirby's Adventure, Mega Man 4, NES, nintendo, snes, Super Mario RPG. Leave a comment

I started collecting NES and Super Nintendo games much too late to try for complete boxed games. Personally, the cost is too high now. But I’ve found that occasionally you can get manuals to go along with NES and SNES carts for reasonable prices but you have to be very patient. One of the last purchases I made on ebay before recently closing my account are the following games from a seller who appeared to be a collector that was unloading his collection. These three auctions were a little bit extra exciting because they included the original manual for each game. This is what I call ‘life simplified’.

Super Mario RPG gets a lot of hype as being a really good game so I went the distance and spent a good amount of money to get it in the collection with an original manual at a cost of $95 CAD all in.

I haven’t played all the NES Mega Man games and I’ve been told many times that they are not all made equal. But since Mega Man is such an iconic game for the NES I would like to have all six one day. This Mega Man 4 with manual which cost me $52 CAD.

And finally, Kirby’s Adventure with manual at a grand total cost of $24.50 CAD. Kirby feels like a bargain compared to the others above.

This was not a cheap purchase but they are some really good titles for the NES. And it wont be long before I have these games and manuals in some very nice looking aftermarket cases.

Pick-Ups – GameSwap Volume 2

Posted by Sega Dude on November 5, 2016

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, Genesis (North America), NES, Nintendo, SEGA. Tagged: genesis, manual, master system, NES, nintendo, p.o.w., poster, sega, ultima iv, universal soldier. 2 Comments

It had been far too long since my last visit to one of my favorite local retro video games stores. As chance would have it I was recently passing by and I took the opportunity to visit GameSwap.
And man, am I glad I did.

I didn’t score any ultra-rare video games that any collector would drool over. Nothing so dramatic. In fact, the only video game I did buy is not the highlight of the trip. But the miscellaneous stuff I found for great prices kept pilling up until I was thoroughly stoked about my visit to GameSwap.

First up is the game I purchased; Universal Soldier for the Sega Genesis. The uninspired cardboard box and unique cartridge almost make this game unrecognizable as a Sega Genesis game. So much so that I had forgotten and took a picture of it along side some of my Sega Master System games by mistake instead of with my Genesis Collection.

The game is almost the same experience as Turican but it’s not as good. I’ve read that Universal Soldier is a re-branded version of Turican II. But where Turican is good Universal Solider feels unpolished and even unfinished. However, for a really friendly price of $20 CAD it was great to experience this game first-hand for myself.

Now the fun miscellaneous stuff starts. I asked the owner of the store (a great guy that I’ve enjoyed chatting with over the years) if he had any NES or SNES manuals. He thought about it for a moment and answered something to the effect ‘I don’t know. Have a look in these.’ And he brought out three boxes stuffed with stuff. This is a nice example of the personal touch that you just can’t get online. I must have spent about 30-45 minutes carefully digging through everything.

The first misc. thing of interest I found was a poster for Eternal Champions. Normally I wouldn’t go out of my way for something like this but here is was and it was in excellent condition. I don’t need a poster like this to consider my copy of Eternal Champions complete but it’s still a very nice touch. Now my Eternal Champions is MORE complete!

Or is it?…

Eternal Champions Poster

Eternal Champions Poster Back Side

Sega Genesis Eternal Champions

When I got home I went searching for my Eternal Champions eager to make it ‘more’ complete. Only to discover that I didn’t actually have the game for the Sega Genesis. I have it for the Sega Mega Drive. Well, now that I’ve got this really nice poster that fits so nicely in the game case there was only one thing to do. I hopped onto ebay and found myself Eternal Champions. The good news is I was able to buy one for $25 CAD including shipping. Plus the $5 I paid for the poster I’ve got myself an excellent condition Eternal Champions!

The next find, and very similar discovery, was a poster for Jurassic Park. Also for $5 so I thought ‘why not?’.

Jurassic Park Poster

Jurassic Park Poster Back Side

Sega Genesis Jurassic Park

This time I actually had the game for this poster and now my Sega Genesis Jurassic Park ‘more’ complete as well! I did discovered that my Jurassic Park is a little beat up. The case, manual and cartridge have enough nicks and dings to make the over all package feel a bit bruised. I may buy another one if I can find as good a deal as I did with Eternal Champions.

Digging a little further into these boxes I found a good condition Sega Genesis Model 2 manual. I already have a boxed Model 2 Sega Genesis but since I didn’t recall seeing a large black manual I though maybe I didn’t have one at all. So for $5 I put the Genesis manual in my growing pile of miscellaneous and affordable cool stuff.

Sega Genesis Model 2 Manual

Sega Genesis Inside the Manual

Sega Genesis Model 2 Pack in Materials

Boxed Model 2 Sega Genesis

The left image and top right image are of the manual I purchased. The middle right image is all the stuff I already had in my boxed Model 2 Genesis (hardware not pictured). Turns out I did already have the manual. But mine is a fold-out style pamphlet and not an actual book. So now I have two manuals for my Sega Genesis. Yeah, I know… it’s over-kill. By the way, this boxed complete Genesis cost me $15 CAD at a thrift shop… no big deal.

Continuing; every now and again I would find a good condition NES manual but it took a while before I found one I actually needed. And what I found was a nice surprise. P.O.W. Prisoners of War is not a rare game but after selling off many of my NES cartridges this is one I kept. For a NES title the graphics are very good and I couldn’t bring myself to sell it. The manual I found while rummaging cost me $5. I also bought a manual for NES Ninja Gaiden for $5. Unfortunately I discovered that I already have the Ninja Gaiden manual. So that accidental double will go to Nintendo Joe.

Delving deeper still into the depths of these three magical boxes things started to get even more interesting. Have a quick look at the two images below. You might think to yourself ‘what am I looking at?’. But you know. Deep down you know what it is. Just like my gut was trying tell me the second I saw it and even though I have never before seen this manual or even played the game yet… I knew this was the manual for SNES Chrono Trigger.

SNES Chrono Trigger Partial Manual

Inside the Manual

The reason it’s not instantly recognizable is because it’s missing the cover and the first 8 pages (and the last 8 pages). Even in this state I was worried about how much it might cost. The Retro World is crazy over Chrono Trigger. So I put it aside and expected that it would cost more than I would be willing to pay. In fact I didn’t even ask for a price or make an offer. It took the store owner’s crazy savvy salesman’s intuition to make something happen. He looked at me and said ‘Make an offer. Offer me $20’. I paused… $20 is a lot for a portion of a manual. But it’s Chrono Trigger! And $20 isn’t a ton of money. It seemed like a reasonable offer. So I said “I was going to offer $20 but I didn’t think you’d go for it”. And he replied ‘How about $25’.
Son of a Bee! I’ve been set up!
On eBay this manual would cost me at least $60 and I don’t want to pony up that much money so this felt like it was as good a compromise as I would ever get. I ended up paying $25 and I was still having a lot of fun rummaging through the boxes of miscellaneous goodness.

Below is my ‘not really anymore complete than it was before’ copy of Chrono Trigger for the SNES.

Don’t ask me what’s in the table of contents or what the buttons on the joystick do in Chrono Trigger.
I do NOT know! Those details are not in my manual.
And don’t ask me about any details of the 90-day Limited Warranty.
I do NOT know! Those details are not in my manual.
However, I can tell you that the party member Marle has very power Magic. And that her healing powers are essential to your success.

This box diving adventure is not yet over! A Gold Star for anyone who knows what the below books are. Any guesses?

I wasn’t sure myself at first. But I had an idea. First, I did believed they were for the game Ultima IV. But I wasn’t sure if what I found was from the PC version or the Sega Master System version. The PC version I didn’t really want at all… but the Master System version I really wanted. And the fact that they said SEGA on the back cover I decided that for $20 for all four it was worth the risk. I took them home and started searching for the answer.

I’ve found a few images of both the PC version and Sega Master System version and it really does look like I’ve found the English and French versions for the Sega Master System.

These are images I found on the Internet posted by other collectors.

PC version of Ultima IV

Ultima IV, English, French and German Versions

SMS Complete English Ultima IV

Below are a few pictures of my now complete Ultima IV for the Sega Master System. To me this really is the highlight of this post. I knew these books existed but I never thought I’d ever find them.

Sega Master System Ultima IV

SMS Ultima IV Map Front

SMS Ultima IV Map Back

Complete SMS Ultima IV, English and French

In Canada it’s common that a product will come with manuals/documentation for both English and French. So maybe that is why I found two sets of books in both languages. I don’t know if every Ultima IV for the Sega Master System was originally sold in Canada with both language book sets or if you just got one set depending on where in Canada you bought them from. Regardless I’m very happy to have both sets!

I’m noticing that as the years roll by and I continue to collect I’m learning that obscure or hard to find collectibles have a way of coming around when you least expect them. Be patient and don’t forget to have fun with the stuff you already have.

If you’re in Toronto GTA be sure to pay a visit to GameSwap.

Pick-Ups – SNES Game Manuals

Posted by Sega Dude on October 22, 2016

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, SNES. Tagged: dkoldies, manual, nintendo, snes. Leave a comment

snes-game-manuals-banner

My online shopping for NES and SNES manuals has really slowed down. At the risk of sounding like a broken record I’m going to site the same old culprits; Retro Video Game prices are getting too hot for my wallet, the US dollar is too strong and shipping often delivers a hefty punch all on it’s own.

Coming to my rescue I got an email from DKOldies.com offering 40% off SNES manuals. It’s like this sale was tailored just for me. A 10% off sale would never get my attention but 40% is significant.

So I dove in and started browsing SNES manuals at Dkoldies.com. I was happy to see that there were a bunch of manuals that I wanted at prices that would be good after the 40% discount. Below are the non-sale prices for the games I picked-up.

Super Metroid – $30
Mega Man X – $20
Breath of Fire – $20
Final Fantasy II – $25
Act Raiser – $15
Donkey Kong Country 3 – $15
Cybernator – $15
Batman Returns – $7
Illusion of Gaia w/ map- $15

Minus the 40% discount of $64.80, plus shipping of $14.73 my grand total was $111.85 USD for nine SNES manuals. That’s close to $12.50 USD each or ~$16.50 each CAD. This is still not cheap but it’s pretty good. I went for this bunch at this price because they included some really good titles like Super Metroid, Mega Man X, Breath of Fire and Final Fantasy II.

As for the condition? They are all in good shape; some are in really good shape. The worst is Final Fantasy II with some marks on the cover but it’s still good. I am very happy with this score. Thank you DKOldies.com for putting on an actually worth while sale!

My Illusion of Gaia came with a map as a bonus. I was not expecting this but it was a very welcome surprise.

This map is like new! Very nice.

Despite this great discount I still passed on a few titles (notably Chrono Trigger) because even with 40% off they were still just too expensive.

When you order from DKOldies.com there is a field on the order confirmation page to add details or instructions. Every time I order I ask for good condition stuff because I just can’t help myself and each time my comment is highlighted to acknowledge that the message was received. I don’t know if this helps but so far I have been happy with my DKOldies.com orders.

Of a collection of 48 SNES carts I now have manuals for 38 of them. And I’ll be patiently waiting for the next super sale!

Pick-Ups – NES TMNT 2 and Legendary Wings

Posted by Sega Dude on September 3, 2016

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, NES, Nintendo. Tagged: legendary wings, NES, nintendo, teenage mutant ninja turtles II the arcade game. Leave a comment

Nes Additions Pick-Ups
Ah, the Internet. What a bounty of games! I found myself two more very cool NES games.

I love a good beat’em up game and for me this style of gameplay seems a better fit for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game than the platforming style of the first NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So ever since Nintendo Joe made me aware of this genre switch in the franchise I’ve been looking for the NES TMNT II and III. Then while recently shopping at Lukie Games for inexpensive NES manuals I found two games at reasonable prices. One of those being the NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II The Arcade Game. It’s in great shape and cost me $19 USD for the loose cartridge.

The next find was Legendary Wings for which I found both the cart and the manual. The game cost me $13 USD and the manual $4 USD. With $5 shipping these three new additions cost me about $55 CAD all-in. When compared to ebay the cost was very close to the same except for the fact that my total included shipping. So I did a bit better than ebay but more importantly I avoided the dreaded ebay ‘Global Shipping Program’ where paying duty is 100% guaranteed instead of a 99% chance of not having to pay extra duty fees without ebay’s entirely unneeded ~~money-grab~~ service. But I digress…

When playing TMNT 2 it felt a little repetitive but it played well. And that repetition might be cured with two players; who together might be able to rumble through a level faster. Which is an exciting prospect that I may have to recruit Nintendo Joe for.

I bought Legendary Wings because I have often heard that it’s a very good game. And so far it has not disappointed. It is a solid shooter with good controls, varied power ups, optional levels, secret levels, top down levels and side view levels. There is a lot going on in this game. I also enjoyed how when you get hit you lose one level of your current power-ups instead of being instantly obliterated. It’s also less common to have a shooter that is not Sci-Fi (Space Ship) themed making Legendary Wings a refreshing change.

Although my NES and SNES collection will likely stay much smaller than my Sega collection I am really enjoying picking up some of the many classics Nintendo has to offer. With any luck it wont be long before I find a few more standout games for the NES.

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Stone Age Gamer BitBoxes Vol. 3

Posted by Sega Dude on July 18, 2016

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, NES, Nintendo, SNES. Tagged: bitbox, NES, nintendo, snes, stone age gamer. 7 Comments

Yes that’s right! At this moment all of my loose NES and SNES cartridges are safely stored, each in their own Stone Age Gamer BitBox. True my Nintendo collection is not as authentic as my Sega collection in their original cases but ‘Wow!’ I really do feel my Nintendo Collection is look’in great.

There is nothing wrong with leaving your game cartridges loose. They look fine and they will take up the least amount of space but they will lack some polish and panache!

I’ve lost track of some of the prices I’ve paid for the above games but here are the details I do remember:

01) Mega Man 2 $??, Manual $22 USD
02) Contra $55 CAD, No Manual
03) Faxanadu $10 CAD, Manual $6 USD.
04) Adventure Island Traded, Manual $10 USD.
05) Double Dragon II $15 CAD, Manual $7 USD
06) Ninja Gaiden $20 CAD, No Manual
07) Ninja Gaiden II which sold with the manual for $25 CAD
08) Wizards & Warriors $8 USD, Manual $3 USD
09) Dr. Mario $10 CAD, Manual $3 USD
10) Life Force $13 USD, Manual $6 USD
11) Gradius Free with Lukie point, Manual $8 USD
12) Karnov $8 USD, No Manual
13) Pro Wrestling $5 CAD, Manual $2 USD
14) P.O.W. $10 CAD, No Manual
15) Ice Hockey $5 CAD, Manual $2 USD
16) Dragon Warrior II $30 CAD, No Manual
17) Castlevania III – $40, No Manual

This is my third order for BitBoxes from Stone Age Gamer and I know I’ll keep ordering every time I add some naked NES, SNES or even Super Famicom carts to the collection.

Oh my, just look at that image below. Now they really Pop! Sure, BitBoxes are not original NES/SNES cardboard boxes but they are pristine and vibrant. It would be difficult and expensive to get these games with good condition original boxes. Plus, there is a custom BitBox cover-art insert ready for download for almost every single NES and SNES game. And the fact that these custom covers use the original artwork helps keep this aftermarket solution looking as authentic as possible.

I do have manuals for a few of my games so in they went into their respective BitBox. I enjoy completing the package with original manuals when I can find them for a reasonable price.

Most of my NES and SNES manuals I’ve been finding at LukieGames.com. Every now and again I’ll search for affordable manuals for under $10 USD and if I find a few I might add in one expensive manual if it’s for an extra cool game and maybe pay $20-$25 for it.

I had only nine SNES games that needs BitBoxes. Two of them being Super Famicom games. Both Pariudus Da! and Pop’n Twin Bee never got a release for the Super Nintendo so I’m happy to have the Japanese versions of these fun shooters. The same BitBox that holds a single SNES cart can alternatively hold a Super Famicom cart. Which gives a nice extra bit of versatility to the SNES BitBox.

Again I can’t recall all the prices that I paid for this bunch:

Chuck Rock $?? , Manual 4 USD
Donkey Kong Country 3 $40 CAD, No Manual
Secret of Mana $60 CAD, No Manual
Final Fight $??, Manual $8 USD
Secret of Evermore $40 CAD, No Manual
Gradius $??, Manual $8 USD
Kirby’s Alavanche $12 USD, Manual $4 USD
Paroduis Da! $15 USD, No Manual
Pop’n Twin Bee $9 USD, No Manual

And here are my SNES carts look’in good in their new Stone Age Gamer BitBoxes.

Just like the NES games I also have a few SNES manuals.

Here’s a closer look at Parodius Da! and Pop’in Twin Bee. If you’re into shooter and haven’t heard of them you should check them out.

For this Stone Age Gamer order I received 35 BitBoxes and 35 Document strap (straps hold the manuals). 10 BitBoxes for SNES and 25 for NES. I haven’t yet used all 35 but I don’t mind having a few extra on hand. Each BitBox worked out to about $5.10 CAD per BitBox with a document strap. It’s really much more cost effective to buy BitBoxes in bulk. The discount is significant.

And don’t forget the cost of a print job for the cover-art which is not a default included in the cost of a BitBox. I get my print jobs done locally at a professional shop because I intend to have them for a long time I want them looking their best. My cost for each print job (and the cutting service) is about $3.30 CAD each.

Bringing my grand total to $8.40 CAD per BitBox. It is very expensive but I do love the end result.