How many shmup games do you need for Collectors credibilty?

[GaiaSeed]

I consider myself a very passionate shmup fan. But sometimes I feel inadequate when I see people that have dozens and dozens of the rarest and most expensive shmups that I want. So sometimes I even get a little anxious when building my collection. How many shmups for each system does a shmup fan need to become a credible fan? I have GaiSeed, Einhander, R Type Delta, and Raystorm for PS1. And just a few for Saturn such as Cotton 2, Salamander Deluxe and Parodius Deluxe. Plus a few for PS2 and some other systems such as Snes and Genesis. I know it's a silly question. But shmups can be very pricey. So I'm just wondering how many is the minimum you need for your collection to be somewhat decent. I love getting shmups, but I can't have every one, especially the ones that cost 300.

[Rob]

a credible fan

You must like at least 1 game, but you are permitted to not own it. It's an arcade genre after all.

How many cats must a lady own before she can consider herself a true cat lady?

[chempop]

How many shmups for each system does a shmup fan need to become a credible fan?

I think the real question is...



how much could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

[mnneurope]

at least 50, everything below that number is just some1 who likes games and play them occasionally

[Shepardus]

All of them, of course.

[EmperorIng]

I think for real collector cred, you have to have at least five games that you own but haven't even played. Bonus if the games come wrapped in cellophane plastic!

[trap15]

I think for real collector cred, you have to have at least five games that you own but haven't even played. Bonus if the games come wrapped in cellophane plastic!

[GaiaSeed]

at least 50, everything below that number is just some1 who likes games and play them occasionally

Shoot. I'm not there yet. My friend even criticizes me for not having Raiden 4 yet. Where did you come up with the number 50?

[shmuppyLove]

I sometimes feel like less of a person because I don't have any "retro" shmups (outside of MAME anyway)

The oldest system I own is a PS1 and it's not even hooked up, but even if it was there aren't many good shmups for it (ducks and runs)

[BIL]

How many shmups for each system does a shmup fan need to become a credible fan?

All of them. Or none. ;3 If I want to know about DDP I'm going to look up Prometheus, not random CAVE pcb collector or guy who has all NTSCJ Saturn releases with spinecards. If I later discovered Prom was in fact an avid pcb collector and had all JP SS stuff complete I wouldn't wonder if he was some poser and delete his guides.

My two cents on collecting... in any hobby I consider well-maintained collections that reflect their owner's tastes lot more interesting than sheer numbers. Galactic Attack costs a bagel last time I checked, but I'd much rather encounter that than Planet Joker or Divine Sealing on someone's shelf, and I sure as hell wouldn't consider the latter two's absence a problem.

Unfortunately a lot of really good shooters (accounting for a range of tastes) are expensive too, no getting around it. Figure out what's going to make you happiest and go without the rest (or get them later on). Compromise is good. If you go too hardcore you might damage yourself irreparably and end up on Maury.

[Casey120]

Just download any matsuri CAVE PCB game for mame and you are right up there with the biggest of big timers .

Also remember that most collectors grabbed a lot of stuff early when it didn´t yet force you to sell both kidneys .

[BIL]

Obligatory:

Also remember that most collectors grabbed a lot of stuff early when it didn´t yet force you to sell both kidneys .

Yuss. Sadly this goes for all sorts of stuff. We live in a tragic era.

"Hey SFC noob, wanna buy my mint Demon's Blazon? ;3 BEND OVER (・｀W´・)"

I hope there's a big mufuckin crash. 3:

[Skykid]

Also remember that most collectors grabbed a lot of stuff early when it didn´t yet force you to sell both kidneys .

This mainly. Collecting games these days is really unaffordable.

I'm with BIL though. A collection should be about quality and taste, and you should have an intention to play what you buy or else you certainly won't be getting your money's worth.

To that end do yourself a favour and sell Gaia Seed and spend the money on a good game instead.

[Bananamatic]

you need them VGA graded

[ryu]

Shoot. I'm not there yet. My friend even criticizes me for not having Raiden 4 yet.

Just tell him you're not interested in the game, ands that you neither have the money to buy all kinds of shmups nor the time to properly play all of them.

[Bonus!]

I think there is a difference between collecting according to your taste, and hoarding. You can find people who have hundreds of games, or even complete collections. I sold one of my Dreamcast games to a guy who had a complete collection (after he bought my copy of Rez) of the system (PAL), for instance. So, those people hoard, but don't necessarily play a lot. My approach to collecting is that I buy what I might find interesting, and sell them if I don't like the game, or if I can't see myself playing it ever again after finishing it. The latter only applies to non-arcade style games, though. The result is that my collection is relatively small, but reflects my taste. Heck, I might not even qualify for proper "collectors cred" after all.

[KAI]

credible fan

[kennyrh]

For me, it would be owning a good representation of all types of shmups across multiple platforms as long as one of those platforms is the PC Engine.

[Cata]

I would say the more games you own that you haven't 1CC'd would actually almost make you LESS credible haha

[trap15]

I would say the more games you own that you haven't 1CC'd would actually almost make you LESS credible haha

^^^^ this this this this

[Kollision]

minimum decent collection per system?
dig the top 5 in each that don't cost a kidney and go for them

[Plasmo]

The correct answer is 374.

[Some-Mist]

you don't really want to strive to be a collector :/
it's pretty pointless really.

stick to being a player - you'll get a lot less flack around here anyway.

[CHI]

I would say the more games you own that you haven't 1CC'd would actually almost make you LESS credible haha

^^^^ this this this this

Really? Half of my 360 shmups are still sealed

At the end of the day, it's a personal preference, it's how far could you/you could go, ie: spare cash, large bills, family, etc...

I love this genre, shmup is all I play, I've probably 1CCed only a handful of games and all my scores are not even a 1CC...

I choose arcade over any port, but that's life, we can't have it all...

[HydrogLox]

credible fan

This is Bait

I would tend to agree. That being said I've always understood that "fan" was derived from "fan-atic". In general "fan-atics" don't worry too much about "credibility" and they are typically labeled as a "fan-atic" by others (non-fan-atics or a at least fan-atics of entirely different domains) that judge their actions as deviating from the "norm" towards the extreme. Lots of actions can be labelled as "fan-atic" and for the STG enthusiast hoovering up all sorts of physical and non-physical STG-related merchandise is a typical but not an exclusive pursuit. You can become a "fan-atic" by dedicating 1 or 2 years of your life (all hours of the day) to master a single STG - as that isn't something "normal" people would do. But none of that has anything to do with "credibility".

You want "credibility" if you are seeking approval and acceptance from a peer group. That would mean that you are more interested in the "respect" of the STG community (and it's members) than in STGs themselves - and that is a recipe for all sorts of grief because you will lack the passion towards STGs to get you through the ups and downs in your relationship with the "community" and it's individual members.

[Cata]

I would say the more games you own that you haven't 1CC'd would actually almost make you LESS credible haha

^^^^ this this this this

Really? Half of my 360 shmups are still sealed

At the end of the day, it's a personal preference, it's how far could you/you could go, ie: spare cash, large bills, family, etc...

I love this genre, shmup is all I play, I've probably 1CCed only a handful of games and all my scores are not even a 1CC...

I choose arcade over any port, but that's life, we can't have it all...

Yea I guess my comment was more geared to people who hoard the games but never really sit down and play with them. I know I have that problem. I'll buy tons and tons of new games and then never get around to actually PLAYING them. I think as long as you balance this out and atleast attempt to make use of what you buy you are in good shape!

[EmperorIng]

I would say the more games you own that you haven't 1CC'd would actually almost make you LESS credible haha

^^^^ this this this this

This may or may not be related to certain new years' resolutions. If only these old games weren't so hard =(

[FRO]

you need them VGA graded

Please please please, for the love of all that is sacred, please no.

at least 50, everything below that number is just some1 who likes games and play them occasionally

Shoot. I'm not there yet. My friend even criticizes me for not having Raiden 4 yet. Where did you come up with the number 50?

I'm going to guess he's pulling your leg.

I consider myself to be a fan of shmups, somewhere in the ether between hardcore fan and casual fan. I collect shmups, and started a small collection of Saturn and PSX shmups, along with some from other consoles. Your friend made fun of you for not having Raiden IV yet? LOL - I don't even have a 360 yet, which seems to have been the most recent console with any number of shmup releases on it. I may be only 2 or 3 titles away from having the entire library of North American released PSX shmups (minus compilation releases that include arcade conversions, ala Namco Museum, etc.), but I still have a long way to go before I own all the Genesis, SNES, NES, and other console shmup libraries. Heck, I still don't own a domestic copy of In The Hunt on the Saturn either, even though I nabbed most of my US Saturn shmups years ago. I don't know that there's an arbitrary # of games you need to be considered "credible" as a collector. If you're buying the games as you have available money and aren't creating a mountain of debt for yourself by doing so, I'd say you're doing alright. I think the only shmup-related games I've purchased in the last year and a half are a used copy of Xyanide on the Xbox, and a cheap copy of Sin & Punishment: Star Successor for the Wii (great game). Most of the retro shmups have reached price points that make it hard for me to pull the trigger, and most Japanese Saturn stuff is still too pricey for me to even consider, given my limited budget for gaming and collecting. Right now I'm concentrating on PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and PSX stuff, mostly because there's a pawn shop (and Goodwill stores) near me that sell the stuff at rock bottom prices. I can pick up 10 games at a time and barely pay anything, so even if they're crap games, I'm not spending much. I was fortunate enough to have been a member of this forum 15 or 16 years ago when I really started to buy and collect stuff, so when Saturn stuff tanked in price, I picked up Galactic Attack and Darius Gaiden for dirt cheap. Same with PSX shmups - most of them went for cheap back in '99 or 2000, so I grabbed as many as I could for cheap. I was able to get a lot of good Genesis shmups, and a couple Sega CD shmups w/o spending too much either. If I was just getting into the genre, and by extension, collecting for it, I'd have a much higher mountain to climb because there are fewer copies floating around, and they're all so much more expensive. You didn't have eBay/Amazon price gouging to deal with like you do today.

[Jeneki]

The answer is: 42.

But what is the question?

Uh oh ... Ok here goes, how many shmup games do you need for Collectors credibility?

[Skykid]

Not opening threads asking how many purchases equals credibility also gains you credibility.