Is your "collector's mentality" fading?

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 12:50 am

I know mine is. I used to buy EVERY shmup that got a home release, regardless of whether I really wanted it or not. I even bought the PS2 release of Strikers 1945 I & II even though I already have them for the Saturn.

But recently, I've passed on a lot of stuff. Gigawing Generations? Played it in the arcade, didn't like it all that much, passed on it. Trizeal? Ditto. Psikyo pack 3? I like Dragon Blaze, but not enough to shell out that much money for it. I'll get Mushihime-sama for sure in July or so, but still...

So, do you buy as many shmups as you used to?

tehkao · Post by **tehkao** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 12:56 am

I always buy most good horizontal shmups that come out.

But since hori's are not made very much any more, I haven't bought many shmups lately. My last purchase was Gradius V.

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 12:58 am

I only buy a game once I've beaten or gotten completely sick of the last game I bought. As a result, I probably only buy about 1 game a month. However, I really enjoy every game I buy as much as it can possibly be enjoyed.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:17 am

i've not bought games for a while, but that's not for the lack of wanting. i have 7 systems that get at least semi-frequent use, and each has a library i still want to build from (especially my precious Duo).

my collection mindedness will return when i can financially support the habit. i would say that i need to slow down anyway (several dozen shmups, and i have 1cc exactly 2, and they're on Genesis), but that will not happen, too much to experience.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:22 am

Still have a collector's spirit...which is surpassed by my cheapass spirit. Few new games get my purchase at retail. Old games get my purchase only at market value or below. No random "for the sake of the collection" ripoff purchases for me.

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:33 am

I'm going the other way. I used to not understand videogame collectors, and for twenty years or so I was purely a player not a collector. But various factors in life have been conspiring to change that, so I've started to play less and collect a bit more. Although I still try to play as much as I can, things tend to get in the way. So I guess you could say my "player's mentality" is fading.

cigsthecat · Post by **cigsthecat** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:46 am

Definitely. It's all but gone now.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:53 am

Mild. I buy practically all of the new shooter releases for consoles, keep about 10%. Collecting is a disease!

BIG · Post by **BIG** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:56 am

Nope,still a sucker for collection's sake.

Just a matter of time before I give it all up,though.

B-

it290 · Post by **it290** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:57 am

My problem is consoles. Almost every console has at least a few great games that I'd like to play, so my gaming room has gotten kinda ridiculous.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 2:06 am

I only buy stuff that I want to actually play, and even then I usually wait awhile for a good deal...I've bought a decent amount of stuff over the last year or so, but I'd hardly call myself a collector. No plans to change that either, especially since my budget's tighter than usual these days...

Neon · Post by **Neon** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 2:17 am

Andi wrote:I only buy a game once I've beaten or gotten completely sick of the last game I bought. As a result, I probably only buy about 1 game a month. However, I really enjoy every game I buy as much as it can possibly be enjoyed.

My hero!

All seriousness aside, I'm considering ditching all my consoles and going PCB only. I'll only have a few games, but I'll be skilled at all of them and be able to get full enjoyment out of them.

But then I kind of want to own multiple ports of my favourites...like Strikers 2. Guess that's a collector's thing...but also 'best port' isn't always as black and white as we make it out to be here. Most of the time each version has certain advantages.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 2:54 am

Neon wrote: All seriousness aside, I'm considering ditching all my consoles and going PCB only. I'll only have a few games, but I'll be skilled at all of them and be able to get full enjoyment out of them.

Dave Theory.

uwfan · Post by **uwfan** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 2:57 am

Rob wrote:Dave Theory.

lol.

he even has his own theory named after him now.

cigsthecat · Post by **cigsthecat** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 3:00 am

Neon wrote: My hero!

All seriousness aside, I'm considering ditching all my consoles and going PCB only. I'll only have a few games, but I'll be skilled at all of them and be able to get full enjoyment out of them.

But why would you buy a PCB? After all, emulation is nearing perfection. We only have to buy a few more $200 games for random internet strangers.

alpha5099 · Post by **alpha5099** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 3:18 am

My collector's spirit has been growing like gang-busters, every since I started passing on most new releases. I've got most of the important Saturn shmups, most that are left are expensive games I can't afford/don't feel like shelling out for yet. I'm going crazy, compiling all the games I want for my Saturn and Genesis.

Neon · Post by **Neon** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 3:19 am

cigsthecat wrote:
Neon wrote: My hero!

All seriousness aside, I'm considering ditching all my consoles and going PCB only. I'll only have a few games, but I'll be skilled at all of them and be able to get full enjoyment out of them.
But why would you buy a PCB? After all, emulation is nearing perfection. We only have to buy a few more $200 games for random internet strangers.

I never made such a claim (well a long time ago), I only want the emulation to be as near perfect as possible. The PCB's wont last forever. Besides, MAME beats any PCB for recording replays (inp files).

Yeah, the PCB only comment was bound to draw ridicule...it makes sense to me though.

Post by **Dave_K.** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 5:53 am

cigsthecat wrote:
Neon wrote: My hero!

All seriousness aside, I'm considering ditching all my consoles and going PCB only. I'll only have a few games, but I'll be skilled at all of them and be able to get full enjoyment out of them.
But why would you buy a PCB? After all, emulation is nearing perfection. We only have to buy a few more $200 games for random internet strangers.

Some of us have real arcade cabinets, even some have more than 1 cabinet. Its cheaper to buy a PCB if you want multiple cabs running games, than shelling out for multple PC's or Consoles to run ported or emulated versions.

adam76 · Post by **adam76** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:00 am

If anything, my collector's spirit has excelerated. My biggest problem(aside from money), is that while i'm hungrily hunting down Mega Drive titles, theres a backlog of current games building up.

*sighs* my wallet cries itself to sleep at night and i havent even started on the Duo yet...

rtw · Post by **rtw** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:15 am

cigsthecat wrote: But why would you buy a PCB? After all, emulation is nearing perfection. We only have to buy a few more $200 games for random internet strangers.

I collect PCB's since I own a cab, but I also buy all arcade conversion shooters which I don't own PCB's for... yet

MAME is not perfect yet, there is still a lot of work on the graphic blitters. Try playing Esprade in MAME and then on the real thing. The real blitter chip staggers the main processor when the going gets tough but emulation doesn't handle that... yet.

I know that our PCB's will die eventually, but emulation is forever

rtw

Skyline · Post by **Skyline** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:22 am

I'm more of a "collector" that the average Joe, in that I try to keep my games in the best condition possible, with all the papers/spinecards/extra crap intact. But I won't put down the money for things that I won't use, or things that I don't even like.

When it all comes down to it, I'm a gamer before anything else. It just so happens that there are a lot of good games out there o_x

Ex_Mosquito · Post by **Ex_Mosquito** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:49 am

I guess i used to be a mild collector a few years ago, i had over 100 jap megadrive games, few snes and loads of pcbs i never played.

Then i thought whats the point, i didnt play maybe 99% of the stuff (Clutter?), and i had everything i owed and LOADS more mirrored on the xbox HDD via emulators so i just sold the lot. And feel better for it.

Kron · Post by **Kron** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 8:39 am

I try to buy any that are released in an effort to support the companies who still make STG's more than any notions related to collecting.

Post by **system11** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 10:43 am

I was a hardcore collector, 70+ Saturn titles (including all the expensive ones), 200+ PCBs (including very many expensive ones). We had so many cabs here that the house was full and the garage was like an arcade with machines down both sides. I stopped because it was taking over every square inch in the house, every penny I had, and some I didn't. Now I buy new releases if they're interesting, but I sell things I no longer play. We can move around the house again, despite the multitude of pinball machines that remain.

The one regret is having bought as many pinballs as I did - it was my new hobby and I sold off lots of cabs to raise the cash and make the room. I miss the arcade, it really felt like the old days in the dingy garage, lit by 12 or so screens and a couple of pinballs.

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 11:13 am

My collecting mentality has had to go. Split with my partner and found myself in a world of shit financially. And stupid me, it's all in my name so there feck all I can do about it.

So first the Skeleton Saturn and all my shmups went. To someone on this very board (if you're reading DazTM, how you enjoying them?). Then the White Saturn and the rest of my games. Then the Neo and games. Just sold off my Super Famicom and US RPG collection. And next up will be the one thing I'd still really love to hold onto, my 100+ dreamcast collection.

So it's nothing but a chipped Xbox for me at the minute. But one day, I will re-build, and properly. No messing around with consoles, straight down the PCB route for me. one day...

Turrican · Post by **Turrican** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:15 pm

Building a shmup collection has been painful for me lately. The shmup budget is in constant conflict with Castlevania budget and money for other games.
As a result, I have quite a lot of beloved series, but none of them are complete: like, most of Metal Gear games, most of Zelda, Metroid, and such but hardly ALL of them.

Also, I sometimes wonder if it's worthy. Talk to Average Joe about shmups and he'll tell you what to get: Ikaruga on NGC, Gradius V & R-Type Final on PS2...

Well, sometimes I think Average Joe is right. if being shmup dedicated fan means to look for the most obscure 3DO release, to get ALL the shmups for a systems regardless of their quality, to buy a Virtual Boy for Vertical Force, to sell your kidney for a Sapphire...

One has to find a balance. Being enough into the shmup scene makes me realize that ZanacXZanac might be worthy of all those money; on the other hand, I feel in the years I have been willing to pay too much for some titles judging on their reputation among hardcore fans alone. Most recent case, Harmful Park. It's a learning process, I guess.

Perhaps Andi's is a good criteria to tell yourself when you're crossing the border. As long as I play the games I buy, spend time on them triying to complete them (not necessarily 1cc them), I know I'm buying to play, which is good. But when I get a treasured item, and put it on my shelf as a worship idol, then I'm buying stop. I hope to limit this dark side of mine as a collector.

Post by **Ghegs** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:33 pm

Every shmup I've purchased has been with the intention of playing and clearing it. That said, some of those have been neglected for whatever reason so they've become little more than nice-looking items on the shelf. And I won't sell them because the games might click with me later on. I started getting into Raiden DX just few weeks ago and I purchased the game last summer. It's happened with other games as well.

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:38 pm

For me, my "collector's mentality" as you people like to call it, has just recently started to grow, ever since I first got my hands on a Gradius Options DVD.

Okay anyways, I collect games at a slow pace, only because of the lack of money, but whenever I find an opportunity (whether I sell my things or get my allowance; I'm a 16-year-old with no job), I find games that I want real fast, being the money whore that I am.

I'm still proud of my collection, be it whenever it's growing at a slow or fast pace depending on how much I 'clean up' my wallet.

SheSaidDutch · Post by **SheSaidDutch** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:44 pm

I'm more of a player myself, but I find because I use emulation atm to play some shooters, I find the more games you have at your disposal to play the less you seem to spend on an individual game, and it gets rather stale.

Most I shall be buying soon, So I hope it will get better

I'm currently getting some PSX games together and sticking with them.

btw I recently picked up The Raiden Project for £!9.99

It was still in GameStation after 2weeks

cigsthecat · Post by **cigsthecat** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 5:02 pm

Hey you guys, that last post of mine was a joke. I thought that was pretty obvious in light of the other thread. I own a couple of PCB's myself.

!