Monday, December 31, 2018

My game collecting adventures in 2018

2018 was a surprisingly good year for collecting new and old games. I haven't acquired this much stuff since 2013 when I lived in Maryland and had access to numerous shops that traded in old games. The best options I have here in New Olreans would be GameStop selling used merchandise, pawn shops and garage/estate sales. Or, I could just go to Amazon, sales at Target, the Nintendo eShop and Steam. (Which I did quite a lot.) Despite the sometimes limited options though, I have acquired more this year than I normally do in 2 or 3.

Now, without further interruption, I'll let the pictures I snapped tell the tale of this awesomeness that is my collecting hobby.

4 Jan 2018

Got some PS Vita games and an eShop gift card from the local GameStop, because they were having a sale.

4 Jan 2018 - Just a few fairly cheap pickups from the local GameStop...

4 Mar 2018

More pickups from GameStop and an HDMI cable for the original XBOX that I got from Amazon.
4 Mar 2018 - The HDMI cable works great. HIGHLY recommended for that platform.

17 Mar 2018

Got a few strange and random items from a warehouse raid. Now to find R.O.B. and all of his other accessories that I will probably never use... Even if I do have a copy of Gyromite...

17 Mar 2018 - A few strange and random items that I got from a warehouse raid.
Now to find R.O.B. and all of his other accessories...

20 Mar 2018

Got Doom 2016 on the Switch from Amazon. The X360 games displayed here were given to me by my good friend Levi.
20 Mar 2018 - DOOM came from Amazon.
The 360 games were given to me by a friend who no longer wanted them.


22 Mar 2018

Got a huge bounty from raiding that same warehouse from the 17th. A friend of mine is helping to clear it out for an estate sale. She always calls me whenever she finds old games and Rock records.

Picture #1 of the bounty from raiding that same warehouse again on 22 Mar 2018.
This pic (and the next) were taken in my garage.

And finally, the best acquisition so far this year with regard to retro stuff... And a lot of random old Atari & Nintendo items...

FINALLY!!! I have a Colecovision console!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed cleaning up all of that stuff I got on the March 22nd raid and making it all an official part of my massive collection. :)

1 Apr 2018

I have gone through most of the stuff from that warehouse raid on March 22nd. The Super NES, Genesis and 4 of the 9 Atari 2600 cartridges don't work right, if at all. Everything else works fine so far. I still haven't tested that Atari 2600 console and the controllers that came with it yet. I tested the carts on the Atari 7800 that I keep set up to the CRT in my game room.

The NES was the test subject in my first experiment with Retrobright. It was a raging success. There have been (and will continue to be) further experiments in Retrobright techniques with other consoles.

It was nice to have another Mad Science experiment to conduct. I haven't had one in a long while.

I've also stopped by Toys'R'Us after getting my oil changed yesterday, 31 Mar 2018. Their entire video game section was cleared out. It was redistributed to other stores by Corporate, thinking they'd sell better at other locations. So much for getting a few cheap Switch, WiiU or 3DS games...

However, they did still have a few of these Plug'N'Play toys. Even at their reduced clearance sale prices, Amazon was STILL cheaper. And that kids, despite whatever management tried to do, is why Toys'R'Us is going away. My inner child mourns the loss.

RIP Toys'R'Us... *sniff*

Right in the Feels... :(

10 Apr 2018

I had yet another raid of that warehouse from March and had yet another bountiful harvest. There wasn't as much hardware this time, though. Here's the pictures...

The Genesis worked, but the Game Gear doesn't...yet...


All the Nintendo controllers worked. The PS2 controllers don't yet.
They probably need to be disassembled and cleaned on the inside.

Here's the list of what we got in that raid on April 2nd...

NINTENDO
  • Curious George (GameCube)
  • GameCube Controller
  • Mario Bros. (NES, doesn't work)
  • NES Controller
  • NES MAX Controller
  • NES RF Switch
  • N64 Controller
  • 3 SNES Controllers
  • Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, loose disc)
  • Super Scope 6 w/o IR receiver or targeting reticule.
PC
SEGA
  • Game Gear (Doesn't work)
  • Genesis Model 1
  • GP Rider (GameGear)
SONY
  • 1 PS1/2 controller extension cable w/ IR receiver
  • 2 PS1 Memory cards
  • 2 PS2 Controllers (Don't work)
XBOX

(NOTE: ALL are loose discs.)
XBOX 360

NOTE: These two XBOX 360 games were given to my friend Levi, who loves his XBOX 360 and playing sports games on that console.

OTHER
  • 1 DELL USB Ball Mouse
  • Jakk's Pacific TV Games: Pac-Man (Plug'N'Play)
  • Unopened Digital Micro SD shell/USB thumb drive
  • Unopened set of high-quality RCA Composite cables

Also, I did another Retrobright experiment on a Super NES of mine over the Easter holiday. This time, I tried the liquid submersion method. Here are the mixed results...

BEFORE RETROBRIGHT...






AFTER RETROBRIGHT...



As we can see in the picture above, the top piece came out looking brand new and the bottom needed a little more work. I applied the cream and saran wrap method from the first experiment to get that bottom piece looking good again. Now, I just need to spend a few minutes re-assembling that SNES console since it actually works... And putting new rubber feet on the bottom ... And cleaning the melted rubber off the case with some Rubbing Alcohol, Mineral Spirits, M.E.K. or something...

Also, I did finally get around to testing that SEARS Tele-Games version of the Atari 2600 Light Sixer that I got from the previous warehouse raid. It doesn't work. However, I can use it for parts. I have another Light Sixer that does work, but needs new switches. Assuming that SEARS didn't change the hardware design in some way, the switches from the dead unit should work. (Editor's Note: I did fix that Light Sixer that needed new switches with the busted SEARS unit. You can read about that here.)

12 May 2018

Saw a Craigslist ad for a local coin & collectibles shop looking to liquidate their video game and home video stock. EVERYTHING was 50% off. Went there today and picked up a few nice things...

Not bad for $52.13, including tax...
Hardware & Accessories
  • SEGA Saturn Mk I controllers (2)
  • Carrying case for Nintendo DS consoles
Software
24 May 2018

Recently updated my Raspberry Pi emulation console for the first time in 2 years. It now runs RetroPie v4.4 and has 576 games (so far) for various 8, 16, 32 & 64-Bit platforms. Those systems include...

ATARI
  • Atari 2600
  • Atari 5200
  • Atari 7800
  • Atari Lynx
NINTENDO
  • Nintendo Entertainment System
  • Super Nintendo Entertainment System
  • Nintendo 64
  • Nintendo Game Boy
  • Nintendo Game Boy Color
  • Nintendo Game Boy Advance
SEGA
  • SEGA Game Gear
  • SEGA Genesis
  • SEGA Genesis 32X
  • SEGA CD
OTHER
  • PC Engine (aka TurboGrafx-16)
  • Sony PlayStation
  • Vectrex (The real thing is likely to be MUCH better.)
I've also put it in a new case that looks like the 'Toaster model' of the NES console, released in North America circa 1985. There are 2 pics below. Even the power and reset buttons are functional. :)

Still need to figure out how to install some of the still unstable emulators so I can run games from the SEGA Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube and Atari Jaguar. Especially Jaguar... And figure out how to install the fairly stable emulators for the Atari 8-Bit and ST computers.

Anyway, here's 2 pics of the Raspberry Pi emulation console in its new NESPi case...

This thing literally fits in the palm of my hand...

Open the 'cartridge door' and you find more USB ports and an Ethernet jack.
4-player games and networking should not be a problem for this device.

20 Jun 2018

Found out the same company that made the HDMI cable for the original XBOX also made one for the SEGA Dreamcast. I ordered one from Amazon immediately and it works as advertised. It will let you play your Dreamcast on a modern HDTV with HDMI inputs. However, it won't do anything to upscale the graphics. It just gives you the option of running the console on a modern TV instead of an old CRT monitor. Since I don't have any room in the entertainment center for the HDTV in my game room (and the lack of any graphics up-scaling), I will leave my Dreamcast set up on the CRT monitor right now.

Also, I finally got around to ordering some of those tin signs based on old arcade game marquees that I found on Amazon ages ago. They are not even close to being the same size as the actual marquees, but that's not what they are meant to do. At a size of 3 7/8" x 10 1/2", they are strictly for decoration. I'm still not sure where to put them on my walls in the game room, but I will figure something out. Here's a pic of the items in question...

The decor in the game room definitely needs a few upgrades. These tin signs should help.

29 Jun 2018

Recently got another Atari T-Shirt from Wal-Mart while doing some nighttime shopping for groceries. Here's a photo of the aforementioned shirt...

It looks better in person...

Also took advantage of the Steam summer sale (which is going on through July 5th) and picked up about $47 worth of new games. Those games include the following:
6 Jul 2018

Bought 2 new art pieces for the Game Room & a Baseball cap with the NES controller on the front from Target yesterday. I went there to see if they might have a NES Classic Edition since they were re-released on June 29th. Of course, they didn't have any left and had no idea when more would be coming in stock. Amazon doesn't have them either. No surprises there... :/ Good thing that I already have 22 (maybe 23) of the 30 games that Nintendo put on that small device... And an emulator console made out of a Raspberry Pi that's in a small case that looks just like the NES... Muhuhahahahaha...

Anyway, here's the pic of the stuff I got yesterday...

As if the game room didn't already have enough Mario posters...

Still not at all sure where these new art assets are going to be placed. However, I did put up those arcade signs that I got last month, along with various others that I already had. Also framed a few more pictures and posters for the walls too. I don't know when I'm going to do another Game Room tour, but that tour will be pretty sweet. The room will have a LOT more features in it than it did with the last tour video that was released on 5 January 2017.

Also, I decided to spend the cash that I had on the Nintendo eShop today by getting some digital games I've been meaning to get... And two that were free downloads...
20 Jul 2018

Recently added Tempest 4000 to the Steam collection, now that Atari has FINALLY released it on that platform. Haven't played it yet, but it seems to be using the same soundtrack as Tempest 2000 on the Atari Jaguar. If you've never heard that soundtrack, I strongly suggest you check it out. It is some of the best Electronica/Techno/Game Music that you will ever hear.

Also, I have added a few components to my desktop, enabling me to play some of the best PC games that Steam has to offer. Here's a picture of the items in question, along with a very special book that will aid me in one of my future mad science projects...

Muhuhahahahahahaha...

Anyway, I think that new video card & power supply were money well spent. The DVI-to-VGA adapter I ordered from Amazon turned out to be the wrong one. I need DVI-D for the video card and that thing is DVI-I. Fortunately, the local Best Buy had a HDMI-to-VGA adapter that solved my issue here. Now I can continue to use both of the screens I have been using on my PC here for the last 2 years. If you don't have multiple screens for your desktop, I strongly advise you to get more. It's nice having multiple windows/programs/browsers open without them overlapping each other. Also, get yourself a free program called GoScreen. It will allow you to have 4 different desktops on your PC screen. It's quite helpful when you want to move stuff out of the way and DON'T want your taskbar to be really cluttered. 

31 Jul 2018

Upgraded my copy of Sonic Mania on my Nintendo Switch to Sonic Mania Plus. Also bought Arcade Archives: Punch-Out! and Enter the Gungeon.

23 Sep 2018

I was VERY busy at this time with school, getting a new car, et al. So, that's why I'm mentioning this about a month after the fact. On August 16th, I discovered that the NES Classic and SNES Classic were both going on sale exclusively for Amazon Prime members a few days later. As you would expect, I pre-ordered them that very moment. This was the very first time that I've ever pre-ordered anything from Amazon, despite having an account there since 2006. They arrived about a week later.


I was annoyed that the box for the NES Classic got beat up in shipping, but it's not a big deal.
I bought these two plug'n'play consoles to actually play them. Not just display them on a shelf...
I took a few shots of the two mini consoles in my hands as well, just to show how small they are... First, here's the NES Classic with my NESPi+ emulation console with a Raspberry Pi inside. The NESPi was actually smaller. I was expecting them to be the same size.

Both of these devices are really tiny...
And here's the SNES Classic in my hand...

One of the VERY few instances where you can say that good things come in a small package and it will actually be true... ;)

I'd also pre-ordered something very special from Best Buy that was going to be shipped and/or delivered on September 25th, but it got pushed back to October 16th. Oh well... :/

However, it will be a rather spectacular addition to my collection when it does arrive and I've put it together. What kind of game-related purchase will I have to assemble myself? The parts to a new gaming PC? No.... A piece of furniture? Well... Kinda. Actually, no. Not really a piece of furniture. However, it does involve a cabinet of sorts... *evil grin and mad scientist laughter*...

I'm not going to say what this purchase is or give anymore hints. All I am going to say is that it fills a gap that my game room has had since its inception in 2015 and at a fairly low price. Stay Tuned.

22 Oct 2018

On 16 Oct 2018, my game room reached a new milestone. After years of trying to acquire one, I finally have an arcade cabinet. :) I pre-ordered an Arcade1up cabinet from Best Buy over a month ago. It's the 12-in-1 Atari cabinet. It has at least 7 of my favorite Atari arcade games and a few others that I don't have any strong feelings about whatsoever.

Here's the game list:
Here's a pic...

It's actually a little larger than it looks...

I'm going to write a detailed review of this cabinet in another blog post sometime in the future. So far, I like the cabinet overall and have very few complaints. The games are the original ROMs from the original Arcade cabinets so, there's no issue there. The controls seem to work fine for the games that I've played so far, but I will need to get used to using buttons for the Asteroids games. I'm used to playing them on computers, consoles and portables with joysticks and D-pads. For about $400, I'd say this 12-in-1 cabinet is a damned good deal. Buying all 12 of these games in fully restored vintage cabinets would probably cost as much as a new car these days. And I mean a GOOD car, not some sub-compact piece of junk that won't last longer than its factory warranty. Either way, my game room now feels complete. I have been trying to get an arcade cabinet for that room for years and I've finally succeeded!

We still have more than 2 months left of this year. There's no telling what else I might get between now and January 1st. We have Christmas and Steam winter sales coming soon. I think I'll go light on both of them this year, spending no more than $200 at most. And I expect most of that to be on Nintendo Switch titles.

21 Nov 2018

Got a great game from the Nintendo eShop for my Switch on October 26th called Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle. It's just as hilarious and violent as you'd expect a puzzler starring Ol' Hockey Puss to be... Here's an animated GIF of a few scenes from the game...

This game is awesome...

Also picked up a few games from Target on Veteran's Day because they were having a sale. The prices were either exactly the same or slightly lower than Amazon. Also, I forgot to mention the gaming-inspired keychains, NES-inspired lanyard and new artwork that I picked up on October 18th. The keychains are of the PS1, PS2 and Atari 2600. Here's the pics...

Not sure where I'm going to put the artwork yet. However, I know exactly what the keychains will be for...

And the games that I picked up on Veteran's Day...
Luigi's Mansion was only $20, so I figured that it would be a nice addition to the collection.

I'd already done all of the Christmas shopping that I planned to do earlier today, November 21st. However, I knew damned good and well that there would be more before the year was out. One thing was certain though, it had been one hell of a ride so far...

19 Dec 2018

I ended up doing some more Christmas shopping that I didn't expect. That's why this latest update didn't happen sooner.

Anyway, here's the items I have recently acquired. All of them came from Amazon, even though one of them has a Gamestop price tag on the shrinkwrap. That's kinda strange since I don't remember buying that item from a 3rd party seller.

Mega Man X Collection for Nintendo Switch and a guide book for Super Mario Odyssey.

If you must have an ugly Christmas Sweater, why not make it an Atari-themed ugly Christmas sweater? :)

The Zelda game is a gift for a younger sibling of mine. The rest are items that I acquired for surprisingly low prices.

That's all for now. There will be more after Christmas because of the game I know I have coming my way as a gift and the inevitable Steam Winter Sale.

30 Dec 2018

I bought most of my own Christmas gifts this year, with regard to new video games. (Like I do every year...) However, my relatives will get me games because they know it's an easy way to get me something that I'd want. Plus, I do have a long list that I can provide to them so they can still (somewhat) surprise me. :P

Anyway, the Smash Bros. game came from my mother. The Zelda case for my Switch came from the same brother that got the WiiU Zelda game from me. I'll hang on to that other one that I bought because, as a collector, I know that one day I will most likely pick up several more Switch systems in the future. We were even joking about this the other day. Also, I bought the Arcade Archives version of Donkey Kong Junior from the eShop for myself the day after Christmas.

That case looks sooooo much better than the Amazon Basics one that I bought earlier.

31 Dec 2018

I've decided to end this year in (almost) the same way it began, with buying points cards for the Nintendo eShop and Steam. I've also used most of the cash that I poured into the eShop today to buy 3 different digital-only games. I added $20 to my Steam Wallet and still have enough there to buy everything else that's on my wishlist at the moment, while the Winter Sale lasts. However, I'm not sure if I want to get those games or not. So, I'll just stick to the 2 that I bought today (and the rest of my enormous back catalog) for now.

Anyway, here's what I got...

Nintendo eShop
Steam
I look forward to playing as Jason Voorhees in that Mortal Kombat game. Horizon Chase Turbo also gets very high marks from the user reviews and I do love a good arcade-style racer.

This year has been quite an adventure for game collecting and life in general. I look forward to seeing what 2019 brings my way. Hopefully, it will include Metroid Prime 4 on the Nintendo Switch and another arcade machine or two. Or, a nice pinball table. That would be awesome. I have no idea where I'd put that in my house, but I would still love to get my hands on one. See you all in the new year...

- Lord Publius

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