There is something about AES collecting that totally gets in your blood. It’s easily my favorite collection of games, and I don’t have that many that exceed $200 these days. The thing about it is the games are still so gd playable. Neo Geo games are timeless in their appeal IMO. I can get hooked on any of them at any given time if I slap in one of those big ass carts.
I didn’t realize mortals still collected AES games. Even the MVS versions that I’m trying to grab give me the sweats. 
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Haha! Well, if by collecting you mean I buy maybe one game a year? Yeah… that’s collecting for AES. 
As I often say, I have most of the low hanging fruit. The game I own that’s worth the most is probably my Japanese Robo Army. I also have Baseball Stars 2, Dog Tag Ghost Pilots, and Alpha Mission II. Those are probably over $200 now but the rest of my stuff is likely under. That said, I probably paid $100 max for any one game I own so everything I have has appreciated in value.
That’s why I don’t get too concerned if I get the hankering to get something less pricey I want to play. I know it’ll be worth at least what I pay for it. That said, I’ve shifted to CD games now, not only because they’re cheaper but because they’re unique because of soundtracks and other small tweaks. I can live with the loading.
The trick is to always stay ahead of the curve. Metal Jesus bought the majority of his collection back when it was still cheap, so his advice in this video is even somewhat out of date. Even the cheap days for collecting for the Xbox, PS2 and GC are gone. A complete copy of Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast on the Xbox goes for $150+ these days.
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To be fair, Outrun is an outlier. Average prices are more of a good indication of platform’s affordability.
Yeah, I have 34 Xbox games and the average is $8.50. Panzer Dragoon Orta, Spikeout: Battle Street, and King of Fighters 2002/2003 are the only things over $20.
For PS2, I have 98 games. Average is $12.53. Crimson Tears, Culdcept, God Hand, Gradius III & IV, Gradius V, Grandia III, Gungrave, KoF '98 Ultimate Match, Klonoa 2, and Samurai Western (unopened) are the only ones above $20.
Gamecube on the other hand… 65 games… average $27.50. There are 27 UNDER $20 in my collection. Everything else is above $20, some significantly. This is using Game Value Now which checks ebay sales for averages.
“Cheap” Gamecube collecting is probably over although you can get some good games for under $20 like Metroid Prime, Viewtiful Joe, Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2, Star Wars: Rogue Leader, Sega Soccer Slam, Resident Evil 4, etc.
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Wii is a great platform to collect for right now. It has an amazing physical library that is very unique. Average prices are low, although there some outliers like Kirby’s Return to Dreamland.
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Agreed. I’ve been looking for a few things specifically lately whenever I get to a retro store. I have a lot of what I want for the platform, but I do have some holes I want to fill. It’s definitely the next system to have some titles start to increase in value in about five years which is why now is the time.
I agree with @ToddDeHavoc. The trick is to be ahead of the curve for sure. Starting to collect right now is not difficult if you have the expendable cash required to play catch-up. But if you’re in the hunt for good deals then you’re out of luck for sure. Common sellers (whether its online or in flea markets,charity shops, pawn/second hand stores) have become aware of how to check for video game prices and given the mainstream popularity of retro video games some of these sellers will choose not to negotiate on the price.
'Collecting in and of itself is a pastime. As others have said it’s more bout the hunt for the interesting or valuable than the games once you reach a certain point.
Not to say there’s anything wrong with that!
The vast majority of games on the Xbox could have been bought in the sub $10 range up to a few years ago, even Outrun 2006. Now there are a bunch of really good games in the $20-$100 range and as people start to figure out there are some really good games on the Xbox and some of the print runs are in the low range, it is only going to get worse. Like if you want a few classic Xbox exclusives like Stubbs the Zombie, Conker Live and Reloaded, Panzer Dragoon Orta, and Otogi I & II, you will have to drop around $150. Just a few years ago, you could have got all those games I just mentioned for less than $50.
I only collect what I really want to play.
What’s interesting is that many of the titles which command a higher price are also regarded as better games.
Both quality and scarcity push prices up. And the combination of both, is just a shit-storm, with both players and collectors vying with each other.
Luckily flash carts and other options exist for those wanting to play something, without the physical media.
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