NES Pickup - July 7th, 2015

Quick update today.  Another game obtained by way of social media.  As much as Facebook is insufferable with all of its farmville updates and cat videos, every now and then it really does facilitate actual conversation.  Through one of the groups dedicated to buying, selling and trading in retro games I discovered another contact with the game Shockwave.

This is an unlicensed game released by American Game Cartridges in 1990. It was also available on the Maxi 15 cartridge.  With this, my game totals are as follows:

NES Cartridges:  516

Unlicensed games:  40/90

Licensed games:  476/687

A Series Complete

Mark this day on the calendars boys and girls because I have finally finished my Megaman Collection for the NES.  It took better than 7 years to get the last piece of the puzzle but it was worth it.  I had the first game as a kid and played it to death, but I didn't reacquire it until 2008.  Here we are halfway through 2015 and I have finally got Megaman 5; the one remaining game in the franchise.  Megaman is arguably the most prolific series for the Nintendo Entertainment System spawning a total of 6 games on the console.  I don't even think Nintendo's mascot, Mario, has as many direct games. Well maybe if you count all of the spin-offs.  At the very least we can say that the Megaman Series is impressive and all share a lot of great features:  awesome soundtracks, nearly flawless controls, punishing difficulty and great graphics (just to name a few).

This game (and the other I got -- which will undoubtedly bask silently in the shadow of the Megaman pickup) came about from a Facebook group I belong to for buyers and sellers of retro games.  The seller had an emotional attachment to the game and explained that it was from his childhood (or I believe the words he used were it WAS his childhood).  For this reason he was asking a small ransom for the game.  I told him that I could TOTALLY relate to this. I urged him to read this blog to get a better feel for who I was and what my intentions were with this all important bastion of his days gone by.  

I made another offer to him and he stood firm (reiterating that he was wanting more out of the game).  I decided to not push the issue too hard and, instead, reminded him to read about my collection and hopefully come to the conclusion that I am not in the market to make money on his memories and only want to buy the game to add it to my personal collection.  After some thought he floored me by saying that I should be the guy to have the game.  I was dumbfounded and really didn't know what to say.  I was fighting my want to get the game and finish this series and the realization that he was giving the game up to make that happen.  

In the end I'd like to think that the words on these pages made him comfortable in his decision to sell me the game -- knowing full well that I had only the intention of preserving the game and enjoying it with my kids. So he met me after work and I picked up Megaman 5 and Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy.  

I'm dragging on here so I'll end off by once again giving my totals as follows: 

NES Carts:  514

Licensed games:  476/687

Throwback Thursday

Well I fired up the Delorean and took a trip WAY, WAY back to the year 2012.  3 years ago today I was featured on an awesome retro gaming website by one of the coolest ambassadors to the lifestyle that I have ever had the privilege of meeting: Ant Harper.  I would be remiss to say that the passion wasn't already in me to collect, but I think the interest shown by a perfect stranger in my modest collection really helped to jump start my desire to take my collection to the next level.  Ant's website, http://www.retrogamescollector.com, besides being a repository of amazing resources that span the entire industry of retro games (from the earliest computer home consoles right to the consoles of today) it is also a showcase for collectors and fans alike to rub shoulders with like-minded people and fulfill those boundless curiosities for discovery of what is out there.

I am humbled that I was one of the earlier entries to his: Show Us Your Collection section and 3 years later he has featured more than 30 different collections and collectors from all across the globe.  Looking at some of the amazing hobbyists out there I am an instant fanboy and in awe of their dedication to this past-time.  I honestly feel bad calling it a past-time as it is so much more to the people who grew up playing these games.  For many, and I count myself among them, it is a walk through the wardrobe so to speak; a chance to go back to a simpler time.

In the last 3 years I am happy to say that my collection has come a long way!  In July 2012 I had about 260 cartridges, 25 manuals and a handful of boxes and today I have just over 500 cartridges, 80+ manuals and close to 60 boxes.  With these artifacts I have been able to put together about 30 complete in box games.  I still haven't found any games quite as uncommon as the catalyst that started my renewed obsession with collecting these games: Maxi 15, but I have picked up a lot of really great titles. The acquisitions of the last 3 years run the gamut of commons to moderately rare, licensed, unlicensed, favorites, stinkers, black box games and everything in between.

Some of the less common titles I've managed to get my hands on since 2012 are as follows:  Dusty Diamond Softball, Impossible Mission II, Joshua, Galactic Crusader, Double Strike, King of Kings, Pacmania, Pirates!, Balloon Fight, Kirby's Adventure, Chip n' Dale: Rescue Rangers, RC Pro Am II, Clu Clu Land, Kiwi Kraze, Jimmy Connor's Tennis, Megaman 6, Popeye, Ducktales, Empire Strikes Back, Little Ninja Bros., Kickle Cubicle, Toki, Battle Toads, Bomberman, Dragon's Lair, Power Punch II, Ice Climber, Wrecking Crew and Joe & Mac.

The last few years have seen me branch out my search beyond the towns that bookend mine.  I've traveled to the US and further west in BC to attend a retro gaming convention. In addition to games I have also managed to find an official Nintendo carry bag from the late 80s, a NES Advantage Controller and a NES Satellite in the box.

This year has seen me find many new traders, collectors, and friends through networking on social media and answering ads and I am excited to see what the next few years hold.

NES Pickups - July 8th, 2015

Not much to report on the game cartridge front, but I did pick up some boxes and manuals this week. Wednesday evening I did a trade with Shayne for some of my loose cart doubles, a box double and 5 manual doubles.  I came back with 7 new boxes, 5 new manuals and an artwork variant.  So in all I got boxes for:  Rygar, Toobin', Defender II -- this makes Defender II a CiB set. Gotcha!, Total Recall, Target: Renegade and Ikari Warriors 2.

The cartridge variant (and the only game I picked up today was for the Capcom game Gunsmoke.  pictured on the right below).  I never really set out to go after all of the varants and the 3 vs 5 screw games, but if a game falls into my lap like this one did I'm going to grab it!

As for manuals I added:  Golgo 13, Rocket Ranger, Solar Jetman, Captain Skyhawk and Laser Invasion.

These pickups don't change my game total, but I now have a total of:

59 Games Boxes

86 Manuals

30 CiB

NES Pickups - June 10th, 2015

Quick update on the collection.  Another successful transaction with JT or is it TJ?  Anyway I've bought a few lots from this seller through online ads and tonight I received 7 games that I didn't have.  New additions are as follows:  Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Captain Planet & the Planeteers, Day Dreamin' Davey, Hook, Sky Kid, Spellunker, and Spot.

Standouts from this lot would be Day Dreamin' Davey, SPOT, and Captain Planet & the Planeteers. I base this not on the playability of these games, but rather the fact that those three are titles I don't see too often in the wild.  My collection app rates these all between a 7 or 8 out of 12 (yes, that's right, it is a 12point rating system) for rarity.  In addition to the games themselves, I was also happy that 3 of the games came with cardboard Funcoland sleeves. Because Funcoland became gamestop in 2000  (and because they are cardboard and not the standard plastic construction like the original nes sleeves) I find these artifacts to be hard to come by.  I also did not grow up anywhere near a funcoland so when I come across these items it is a bonus.

Nes Carts:  513

Licensed games:  474/687

Nes Pickups - June 8th, 2015

Today I received a package in the mail from Etsy!  This box was the culmination of 2 months worth of correspondence with the seller.  I started off by inquiring about a game she had listed back on April 6th.  After I got a quote for shipping to Canada the seller mentioned that she had some other games that she hadn't listed yet.  She sent several pictures and I ended up getting 3 games in the lot.  It took a little bit of coaxing to get the item shipped off, but it finally arrived today and I couldn't be more excited.  She had mentioned she would throw in a nintendo related item for my patience, but I had no idea she was going to put in all of the extra trimmings she did.  The box contained:  the 3 games I ordered, an extra game (Super Mario/Duck Hunt), 2 sticker packs, a Yoshi Pez dispenser, a Pacman Keychain and a "10-doh" collectible figurine.

One set of stickers says they are from 1992.  The other set look to be from Donkey Kong Country for the SNES and come from Yugoslavia!  The 10-doh figurine is a Lootcrate Exclusive called:  1point 21 jiggawatts and is a clear take on the Back to the Future movies.  The Pez dispenser is Yoshi from the Super Mario series.  This one is very cool because it also adds to my wife's amazing Pez collection nicely! I'm rambling on and on and this is just the throw-ins. But they are very nice to say the least!

The etsy lot added 3 new games to my collection:  Tiny Toons Adventures 2: Trouble in Wackyland, Where's Waldo and Arkanoid.  Of the 3 I think Arkanoid is my favorite.  It represents another port from the Arcade world and unseeded one of my games on the rarity list (according to my game collection app). Even though the lot took a little while to reach me, the meticulous care she took in shipping and all of the extras she sent more than made up for the delay!  Etsy, though a haven primarily designed for Crafters and Artists, is a great place to find deals on retro games.

Nes Carts:  506

Licensed games:  467/687

NES Pickups - June 3rd, 2015

I can't say enough about the integrity and helpfulness of the retrogaming community.  I've mentioned in past entries that I have recently been networking through social media both locally and afar with other like-minded collectors and game enthusiasts.  This has been equally invaluable to gaining knowledge and acquiring new games.  A friend of mine has made it a wonderful habit to comment me on any posts she sees that are nintendo-related on Facebook.  This has given me a leg up on other eager game collectors in my town and resulted in several new additions to my shelves.

The pickups this week are the end result of a full-circle trade that began several weeks ago.  One of my newest contacts has traded with me more than a few times and because he doesn't want to sell me the games he sets a trade value on them and takes doubles of mine in trade.  The last such trade resulted in me getting a less common game and in return he just took 3 of my doubles.  He said he would hold them as collateral for such a time that I might have something he was interested in.

Well recently he decided he didn't want to collect nintendo games anymore and listed several of his games.  Thanks to the heads up from my friend I was able to write him within an hour of them being listed.  He worked out a deal with me for the only trade-bait that I had of interest (a fairly uncommon double).  I valued the game at about $45-50 and instead of giving me the 3 I originally asked for in trade he ended up giving me a total of 7 games.  This is the integrity I alluded to at the outset of this post.

He knew that the 3 games I asked for only equaled about half what the game I was going to give him was worth so he gave me an extra game plus the three collateral doubles I had given him a few weeks prior. In his words: "You were also interested in Life Force so I'd do all 4. I could also return your 3 games I kept for collateral from our last trade and that should make it pretty close to being even". I was taken aback by his generosity and thanked him for the deal!

 

Highlights are likely not what you might expect; I actually was most excited to replace my extremely shabby copy of Mappy Land as I've always been partial to arcade ports and this is one that I am glad to have a nice fresh new label of.  It took better than 2 years to find a suitable replacement but it was worth the wait.  Obviously a close second would be the two new titles I added to the collection:  Battle of Olympus and M.C. Kids. From what I can see watching the reviews of these two games they are somewhat under appreciated titles in the NES library.

Nes Carts:  503

Licensed games:  464/687

Nes Pickup - May 21st, 2015

Today I picked up Raid on Bungeling Bay with the box from Shayne.  He had this one set aside for me for awhile but was working out of town until yesterday.  I don't think it's destined to unseat any of my favorite console mainstays but I'm still happy to add it to my collection.

It looks like it was once a rental game but what is fascinating is the fact that it still bears an indexing barcode and a red and silver sticker with the name and address of the Video store. I like to imagine how it came to be in my hands when at least at one point in its life it was approximately 4,500 kms or 2,800 miles away.  How did it cross borders and how many owners did it have before me? These are the thoughts that keep 8bitbobby awake at night.

Thanks Shayne for the great deal once again!

Nes carts:  501

Licensed games:  462/687

Unlicensed games:  39/90

Boxes:  54

Manuals: 80

NES Pickups - May 14-17th, 2015

During my recent father/son trip to Kamloops I picked up a Retron 1 top loading NES console and a new game.  On our way back to Kelowna we stopped in at All-A-Board-Games and picked up the aforementioned console as well as the game Exodus. The guy at the store chuckled a little under his breath and said, well I guess you're all set to play your Bible Game.  Besides a few imported multi-carts this was the only game I didn't have.

On Saturday after work I picked up a Nintendo Advantage controller (as well as an Atari2600 system and some games -- blog entry about this later) from one of my regular traders and then today I went back to his house and traded him an old system of mine I had no interest in keeping for my 500th NES title, Toki, as well as a mint copy of Dragon Warrior III.  

Highlights of this week are everything!  A top loading system so that I can actually play and test my NES games, the NES Advantage controller, and reaching my milestone 500th title with an awesome game in Toki!  Toki is a title I've been trying to get for awhile and so I was very excited to pick this one up. Picking up an uncommon double in Dragon Warrior III was a nice consolation too!

Nes Carts:  500

Bob & Ashton's Excellent Adventure

On Wednesday May 13th I picked up my son, Ashton, from school and we drove a few cities over to Kamloops, BC for a father/son getaway for his birthday.  We had thought about doing a birthday party, but in the end he just wanted to spend some time with me.  I rented us a room at the Maverick Motor Inn and for the next day and a half we played video games, watched raunchy cartoons and ate junkfood!

The Maverick is a cool place with wall to wall VHS movies lining the first 20 or so feet of the ground floor hallway. It was almost like being transported back into a mom and pop video rental store in the 80s.  In addition to the plethora of entertainment they have an indoor waterslide, pool and hot tub.  We checked in after a couple hour drive at around 6pm and then had a swim.  After the swim we dried off, ordered some Papa John's and watched the 3rd period/OT of the game 7 series between the Capitals and the Rangers.

I had hoped to get one of my various NES machines working consistently enough that I could bring our favorite carts with us but in the end we brought my laptop, two USB controllers and my emulators.  This decision meant we were able to play NES and SNES games!  We played through a bit of Zelda 2, some Megaman 2, River City Ransom, and even threw in some Earthbound for good measure.  I honestly thought I'd be teaching my boy the finer points of retro gaming, but it was he that schooled me (on Earthbound).  He showed me his "walk-thru-walls" hack and a speed up hack that made the game move at breakneck speeds.

We chuckled and chowed down.  It was nice to be without distractions, but by 11pm we were both zonked.  Our pact to stay up 'ALL NIGHT' and play video games was short-lived and we crashed early.  I will say that we made up for it though because we got up about 6am the next morning and enjoyed a cup of coffee together before playing some more games and watching several episodes of Family Guy!

We got in another swim before the 11am checkout time and then packed up and went for lunch.  On the way back home we stopped at four retro game and collectibles stores and even managed to pick up a few game-related treats! Back home the girls weren't quite ready with the decorations and preparations ahead of our return so I took Ashton to Scandia Golf & Games and we played a round of Jungle Golf.   I hope it was as rewarding a trip for Ashton as it was for me.  Getting to spend quality time with him was awesome and it felt like it was MY birthday.  We pulled into our driveway around suppertime on Thursday (his actual birthday) and he was showered with hugs, gifts and a gluten-free, homemade cake.

The 5 or so hours we had spent travelling there and back and hanging at the hotel gave way to a lot of fun conversation and more than a few spontaneous Bon Jovi and Metallica karaoke sessions. There were times when he was in the pool that his enthusiasm to show me his underwater skills "watch this dad, watch me dad" transported me back to a time when he was much younger.  I am so glad we took this trip before he gets a little older and doesn't want to hang out with his old man anymore.

NES Pickup - May 10th, 2015

Another quick update to the blog... today after work I took the recently acquired "accidental" double of Adventure Island 2 back to one of my traders and he traded me back that one for a cart I didn't have.  I came home today with Arkista's Ring!  This is a great little adventure game with a bow slinging female main character.  Another of the hidden gems in the NES Library that I missed the first time around and plan to play through and maybe review at a later time.  

Its is amazing how the disappointment I had last entry in getting a game I already had could so quickly be changed by a text on Friday asking if I wanted to trade AI2 back for an even more valuable game that I don't have. 

This is just another example of how awesome and helpful this retro gaming community is.  I was obviously not 'on my game' so to speak when I made the trade last week and ended up with a double and the guy allowed me a do-over. Thank you Nintendo gods!

Nes Carts: 498

Licensed games:  460/687

Misadventure Island

Well I was hoping to have a more exciting post to make today, but alas it was not meant to be.  Even though I picked up 2 games from 2 different sources they were much less satisfying than I had hoped.  Today, direct from eBay, I got a package in the mail with Casino Kid in it.  This is the highlight of the two games and even though the game arrived as described I blame my disappointment on not reading the item description more closely.  The label of the game is clean and intact but the game shell itself is cracked down the right hand side pretty noticeably.  I guess I shouldn't complain though, the buyer shipped it from the US at no charge (and it only cost $4 US to begin with).

The second game I got today was the result of a deal I brokered with one of my contacts.  He had said he had Adventure Island 3.  After some discussion he agreed to trade it to me for 3 of my doubles.  I was still ecstatic as this game is worth much more than those 3 games combined.  Unfortunately when I went to pick the game up after work it was the 2nd installment of the franchise and NOT the highly sought after 3rd. game.  Not sure whether he had read the label wrong or typed 3 instead of 2. Whatever the reason for the mix up it was a little bit of a letdown as I'd really had hoped to get my hands on this one. Perhaps one day I will finish off this very cool but illusive trilogy. On the bright side what I ended up with replaced a slightly flawed version of my Adventure Island II cart so I guess that's all in a day's work, right? As for Casino Kid... slight damage aside it's still a welcome addition to my collection.

Nes Carts:  497

Licensed games:  459/687

NES Pickups - April 30th, 2015

Any day I can make two blog entries in one day is a good day!  This extra entry could probably be better written by my better half as it is because of her I am making a sequel post.  Unlike most second forays, though, this one will be much more exciting than its predecessor.

Missy was out with her mom and another family friend on a somewhat regular thrift day a few towns over looking for her kitsch-y treasures but selflessly always on the lookout for my little gray square-shaped gems.  She had said that about halfway through the trip she was a little disheartened that she hadn't come across any games at all for me and then... fate intervened.

They couldn't find parking near the store they wished to visit and so they drove around until they could find a spot further down the street.  As she tells it, they didn't have any small change between them so they plugged the meter with a large coin giving them ample time to amble about.  As luck would have it right by the meter was a store whose wares spilled out onto the street.  From the frontage it was difficult to tell if it was a pawnshop, specialty store, thrift store or what, but once inside she found a veritable treasure trove of games, vintage toys and the like.

She called me and at once I was transported back to my hockey card collecting days when I would open up each and every new foil pack, fan them out in front of me and chant the "need it, got it, got it, need it, got it". The difference being that my game doubles wouldn't have worked well in the spokes of my bike.

She rifled off about 20 or 30 titles and was starting to get discouraged as I had all the ones that she listed.  After a few turns around the display case she mentioned two titles that I didn't have.  The first, Totally Rad, was a little bit pricier than I had hoped, but when combined with the low price of the other it made it more than worth buying.

The second game she told me about absolutely made my day!  Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball. As soon as the title came through the phone to my ears I immediately realized that this was one of the harder to find titles in the library.  After she had told me some of the other prices of the games I expected this one to be in the $30-50 range.  Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised with the asking price and told her to grab the two games which the proprietor gave her a deal on.

I have a feeling that the shop keeper graded the value on popularity alone as some games were on the mark, others were over priced and this one in particular was under valued.  Perhaps it was relegated to the bargain bin of doom based on its subject matter?  Sports games tend to be the misfits of the library due, in large part, to their sheer number... but his one is different than the others.  First off it is the only Softball title for the NES; baseball games are riddled throughout and are varying degrees of great, mediocre and just plain awful.  This game takes some of the best facets of the good ones like Baseball Stars and RBI Baseball and mixes in enough original characteristics to separate it from the herd.  By virtue of being a softball game it not only offers fast and slo-pitch settings but allows you to choose from several different venues to stage your game.  You can play on a cliff (which seems a little odd at first), a school yard or even on a standard field.  The game allows you to hand pick your teams like we did as kids for a pickup game.  Unlike many of the sports games (Ice Hockey comes to mind) that gave you 3 prototypical body types to choose from this game has a vast array of players with all sorts of different abilities and unique features.  This is another one of those games that is a triple threat in that it is somewhat rare, valuable, but also a very solid title with tonnes of replay potential.

Nes Carts:  496

Licensed games: 458/687

Quikkie update: April 30th, 2015

Picked up the game Barbie for the NES today as well as manuals for the Zapper light gun and NES control deck.  The manuals were throw ins and are showing their age.  Like dating a tree by its rings I can probably date these manuals by the number of coffee cup rings on them.

The Barbie cartridge is cracked in a few places, but despite that flaw the label is in great shape and it is always nice to find a game I don't have.  What's more, this title didn't cost me anything, I was able to trade one of my doubles for it.  I think it's safe to say that my daughter will be more excited about this addition than me but a game is a game, right?

Licensed games:  456/687

NES Pickups - April 22, 2015

April has been a whirlwind month for NES Pickups and even though I would never be able to afford to keep up this pace it is nice to say that for the last 3 weeks anyway I've averaged just over a game a day! It's bears repeating, however, that this has been a perfect storm of a month in terms of contacts coming through, visiting my first ever Gaming Expo on the West Coast and having a few extra dollars in my pocket to buy a few lots from a seller I have bought from in the past.  The next big milestone in my collection is looming close:  500 carts.  I hope to reach that point within the next few months but we'll have to see how it goes.

This entire handful of games are standouts for me. First off, you have Dizzy which is one of the Gold unlicensed carts, created by Codemasters (the company responsible for the Game Genie) and published by Camerica.  Even though sales of the game were not what had been forecast (as it missed it's slated Christmas release in 1991) it still garnered a few industry awards.  This game came near the end of the NES's reign in the home console market.  To put it into perspective it was released just a year before the last official Licensed NES release of Wario's Woods.  Next game is the American Video version of Impossible Mission II.  There were two versions of this game released, one by the aforementioned American Video and one by another company, SEI.  Of the two, my collector APP lists the American Video version as the less common of the two. The third cartridge helped me to finish the Back to the Future series of games with the addition of Back to the Future 2&3. Next was Clash at Demon Head which, to be honest, I haven't ever played before.  First looks at the game remind me of many of the other popular platformers of the day: Kid Niki, Megaman, Metroid, etc.  I'll admit to being a little intrigued by the apparent cameo of Professor Plum in the game.  Didn't he kill Colonel Mustard in the Billiard Room with the candlestick? This game also appeals to my love of pop culture references as it is the namesake of the band in the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.  Last, but certainly not least, is Mutant Virus.  This purchase was made solely on the fact that I don't tend to see this game in the wild and it really has an undeniably original cover label.  The previews I've seen of the game show cinematic cutscenes that are reminiscent of the Ninja Gaiden series; let's just hope the gameplay is more forgiving.  Feel free to comment on these games and let me know if they are diamonds in the rough or duds.

Nes Carts:  493

Licensed games: 455/687

Unlicensed games:  38/90

Vancouver Retro Gaming Expo - April 18th, 2015

Yesterday marked what I hope will be the first of many retro gaming expos that I attend.  Vancouver welcomed retro gaming fanatics to it's annual Expo and though I didn't stay long enough to check out all of the planned events, the dealer hall did not disappoint.  A wide array of tables lined the perimeter of the room and another inner circle of tables jutting out from the center in all directions.  Each table I visited seemed to boast more 8-bit treasures than the last and gazing upon it all I truly felt like I had reached the Mecca of gaming.

I buzzed from table to table trying to make a mental note of game prices and how they varied between vendors.  I wanted to try and get the most "bang for my buck" and even though I was tempted to buy some of my 'most-wanted' I decided to concentrate on the less common games I could get at a good price.  At one table I picked 5 loose games:  NFL, High Speed, Mindscape's version of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Fisher Price: Perfect Fit and the highlight of this group: Conflict.

At another table I picked up some boxed games:  Tiles of Fate (w/manual), Home Alone (w/manual) and the best of the bunch IMO: Power Punch 2.  I was very satisfied with my haul: 3 boxes, 2 manuals and 8 new games!!!

   

The rest of my time was spent just looking at some of the really uncommon titles and I took a picture of one of the Holy Grail of carts for the NES.  I'm referring to the Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak.  This was a game that was not, to my knowledge, available for retail purchase.  It was an exclusive rental game available at Blockbuster Video.  I would imagine the only way to get a copy of this game at the time was to have rented it during those days and conveniently forgetting to return it.  The other means would have been to have purchased it from Blockbuster when they moved to a newer generation console to rent. Because of the scarcity of the avenues to obtain this title it has a highly inflated value in collector's circles.  On a table at the back of the room I saw it (under glass) with the hefty price tag of $1950 on it.  As cool as it was I know I could never pay that much for a game.

Nes Carts:  488

Licensed games:  452/687

Unlicensed games:  36/90 

Boxes: 53

Games manuals: 80

NES Pickups - April 15th, 2015

Today was an awesome day for pickups! In total I got 12 games (6 new, 6 replacements). This deal came about through one connection pointing me to another.  A seller on Kijiji (who incidentally I had bought from a year or two back) was selling off what seemed to be their private collection of nintendo games.  The ad was ordered and priced by rarity of game and so rather than tease myself with the games at the end of the list I found a bunch of the common games on the list to try and fill out my collection.  I submitted the wants from the list and we went back and forth a few times as some games had sold since the listing was posted.  Finally I had found a dozen games and was given directions to the meeting place.

In a scene right out of a gangster type movie I was told to drive to the end of a road where I would be met by two concrete abutments book-ending a barbwire chain that was proudly displaying a NO TRESPASSING sign.  I messaged when I arrived.  While I waited I surveyed the surrounding area.  Off in the distance I saw a small clearing about 100 meters from where I was waiting that was lined with travel trailers.  For a split second all kinds of crazy scenarios went through my mind (from every movie I had ever seen).  Before my imagination could get the best of me the trade went down and I was back in the car and on my way home.  It was a very surreal experience even though it was much more benign than my head made it seem to me.

In my haste I forgot my notes behind so I was going from memory, but once home I was able to determine that I had received 6 new additions to my collection.  I also replaced 4 of my carts with better copies and scored 2 doubles that I could use to bolster a future trade or sale. New games are as follows: Immortal, Gold Medal Challenge '92, Videomation, American Gladiators, Treasure Master and Defender 2 (w/manual).  I also brought home some very good copies of:  Pro Wrestling, Wrestlemania, Ring King, Big Bird's Hide & Speak, Track & Field and Karate Champ; of which Hide & Speak, Ring King and Track & Field immediately subbed into the roster.

Standouts from this capture are Treasure Master and Defender II.  I have no emotional attachment to the former, it is just one of the less common titles and has a very loud, obnoxious, 80s for all of the wrong reasons labels that for some reason, unknown, endears itself to me. As for Defender II, I have so many fond memories of growing up playing the original game on the Atari 2600 that I had to scoop that one.  Who can go wrong with a sequel, right?  I mean Goonies 2 was pretty good... so good they didn't even make a Goonies 1 game.  I  could also add that I was happy to replace one of the worst labels I had in Hide & Speak. It was a game I grabbed early in my collection (before I was as picky about the condition of labels).

Nes Carts:  480
Licensed games:  445/687

My List of remaining titles (Feel free to email me with any you have for sale or trade) Thanks :)

By request, I've generated a list of the games I have not yet  found out there.  If you have any of these to sell or trade feel free to leave a comment here or add me on Facebook (8bitbobby)


Addams Family, The
Adventure Island 3
Adventures of Lolo 2
Adventures of Lolo 3
After Burner
Aladdin
Alfred Chicken
Alien 3
Asterix
Athletic World (Power Pad)
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Aussie Rules Footy
Baby Boomer (Gun Optional)
Bad Dudes vs Dragonninja
Bad Street Brawler
Banana Prince
Bandit Kings of Ancient China
Baseball Stars 2
Bases Loaded 4
Batman Return of the Joker
Battle Tank
Battletoads & Double Dragon
Beauty and the Beast
Bee 52
Best of the Best
Bible Buffet
Big Nose Freaks Out
Blackjack
Blue Shadow
Blues Brothers, The
Bomberman 2
Bonk's Adventure
Bubble Bobble 2
Bucky O'Hare
Caesar's Palace
Captain America
Captain Comic
Casino Kid 2
Castelian
Castle of Deceit
Challenge of the Dragon
Championship Pool
Championship Rally
Chiller (Gun Optional)
Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers 2
Chubby Cherub
Cliffhanger
Color A Dinosaur
Conan
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Contra Force
Cool World
Corvette ZR-1
Cowboy Kid
CrackOut
Crash and the Boys' Street Challenge
Crystal Mines
Cyberball
Darkman
Darkwing Duck
Death Race
Deathbots
Defenders of Dynatron City
Desert Commander
Devil World
Die Hard
Dig Dug II
Digger T. Rock
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong 3
Donkey Kong Jr.
Donkey Kong Jr. Math
Dracula
Dragon Strike
Dragon Warrior IV
Dragonball
Dropzone
Duck Tales 2
Dungeon Magic
Eliminator Boat Duel
Elite
F-117 Stealth
Family Feud
Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy
Faria
Felix the Cat
Ferrari Grand Prix
Fire and Ice
Firehouse Rescue
Fist of the North Star, The
Flintstones 2 Surprise at Dino Peak
Four Player Tennis
Frankenstein
Freedom Force (Gun Required)
Fun House
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe Atlantis Factor
Galaxy 5000
Gargoyle's Quest 2
Gemfire
George Foreman KO Boxing
Ghost Lion
Ghostbusters
Ghoul School
Goal! 2
Godzilla 2
Gun Nac
Hammerin' Harry
Hatris
Hillsfar
Hot Slots
Hudson Hawk
Ikari Warriors 3
Impossible Mission 2 (SEI)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (T)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (U)
Indy Heat
International Cricket
Jackie Chan Kung Fu
James Bond Jr.
Jetsons, The
Journey to Silius
Jungle Book
Kick Master
Kick Off
Kid Klown

Kings Knight
Kings Quest 5
Klash Ball
Konami Hyper Soccer
Krazy Kreatures
Krion Conquest
Lemmings
Lethal Weapon
Life Force
Lion King, The
Little Red Hood
Little Samson
Lunar Pool
Mad Max
Magician
Magmax
Mario & Yoshi
Mario Is Missing
Mario's Time Machine
Marvel's X-Men
Master Chu and the Drunkard Hu
McDonald Land
Mechanized Attack (Gun Required)
Menace Beach
Mermaids of Atlantis

Metal Storm
Metroid - Classic Series
Mickey's Adventure in Numberland
Mickey's Safari in Letterland
Micro Machines
Might & Magic
Mighty Final Fight
Miracle Piano System (Accessory)
Mission Cobra
Monster Truck Rally
Monster in My Pocket
Moon Ranger
Motor City Patrol
Mr. Gimmick
Ms. Pacman (N)
New Ghostbusters 2
New Zealand Story
Nigel Mansell World Championship Racing
Nightmare on Elm Street
Nightshade
Ninja Crusaders
Noah's Ark
Nobunaga's Ambition 2
North and South
Operation Secret Storm
Over Horizon
Overlord
P'radikus Conflict
Pac Man
Pac Man (unlicensed)
Panic Restaurant
Paperboy 2
Parasol Stars Rainbow Islands 2
Parodius
Peek A Boo Poker
Pesterminator
Phantom Fighter
Pictionary
Pool of Radiance
Power Blade 2
Prince Valiant
Princess Tomato
Pro Sport Hockey
Probotector
Probotector 2
Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt
Puss 'N Boots
Puzznic
Qix
R.B.I. Baseball (licensed)
Race America
Rad Gravity
Rad Racket
Raid 2020
Rainbow Island
Rampart
Ren and Stimpy Buckaroos
Road Fighter
Road Runner
Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
Robo Demons
Robo Warrior
Robocop 3
Rockin' Kats
Rocky and Bullwinkle
Rod Land
Rollerblade Racer
Romance of the Three Kingdoms II
SCAT
Secret Scout
Sesame Street 1-2-3/A-B-C
Sesame Street Countdown
Shadow Warriors
Shadow Warriors 2
Shadowgate
Shatterhand
Shooting Range (Gun Optional)
Short Order/Eggsplode (Power Pad)
Silent Assault
Silver Surfer
Ski or Die
Smurfs, The
Snow Brothers
Solitaire
Solomon's Key 2
Space Shuttle
Spiritual Warfare
Sqoon
Stack Up
Stadium Events (Power Pad)
Stanley
Star Trek 25th Anniversary
Star Trek The Next Generation
Stinger
Street Cop (Power Pad)
Street Gangs
Sunday Funday
Super Spy Hunter
Super Turrican
Swamp Thing
Sword Master
T&C Thrilla's Surfari
T.M.N.T. Tournament Fighters
Tagin' Dragon
Tecmo Cup Soccer
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3
Terminator, The
Terra Cresta
Thunder and Lightning
Times of Lore
Tom and Jerry
Tombs and Treasure
Toxic Crusaders
Trog
Trolls in Crazyland
Trolls on Treasure Island
Twin Eagle
Ufouria
Ultima Quest of the Avatar
Ultimate Air Combat
Ultimate Basketball
Ultimate League Soccer
Ultimate Stuntman
Uninvited
Venice Beach Volleyball
Vice Project Doom
Wacky Races
Wally Bear and the No! Gang
Wario's Woods
Wayne's World
Whomp 'Em
Widget
Wizardry
Wizardry 2 Knight of Diamonds
Yo! Noid
Young Indiana Jones
Zanac
Zen Intergalactic Ninja
Zombie Nation