orrimarrko Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Hey Folks, Never had a CV as a kid (in fact, no one in the neighborhood had one - all 2600 and one Intellivision), but always wanted one. (I'm almost 44, so it's been a long time coming!) Today I finally got my wonderfully modded Colecovision all the way from BC, Canada, and can't wait to get started! Problem is, I don't own a single game. Also, I'm retentive when it comes to condition, and I know I won't be able to go pick up that crappy-label DK game down at the local Game Over for $4.99... So, I'm appealing to the experts here and have a few questions I hoped you might be able to help me out with! 1. Is there a great site out there that has a list of all of the official US released games? (Something with screenshots and other pics, etc.?) What constitutes the list of 'officially released' games? (No homebrews - nothing against them; I'm just trying to learn more about the system as it was back in the day.) 2. What are the must-have games for the system? I'm sure that I'll be looking to put together a big set eventually, but I want to start playing. 3. Are all Colecovision games compatible with the system? (Will Canadian games play on a US system, for example?) 4. Is it possible to collect a full set, or are there games that are virtually unattainable? Loose or CIB? 5. Since I'll be looking for minty games (at least loose for now), where's a good place to buy from? Carts on ebay look pretty crappy... Any advice or suggestions, or general information is definitely welcome. I'm not interested in emulation of any kind, so I'll pass on that suggestion (in case it's forthcoming.) Thanks very much! Orri~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 My poison is the Atari 5200, personally, but I've logged many an hour into the ColecoVision as well. I'd recommend the following: Tarzan (intriguing and surprisingly cutting edge action game) Galaxian (great, great conversion! Much better than the 5200 version) Ladybug (sticky control but better than the arcade game in some ways) Frenzy (superior expanded sequel to Berzerk. Nice animation!) Rock 'n Bolt (for the puzzle fans) Zenji (another fun puzzle game, this time with an Eastern theme) Pac-Man Collection (three Pac-Man games, almost perfectly recreated) Antarctic Adventure (Konami shatters your ColecoVision expectations) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chart45 Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 buy atarimax sd than you can play all the games choose the one you prefer and go hunting the best cib copy for your collecting some will be $$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 1. Is there a great site out there that has a list of all of the official US released games? (Something with screenshots and other pics, etc.?) Try here: http://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/colecovision/ Be warned that there are a few homebrews in the scroll-down list (namely Astro Invader, Astrododge, Cye, DacMan, Kevtris, Sky Jaguar, Spectar and Steamroller) and even an unreleased prototype (Escape from the Mindmaster) but most of the games listed are commercial games. The list isn't 100% complete, but all the important commercial releases are in there. What constitutes the list of 'officially released' games? (No homebrews - nothing against them; I'm just trying to learn more about the system as it was back in the day.) You should have a look at NIAD's rarity list: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/221017-colecovision-adam-computer-collectors-lists-updated/ It lists absolutely everything there is to list about the ColecoVision, just ignore the homebrew-related sections. 2. What are the must-have games for the system? I'm sure that I'll be looking to put together a big set eventually, but I want to start playing. Start with these good games which are quite common and easy to find: - Buck Rogers - Planet of Zoom - Cosmic Avenger - Donkey Kong - Donkey Kong Junior - Frogger - Gorf - Lady Bug - Mr Do! - Mouse Trap - Pepper II - Q*bert - Smurf - Rescue in Gargamel's Castle - Space Fury - Space Panic - Time Pilot - Venture - Zaxxon Once you have those above, try to get these games which are slightly more uncommon, but not really difficult to find: - Antarctic Adventure - B.C.'s Quest for Tires - B.C. II - Grog's Revenge - Bump 'n' Jump - BurgerTime - Centipede - Congo Bongo - Defender - Frenzy - Gateway to Apshai - Gyruss - H.E.R.O. - Miner 2049er - Pitfall! - Pitfall II - Lost Caverns - Popeye - River Raid - Star Trek - Strategic Operations Simulator The following are harder to find (so you'll probably have to pay a bit more to get them in good condition) but totally worth getting: - Galaxian - Jungle Hunt - Keystone Kapers - Montezuma's Revenge - Mr Do!'s Castle - Roc'n Rope - Spy Hunter - Star Wars - The Arcade Game - Super Cobra - Tapper - Tutankham If you're looking for a few hidden gems, try to get these: - 2010 - The Graphic Action Game - Alcazar - The Forgotten Fortress - Cabbage Patch Kids - Adventures in the Park - Fathom - The Heist - Novablast - Oil's Well - Pitstop - Rock 'n Bolt - War Games 3. Are all Colecovision games compatible with the system? (Will Canadian games play on a US system, for example?) Yes. 4. Is it possible to collect a full set, or are there games that are virtually unattainable? Loose or CIB? That's a hard question to answer, because I don't know if you're a completist collector or not. Getting a full set involves finding games that are truly rare, like Dance Fantasy, Learning with Leeper, Q*bert's Qubes, Slurpy, Tomarc the Barbarian, Wizard of Id's Wizmath, or the Xonox double-ender cartridges. Those fetch a high amount simply because of their rarity, not because they're fun to play. 5. Since I'll be looking for minty games (at least loose for now), where's a good place to buy from? Carts on ebay look pretty crappy... There was a time I would have recommended atari2600.com, but that place has pretty much lost its reputation for good service. tradengames.com is nice but it looks like they're trying to get rid of their ColecoVision inventory, so the selection is not as good at it used to be. You could also try www.estarland.com but I've never bought anything from there so I don't know how good the service is. You should try to Google around... Also keep in mind that the ColecoVision is over 30 years old. Finding "minty" cartridges is practically a sport nowadays. Any advice or suggestions, or general information is definitely welcome. I'm not interested in emulation of any kind, so I'll pass on that suggestion (in case it's forthcoming.) Once you've gotten some (or most) of the games listed above, do try to investigate ColecoVision homebrews. If you knew just how high-quality the ColecoVision homebrew releases have gotten over the last 5+ years, you'd be looking into them right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youki Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 What are the must-have games for the system? I'm sure that I'll be looking to put together a big set eventually, but I want to start playing. Here the very restricted list of games i had in my childhood that makes me love the colecovision. Donkey Kong Turbo (with the driving Module! a Must have IMHO!) Comic Avenger Zaxxon Q-Bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nanochess Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 4. Is it possible to collect a full set, or are there games that are virtually unattainable? Loose or CIB? 5. Since I'll be looking for minty games (at least loose for now), where's a good place to buy from? Carts on ebay look pretty crappy... It's possible to collect a full set, more easily the loose ones if you follow NIAD list for U.S releases 1982-1985 (only the S.O.S cartridge would be impossible because it wasn't in retail, only one found in ten years) It's hard to get minty games, but a first stop would be mumbai's list for nice loose carts http://atariage.com/forums/topic/168225-fs-colecovision-cartridges/?view=findpost&p=3177573 *start of advertising* I can provide you a full loose cartridge collection for only $1,999 shipped to Canada (minus S.O.S and Super Sketch) *end of advertising* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Also, I forgot to mention that there are some reputable sellers of ColecoVision carts in the AtariAge marketplace, such as: mumbai : http://atariage.com/forums/topic/168225-fs-colecovision-cartridges/ Pixelboy (that's me!) : http://atariage.com/forums/topic/235120-fs-a-few-colecovision-cartridges/ I recommend that you browse through the entire AtariAge Marketplace to try to find more sellers. Some have entries in the "User feedback forum", so you can get a good idea of their reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 It's possible to collect a full set, more easily the loose ones if you follow NIAD list for U.S releases 1982-1985 (only the S.O.S cartridge would be impossible because it wasn't in retail, only one found in ten years) It's hard to get minty games, but a first stop would be mumbai's list for nice loose carts http://atariage.com/forums/topic/168225-fs-colecovision-cartridges/?view=findpost&p=3177573 *start of advertising* I can provide you a full loose cartridge collection for only $1,999 shipped to Canada (minus S.O.S and Super Sketch) *end of advertising* The OP lives in Texas, Oscar. 1999$ means roughly 14$ (plus approximately 1$ in shipping cost) per cartridge. Not too bad considering you'll be getting some rare ones. I can vouch for nanochess, if you need assurances. He's a great guy to do business with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slab0meat Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Mentioned already, but I'll vote for Miner 2049er and Frenzy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nanochess Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 The OP lives in Texas, Oscar. 1999$ means roughly 14$ (plus approximately 1$ in shipping cost) per cartridge. Not too bad considering you'll be getting some rare ones. I can vouch for nanochess, if you need assurances. He's a great guy to do business with. Yep, I noted it. It will be around $200 for shipping, a small fraction of cartridges account for almost $500 and besides 90% of labels are in excellent state, and the other 10% in good state It's an offer for people not willing to lose time searching and ordering, and everything has been cleaned, tested and saved in plastic bags. Besides I would include manuals for a number of cartridges. Besides I don't really need the money, but the space for my ever growing Colecovision CIB collection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumbai Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) I can only add that: (a) DO NOT buy Donkey Kong, no matter how cosmetically attractive, for $5, unless you're scrounging for a particular label variant; (b) Wikipedia -- at least, once -- had a complete list of ColecoVision titles that one might collect, with homebrews etc. flagged ... I gave up editing there a few years ago, so I don't know if it's been edited over to incomprehension or not; and ( c ) as much as I appreciate the offer that nanochess has extended (as I've sold to him in the past), I'm not certain $2k averages out unless you're looking to save a lot of time and hassle obtaining cartridges -- which, I guess, is a significant time sink, now that I reflect on the effort involved in completing a collection unless you can find reputable sources to tap. Collecting a 'complete' loose collection of original (non-homebrew/reprint/variation/unpublished) games isn't all that difficult and mostly bounded by $$$ involved. Boxed? At least an order of magnitude more expensive in terms of money, moreso when considered in terms of time expenditure. Edited March 5, 2015 by mumbai 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nanochess Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Boxed? At least an order of magnitude more expensive in terms of money, moreso when considered in terms of time expenditure. That's right, I don't realize that when I started collecting CIB... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumbai Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 That's right, I don't realize that when I started collecting CIB... On a tangent ... if you're still looking for CIBs/NIBs, nanochess, send me your updated wantlist, as I think I'll actually have my spares tallied by the end of next week, a year after stating that should have already happened... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nanochess Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 On a tangent ... if you're still looking for CIBs/NIBs, nanochess, send me your updated wantlist, as I think I'll actually have my spares tallied by the end of next week, a year after stating that should have already happened... In fact still have a wanted list . PM sent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebulon Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I can answer two of your questions. - Canadian and USA ColecoVisions are fully compatible. - Here's a list of CV games that (IMHO) are excellent to play: Bump ‘n’ JumpCosmic AvengerFrenzyJungle HuntSpace FuryVentureZaxxon Mr. Do Mr. Do's Castle Front Line Donkey Kong Jr. Q*Bert Star Wars Gyruss Popeye Time Pilot Defender Centipede Roc 'n Rope Burger Time Carnival Mouse Trap Choplifter! Threshold Subroc Tutankham Omega Race Tapper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orrimarrko Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 First, thank you to everyone who took the time to respond. I really appreciate it. I'm definitely not new to Atari Age or Atari collecting (specifically for the 5200), so I do recognize a few names here and there. Second, thanks for the offer on the complete set - I'm not quite in the market for that right now, but again, I appreciate it. I would prefer to collect CIB, but regardless, the biggest thing for me is condition. I'm really picky (anyone who's dealt with me over the years can vouch for that.) Sometimes it's hard to find people who think along the same lines in terms of condition, so their 'near mint' is my definition of 'excellent', and my 'near mint' is basically most people's 'mint.' That said, I'll be looking for reasonably priced loose or common boxed games that fit the near mint bill. Not looking to break the bank right now, just ease into the pool one foot at a time. However, I do need games to play, and since the only place in town that sells classic games wants $4.99 for DK and $5.99 for Zaxxon, there's got to be a cheaper alternative. I'll be looking for common games (CIB preferred, or loose w/manual), so if you have any extras in really fantastic condition - feel free to send me a pm. In the meantime, I'll be checking out the links in the replies above. I don't want anything sealed though - I'm only interested in playing first, and collecting second. Which brings me to another related question... Is it worth getting the wheel adapter and/or roller adapter? I don't know how many games are compatible or required by each to play. Thanks again guys - some good responses here. Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValkerieSilk Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 You gotta get Ghost N Zombies ... Here's a really inexpensive one on ebay ... eBay Auction -- Item Number: 151609558863 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orrimarrko Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 You gotta get Ghost N Zombies ... Here's a really inexpensive one on ebay ... eBay Auction -- Item Number: 151609558863 A little out of my range at the moment. Homebrew I'm guessing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValkerieSilk Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 A little out of my range at the moment. Homebrew I'm guessing? Affirmative... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4WVqUWpeKk (Tobie, that was so nice of you ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebulon Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Is it worth getting the wheel adapter and/or roller adapter? I don't know how many games are compatible or required by each to play. Not many. The Roller Controller is nicely constructed, but only a few games support it. As for the Steering Wheel.... Well, if you really like Turbo a lot, then yes. Otherwise, not so much. The Super Action Controllers are nice, but it's tough finding ones that work (something breaks in the joysticks). Unless someone here has a good tutorial on fixing these, I'm not sure what to say for these. As add-ons go, these controllers are quite well supported (Front Line, Star Trek, Rocky, Football, Baseball, ...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhomaios Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Personal preference: skip the wheel and Turbo. There are much better racers out there. The ball and Slither and Centipede are good, and I'm glad I have it, but it's not necessary. Slither isn't as good as Centipede, unfortunately. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tron Unit Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 The problem with the Driving Module and Roller Controller was that there just weren't enough games made to support each of those controllers. You got maybe 3-4 games dedicated to each controller and that was pretty much it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcks73 Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Best of luck Orrimarrko! Collecting for ColecoVision is awesome! I started 're-collecting' my collection a few weeks ago and it's a blast, not too many titles, much of them are still great fun to play and the best part is that the homebrew ( which I don't own any yet ) community is busting with activity! And another great thing, if not the greatest, is that the chaps around here are all super friendly and cool! Good luck! Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcks73 Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Oh and yes, the wheel and roller are IMO a must have in a CV collection. Not many games for them but boy do these controllers give you a great time, plus they are very cool looking too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orrimarrko Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Thanks guys - for the input and welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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