spacecadet

Dang, and I thought mine was in good shape. Your console and controllers are about the same as mine but your packaging is mint too - that's really rare to find. (Of course, you did pay $290 more than I did!) Oh, I think you also got one of the early ones with the smooth, shiny plastic on the top and bottom. Most 5200's have textured plastic in those areas (click my sig to see an example). My advice is to never touch those controllers. Unless you want to mod them, which some people do, to make them tougher. I prefer to keep mine stock, though; I don't like modding classic stuff. Get a set of the Wico sticks and if you must use the keypads, make sure to get the Y adapters with them. You can pretty safely use the 5200 controller keypad, just not the stick or the fire buttons. Also, do not remove the plastic cover from either the system or the controllers - I'm assuming yours still has this (mine does, and yours is in even better shape than mine is). That way you'll keep the metal pristine.

I'll pick up all three of the new systems. I was disappointed with Nintendo, though - they showed an empty box that wasn't even the final cosmetic design, they showed a new GBA that seems completely pointless, and they gave in to mainstream pressure on the look of Zelda. I'm most excited by the PS3, simply because it has the most power of the three systems (even if it is on paper). But I will buy all of them simply because that's what I do.

They're first-year models just like the Atari ones, so much rarer than the post first-year models. But Sears was the biggest 2600 retailer at that time and they only sold their own brands, so I would bet there are more Sears heavy sixers in existence than there are Atari heavy sixers. Also, most people seem to just want that Atari name a bit more than the Sears name (especially beginning collectors), so they probably get a bit of a premium because of that. That said, I have seen Sears heavy sixers fetch close to $100, depending on the package (on Ebay, of course). I have also seen Atari heavy sixers go for $20-$30. (And yes, I know how to tell the difference - I have one myself.) So it really does depend on condition, accessories included, box or no box, etc. Generally though, I think Atari models are probably worth around 20-30% more, all else being equal.

Great score with all the stuff in boxes, especially... the 5200's one of my favorite systems. I got a similar deal on mine - my games were not boxed but on the plus side I got two perfect-condition and perfectly working controllers, and two perfect Wico sticks with the Y-cables... plus a bunch of games and a boxed system (still with the plastic sheet on the metal) all for $10. That's probably my proudest "find" ever ("found" in my boss's closet, actually). Too bad about your controllers but that is unfortunately not uncommon at all with the 5200... at least you do have the parts to make one fully functional controller out of it.

I don't get it. Why do people like this more than the original Flashback? Yes, I see the marginal improvement in going for emulation vs. portage, but it's still not "the real McCoy" as Infogrames seems to want to convince people it is. It's running on "modern hardware", most likely still an NES-on-a-chip. There's still no cartridge slot. The games that are included may or may not be more faithful than the original Flashback (I'm thinking the sounds will still probably be off, at least, because that's really dependent on the hardware), but it's not some holy grail we're looking at here. The box is nice, but that's about it. Those buttons just do not look right where the old chrome switches are supposed to be. (I'll get one anyway - I got an original FB too.)

Yeah, now I'm convinced the design is real, even if that one image is a render It's a really goofy design if you ask me. Indrema was the first thing I thought too, though even a little goofier (it's even more stretched out in various directions). I guess they did warn us it would be "concave" (not sure why they think that's a selling point). I remember seeing another quote from MS that said something like "once people see the big round nexus, they'll get it". I'm guessing they mean the, uh, power button. Which just looks unnecessarily large. Maybe it's got built-in LED's or something that spin around when it's on - otherwise I don't see why that power button is so big or what's special about it.

Doesn't fit in at all with the image posted at ourcolony.net (which is pseudo-confirmed real, and we do know that that site is MS-affiliated). And that image was an actual photograph. I'd say this rendering is just another bad artist's conception. TXB is pretty well-known for just posting up pretty much everything they lay their hands on and calling it news, calling it confirmed, etc... some of the time they're right but that's bound to happen sometimes when you just put everything on your site. I can pretty much guarantee this is not one of those times, though.

Sometimes I'll go into an EB or Gamestop literally for just a laugh. I'll pick up something if I find something good but really I'm just going to hear the "word on the street". The funny thing is I used to work for a pretty large game publisher and I usually wear my old company jacket (unless it's too warm, but it's my standard winter jacket). Nobody ever puts two and two together, though, and it's funny to listen to these guys talk to customers about my old company's games as if they actually know what they're talking about. Just today I was in EB and a guy came in asking about the PSP version of a certain popular game from my old company that's coming out shortly; the clerk went on this rampage of misinformation about the game, stuff that he had no way of knowing because it's never been publicly announced, and which was all wrong anyway. ("It's a new adventure, but in the same city!" kind of stuff.) He spoke, like all EB employees seem to, with an air of superiority - as in "I AM YOUR VIDEO GAME AUTHORITY. BOW DOWN TO MY SUPERIOR KNOWLEDGE." Now, someday I am no longer gonna know any real current insider info, and maybe I'll actually end up believing some of this garbage they spew as well (though probably not, now that I know first-hand how clueless they are). But it's really funny how these guys act like they're actually part of the video game industry when in reality they are no more that than a theater usher is part of the Hollywood film industry.

I'm not certain of that at all. All of these, AFAIK, were released (and are still available used) for other Sega consoles, so it's not as if you can't get them. There's also MAME if you want real arcade perfection. I'd personally be more likely to buy remakes than arcade-perfect ports, and I'm sure the mass market in both Japan and the United States feels the same way (most people care more about good graphics than arcade-perfect gameplay). I don't know how good or bad the Sega Classics Collection is - it could be terrible for all I know. I'm just saying I think releasing straight ports would not have been that exciting at this point.

I have a hard time playing most of these on the 2600 as well (though I sometimes do just for nostalgia's sake, because I remember them from when I was a kid), but there are some "generic" genre games that came a bit later that I do consider true classics. The game that immediately sprang to mind when I saw you mention racing games was the Sprint series (especially Super Sprint), but there are plenty of others, such as Outrun, Hang On, etc. I even still find the original Pole Position playable, although it's just as frustrating as always with the way you explode instantly on contact with another car. I think there is a lot of room to be creative with racing games. I'm sure there are some modern classics in this genre as well (Daytona USA, Ridge Racer, etc. - I do think these games have a distinct personality and are games I consistently go back to). It's not just all about realism, so it's not just the latest game in the genre that's the best. Same is true, though maybe to a lesser extent, with sports games... it was maybe just after the 2600 when developers got creative and there are still some pretty old games that I consider classic sports games. The original NBA Jam is still a lot of fun to play, as is High Impact Football, Super Baseball 2020, Tournament Cyberball, and even some more generic type pseudo-realistic games like Capcom Baseball. So, IMO, the 2600 sort of shows the roots of these genres, and then right after that there are some definite classics that are still fun to play because developers learned how to sort of branch out a bit and do some different things. It's not just completely about the technology, so the newest game in these genres is not always best.

There have been quite a few Sega Ages releases... they're not all Saturn titles and they weren't to come out on the PlayStation but the PlayStation 2. There were some mistranslations, some bad speculation and some just plain misinformation around the time that this was announced. Here is the Sega Ages web site, though it's very slow for me for some reason... you can see the list of released titles there. Some were Genesis games, some were Saturn games. They're all out for the PS2 now. I believe a few of these have been released in the US, though not as Sega Ages titles but as part of the Sega Classics Collection. I'd heard plans to release the Phantasy Star titles here as well but not sure if that happened or not - I don't see that compilation listed on the US Sega web site.

I think the point made earlier still stands - PDS is a good game. It's one thing to be rare. It's another thing to be rare and good. PDS may not be as rare as, say, Ultimate Beach Volleyball for Xbox (which sold 354 copies), but it is one of the best games for the Saturn. Let's say 14,000 copies of the game were made. Let's generously say 7,000 of those copies still exist (with the rest being trashed in various ways as people dumped their collections - most people have no knowledge of or interest in game rarity, even today). Let's further generously say 4,000 or so of those are locked away in a closet somewhere. That leaves 3,000 potential copies available for sale, of which only a few may be available at any given time. Do you really think there are fewer than 3,000 people in the world that still want to play this game? It's supply and demand. I guarantee there are far more people than that with an interest, and that interest was created not just from the game's rarity but also from its quality. As long as that interest exists, the prices will stay high - not "inflated" or "artificially" high, but exactly as high as the market will bear. Whatever the market says a game is worth is what it's worth, by definition. That doesn't mean that worth is always entirely based on quality - value can mean different things to different people - but it is usually part of the equation unless somebody just needs something to complete a collection. That doesn't mean that in time, people won't forget about the game, or that these 3,000 copies won't change hands enough times that eventually, everybody who wants to will have played the game and grown tired of it. Prices can fall, even on good, scarce games. That doesn't mean the earlier, higher prices were inflated, because any price range for a game reflects the current demand for that game, as compared with supply. Demand can fluctuate, but supply can only ever decline... so as often as not, prices on collectibles just continue going up rather than dropping. Once you're down to only one copy of a game left in existence, all it takes is two people who want it to dictate what it's worth.

Maybe you've just finally grown up - Game Pro has never made any mistake about targetting the 'tween age group. They do not try to hide it.

I've gotta be one of the big Xbox weirdos in that I bought an Xbox on launch day to play Project Gotham and DOA3. I don't even own Halo or Halo 2 and have no real desire to play either one. I may pick them up someday when they hit $10 or so. Games like Halo are games that are popular when they're out, but over the years their flaws become more and more apparent and they're superceded by games in the same genre with better graphics, more action, etc. I usually don't buy games like this much, although you could really say the same about most driving or fighting games too and I'm a sucker for those. I'm usually not impressed by games that don't really have any lasting qualities, though. Katamari Damacy's only real flaws are that it's short and it has some camera issues. The shortness is double-edged, though - for one thing, it's longer than most classic games, and for another, you only think it's short because you don't want it to end. If the game sucked, nobody would be complaining about how short it is. As for the camera issues, that's something pretty much every third-person 3D game has dealt with, and nobody's ever really figured out a satisfactory solution that completely eliminates the problem. So it's not specific to KD. I think it's a game that will be played and remembered for a long time. It's really Namco's return to doing the great puzzle/maze games that they used to be so well-known for, IMO. (Some say that about Mr. Driller, but I always thought that game was a little too simple and boring.)

That is a really good auction, and one I'd love to win even though I'm not entirely convinced of the new-ness of it all But I'm sure it's gonna fetch a mint. Good luck; Intellivision II's often go for quite a bit in this condition even without games, so I'm sure you'll do well.

If I didn't already own a PS2, Katamari Damacy would have pushed me over the top. Would it have sold me on the system at launch if it was the only game I wanted? No, but taking the rest of the PS2's library into account, and the fact that the system's $149 at this point, yes, I would have finally bought a system based on KD if I didn't already own one. The instant I saw this game on TV (on one of G4's stupid review shows) I knew I had to have it. And it's now one of my favorite games on the system. Yeah, it's short, but I have replayed every level about five times and the fun has not diminished. In 10-15 years I predict this game will be remembered a lot better than a lot of the more popular games on the market today.

So since this "prototype" is a "free" bonus, am I right that he's selling Atari 2600 Pac-Man for $200?

Might have been Videogamedepot.com - I don't know if they have a real storefront but I think that's where they're based (or at least they used to be), and that's where I got mine from too. They changed owners a while back so I don't know if it's the new or the old owners that are/were in Minneapolis; I bought mine from the old owners.

Yeah, honestly I know I have several games that use this feature myself but I can't remember what they are now either But I think they work really well. Nintendo took the best of both worlds - the straight analog shoulder buttons of the Saturn 3D pad and Dreamcast, the digital shoulder buttons of the dual shock - and then incorporated both into the GC controller. I love the GC controller. It is by far the most comfortable controller I have ever used - I can play with it all day and my hands never get tired. Almost everything about it just feels right, from the shape to the resistance of the buttons to the button placement. It is a controller that was designed from the ground up to be ergonomic. I agree with whoever said game developers have done it a disservice by forcing the controller to adapt to their games rather than the other way around. I think this stems from Nintendo being in third place in the US and Europe... multi-platform games are created for the PS2 and Xbox controller, and then back-ported to the GameCube. The GameCube controller is also one of the few controllers that seems equally well-suited to people with large and small hands. I'm 6'4 and have humongous hands, and my wife's 5'3 with very small hands. Both of us find the GameCube controller really comfortable. Considering the ergonomic design, I think that's really sort of remarkable - the only other controllers that seem suited to a variety of hand sizes and types are more "open" style controllers like the dual shock or earlier blocky gamepads (controllers not designed to shape your hands in any particular way as you hold them). I do agree with the criticisms of the d-pad and the Z-button - though honestly, I don't have much call to use these in the games I play on the system.

I got an 800XL and a 1050 drive for $15 total, and another 800XL for under $10... and this was on Ebay! I actually ended up putting my 1050 out on the street when I moved - I didn't think it was worth anything at all (and those suckers are huge, I just didn't feel like packing it). Did the same with one of the XL's. Prices have gone up, though, I mean there's no denying it. Still, $150 is a little ridiculous.

The name of that demo was "128 Marios"' date=' not "Mario 128". I've been trying to set people right on this for years, because even the mainstream gaming press pretty frequently gets it wrong. [/quote'] Apparently you have not been very succesful at it. Well, I don't quite have the clout of IGN or Gamespot. I was working right next to those guys at that show, though, and they still get it wrong. Most of the time the guys I see who call it Mario 128 are not the actual guys who were there, though. I'm not saying the new game is not called Mario 128; I said I don't know about that. I'm just saying the tech demo was not called Mario 128, which leads me to believe either the new thing is a totally different, unrelated game, or it is possible that there's a translation issue and people are just assuming it's called Mario 128 when it's really 128 Marios.

The name of that demo was "128 Marios"' date=' not "Mario 128". I've been trying to set people right on this for years, because even the mainstream gaming press pretty frequently gets it wrong. Honestly, with translation issues and whatnot I'm not so sure the real game Nintendo has planned isn't still called "128 Marios" - people assume it's Mario 128 because of the naming conventions used during the 32/64 bit wars, but neither Nintendo nor anybody else uses those bit numbers anymore. The tech demo was called "128 Marios" because it had 128 Marios in it. And just for clarity's sake, I know "128 Marios" is not a translation error because I have a screenshot of the screen taken at that show that clearly says "128 Marios" in English, and Miyamoto's personal, official translator called it that over and over and Miyamoto never corrected him/her (can't remember which it was). I was there, though; I saw it. So either these are two totally separate projects that have nothing to do with each other, or they're the same and the actual title is still "128 Marios", or they changed the name at some point to "Mario 128" for whatever reason. I'm really not clear on what the real answer to that is, but in any case, "Mario 128" is [b']not[/b] the name of the tech demo Nintendo showed 3 years ago, whatever you may read in the press.

I really like the Powerful Pro-kun baseball titles (they're up to like 11 or 12 now)... not GC-exclusive, but best on the GC and definitely import-only... Not too sure what else, honestly.

All color labels, all boxed... not worth $50 to me but I guess at least a couple of these are a little more rare than the two-color label variants...

This isn't anyone's here, is it? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVW Starting bid seems a bit out of whack. More than $100 per system?