Thinking of collecting for the Dreamcast

[shadow460]

Actually, one of my friends has three kids that stay the night sometimes. She's got a 14 year old daughter, and two boys, one ten and one eight.

 

I broke out the FB2 for her ten year old to play, and I'm sure they've all played my Saturn once or twice. Those kids don't tear up anything that isn't theirs. Sure, the one got a tad rougher than I do with the FB2 stick, but not so much as to damage it.

Next time they're over, I might let 'em use the 7800. I'm positive that if I hang around nearby, they won't even come close to breaking anything on it or messing up any of the carts.

My brother and I had our Atari since 1982. I was six or seven when we got it, and twenty years later, most of the games were in excellent condition.

 

Truth be told, it was a blast taking turns with this 10 year old on Caverns of Mars.

 

But yeah, left to do whatever they want with the said game, some kids won't have a playable game after a few minutes.

Just look around for Pokemon games, and you'll see. I've seen two or three with torn labels for each one I've seen with the label intact. I see gashes in the carts, fading, you name it.

[Atarinvader]

I think that you missed the bandwagon by a couple of years on this one. Collecting anything worthwhile on the DC is now very expensive and time consuming. There was a time where retailers (rather foolishly) started to dump off there stock, relised there was still a demand and bumped the prices back up. But for a few weeks after Sega pulled the plug it was heaven.

 

My suggestion would be to keep checking Lik-Sang.com for the trickle of new offical releases that are still happening in Asia. These games will be the ones that will attract BIG money in the future.

[pmpddytim]

I think that you missed the bandwagon by a couple of years on this one. Collecting anything worthwhile on the DC is now very expensive and time consuming. There was a time where retailers (rather foolishly) started to dump off there stock, relised there was still a demand and bumped the prices back up. But for a few weeks after Sega pulled the plug it was heaven.

 

My suggestion would be to keep checking Lik-Sang.com for the trickle of new offical releases that are still happening in Asia. These games will be the ones that will attract BIG money in the future.

1012595[/snapback]

 

What are all these expensive DC items everyone is talking about? Are they harware items? Becasue in my experiences I've only seen maybe 10-15 US games that are in the 30-60 range and have yet to see one over $100. I know the Sambe De Amigo comlete set can go for $150 and some of the Import hardware and promos can go for quite a bit but thats all I'm aware of.

 

-Tim

Edited February 4, 2006 by pmpddytim

[sega saturn x]

You would have been better off if you started a collection a few years ago, but you're still in the green. Despite what a lot of folks are saying about missing the deals which of course you did. A lot fo the best games can still be found very cheaply, and not to many of the good fighting games go over about 40$.

 

I know I'm going to be on the look out for games I want on ebay and in the wild, and I doubt I'll get to scammed on the prices. Dreamcast stuff is still pretty plentiful it just isn't in most stores anymore.

[RxRated]

Because of the hacky way they created more room on the disc, they are extremely sensitive to any kind of dirt or scratches.

1012316[/snapback]

 

 

if you take good care of your games, you shouldnt have any problems, the problems really arise in finding games that are in good condition to begin with. but i have problems with pretty much every optical media system, except for the gamecube

1012321[/snapback]

 

I agree. DC discs are VERY tempermental. I have a couple that will only play after booting them several times. The discs look great..can't see any scratches on them. I thought it was my laser, but same thing in my friends DC. I also have a copy of Soul Calibur that will only load about half of the arenas.

[Smiley]

Actually, the console itself is tempermental and very problematic; I've gone through four dc thus far, and the only reason my current one is still running is because I hardly play it anymore. I love sega, but in all honesty, it wasn't built very well.

 

 

as for games, I'd start collecting some imports. Like most consoles, its best games are the imports..and in this case, some new dc games are still being released (I think) Heck, there is even a thriving community forum for dc owners and enthusiasts that I freqent (www.dcemulation.com)

[8th lutz]

It is getting bad to collect for the dreamcast these days. Good thing I did my buying mostly in 2002. One the first things to get for greamcast games is a DC-x. It is something to play import games on. Going the online route is the best way now days. I am not talking about price, but getting games. Around the area I live there is some dreamcast games, but it is getting smaller.

Edited February 4, 2006 by 8th lutz

[spacecadet]

What are all these expensive DC items everyone is talking about? Are they harware items? Becasue in my experiences I've only seen maybe 10-15 US games that are in the 30-60 range and have yet to see one over $100. I know the Sambe De Amigo comlete set can go for $150 and some of the Import hardware and promos can go for  quite a bit but thats all I'm aware of.

1012620[/snapback]

 

Yeah, I agree. People, look at Ebay - just do a search for Dreamcast. Now, we all know Ebay inflates prices, right? So what are all these games still selling for less than a buck?

 

Sure, those dollar games are all common and a lot of them are not very good (though a lot *are* good - you can get Tennis 2K2 for a buck, for example). But if you just want to start up a collection, the DC is very cheap.

 

There are a *few* rare US-released games, but even these are not *that* expensive. They're only about as expensive as they were new - I've never really seen a single DC game that sold for more than about $50. And the only game I really even see go that high is Power Stone 2.

 

If you're talking about buying in *stores*, then yeah, you can't really find much anymore. But is that a reason not to collect Atari 2600 or Coleco Vision or whatever? You just find games from other sources. That's how collecting works. If you could just walk into a store and buy all their stock and be done, that's not even really collecting, is it?

 

Even the Samba De Amigo maracas are coming down a bit in price. Remember, these cost $80 when new, and they really never came down from that. Now, you can get them for $50-$60. That seems like a lot until you remember what they originally cost and that for a while they were up in the $100 range immediately after they sold out. So I wouldn't say anybody "missed the boat" on these or anything else - prices are still coming down.

[Phineasfool]

I was lucky enough to pick up the official Samba maracas for $30 each a few years ago. Unfortunately my game disk has disappeared and I need to get a new one.

[Chickybaby]

I still say overall it's cheaper to collect Dreamcast then some other systems and while there are a lot of games it's not as many then some others either. I don't think I started Dreamcast to "collect" per say, I just enjoyed what I was playing and wanted more, and more, and more... I think it's a great system with a lot of fun controllers and accessories!

 

Although we haven't finished our US collection and still need a "few"(zillion) games more. I don't even know how many games there are total, but most of the ones we have have been a lot of fun with a good variety of types.

 

I've also not had many problems with my DC - it's really been great, maybe I am lucky. We even had a 9 yr. old beating on the controllers and they've held up quite surprisingly well.

 

Phineasfool indeed you are lucky! *drool* We still have to pick up a set ourselves.

[spacecadet]

Although we haven't finished our US collection and still need a "few"(zillion) games more. I don't even know how many games there are total,  

1012790[/snapback]

 

There are approximately this many.

 

I don't trust that list 100% - and certainly not at all for Japanese releases (there are a ton missing) - but it's probably pretty good for US releases. I just cleaned it up a little for my own sake, took out the Japanese and Euro-only releases and came up with 287 US games. That sounds about right, more or less.

 

There are a few in this list that I'm not positive were ever released in the US even though it doesn't say so, but I've never heard of them. They could just be pretty rare, though.

 

Most of these games can be had for under $5 and they're pretty easy to find. A full US collection wouldn't be too difficult.

[SteveW]

I managed to pick up a pair of the Samba De Amigo maracas, complete in a beaten up box, for $5. I guess the game selling lady at the flea market where I bought them at didn't know how much they were worth. Odd, considering she was selling Atari 5200 common carts for $8 to $10 each. Since I have no rhythm whatsoever, I ended up selling them to MegaManFan.

 

I went into an EBX store earlier this week, and I looked at their second-hand Dreamcast games. They had around 40 games, and only three weren't sports games. Nearly all of the games were NFL titles. The only place where I find a halfway decent selection of DC games is at a flea market. And they're usually in terrible shape.

[sega saturn x]

Most of these games can be had for under $5 and they're pretty easy to find. A full US collection wouldn't be too difficult.

Why you would want a complete collection is another question all together, and one that is well beyond me. Sure it's kind of neat to have every game ever made for a system. But what are you going to do with all of those unplayable junky games, just look at them? Even with the cast a system with a great good to bad ratio for every good game there are still about 5 games you shouldn't even bother playing for free let alone buying them, even if they are cheap. So what's the point of having a complete collection? I just don't understand the mentality.

[Shannon]

I think the only big concern with collection for dreamcast is the quality of the discs. Especially if they are used. Sega took a few shortcuts in the crc redunancy (read error correction) in order to increase the space a little. So the discs are a little more finicky the the average console.

 

Of course it doesn't hurt to have a few backups around.

 

Over the last 5 years I've managed to hit the 73 mark. Far from all of them, but I figured I did pretty well considering I missed the best time to get em. Wish I woulda been making more effort at the time.

 

Ah well. Good luck there are alot of good quality titles for the dreamcast, even if it was limited genre wise.

[jsoper]

I don't even know how many games there are total,  

1012790[/snapback]

256 if I recall correctly, definitely a touch over 250 (not counting unofficial releases since Sega discontinued the console). Almost the same number as the Saturn library, kinda a strange coincidence.

[spacecadet]

them?  Even with the cast a system with a great good to bad ratio for every good game there are still about 5 games you shouldn't even bother playing for free let alone buying them, even if they are cheap.  So what's the point of having a complete collection?  I just don't understand the mentality.

1012907[/snapback]

 

What's the point of doing anything? Why climb a mountain? Because it's there.

 

If you don't understand the mentality, then don't do it. But the point is the collecting itself is what's fun for a lot of people. What's wrong with that? If someone gets satisfaction out of knowing they have every US game for a system, who is that hurting? For them, it's the thrill of the hunt.

 

I've got half a mind to do this now that I've really looked at the list. I'm about halfway there on owning every piece of DC hardware released too (including rare stuff), so to me this is looking like a fun project.

[Artlover]

I mostly caught it at the start of the peak time. Was easy to find all the stores clearing out DC stuff for cheap. Hardware included. Everything was in the $5-10 range. In retrospect, I wish I had been looking for a BBA at the time. I'd really like to have a couple now, but ain't no way I'm paying over a $100 for the thing.

 

Besides that, I've done pretty good. Have 60 games, keyboard, mouse, fishing reel, few extensions, serial coders cable, vga box, 3 regular controllers, 1 3rd party programmable 6 button fighting pad, 4 rumble paks, 4 vmu's, 1 4x mem, and 4 main consoles.

 

I should buy some stock in Duracell and go replace all the vmu batteries (again).

[sega saturn x]

them?  Even with the cast a system with a great good to bad ratio for every good game there are still about 5 games you shouldn't even bother playing for free let alone buying them, even if they are cheap.  So what's the point of having a complete collection?  I just don't understand the mentality.

1012907[/snapback]

 

What's the point of doing anything? Why climb a mountain? Because it's there.

 

If you don't understand the mentality, then don't do it. But the point is the collecting itself is what's fun for a lot of people. What's wrong with that? If someone gets satisfaction out of knowing they have every US game for a system, who is that hurting? For them, it's the thrill of the hunt.

 

I've got half a mind to do this now that I've really looked at the list. I'm about halfway there on owning every piece of DC hardware released too (including rare stuff), so to me this is looking like a fun project.

1013054[/snapback]

I never said there is anything wrong with it, only I don't get it and honestly I still don't. It's the the thrill of the hunt? Why not just hunt good games and systems instead of trying to get them all? Climbing a mountian is great, but that's all you can really do with it. Games are supposed to be played and have fun with right? So why buy bad games you wont play them? The only reason I came up with is just to have them, which again doesn't make much sense to me.

[jsoper]

  Games are supposed to be played and have fun with right?  So why buy bad games you wont play them?  The only reason I came up with is just to have them, which again doesn't make much sense to me.

1013084[/snapback]

Out of curiosity, what do you think of stamp and coin collectors?

[Shannon]

  Games are supposed to be played and have fun with right?  So why buy bad games you wont play them?  The only reason I came up with is just to have them, which again doesn't make much sense to me.

1013084[/snapback]

Out of curiosity, what do you think of stamp and coin collectors?

1013104[/snapback]

 

Waste of time unless you lick every one of them.

 

Sorry... couldn't help myself...

[Famicoman]

I always think that my Dreamcast is the most unique console I have. I love to get homebrews running on it.

[sega saturn x]

  Games are supposed to be played and have fun with right?  So why buy bad games you wont play them?  The only reason I came up with is just to have them, which again doesn't make much sense to me.

1013084[/snapback]

Out of curiosity, what do you think of stamp and coin collectors?

1013104[/snapback]

A lot of the coins and stamps collected seem to be made just for that very purpose, collecting. Plus you can't really do anything with a stamp or coin, they just sit there, getting the most out of stamp or coin collections is really just collecting them.

[bergbros2]

I agree that the best time for collecting was two or threes ago. I loved those EBGames and Gamestop sales that had buy two get one free and 30% off at the same time. Collecting for the system was incredibly inexpensive this way as I got the systems for $15 apiece and games on average for $6.

 

Now, the availabilty has naturally gotten tougher. There are still some EB stores that sell games and consoles in varying conditions and I see them at Gamecrazy and the insanely common ones (read sports games) at Best Buy, Circuit City, Toys R Us for good prices but now the common way to ramp up a collection quiclky is through Ebay. I suggest looking at the above stores and inquire about availability. Collect games that you like first as the beauty of collecting for the Dreamcast is that most of the favorites could be had for dirt cheap. If you still like collecting for the DC, then go for the rarer ones.

 

Remember, you should like the games for the system you are collecting for or else you won't get any enjoyment for it and your system would collect dust and space on a shelf.

[Sonic]

i think that you should definitely get a dreamcast and start collecting i just got one about 2 months ago and i love it i'm playing it tons because now i'm addicted

Edited February 5, 2006 by Sonic

[dgo]

Although a bit expensive sometimes, I think the DC is still an excellent platform to collect for with it's excellent game library.

 

Most games are still pretty cheap, about 10% is starting to get pricy. Most of those are not really rare, but just games which are popular (let's call it the Zelda effect), with the toppers going for $50-$80

 

The quality of the DC GD discs isn't TOO bad imo, as long as you handle them with care. (but I did have several doa's out of the box I remember). The controller ports of the console do have something of a reputation too, but on 3 DC's I didn't encounter this problem myself.

 

You're probably going to collect the US titles? I collected the EU titles (mainly because I really don't care for the standard CD cases of US (and JAP) releases). If you do want EU titles, be sure to pick up a BIG lot of new games, just to get your hands on NEW cases. Although nicer, the EU cases are extremely fragile, and break all the time, even when you try to handle them with care.

 

With some exceptions ,most titles are both released in US and EU, there's about 225 EU titles (I'm @ 95% )

 

This is the most complete list of EU/US titles I know of (in fact, I think it's complete) which comes in extremely handy

 

http://www.pelikonepeijoonit.net/articles/dc/uniques2.html

 

If you want it in xls, shoot me a pm..