I feel you on the overpricing, retro games have been growing in popularity in the last few years and it’s resulting in businesses charging ridiculous amounts! Man I would love to go to Japan though, it looks amazing there 😊 great video man
Holy crap, those prices... is it because of a Sega boom in Japan specifically, or because those shops are like worldwide mecca of old gamer tourists that now have ridiculous ammounts of money to pay for hobby? I mean, sure, it's cool that these shops can even maintain themselves by selling old games for that much... but it's also a bit kinda weird. I'd like to support that sort of thing too, but as a poor guy from the other side of the world it's a bit unimaginable. Honestly, even though I am an old gamer myself and I do love several of the games I lost over the years while moving and whatnot... I probably wouldn't become a collector just because of prices and just plain space it occupies. I kinda just gave up and went fully into digital these days even considering it's disadvantages simply because I don't have the space for physical stuff... my books and comics are already hella expensive to maintain, the little physical media I have I already like put into DVD binders and threw boxes away. And the most likely scenario is that I'll end up reducing things even further... my collection already went through some 3 or 4 rounds of getting rid of non-essencials. Still have my original Dragon Warrior and my original Secret of Mana though. xD Given the steady progress of emulation though, I guess it's kinda understandable? Like the Prada or Louis Vuiton of old gamers. xD We do have FPGA based emulators that can even take the old cartridges and controllers these days, with native HDMI output and all, or composite if you also wanna go the extra mile and get a CRT TV to go with your setup. Thing is, if this is because of tourists... next year prices will go even higher. Oh man, I don't even wanna imagine how crowded Tokyo and places like Akiba will get next year during the Olympics.... it'll be a complete shitshow. I've been there early last year and already it was kinda insane during the cherry blossom's period. Like, some popular spots were basically shoulder to shoulder with people. If I was to go to Japan in 2020, which is very unlikely, I think I'd go the furthest away from tourist destinations possible... sea of Japan side, rural town. Anyways, better luck next time man, thanks for sharing the journey.
You beat me to it. If I still had my Genesis (which I gave up around 2005, after 11 years), and I could go to Japan, I'd probably spend 6 hours in one store looking for 3 or 4 MegaDrive games that I knew I could play in 2 or 3 weeks' time. But I probably wouldn't spend more than $75 for each, maybe $100 if I knew the games to be supremely legendary... ...But $1,000? That's 2 weeks' pay for many, maybe 3 weeks'. The Olympics in Tokyo, and the tourism that it will attract, will drive that price up to $1,500; and sadly, it might not come down when the Olympics are long over with and Paris is preparing for 2024. You'd be VERY tempted to join the MAME brigades.
@Chris Walsh Thanks man! You know the only games that capture the spirit of Japan seems to be the Yakuza/Shenmue series of games I love walking through the towns :)
All SEGA fans deserve to go there. You will see at night the same red lights that flashes the same rythme than in street of rage. It's magic... SEGA fans Mecca.💖.
All SEGA fans deserve to go there. You will see at night the same red lights that flashes the same rythme than in street of rage. It's magic... SEGA fans Mecca.💖.
I feel your pain, haven’t purchased a retro game in 8 months now. I frequent some of the conventions here in the US and will pick up an item or two from some of the vendors I have good relations with but the times of picking up every and anything that looks interesting are gone with. I’m spending more time playing the games I have as opposed to agonizing over the ones I don’t.
I've been a strict physical media collector my entire life, but I recently began emulating games. It's such a relief. I hate all the space the games & consoles take up. All you need is a medium power laptop & virtually all the games for all the consoles are at your fingertips. To keep it "ethical", I try to stay with the older games. I'm not going to be emulating ps4 games or anything like that.
I built my base Saturn collection by raiding the junk pile at that Trader over 8 years ago. So sad to see those days go. The last store that I had really good experience shopping in was a Zest in Yokohama around 2 years ago.
It's ridiculous as the golden era to have truly enjoyed the system has long passed. The import games that are worth it, are Japanese exclusives. Nearly EVERY other top tier Dreamcast title has been updated, remastered, or appears in better ways now that make it less ideal to run on original hardware. Hardware that is now failing more and more and back in the day it was already an issue.
The pricing is ultimately going to ruin the physical retro market. People collecting will be a direct relation to its downfall eventually, that was I think the point Silent Rob was trying to make,it's not a bad thing to collect it's just that some people act like Rockefeller with their collections. That more than anything else will make it a huge problem.
Oh shit another fellow silent Rob viewer. Yeah I agree he was spot on with his argument on how it is impossible to collect nowadays for cheap. I'm just going to look into buying systems that are harder to emulate and then just buying a flash cart loading it up with every game. I'm buying just games I get a really good deal on or if it's something I actually want to play and keep.
Always love these videos! Makes me want to go back to Akihabara so bad! :( the £ against the ¥ is pretty good at the moment so they aren’t quite as expensive compared to the dollar... still some crazy prices though!
I mostly bargain shop for games at yard sales, pawn shops, and flea markets. Tons of deals in the rural midwest. But some things just have to be emulated, just too expensive. The thrill of the hunt is a lot of the fun. There isn't as much fun in just emulating. IMO. Happy Gaming!
OMG! I.was just there today. Shame I didn't see you there filming... would have stopped to say hello. it's an amazing place.... will be going there again tomorrow especially to check the Hey arcade.. the rain hasn't put me off one bit.
Really loving these videos. They get me very excited and make me feel happy when I am feeling a bit down. It would be nice to see some of these shops in person some day.
I stopped buying Sega games about 4 years ago. Saved up for a really nice gaming PC and grabbed all the emulators I could. Ripped my games,downloaded the others,playing in 4K on the RetroArch emulator (Kronos core) for Saturn. No regrets,the games play fine, they look great, and no having to give blood each month to play the games I've always wanted to enjoy. Sooner or later the hardware is gonna give out,then what? Emulation is the way for me. I use that money I would have spent on game purchases towards arcade sticks and retro Saturn usb pads for a more authentic experience. I order from paradise arcade,build my own arcade sticks and enjoy so many of the best Saturn 2D games even more this way. You can still have the oldschool experience,but it doesn't have to break you doing so. Btw-love your videos where you visit these shops. I'm a guy that struggles for real money,work lots of hours but I'm just a common guy,I'll never be able to visit Akihabara in Japan, so these videos bring a big smile to my face. Thanks for making them.
Dude, you need a modded saturn. Play and try games before you buy them. It helps me really focus in on what games to buy. Let me know if I can be of assistance... I do tons of modding!
For the Saturn, it's easy stay away from 3d games and buy 2d games with nice graphics on the back of the box .the worst 2d games on the Saturn was better than one of the best 3d .
I’m having a Pseudo Saturn coming in, but in regards to owning physical: I had a 3 year Ebay and Buyee spree which got me all the low to mid tier saturn and playstation games for significantly less money, even with gigantic shipping fees, getting all that stuff in from Japan. Most I spent was 70 for Cotton 2 for saturn and I think 45 for Gigawing on DC. But also see these auction heavy ebay shops getting kore expensive. I’m glad I have what I have and do not have to start collecting in this era. Great, albeit a tad depressing, video, man 😁 thanks for sharing
I say never give up hunting for retro games, but did invest in Rhea for my Saturn, a SSDS3, a Mega Everdrive and a NeoSD. I want to play the games now, the hunt will never end.
Another great vid/tour Jim! I'm really surprised at the high prices of some of those games, especially after seeing other vids where you've picked up some great finds. That being said, I remember getting rid of my Dreamcast (unfortunately) here in the UK back in the early 2000's, and already the trade-in price I received was quite huge for back then. I think that was only a year after Sega announced the Dreamcast days were over.
I'm in Osaka right now and there's tons of copies of Sonic and Knuckles here. Not many with box however. Cart only was around 40-50 but in box quite a bit more.
i absolutely love your channel;i was born in the 90s so i have some experience with Sony Playstation,Sega Genesis,Sega Dreamcast and Playstation 2 and Nintendo Game cube and Nintendo 64 back in the day even the game boy,i love retro systems and some modern stuff like Playstation 3 and Playstation 4,also Nintendo ds,Nintendo 3ds,Nintendo Switch is one of my favorite systems,i even have the Xbox One
The prices have definitely reached crazy levels, both my MSX and SG-1000 collections have slowed to a crawl, simply due to both availability of the titles I am after and how much they are going for. And I am of course stuck with e-Bay and Facebook groups. Does there seem to be any SG-1000 titles around still or is mainly Japanese Megadrive?
Great video again these uploads are much appreciated. Wow those prices in Akiba are crazy now they were bad last year when I went and were more reasonable on my first visit five years ago. I decided to sell my console game collection but still want to play on original hardware so ive gone the everdrive route and picked up a GDemu for Dreamcast and Rhea for the Saturn I refuse to pay those crazy prices now. The only thing I still collect for now is big box pc games some of those can be expensive but not in the same league as console game prices. Hope you do a video of Mikado sometime love that arcade.
Great Videos as always Jim keep up the awesome work It's been a while since Ive visited Japan so for now Ill keep living the dream watching your videos.
It's fun to get out and see if you find something, you just gotta stick to what you know you want. And then hope to find something special. But yeah sometimes ya just to get anything at all. Where I live we have nothing like the stores in Japan or America for that matter.
prices are nuts when I collected in like 2007 prior to college and married life stuff was so much cheaper these days its everdrives and mods for me I have neither the space nor money. Great video as always its never a bust for us getting to tour japan for a bit
I really want a copy of Hyper Duel as well. I'm almost to the point where I'm willing to spend stupid money on some of those Saturn shmups. While paying that much would suck, I do replay my shooters quite a bit. Really cool to see that Phantasy Star commercial!
Love the theme of this video - balancing selection vs price. Something "normal" retorgamers can relate to. Also, it's just insane to see how many Saturn games are available. I gotta get to Japan someday.
Deff don't give up hope!! If video game collecting is ur passion n it's wat makes u happy u can't let one empty hunt get u down bud! Love the videos n just got a 60 to 72 pin adaptor so I can finally play some famicom. FINALLY!! keep these awesome videos coming bc if im having an off day I can watch one of ur videos n it makes my day n gets me in the mood to play some games!👍👍
Don't give up! There's always possibilities in the future. I've bought several "rare" games in the last year at lower prices than I had seen before - so you never know.
Loving the format with the old ads. Like that Quentin Tarantino movie. Really enjoyed it! I know Radical Reggie does similiar stuff, throws in skits in intervals, pretty cool cause it makes use of old content that people might not have seen. Im from Australia so I love seeing all tbe gaming ads from America and other places. Love your style of games man!!!! Im playing alot of PS1 since I'm filling up my PS1 classic with pretty much shmups, arcade and RPG goodness! Its agreat lil system now hey. Def glad I got one! Anyway, PEACE M8
Oh I buy physical media too but for example I'm looking into more survival horror titles and theres this game which doesn't look gd but it has 3 different covers, one is pretty cool/gory looking. Its called Hellnight. And its over $200 on Ebay. Like its so much. But even looking for an iso/rom I can't find it anywhere hey. Like most PS1 sites have even imports and stuff but this games impossible. I thought though where you are hey it may be cheaper and easier to find. If u know much about this title then let me know how much u can find it for? Id appreciate it so much. Like, one of the covers I swear 2nd hand places would just sell it for whatever, doesn't look like anything special. But the one with this really cool torn flesh zombie/human/monster on it looks awesome. Its on Instagram a bit. A couple people have posted it upon buying it but anyway. I might look it up on YT just to see some footage. Anyway, peace buddy!!! If theres anything here u want I'll endeavour to help.
Dude, this kinda helped me out. I was wondering how prices were on import games, in a store in Japan, compared to Ebay or Amazon. And sadly, well... about the same, maybe more. I'd really like to get Cotton Boomerang but for $300, I'm going to have to pass for a while. I've wanted to add that Cutie Sasuzki game to my collection but haven't seen one for $25. When it comes to emulation vs physical, I like physical. But for the more expensive ones, emulation. I do have a question though: where is a good place in Japan to buy arcade PCBs? Impractical, Cave ones. That's for this video man, I hope you find BK3 for a decent price.
I guess the games you can't find as of now will probably be available at some later point at some random place and you'll eventually get them and appreciate these titles even more because these were the games you were after for a while and they'll become somewhat valuable to you not because of the rarity, but because of being proud to finally own them in your collection :)
I started collecting retro video games in 1999. Back then you could go every week into Value Village or Goodwill and there was Sega Genesis and SNES games for the picking since back then no one though about collect retro video games except a few. Gamestop use to mark PS1 games price down like crazy when the PS2 came out and I got 80% of all my PS1 collection from them. Now everyone is into retro video games and it is a expense hobby to get into nowadays.
Thanks for sharing your search. I fully intend to continue purchasing expensive games. I budget for console mods and expensive games (so it takes time, which gives me the time to play what I have). Having mods (and ODEs) and everdrives help me determine whether a game (for me) is worth owning a legit copy. I won't spend money on shovelware or impulses. I also look to see what console version of a particular game is the most complete experience/provides most enjoyment. I usually buy via eBay. I've attempted to find games at retro stores or expos (like Portland). But eBay nowadays is, for the most part, the cheaper option. In the past I thought to save for a trip to Japan but the prices you are showing are equal or more than what I see on eBay. If I still go to Japan, I'll be focusing my time at the arcades.
Holy shit dude, I mean, I see prices like that here in Taipei, but I had no idea they were that high in Akiba now too! Wow, well, I guess I can don't need to rush to take that Tokyo trip anytime soon after all! lol (although it would be wicked to meet up with you for beers and pick your brain about Japan and retro collecting)
Hay Jim great video 👍 I feel your pain I've been wanting phantasy Star for the master system for a long long time but I just can't justify paying between 90 & 100 dollars for one game. Never give up hope keep on keeping on my friend
So a few words of advice. Every country is going to be different. I live in the US so I have access to more thrift stores then you and yard sales. I find most of my games via yard sales. An example. Yesterday I picked up a boxed N64 with 9 games and 3 spare controllers. Quality games too. Bomberman 64, Super Smash Bros to name a few. For $70. BUT I should mention I live in an area with a lot of competition. Other collectors and TONS of resellers. So that find? Yeah great but I haven't had a find like that in half a year or more. My point is what works for others, might not work for you. I'm pro physical media all the way. But some games are just impossible to get. Stadium Events on the NES comes to mind. I'm never going to get that game unless I magically find it at a yard sale...who knows right? For games that are ridiculously expensive, I'm fine with emulating. Because screw paying that much. Seeing the prices in this video for some of these games (like that Sailor Moon game at Super Potato on the Mega Drive for almost $130...) would make any collector depressed if they're after those games! Now yes I'd love to own that Sailor Moon game since I'm a huge fan of all SM stuff but...not at that price. I'd be ok with trying to get it online to physically own it but until then...emulation. So I think emulate until you can afford to buy it or until you find it cheap. Give it a shot at the very least to see if you even like the game in the first place. Some of these expensive games aren't worth it IMO. They're just expensive because they're "rare" not because they're good. Earthbound comes to mind here. Ok game but not worth the price! Anyways what stops me from getting too depressed is I have multiple things to help. One, I collect more then games. So this one might not work for you since you have limited space but I find collecting toys helps. So when I go to yard sales or thrift stores that have NO games at all, I'll look at the toys and find some cool figures or things I used to play with as a kid and buy them. Keeps me happy. I collect books, movies, anime/manga related items, toys, figures, plushies, board games and so on. A lot of stuff. So I usually never end up walking away empty handed. Two, I find cheap games on systems that not a lot of people care about. For instance Xbox. Over here, it's a common system that so many people had that the games are dirt cheap. I can pick up some great games for less then $5. That way you're at least buying games if you don't want to buy random stuff. So do some digging into what consoles in Japan are cheap to collect for and are of interest to you. Start collecting for it to take the sting out of not getting the games on your wishlist. Three, this one is going to be hard but...wait it out. I have a theory. Games are expensive because they're collectable right now...right? Ok...why? People are collecting old games...because? Nostalgia. They want to relive their childhoods. Most collectors are about mid 30s or older, there are some younger (I'm 27) but by far a lot seem to be that age range. Ok. Mid 30s, probably have a family, few kids, works...kids are expensive (buying clothes, feeding them, caring for them, school/college) they're going to need money...so do they work more hours? Maybe. But selling stuff off is a great way to earn cash fast. So working all the time, taking care of kids...no time to play those old games they had to have a few years ago because nostalgia. Sell them off because it's just money sitting there collecting dust! Demand falls, supply rises. Prices fall. So people getting older will age out the demand for games. It'll also mean more collectors will age into health issues. Gamers on a whole seem to be unhealthy (from what I've seen...myself included) we have health issues (weight, heart issues, or even mental health issues!) so the chances of us dying early...fairly good. When we die, our families sell off our collections for cheap, flooding the market with games. Again, supply and demand. So waiting is a good idea. It's my plan to deal with these stupid prices. I'm waiting till all these fad collectors die off and I can reap the rewards. Heartless? Maybe but it's life. You live, you die, world keeps going. So idk if my advice is actually advice or if it'll even work but...keep going at it. I would really recommend at least emulating the expensive stuff while you wait for prices to drop or wait till you have enough to buy them. So you can play them in the mean time.
I feel you man, the prices are outrageous here in the US and I see a lot of the Imports are getting out of hand too. Some of the games I've been wanting I've just been buying online, because the stories are usually the same price or higher
I absolutely love your game hunting videos. I say you should eat the cost on games that you want to play immediately. I shop at thrift stores and find games for cheap, but they aren't ones that I necessarily want to play immediately. Ultimately, I could have used that money for games that I actually wanted to play.
When a company no longer produces a physical product it becomes very rare very fast these days. In Japan it's less of a problem,or at least it once was now that everyone in the world is going to Japan to get the goods (or order) to collect games.
I resort to online buying, I go to my stores in Tampa and they have Shadowrun for the SNES for 55 bucks. I go to Ebay and pay 37 shipped with a great label. Its bullshit.
Buy the Mega SG from Analogue! It's not emulation. It's FPGA. You can play your cartridges from Mega Drive to Sega Mark III/ Master System. Also there is an SD card slot on the side. No doubt there will be an officially non official jailbreak that will allow you to put a massive SEGA rom collection on there and it plays exactly like real hardware. Only on an HDTV. 0 input lag! Everdrives work on there too!
I used to import and collect a long time ago. I remember going there when I was in Japan and buying lots of stuff. I do mostly digital now but would love to go look around Akihabara again. P.S. Fire Pro Wrestling was always my go to wrestling game you probably have played it but the customization was fantastic. I started playing it on the Dreamcast. Remember the upload community on the internet at the time having tournament's with player built chars.
Hold out hope, I'm sure you be able to get what you want and if you really want something you can try to save up for it, but damn Sega prices are high in Japan. I just started collecting for the Sega Master System here in Australia and most of the boxed games I came across for the system are between $10aud - $50aud.
i really want to start collecting neo geo, the prices for carts runs high but i am considering a full collection of arcade boards which tend to run for next to nothing. i just won't get that sweet box art... other than that it's raspberry pi 3b+ all the way and never looking back. i get to download every game from any region plus all of the cool hacks/mods.
Jim, check out the Rhea and Phoebe for Saturn. Play games off an SD card on original hardware, similar to a ROM cart. Its way better than emulation. There is also the gdemu for Dreamcast. For Mega Drive / Genesis, the Krikzz ROM cart.
The prices are a lot cheaper online. I try to buy cart or disc only because I don't have room for cases. Games that are to expensive for the average person I don't even bother with. Multicarts or reproduction for my Mega Drive , SNES, and NES games.
There is a console on Play-Asia that plays Super Famicom and GBA cartridges. It's called Retro 3. I was wondering if you knew about it, and wondered if the GBA slot was region free.
Why are some of these Mega Drive games so expensive? Are they still sealed or something cause even online I've rarely seen Japanese Mega Drive games for such a high price.
Jim, even in the US. Collecting the physical media feels like a fools errand - specially with Sega systems. I have broken down to getting the physical copies of the “must haves” because it is just too damn expensive otherwise.
Addmitedlly I just spent about $400 in Japan recently and picked up quite a few goodies I've wanted or mushihimesama and dodonpachi for PS2 but I spent a little more than I know I should of for them but if I lived in Japan there's no way I would of paid the prices I did. Bide your time and hopefully you will stumble across some good deals of your lucky. I definitely managed a couple of great ones during my stay in Kyoto and Osaka. Unfortunately for game collecting it's just getting harder and harder price wise and it's a real bummer.
I have a modded original Xbox with about 2,500 game Roms , I paid 165.00 off of eBay, now I still collect physical media for my Dreamcast love it will never get rid of it, also own ps4 , Dreamcast gets played the most...
You cannot blame the Japanese with prices, they have caught on to whats been happening over the years that western people have been buying up cheap games and then selling them once they get home ( to where ever they live ) then turning in a tidy profit once they sell on. So the prices in Japan now are i dont wont to sell you prices. What i dont get is prices of like sonic, mario games there are millions of them. There will be places you will stumble across that have super cheap games, but they will be well out of major cities. What you should do is take a game in that you know is expensive in their shop and actually see how much they offer for it, youll then gage at what they offer to what they sell, You can bet your life they will at least try and triple what they bought for...
Really nice video :) I'm in the same boat as you for Hyper Duel for the Saturn, it's the last Shoot'em up for the Saturn that I want / need but I'm not willing to pay these prices for it ;). Thank god I have a CIB Japanese Sonic & Knuckles - it's so hard to find the Japanese version CIB because it came in a stupid cardboard box. I know what you are trying to say that these high prices burn you out on collecting. I go the opposite way then, I love getting good & cheap Famicom games at the moment for example. If the price for a game is too high, the rule is simple - DON'T BUY IT :).
Yeah... I am myself at this point at the moment... I realy wan't "the real thing", but the prices are killing me... Now I have few reproductions... and I like them... but I am not sure about my feelings towards it... an Everdrive would done the same and I could play any game on it... and of course... the RaspberryPi3 with the emulated systems are just a armlength away...
Wow at that streets of rage ish intro. Don’t fully quit yet, I would have bought the capcom snk 2 and jo jo, those seem inline with current eBay prices.
Also man never give up hope the market is always in a state of flux but deals can be had you just have to be patient sometimes. Some of the best deals personally I have gotten thru making great friendships with other like minded people.
It really depends on what type of gamer/collector you are? I wish I could go the emulator way, but I can’t. I love game box instructions to much, I guess I’m stuck in the past? I don’t want to pay a lot for games, so I look in to where the prices is still not that crazy yet... ps2-ps4 , Xbox , wii. I prefer to collect 16 bit stuff.
I suggest going to emulators, simple and cheap. But if you want the middle point go with an Everdrive, why not? I would buy one myself if I had any working retro console.
As retro gaming turned into a speculator market and collections now define the identity of gamers and youtubers...prices are at an all time high. It's unsustainable, as the rarity of a lot of games are exaggerated due to speculators. The era of finding cheap games is dead, but this notion that games will only go up and up is insane. I saw the sports card and comic book market take hard hits because of this attitude and neither ever recovered the highs of their 1990s era. At some point retro nostalgia will fade and change as new generations prioritize gaming differently. As sad as it may be to hear for some, boxed NES games won't command the reverence we see now and those willing to pay top dollar will shrink. Emulation isn't killing the retro scene it's the very attitudes behind collecting.
If I were to go to Japan, which would be good to bring back to Cali and sell on Ebay for great prices? I'd need a good slot machine jackpot win to go, heh.
Honestly, I think you’re better off buying online. I bought Bare Knuckle III cib in December off of ebay for $90 usd. Not an amazing price, but much better than the store in this video. Good luck on Metal Black, I’m after that one too.
I feel you on the overpricing, retro games have been growing in popularity in the last few years and it’s resulting in businesses charging ridiculous amounts! Man I would love to go to Japan though, it looks amazing there 😊 great video man
Holy crap, those prices... is it because of a Sega boom in Japan specifically, or because those shops are like worldwide mecca of old gamer tourists that now have ridiculous ammounts of money to pay for hobby?
I mean, sure, it's cool that these shops can even maintain themselves by selling old games for that much... but it's also a bit kinda weird. I'd like to support that sort of thing too, but as a poor guy from the other side of the world it's a bit unimaginable.
Honestly, even though I am an old gamer myself and I do love several of the games I lost over the years while moving and whatnot... I probably wouldn't become a collector just because of prices and just plain space it occupies. I kinda just gave up and went fully into digital these days even considering it's disadvantages simply because I don't have the space for physical stuff... my books and comics are already hella expensive to maintain, the little physical media I have I already like put into DVD binders and threw boxes away. And the most likely scenario is that I'll end up reducing things even further... my collection already went through some 3 or 4 rounds of getting rid of non-essencials.
Still have my original Dragon Warrior and my original Secret of Mana though. xD
Given the steady progress of emulation though, I guess it's kinda understandable? Like the Prada or Louis Vuiton of old gamers. xD
We do have FPGA based emulators that can even take the old cartridges and controllers these days, with native HDMI output and all, or composite if you also wanna go the extra mile and get a CRT TV to go with your setup.
Thing is, if this is because of tourists... next year prices will go even higher. Oh man, I don't even wanna imagine how crowded Tokyo and places like Akiba will get next year during the Olympics.... it'll be a complete shitshow. I've been there early last year and already it was kinda insane during the cherry blossom's period. Like, some popular spots were basically shoulder to shoulder with people. If I was to go to Japan in 2020, which is very unlikely, I think I'd go the furthest away from tourist destinations possible... sea of Japan side, rural town.
Anyways, better luck next time man, thanks for sharing the journey.
You beat me to it. If I still had my Genesis (which I gave up around 2005, after 11 years), and I could go to Japan, I'd probably spend 6 hours in one store looking for 3 or 4 MegaDrive games that I knew I could play in 2 or 3 weeks' time. But I probably wouldn't spend more than $75 for each, maybe $100 if I knew the games to be supremely legendary...
...But $1,000? That's 2 weeks' pay for many, maybe 3 weeks'. The Olympics in Tokyo, and the tourism that it will attract, will drive that price up to $1,500; and sadly, it might not come down when the Olympics are long over with and Paris is preparing for 2024. You'd be VERY tempted to join the MAME brigades.
That first 10 seconds reminded me of Streets of Rage intro. Man I wish I could go to Japan :(
@Chris Walsh Thanks man! You know the only games that capture the spirit of Japan seems to be the Yakuza/Shenmue series of games I love walking through the towns :)
@@sipscha I feel ya. I just hope that one day we can both go to those locations in the games in real life :3
All SEGA fans deserve to go there. You will see at night the same red lights that flashes the same rythme than in street of rage. It's magic...
SEGA fans Mecca.💖.
All SEGA fans deserve to go there. You will see at night the same red lights that flashes the same rythme than in street of rage. It's magic...
SEGA fans Mecca.💖.
and all with an umbrella reminds me the intro of yakuza
I feel your pain, haven’t purchased a retro game in 8 months now. I frequent some of the conventions here in the US and will pick up an item or two from some of the vendors I have good relations with but the times of picking up every and anything that looks interesting are gone with. I’m spending more time playing the games I have as opposed to agonizing over the ones I don’t.
I've been a strict physical media collector my entire life, but I recently began emulating games. It's such a relief. I hate all the space the games & consoles take up. All you need is a medium power laptop & virtually all the games for all the consoles are at your fingertips. To keep it "ethical", I try to stay with the older games. I'm not going to be emulating ps4 games or anything like that.
I built my base Saturn collection by raiding the junk pile at that Trader over 8 years ago. So sad to see those days go. The last store that I had really good experience shopping in was a Zest in Yokohama around 2 years ago.
Dreamcast game prices are increasing quite a bit. I've been hunting down imports for Dreamcast and didn't realize that prices increased so much.
It's ridiculous as the golden era to have truly enjoyed the system has long passed. The import games that are worth it, are Japanese exclusives. Nearly EVERY other top tier Dreamcast title has been updated, remastered, or appears in better ways now that make it less ideal to run on original hardware. Hardware that is now failing more and more and back in the day it was already an issue.
The pricing is ultimately going to ruin the physical retro market.
People collecting will be a direct relation to its downfall eventually, that was I think the point Silent Rob was trying to make,it's not a bad thing to collect it's just that some people act like Rockefeller with their collections.
That more than anything else will make it a huge problem.
Oh shit another fellow silent Rob viewer. Yeah I agree he was spot on with his argument on how it is impossible to collect nowadays for cheap. I'm just going to look into buying systems that are harder to emulate and then just buying a flash cart loading it up with every game. I'm buying just games I get a really good deal on or if it's something I actually want to play and keep.
Always love these videos! Makes me want to go back to Akihabara so bad! :( the £ against the ¥ is pretty good at the moment so they aren’t quite as expensive compared to the dollar... still some crazy prices though!
I love the old commercials in between but I’d like to see the walk through the streets to the stores. Give us the whole experience of being there
I mostly bargain shop for games at yard sales, pawn shops, and flea markets. Tons of deals in the rural midwest. But some things just have to be emulated, just too expensive. The thrill of the hunt is a lot of the fun. There isn't as much fun in just emulating. IMO. Happy Gaming!
The music in the background in the store is from lufia 2
It's great to see Dreamcast games around, but those prices are crazy.
OMG! I.was just there today. Shame I didn't see you there filming... would have stopped to say hello. it's an amazing place.... will be going there again tomorrow especially to check the Hey arcade.. the rain hasn't put me off one bit.
Really loving these videos. They get me very excited and make me feel happy when I am feeling a bit down. It would be nice to see some of these shops in person some day.
I stopped buying Sega games about 4 years ago. Saved up for a really nice gaming PC and grabbed all the emulators I could. Ripped my games,downloaded the others,playing in 4K on the RetroArch emulator (Kronos core) for Saturn. No regrets,the games play fine, they look great, and no having to give blood each month to play the games I've always wanted to enjoy. Sooner or later the hardware is gonna give out,then what? Emulation is the way for me. I use that money I would have spent on game purchases towards arcade sticks and retro Saturn usb pads for a more authentic experience. I order from paradise arcade,build my own arcade sticks and enjoy so many of the best Saturn 2D games even more this way. You can still have the oldschool experience,but it doesn't have to break you doing so. Btw-love your videos where you visit these shops. I'm a guy that struggles for real money,work lots of hours but I'm just a common guy,I'll never be able to visit Akihabara in Japan, so these videos bring a big smile to my face. Thanks for making them.
Dude, you need a modded saturn. Play and try games before you buy them. It helps me really focus in on what games to buy. Let me know if I can be of assistance... I do tons of modding!
Back At the time we use to ask opinions to friends before buy a game
For the Saturn, it's easy stay away from 3d games and buy 2d games with nice graphics on the back of the box .the worst 2d games on the Saturn was better than one of the best 3d .
in japan its illegal to mod or hack your consoles now they passed a law a few months ago about it
@@KyleYoung2012 people break laws all the time
Love looking around these game shops
As seeing those old adverts... brilliant ☺
I’m having a Pseudo Saturn coming in, but in regards to owning physical: I had a 3 year Ebay and Buyee spree which got me all the low to mid tier saturn and playstation games for significantly less money, even with gigantic shipping fees, getting all that stuff in from Japan. Most I spent was 70 for Cotton 2 for saturn and I think 45 for Gigawing on DC. But also see these auction heavy ebay shops getting kore expensive. I’m glad I have what I have and do not have to start collecting in this era. Great, albeit a tad depressing, video, man 😁 thanks for sharing
I say never give up hunting for retro games, but did invest in Rhea for my Saturn, a SSDS3, a Mega Everdrive and a NeoSD. I want to play the games now, the hunt will never end.
Great fun watching this video while staring on my japanese Sonic & Knuckles in my stock.
Another great vid/tour Jim!
I'm really surprised at the high prices of some of those games, especially after seeing other vids where you've picked up some great finds.
That being said, I remember getting rid of my Dreamcast (unfortunately) here in the UK back in the early 2000's, and already the trade-in price I received was quite huge for back then. I think that was only a year after Sega announced the Dreamcast days were over.
Thanks for rainy Akiba tour! I visit flea markets and search for old games. Are there any kind of flea markets in your area?
I'm in Osaka right now and there's tons of copies of Sonic and Knuckles here. Not many with box however. Cart only was around 40-50 but in box quite a bit more.
Thanks for the video. Great timing, I just landed in Tokyo yesterday.
I hope you enjoy your time here!
i absolutely love your channel;i was born in the 90s so i have some experience with Sony Playstation,Sega Genesis,Sega Dreamcast and Playstation 2 and Nintendo Game cube and Nintendo 64 back in the day even the game boy,i love retro systems and some modern stuff like Playstation 3 and Playstation 4,also Nintendo ds,Nintendo 3ds,Nintendo Switch is one of my favorite systems,i even have the Xbox One
Go with an Everdrive! Prices down under are so ridiculous that Mario on NES costs $25-30.
Love this idea of just shopping for a specific console Jim, looking forward to future installments of specific games hunting. 👍🏼
the box art on those games is simply amazing
The prices have definitely reached crazy levels, both my MSX and SG-1000 collections have slowed to a crawl, simply due to both availability of the titles I am after and how much they are going for. And I am of course stuck with e-Bay and Facebook groups.
Does there seem to be any SG-1000 titles around still or is mainly Japanese Megadrive?
Great video again these uploads are much appreciated. Wow those prices in Akiba are crazy now they were bad last year when I went and were more reasonable on my first visit five years ago. I decided to sell my console game collection but still want to play on original hardware so ive gone the everdrive route and picked up a GDemu for Dreamcast and Rhea for the Saturn I refuse to pay those crazy prices now. The only thing I still collect for now is big box pc games some of those can be expensive but not in the same league as console game prices. Hope you do a video of Mikado sometime love that arcade.
Great Videos as always Jim keep up the awesome work It's been a while since Ive visited Japan so for now Ill keep living the dream watching your videos.
It's fun to get out and see if you find something, you just gotta stick to what you know you want.
And then hope to find something special.
But yeah sometimes ya just to get anything at all.
Where I live we have nothing like the stores in Japan or America for that matter.
prices are nuts when I collected in like 2007 prior to college and married life stuff was so much cheaper these days its everdrives and mods for me I have neither the space nor money. Great video as always its never a bust for us getting to tour japan for a bit
Even with high prices for retro games, Akihabara is always a fun trip.
I really want a copy of Hyper Duel as well. I'm almost to the point where I'm willing to spend stupid money on some of those Saturn shmups. While paying that much would suck, I do replay my shooters quite a bit. Really cool to see that Phantasy Star commercial!
Love the theme of this video - balancing selection vs price. Something "normal" retorgamers can relate to. Also, it's just insane to see how many Saturn games are available. I gotta get to Japan someday.
Deff don't give up hope!! If video game collecting is ur passion n it's wat makes u happy u can't let one empty hunt get u down bud! Love the videos n just got a 60 to 72 pin adaptor so I can finally play some famicom. FINALLY!! keep these awesome videos coming bc if im having an off day I can watch one of ur videos n it makes my day n gets me in the mood to play some games!👍👍
But games don't breed lol
what game is that music from playing at 15:13?
It's from Battlemania Daiginjou on the Mega Drive, great soundtrack on that one.
@@MadPanicGaming thanks you have great taste in videogame music ;)
Don't give up! There's always possibilities in the future. I've bought several "rare" games in the last year at lower prices than I had seen before - so you never know.
Loving the format with the old ads. Like that Quentin Tarantino movie. Really enjoyed it! I know Radical Reggie does similiar stuff, throws in skits in intervals, pretty cool cause it makes use of old content that people might not have seen. Im from Australia so I love seeing all tbe gaming ads from America and other places. Love your style of games man!!!! Im playing alot of PS1 since I'm filling up my PS1 classic with pretty much shmups, arcade and RPG goodness! Its agreat lil system now hey. Def glad I got one! Anyway, PEACE M8
Oh I buy physical media too but for example I'm looking into more survival horror titles and theres this game which doesn't look gd but it has 3 different covers, one is pretty cool/gory looking. Its called Hellnight. And its over $200 on Ebay. Like its so much. But even looking for an iso/rom I can't find it anywhere hey. Like most PS1 sites have even imports and stuff but this games impossible. I thought though where you are hey it may be cheaper and easier to find. If u know much about this title then let me know how much u can find it for? Id appreciate it so much. Like, one of the covers I swear 2nd hand places would just sell it for whatever, doesn't look like anything special. But the one with this really cool torn flesh zombie/human/monster on it looks awesome. Its on Instagram a bit. A couple people have posted it upon buying it but anyway. I might look it up on YT just to see some footage. Anyway, peace buddy!!! If theres anything here u want I'll endeavour to help.
Dude, this kinda helped me out. I was wondering how prices were on import games, in a store in Japan, compared to Ebay or Amazon. And sadly, well... about the same, maybe more. I'd really like to get Cotton Boomerang but for $300, I'm going to have to pass for a while. I've wanted to add that Cutie Sasuzki game to my collection but haven't seen one for $25. When it comes to emulation vs physical, I like physical. But for the more expensive ones, emulation. I do have a question though: where is a good place in Japan to buy arcade PCBs? Impractical, Cave ones. That's for this video man, I hope you find BK3 for a decent price.
I guess the games you can't find as of now will probably be available at some later point at some random place and you'll eventually get them and appreciate these titles even more because these were the games you were after for a while and they'll become somewhat valuable to you not because of the rarity, but because of being proud to finally own them in your collection :)
I started collecting retro video games in 1999. Back then you could go every week into Value Village or Goodwill and there was Sega Genesis and SNES games for the picking since back then no one though about collect retro video games except a few. Gamestop use to mark PS1 games price down like crazy when the PS2 came out and I got 80% of all my PS1 collection from them. Now everyone is into retro video games and it is a expense hobby to get into nowadays.
Thanks for sharing your search. I fully intend to continue purchasing expensive games. I budget for console mods and expensive games (so it takes time, which gives me the time to play what I have). Having mods (and ODEs) and everdrives help me determine whether a game (for me) is worth owning a legit copy. I won't spend money on shovelware or impulses. I also look to see what console version of a particular game is the most complete experience/provides most enjoyment. I usually buy via eBay. I've attempted to find games at retro stores or expos (like Portland). But eBay nowadays is, for the most part, the cheaper option. In the past I thought to save for a trip to Japan but the prices you are showing are equal or more than what I see on eBay. If I still go to Japan, I'll be focusing my time at the arcades.
Holy shit dude, I mean, I see prices like that here in Taipei, but I had no idea they were that high in Akiba now too! Wow, well, I guess I can don't need to rush to take that Tokyo trip anytime soon after all! lol (although it would be wicked to meet up with you for beers and pick your brain about Japan and retro collecting)
If you want a cheap Metal Black, it's on the PS2 Taito collections.
Thanks! I was not aware of that.
Hay Jim great video 👍 I feel your pain I've been wanting phantasy Star for the master system for a long long time but I just can't justify paying between 90 & 100 dollars for one game. Never give up hope keep on keeping on my friend
So a few words of advice. Every country is going to be different. I live in the US so I have access to more thrift stores then you and yard sales. I find most of my games via yard sales. An example. Yesterday I picked up a boxed N64 with 9 games and 3 spare controllers. Quality games too. Bomberman 64, Super Smash Bros to name a few. For $70. BUT I should mention I live in an area with a lot of competition. Other collectors and TONS of resellers. So that find? Yeah great but I haven't had a find like that in half a year or more. My point is what works for others, might not work for you.
I'm pro physical media all the way. But some games are just impossible to get. Stadium Events on the NES comes to mind. I'm never going to get that game unless I magically find it at a yard sale...who knows right? For games that are ridiculously expensive, I'm fine with emulating. Because screw paying that much. Seeing the prices in this video for some of these games (like that Sailor Moon game at Super Potato on the Mega Drive for almost $130...) would make any collector depressed if they're after those games! Now yes I'd love to own that Sailor Moon game since I'm a huge fan of all SM stuff but...not at that price. I'd be ok with trying to get it online to physically own it but until then...emulation. So I think emulate until you can afford to buy it or until you find it cheap. Give it a shot at the very least to see if you even like the game in the first place. Some of these expensive games aren't worth it IMO. They're just expensive because they're "rare" not because they're good. Earthbound comes to mind here. Ok game but not worth the price!
Anyways what stops me from getting too depressed is I have multiple things to help. One, I collect more then games. So this one might not work for you since you have limited space but I find collecting toys helps. So when I go to yard sales or thrift stores that have NO games at all, I'll look at the toys and find some cool figures or things I used to play with as a kid and buy them. Keeps me happy. I collect books, movies, anime/manga related items, toys, figures, plushies, board games and so on. A lot of stuff. So I usually never end up walking away empty handed. Two, I find cheap games on systems that not a lot of people care about. For instance Xbox. Over here, it's a common system that so many people had that the games are dirt cheap. I can pick up some great games for less then $5. That way you're at least buying games if you don't want to buy random stuff. So do some digging into what consoles in Japan are cheap to collect for and are of interest to you. Start collecting for it to take the sting out of not getting the games on your wishlist. Three, this one is going to be hard but...wait it out. I have a theory.
Games are expensive because they're collectable right now...right? Ok...why? People are collecting old games...because? Nostalgia. They want to relive their childhoods. Most collectors are about mid 30s or older, there are some younger (I'm 27) but by far a lot seem to be that age range. Ok. Mid 30s, probably have a family, few kids, works...kids are expensive (buying clothes, feeding them, caring for them, school/college) they're going to need money...so do they work more hours? Maybe. But selling stuff off is a great way to earn cash fast. So working all the time, taking care of kids...no time to play those old games they had to have a few years ago because nostalgia. Sell them off because it's just money sitting there collecting dust! Demand falls, supply rises. Prices fall. So people getting older will age out the demand for games. It'll also mean more collectors will age into health issues. Gamers on a whole seem to be unhealthy (from what I've seen...myself included) we have health issues (weight, heart issues, or even mental health issues!) so the chances of us dying early...fairly good. When we die, our families sell off our collections for cheap, flooding the market with games. Again, supply and demand. So waiting is a good idea. It's my plan to deal with these stupid prices. I'm waiting till all these fad collectors die off and I can reap the rewards. Heartless? Maybe but it's life. You live, you die, world keeps going.
So idk if my advice is actually advice or if it'll even work but...keep going at it. I would really recommend at least emulating the expensive stuff while you wait for prices to drop or wait till you have enough to buy them. So you can play them in the mean time.
Again you surprised me with Columns lol. I thought there were only 2 games in the series.
Always in the mood to see Jim pro searching skills in action. Always puts a smile on my face. 8^)
Anthony..
I got hyper Duel at a decent price a few years back now and enjoy playing that game time to time, so fun.
I feel you man, the prices are outrageous here in the US and I see a lot of the Imports are getting out of hand too. Some of the games I've been wanting I've just been buying online, because the stories are usually the same price or higher
I absolutely love your game hunting videos.
I say you should eat the cost on games that you want to play immediately. I shop at thrift stores and find games for cheap, but they aren't ones that I necessarily want to play immediately. Ultimately, I could have used that money for games that I actually wanted to play.
When a company no longer produces a physical product it becomes very rare very fast these days.
In Japan it's less of a problem,or at least it once was now that everyone in the world is going to Japan
to get the goods (or order) to collect games.
I approve of Sega game hunting.
I resort to online buying, I go to my stores in Tampa and they have Shadowrun for the SNES for 55 bucks. I go to Ebay and pay 37 shipped with a great label. Its bullshit.
I bought Shadowrun on eBay around 10 years ago from eBay for less than $20, and sold it on eBay maybe 6 years later for $60. It's crazy.
I wish I could go to Akihabra. It's where all my dreams are.
Buy the Mega SG from Analogue! It's not emulation. It's FPGA. You can play your cartridges from Mega Drive to Sega Mark III/ Master System. Also there is an SD card slot on the side. No doubt there will be an officially non official jailbreak that will allow you to put a massive SEGA rom collection on there and it plays exactly like real hardware. Only on an HDTV. 0 input lag! Everdrives work on there too!
I used to import and collect a long time ago. I remember going there when I was in Japan and buying lots of stuff. I do mostly digital now but would love to go look around Akihabara again.
P.S. Fire Pro Wrestling was always my go to wrestling game you probably have played it but the customization was fantastic. I started playing it on the Dreamcast. Remember the upload community on the internet at the time having tournament's with player built chars.
Hold out hope, I'm sure you be able to get what you want and if you really want something you can try to save up for it, but damn Sega prices are high in Japan. I just started collecting for the Sega Master System here in Australia and most of the boxed games I came across for the system are between $10aud - $50aud.
Emulation for me just helps me prioritize what I really must own versus what I can hold out on.
i really want to start collecting neo geo, the prices for carts runs high but i am considering a full collection of arcade boards which tend to run for next to nothing. i just won't get that sweet box art... other than that it's raspberry pi 3b+ all the way and never looking back. i get to download every game from any region plus all of the cool hacks/mods.
Jim, check out the Rhea and Phoebe for Saturn. Play games off an SD card on original hardware, similar to a ROM cart. Its way better than emulation. There is also the gdemu for Dreamcast. For Mega Drive / Genesis, the Krikzz ROM cart.
The prices are a lot cheaper online. I try to buy cart or disc only because I don't have room for cases. Games that are to expensive for the average person I don't even bother with. Multicarts or reproduction for my Mega Drive , SNES, and NES games.
Mega Drive games are rising so high in price its crazy!
Wow such an amazing stores takes me back to who i was a kid. Quackshot was a fun great game.
There is a console on Play-Asia that plays Super Famicom and GBA cartridges. It's called Retro 3. I was wondering if you knew about it, and wondered if the GBA slot was region free.
Why are some of these Mega Drive games so expensive? Are they still sealed or something cause even online I've rarely seen Japanese Mega Drive games for such a high price.
Do you ever put Bare Knuckle in a copy of Sonic and Knuckles? So you can play Bare Knuckle and Knuckles.
Jim, even in the US. Collecting the physical media feels like a fools errand - specially with Sega systems. I have broken down to getting the physical copies of the “must haves” because it is just too damn expensive otherwise.
5:35
Name of the song?
Addmitedlly I just spent about $400 in Japan recently and picked up quite a few goodies I've wanted or mushihimesama and dodonpachi for PS2 but I spent a little more than I know I should of for them but if I lived in Japan there's no way I would of paid the prices I did. Bide your time and hopefully you will stumble across some good deals of your lucky. I definitely managed a couple of great ones during my stay in Kyoto and Osaka. Unfortunately for game collecting it's just getting harder and harder price wise and it's a real bummer.
I want that Cutie Suzuki game as well as Dump Matsumoto on Master System.
enjoyed your existential crisis over emulation hahaha cool video
I have a modded original Xbox with about 2,500 game Roms , I paid 165.00 off of eBay, now I still collect physical media for my Dreamcast love it will never get rid of it, also own ps4 , Dreamcast gets played the most...
Can you tell me are modern games popular in Nippon? Devil May cry 5 is coming out soon. Are games like that popular?
You cannot blame the Japanese with prices, they have caught on to whats been happening over the years that western people have been buying up cheap games and then selling them once they get home ( to where ever they live ) then turning in a tidy profit once they sell on. So the prices in Japan now are i dont wont to sell you prices. What i dont get is prices of like sonic, mario games there are millions of them. There will be places you will stumble across that have super cheap games, but they will be well out of major cities. What you should do is take a game in that you know is expensive in their shop and actually see how much they offer for it, youll then gage at what they offer to what they sell, You can bet your life they will at least try and triple what they bought for...
5:12 anybody know the song playing in the background? It sounds so familiar...
lifehacker.com/shazam-can-now-automatically-identify-songs-in-the-back-1782182567
Really nice video :)
I'm in the same boat as you for Hyper Duel for the Saturn, it's the last Shoot'em up for the Saturn that I want / need but I'm not willing to pay these prices for it ;).
Thank god I have a CIB Japanese Sonic & Knuckles - it's so hard to find the Japanese version CIB because it came in a stupid cardboard box.
I know what you are trying to say that these high prices burn you out on collecting. I go the opposite way then, I love getting good & cheap Famicom games at the moment for example. If the price for a game is too high, the rule is simple - DON'T BUY IT :).
nice video man !!!! it 's possible to make an episode on the AES system and price actually in japan ??
Yeah... I am myself at this point at the moment... I realy wan't "the real thing", but the prices are killing me... Now I have few reproductions... and I like them... but I am not sure about my feelings towards it... an Everdrive would done the same and I could play any game on it... and of course... the RaspberryPi3 with the emulated systems are just a armlength away...
damn that footage of Suzuki was sick
Wow at that streets of rage ish intro. Don’t fully quit yet, I would have bought the capcom snk 2 and jo jo, those seem inline with current eBay prices.
Also man never give up hope the market is always in a state of flux but deals can be had you just have to be patient sometimes. Some of the best deals personally I have gotten thru making great friendships with other like minded people.
Never give up!!
Just keep your head up bud. That’s what I do. It’s bound to get better.
What camera do you use to film? And do you use a gimbal or just hold it on your hand? Great work man!!
looks like heaven on earth. big love
Its crazy because i can go to my local game store in the US and get a lot of these games for $20 or less
It really depends on what type of gamer/collector you are?
I wish I could go the emulator way, but I can’t.
I love game box instructions to much, I guess I’m stuck in the past?
I don’t want to pay a lot for games, so I look in to where the prices is still not that crazy yet... ps2-ps4 , Xbox , wii.
I prefer to collect 16 bit stuff.
its not just your day on game hunting , been in that same position like you do , hunting all day long and comeback empty handed
How much was zero wing? And layer section 2 for 40 bucks sounds like a good deal imo
I suggest going to emulators, simple and cheap. But if you want the middle point go with an Everdrive, why not? I would buy one myself if I had any working retro console.
Can you play a us version of Sonic and Nuckles? If I'm not mistaking the us version of it, as well as the other 3 Sonic games are actually cheap.
As retro gaming turned into a speculator market and collections now define the identity of gamers and youtubers...prices are at an all time high. It's unsustainable, as the rarity of a lot of games are exaggerated due to speculators. The era of finding cheap games is dead, but this notion that games will only go up and up is insane. I saw the sports card and comic book market take hard hits because of this attitude and neither ever recovered the highs of their 1990s era. At some point retro nostalgia will fade and change as new generations prioritize gaming differently. As sad as it may be to hear for some, boxed NES games won't command the reverence we see now and those willing to pay top dollar will shrink. Emulation isn't killing the retro scene it's the very attitudes behind collecting.
Even rarer than Sonic and Knuckles seems to be like King's Quest, Space Quest, etc. They really don't have those there?
If I were to go to Japan, which would be good to bring back to Cali and sell on Ebay for great prices? I'd need a good slot machine jackpot win to go, heh.
I know emulation is looking like the way to go, but you're a collector...you can't resist the lure of the physical copy
Honestly, I think you’re better off buying online. I bought Bare Knuckle III cib in December off of ebay for $90 usd. Not an amazing price, but much better than the store in this video. Good luck on Metal Black, I’m after that one too.
Good stuff! There should be a Sega edition part 2