I also think that people should come to terms with not being able to own everything they want. We don't NEED games we WANT them. I have come to terms with that. Another thing is that we can also try the "alternatives". I wanted to buy Chrono Trigger and FF3 (6) on SNES but yeah their prices are ridiculous, instead, I bought the PS1 versions.

Thanks so much Eric for this wonderful video. All good reminders. So nice to see RPG-adjacent videos from you!! Fuerza!!

Yes I remember those days. I am not willing to pay for those high prices. Yes I also have a lot of these JRPG's because I bought them a long time ago when they weren't expensive. Excellent advice! I totally agree with everything you said.

Great video, love the Crossbell music. Can't wait for the translations coming soon

My advise is Emulate if you can Otherwise aim for sales I buy my fav series at full price though like tales of and ys games.

Good advice! I agree about the PS3 but the clock is ticking.

Thank god I finish my ps1 collection years ago, but now that im the middle of the PS2 and PSP the prices are killing me.

Video games price inflation has been outrageous since the pandemic. Outrageous to the point where things don't even make sense. Grandia X-Treme on the PS2 was only around $10 - 20 pre-pandemic, today it is around $90. So many games have increased to a ridiculous level since the pandemic started.

great advice bro :)

Wonderful video man! There is a lot of good, sage advice here for anyone who is just starting to collect JRPGs (or any genre of games). I think being selective and only going after the games you REALLY want (especially in regards to the retro market) is wise. Also, you touched on trading in games but honestly, I would really recommend that fellow gamers simply sell any of their old games online (eBay, Amazon, etc.) to help finance their other video game purchases. A lot of my personal collection has been financed by me selling games I no longer have to own. If you spend $200 on a game you really want, find a way to sell $200 worth of games to help balance things out. :)

I love how you have genis in the thumbnail, I’m just about to finish beating symphonia. But yeah collecting right now is tough, if you got the money then yeah go ahead and buy some games. Maybe if you’re still a die hard collector buy an expensive game a month or something, if you collect going for cheap finds ain’t worth it as the condition is rarely there with the price. I don’t collect anymore simply cause I feel like I just been out priced out the hobby. So I just emulate the games, download free ones on my pc and transfer them to my PS3 and stuff

Growing up I always bought two copies of every rpg I ever bought, from SNES through PS2. One to play and one to keep sealed. I dread the day (probably in the 2040's) where they are all naturally rendered unplayable by disc rot. It's only a matter of time.

There are certainly a lot of good jrpgs to collect on DS and 3DS, collecting those now while they are reasonable is certainly a solid idea.

jrpg hunting is gruesome but very rewarding. i remember hunting for my favorite smt nocturne and oh my i did hunt a lot then glory be hold i found it in a pile of ps2 sale pile and its unopened and for $5!!! i was thinking like "seller-san what are you thinking! but thank you nonetheless" just sharing my exp.

Man, I love your channel, and this video just nails it on every talking point. I was fortunate enough to start "collecting" when no one wanted these games and I was just buying games I wanted to play. I wisely chose to keep them all, and now I'm very pleased that I want for very little in terms of games I would like to own. It's a shame that the collectors market is so over-inflated, right now, and I feel bad for anyone still missing large pieces from their hit list. My advice for people who just started or would like to start collecting is to just maintain a neat and accessible digital library. A friend of mine expressed his fear of me trying to replace my collection if I ever lost it somehow. Again, I only have what I have because of some fortunate circumstances and decisions. If I somehow lost it, I would simply load up a few consoles with ODEs and various hard drives/devices with -perfectly legal- digital copies. That's what I would suggest anyone who doesn't already have a sizeable collection to do. On the note of non-buyers regret discussed in the video, I'm not sure if I've shared this in the comments before but...When I was 16 I saw a CIB copy of Persona 2 at EB Games priced at a whopping $6. I *had* $6, but was very tight with my money since I grew up quite poor and figured I would have to pass on it since it was a good idea to "save money" (six fucking dollars jesus christ) and I didn't have the first game anyway. Unlike you, not a day goes by that I don't think about that lol. Not just for the value of the game, since I don't really collect for market value, but it would have been an amazing game to experience at the time and keep to experience for years to come. How do the French say "it is what it is?" Say la vee or whatever? Yeah, that lol.

Great video! I agree with you on this. It’s exactly the method that I have adopted. I only got into jrpg’s, a few years ago. I’ve been gaming since the Atari days & never gave this genre a serious look. I mostly played action games, shooters & western rpg’s. It really shames me to admit this now. It wasn’t until I played Fire Emblem Three Houses, that I started getting really interested in them. I followed that up with Trails of Cold Steel & I was completely hooked. I started looking around for more jrpg’s, including older ones that I had neglected. That’s when I saw how expensive it was. It was kind of frustrating, but it’s my own fault. I just decided to collect on the current systems & PS3 if I could find them. They are more affordable & it doesn’t stress me out as much. You have to remember, most people’s collections are built over years. There’s no way you could achieve that over night. Just take your time & collect current games now. Eventually, that collection will grow & you will have done it at a fair price. Like you said, it’s supposed to be fun.

I remember going into a game store around 2006 or 2007 when they were getting rid of old PS2 stock and picking up both Digital Devil Saga games for €2 each, they were some of the last games left as if nobody wanted them. Times have really changed with jrpgs and they're among the most sought after now!

Dang that's much better than my plan of waiting for one of us to kick the bucket and attend the auction. If their family members have zero interest in gaming. Or showing up at the will reading going, "Jimmy would've wanted me to have Xenosaga III Linda."

I love your channel

A nice and thoughtful video. Thank you. I must confess, though, that especially with Genis on the thumbnail, I thought that the video was going to be about collect-athons and 100% completion in JRPGs, and whether or not 100% completion is worth the time-cost in general. (Looking at you, Tales of Symphonia! I have to complete the game three times to get all the items? No thank you.)

Hey Erick, great video. One method I've used with some success is repros. A nice way to get the game you want on a cartridge without paying the often insane prices for the original game. I got a repro cart with Secret of Mana and the sequel(translated to english) both for only fifty bucks. Try getting either one of those games on the original cart for that price.

Radient Historia on 3DS is insane to buy now. Over 100 on ebay and barely any other sites sell it.

Something that may be of use with the new consoles still in their rollout phase, and drawing off how I got Chrono Trigger new in box for $23 back in the 90s, check the clearance rack. Stores are going to need room for those shiny new PS5 and Xbox games, but probably also more likely at bigger stores that don't care about secondary market value.

also a good thing to look out for is when generations shift, for a while I've seen gamestops slowly try to get rid of their stock of 7th gen or even some 8th gen (like 3ds, wii u, vita) console games. most of the time its just cheap junk games that nobody wants but there could be some decent finds. better to get em now before were deeper into 9th gen and 7th gen game prices start going up

Nice video. Im torn on whether I should pick up Tales of Abyss for 3ds. New copy 100 bucks or more. However I've been all about the tales series of late, and really feel like im missing out on that entry.

Very good advice. All good points. I am also working on my PS4 and PS5 collection, not just JRPGs, but good games in general. Have 147 PS4 and 23 PS5 games atm. This is the time for indies collecting also cause I can't imagine them having big print number. But, I hate limited run style releases.

Yeah it’s best to wait. I waited months for eternal poison. And managed to get the game for 40 dollars when a seller decided to give it away for low price. Someone will always lower the price for a game eventually.

Good video.

I had to buy a PAL version of Ys VIII and Trails of Cold Steel 1 & 2 in order to get a physical copy for a reasonable price/at all.

Good advice, Erick. I also follow what I call the original price clause... Most RPGs were in that $40-$70 dollar range when they FIRST came out. And it wouldn't have hurt my feelings to get them then. So, if you find a Grandia, or Legend of Legaia, or something for like $50-$60, I say go for it. As, that's roughly how much these games were new.

I sad thing is that over that years, I have owned and then sold so many jrpg's that today are worth a mint or at least are scarce. Even on just PS1, I had Valkyrie Profile, Brigandine, Kartia, Ogre Battle, Vandal Hearts 1 & 2, Parasite Eve, Xenogears, Legend of Dragoon, Grandia, Chrono Cross, Lunar 1 & 2, Legend of Legaia, Jade Cocoon, Koudelka, Dragon Quest 7, Tactics Ogre, Front Mission 3, Breath of Fire 4, Persona 1 & 2, Threads of Fate, Vanguard Bandits, Darkstone, Rhapsody, Wild Arms 2, Tecmo's Deception, Arc the Lad Collection, and Final Fantasy Chronicles. I still have some of my favorites, but I always traded in my games when I bought new ones. I never realized how valuable they would become. Also, I have always been something of a minimalist and that really goes at cross purposes with collecting lol.

6:51 hidden gem 🙌

Colleting rare JRPG's makes me feel like a pirate, the JRPG's are the treasure and I just gotta have as possible, it is very hard to find every physical copy of JRPG's so it's ok to get a digital version of it, this is what collecting rare JRPG's is like for me it's fun and I enjoy doing it, thanks for the video Erick Landon 👍

Jrpg prices are insane for some titles :(

My best find was CIB FF 2 and 3 for SNES for $4 each at a Value Village. I swear I was trying to keep a straight face so much while at the cash. I thought for sure they would realized how much of a mistake they were doing.

Just got my copy of Chrono Cross for PSX. Brand new. How much did it cost? $32 including taxes. And a reminder that when I say that it's brand new, I mean still in its original plastic wrapping. Wild Arms cost me $70 used, which included shipping and taxes. Suikoden I cost shy a Benjamin at 2nd & Charles. Finally, Suikoden II set me back $340 including taxes off of ebay. Luckily, shipping and handling was free, and it was in mint-like condition. Wouldn't have dabbled a bit into RPG collecting if not for a day I decided to go window shopping at a 2nd & Charles because I wound up finding myself 40 minutes early to my haircut appointment. And now I'm taking a break. Would have taken a break after Wild Arms, but Chrono Cross was available at a steal. My only guess was that aside from it having been a green label PSX game, Chrono Cross was one of those RPG's with a polarizing critical reception. It's the same reason Final Fantasy VIII is arguably the cheapest game in the series at a laughable $15 right now. Insane sales numbers mixed with a polarizing response.

Do you remember when you could find Valkyrie profile (your example) in the 5$ or less bin in the game store, ... and yes I too miss having the physical copy, heck my new computer didn't even come with a CD/DVD drive installed since all the new games are digital now (even if you actually find the game box at the store). I do like that I found a bunch now on things like Steam, like Chrono Trigger for example, so that I can actually play some of the games that at the time I passed by because of the price (only to never see them again)

I think its OK once in a while to extend and spend a little money on an expensive game. The market is what it is. The important part is not putting yourself in a situation where you are overleveraged in video games when your financial situation isn't stable. If you can spend the money and not lose sleep over it if you never get the money back, buy whatever you want.

Patience. Keep looking, and keep trying. I got Trails in the Sky for about a hundred last year (when it was going for 140-150) because I got lucky on a bid. Maybe save some money for the higher-priced games if possible.

Guys, what's the name of the game shown between 4:44 and 5:24? I tried to google it but couldn't find anything about it. The visuals really got me interested. Appreciate if you could help.

As erick always says , emulation is your friend! I buy when i can but , i know i cannot get them all

I want Shim Megami Tensei 5, but when would be a good time to get it? Its already still at retail price? should I wait for a price drop?

I tecognised trail,psp2 and mana khemia in the video

I quit collecting old stuff about 2 years ago. I have quite a large collection and I still buy newer stuff that appeals to me. But yeah the best times for collecting the older stuff is over. Once I started to feel like I was getting cheated, it just was not fun for me, and so I just stopped. Just like when playing a game, once it is not fun anymore, it is not worth continuing

I've started collecting ps3 games since around 5 years ago now :D happy that it was a nice move

Games that are at crazy collectors prices are out for me. I have a mortgage to pay. So my focus now is getting cheap games before they rise in price. Today I got Megaman X: Command Mission for £20 and Eternal Sonata (Xbox 360) for £5, and last week I got Ever Oasis for £18. They may or may not rise in price but I can cross them off the list regardless. Most I ever spent on a retro game was £50 for Skies of Arcadia (Gamecube). I definitely don't regret that one though. That game is freaking awesome. Now if I can just find someone with a copy of Vanguard Bandits and no idea how much it's worth....

I think a good idea is also to have a budget. For example, if I set a retro game budget to 100$ per month then that is what I have to work with. And then its just a matter of buying one thing at a time in priority order. Thats at least what I plan to do as I feel that I have bought a few to many things last fall/christmas just because I found them.

i just buy whatever is on steam or epic store

I would prefer to have the official console release of my favorite JRPGs, but in the mid 2000s when I was in my 20s I sold all the games I had collected to that point since I wasn't gaming anymore. Around 2015 10 years after I quit gaming I got back into it, but with the way prices are nowadays I can't afford to collect old console JRPG copies. It's hard enough to afford gas, food, rent and all my other bills so buying old games is out of the question. I know it makes me an evil person, but if I want to play something from years past I will emulate it.

One thing that’s good to mention is that the greatest hits PS1 games are great and cheap if you really want a physical version. That’s how I got many of the FF games for cheap. However my situation with expensive games is unique in that I have many other older expensive titles that aren’t JRPGs that I’m willing to sell or trade in to get an expensive JRPG that I want. However I collect and buy to play. I won’t ever get a JRPG that I’ll never play. I’m happy with what I have now, but there are a few JRPGs I’m still on the lookout for.

I would say that for me, I have a rule: I will not pay anything over $60. Now unfortunately, this means that it is pretty much impossible to, for example, complete my .hack R1 collection (been a while since I checked, but Outbreak tends to go for about $90, and you can't find Quarantine for any less than $120, unless you're buying them disc only, which means you are likely missing the DVDs) but to me, games just aren't worth THAT much. at least not unless we're talking collectors editions

Yea pricing has gotten just so dumb, I'm mostly only been grabbing PS4/Switch RPG's at the moment. Once in a blue moon I find a classic at a fair price and will grab if I have some sort of attachment to the game, but there are more then a few I have just given up on due to the insane pricing. I really have been thinking about emulation and ISO's for the really old games.

Damn... I have a pretty fair collection, but I am nearing retirement and looking to go minimal on physical possessions. I did not realize the prices were THAT stupidly high. I should price out my collection... Mine includes Gameboy (original, color, advance), DS, PSP, Vita, PS1, PS2, PS3, N64 and Gamecube. Most of these games were ported to PC or otherwise emulated and I am good with that.

My advice is to buy the re-release on a newer console if you feel you need a physical copy of it. I picked up physical copies of ff7 and ff8 remastered versions on the switch, for example.

NTSC prices are amazing compared to Pal prices. Even now.

I wanna get wii JRPGs but we will see how that ends up going

Are these your video game collection?

I'm glad I bought a bunch of armored core games last year. Didn't have to spend more than $30 on a single one. Now that AC6 is coming out (allegedly) I have a feeling prices are gonna jump up a little since you really can't play them anywhere. At least not current gen

Truth

These speculative prices are getting crazy. I opted out of the retro market and switched towards emulation. Even if you look at it as an investor, I would rather put it into stocks instead. Emulation is doing well lately, PS2 has become a lot better and even PS3, 360 and Switch are running on good machines. Not all games yet but eventually they will get there. I do still enjoy having the artwork on my walls like some of the art from Yoshitaka Amano.

Whats the game at 8:41 ?

A lot of why Switch cartridges don't go down in price as quickly has less to do with the portability/exclusivity, and more to do with the tech. Digital Switch games don't go down in price because Nintendo is cheap, and tries to keep their prices as high as possible for as long as possible. But with used game cartridges, it's a different story. Cartridges have a slower rate of information decay than discs do. This doesn't mean anything for most mortal gamers (as your PS1 discs will still retain their data until after your grandchildren have passed away, if not your grandchildren's grandchildren) but still, the mere fact that cartridges are a hardier form of data storage has an effect on market value.

To be honest, I don't really care about JRPGs in the sense of owning them; I care about JRPGs in terms of being able to play them...So in that sense, I'm perfectly happy to get them digitally, particularly as and when they're available more cheaply that way. Sadly, I suspect we're not getting a sequel to the Vita with a ton of PS2 classics or anything (I'd be all over that), but even so, I think there' s plenty of opportunity to play these games, which is enough for me.

Just download the rom/iso. You want it physical? Just burn the image to disc/cart.

Being a DS/3DS collector who didn't get into JRPGs until 2019 is pain. Luckily, those and the Switch are the only consoles I care about collecting the games I want for physically, so emulators and PC work for everything else.

Less is more. That's the best advice you can get. Remember when you had 20-30 VHS movies to watch from as a kid, and you watched and rewatched them and still got enjoyment of them? The same thing can be done with games. Why are you always searching for the best next new experience? Go back to those games you haven't touched since 10 years. ONLY buy the games you can't get your mind off for more than 6 months, and sell the ones you don't enjoy or have no significance to you. Hope it helps

Ultimate Technique: *Em-bu-lation!*

Last one I bought for PS1 was in 2014, PS2, 360 and PS3 was 2016. Havent bought any retro or older jrpgs since. Prices are ridiculous

Yeah I need lunar the complete edition a some what good edition is 400 dollars

is that stables game really an rpg?

JRPG: we are the most expensive game genre to collect! Shmups: Ohh, really? But seriously, two of my favorite game genre are expensive as hell.

One day Devil Summoner 2... One day you'll be mine...

Anyone know a good emulation site now? I wanted to play one of those classic DS you hi oh games.

I remember specifically looking for Valkyrie Profile about 12 years ago. I found a copy at the flea market and I asked the guy how much? The guy said $90. Some idiot standing next to me said I'll give you $100 wait no $110 no $120. This idiot was bidding against himself. I just sat there with my mouth shut. It was really bizarre to watch. I just walked away.

Having built up a backlog of games I own that will take me about 10 years to complete, I have made a mistake or two. First of which is buying a game because it is cheap. Limiting yourself to games that you really want to play after the one you are currently playing will mean you don’t end up with a wall full of regrets. In other words, the cheapest way to build a collection of games that mean something to you is to only buy games you will definitely play.

I don't care about collecting. I'd rather collect the experience of them in my mind. It's more for people who like to brag and show it off who want to collect. Could be a good future investment too if you plan on selling them one day down the road.

Easy advice: simply don’t. Prices are out of this world for everything retro. Just emulate if you want to play those games.

I bought Fire Emblem: Fates for 2 Euro and Mario & Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story for 20. My advice, grab what you can before somone else does it.

I bought Odin Sphere on ps2 for 2$. Other than that, I had everything I need back then...

NISA games released in the past years are increasingly expensive

I emulate everthing I can now from PS2 and older I cant justify paying hundreds of dollars for a game maybe 2 if your lucky here in canada

Geez. I paid $35 for Legend of Heroes 3. Granted it was back in 2015 but man. When did PSP games get so expensive?

I love playing games on the original hardware, but for me it's just gotten too ridiculous. I just use flashcarts and ODEs now and I dont think I'll ever turn back

I would put you to shame. I own all Nes, SNES, Atari 2600, intellivision, calekovision and even the old commodore games. And... some old floppy games for apple 2c,e systems. Yes I date myself. But after snes I went digital. I prefer it.

rpgholic

My boss is collecting a full PS1 rpg collection and I feel like he waited 4 the worst time

80 bucks for Valkyrie Profile lol You can't find a single ps1 rpg for less than 80. Not in the condition I look for. I'll be buying a game or two a month until I have every one I want. I'll be paying out the ass for all of them.

Don't be fooled people, he is just trying to talk you out of collecting so he can snatch up all the rpg goodness! Kidding of course. Some good points here. Because getting ps1 rpg is so difficult i have sort of overcorrected in my collecting of Switch rpg. It drives me crazy at how quickly a new release can become so difficult and expensive so quickly so i end up not always waiting for an optimal price. This recently happened to me with Blue Reflection. I ended up paying a little less than full price on ebay and then literally 2 days later it was on sale everywhere for like 30 dollars cheaper. It is so hard to balance patience with missing out. Hard to know when a game might become hard to get. At this point i have more rpg than i can play, but i like to think I'll get to them someday. Now my biggest fear is that next Switch won't be backwards compatible...

Buy the games physically, take care of them, play the game and enjoy it, and then put it up for sale and make a profit if it's gone up. Seems like it's dumb not to buy physical games because they keep going up in value because more and more people want them.

Wow! This video is cool. I really like parts when you add yourself in video - this is so fun moments. And the advices are great. Thanks for the video.

My 2 cents on the subject: 1)If you're going retro buy only the games that mean something for you.By that i mean games that you had played when you were younger and you have good memories from them but for some reason you don't have them anymore. For the rest go digital. Chances are you will not really like most of them if you have never played them at the time they came out. 2)Actually play the games you own.Enjoy what you have. If all of us actually played the games we owned and didn't hoard them the prices for those retro games would go down because there would have not been enough demand for them. 3)Stop watching channels like Erick's. The less you know about those games you have never played the less likely it will be to spend huge amounts of money to buy them. Ok i was just kidding about #3. :p

JRPGs are expensive for sure. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 definitely ain't $60 dollar game anymore. Its way more than that now Physical especially Torna.

Steam Sales. Except fuck Square Enix because they never drop below 50% off >_> Also No-Intro. IMO, physical copies of games have been pretty useless since the advent of "Day 1 patches." Most games nowadays release in a broken state and depend on a day 1 patch to complete the game - "put the disc in and play" hasn't been a thing for an entire console generation now, or two in the case of Sony consoles. This means that physical buyers are now in the same boat as digital buyers: If the servers are down, you're fucked. Except you also have to deal with inconveniences like finding space in your house for all the game boxes and getting up to swap discs when you want to play a different game.

Tbh i only emulate old games.

I'm suprised that he owns just jrpgs , it's an expensive hobby. Collecting older or even newer games hits hard on the wallet

Also, instead of pirating an old games, please buy a game like Fuge melody of steel... that dev team is still 150 millions yen in the red right now with this project.

just buy modern jrpgs. wait 20 years and they too will become retro

Pay nothing and download, don't give them any money unless the game is really good. Emulation has come along way in the last few months.

anyone wanna trade games lol?

Digital distribution. Problem solved. In b4 swarm of knowledgeless physical buying crybabies. 😂😂😂