"My copy of Balan Wonderworld has never been touched by human hands!" As it should be.

This was a ton of fun!! As a collector myself, there is just some intangible feeling of physically owning a game that's hard to put into words. I much prefer having that sense of ownership instead of just having it downloaded or feeling the need to emulate them, even though those are viable options for many people 😄

I wish we could trust people enough for a walk-in game library to rent older games. Gamecube games have been crazy expensive and I miss playing them.

The guy with the deep voice makes a good point. Just having them can bring enjoyment. I've had tremendous fun assembling a collection, playing the games, researching related topics, building displays, and eventually a full game room. I likely won't be able to play everything, but just being surrounded by gaming related stuff makes me happy. Every time I walk into the room now I instantly cheer up a bit.

Nothing like having a old time friend you haven't seen in awhile come over and see your video game collection. So much conversation can be had in my humble game room. That's why I collect, it's the memories.

Right now, the fun of buying retro games is dead, thanks to corona raising up the prices and flooding the market.

The same reason we collect anything. Nostalgia, sharing with others and because it's fun.

25:02 Hi Navi and Felix! Very cute cats Zion. I rate them a 10/10 each so 20/10 overall.

For me it's because I couldn't afford them when I was a child but now I have adult money

I know this is kind of controversial, but I actually applaud crack groups / pirates. Not for people to download games for free (that they would've bought otherwise). but actually preserve games without DRM. There's also digital preservation initiatives like the "no-intro" ROMs. Basically ripping everything, DRM included, and also ripping every release of every game... Just to preserving video game history. I think this is so important, especially when a lot of companies don't even consider preservation.

I just love this kind of conversations between friends talking about the stuff they love

I only collect the games I'm interested in playing

I too am a collector, and I just got my NES yesterday, and man there is no feeling better than finally getting your hands on a game or a console that you’ve always wanted to play. It’s so magical!

I work at a record store so I get you Zion when it comes to having a sealed copy and a play copy. Physical > Digital every time.

14:28 I'm pretty sure most copies of Balan Wonderworld haven't been touched by human hands

0:26 Scott The Woz wants to know your location

I was born into the Wii generation, but I still collect some retro just because I love the history behind all the games, plus having a shelf full of games spanning 10-20 years is just beautiful to me. Gameboy advance is easily my favorite to collect for.

I recently sold my childhood collection. It was out of Covid necessity, and it felt quite sad. My old Mario kart and punch out records of my kindergarten friends and I gone. I no longer have a desire to own actual cartridges. It’s was those specific cartridges I loved

I used to collect a lot more, but I realized I just collected them because everyone else was. I only collect now the games that I would genuinely play. Plus, sometimes having limited space also limits your scope.

I think game preservation is really important

At 22:39 can anyone tell me what edition of what that Sakuna of Rice and Ruin box is? It almost looks like a switch system but I never heard of that or have seen this box before.

A wise man once told me "build and enjoy your stack...just don't smoke crack!"

Even if all of a sudden all my discs rot and my cartridges cease to function and I have to rely on emulation like a digital gamer, I'll still have all those memories when I look at the box or case and I could still proudly display every single one on my shelf, knowing that they each have a little story to them.

What is that transparent packing we see at the beginning of the video protecting the covers? Is it transparent plastic? Acrylic? Where can I get it?

where do you guys get protective cases? I have had mixed results with the places I’ve tried, and a lot of collector’s editions are hard to find boxes that fit

I've gotten back into collecting more games as of late after a four year hiatus. Always fun to listen to people talk about this subject with passion.

I have all the Game Boy Pokemon games on display in my room because they were the games that made the biggest impact on my childhood

Anyone ever played Goof Troop and Lion King on NES? Those games were brutal!

Thank you for the amazing content you 3! I have only recently gotten into retro game collecting, and it's for the simple reasons that I never had those consoles and games growing up, and that the modding community has made playing these games fun again (not to mention the fun of modding your own console). My only regret is not keeping my DS games from when I was younger, as the proces are now exorbitant, as I've seen for Ghost Trick and Professor Layton games. I always wanted to play Ghost Trick, and maybe I'll have to stick to emulation for that one... regardless, this was a great video, I'd enjoy another like this!

Memories .. We all want to live in the past again

I love retro gaming & collecting but scalpers have ruined it. Games that are worth $5 are being sold for hundreds of dollars. No joke. All the fun in collecting has been sucked out. New games I still buy physical but retro games I always buy digital now.

So an interesting thing on this topic. Talking to the owner of a local used game shop he mentioned that in the past few years they are seeing less and less people coming in to sell their retro games. It seems people are now holding on to their games and they are making most of their money on new games and accessories for the older systems.

Really cool video! Have you considered doing a video or article recommending furniture/storage methods? I saw a lot of cool shelves and drawer things in the footage, I have a bunch of cartridges laying around with no good way to store them that's not just putting them in a box and stuffing them somewhere.

Because there's a hole inside us we need to fill.

That Boktai garage sale bit had me on the floor This makes me feel a lot better for buying the Klonoa GBA game carts when I could have gotten them for 1/4 of the price on Wii U ;w; I have my own personal bias toward buying older games as they originally came - I loved playing games when I visited friends or family and I came of age between the sixth and seventh generations of gaming, but I was never allowed to actually own video games as a kid (until my cousins gifted me their old Gamecube after they got a Wii and I finally scraped together enough allowance money to afford an original 3DS in 2013). When I became an adult, I was finally able to catch up by getting the Switch, PS4 and XB1, but I still actively buy plenty of original past-gen games because I'm coming from a motivation of wanting to buy back the childhood I never had and being able to properly/fully experience games that eleven year-old me borrowed, played at a friend's house or read about in Disney Adventures magazine (also it'd be really interesting to see an expanded upon version of this conversation in regards to arcade games, since there's so many niches games and hidden gems that never got the exposure they deserved and they're becoming increasingly hard to find) Also Navi and Felix deserve all the belly rubs and gentle head scratches

Anyone know what that Sakuna item is at 22:41

Zion, What is that case at 26:26? I would love that for Gameboy games.

As a collector myself i enjoy collecting the games i had playing as a kid or the games i like and i needed to have them physical in my hands or in my collection its really no words to put it into but its is nice to feed my collection whenever i have the time to

Are ds and 3ds retro yet? If so i guess i am a retro game collector aswell i just started buying them when i was a kid with my pocket money and just havent stoped yet

Loved this, thank you for sharing your memories. For me collecting is about reconnecting physically with memories of playing games when i was younger, and now being able to access whole swathes of a gaming library in a way i just coupdnt afford when i was young. In terms of graded/unopened games, i tend to go to the other extreme. I love having cartridges onoy with a few marks on them. That way i know they were played and loved and that is what i will continue to do whilst i am the custodian of them. Thanks again!

Over the years I have forgotten how much I have love retro gaming. This video was amazing to watch. I'm 31 and my first console I owned was the snes. Christmas of 1996 I got the snes console and road runners death valley rally

Really enjoy these discussion/semi podcast style discussions. I could listen to you all talk about Nintendo stuff all day..some days I do.

In 2010 I was moving to a smaller apartment and didn't have space to store my N64 games. I sold the system and 10-15 of the main titles, boxed in pretty good condition for $140 CDN. Definite regrets. I wasn't playing them and figured they were just taking up space. I bought a used N64 for about $90 a few years ago. Most of the games are too expensive to justify a purchase but I may have to bite the bullet since prices are likely to continue going up.

good god i finished watching this and ran to my small game collection and a swarm of memories came back to me, videogames are just amazing.

Do you have a video tour of your gaming collections?

I just got myself off the addiction this week and now you guys talk and show off your collections and I’m salivating again haha

To me, I want to experience the classics

My favorite retro game is Mario 64. I used to bring my N64(born in 94)to my grandma and play it there. Nowadays I can play it on my Switch on a smaller scale than I'd want. Because of the half-assed port.

Love the reference to seeing them in magazines when you were young... That's an exact reason for several hundred of my games; I remember seeing screenshots or reading previews.

i've been loving the video content recently! i collected a whole bunch as a teen but due to unfortunate circumstances had to sell almost everything when i struck out on my own.. now at the point where i want to play a lot of those games again now and, honestly, there's plenty of ways to play of lot of these digitally and doing it that way has meant that i'm more selective with my purchases, i tend to only buy stuff now that i intend to get around to - and what's better than that?

Hello! I love retro games. Just a question tho, what do you call those plastic wraps that you used on the GBA boxes? Need some to preserve my boxes, thanks! P. S. I hope they're not as expensive as a GameCube game...🤣

Please more videos like this just reminiscing. It makes me think of my own

I completely love this conversation. Couldn’t have been recommended to me at a better time with me currently in the process of looking for some old 64 games I loved. Need some more videos with you two, keep up the amazing content

I would love to see a video on how you store your games and what you would recommend etc :)

Please gentlemen. Please give us thorough, in depth reviews of your collections. It’s something I’ve been dying to see and this video just scratches the surface of what I think would be a phenomenal video. All those gameboy cartridges, ds games, even the non Nintendo stuff. Some of us don’t have the money to collect this kind of stuff as much as we want to, but seeing this stuff is just a great way to enjoy a taste of it.

Everyone likes to watch classic films.. Everyone likes to listen to classic music Everyone likes to play classic games

Does anyone know if he's right about those games and characters becoming public domain? I thought those games and characters were copyrighted.

Where the HECK did you get that Gameboy-cartridge-sized acrylic drawer from???

The most retro game I own is my original copy of Pokemon Yellow. Lost the box and materials 20 years ago, it's faded and scratched up, but it's mine and that makes it special. Other games I had as a kid ended up getting sold off through the years because I was a fool for trade-ins too, but I always held on to my Pokemon games.

Nowadays (physical) Games are often patched, starting with V. 1.0 on launch day, but later getting patch V 1.1 or higher. I do not even dare anymore to buy physical games at day one, because I'm waiting for the patches first ... and buy the physical copy month or even years later hoping the patch is on the cartridge included then. Because ... once the servers (that provide the patch) are down you won't be able to get the patch anymore. In some cases you are doomed, then. For example: • *Smash Brother 3DS:* You can't play (local) multiplayer without the latest patch. • *Animal Crossing - New Leaf:* You can't even start the game anymore if you haven't downloaded the _Welcome amiibo_ Update. • *Mario Maker 3DS:* You can't share Levels localy with other 3DS systems, if you haven't the updated version 1.04. • *Mario 3D All-Stars:* It got an update with inverted controls, that wasn't on the cartridges that have been released on day one. So some (physical) games are really suffering (or are even unplayable!) from the day on the patches are not longer available. (I'm looking at you, 3DS e-Shop; how long will you still be alive ...?) That's why I'm intentionally looking for cartridges that have been released later in the hope the updates are included. I would rather buy those games new from the retailer for more money than buy them cheap but used. (Right now I'm busy with 3DS games. Some 3DS games have been released with the patches on the cartridge later ... some unfortunately not.) Somehow I wish publisher would release the games digitally first ... patch them ... and only release the physical version later after it got patched for good. Some physical games are lacking quite some content without their patches and updates (e.g. Shovel Knight 3DS, Monster Hunter series for 3DS, Hyrule Warriors 3DS, Fire Emblem Warriors, etc.)

I loved bubsy as a kid too me and my siblings would rent it almost every time we went to the video rental store! I still want to buy it now and play it again after all these years

I got Dragon Quest 4 and 5 at a gamestop around 2015 I think. Back then I got them both for 40 dollars total. I have such fond memories of these games because I got them at a pivotal point in my life. That’s why I love collecting “retro games” they remind me of people, places, or times that I love

Wow, 8:32 Rocket Robot on Wheels was a childhood gem!

Playing Fable 2 right now, I was super happy to get an Xbox after so many years of not getting one (my 360 RRoDed) and to discover that (some of) my old 360 games were there ready to install was amazing!!! It's great to revive some old memories every now and then. Sometimes I wish I never sold some old consoles because priorities, I'm determined now not to sell my current consoles no matter what.

Love this Video well done guys!! - Everyone has their stories on how they came into video games. As we get older we have more responsibility and less time to do the things we love. Love all the games you have collected.

It's another 50+ years until games begin to become public domain which is a long time, for anyone wondering ;)

Recently started collecting for Nintendo handhelds. They are like little time portals I love it ❤️

0:42 I NEED that Zelda shelf

Is LAPD Future Cop retro? Can we get EA to work on a remaster?

Great collection. I also like how you have decorated everything. More video from your collected games would be great. I am a collector myself and I fully agree with you about the reason you are collecting. Snatcher is such a great piece to own!!

The thing about the public domain that still confuses me is that can nintendo make a case that the link from the nes is not the same one that we see in oot the same goes for mario. Sure mario is mario but each version is way diferent from the other one and this is not a book but a video game so i wonder if we will see special copy right claims in the future?

RetroBird made a very good point in one of his videos, video games are a very unique collectible in that they are ones that you can actually use for hours on end. I also collect Pokémon cards but I do not sit and stare at them for hours. Therefore I fully take the stance that you do not need to play all the games you have in your collection, it’s the collection itself that can bring the most enjoyment.

The main reason why I'm collecting is to be able to play it many years ahead in the future when I'm just an old potato on the couch and reminisce on the good old days. It's just a bonus that I can also introduce some games to my children/grandchildren and hopefully have them enjoy at least even just a few of them would be golden for me. I collected quite a few 3DS games back in the day but sold them when I needed the money. Now that I'm back I just started collecting switch games hunting everything that looks interesting and I can't stop at all. It's a nice problem. :)

Thank you, totally agree on the sealed and graded games thing and feel even stronger on that with consoles. I always think of it as schrodinger's cat in regards to sealed games and consoles lol.

Loved loved loved this conversation. So many shared sentiments and thoughts on collecting retro games. This could have gone on for another hour and I’d have enjoyed every minute. Thanks guys!

I have a fair few sealed games now, but that's only because I bought the digital version first, loved it, and wanted a physical version but have no reason to open it right now. Hollow Knight and Celeste for example :)

i collect games i missed out on as a kid. i had a wii and ps2, but had so few games. my overall goal is to get as many of the classics from that era (ps1, ps2, gamecube, wii) as i can

I feel no obligation to collect Switch games b/c I went fully digital. But yeah I love my physical copies of older games b/c that was the only way to play... it's a tangible representation of my childhood. People who just emulate entire libraries don't understand the identification with the games themselves. I don't want every game; I want the games that mean something important to me and best represent me as a gamer.

I just want to say , i liked the channel as soon as i saw it , but over the course of the last 5 months or so , you guys have rlly grown on me , and listening to you guys just talk about games is something i often look forward to

I’ve restarted Super Mario RPG twice! I gotta get around to finishing it!

I used to collect (to the point that every purchase is an intended play). But with prices as they are today? Screw that. Not to mention my backlog is constipated.

I'm all for preservation of retro games. I was born in between the third and fourth generation of video games, which i feel was a great sweet spot to be alive and experiencing all that was going on. I haven't done as good of a job as I wished to preserve my older games (mainly the boxes and manuals and extras that came with them) BUT I've gotten better and only make retro purchases I want. To tell the truth, I actually am more excited to receive 2 copies (duplicates) of anything that I want rather than one. One to experience and one to preserve. Also, hi Navi and Felix.

Hi Navi and Felix. They look like cool cats and kudos on the awesome game library you guys have.

Loved this video and this topic. I wish we get a second part of this video. My most wanted retrogame is Panzer dragoon saga. Burning rangers is my most dear game of my collection.

TL;DW: 1º I buy to own. I'm vocally critical of Steam because I know Steam doesn't sell games but licenses to play games, and in my time you could pretty much do whatever the F you wanted with your games with no consequence that could be imparted to anyone but you. I played Skies of Arcadia normally, and later with an action replay to use magic at will or with all special attacks available from the start, etc. and guess what, devs never banned me or anything. 2º Old console games were optimized for the intended hardware. The lack of online meant no patches, no hotfixes, no nothing. The devs had to deliver on both the gameplay front AND the bug-fixing front, *day zero*. They had to cut corners and really focus on the job at hand instead of piling features, and you can even see how it can be detrimental with Balan Wonderworld and Shenmue 3 today. 3º They don't decay over time. There is no question of ‘game preservation’ with oldies because they're physical and you can play them anytime you want as much as you want. Some of the games of my library even *gained* value over time, like Super Mario Sunshine (NGC) or Shenmue (DC). Back when I bought them, my mom used to tell me games are a waste of time and money. Now I can tell her it was an investment, since I was even asked by museums to lend some of my games for exhibition purposes.

I don't collect retro games, precisely because of the unfair prices of aftermarket games, and because I feel satisfied with an everdrives. I do make the exception for pokemon so that I can transfer pokemon into pokemon stadium. But when I did start collecting pokemon it really did have an effect on me and made me want to keep collecting. I even bought these fancy new plastic clam shell cases that match my DS games, and I gotta say, they look so good on my shelf... I still have most of my gamecube, wii, and wii u games. I gave a few of them away and not a day goes by where I don't regret it. Unfortunately I was separated from my NES, SNES, Gameboy, GBA, and N64 collection due to circumstances beyond my control, and it really makes me want to buy all the games I used to own... but so many of them are ridiculously priced. And the ones that aren't, I'm worried about getting dodgy carts that barely work or refuse to save. Buying Conker's Bad Fur Day alone seems like defusing a bomb. But besides that I know that once I start buying old games it's gonna spiral out of control into another expensive hobby I can't afford.... so i'm gonna try and be happy with cheaper and more convenient alternatives to playing classic games, and settle for just collecting cool merchandise of said games.

I’ve been collecting modern retro. 3ds games and consoles mainly. Normally I would wait a little longer before I pick up last gen games, but I have a hunch that 3ds prices aren’t dropping any time soon.

GBA game cartridges are a lovely thing to behold, the form factor and stickers of those little things has a special place in my heart (I miss my Wario Ware inc.)

The backlog video was last year right?

Best parts of the video were when Zion’s cats were there. So cute!

This is exactly why it pisses me off when people say "don't you have enough games?" which first of all, no I don't and I never will, but also because, I don't just buy/collect them to play them (and god knows I have more than I will ever get to play) but I also collect them for rhe purpose of preservation. My brother often nicks on the fact that I keep buying games despite already having so many I still haven't played, but my counter argument is that I don't need to play them, since that isn't the only reason I buy them. Maybe it sounds stupid to buy a product to then not use it at all, especially if it's an expensive game that then just sits on your shelf for all eternity, but I love videogames so much as a cultural treasure and phenomenon, that it is equally as important for me to collect and preserve, as it is to actually play them. I have a copy of the Japanese Fatal Frame special edition on Xbox that I'll likely never play since my Xbox can't play imports, but as a Project Zero fan that doesn't matter to me. I can hardly put it into words, but it is important to me, to have it on my shelf so I can protect it and make sure that at least this one copy exists for future generations.

You guys have such a great collection. Loved the video 😊👍

im salivating over your ds collection. so many im missing from what you have

I love all of this. I am just about to complete my “Old” Pokémon game collection!! Very hyped!

I enjoy collecting physical Retro Games, but I’ve taken a break from it since Corona leaving people at home has made prices for these games go for unreasonably high bounties and that’s ruined it for me (Not that the games or hardware isn’t worth it- but I don’t think one loose GameCube or N64 game should for the price of a Nintendo Switch) and scalping alone even before Corona also opened me up to collecting retro games through official digital storefronts too

Love how you named your cat after the fairy from The Ocerina Of Time.

For me, it comes down to the topic of ownership. I couldn't afford a bunch of games when I was a kid and was constantly borrowing them from friends, cousins, etc. So now that I'm older, I cherish the fact that whenever I purchase a game, it's mine. I get to share it, sell it, do whatever I want with it because I own a physical version of that game. As far as retro games go specifically, I like grabbing old copies of games because you never know when things could potentially be delisted or removed from rom sites due to copyright law or something. Ya know, that and just because I'm a nostalgia whore.

I'm happy with my mix of physical copies and emulated games with just a pinch of downloaded games (like one or two)

Awesome video. Maybe Nintendo and other companies can see the value of better preserving these games with better/accurate emulation and a universal/forward compatible digital store front (and physical options) so that it won't cost enthusiasts an arm and a leg to have them.

I love to buy games to play in its original form, as they were meant to be played although the memory card requirement in some video game consoles (especially PS1 and Dreamcast) makes me play them emulated sometimes just to save me some money