Videogame Collection

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Video Game Collection

A little history behind the systems in the games room and the games I own and enjoy.

I love videogames, ever since I first started forming memories I had an Atari 2600. Those little labels on each cartridge potentially summing up an entire story with one image (like in the case of Berzerk). I got our Atari 2600 incredibly late so it was only a few years until it was replaced with a Sega Mega Drive, completely missing the 8-bit era. In my case, I missed Mario and his ‘Nintendo pals’ until I got my first Game Boy.

Having no strong connection to Nintendo, we opted for a Playstation when the 32-bit generation rolled around and I’ve stuck with Sony since. The one console line you might notice missing from the collection is the Microsoft X-Box. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but without enough exclusive games to draw me in, I simply passed on it.

 

Videogame Collection

 

The video game collection I’ve amassed contains most of the major consoles through Australia (Post Atari 2600… Still no X-Box). Slowly, all these games and consoles and systems I wanted as a kid are within reach; Everything I had to chose between (Saturn vs Playstation, Dreamcast vs PS2), picking one over the other, I’ve managed to build a collection that totally blows my childhood mind away.

The Leftover Culture Review started as a way for me to share some of those experiences and even defend some of those games I loved so much as a kid and as the show and my collection grows, so does my knowledge, appreciation and excitement for video games.

 

Atari

2600

This is the first console I was ever exposed to. I have no idea how much my mother bought it for at the time, but some of the games like Superman, E.T and Spider-man really frustrated my brother and I as younger kids.

Some of best memories of this system are of Double Dragon (believe it or not) in multi-player, fighting against each other… Or playing Pac Man, a game we could actually understand.

A cousin actually allowed me to revisit this legendary console by handing over three separate Atari 2600 consoles with a box of games and controllers (which I promptly reviewed all at once).

After playing the neutered Atari 2600 ports of so many great arcade titles, I actually took the plunge with the plug and play market, starting with a Pac Man unit for Christmas, and in 2013, receiving a Space Invaders plug and play unit for my birthday.

Lynx

This handheld might have paled in comparison with the Nintendo Game Boy, but after a friend bought one complete in box with travel case, I was envious. I discovered the Lynx had a unique library with some great games and really impressive graphics. I promptly bought a Lynx model 1 (which I purchased for $35 via eBay).

I found a model 2 with case and a few games (for $35) at a local Cash Converters which led me to have a renewed interest in the handheld and I sold my Lynx Model 1 to buy more games. Plenty of games were available around $20, still sealed at local retro videogame stores (Bill & Ted, Rampage, Ms Pacman, Gauntlet, California Games). Looks like I missed out on some classics while picking up games like Rampage and Bill & Ted, but I still had the chance to put together some good reviews with what I had.

Jaguar

There’s one reason I bought this system, Alien vs Predator. Even before I watched the movies, I knew I wanted this game and buying a Jaguar was the only way to play it.

The Atari Jaguar might have been a flop overseas, but it never made it to Australia which makes it feel like a luxury. I’ve defended the Jaguar a few times with a video review and an article, and even though I can admit its faults, I’ll always maintain you can have a lot of fun with it.

I imported mine, boxed, from the UK for around $230 with three games; Raiden, Dragon: Bruce Lee Story and Dino Dudes. I’m a little bummed I sold Dino Dudes so quickly but I had games in mind I’d much prefer to play on the Jaguar. Wolfenstein, Alien vs Predator, Cannon Fodder and Iron Soldier, I put together a list of all the titles I wanted and much to my dismay, realised this was quickly becoming the most expensive system in my collection, with games starting around $30 after shipping. My prized game, Alien vs Predator, cost me $55 complete in an auction in 2012. The Jaguar has clearly been one system where prices can fluctuate quite aggressively.

 

Sega

Master System

When I was rocking the Atari 2600, I had friends who had this console and the graphics are a severe step up from what I was used to. This wasn’t such a priority for me because most of my early memories are of Alex Kidd, and even then I thought it was ‘too cutesy’.

Coming from the Atari 2600, the packaging and boxing on the Master Systems looks ugly. Might seem trivial now in hindsight, but as a kid you want the games that look the coolest. Atari had some games with amazing artwork whereas the bulk of the Master System library artwork seems to have been a case of “I’ll do it on the day”.

When retro-gaming picked up and I saw the system and games pre-owned in a local retro videogame store, I realised there were some legitimately cool titles. I paid $50 for the console and around $5 a game. Living in Australia (and other PAL territories) makes the Master System a more enticing system with a few PAL only releases like Predator 2, Shadowdancer and Cyber Shinobi.

Game Gear

A very generous hardware donation to the show. The Game Gear is one Sega system I missed in my youth (I actually owned a Gameboy), but I’ve really appreciated the chance to look back at some of the classic games I missed the first time. The biggest issue with the system is the abundance of ports, especially ones that haven’t been optimised for gaming on the move. The Game Gear is also one of the only places to find Sega franchises from the Master System all the way through to the Sega Saturn era. I did a review of the system along with all the games I currently have here.

Mega Drive (Genesis)

This is my console. The console I played the most as a kid and where (alongside the Playstation) my best gaming memories were formed. This is also the second retro console I purchased and slowly, I’ve managed to reclaim most of my favourite games as a kid.

So far, this has been one of the cheapest consoles to buy and collect for in Australia, with my initial purchase of the Mega Drive and 15 games coming to around $35 via eBay. A handful of the games in this list were donated, but overall, Mega Drive games tend to be cheap, especially buying from the UK or for older games, purchasing through the US. Consult this list for Genesis and Mega Drive compatibility with region locking.
For Christmas 2013, I got a lovely package and probably some of my last hardware additions to the LOCR; The Sega CD and 32x attached to a Sega Genesis (no more Game Shark needed to play US imports!).


Saturn

I bought my Sega Saturn at one of the worst possible times, when I was totally broke. After setting up both the Nintendo 64 and Sega Mega Drive, the Saturn was my third console and I bought it for $50 with nothing, no cables, no controllers, no games.

I love the Sega Saturn (review here), but games can vary wildly in price and I’ve only found a few games in the wild. About half of the listed games and a few controllers were actually donated by my brothers friend.

This is a system I’ve wanted for a long time. I naturally thought after the Mega Drive, we’d get a Sega Saturn. Turns out, even my parents saw the console flopping and they bought a Playstation. I was gutted by the decision at the time, the Sega Saturn always felt like the raw, more power-hungry arcade focused system.

Dreamcast

This is a system I knew I’d end up owning but had trouble affording. Where I could purchase my Nintendo 64 with 4 games at the time for $50, systems like the Sega Dreamcast continued to spiral well into the $100+ territory. Not a common system to find in the wild, I eventually settled on an ad on Gumtree and paid over $100 but it came with Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, Toy Commander, 2 controllers and 2 VMU’s.

After missing the Sega Saturn and hopping on the Sony Playstation boat, I really fell into the hype of the Sega Dreamcast and hoped the system could carry Sega, even if I couldn’t afford to a Dreamcast, I still had a lot of fond memories of Sega.

Just to try and touch some Sega magic, this is the first system I ever tried to emulate on my PC. At the time the emulator was ineffective (and I had no way of getting my hands on a disc image), but to see the system boot up and just see the menu screen was an amazing experience.

 

Gameboy & Gameboy Colour

The game Boy has been a long standing system in my repertoire, having one since I had my Sega Mega Drive. Unlike the Sega Mega Drive that got replaced with a Sony Playstation, my Game Boy pocket was replaced with a Game Boy colour which I still have today with a good collection of the same games I used to play.

When I met my partner, she brought most of these Pokemon games and a Gameboy Advance SP. The Advance is a system that’s been extremely neglected in my collection but as I slowly get my head around the Nintendo DS and it’s extensive library, I’m slowly uncovering a solid few GBA titles that I plan to slowly add to the collection.

Much to my dismay, Game Boy games started out fairly reasonably priced by quickly fluctuated while I spent my money on my Sega systems. Most of the games listed below are leftovers from my childhood collection and I haven’t explored far outside what I’m already familiar with.

Super Nintendo

This wasn’t a hyper-popular system in my neck of the woods, but I did have a few friends with a SNES and there were two games I remember really fondly, Killer Instinct and Super Mario Kart. Unfortunately, the Super Nintendo seems to be a console that has been expensive for a long time and the only reason I bought the console was because I found it at Cash Converters for $20 with Mario All Stars and 2 controllers.

I found a Pro Action Replay cartridge that allows me to play NTSC imported games, the only reason I could afford to own AVP, Final Fight and Super Mario Kart (Jap). eBay is the last place I’d recommend trying to find SNES games, most of mine were found in retro videogame stores during ‘half price’ sales or at Cash Converters. Seems like a console that might be worth purchasing if you can find a ‘lot’ or collection.

Nintendo 64

The first ‘retro’ console I ever purchased with my girlfriend at the time for one reason, Pokemon Snap. I managed to find the system for $50 with Donkey Kong, Turok, Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Goldeneye via eBay.

A great portion of my Nintendo 64 titles were found at Cash Converters or at local pre-owned videogame stores. After purchasing the system, I didn’t have the money to shop on eBay for more games (which tend to cost nearly as much as I paid for the system with games).

I haven’t managed to produce a review for any Nintendo 64 titles, and as a general rule, I’ve stayed away from the Nintendo titles. I just enjoy talking about Atari, Sega and Neo Geo a lot more and there is already plenty more reviewers prepared to analyse and review Nintendo titles… I’ll just continue playing and enjoying them for now.

  • Banjo Kazooie
  • Castlevania
  • Donkey Kong 64
  • Killer Instinct Gold
  • Lylat Wars
  • Pokemon Snap
  • Pokemon Stadium
  • Pokemon Stadium 2
  • Super Smash Bros.
  • Wcw NWO Revenge

Gamecube

This unfortunate console was purchased solely for its controllers… We use them on the Wii. That’s not to say I haven’t had a lot of fun with the Gamecube. As a teenager, the PS2 was relegated as a household ‘device’ but at 13, I wanted to turn my room into the ultimate man-cave with a cabinet that housed a TV and a gaming system. I chose to fantasize about a Gamecube with some great Nintendo exclusives like Metroid, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Smash Bros.

An extremely cheap console with some great games and great controllers that work on the Wii, unfortunately plenty of the Gamecube games have been re-released or updated on the Wii so it isn’t a system that’s had command over my wallet.

  • Donkey Konga
  • Dragon Ball Z: Budokai
  • Luigi’s Mansion
  • Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
  • Resident Evil 4
  • Serious Sam: Next Encounter
  • Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
  • Sonic Gems Collection
  • Super Mario Sunshine

Wii

The Wii is a unique system but not one I particularly itched to get my hands on. My partner bought one into the relationship and it became evident that they’re an extremely cheap, fun and easy console for casual bouts of gaming. Alongside the Playstation 2, this system must have some of the best ‘bang for buck’.

With it’s backwards compatibility and better yet, Gamecube controller compatibility with Wii games, this system is popular when there’s more than two people in the room at once.

  • Batman: Brave and the Bold
  • Blast Works
  • House of the Dead 2 & 3
  • House of the Dead: Overkill
  • Mad Dog McCree
  • Mario Party 8
  • Mario Party 9
  • Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
  • New Super Mario Bros Wii
  • Nights Journey into Dreams
  • Rayman Ravings Rabbids
  • Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
  • Sonic and the Secret of the Rings
  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • Super Paper Mario
  • Super Smash Bros Melee
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Smash Up
  • Wario Land: Shake It
  • Warioware Inc.
  • Wii Sports

DS & 3DS

The Nintendo handhelds have always been popular with an amazing game library and near domination over the entire handheld market. It’s obvious that I haven’t devoted much of my pocket money to the Nintendo systems but I can slowly appreciate the full breadth of titles available.

The 3DS seemed like a novel device and on launch day, I got to experience the system first hand but I’ve been disappointed by the library so far. At least it also plays DS titles (of which there are HEAPS).

The solid state and flash memory of the DS handhelds make this an extremely robust handheld and make this a handheld I’m more likely to ‘throw in bag’ over my more precious PSP.

  • Alien Infestation
  • Final Fantasy Tactics A2
  • Goosebumps Horrorland
  • Luigi’s Mansion 2 (3DS)
  • Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
  • Metroid Prime: Hunters
  • New Super Mario Bros.
  • Nintendogs & Cats: Toy Poodle & New Friends (3DS)
  • Pokemon HeartGold
  • Pokemon Pearl
  • Rayman (3DS)
  • Resident Evil Revelations (3DS)
  • Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
  • Sonic Lost Worlds (3DS)
  • Sonic Rush
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Danger of the Ooze (3DS)
  • Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Shadow Wars (3DS)

 

Neo Geo

CD (SOLD)

The Neo Geo CD was a system I loved but I have made some big decisions for the games room. It’s not subtle that we’ve been doing more action figure reviews on the site and unfortunately, the Neo Geo CD has been sacrificed to bolster my action figure collection, purchase a few games for upcoming reviews and paying back some, *ahem* investment capital for the show.

This was a present for myself imported straight from Japan for $200 (including express postage, 2 games and 2 controllers). Since discovering the Neo Geo library, I knew I wanted to get my hands on more of the titles. I tried the ports on the Mega Drive and Super Nintendo but I managed to justify a Neo Geo console, then after doing some research, settled on the Neo Geo CD.

I purchased the Neo Geo CD before I knew about the Neo Geo X handheld. If I had the ability to go back and make a different decison, I’d probably solely buy the Neo Geo X. I’m a massive fan of the arcade styled SNK games and seeing that Neo Geo hardware was never released in Australia, owning both a Neo Geo X and Neo Geo CD feels somewhat exotic.

Unfortunately, I’ve sold a good handful of my Neo Geo CD titles since owning the Neo Geo X (Samurai Shodown 2, Samurai Shodown 4, Last Resort, Fatal Fury Special, Sengoku). The reality of this system is that games are becoming more expensive, require importing and apart from the better soundtrack, usually suffer from being on a disc.

 

Sony Playstation

PS1

I don’t actually own the original Playstation hardware anymore. It was given away with a bulk of our games. Since everything plays PS1 games anyway, I’ve started slowly adding a few Playstation titles to my collection. It’s a bit of a shame because as a youngster, this might actually be one of the systems I’d identify with the most. I still remember when my mother bought our first Playstation for $600 with about 15 games, mostly imports at the time that didn’t make it to Australia yet, games like Tekken 3. No one believed me that I actually had the game at home, which sucked, but out of all the systems throughout my childhood it was the Playstation that came home with the largest collection of really exciting titles, ready to play straight out of the box.

I still have a few of those original imported games we received with the system all those years ago, but I haven’t listed them here because there’s no way I can play them on either PS2 or PS3, and no way to guarantee they still work. Some of my favourite PS1 titles, like Final Fantasy Tactics and Gran Turismo led me to buy the PSP and those respective games.

  • Alien Resurrection
  • Bushido Blade
  • Crash Bandicoot
  • Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
  • Croc: Legend of the Gobbos
  • Die Hard Trilogy
  • Disney’s action game feat. Hercules
  • Disney’s Peter Pan
  • Disney’s Treasure Planet
  • Doom
  • Evil Dead: Hail to the King
  • Fifth Element
  • Fighting Force
  • Final Fantasy 7
  • Final Fantasy 8
  • Music 2000
  • Street Fighter Collection 2
  • WCW Mayhem
  • WCW Nitro

PS2

A system that totally dominated my teenage years. The Playstation 2 has an amazing library of games and the current prices for games and accessories has reignited my interest in the system.

  • Alien vs Predator: Extermination
  • Armored Core 2
  • Crash Twinsansity
  • Devil May Cry
  • Devil may Cry 2
  • Devil May Cry 3
  • EA Sports Fight Night 2004
  • EA Sports Fight Night Round 3
  • Enter the Matrix
  • Evergrace
  • Evil Twin: Cypriens Chronicles
  • Final Fantasy X
  • Gran Turismo 3
  • Gran Turismo 4
  • Grand Theft Auto 3
  • Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  • Hitman 2 Silent Assassin
  • James Bond 007 in… Agent Under Fire
  • Kingdom Hearts
  • Kingdom Hearts 2
  • Lord of the Rings, the: Fellowship of the Ring
  • Madagascar
  • Maximo
  • Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
  • Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake eater
  • Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition
  • Need for Speed Underground
  • Red Faction
  • Resident Evil Outbreak File #2
  • Resident Evil Survivor 2 Code Veronica
  • Rugby
  • Rugby 2004
  • Scooby Doo: Night of 100 Frights
  • Sega Superstars
  • Shadow the Hedgehog
  • The Simpsons Skateboarding
  • Tekken 5
  • Terminator 3: The Redemption
  • TimeSplitters 2
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Lockdown
  • Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
  • Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Pandora’s Tomorrow
  • Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4
  • Tony Hawk’s Underground
  • Transformers
  • V8 Supercars 3
  • V8 Supercar Race Driver
  • Van Helsing
  • Viewtiful Joe 2
  • WRC 2 Extreme

PS3

This is the first console I actually bought for myself, originally opting for the base-line 40gb fat Playstation 3 that came packaged with Enchanted Arms at Toys ‘R Us. Not the best way to truly experience the Playstation 3, but it didn’t take long to get a few more games together for it. I was a big fan of the PS1 and PS2, so I already had a clear idea of the franchises I wanted to follow onto the PS3 and I was already exposed to the marketing hype via Playstation game magazines I used to collect.

As far as systems failing, my fat PS3 lasted over three years before a yellow light of death had me replacing it with a 120gb slim PS3. That system had trouble connecting to the Wi-Fi, so I had it replaced (it was NOT user error). After losing my game data twice, I haven’t had the chance to really get back into the Playstation 3 library, but it’s a system I still boot up frequently when I have the primary TV to myself.

  • Alien Isolation: Nostromo Edition
  • Alien vs Predator
  • Armored Core 4
  • Assassins Creed
  • Battlefield: Bad Company
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops
  • Club, the
  • Dark Kingdom
  • Darkness, the
  • Enchanted Arms
  • Eye of Judgement
  • Gran Turismo Prologue
  • Heavenly Sword
  • Killzone 2
  • Killzone 3
  • King of Fighters XII
  • Lair
  • Little Big Planet
  • Marvel vs Capcom 3
  • Modnation Racers
  • Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe
  • Playstation All-Stars
  • Rage
  • Red Dead Redemption
  • Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
  • Resident Evil 6
  • Resistance: Fall of Man
  • Sega Mega Drive Collection (Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection)
  • Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
  • Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed
  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Sonic the Hedgehog Generations
  • Sonic the Hedgehog Unleashed
  • Splatterhouse
  • Street Fighter 4
  • Time Crisis 4
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
  • Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Playstation Portable (PSP)

I’m a big fan of the Playstation Portable. A big fan. Even though the Nintendo DS has been more popular in the market place, the PSP has seen a lot of my favourite franchises and reissues of some of my favourite games.

Due to the nature of handheld systems, the PSP has been a great way to relive titles like Final Fantasy Tactics and discover games like Persona and Tactics Ogre that I wouldn’t have had time to sit down and play on a regular console.

  • Alien vs Predator Requiem
  • Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles
  • Dante’s Inferno
  • Dissidia Final Fantasy
  • Final Fantasy IV Collection
  • Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core
  • Final Fantasy Tactics
  • God of War: Chains of Olympus
  • Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars
  • Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories
  • Killzone Liberation
  • MediEvil: Resurrection
  • Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
  • Phantasy Star Portable
  • Powerstone Collection
  • Silent Hill Origins
  • Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together (Collectors Edition)
  • Tekken Resurrection
  • Tenchu Shadow Assassins

 

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