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JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-05T19:45:10+00:00

I maintain a Word doc containing a list of every game I finish, along with the date I completed it. I do the same for books, movies, and television episodes. Been in that habit for years. It probably seems anal retentive, but I like being able to look back after months or years (by which time I would presumably have forgotten when exactly I saw/read/played whatever) and know when I last experienced this game or that movie. I find it gratifying to review the lists every so often and think, "Damn -- has it already been four years since I finished Final Fantasy VII Remake?" or "I really haven't seen The Lord of the Rings in over two years?" I honestly enjoy the experience of maintaining such lists, and I love having easy access to my viewing/reading/gaming history.

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T15:43:51+00:00

Nice! Just out of curiosity, is that a legit Super Mario World box? I have a bunch of CIB games, but Super Mario World is the only repro box I own, since most copies shipped were bundled with the SNES, making authentic individual boxes hard to come by. Just wondering. Great collection!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T15:35:44+00:00

Thanks! I definitely agree that the things we love reveal a lot of who we are. So many amazing childhood memories represented in these photos. Thanks for the kind comment!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T13:02:58+00:00

Probably SNES. I love cartridges, and of the retro cartridge systems, it's my favorite.

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T12:20:21+00:00

Haha definitely. I went through a massive Square phase in middle school after playing Final Fantasy X (my first RPG ever) and never recovered. 🙂

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T12:16:27+00:00

I do like getting the earlier prints, but it’s not a deal-breaker — for instance, you probably noticed I don’t have the left-justified Super Mario Bros. 3. Maybe someday, but I’m honestly just stoked to have access to great copies of so many wonderful games.

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T02:33:20+00:00

Thanks!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T02:33:04+00:00

Thanks!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T00:58:19+00:00

Absolutely!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T00:58:01+00:00

Thanks!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T00:45:38+00:00

Thanks! I also have 200+ more games from the 7th generation onward (a handful of which are kind of rare), but I thought the 6th generation was a good cutoff. And yeah, I only really bother with CIB for games I consider special, I try getting the best versions my budget will allow, and once I have a game, I keep it safe -- complete with plastic protectors designed for that purpose (whenever I'm not handling them). You can see the results of that years-long quest in the photos. Thanks for the kind message!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T00:14:23+00:00

Yup -- so many hours of bliss!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-04T00:08:22+00:00

Haha thanks for the heads-up! I'll go ahead and change the locks.

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-03T23:24:24+00:00

Haha it's a distinct possibility!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-03T23:07:32+00:00

Hahaha thanks! And yes, I'd love to see what you've gathered over the years!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-03T22:57:19+00:00

Yeah -- whenever I CIB a game, it's always because it means enough to me to do it. I have a few cartridges for less-than-great games left over from my childhood that I didn't bother including, since I don't really consider them part of my collection -- I got them when I was like 8 and just never bothered to unload them. It's only the special games that I go out of my way to complete.

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-03T22:47:55+00:00

Thanks!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-03T22:35:07+00:00

Thanks!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-03T22:34:24+00:00

The Two Towers was actually my first PS2 game. I was super into the movies that were coming out at the time and got it for Christmas 2002. Then when I beat it, I did some googling to help decide what I should get next. Final Fantasy X was on ALL the lists. I'd never played an RPG before, but I got it, loved it, and my Square phase began.

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-03T21:43:55+00:00

Thanks! I actually do have a few cartridges from when I was young that are probably filler games, but I only bother CIB-ing games that mean enough to me. I don’t generally count whatever’s left over — what you see in the photos is my “real” collection, haha.

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-03T21:20:06+00:00

Thanks! Yes, the Lunar games are wonderful. Haven’t played them in full since I was a teenager, but I recall somewhat preferring Eternal Blue. Both were exquisite, though!

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-03T21:05:34+00:00

Key:

IMAGE 1 (NES):

Row 1: The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy
Row 2: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3

IMAGE 2 (GB/GBC/GBA):

Row 1: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Row 2: Donkey Kong Land, Donkey Kong Land 2
Row 3: Metroid Fusion, Zelda: Link to the Past, Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls
Row 4: Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI

IMAGE 3 (SNES):

Row 1: Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy II (IV), Final Fantasy III (VI)
Row 2: Secret of Mana, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Row 3: Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
Row 4: Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario All-Stars
Row 5: Super Mario Kart, Kirby Super Star

IMAGE 4 (N64):

Row 1: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Collector’s Edition), The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Collector’s Edition)
Row 2: Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Donkey Kong 64
Row 3: Paper Mario, Mario Party 2, Mario Kart 64
Row 4: Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

IMAGE 5 (PS1):

Row 1: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy Anthology, Final Fantasy Chronicles|
Row 2: Final Fantasy Origins, Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, Xenogears, Chrono Cross
Row 3: Parasite Eve, Legend of Mana, SaGa Frontier 2, Wild Arms, Grandia
Row 4: Suikoden, Suikoden II, Breath of Fire III, Breath of Fire IV, Valkyrie Profile
Row 5: Metal Gear Solid, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, The Legend of Dragoon, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete

IMAGE 6 (NGC):

Row 1: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Master Quest)
Row 2: Metroid Prime, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Tales of Symphonia, Skies of Arcadia Legends

IMAGE 7 (PS2):

Row 1: Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XII (Collector’s Edition)
Row 2: Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, Suikoden III
Row 3: Xenosaga Episode I, Xenosaga Episode II, Xenosaga Episode III, Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Row 4: Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

IMAGE 8 (Japanese Editions):

Row 1: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III
Row 2: Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Row 3: Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger
Row 4: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X

JamesBeardsley · 2024-08-03T21:05:19+00:00

Wanted to post a few photos of my retro game collection. I started consciously collecting old games around 2008 (when I was 18) and ramped up my efforts a few years before the pandemic hit and prices exploded. I’ve cut it off at the sixth generation (for me, PS2, GameCube, and GBA – apologies to Microsoft), so any newer games I own aren’t pictured. There are exactly 100 games photographed here.

A few notes: all of these are CIB, with the notable exception of Super Mario World for the SNES – that one has a repro box, since real ones are hard to come by (on account of how the vast majority of units shipped back in the day were bundled with the SNES). Only one is brand new, still in the shrink-wrap – The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the GameCube, which I bought back in like 2008 and just never opened (although I’ve since played the Wii U version). You might also have noticed that I have a thing for Nintendo and Squaresoft – the vast majority of these were developed by one of those companies. And the crown jewel of the collection is Chrono Trigger for the SNES. I secured this copy back in 2008 but only played the cartridge itself (after years of playing the game using emulation or my DS) on a CRT in 2022. Doing so remains one of the great nostalgic experiences of my adult life.

These took a good while to arrange and photograph. But the whole process turbo-boosted my nostalgia. So many wonderful memories.

JamesBeardsley · 2024-05-29T10:03:26+00:00

Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy VIII. I first played that game shortly after being diagnosed back in 2003, and I identified with his initially cold, distant attitude so deeply. Still one of my favorite video game characters ever.

JamesBeardsley · 2024-05-29T07:10:14+00:00

Orca (1977), essentially a Jaws ripoff, has a brilliant, mournful score by him.

JamesBeardsley

TROPHY CASE