So, what kind of TG collector are you?

[SignOfZeta]

I guess I'm %80 gamer, %20 collector.

I only buy stuff if its complete. "Complete", btw, does not mean an obi and a survey card. Those things are useless so I chuck them on principle. Same goes for the price tag, the sales slip, the bag it came in, etc.

Condition must be good, but it can be "B" grade, or whatever.

I have no care for stuff still in the plastic wrap. If its in the plastic wrap when I get it, it soon won't be.

To be honest I do sometimes buy stuff I have little to no intention of playing to completion, but only if its cheap and interesting in some way. For example, I have all the Momotaro games on PCE, and even one for SFC, but I'm not like those guys that collect brand new $100 LEs of mahjongg games and don't even know how to play them. Likewise I don't have a PC FX.

[Arjak]

I'm the same as a lot of guys here. I buy to play, but I like things complete and in good condition. I open sealed games, so keep me away from your sealed copies of Sapphire.

[guyjin]

"Complete", btw, does not mean an obi and a survey card. Those things are useless so I chuck them on principle. Same goes for the price tag, the sales slip, the bag it came in, etc.

I think these things are interesting. Not just because they have the moon letters: they let you know certain things about the history of the game, like where it came from and how much it cost new.

I've never really understood the purpose of the obi, though. maybe to "prove" that it's new? If only I could read Japanese...

[nat]

Even then, it doesn't really "prove" anything since you could just reshrink the game with the card included.

[esteban]

Also I must add that I'm a hoarder as well.  I will not part with any of my games anymore- from now until I die.  I'd say that perhaps I'd like to be buried with a cart or two- but thinking it over that'd be pretty creepy and childish.  I'd rather leave my collection in my will to whoever makes me laugh the most when I'm old and toothless and can't walk and need someone to change my diapers.   

Same here man, I refuse to sell any of my games no matter how crappy. I find it hard to even part with dupes.

Yeah, I think I fall into this category, but it's because I actually sold tons of games over the years and eventually re-purchased them. I finally realized that it is better to just hold on to stuff, because after a few years, I end up re-visiting games. For example, I overplayed a lot of Turbo games (back in the day) because I was poor and couldn't afford a large library. In 1994, I honestly never thought I'd want to play Bonk 1 & 2, Vigilante, Valis II, Monster Lair, Ys I & II, Blazing Lazers, etc. ever again.

I actually enjoy Vigilante more now (today) than I did when I first got it. Back in the day, it was disappointing. Now, I don't mind wasting my time with it.  Back in the day, I played Vigilante because I didn't have many games. This is pretty funny, now that I think about it.

Seriously though, what was so bad about Timeball? Couldn't figure out the 2nd puzzle?

Timeball sucks because it's boringly repetitive, not much fun, and not at all a treat to look at.  And by the way, I made it all the way to the fourth puzzle. 

Exactly! Give this man a prize, he actually knows what he is talking about!

Holy cow, it's totally fun! Maybe you haven't gotten to the more challenging puzzles, but it is a blast. You can speed up the ball by pressing one of the buttons. This makes the simple puzzles in the beginning go quickly.

The hallmark of all great action-puzzle games is that the concept is simple, yet the challenge and strategy can ramp up to insane levels of intrigue. Timeball has this quality, and so did PipeDreams (a somewhat similar concept).

If it helps, I thought BLOCKOUT (I forget all the other names for this game) was a brilliant extension of Tetris.... and Timeball is part of a legacy as well:

Damn! I wish I had all of these sucky games so that I could chime in! 
Out of Timeball, Deep Blue, Gunboat and Drop (Drop it Like it's Hot) Off- the only one I have is Drop Off- and it's not the worst "turbo chip" that I have.  Battle Royale, Champions Forever Boxing, Davis Cup Tennis, Double Dungeons, Night Creatures, Order of the Griffon, Shockman, Tricky Kick, Turrican, TV Sports Basketball and Yo Bro- all of these I find less playable than Drop Off! 
If I can include japanese hucards- Titan, Genpei Toumaden and Bullfight are quite deserving of the hall of shame as well.  HAHA I probably listed all of Esteban's faves!

Well of those you mentioned, here's how it is imo:
Battle Royale: Man this was a blast to play back in the day, but it hasn't aged well at all. I tried to play it the other day, but couldn't get into it. I was like NOOO, where's all of the ass that this game used to kick?

Champions Forever Boxing, David Cup Tennis, and TV Sports Basketball: Can't comment on these because like most sports games, I avoid them like the plague.

Double Dungeons: I remember my brother and dad seeing the adverts for this game and hyped their expectations for this game up way to high, only to be sorely disappointed. I on the other hand found it somewhat enjoyable. Sure it gets kinda old fast, but it's good for a simple mindless maze crawling game.

Night Creatures: Haven't really tried to play this one either, just a brief play of it via Magic Engine, so can't comment on it.

Order of the Griffon: Not a bad game really. Sure it takes a lot of patience and time to get into, but once you do you will be hooked. Well that is, if D&D type rpgs are your kind of game; it's not for everyone. We still have old maps and passwords my dad wrote down in a drawer at home. My dad played many hours on this one, though admittingly, it hasn't aged well.

Shockman: Ugh, for a megamanesque type game it's not too terribly bad at all It's just, well, it gets old quick. The stages are boring, bosses are not that hard and there really isn't too much substance to this game. I do however love the first stage's music (after you get past the "prologue"), and the third one on the PCE-CD is awesome!

Tricky: Hey! Don't be bad mouthin' one of my favorite games for the TG-16! Seriously though I really do love Tricky Kick, there is a lot of fun to be had there (WAAAAY better than Timeball), although you need to wait at least 3 months after beating it to want to play it again so you forget the solutions to the puzzles.

As for Turrican and Yo Bro, I have played neither nor ever had the desire to. Turrican doesn't look too bad, but Yo Bro? Damn, hell no.

Zeon, we are definitely on common ground. I feel that Tricky Kick, Order of the Griffon and Double Dungeons can provide some decent fun.

[Keranu]

Steve, how many times are you going to link to the DIABLO and TIMEBALL covers? 

[Sinistron]

Steve, how many times are you going to link to the DIABLO and TIMEBALL covers? 

haha it is still awesome though isn't it

[esteban]

Steve, how many times are you going to link to the DIABLO and TIMEBALL covers? 

Volfiev.

[Turbo D]

Steve, how many times are you going to link to the DIABLO and TIMEBALL covers? 

Volfiev.

Dolfied

[SignOfZeta]

I've never really understood the purpose of the obi, though. maybe to "prove" that it's new? If only I could read Japanese...

The obi is just there to make the thing easier to sort and shelve. Keep in mind that Japanese music basically sucks, so all the music worth buying is foreign. If they use an obi to provide an easily readable Japanese name/description of the CD (for putting things in order on the shelf), the price, maybe a little promo blurb (ie: the obi for Capcom versus SNK 2 for DC says, "2D Will Never Die!", or something like that) that is readable from both the front and the spine. Once you own the thing you can then, in theory, dispose of the price, advertising, etc and just have the original product.

This is why if you are a fan of cover art its often better to buy a Japanese release of a music CD that was originally from the UK than it would be to buy an American version because they don't f*ck with the cover art very often. They also rarely dub movies, or pan and scan home video releases.

[rovineye]

I bought my express about 14 years ago along with the tuner and 6 games. I bought it when I was working in D.C. and had long Metro commutes. I swore I would not move on to another game until I beat the previous one without help or hints. After almost a year I still hadn't beat my first game (Ghost Manor). I have a feeling it may have been more a combination my poor video skills, short battery life, my bad memory, and skirted distractions rather than it being a difficult game.

 I was transfered before I beat that game, and it went into storage while I was on a 1 year temporary assignment. Well 13 years later I am still on that temporary assignment, and I just dug up the turbo express I had forgotten about. It is dead but on the way for repairs. I can almost hear the ghosts and banshees drooling in anticipation!

[esteban]

I was transfered before I beat that game, and it went into storage while I was on a 1 year temporary assignment. Well 13 years later I am still on that temporary assignment, and I just dug up the turbo express I had forgotten about. It is dead but on the way for repairs. I can almost hear the ghosts and banshees drooling in anticipation!

That, my friend, is awesome

I still haven't beaten R.C. Pro Am (NES), if that makes you feel better.

[guyjin]

I still haven't beaten R.C. Pro Am (NES), if that makes you feel better.

it's a wave game, you can't beat it. it goes on forever.
I once filled the trophy room, and then some, thanks to a game genie.

[natethegreat82]

I go for games complete with the manual and jewel case. The box isn't really important, since I'll just put it away with all the other game boxes I've accumulated over the years. But for the later Turbo games, I've for the most part settled with just the Hucard, since tracking down complete copies would be too much of a hassle for me.

[Necromancer]

Nice story, rovineye.  Welcome aboard.

P.S. - Skirted distractions.