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[Lynd7]

Also, this guy has made some proper cases for GB and GBA games. I'm probably going to order a few when he's ready. I have a couple of loose carts.

http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=14889.0

 

[Wolfe]

Looks great Grief, I could never bring myself to keep the GBA boxes myself though (I know you recreated some or all of those) as the cardboard doesn't age that well. For now my collection will continue to reside in the nice looking world map cigar box they fit into nice rows in lol.

Edit: wow @ the link from Lynd7, those look pretty great. I don't really have the room (nor the time to make sleeves) for 40 ish game cases though lol. Can't say it isn't tempting though.

 

[Lynd7]

Looks great Grief, I could never bring myself to keep the GBA boxes myself though (I know you recreated some or all of those) as the cardboard doesn't age that well. For now my collection will continue to reside in the nice looking world map cigar box they fit into nice rows in lol.

Edit: wow @ the link from Lynd7, those look pretty great. I don't really have the room (nor the time to make sleeves) for 40 ish game cases though lol. Can't say it isn't tempting though.

I can't imagine throwing away the boxes, even back in the day when I was a kid, I made sure everything was in perfect condition. Only downside is I never owned a ton back then. I had under 10 GBA games and about 10 N64 games. I also sold most of my N64 games to get a Cube... All had brand new looking boxes

Yeah, those cases will be great. I could never be bothered to try and modify DS cases.

 

[BocoDragon]

Looks great Grief, I could never bring myself to keep the GBA boxes myself though (I know you recreated some or all of those) as the cardboard doesn't age that well. For now my collection will continue to reside in the nice looking world map cigar box they fit into nice rows in lol.

That's not really true. My GBA boxes look about the same as the day I bought them. And I have minty looking NES boxes from decades earlier.

They ain't durable though. Yes, you have to baby them and don't stack things on top of them, etc.

 

[Teknoman]

Also, this guy has made some proper cases for GB and GBA games. I'm probably going to order a few when he's ready. I have a couple of loose carts.

http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=14889.0

Super tempting... Honestly I wish I still had my boxes / found the games in boxes.

 

[Gunsmithx]

Also, this guy has made some proper cases for GB and GBA games. I'm probably going to order a few when he's ready. I have a couple of loose carts.

http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=14889.0

those are really nice, I've been trying to buy up ds cases with the gba slot, or in some cases getting leftovers that some nice local gamestops have, but this seems easier. Might have to get an order of 50

 

[Grief.exe]

I am tempted to grab some of those cases asthe DS cases I managed to pick up are decidedly shabby.

Is somewhat of an extraneous purchase as I technically don't need them. Will probably just put that money elsewhere.

 

[Wolfe]

That's not really true. My GBA boxes look about the same as the day I bought them. And I have minty looking NES boxes from decades earlier.

They ain't durable though. Yes, you have to baby them and don't stack things on top of them, etc.

That's exactly what I was implying, I'm not going to go out of my way to baby a flimsy cardboard box (sure flimsy is subjective but it's rather thin, not that I think it should be thicker just saying) over the course of 10+ years.

That you are willing to do that is great, just not my thing.

I can't imagine throwing away the boxes, even back in the day when I was a kid, I made sure everything was in perfect condition. Only downside is I never owned a ton back then. I had under 10 GBA games and about 10 N64 games. I also sold most of my N64 games to get a Cube... All had brand new looking boxes

Yeah, those cases will be great. I could never be bothered to try and modify DS cases.

Different people have different priorities, as a kid the carts were what I cared about (and obviously the box is less of a deal than a case it to a CD/DVD) and the boxes only took up extra space that was already limited in my case to begin with.

As I said I think the cases are rad, but I'm not in the position to be spending 75 bucks on them plus whatever cost/time involved to get sleeves for them that look well made.

 

[Lynd7]

Sure yeah, people do different things.

I never found it hard to keep them perfect though, I just put them on a shelf and left them there basically. I never put the carts in and out etc.

 

[Wolfe]

I grew up with a younger brother and we shared the same room for a number of years (he was one of those bratty tantrum kids at times), wouldn't have gone well had I tried

 

[Paskil]

Just picked up The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for $13.99 and Yoshi's Island for $9.99, earlier today. I'm probably going to start making game cases soon out of the DS w/ advance slot cases. This brings my total GBA collection up to 12:

FFIV
FFV
FFVI
Four Swords
Metroid Zero Mission
Mario 2
Mario World
Yoshi's Island
Harvest Moon FoMT
Mario Golf
Castlevania CoM
Advance Wars 2

There are obviously quite a few core games I'm missing. I've been keeping an eye out for the Zero collection on DS, so will get that there. There are still a ton of games I need like Mario 3, Minish Cap, Mario v. Donkey Kong, Metriod Fusion, and so many more.

I have a pretty good start though and am just snagging cheap games as I see them. I'm not the wealthiest individual, although I have a decent amount of free cash, but am also actively building my collection on other platforms.

I play everything on a silver GBA SP.

 

[Grief.exe]

I have a pretty good start though and am just snagging cheap games as I see them.

That is an excellent start to your collection, and that is the same philosophy I have with collecting classic games. I just wait for the opportune moment to strike. I have a mountain of games already in my possession, these aren't going anywhere and I have nothing but time.

Truth be told, as you get older your earning potential should be steadily increasing. Even if the prices of these games continue to increase, you can always outspend them down the road.

 

[Zalman]

Man, Castlevania games are so pricey. I have never played a game in that franchise before but I heard the GBA games are pretty good.

 

[Wolfe]

Man, Castlevania games are so pricey. I have never played a game in that franchise before but I heard the GBA games are pretty good.

I have all 3 and found the 2nd and 3rd games to be the most enjoyable (I still like circle of the moon but it's harder gameplay wise and less enjoyable to look at visually). I would recommend looking for the double pack cart that includes the 2nd and 3rd games on a single cartridge. Not sure how hard it would be to find now or what the going price is but I was able to pick it up for 10 bucks from gamestop a couple years ago while they were still carrying GBA games.

 

[mandiller]

Here's my collection.

I've got way too many feels to describe about Pokemon Red. I remember getting it and playing it in primary school on my silver GameBoy Pocket when it came out. Everyone was trading Pokemon at school with link cables. And still so many years later the game and battery still runs perfectly!

 

[Rich!]

Just went to my local retro store and bought Tetris 2 and Kirby Pinball Land for £2.99 each! Buying game boy games from a high street store in 2014 is surreal.

Either way, I'm building up the collection which I previously had to get rid of. I'm over halfway there now! My current collection of Game Boy games (not color):

- Donkey Kong 94
- Super Mario Land
- Super Mario Land 2
- Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land
- Jungle Book
- Game Boy Gallery
- Pokemon (Yellow)
- Tetris
- Tetris 2
- Space Invaders
- Kirby's Dream Land
- Kirby's Dream Land 2
- Kirby's Pinball Land

What's left to buy:

- Link's Awakening
- Wario Land 2
- Star Wars
- Game and Watch Gallery 2
- Galaga and Galaxian
- F1 Race
- Tennis
- Pocket Bomberman
- Mario's Picross

almost there!

 

[Huggers]

Mandiller that is an awesome collection. Bravo

Well into Links Awakening now. It's such a solid Zelda title. I like the fact it has a different setting and it's own unique feel. Dare I say I think I prefer it to one or two console Zeldas

 

[sixteen-bit]

I have all 3 and found the 2nd and 3rd games to be the most enjoyable (I still like circle of the moon but it's harder gameplay wise and less enjoyable to look at visually). I would recommend looking for the double pack cart that includes the 2nd and 3rd games on a single cartridge. Not sure how hard it would be to find now or what the going price is but I was able to pick it up for 10 bucks from gamestop a couple years ago while they were still carrying GBA games.

I'm actually not a fan of Harmony of Disonance (2nd game). I think it's uglier thank CotM. Combination of the colors being too saturated and the player sprite being so large and goofy. And the soundtrack is terrible.

Aria of Sorrow (3rd game) is great though. I Also recommend Circle of the Moon if you're looking for a more challenging game.

 

[Rich!]

Aria of Sorrow is essentially Symphony of the Night 2, as far as gameplay and structure is concerned.

It's amazing.

edit: fuck death though. fuck him, the unfair bastard.

 

[injurai]

I'm actually not a fan of Harmony of Disonance (2nd game). I think it's uglier thank CotM. Combination of the colors being too saturated and the player sprite being so large and goofy. And the soundtrack is terrible.

Aria of Sorrow (3rd game) is great though. I Also recommend Circle of the Moon if you're looking for a more challenging game.

CotM is almost like classic CV. It looses a bit on the vertical danger element, but it plays much more like that classics than any other of the open castlevanias.

 

[Winnie the Pimp]

So after all this talk about the Micro i now feel like picking up a used one myself since i never actually owned one!

I am based in Europe so i also never got the fabled 101 SP, which means i don't have a backlit GBA to play my collection on

- Since the screen is so TINY, can you actually comfortably play games like Advance Wars or RPGs where there are a lot of small unit and text etc. or do you need to hold it like super close to your face to see stuff?

- I cannot use my SP charger for the micro but it has it's own right? So i probably have to watch out for that when looking at Ebay etc.

- anything else before i take the plunge? What is a decent price for a good condition used Micro nowadays? (PAL)

 

[maxcriden]

Guyssss my Micro faceplates came and they're pretty legit. I'll take some pics this weekend for y'all.

 

[Zalman]

Thanks guys, I'll see if I can find Aria of Sorrow, although it is very pricey. Can I play the GBA Castlevania games without playing any of the previous ones? Is every game standalone?

 

[Rich!]

Thanks guys, I'll see if I can find Aria of Sorrow, although it is very pricey. Can I play the GBA Castlevania games without playing any of the previous ones? Is every game standalone?

yep. There's a loose story connecting them all, but it doesn't really mean shit.

Which order you play the games really depends on what kind of game you want. If you want a pure Metroidvania, then Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow are as best as you're ever gonna get.

 

[sixteen-bit]

yeah, each one is a standalone game. CotM is non-canon and HoD and Aria have centuries separated between them.

 

[moltonasty]

I want to buy a new GBA, but I can't decide between the Micro or an AGS 101.

I remember back when the Micro came out, I thought it was incredibly dumb, just because it was SOOOOO tiny. But I've heard glowing praise about it for years now, and I'm thinking maybe I was wrong lol.

What would you guys suggest?

 

[maxcriden]

I want to buy a new GBA, but I can't decide between the Micro or an AGS 101.

I remember back when the Micro came out, I thought it was incredibly dumb, just because it was SOOOOO tiny. But I've heard glowing praise about it for years now, and I'm thinking maybe I was wrong lol.

What would you guys suggest?

Well...it's really small. Much smaller than I expected. So if that might be an issue for you, you might want to consider an AGS 101 or a DS Lite.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Well...it's really small. Much smaller than I expected. So if that might be an issue for you, you might want to consider an AGS 101 or a DS Lite.

Or a Backlit AGB-001

 

[moltonasty]

Thanks Max..would you say the screen is so small that it's hard to read text or follow the action in more intense games? Something about just being able to fit it in my pocket seems really appealing. But I might just go with the AGS 101.

Or a Backlit AGB

Always thought the original had the best feel, so that might be the way to go. damn, too many choices!

 

[rexor0717]

Oh, I'm going to have to subscribe to this thread. I have some hard core nostalgia for GB/GBC games. Especially the boxes. There is just something about those square cardboard boxes. I know its not the same, but I'm keeping around my Soul Silver Game just because it came in a cardboard box.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Oh, I'm going to have to subscribe to this thread. I have some hard core nostalgia for GB/GBC games. Especially the boxes. There is just something about those square cardboard boxes. I know its not the same, but I'm keeping around my Soul Silver Game just because it came in a cardboard box.

I love those boxes. So sad I threw them out back in the day. I only kept GBA and late gen GBC ones

 

[EdReedFan20]

Everything lined up. Making some more boxes sometime next week Pokemon Silver, SML2, FFTA, Mega Man BN2, Metroid II, maybe more.

Man, I really wish all GameBoy games came in plastic case like the ones at the end. They would be nice on shelves.

 

[Mzo]

I love those boxes. So sad I threw them out back in the day. I only kept GBA and late gen GBC ones

Same here, and that's only because there's no other good way to store shitty GBA carts.

Thank god.

 

[Wolfe]

If you read a little further back in the thread (still same page if you're on 100ppp) someone posted a link to a site where a guy had some DS size cases made for GB/GBA carts. Depending on how many you need it might not be that costly but you'd obviously have to have cover inserts made up too. I would love to pick some up myself but I'd have to buy a batch of 50 and can't spare the 75 bucks atm.

 

[Magicman103]

Man, Castlevania games are so pricey. I have never played a game in that franchise before but I heard the GBA games are pretty good.

I'm playing through Circle of the Moon right now (my first castlevania game) and it's awesome!

I can't put it down.

And the music has been stuck in my head for the past few days.

Although people say this game is the worst of the 3 gba castlevanias, its still really really good in my opinion. It's also the cheapest; I got my copy on ebay for like $12.

 

[Agent Unknown]

So here is the my new SP replacement battery, came today, pic I took before putting it in:

It's from China, came in an as-generic-as-you-can-get tiny white box with no inserts or anything and standard tiny screwdriver. No matter, I just hope it was made fairly recently.

My SP charged with it for about 3 hours before the light turned off, is this a good sign? At least it charged much longer than the last battery I got which was clearly bad from the get go since it would only charge for 20-30 min. I also read on another site that you should leave a new SP battery plugged in for about eight hours on the very first charge (even after the light turns off) in order for it to work properly afterwards, is that true?

 

[Lynd7]

So for those that have OG backlit GBA's, does the slower refresh rate or whatever bother you or is overly noticable?

 

[Agent Unknown]

Anyone have any thoughts on my battery question above? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Still leaving my SP plugged in for a few more hours because I'm that determined and paranoid to make it work this time.

So for those that have OG backlit GBA's, does the slower refresh rate or whatever both you or is overly noticable?

I don't know about refresh rate per se, but I had a first edition cobalt blue GBA SP and to me, its screen had an overall dullness or "cloudiness" which was quite noticeable even before I made the leap a few years later to the second GBA SP's incredibly crisper and brighter display. It still looked nice enough though. Hope that helps.

 

[Grief.exe]

Some Golden Sun at 30,000 feet

Although people say this game is the worst of the 3 gba castlevanias, its still really really good in my opinion. It's also the cheapest; I got my copy on ebay for like $12.

From what I have gathered, there isn't much love for Harmony while Circle gets a great deal of respect.

I haven't played Circle since release, but played Aria last year and loved it.

 

[Wolfe]

Anyone have any thoughts on my battery question above? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Still leaving my SP plugged in for a few more hours because I'm that determined and paranoid to make it work this time.

I don't know about refresh rate per se, but I had a first edition cobalt blue GBA SP and to me, its screen had an overall dullness or "cloudiness" which was quite noticeable even before I made the leap a few years later to the second GBA SP's incredibly crisper and brighter display. It still looked nice enough though. Hope that helps.

No idea on the battery question but the "cloudiness" you brought up it likely just due to that model being front lit instead of backlit. The screens on those versions didn't have pixels that lit up but instead just a light that lit up the top of the screen that covered the pixels and it admittedly looked rather poor compared to screens that actually lit up the pixels like the 101 model. It was basically like having an internal worm light

From what I have gathered, there isn't much love for Harmony while Circle gets a great deal of respect.

I haven't played Circle since release, but played Aria last year and loved it.

Maybe the sentiment has changed over the years but in my experience CotM was always considered the lesser of the 3. I enjoy it more than HoD but I haven't finished either to be honest, HoD I just got sorta bored with but CotM just became sort of a chore to play (for gameplay reasons as I mentioned above) due to some of the boss fights feeling awkward and other various things. I also think it looks rather bland for various reasons but I do think the sprite work is better than in HoD. They really hit their stride with Aria though and wish they had made another for the GBA after it given how well it came out.

 

[Anth0ny]

Nearly everything is cheap, except English copies of Pokemon games for some reason.

Amazing considering how well those games sold, too.

I think the main reason Gen 1 and 2 go for so much is the Pokemon phenomenon of the late 90s happened, those kids grew older, sold their games... then realized they fucked up. Now everyone is getting all nostalgic and trying to buy the games back.

At least that's the only reason I could think of. Makes you wonder if releasing Gens 1 and 2 on the 3DS virtual console would be a selling point for some of these nostalgic Pokemon players.

 

[Wolfe]

It blew me away a year or two ago while I was going around picking up GBA games to see Pokemon Ruby/Emerald regularly going for in the 30 dollar range while stuff like FFVI for example would be maybe 20 at most. Shits cray.

 

[Agent Unknown]

No idea on the battery question but the "cloudiness" you brought up it likely just due to that model being front lit instead of backlit. The screens on those versions didn't have pixels that lit up but instead just a light that lit up the top of the screen that covered the pixels and it admittedly looked rather poor compared to screens that actually lit up the pixels like the 101 model. It was basically like having an internal worm light

Ah, right, it was front lit. I like the internal worm light analogy.

New battery seems to be working out so far. I finally took the SP off the charger, played Mario Bros Arcade for 30 min then set it on the couch next to me on bright while I've been watching TV and two hours later it's still going strong. I have SMB 3 running on it, so as a final test I'm going to put it into sleep mode before going to bed and see if it's still holding a charge when I get up in the morning about 5 hours from now.

 

[Rizzi]

I wish I could find a micro for a decent price.
Friggin' expensive little things.

 

[Haibane]

I also read on another site that you should leave a new SP battery plugged in for about eight hours on the very first charge (even after the light turns off) in order for it to work properly afterwards, is that true?

Given how lithium batteries work, that's unlikely. Older nickel based batteries can be trickle charged or top up charged (this sounds like a confusing conflation of the two) but lithium batteries will explode if you try that, and have built in circuitry to prevent it. Won't hurt if you leave it plugged in, but once the battery is fully charged it's cut off from the charging current.

 

[Rich!]

there's something wrong with my copy of pokemon yellow

lol

 

[womp]

there's something wrong with my copy of pokemon yellow

lol

The Pokemon Yellow that is on my 120 in 1 Chinese bootleg cart does that. You sure that is a legit Pokemon Yellow?

 

[Rich!]

The Pokemon Yellow that is on my 120 in 1 Chinese bootleg cart does that. You sure that is a legit Pokemon Yellow?

I actually bought this copy brand new and sealed from GAME back when it came out.

 

[Wolfe]

there's something wrong with my copy of pokemon yellow

lol

Yeah, that looks like arse.

 

[maxcriden]

I wish I could find a micro for a decent price.
Friggin' expensive little things.

My advice would be to keep an eye on Craigslist.