That's a big part of what made the PS1, and I'd also say PS2 and even PS3, so appealing as platforms. Unfortunately, I feel the offerings of those types of games at least among AAA and AA started to homogenize and commodify during the PS4 gen, between certain companies pulling back on that type of output and SIE themselves shifting away from quirkier internal projects to focus on big Western-style Hollywood AAA productions.
A lot of that activity has shifted to the indie scene but I feel most indie titles don't have the same "spark" or quirkiness to them as the creative quirky Japanese games that came out on earlier PS consoles. Probably in part due to cultural differences; a lot of Western indies IMO rely too much on internet meme humor and being self-aware in their writing & humor, so you don't get the sense they're taking anything too seriously or earnestly. The other reason is that a lot of indies haven't started trying to do more than 8-bit or 16-bit pixel platformers until a few years ago. The last 3-4 years or so feels like more retro stuff inspired from the 5th-gen has been coming about. I do love my quality 16-bit 2D platformers but few indie ones really pushed things like the best of the 16-bit ones like Yoshi's Island, Alien Soldier, Metal Slug etc.
At least with SIE, I hope Astro Bot is a turning point and they begin pushing for more internal AA titles that can be quirkier and more adventurous than the mature story-driven AAA games .
True the possibility of exposure of some of these games by content creators can be a double-edged sword. On one hand it's great to see obscure high-quality stuff get some appreciation after all these years. On the other hand, if you're a collector, I can see how that makes things harder for you. Maybe not so much in terms of increasing the going price for a game, but maybe trickling a few more people to compete for buying it.
Which in itself probably leads to some spikes in prices if you don't already have a copy. Sometimes that new exposure may get a lucky re-release of the title, but if those re-releases are physical that probably also drives down some of the value of older copies, so it can suck a bit for a collector who already has the game.
Though that probably depends itself on how good the physical re-release is, and how much get pressed. They'll never be part of the original run though so original physical copies will always likely still command a premium if they were limited initially (i.e Panzer Dragoon Saga).
The LSD Dream Simulator team made another game? That's something I'll need to check out, wonder if it's any more structured than LSD or still basically a trippy acid trip
.
If and when I ever get more serious collecting, Japan (places like Akihabara in particular) seem perfect for buying some of these games. Prices probably aren't as cheap as they were back in say the 2000s, but I'd figure going direct and buying in-person is still cheaper than buying off say eBay (after factoring in the cost for travelling there, anyhow).
Oh this looks cool, and has some of that side-scrolling/into-the-screen setup like the N64 Ganbare Goemon games.
Funny enough I actually read about this game on Hardcore Gaming 101, I think the premise involves something with poop? xD, I just remember them describing it sounded very hilarious.
Also they mentioned some in Japan consider it a kusoge; don't know how accurate that is, but honestly there are quite a few "bad games" I really enjoy. City of Lost Children, for example (in that case especially if you like the film).
Making love to a Saturn should be easy with that giant expansion port in the back
But yeah, I'd say mid '90s up to '99 or even the early '00s was that "magical time" for me. I got to play 16-bit stuff (Genesis), arcades were still around so I would go to some with my dad (and play machines at various stores when out with my mom), got plenty of time to play PS1 with a friend before getting a system of my own, got an N64, got as many of the gaming magazines as I could (especially EGM, that was my main go-to but also got a lot of Game Fan and some Next Generation issues too).
The only major systems I really missed out on back then were the Saturn and Dreamcast. I did get to demo Saturn at shops during the time, like at Funco Land, but I never "quite" understood what it actually was for some reason. Dreamcast was just too soon after getting an N64, and too late because I was looking to get a PS2 and Gamecube. If I didn't get an N64 for a Christmas present in '98 my parents probably would've considered getting me a Dreamcast in '99.
