Full N64 Collection - Is it possible?

[logical123]

So, I want to try getting a full N64 collection. Everything doesn't have to be cib, but the more cib, the better. Maybe that will be the ultimate goal. Does anyone know the games that are defiantly the hardest to come by, in terms of rarity and price? Thanks for any tips!

[Tan]

A few rarities off the top of my head are Ogre Battle 64, Starcraft 64, Harvest Moon, Indiana Jones, Hot Wheels Turbo Racing, Stunt Racer 64, ClayFighter 63 1/3 Sculptor's Cut. Others while not rare, are in demand and fetch high prices making them seem rare even if they are not i.e. Paper Mario, Conker, Castlevania and many others. I'm sure others will pipe in with several more. Another thing about N64 collecting besides finding these CIB, is the price of 1st party titles. Games like Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Mario Party etc still command high prices depending on where you get them. Others like Banjo Kazooie, Starfox w/rumble pack, DK64 with expansion are priced high as well.

I honestly believe that N64 games are one of the best investments for the future for both gamers and collectors. These games are expensive now, some have been for a few years, finding these CIB or at a good price isn't what it used to be. I remember cleaning out stores of their boxed or CIB copies several years ago when the Gamecube was hitting it's stride. Some of these same games I bought for a few dollars are going for $30-80 now, some just for loose carts. The Wii Virtual Console hasn't affected prices at all, in fact it may have even raised them. Five years ago or so, you could buy games like Perfect Dark brand new for a penny on ebay, or "buy it now" auctions for a dollar. I remember buying Goldeneye sealed new for $5. Such were the golden days of collecting

Your best bet now is to find them in the wild, flea markets, yard sales etc. Because game stores, eBay etc have gotten onto the top dollar bandwagon with this system. Personally, I think CIB is much more desirable for the n64. Harder perhaps and more costly, but really it's a turtle vs the hare type of thing where patience will reward you with a better looking display and investment than buying all the cheap loose carts you can find as quickly as you can. But as I say that's personal preference and really it's all about the quality of the collection your aiming for.

Oh and before I forget, keep an eye out for expansion packs, those red 4mb ram packs. Wouldn't hurt to have a couple of them. Stay clear of the 3rd party ones and look for great deals. More often than not they are worth more than a N64 console and are needed for a few games.

[Mr. Ksoft]

Really? N64 games used to be cheap to find used?
I beg to differ... I got an N64 in it's final two years and then the GC came out (and I wasn't going to be getting that for a few more months), so I couldn't get new games at retail.  I started going to places that offered used N64 games and they were almost always priced about the same or slightly lower as if they were still at the store.  Not a single cart was priced lower than $25.  Those around $25 were common like Mario 64, with more recent and less-selling games like MegaMan 64 (which, as one who didn't own a PS1 for Legends, I wanted desperately but never got thanks to this) being $50.

The prices are a little bit lower now (popular titles like Smash Bros are still fetching $25-30 around here, but less popular titles like Bust-A-Move 2 are around the $10 range) but still f%el rather extreme.
Also, you say expansion packs are sometimes worth more than an N64 itself?  I hadn't been aware of that.  Now those extra 2-3 expansion packs I have laying around aren't just taking up space.

Also, more on topicish, I hear some edutainment titles for the system are kind of rare because not many people bought them, obviously.  I'm not sure, though, as I hear differing statistics.

[Tan]

Well I'm sure like many systems, it's a matter of geography as well. I'm sure amongst the 30 boxed games (27/30 CIB) games, and 2 systems I have in my collection, total it hasn't exceeded $100 for everything and 5 of those games, 1 controller and 2 mem cards were bought brand new.

The sweet spot is always a couple years after a system is no longer sold and just before they remove them from shelves to make room. Many collectors cleaned up when Blockbuster and/or TRU got rid of their N64 games, especially the exclusive ones, much like how many are cleaning up on Xbox/GCN games now.

[NES_Rules]

A full N64 set shouldn't be too tough, much easier than many other systems actually. There's only 300 some games, which is about half what most popular consoles had.  Especially if you're going for loose games, CIB would be much tougher but still very possible. Digital Press has the scarcest N64 games rated only a 5 so there aren't really any "holy grails" like other systems have.

Like Tan said, most of the expensive N64 games are expensive because they're popular not because they're rare. So you could find them in the wild very cheap relatively easy. Then it'd just be a matter of tracking down the rarer ones online.

[CodysGameRoom]

MY store sells teh expansion pack for $19.99. We also sell the N64 Console for $19.99. Figure that one out?


Also, I believe WORMS Armageddon is a somewhat difficult one to find.

[logical123]

Also, I believe WORMS Armageddon is a somewhat difficult one to find.

Yes, it is. And I have it.

[Mr. Ksoft]

Holy crap, I saw that at the store yesterday.  I wondered why it was $35...

[Wempster]

Yeah the n64 can be a relatively expensive system to complete.  Im trying to do it now and lots of places I go still have 10-15 dollars per game.  That price for 300 games is quite a bit.  I did get lucky and found a few good deals like Starcraft 64 for $15, and when Rhino was being bought by Gamestop, they put all their old games at 75% off.  I did quite a bit of clean up there.  I think one of the hardest games to get without paying full price is Harvest Moon 64. Rarely see it for under 40-50 bucks.  Well good luck collecting.

[logical123]

I think the rental stor has harvet moon 64. If so, it will then be $10. 

I'm going back tommorrow!!!

[blcklblskt]

For a true "complete" N64 collection, you need the N64 DD,  which will run for a few hundred.

On topic though, I think they still have high prices because they game out around $50-60, and sometimes up to $80 with other accessories.

[Darth Sidious]

Well, at least here in Germany, some of the last "big" N64 titles are pretty hard to come by, especially if you want your games with the box and the manual (on ebay, I'd say that about 70% of all N64 games you encounter are merely the cartridges...man, that pisses me off. Are my fellow Germans really that dumb, to throw away the box of an acknowledged form of electronic entertainment? After all, nobody would throw his or her DVD boxes or CD cases, right?).
The most sought-after games might be Perfect Dark (never released in Germany due to its "violence"; only available as a European import), Paper Mario (well, I got it complete with box and manual for 5€...guess I was lucky), Conker's Bad Fur Day (same problem as with Perfect Dark) and Banjo-Tooie (a good N64 game in 2001...go figure).
The 64DD might be a tricky purchase, too, especially since you can't really use that thing properly outside Japan (not even in Japan anymore), so it would merely be a collector's item, I'd say...or would anyone want to play a less complex version of Doshin the Giant, several Mario paint programs or an obscure Japanese golf game? I don't even know whether you can even use the F-Zero Expansion Kit properly...there's no doubt that the 64DD might very well be the biggest failure among the many console add-ons of the past (even the 32X had at least a handful of enjoyable titles, and the Sega CD is kinda underrated in my opinion).

[logical123]

For a true "complete" N64 collection, you need the N64 DD,  which will run for a few hundred.

On topic though, I think they still have high prices because they game out around $50-60, and sometimes up to $80 with other accessories.

The N64DD was Japan only. So I wouldn't need it for a complete collection. I'm going to pick up any cib games that I can, but I don't mind cart only. Perhaps all CIB & all mint condition will be the ultimate goal. For now, I don't mind small rips or tears, or writing on the cart. I can always upgrade, and then sell the duplicate for a little less.