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I think to start this post off, a bit of background to explain the catalyst for the entry in the first place.
Lately I've been very nose deep into YouTube watching and one video I watched was from YouTube user Yello's Island on why they bought a triage of retro Pokemon games with buyer's remorse to a certain extent. The video felt like an eye opener as I felt the same way with some of my own retro gaming purchases. Not exactly as of late, but very similar.
It really gave me the chance to evaluate my own Achilles heel when it came to retro gaming as well. Admittingly I tend to have a rough experience with saving and being fruitful with my financials but I also admit that if I was still in the same mindset of my younger self, I would not be in a better position to say that sometimes a bit of self control is a learning experience that pays itself.
I think lately with gaming prices being as bad as they are, I doubt there's going to be a relief in sight. When they're charging 50/60$ for a Triple A title that is more than likely not that good, it's hard to keep your faith in good standing when you've been burned so many times over. Needless to say, I have been less inclined to say the fact that I made regretful purchases as well.
Pokemon Shining Pearl for a good example was one that a lot of folks ripped the heck out of because it wasn't as quality as the predecessor remakes Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire - or Heart Gold and Soul Silver if you want to go back further. The chibi art style felt reminiscent to what the remake for Link's Awakening was like a few months/years prior - and of course, I felt some bit of err on the side of caution when it came to hype. Unfortunately the love for generation 4 (Sinnoh specifically) broke through and I was still optimistic for the games. Instead of disgust and critique, I noticed the cons of the remakes - or remasters as it feels like - while enjoying the bits of what made the Pokemon games enjoyable in the first place.
I got my copy of Shining Pearl at launch and despite that controversy surrounding the game, I had a fun time with it and seeing Vulpix in the Sinnoh Grand Underground was enough to appeal to my inner child. I started playing Platinum on the DS when I snagged it at a local GameStop for a somewhat decent price and was kind of disappointed in not finding Vulpix at all in Sinnoh legitimately. This was before I got access to my current copy of Sapphire or a DS console at all. Trading wasn't even an option because I didn't have any other people that played Pokemon as much as myself... But I eventually got Soul Silver and despite the lack of decent game corner games (read: not a big fan of Voltorb Flip), I still enjoyed the heck out of the Johto remakes. Even the new safari zone was pretty cute but a bit time consuming. Although it doesn't take long to set it up how you want and leave it alone for a couple of days or weeks. I apparently invested enough interest into the Safari Zone to find a Riolu in game without having to trade it over from Platinum (because I didn't have a way to do so). Played the first save to the point of being able to fight Red on Mt.Silver - and got intimidated by the level difference between my Pokemon and his.
Going back further, Pokemon White was my first dive into playing the Pokemon Games on the DS hardware since my previous experiences were done on an emulator. And I admit, I backed away for the reason of a little Pokemon called Kricketot...
Yes, I lost to a Kricketot in a play of Pokemon Platinum during my first playthrough of the game on an emulator. I guess at that point I didn't touch a DS game for years afterwards. That and the fact that I might of got the PC I used a nasty bit of code to constitute a knockout of the OS and a reinstall didn't help matters. Hahaha....
The most recent game I purchased over 50$ was Pokemon Scarlet and even with the issues the game has plagued I still enjoy it for the small things. The restriction of school uniforms not included... It was close to that point where I wanted to become more considerate of what price tag I decide to be okay with. But even with the close observation of sales and goodness knows what, I still fall into the trap of, it must be good if on sale!
Bit Orchard, Staxel, Cassette Beasts, Sprout Valley - to name a few were what felt like impulse buys because of the discount on a fish hook. But even with the little stinkers, I have had some nice steals when it came to smart purchases like Sonic Mania and Puyo Puyo Champions. But it's not just the digital games I have had the opportunity to snag at a bargain (although I wish it happened more for physical games). Moreso because of a nifty site called DekuDeals (not a sponsor). That and sometimes just looking up videos of the said game I want to look into helps in making my decision. There are some games that have an available demo to try out, but I felt like those can be a hit or miss. Some being as bad as giving you a small taste of what the game is like before kicking you out. Thankfully, nothing like a specific Amazon Kindle book sample that was nothing more than a cover of the book before it baits you into buying.
Now I'm not saying every demo is a soulless build of the retail version but some are just enough to convince me that I'm not going to bet on such a small amount of foresight to give the product a chance. Especially the case if the game has no physical release to consider. Probably why I'm reluctant to get Tetris Forever for that reason. But Tetris Effects: Connected was a well reasoned exception. I had played enough of the game on Xbox when it was available on Game Pass that waiting for the game on sale was worth it.
Although at this point, I notice I talk a lot about purchases I have made and not the one I tout as being the one to break me. So to bring it back real quick: pandemic came, prices for retro games went up, pandemic then left, prices dropped, but now they start going up again.
The reason for that quick point is that I ended up purchasing a copy of Pokemon Leaf Green. Knowing full well that the game shows a bit of wear and tear, knowing that while it says it's authentic I have doubts, I couldn't pass that price tag considering it's more than double that every other place...
Even now, checking the prices of other Pokemon games for the GBA being as high up as the $100+ I still doubt I made a good call because of that pricetag being so low. The cart was indeed green as an authentic one would be. But the sticker felt just enough off that it warrant a closer inspection. Turns out it might be a reproduction cart I found. I say might because it only shows the front but I can tell something doesn't seem authentic when comparing images.
Guess it does break me a bit more considering I felt baited in. But at the same time, this wasn't the first one that had the realization when it came to the seller I got it from. And I agree that they should've been more forward with the fact it's a repo, but at least they didn't tout it off as an authentic cart. So even with the buyer's remorse because it was a "fake" cart, I only hope this thing works or I could be less than happy with the purchase... At least the Sapphire cart the other person purchased it did feel pretty off considering I had seen enough of a real one. Not that I'm harping on them for not knowing. Heck some of these reproduction carts have gotten better at imitating the real deal.
Would it have been nice to get that bit of information before the purchase was made? Yes. Do I regret it to the point of withdrawing myself from this? Ehhh.... Not quite.
The panic wasn't due to the questioning of whether it's authentic or not. I blame it on the idea of why I still buy this when I have too much to juggle with in the first place but let's get more in?
To give myself credit though, it's not like I spent more on a fake cart when it's very obvious. The one I looked at was more or less better looking to the point of masquerading and passing off as genuine. And considering the previous buyer said it worked fine but wished for that bit of transparency when it came to the authenticity of the cart, I better not count the chickens prior to hatching so to speak.
It's definitely not like buying a console knowing very well how much usage it has and not having any bit of fixing up done before the owner decided to sell it off. The worst case in this point I have experience was a DS Lite from a now defunct local game store that was lacking a GBA slot cover and stylus as well as a few scratches and signs of usage. The non functional L trigger button wasn't exactly the end of the world but it was annoying.
I still got a fair use out of it and the promise of giving it a better lease in my possession in the form of a shell replacement was a worthy purchase. The fact that I was careful on the case and which seller I got it from showed just how much care I put into this small project of mine. When it came to the Pokemon cart though, I felt like I thought about the idea of playing the game in my hands over the legitimacy of the cart itself.
But then again, I sure as heck didn't want to risk spending the higher price tag for a fishy looking cart instead of the 25$ I did in this situation. I'm not letting this make me sick with worry considering how late it is in my time zone, so if nothing else I figured might as well write that mess out.
If nothing else, maybe let the seller know what comes from this mess and maybe the anxiousness that comes from whether or not this thing works or if I just paid a hefty price for a piece of plastic. Definitely not the worst thing I've bought considering I was very bad about doing digital purchases but I rather worry about this a bit than purchase a pocket full of Bitcoin baloney.
I might do an update entry to this and leave the seller the benefit of a doubt in the meantime.
Lately I've been very nose deep into YouTube watching and one video I watched was from YouTube user Yello's Island on why they bought a triage of retro Pokemon games with buyer's remorse to a certain extent. The video felt like an eye opener as I felt the same way with some of my own retro gaming purchases. Not exactly as of late, but very similar.
It really gave me the chance to evaluate my own Achilles heel when it came to retro gaming as well. Admittingly I tend to have a rough experience with saving and being fruitful with my financials but I also admit that if I was still in the same mindset of my younger self, I would not be in a better position to say that sometimes a bit of self control is a learning experience that pays itself.
I think lately with gaming prices being as bad as they are, I doubt there's going to be a relief in sight. When they're charging 50/60$ for a Triple A title that is more than likely not that good, it's hard to keep your faith in good standing when you've been burned so many times over. Needless to say, I have been less inclined to say the fact that I made regretful purchases as well.
Pokemon Shining Pearl for a good example was one that a lot of folks ripped the heck out of because it wasn't as quality as the predecessor remakes Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire - or Heart Gold and Soul Silver if you want to go back further. The chibi art style felt reminiscent to what the remake for Link's Awakening was like a few months/years prior - and of course, I felt some bit of err on the side of caution when it came to hype. Unfortunately the love for generation 4 (Sinnoh specifically) broke through and I was still optimistic for the games. Instead of disgust and critique, I noticed the cons of the remakes - or remasters as it feels like - while enjoying the bits of what made the Pokemon games enjoyable in the first place.
I got my copy of Shining Pearl at launch and despite that controversy surrounding the game, I had a fun time with it and seeing Vulpix in the Sinnoh Grand Underground was enough to appeal to my inner child. I started playing Platinum on the DS when I snagged it at a local GameStop for a somewhat decent price and was kind of disappointed in not finding Vulpix at all in Sinnoh legitimately. This was before I got access to my current copy of Sapphire or a DS console at all. Trading wasn't even an option because I didn't have any other people that played Pokemon as much as myself... But I eventually got Soul Silver and despite the lack of decent game corner games (read: not a big fan of Voltorb Flip), I still enjoyed the heck out of the Johto remakes. Even the new safari zone was pretty cute but a bit time consuming. Although it doesn't take long to set it up how you want and leave it alone for a couple of days or weeks. I apparently invested enough interest into the Safari Zone to find a Riolu in game without having to trade it over from Platinum (because I didn't have a way to do so). Played the first save to the point of being able to fight Red on Mt.Silver - and got intimidated by the level difference between my Pokemon and his.
Going back further, Pokemon White was my first dive into playing the Pokemon Games on the DS hardware since my previous experiences were done on an emulator. And I admit, I backed away for the reason of a little Pokemon called Kricketot...
Yes, I lost to a Kricketot in a play of Pokemon Platinum during my first playthrough of the game on an emulator. I guess at that point I didn't touch a DS game for years afterwards. That and the fact that I might of got the PC I used a nasty bit of code to constitute a knockout of the OS and a reinstall didn't help matters. Hahaha....
The most recent game I purchased over 50$ was Pokemon Scarlet and even with the issues the game has plagued I still enjoy it for the small things. The restriction of school uniforms not included... It was close to that point where I wanted to become more considerate of what price tag I decide to be okay with. But even with the close observation of sales and goodness knows what, I still fall into the trap of, it must be good if on sale!
Bit Orchard, Staxel, Cassette Beasts, Sprout Valley - to name a few were what felt like impulse buys because of the discount on a fish hook. But even with the little stinkers, I have had some nice steals when it came to smart purchases like Sonic Mania and Puyo Puyo Champions. But it's not just the digital games I have had the opportunity to snag at a bargain (although I wish it happened more for physical games). Moreso because of a nifty site called DekuDeals (not a sponsor). That and sometimes just looking up videos of the said game I want to look into helps in making my decision. There are some games that have an available demo to try out, but I felt like those can be a hit or miss. Some being as bad as giving you a small taste of what the game is like before kicking you out. Thankfully, nothing like a specific Amazon Kindle book sample that was nothing more than a cover of the book before it baits you into buying.
Now I'm not saying every demo is a soulless build of the retail version but some are just enough to convince me that I'm not going to bet on such a small amount of foresight to give the product a chance. Especially the case if the game has no physical release to consider. Probably why I'm reluctant to get Tetris Forever for that reason. But Tetris Effects: Connected was a well reasoned exception. I had played enough of the game on Xbox when it was available on Game Pass that waiting for the game on sale was worth it.
Although at this point, I notice I talk a lot about purchases I have made and not the one I tout as being the one to break me. So to bring it back real quick: pandemic came, prices for retro games went up, pandemic then left, prices dropped, but now they start going up again.
The reason for that quick point is that I ended up purchasing a copy of Pokemon Leaf Green. Knowing full well that the game shows a bit of wear and tear, knowing that while it says it's authentic I have doubts, I couldn't pass that price tag considering it's more than double that every other place...
Even now, checking the prices of other Pokemon games for the GBA being as high up as the $100+ I still doubt I made a good call because of that pricetag being so low. The cart was indeed green as an authentic one would be. But the sticker felt just enough off that it warrant a closer inspection. Turns out it might be a reproduction cart I found. I say might because it only shows the front but I can tell something doesn't seem authentic when comparing images.
Guess it does break me a bit more considering I felt baited in. But at the same time, this wasn't the first one that had the realization when it came to the seller I got it from. And I agree that they should've been more forward with the fact it's a repo, but at least they didn't tout it off as an authentic cart. So even with the buyer's remorse because it was a "fake" cart, I only hope this thing works or I could be less than happy with the purchase... At least the Sapphire cart the other person purchased it did feel pretty off considering I had seen enough of a real one. Not that I'm harping on them for not knowing. Heck some of these reproduction carts have gotten better at imitating the real deal.
Would it have been nice to get that bit of information before the purchase was made? Yes. Do I regret it to the point of withdrawing myself from this? Ehhh.... Not quite.
The panic wasn't due to the questioning of whether it's authentic or not. I blame it on the idea of why I still buy this when I have too much to juggle with in the first place but let's get more in?
To give myself credit though, it's not like I spent more on a fake cart when it's very obvious. The one I looked at was more or less better looking to the point of masquerading and passing off as genuine. And considering the previous buyer said it worked fine but wished for that bit of transparency when it came to the authenticity of the cart, I better not count the chickens prior to hatching so to speak.
It's definitely not like buying a console knowing very well how much usage it has and not having any bit of fixing up done before the owner decided to sell it off. The worst case in this point I have experience was a DS Lite from a now defunct local game store that was lacking a GBA slot cover and stylus as well as a few scratches and signs of usage. The non functional L trigger button wasn't exactly the end of the world but it was annoying.
I still got a fair use out of it and the promise of giving it a better lease in my possession in the form of a shell replacement was a worthy purchase. The fact that I was careful on the case and which seller I got it from showed just how much care I put into this small project of mine. When it came to the Pokemon cart though, I felt like I thought about the idea of playing the game in my hands over the legitimacy of the cart itself.
But then again, I sure as heck didn't want to risk spending the higher price tag for a fishy looking cart instead of the 25$ I did in this situation. I'm not letting this make me sick with worry considering how late it is in my time zone, so if nothing else I figured might as well write that mess out.
If nothing else, maybe let the seller know what comes from this mess and maybe the anxiousness that comes from whether or not this thing works or if I just paid a hefty price for a piece of plastic. Definitely not the worst thing I've bought considering I was very bad about doing digital purchases but I rather worry about this a bit than purchase a pocket full of Bitcoin baloney.
I might do an update entry to this and leave the seller the benefit of a doubt in the meantime.
