My 30 Year Journey Collecting NES Games

I've been collecting NES games since 1993 and finally completed my licensed collection.
In this video I give a little background on what I consider a complete collection. I then walkthrough some early NES stories and finally tell some of my favorite stories from my collecting journey.
At a later date I may do a more detailed walkthrough of my game room showing off some of the unique pieces in the collection.

[@skRapKlan]

Wow, so many amazing stories! Thanks so much for sharing

[@hoskat]

Thank you for watching!

[@dups1822]

Really enjoyed hearing your collecting journey. Thank you for sharing!

[@DrinkGameswithJosh]

Very enjoyable to hear your reflections on this lifelong journey! 🤙🏻 I read some of the comments and I know that some folks just wanted to see the games but the stories and memories shared are what’s really important. Cheers dude! 🍻

[@hoskat]

Thanks for the comment! I still have plans to do additional videos showing off individual parts of my game room. But, I agree with you, everyone can own the same games but their experience with those games can be wildly different and that is what makes the hobby interesting.

[@professors84]

Great video. I'm another old school collector, starting in 1998 in 8th grade. I remember going into a Funcoland to buy a new game and being astounded by the shelves of NES cartridges they had then. I got back to school and told a friend of mine about it and we started reminiscing about NES games and his beloved childhood games were much different than mine - I realized there was a galaxy of NES games I hadn't played and they were dirt cheap. Plus the N64's "one good game a quarter" release schedule wasn't cutting it for me. I went out and bought an old NES(my childhood one was busted) and got to collecting. Those were really the glory days of collecting as games were cheap and people were practically giving them away. Hunting down games was so much fun -it turned my love of video games from a distraction into something resembling a real hobby. I have a few fun stories but nothing as crazy as some of yours! Never had an NES website of my own but I remember yours. There was a real charm to those old NES sites and I am as nostalgic for that era of the internet as much as anything else. Was heavily involved in the NES Scene until it kind of petered out in the 2000s. Funcoland getting absorbed by Gamestop and liquidating their NES games was a real "day the music died" moment for me and while I still collected games when I could, it really slowed down. A decade ago I was in a retro game store and saw a loose copy of Super Mario 3 for 30 bucks and I figured that I it was time to retire from collecting (though I did manage to sneak out of there with a modestly priced copy of Lolo 3). I bought an AVS and an Everdrive and have zero regrets. I have a little over half of the NES releases and physical copies of almost everything I actually would ever want to play. I still have my collection, having only sold a few duplicates and a copy of Power Blade 2 (that I bought for 12 bucks) for over 400 dollars to finance a PS4 purchase a few years back. It's displayed proudly in my office along with my decent sized SNES collection. It gets a decent amount of play and my kids get a kick out of trying random games.

[@hoskat]

Thanks for sharing! I always get excited when people remember my Nintendo website from 25 years ago! The best time to collect was definitely late 90's to mid 2000's. There were so many times when I thought about selling everything and buying an AVS and Everdrive. I actually kind of got upset when the Everdrive came out because it basically made owning the physical games obsolete. Even so, there is nothing like walking into someones game room and looking at all the physical artifacts. I also was a regular at Funcoland and would go in at least once per month and buy anything they had in stock that was under $5. At this point I have no idea what games I actually bought there, only one I remember for sure was Battletoads Vs. Double Dragon. Power Blade 2 was the 2nd to last game that I bought and I paid A LOT more than $12, lol. I passed on a copy back in 2013 for around $200 and since I didn't buy it then had to pay a lot more in 2023 :(

[@evenoddprime]

Wow. Little Samson and flinstones in one trip and purchase. Wild.

[@MrEduclass]

Congratulations! It's really cool to see collecting stories, it shows how difficult it is to build a collection without spending a fortune. I've been collecting Nes and GB for about 8 years here in Brazil, and the coolest thing is that I collect some stories too, each cartridge obtained had its own path and a person who participated in it, and I remember most of them, and it's a lot of fun. This shows our passion for Nes.

[@hoskat]

I think the stories is what makes the hobby so fun. Anyone can have a copy of Super Mario Bros. 3, but, everyone has a different story of how they acquired the game.

[@Svankmajer]

Great job keeping a 17 minute video about collecting NES games so captivating. The only questioning lingering in my head is how you felt about Sega through out your life.

[@hoskat]

@@Svankmajer after NES I had a Genesis and ended up also having SEGA channel until the service was discontinued. In college I had a Dreamcast and it is one of my favorite consoles ever!

[@Svankmajer]

@@hoskat Haha, okay, I see... for some reason the idea of you as a Nintendo fan boy seeing Sega as the bitter enemy was intriguing. (Either way.. very good video.)

[@hoskat]

@@Svankmajer I probably would have been a Nintendo fanboy but my grandfather bought me a Genesis for Christmas instead of a SNES. I didn’t have a SNES until I found one at a yard sale in 1996 so I missed out on the SNES library when it was the newest thing. I’ve played through several SNES classics as an adult and definitely know I would have liked it more than the Genesis back in the day if I’d had both.

[@BOBSMITH-YouTubeStoleMyHandle]

From a collector with a complete licensed set (including Stadium Events), congratulations!!!!!! Its a big achievement and you should be proud!!! Welcome to the club....

[@hoskat]

Thank you! Do you have a story on how you got Stadium Events? I once saw a PAL copy in a game store for $1,800 but i wanted NTSC and didn’t want to pay $1,800.

[@BOBSMITH-YouTubeStoleMyHandle]

​@@hoskat I bought mine in 2006 for &1,750. I paid a "high price", but the one that sold before me sold for $2,500.They had been averaging around the $1,200-$1,500 for some time, but I just got tired of waiting for one. Actually it wasn't the last game for my set. I still had ~100 games left to finish it off. If I don't count SE, the most expensive game I paid for that set was ~$75 or so. It was a great time to collect. I had been actively going for that set since late 1993, and was made fun of from the guys at Funcoland, and flea markets. Before smart phones I had a printed off list in a 3-ring binder, and when I walked around with it people started charging me more money. I honestly think the smartphones killed the fun part of the hobby. I also found a Prototype of SCAT in Maui on my honeymoon in 2004, and a few years ago purchased the Final Fantasy Prototype. I had to have that, because its my favorite game of all time and the reason I got into collecting.

[@NESADDICT]

Dude congrats! Probably gonna take me 30 years too!

[@BOBSMITH-YouTubeStoleMyHandle]

@@hoskat I purchased the NTSC Stadium Events in 2006 for $1,750. It was a "steal" because the one that sold before mine sold for $2,500. Other than Stadium Events, the highest price I paid for a game in my set was ~$75 for Flintstones 2. I paid $40 for Little Samson when I got it. It wasn't considered nearly as rare as it is now. I actively started collecting for the set in fall of 2993. People were laughing at me in 1994 saying this new thing called Ultra 64 was coming to Japan in 1995 and I should collect those. By fall of 1994 I had acquired 150 games (I was 16 so I had limited funds) and got many of them from flea markets and Funcoland. Bought the vast bulk of the library for under $3 and the rest under $6. In 2019 I got the prototype of my favorite game and the reason I started collecting Final Fantasy (NTSC Proto).

[@hoskat]

@@BOBSMITH-KZbinStoleMyHandle That's awesome! I wish I had focused more on it in the early 2000's to knock out some of the rarer games when they were "cheap." I don't have any prototypes and at the current prices will definitely never own Stadium Events. I'd gladly pay $1,750 for it today but someone would have to be crazy to sell it for that price and people who don't know the world of NES collecting would call me crazy for paying $1,750 for it, lol

[@zZiL341yRj736]

Playing with friends and family are the best memories. It's very different today.

[@rodgyretro]

Really enjoyed hearing your gaming journey! I love to hear the how's and why's when it comes to game collecting Such a great collection you have there. The nes is such a cool system to collect, super nostalgic for me as it was my first ever home console I ever played and then owned. Nice one 😉👍

[@hoskat]

Of course as soon as I released the video I thought of several other fun stories. I may end up making a follow up at some point to tell more stories :)

[@videogames4life475]

Enjoyed the stories of how you acquired the games. Quite the journey. Love your game room as well.

[@hoskat]

Thank you!

[@Jarod_Schultz]

NES is interesting to me because there are so many types of cartridges, including official NA games, European exclusives, Famicom carts, unlicensed games, homebrews, and unreleased prototypes. I also have an interest in screw, cart, and label variants.

[@hoskat]

I’m sure I’ll start trying to finish some of those sub-sets soon. It’s such a fun hobby. It is just so overwhelming to me how many variants there are.

[@CanineGaming77]

Loved this video! Would be great to see more uploads of you discussing your favourite games and such, your production is great

[@hoskat]

Thank you! I do plan on making more NES related videos. I want to do a game room tour in the near future. I had planned to make that video sooner but have just been super busy the past several months.

[@CanineGaming77]

@@hoskat looking forward to it!

[@AltarOfGaming]

great video and story! and it's always funny to see collectors messing up with bookcases xDD always empty them first guys!

[@hoskat]

I have had to move that bookcase about half a dozen times and was sick of removing all the games so tried to take a shortcut which obviously didn't work out, lol.

[@antieveryone362]

So basically “I almost own all NES games”

[@hoskat]

Technically you are correct. 😂

[@jinknight2439]

Loved your video, hearing your stories is so awesome. Alot of nostalgia feelings. I am not only sharing your awesome video of your NES collections, I subscribed to your channel. Can't wait for new NES games contents.

[@hoskat]

Thank you for the kind words. I hope to find time to make some new videos in the new year!

[@LazyRetroGamer]

Thank you for sharing your story with us on YT i loved it

[@hoskat]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@KeviRun]

Welcome to the 676 club, and congratulations! I enjoyed listening to your stories in this video, and your game room looks awesome! I would lvoe to see more content from you in the future!

[@hoskat]

Thank you. It feels nice to have finally made it. I plan on making some more collection videos in the new year.

[@zlindauer5315]

i own 380 used to go to every junk store, garage sale,thrift shop ect. then my buddy hacked my wii and put every rom on a 2 gig sd. that was the end of my quest, congrats on your completion!!! very impressive!

[@hoskat]

Many times over the years I thought about giving up dating back to when I had every NES game on a burned CD that I played on my Dreamcast. Definitely so many more conveinent ways to own all the NES games. I'm just hard headed and wanted that physical cartridges :)

[@nicowelmer]

Great informative and personal video. Definitely more collectors should watch this.

[@supersmallchibiwolf872]

Amazing Nintendo Entertainment System collection. That Double Dragon story was great. It reminds me of how me and others would switch games, cd discs or change the channel randomly confusing those we know with them knowing. I love beat em ups. I like seeing the younger self of KZbinrs especially gaming KZbinrs talk about their passions and seeing were the KZbinrs are now. It's interesting to see their reaction to the past. I love watching vintage stuff relating to things that I love and that was great to see a kid talk about their dream of collecting every NES game. That picture was great you even have the power glove. You'r friend Aran put you through an adventure to prove that your the ultimate gamer worthy of Mighty Final Fight. Thanks for sharing. Cool video. ^_^

[@hoskat]

Thanks for watching!

[@supersmallchibiwolf872]

@@hoskat You're welcome. ^_^

[@shreddaily101]

Great stories! Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your collection. That LS/FSaDP picture is so great😂

[@hoskat]

I was so happy. I’d given up hope of ever owning either of those games. Knocking those out pushed me over the edge to go after the rest.

[@ryanpyle9822]

Congrats on the complete collection! I really enjoyed listening to your story.

[@hoskat]

Thanks for watching!

[@edemaomega]

Fantastic stories Matt, lots of funky trades and great goofball nostalgia ("what's the code for Mike Tyson?!!") Excellent job gathering everything together-it's a stupid big collection, innit? Glad you aren't bothering yourself with the finicky minutiae of variant covers/5-screw vs 3-screw. Just enjoy what you got, and good luck on conquering that beast of a library!

[@hoskat]

Thanks for the kind words. I'm so glad I don't feel the need to collect variants, there seems to be an endless list of them.

[@NxCmp]

There is one thing I would like to mention and I'm in no way saying you have to have these to have a solid and respectable collection. You can also look for any games that have had a software tweak/update. A prime example is Dragon Warrior. I don't recall the exact details but on the back of the cart on the rear sticker you may see an embossed A in the upper right corner. I think the only thing that changed was possibly something on the boot up menu and game text saying "Your health has increased" instead of "thy health increased"... or something like that. Love seeing collections like these. Congrats! So many memories. Edit: Grammer

[@hoskat]

I know very little about game revisions so didn't feel comfortable talking about it. It is hard to believe how much minutiae existis in collecting these old games.

[@slappymcclanahan8042]

Awesome game room and even better stories! I'm from the Bluegrass State as well.

[@hoskat]

Always great to hear from another Kentuckian!

[@lucyloo2228]

Now you have to collect all the NES games like hot slots, peekaboo poker, bubble bath babes, and all the variants. You got to bro. You have no choice. It’s your duty.

[@hoskat]

I would love to do that, can I borrow an extra $15,000 to buy them all? 😂

[@lucyloo2228]

@@hoskat yes from the bank

[@_Technoman_]

Awesome! I wish I could have a game room like that! I maybe have two or three NES games sitting around LOL.

[@hoskat]

As long as the 3 games are good games that's all that matters :)

[@LukeDodge916]

I really just want to own that original MKII cabinet!! That's my white whale...

[@CollectionCompletion]

Love this

[@ZeroThe14th]

Your collection is beautiful, even without Stadium Events! I'd do the same thing that you do with that, but I only have 398 right now. Awesome video!

[@hoskat]

Thanks! 398 is still a pretty sweet collection. Slow and steady wins the race!

[@ZeroThe14th]

@@hoskat There’s just something special about NES collecting!

[@r4tto4st81]

Cool video

[@15MUGEN]

fun story

[@DannyS-lr6iu]

Great childhood memories of Fester's Quest! Try playing that on a black and white TV. Is that a blue gun or a red gun? Only one way to find out!

[@hoskat]

That sounds impossible, lol. Most of my early gaming was done on a tiny 13” TV, but, it was at least color. I never thought about it before but playing on a black and white tv or being color blind would make Fester’s Quest nearly impossible.

[@karenellis3040]

Great synopsis of a life’s journey to reach your goal. I knew you when…❤️🥰

[@forfansofreviews]

One of the few who has known me longer than I've been collecting!

[@jeffmoen8563]

Just seeing how the video game market is today would you have started this journey today?

[@hoskat]

It’s hard to say. Probably not though, it has just gotten so expensive. Maybe if I got a great deal on a big lot that jump started my collection but even then I don’t think I could justify spending the money on the harder to find games.

[@jeffmoen8563]

@@hoskat yeah I started collecting about 8 years ago and down to about 200 games but I don’t ever see myself paying more than $500 for a game. There were only 4 games above that price not including stadium so I thought sure. Now there’s like 15 and most are over $1000 now.

[@viktorwolfe8333]

I have about 50 games left to buy for the "complete" collection. I'm also about 2 hours away from Cincy. Where are you at?

[@hoskat]

I’m in Lexington, KY. How about you? Do you have a list of the games you still need?

[@viktorwolfe8333]

@@hoskat Yep. I'm in Ashland KY.

[@SpaceXArmy115]

I just completed mine and I did get stadium events. Should I make a video of my collection.

[@hoskat]

Absolutely! I'd love to see it.

[@RetroGamingNook]

Congrats! Which holds more weight.... Missing the hunt or glad it's finally over?

[@hoskat]

That's a good question. I just saw this morning a guy in our neighborhood is having a yard sale and has tables of NES games. I don't need any of them but still looked and zoomed into every photo to see what he had. I kind of feel like a retired professional athelete. I don't play anymore but still try to keep up with the hobby and can't quite let it go.

[@RetroGamingNook]

@@hoskat I think that describes it all perfectly. Cheers.

[@plxtofv]

Nice crazy this only has 500 views

[@hoskat]

Hopefully this number grows over time :)

[@thomassmith4467]

Living in the past is dangerous.

[@F1AVORR]

What shelves are those for the games?

[@hoskat]

I made them out of 1x6 wood and painted them black.

[@John-nb6ep]

The SNES collection is a little thin. You didn't care for it much?

[@hoskat]

I didn't get an SNES until the N64 was already out. I had a Sega Genesis during that generation of game console so I don't have the nostalgia for it like I do with the NES. I only have maybe 30 games for SNES but I do have most of the classics and have played through them (Mario, Mario Kart, Super Castlevania, Super Punch Out, Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country, etc.)

[@John-nb6ep]

@@hoskat What made you go with the Genesis then back to the Nintendo again as opposed to the PlayStation or Saturn?

[@hoskat]

@@John-nb6ep I think the Genesis marketing campaign won me and my brother over which is why we went with Genesis over SNES. We did have N64 and PS1 as well once those came out. The SNES I ended up getting (in 1995) I bought at a yard sale for a few bucks. Many of my friends had SNES so I had played a lot of the games but just never owned one. Looking back on it now the SNES was definitely the superior console to the Genesis.

[@pedaltheglobe419]

Disagree on Stadium Events. To me one completing an entire collection obviously wants the rarest item as it would be expected to go up in value at the highest rate in the future. To me you do not have a complete US collection without it.

[@hoskat]

I will never be able to justify the price of that game so to make myself feel better I’m convincing myself I don’t need it.

[@pedaltheglobe419]

@@hoskat I believe you will own it one day.

[@hoskat]

@@pedaltheglobe419I hope you are correct.

[@Rizzatouille]

Good video just the microphone wasnt great

[@hoskat]

I never quite know how do make the audio sound right on my videos.

[@sleeptime5464]

Yo enough with your life story.. I wanted to see your collection

[@hoskat]

Hopefully I'll do a collection/room tour soon. I focused more on the stories in this video because everyone with a complete collection has the same games so I didn't wan to say "look at my copy of Baseball Stars, it looks just like everyone elses."

[@Ellesdy1]

There was a bully so bad to the bone at his school that just the mere witness of him interacting with another student forced him to commit mike tysons punch out codes to memory...

[@hoskat]

Lol, true story. One of my earliest and most vivid memories.

[@Ellesdy1]

@@hoskat that's wild, how things have changed... I was born in the 80s!!

[@Ellesdy1]

You cant take the 3 screw version of games and a bunch of 5 screw backs and change them out easily?? Do people buy cheap 3 screw versions and switch the backs?? Sounds way easier than counterfitting money... Just Curious??

[@hoskat]

I don't know a lot about 3 vs 5 screw but I am pretty sure the 3 screw games don't have the 5 screw game screw holes so that backs wouldn't line up.

[@Ellesdy1]

@@hoskat yeah, would probably need a 3d printer or injection molding to make one or drill holes in it.. I was thinking buy cheaper 5 screw games and use the backs for insanely priced ones but I don't know the prices or the cartridge designs, if they are even 2 complete pieces or what, just thinking out loud while being too lazy to Google it lol!!