Game compilations

Scottie_uk · September 2010

Do you collect game compilations? Do you consider them valuable? or do you think they are inferior to the original?

Personally I don't like game compilations and aim to sell them on, unless the games within them are not available anywhere else.

So I thought I'd poll you all to discover the real value of game compilations. When answering the poll you may think 'well it depends what games are in the compilation', but try to think more generally.

You can select more than one option in this poll. I intend you to select either option one or two. And one of options three, four and five.

Retrobrothers · September 2010

I did have a few compo's back in the day. SoftAid being one.
They always seemed to be roughly 50% good and 50% bad.

You always did get some good ones though which made it very good value

Scottie_uk · September 2010

I found that Compilations were more likely to result in loading errors and this still seems true today.

ADJB · September 2010

Scottie_uk wrote: »

I found that Compilations were more likely to result in loading errors and this still seems true today.

Important point - The compilations that came on a single tape are / were a pain in the butt to find and load particular games but some others had individual tapes for the games so you were in effect buying X number of seperate games in a single fancy box. Big difference.

Scottie_uk · September 2010

ADJB wrote: »

Important point - The compilations that came on a single tape are / were a pain in the butt to find and load particular games but some others had individual tapes for the games so you were in effect buying X number of seperate games in a single fancy box. Big difference.

Even when they came of their own tapes, for example one game per side they tend to fail more for me. Maybe they use cheaper materials or inferior duplication processes on compilations??

ghbearman · September 2010

some game compilations are hard to find, so I sortof agree with the first one. (e.g. Star Games II with Cyberun on it)

psj3809 · September 2010

Only ever had Soft Aid.

Apart from that none. I already had most of the games by then, compilations obviously came out much later.

Much prefer the original games themselves

Rebelstar without a cause · September 2010

You can't beat having the originals. Also with compilations you seem to get truncated instructions. Fine for most games but when it's a more complicated game you need the full instructions.

ewgf · September 2010

I'd prefer originals over compilations, but I don't feel that strongly, as long as the game, and to a lesser degree the instructions, are all there, so I can't really vote.

Two exceptions I remember:

1) R-Type was originally released with the last level missing, but on compilation it had them all (didn't bother me, as I never got that far, until long after, and that was via cheating),

2) Starglider was released on a comilation, but it was the 48K version only, whereas the 128K version should have been included too, I thought.

Macc · September 2010

I recently purchased a stack of compilations from the preservation shop, nearly all of them work apart from the Beach Head tape out of solid gold, at the exact same spot I get major squeaking from the tape and it fails to load, banging, forward and reverse to the end have no effect, even taking the tape out and spooling it back in does nothing, same place every time with no visible damage to the tape itself either, apart from that one tape I consider I got a good deal! I had about 6 original tapes when I acquired my speccy, these made it possible to get many games, quickly.

spider · September 2010

I think the 'best' compilations are those where they do not cram excess onto one or two tapes.

Ie: just have one game per tape side or a separate tape per game.

Durell seems to spring to mind, I seem to remember it was separate tapes, although I also recall buying a '10' game pack but I no longer have it and there's no listing for this that I can see. Perhaps it was Boots special or something (both big '4's and I am confusing 10 with 8)

Scottie_uk · September 2010

spider wrote: »

I think the 'best' compilations are those where they do not cram excess onto one or two tapes.

Ie: just have one game per tape side or a separate tape per game.

Durell seems to spring to mind, I seem to remember it was separate tapes, although I also recall buying a '10' game pack but I no longer have it and there's no listing for this that I can see. Perhaps it was Boots special or something (both big '4's and I am confusing 10 with 8)

Beau Jolly 10 pack??

ADJB · September 2010

Macc wrote: »

I recently purchased a stack of compilations from the preservation shop, ........ I got a good deal! I had about 6 original tapes when I acquired my speccy, these made it possible to get many games, quickly.

/Blatant Plug

Glad to be of service.

Of course if anybody wants an instant collection then they could get one of my new starter packs. A fully checked machine with extras and loads of games.

www.zxsoftware.co.uk/Packs/Speccy01.jpg - Spectrum +
www.zxsoftware.co.uk/Packs/Speccy02.jpg - 48k Rubber Key
www.zxsoftware.co.uk/Packs/Speccy04.jpg - Spectrum +2A
www.zxsoftware.co.uk/Packs/Speccy05.jpg - Spectrum +2A
www.zxsoftware.co.uk/Packs/Speccy06.jpg - Spectrum +2A
www.zxsoftware.co.uk/Packs/Speccy07.jpg - Spectrum +2
www.zxsoftware.co.uk/Packs/Speccy08.jpg - Spectrum +
www.zxsoftware.co.uk/Packs/Software.jpg - Typical Software Pack

Pick a machine and get the software pack with it.

The software pack is "typical". All 8 packs have the same number of games with approximately the same number of single, double and big box games but the titles vary.

?60 delivered in the UK or 100 Euros to the EU.

/End Blatant Plug

Steve Halfpenny · September 2010

There was nothing quite like owning the original game in its original box, as opposed to re-release budget version, it's just cooler I suppose.

Saying that, I had a few comps. I remember the Beau Jolly one, Taito Coin-Op Hits, which I thought was great and that US Gold thing with Crystal Castles, which was quite rare at the time (not that insane anthology thing they brought out though. Way overpriced. Nice idea though).

fog · September 2010

it's all history to me.. much as ultimate collected works... as is cassette 50 :D
the konami pack with jof games is a nice intro.. if you'd just got a machine

I got some pony one with a shed load of activision bunk on 30 titles.. BUT it's handy as they are all denied.
things like design designs action replay are nice to have if you like collecting a whole labels stuff.

I have "history in the making" one by us gold.. 20 games.. but to get martiods I only have it on the gold collection.

Fizza · September 2010

I think compilations are like budget reissues mainly, although some like the Collected Works by Ultimate have collectibility, but are the exception. They were cool to own back in the day and I can't knock the fact that they're were/are good way to get a bunch of games, back then and now, but that's the point, it's a cheap way to get a lot of games, so how can they be worth as much as the originals?

Another exception to the rule I just thought about mainly relates to the C64 though, and that is the disk versions of compilations, some of those contain games that never were released on disk originally (or are very expensive now) so some are worth it for that. I'm not sure how many Spectrum +3 compilations came out, but I'd imagine they'd be worth hunting down because of the lack of disk versions of Spectrum games till the +3 was released.

fog · September 2010

i kept my 64 disks (not that many) I was shocked to see how much they went for.. but well with it , it's a world wide market... even though it's pal and ntsc machines (and official versions won't work on both normally)

Dwayne Dibley · September 2010

There were some great compilation artworks , and some interesting titles

'Demons And Drivers' was a good one, as was 'Supreme Challenge'

Game compilations

Comments