Originally posted by: ZeppelinDude93
2/3. I use the same - thats where i found that Gargoyle's Quest II was worth $33 (a steal in my books!)
What the hell? When did that game get so expensive? I got mine just last year for like $6.
Anyway, welcome to NA
I'll offer my thoughts as well:
1) I hate 72 pin connectors. Sometimes I'll have one that is beat to hell, dirty, and loose, but works every time. Others are spotless and I can't get them to work for the life of me. I've tried boiling a few but it didn't really help. I'd say to definitely try refurbishing yours first before buying them new, since they seem to be going up in price lately. Bending pins is the big issue, boiling gets rid of gunk; just be sure to let them dry and maybe look up a guide first. Often, because of the 72pc, games will work without being pushed down, or in the middle position. I say if it works without pushing it down, don't bother fixing it. If it works in the middle, pry the pins up a bit, might take a few times but it worked for me.
2) vgpc.com is what I've been using to get a rough idea. That and ebay completed listings. Again, the values are off for lots of things (especially 5-figure VGA sales, I'd be skeptical about those) ... but vgpc tends to be accurate enough on more common games, although it's missing quite a few titles for certain platforms.
3) You did good, there are good titles there (except SMB/DH), and as you said the Gargoyle's Quest II is worth a bit more than I knew. You pretty much got them for $2 a game which is almost always worth doing. Not a mega steal but great for starting up a small collection.
4) Not me either, but definitely some others
5) Whatever you're interested in. If I had to give a small list of my personal favorite games, it'd be the classics: Mario 1, 2, 3, Zelda 1, 2, Contra, Mega Man 2 (or any), Punch Out, Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, Duck Tales, Metroid, Bubble Bobble, Ninja Gaidens, Double Dragons, Battletoads, Dr. Mario, Tetris... etc.
EDIT: also, I'll throw in a few tips on cleaning stuff.
- Don't use the NES cleaning kit if you have a tight connector or have bent the pins up. I just did that recently and it completely destroyed the pins on the edges by yanking them outwards (there's cloth on the cleaner).
-To clean the inside part of either end of a connector, get some printer paper and a credit card, wrap the paper around the card and insert it, I got a lot of black stuff out this way.
- (My personal favorite tip) - if you have a label or glossy box with permanent market colored on it, color over it with a dry erase marker and wipe it off with a cloth, it'll come right off.
- Oh, and DON'T use abrasive stuff to clean your games, like steel wool or metal polish. Some are okay, most are not. NES contacts are coated in nickel (silvery) and then a small coating of gold that you see on the pins. They're supposed to be a gold color. If you rub off the gold, the nickel is exposed: the game will work great, but the nickel will oxidize much faster than the gold ever would (that's the purpose of the gold coating in the first place), leaving you with a non functional game (eventually). Wieman's stovetop cleaner is good stuff to use. It's a little bit abrasive, just don't use too much of it. That and rubbing alcohol should do the trick for just about any game.
