We've all done it. Whether through necessity to fund a new purchase or streamlining our collection during a spring clean, we've all sold, traded, donated, or just given away a game or console at some point and then wished we hadn’t.
Sometimes cold hard cash was required, other times we were just in a different mindset or feeling particularly altruistic towards our fellow gamers — and a broken heart has caused us all to do things we later regretted. When am I ever going to want that again?
Team Nintendo Life has been thinking back on the games we got rid of on a whim. Allow us to confess just some of our personal fails in the hope of finding some communal comfort. And feel free to let us know about your personal self-owns in the comments.
First up, it’s Jim…
Jim Norman, staff writer
In my youth, I was a professional at trading in. The second I was finished with a playthrough, it would be off to my local GAME, box in hand, to swap it out for some store credit to go towards the next purchase. This credit was usually really rather small, so whenever I wanted to get a newer game, that required parting with a lot more of my collection.
For the most part, I don't think too deeply about these losses — I was a child and those movie tie-in GBA games were as common as they come anyway. What does still keep me up at night, however, is my boxed copy of Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. This was back when I would try to get my hands on just about any game under the sun, regardless of how much I knew about it. Strangely, little baby Jim wasn't a big fan of tactical RPGs (who would have thought it?) so I got rid of it probably to help purchase Power Rangers Dinothunder or some other GBA "classic".
Visiting my local CEX a few weeks back and seeing the game locked away behind a cabinet with a £170 label on it broke my heart. Sure, we might get it on NSO one day, but it won't be the same!
As for consoles, I literally regret getting rid of every single one. To my N64, blue GBA, white (and, later, black) DS Lite among countless others, I'm sorry — I hope you found a good home.
Alana Hagues, deputy editor
Walking into a retro games store or used game store nowadays is a sobering experience. So, this weekend, at a local retro game store, one GameCube favourite jumped out at me, one I've talked about before — Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
I loved this game when I first played it, and it's one of my favourite GameCube games, but as I was cribbing together money for university, in some moment of madness, I decided to sell the thing. I wasn't going to play it again, was I? It didn't have the same sentimental value as Skies of Arcadia Legends, so I don't really need it, right?
Well... we all know what's happened to GameCube game prices, and a combination of the lack of a "true" Paper Mario RPG experience since, and games like Bug Fables, means I really want to replay TTYD. Badly. My partner has never played it, either, so I'd love for him to experience it. Which is why every time we walk into that used game store and see that copy for $159.99, it's a sobering experience. Other casualties of that university money-saving experience were Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia and every GBA game not called Pokémon or The Minish Cap. I'd like to hit 18-year-old me over the head right now.
Oh, and let's not talk about the fact that my family had two copies of Panzer Dragoon Saga — the reason we got rid of those wasn't because of me, but that doesn't make it any easier, does it?
Ollie Reynolds, staff writer
I don’t feel a lot of regret these days for games that I’ve sold or gotten rid of for one reason or another. Why? Because most of them have shown up again later down the line. Metroid Prime? Got it on the Switch. Final Fantasy VII? Got it on the Switch. Resident Evil 4? Well… You get where I'm coming from.
When it comes to game consoles, however, that’s another story entirely. During my stint at a video game retail store, I managed to get my hands on some truly incredible consoles only to sell them at a later date when I was either bored with them or simply needed some additional funds. Now that they’re no longer in my possession and no doubt fetching some eye-watering prices on the likes of eBay, my regret is palpable.
I couldn’t possibly list every single one, but some of the standouts include the NES Game Boy Advance SP, the launch edition of the 3DS (along with every ambassador game), the Majora’s Mask New 3DS, the MGS5 PlayStation 4, the Gears of War 3 Xbox 360… Sigh. What on earth was I thinking?
Nowadays, I’m a lot more cautious about purchasing limited-edition consoles because I know I’d feel terrible if I had to get rid of them for whatever reason. Well, that and the fact that I now have a mortgage to pay for. What a drag.
Gavin Lane, editor
We've covered some of our more general gaming regrets before, and it still stings to think about the Metroid Prime Trilogy and Killer7 I said goodbye to just to reclaim a fraction of bookshelf space. The arrival of Metroid Prime Remastered made it sting a bit less, though.
One time many moons ago, for some reason I was feeling particularly content and generous and wanted to share the gaming love. I was discussing Rogue Squadron and Episode I Racer online and in a sudden fit of pay-it-forwardness, I decided that I'd had all the pleasure I could wring from them both, and wouldn't it be nice to post them to someone else as a gift!
Now, this wasn't a pair of scraggy loose carts. Oh no, these were spotless specimens complete-in-box with all the literature and even the little plastic bag for the cart, not a crease in it. Thinking back, there's a big part of me that's proud for parting with them — I'm sure they were gratefully received — but I did end up buying them again some years later, paying through the nose for them in a less-than-pristine state. Honestly, who writes on their carts in biro?
Console-wise, the only time I've ever had to trade in to get the next model, fortunately, was with (3)DS — I do wish I had my original DS Lite, my Aqua 3DS, and the lovely red XL I part-exchanged to get a New model. I've got too many DS variants as it is, but it would be a treat to recapture some memories with those OG units.
No regrets? Pff, we're riddled with 'em.
Is there a game you got rid of that keeps you awake at night? A console? What were you thinking? Let us know below.
Comments 126
I never sold or gave away any of my games or consoles.
I sold my botw and xenoblade 2 in October 2021.
I have no regret at all.
I don't have any interest with those games anymore.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. The only game I ever got rid of, and to this day I still don't understand why I did it.
Like Ollie, I also sold a mint condition (unboxed) NES edition GBA SP which I hugely regret - think I got about £30 for it which was pathetic!!
Mostly my DS game collection which consisted of all the dragon quest ds games, all of the ds castlevania games, all ds final fantasy games including tactics a2, ds chrono trigger, TWEWY, a couple Phoenix Wrights. Also a ton of gba games, mostly retro remakes like double dragon advance, Mario, dkc, etc, with the nes classic edition gba sp. All of the ds games and the gba sp were CIB in mint condition. I just had to have a psp. I was sooo dumb. I was a new parent at the time and gaming was my relaxation. I was bored with all of the games I traded and I wasn’t patient enough to save up
Edit: grammar
Alien Hominid on the GBA. Picked up cheap as a kid for £10, had my fun and traded back in, went to see how much it went for the other day and could have cried seeing a boxed copy go go £200 plus now…
For me, it’s some of my 90s era big box PC games. Physical copies of PC games had glorious box art and a surfeit of manuals, art, and charts explaining the game. Some of my favorites were Lands of Lore, Warcraft II, and Lords of the Realm. At some point I just threw away all the boxes and manuals and kept the discs. What was I thinking…
Edit: more of these PC games coming to mind: Betrayal at Krondor, Baldur’s Gate. I remember the manuals for Blizzard games were especially impressive: over 100 pages and filled with background story and cool art. They really put to shame what’s in todays high priced special editions.
RIP to my copy of Fire Emblem Path of Radiance.
I’m the opposite. I don’t get rid of any games lol
To my recollection I only ever sold YuGiOh Falsebound Kingdom, and that was because that game was way too different from what I expected, and not in a good way. If I still had it I might give it another chance today, but I wouldn't say I regret it.
Overall though I really don't want to sell any of my games.
In the age of digital gaming and emulation/roms, I can't say I have many regrets, aside from not having the physical cases/manuals the games came with that is.
One can never tell what will become trash or gold. I sold off a bunch of my collection around 2008-2010ish when most of it was “worth” far less money. The need for extra cash and having literally no space to store it in the place I was renting were two main factors. I decided to only keep my SNES/N64 stuff and my current console at the time which was a X360.
There were a good amount of bangers from different consoles too, such as Dreamcast, GameCube, PS1, PS2, GB/GBA, etc. Some that come to mind are Silent Hill, SOTN, Marvel v Capcom 2, Boktai for GBA, Twin Snakes…
Yeah. I wish I hadn’t done it nowadays, but I sure as heck wasn’t going to afford to rent a storage unit or something to keep it all at the time.
My stupid idiot elementary school self gave Pokemon Crystal to a friend (that I don't even talk to anymore). Other than that I lost my copy of Pokemon TCG for GBC somewhere along the way.
Gosh I hate to think about that.
But 12/13 years old me sold a TON of GBC/GBA games to Gamestop for Pokémon Diamond...
Since all of them were loose, GameStop just gave me 3/4€ each and I had to reach 40€.
We're talking Zelda Oracle of Seasons/Ages. Zelda ALTTP, Minish Cap, all of the Mario Advance Game, Fire Emblem etc...
Honestly that is my biggest regret as a gamer.
There's people that do that?
I sold my N64 and all the games to get a Gamecube back in the day. I don't necessarily regret it. And most of those games are now available on NSO. I guess in the N64 case, I miss the memories of the console more than the games and the console itself. The console was released at the beginning of my teen years. So its partly why it holds a special place in my heart
My Gamecube? I ended up giving it and some games to my now Mother-In-Law to sell at her tag sale. From what I was told, the woman who bought it came back later and thanked my MIL for selling it as it ended up bringing her son a lot of joy. While I do wish I had kept my GCN (or at least the games as you could then play them on the Wii), the fact I made some kid's day in some way lessened the sting.
These days? I am trying to hang on to games I know will probably cost a boatload later and/or I can theoretically get some replay out of for various purposes. I learned my lesson from games like Pokemon BW/BW2. I really wish I had kept them. If I know for sure I will not replay the game, I'll use it to fund a new one
For me it was YGO The Sacred Cards, I don't really remember what happened but it's not with my GBA collection anymore, maybe it got EBGames'd.
I also traded FFVI Advance for FFIII(DS) some time later when people started saying VI was the best FF, I was like "oh dang."
I had a few used GC games that were faulty, Wario World and Sunshine gave me crashes so I threw them away.
Many years later when the premium GC loader Devolution released and required the disc to verify the game, I realized my mistake.
Still not like tossing baseball cards from the 1950s.
One 40-year-old game (cartridge) still readily available on eBay is Donkey Kong for ColecoVision. Noticed out of random curiosity a few days ago, as that being my first ever game / system (sold bundled together) had sparked my interest.
I sold all my pokemon games as a teen, I have so much regret about that. And as an adult hard times neccaesitated selling things that were precious to me, but such is life.
I had some rough ones to lose/sell after being whisked away from the us after college. Chibi Robo, Castlevania 4 (w/box), few more SNES titles. No regrets necessarily, just makes me all the more thankful the Switch has covered most that I've lost in some form. Although I do miss a couple GB carts I never recuperated, like golden sun
I sold all my nintendo stuff.
My N64 (With all mario party games and paper mario boxed)
My Gamecube (With Thousand Year Door, all mario party games, all zelda games and sunshine)
My wii (God knows how many games)
My DS (Again, same as above)
Kinda got gaslit by my mother’s husband that Nintendo (And gaming in general but especially nintendo) was for little kids. When I ran out of space for stuff in my room, the nintendo stuff was the first to go.
Having recently got back into nintendo stuff (Thanks Fire Emblem) I deeply, deeply regret not only that but missing out on the 3DS’ best years because of it.
Now I pretty much refuse to sell anything. Even contemplated rebuying what I sold but it’s so damn expensive now.
I sold my SNES collection to get a new PS1 on release.
All cib, mint.
To this day I want to kick myself right in the.....you get the point.
I have kept every game and console since and have actually added to my collections.
I have a full Pal N64 collection, all mint, all complete, some of my N64 games:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aN889VWEYgZr7TF6KeeLunoyCs6t_Vb-/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i4bI_lz7IUle4yI6FPuCO90kieMN78OA/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i9FKSjtll1Cv8i8bdF3ej6efM5VXGvu9/view?usp=drivesdk
Kids love playing them and they can sell them for stupid $$$ to help them when they're older.
In the meantime we get to enjoy the full N64 experience.
I was the GM at a Game Crazy for a while, and amassed a huge collection while doing that. Combined with what I had since 1985 (my first NES all the way through the XBOX 360), I had a pretty incredible collection. Most things you can think of for the Genesis, Saturn, PS1, and GBA that were worth having, I had. My ex wife sold all of it when I deployed in the Army in 2010. For $100.
I have nothing more to say on the subject, besides that it really showed how little she understood me. She did not get that the NES she sold was a formative memory from XMAS when I was 4, etc. Or at least she said she didn't get it...
...EX wife. Ex.
Traded a handful of N64 games (including Mario Part 2) to a pawn shop to get a used Gamecube. Later sold my Ice Blue N64 for a small fraction of its price today.
A couple of Gamecube games I'll never own again: Baten Kaitos Origins and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Both were mint, too.
I sold my PS3 and all of my games on it for a 3DS, Pokemon X, and a couple other things. What on earth was I thinking? The 3DS broke within 6 months too and I honestly didn’t get all that invested into the 3DS/DS ecosystem of games either prior to that. Most games I played on the console ranged from “ok” to “fine.” Only redeeming thing I could say about it is that Gen 5 was a fantastic generation for Pokemon.
Gargoyle’s Quest 😭
The things I don't care much will be gone. The things I like and I might be playing in the future, that I keep for sure. Legend of Zelda, for example, they are all here.
Luckily I'm a collector so I've pretty much saved everything. However, I do wish I kept the boxes and booklets from my NES/SNES/N64 days. Oh well!
The games I've bought and traded or sold, would put almost any collector's cache to shame.
My regret isn't something I sold or gave away but something I didn't buy. I was mere millimeters away from clicking "buy" on an ebay listing of Super Mario RPG's original CD soundtrack in 2006. But having just graduated college, I couldn't justify $100 for something I already "had" via ye olde Napster.
That CD would have been brand new. Today, it's selling pre-owned for $850.
Sigh.
Never got rid of a game but I told my mom to throw away a bag with 50+ NES boxes. She isn’t a hoarder but doesn’t throw stuff away lightly and was hesitant - I insisted she throw it all away. <face palm>. Now I’m a collector and that bag would’ve doubled the value of my collection.
I also threw away all my GameCube boxes during the CD booklet crazy - thought I was saving space. Now I’m considering paying $100 for just the box for Eternal Darkness…
The only one I regret was my N64 and games. Back when the GameCube came out, I got hooked on Soul Calibur II bad. Everyday I would go into my local Gamestop and play it for an hour. Finally I thought well why don't I trade in my N64 to get a GameCube. I pretty much played and beat everything I owned on N64. So along with my N64 along with GoldenEye, Cruisin USA, Killer Instinct Gold, Mortal Kombat Triliogy, and a bunch of other games I went to Gamestop and got me a GameCube, Soul Calibur II and the Zelda Collection.
Years later I was able to get another N64 and most of my games back but there are a few that I still haven't bought back due to the asinine prices people ask for them now.
I've sold most of the games and consoles I've ever owned (several hundred). However, I only ever used that money to buy more games/systems. I could never have bought/ beaten nearly so many games if I hadn't done lots of buying/trading/selling. So, no regrets.
Sorry if this turns into a long comment, I have a lot to regret/lament when it comes to my gaming past.
Unfortunately I was forced to sell some past consoles if I wanted to get/keep a modern one when I was a kid.
I had to sell of my N64 with Mario Kart 64, Mario Party 1 and 2, Smash Bros., Donkey Kong 64, Banjo-Tooie, Hey You Pikachu, Star Wars Episode I Racer in order to keep my Gamecube.
Had to sell my Game Boy Pocket to keep my Game Boy Color. Had to sell my Game Boy Color and Donkey Kong Country GBC to keep my GBA. Had to sell my GBA with Pokémon Yellow to get the GBA SP.
My grandma unintentionally gave away my SNES with Super Mario World, Super Mario All-Stars, Mario Paint, Super Mario Kart, Kirby Super Star (my first videogame ever) Donkey Kong Country 2 and 3, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.
Game Boy and Game Boy Color games I lost somehow (or perhaps someone lent them and I never got to know to who or why) are Kirby's Dream Land 2 (my first ever handheld game), Tetris, Pokémon Gold, and Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break.
I was able to get them again in recent years (except Pokémon Gold) and saved most of my other GB and GBC games from when I was a kid: Pokémon Blue and Crystal (both with dead batteries), Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, Pokémon Trading Card Game and The PowerPuff Girls: Bad Mojo Jojo (a game originally owned by my sister) while in recent years I also got Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, Kirby Tilt 'n Tumble plus a complete Japanese copy of Mario's Picross and a loose Japanese Mario Tennis GB.
Game Boy Advance games are the real toll my collection took: I lent games to some relatives and "really good friends" and somehow they all lost my copies of Super Mario Advance, Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, Sonic Advance, Pokémon Ruby, FireRed, LeafGreen and Emerald (only got to keep Sapphire, my first version of that gen). Needless to say, after those incidents with my friends I stopped talking to them.
After the Gamecube generation, it was mostly games I had to sell for reasons.
I got a second N64 and collection that had Mario Tennis, Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day and a couple of other games when I needed some money back in 2010-2011. Money that wasn't worth the trouble of selling my games except for Conker's (I'm not that stupid). Didn't sell the system this time either.
In recent years, my N64 collection grew considerably, now it has Conker's, Donkey Kong 64, Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie, GoldenEye 007, Ridge Racer 64 and a ton of Japanese games, including Smash Bros., Mario Kart 64, Kirby 64, Diddy Kong Racing, the 3 Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Snap, just to name a few.
Gamecube games I regret selling/trading are F-Zero GX, Mario Party 7, Animal Crossing, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Sonic Heroes, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Spongebob Battle for Bikini Bottom and Smash Bros. Melee (though this one I recovered 2 years ago).
On the Wii it was just Sonic and the Secret Rings and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, both of which I got again not too long ago.
My worst was selling my NES at 7. Mainly because I had a power glove. I want to replace it but then remember how bad it was and I can’t justify buying one to just wear. Other than that I would say selling my power rangers games. I didn’t know at the time that the west got imo better games than many of the early super sentai (which I watch instead of power rangers) games so while I don’t know anyone beyond MMPR I miss the fun game play. The latest fighting game is hecka confusing because I only know the Japanese counterparts and there are some weird American only things going on in that game that I have no context. Plus I have to play with no voices. I don’t really sell games anymore and have replaced most of what I sold. Even Skate or Die on NES lol. I’ve maintained my collection since even while homeless.
My bigger regrets are book related. Trashed 4 years of Disney’s Adventures magazine after my shelf broke under their weight (room was too small for book cases). I cried when I did it but had nowhere to keep them. Miss the comics and interviews to this day.
Edit: Oh the irony…my 6 bookcases just cracked under the weight of my books. Sigh.
i sold most of my ps1 games back in the day some which would fetch quite a high price many years later
At least selling a game gives you some money out of it. Losing a game is the worst feeling out there.
my mom ordered 2 copies of Ocarina at launch and we were sent 4, and the company was non responsive to the idea of sending them back.
i asked her if i could take them down to the local game trader (Vintage Stock, 918 represent) and trade them for another game. she let me 😐.
we still talk about it sometimes.
i once found a copy of snowboard kids 2 at a thrift store, set it down for a second and never found it again 😂
I'm in my early 40's. I've made a LOT of important life decisions. some good, some bad. I think If I had a time machine and could go back to give myself a piece of advice, it would be to not give away my Gamecube/Controllers/Games/Component Video cable.
I bought a Wii, like everyone else, and moved forward. I still wish I had that GC Collection. I recently bought a copy of Double Dash on Ebay and it set me back about $90 USD. Needless to say, my WiiU and Switch (plus games) will remain with me until the day I die. Who knows? by 20XX, if they still function they might really be worth something in the estate sale
*Edit. I'm not even a collector or worried about the value. I just think it would be really fun to still throw down some Soul Calibur II, Monkey Ball 2 or Double Dash (with the only legitimate version of Bob Bomb Blast!!!) with some friends
The only games I ever sold were ones I was sure I had zero attachment to, so I don't really regret it.
What I DO regret is disposing of all my Gamecube game cases (and a few DS ones). Unless those are forgotten inside a moving box somewhere.
I miss my original SNES. It’s since been replaced, but I know it’s not My SNES, the one I begged my parents to get for my 11th birthday, with one controller forever imprinted with teeth marks following an especially rage-filled round of Mario Kart, and the first run edition of Mario World with the star on the save file (later EU copies, and the Wii VC version, just turned the 96 blue).
I’m lucky enough to have reacquired in some way every game or console I ever sold on, but knowing that my current SNES isn’t My SNES sucks a little bit.
As someone who rarely replays games, I think I'm largely done clinging onto my childhood relics. I'll still keep stuff that would be difficult to access otherwise, but if I can rip and emulate it or access it via NSO/VC, it's going on Ebay.
If you cant handle this then trading (stock market/crypto) is not for you.
@LikelySatan wow, I am really sorry to hear that. That sounds painful: not only the selling of the games, but as you said, not understanding and appreciating who you really are. I hope you are in a better place now.
I grew up with an Amstrad CPC. Nobody else in my school had one. I kept ALL my games!!! Every single one of them!
.. Come the Playstation Generation, and friends and family one by one borrowed my huge collection, until there was barely anything left. I must've had about 50 or so games at one point. I have 5 now. Beatmania, Parappa, Um Jammer Lammy, Vib Ribbon and Road Rash.. .. Because, back then, nobody understood how cool music games were, so those were the only ones I got to keep.
tsk
Nowdays I'm much more protective over my game collection, and everyone hates me for being "so selfish."
If I had more than 5 Playstation games left, maybe I wouldn't be such a [snip]
Getting into gaming later in life means I had less time to sell or trade in games. So, I have learned from comments like this to keep everything. Now, if only I had space to display it properly…
I had a period of time about 15 years ago where i got a bit obsessed with the website called the Backloggery. It made me take stock of my collection and sell a few games that i had no intention of ever playing again or completing. In hindsight, i wish I'd not been so neurotic and kept at least some of the games. There was nothing great in there but it was part of my personal gaming history all the same. That and i regret trading my original Platinum GBA for a Micro. Should have just got an SP if anything.
I only sold stuff when I was a kid, and it was mostly just some of my old Game Boy games and consoles as they were always worth a lot more than disc games. That said I kept a lot of stuff and never really sold much from my home consoles, I still got all of my original N64 games. I think only thing I gave away was my Gamecube and PSP, the Gamecube was the only one I sort of regretted giving away but I did buy another back before the prices blew up and I didn't give away all my games and ended up building up a bigger and better collection a while back before the game prices really blew up as well. As for the PSP, that went to the kid brother of a good friend of mine that I always liked, so no regrets there, and it's become an easy platform to emulate on modern handhelds. That said I still got my PSP Go and both generations of the Vita, all loaded with digital games.
So yeah, I sold some stuff I might have regretted today if it wasn't for how I was really into collecting video games and consoles for a while back when the hobby was a lot cheaper.
Luigi’s Mansion and Wario World for the Gamecube. I got a cruddier used copy of LM, but just saw WW going for 300 smacks.
@dugan Dear diary, after a few years homeless the VA got me in to some housing for veterans and now I have a giant family and a great life.
...and that collection is amassing again. I have a few really choice games that I care a lot about. All of the Vanillaware PS Vita stuff, lots of the GBA games I lost, etc.
I regret selling my snes with all the great games like Mario rpg along with my Dreamcast with all the Japanese fighters because I wanted a ps2 to play gta 3
I don't really recall ever getting rid of something I particularly wanted back, I guess Red Dead Redemption (1) I sold to my friend and repurchased a few years ago, it wasn't a big deal.
I guess for the wackiest story I sold of all three of my starting 3ds games Dead or Alive Dimensions, Ocarina of time 3d and Resident Evil Mercenaries because the latter pissed me of so much that I just didnt want to see it and I guess I figured it'd be easier to sell then in a bundle. Bit of a shame I guess since the Dead or Alive game was pretty legit.
I never understood this hoarder need to keep and collect stuff. I would rather do digital even if stuff gets pulled eventually. I will be playing Switch 4 at that point to care. Plus we all will be gone someday and your prized stuff will be sold off or find it's way to the trash dump. Sorry to be a downer.
My Gamecube with my GBA Player. Needed a bit more cash to reserve my Wii before launch & since it was backwards compatible with GC discs...
I sold my Wii once I got a Wii U, at the time not aware of the fact that the Wii was compatible with Gamecube games and the Wii U wasn’t. So that was a mistake on my part. But I have since then gotten another Wii, fortunately.
@Dman10
You start thinking like that and suddenly there's not gonna be much meaning to anything, best not to go there and just enjoy whatever brings you joy.
Nice nod to RHCP. I can't think of any game I genuinely regret giving away or trading.
There was a time in my life where I 100% regretted selling games and consoles, but I'm at a point now where it doesn't bother me because I know I won't go back and play anything older. I hardly have enough time to play new releases as is, and I basically only play Nintendo's own IPs. But also I'm financially stable enough that I probably won't have to sell any of my possessions because I'm hard up for cash. I think. So I don't really worry about it?
My moronic dad sold games I cared about and can't find again at a reasonable price.
Mario Party 7
Super Princess Peach
Star Fox Adventures
Resident Evil 0 (Gamecube)
And many others.
@Dman10
im glad my grandpa didnt have your attitude because when he died i got some really treasured things of his that are useful to me and bring me joy every day.
i know not everyone has that, but some people do so what you say is not true.
also, you arent going to have things because you cant keep them after you die? that makes zero sense. ✌️
Have a few regrets selling some games when I needed money over the years; still kicking myself over parting with Super Princess Peach and my PSP with Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles.
ultimately, the only reason to regret selling a game is that you cant afford another copy.
now, guitars on the other hand... 😑
@Dman10 My kids get to enjoy my collection when I am gone. That's pretty neato.
The only one that keeps me up at night was my sealed Baten Kaitos Origins.
@-wc- "also, you arent going to have things because you cant keep them after you die? that makes zero sense. ✌️". Exactly, you can't keep them after you die, how is that confusing?
I sooooo regret selling Illusion of Gaia.
@LikelySatan They might keep them or they might sell them. Can't expect your kids to keep your treasures. They are your treasures, not theirs.
I sold / lost all of my childhood collection of SNES, N64, and NES games mint CIB. I’ve spent the last 5 or so years of my adult life trying to collect it all back.
I do wish I kept at least half of what I bought and owned back in the day. But the real scary thought is, if I kept everything I bought, from consoles to games (started playing from the nes era, and have had nearly every major console/handheld) it'd be the size of a mini retro videogame shop.
I shudder to think how much of my hard earned cash I spent on this hobby.
But it's also.the reason I've held onto my 360 and wiiu.
Will definitely keep my switch and series x (which i use mainly for emulation these days)
I gave away my n64 to my buddy for like 10 bucks back in like 2003, thinking I'll never play these again I've had enough...i have regretted that decision for years...got rid of my og xbox too..... My n64 with like 20 of the best games including Goldeneye, Ocarina of Time, Smash Bros, and Conker's Bad Fur Day and many other classics... probably like star fox and mario party... However since the ps3 era ive kept everything including 3ds and wiiu, and I've rebought an n64( with only Zelda).. i can access the majority of older games with emulation so I don't bother tracking those down but right now i probably have 7-8 consoles and like 3 handhelds and the rest is emulated on my pc and tablet/phone and heck even my homebrewed new 2ds xl and wiiu
Aww man it’s tragic. Every once in a while I remember some obscure NES game that we had and then sold. What were we thinking? Well we needed the money for the next new game of course! Same with consoles…
Notable NES games: Maniac Mansion, Faxanadu, Battle of Olympus, Zelda (the gold cartridge), Kickle Kubickle and many more that I can’t recall. Sob.
After moving out and studying I needed money to pay rent. I sold most of my N64 games that were all in mint condition boxes and a couple of snes games. I also threw away over 50 copies of the Official Nintendo Magazine. I thought it was part of growing up ..maybe I never grew up 😅
It always makes me sad thinking about it. Especially games like Yoshi's Island, Killer Instinct, Mario Kart, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Vigilante 8, Jet Force Gemini and so forth
@SoapMonki I hear ya, it's crazy the craving to play a game after so many years. I felt the 'growing up' thing too and I now realize that like some games you don't get over, even after you beat them to the ground. A good game can stick with or open itself back up to you decades down the road, so I'm more careful with selling off stuff anymore
Off topic on topic... The game I got rid of was Spyborgs... And what was i thinking when I bought it.
I sold it and haven't looked back. The original trailer had so mich potential smh.
@Dman10
I'm not confused, I'm wondering why you are concerned about how youll feel about the things you owned in life after you die. ✌️
BTW you are clearly not "sorry to be a downer," youre doing it on purpose. i honestly feel bad for you that you have anxiety about what might happen to your stuff when you die, and no family to share it with. 😞
I think more games were stolen from me than games that I sold. I'm not someone to sell games, even if they were terrible games.
I sold all of my physical games off to buy a PS5. My consoles are modded so I don't need them anyway.
I have never sold a game or system in my life. I have everything from when I was a kid up until now as an Adult.
Even if I never play them I always find it nice to look at them and revisit the memories and surprisingly most of them are in great shape.
I got rid of Sonic and Knuckes (The lock on cart) and Virtua Racing (The special chip one) I still regret it.
Never sold or given away anything. But I have taken advantage of foolish people I know doing that. My Genesis, Dreamcast, PSX, TurboGrafx 16, and PS4 all with games were all bought for incredibly cheap prices from silly people who just wanted the next hottest thing.
All the Nintendo games and systems I sold (SNES, N64, GBC, GCN, DS). Although, now that I can pretty much play everything I would want to play on Switch, I don’t regret it that much anymore.
Now I will never sell a Nintendo game or system again.
Never really regretted getting rid of the Dreamcast or Xbox 360 though.
I got Panzer Dragoon Saga the day it came out. Beat it in 2 weeks, sold it on Ebay for $120. Felt pretty good about myself. That feeling has changed since then.
When I was in school, I was severely strapped for cash. I sold, and it pains me to say this, Majora's Mask, the Majora's Mask Guide booklet, Mario Galaxy, and my Gamecube. I have been kicking myself for years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
@Dman10 only issue is not everything is legally digital. Especially retro stuff. Most of my PS2 collection is trapped on that system for now. Now for current systems I agree. You don’t have to buy games physical. For that I rely on price.
@LikelySatan
grounds for divorce right there
I think my greatest regret when it comes to discarding games is a game I do have, but more so its extras. I got Kirby's Dream Collection at about the ripe age of about 7, and I was so excited to play it as it was around then I was becoming a huge Kirby fan, but since I was 7, I threw away the cardboard box, but then later on I threw away the cd because I didn't know what it was really for, let alone would I of had any way to use it at the time. I kick myself for that one to this day as someone who loves getting physical cd's and vinyls for music I love. And the artbook that came with it slowly over time kinda degraded in quality and one day I simply lost it, but I read through that so many times, I loved going through that. But now my copy of Dream Collection is a shell of its former self and I deeply regret what my younger self did. One of these days I'm gonna sell my current copy of Dream Collection and get a good condition copy of the game with everything included so that I can finally have everything all together once again
Removed - inappropriate
No regrets with the old games I've sold, even the ones that are considered rare collectibles now. I got what I wanted for them, and if someone gets even more from them later on, then good for them.
Too many (now rare) gameboy/color games to count, especially with the pennies GameStop gives you, though lately I’ve been hung up on trading in a Dreamcast and most of its biggest hits…Why won’t Capcom re-release Power Stone??
I regretted letting my mom sell my original NES. I had moved on to the shiny SNES thinking I would never have reason to play the NES again, but FuncoLand at that time changed all that. I knew all the little niggles about it, I could get any game, no matter how messed up it was (Even my grimey friends' games) to play in it. In the years that passed I got a replacement but it's just not the same.
My only other regret wasn't actually a game I owned, but was a game I borrowed and gave back before beating it. That game was Skies of Arcadia legends for GameCube... That one still haunts me to this day. I might have even bought it off my friend in time.
This is a topic on which I try not to dwell too deeply, due to potential psychological harm. 😓
In my mid to late twenties, while living in Japan, I began to realize what I’d squandered. I’ve hung onto nearly all my game purchases since the late 90s. One big exception was when returning home to the States I felt like I had too much stuff, so I gave my Dreamcast and a stack of games (JoJo, Tech Romancer, Berserk, Crazy Taxi, etc) to a good friend. I hope he, at least, enjoyed them.
Oh the pain!!
Why did you bring up this topic?? I think I need to go lie down now. 😫
I grew up in the 80s and 90s and was lucky enough to own most of the games I ever wanted. I cared for them. Every box and manual was in pristine condition. Foolishly, as new consoles began to come out and emulation on PC and Mac was growing solid for older titles, I sold them. NES, SNES, Gameboy, Genesis, etc., all in flawless condition to stores that often paid me just a few bucks per game. Had I known those oldies, especially the NES titles, would be so valuable today, I never would have parted with them. Though, to be fair, I wouldn't have likely sold them as an adult
Can’t seem to locate my copy of Blood Sugar Sex Magik.
I have bought back so many games I've gotten rid of many times😮💨
Mainly so I could afford the next system when it came out when I was a kid. What else can I do but laugh about it and hang out at the local retro game store and check for any new(old) games 😄
On the note of trade ins, CEX used to be really good back in the day for how much the rates were, so it was easier to feel ok about it. It was 2/3 of the full price for store credit, or half cash. Regardless of rarity etc. Just whatever they charged, you got your cut from. Nowadays, if a DVD is 99p, they will give you 1p cash or 10p exchange!
This is the late 90s/Early 2000s btw.
Sold a copy of Dark Chronicle (PS2) for a fiver and half a bar of Asda's own white chocolate bar.
I only sold one game I kind of regret: NBA Jam on SNES. When I bought the sequel, I didn't think the original was worth keeping. That's true, except for one thing: no "boomshakalaka" in the sequel. Instead we got "razzle dazzle", which I quickly realised was no substitute.
I nearly sold my original Street Fighter 2 too, except the guy never showed, and I was happy about that.
I've only sold bad or undesirable games, like Holden Adventure Racing (local version of Beetle AR) because the soundtrack was so awful it made the game unplayable, and FIFA 64.
I have regretted lending games. One was Hyper Soccer on NES when the box and manual was returned damage. Upon lending Metroid Fusion, I only lent the manual with that, and it got lost. So bought the game again as punishment. I've never lent anything since.
PS: You just "swap" a game, not "swap out".
Oh the regret… I’ve had 4 copies of suikoden 1 in my childhood and sold every single one as I never had money but it was and is still one of my favourite game of all time. And now I am lucky enough as many to be able to add this to the ever growing collection of switch game I have that have been rereleased from my childhood. Another game would be star ocean 2. People can say all they like about switch being outperformed by other consoles but its library of classics is just amazing. I’m hoping for skies of Arcadia and twins snakes one day but who knows. 5 years ago we said we would never get suikoden or goldeneye, but guess what they are here. Vandal hearts please Konami!
I have never sold or given away any games, they are all in my bunker under my house hence my username
Nah, never sold any game or console.
My precious,mine!
I've never gotten rid of any of my games, but I did delete my save file on Pokémon FireRed a few years ago, completely forgetting that I had Mew (only available through a special event at Toys "R" Us) on the old save file. I deleted it because I had poisoned Suicune when it was down to a sliver of its health, and would have lost it for good.
The only way I will be able to get Mew back is to (sadly) use a cheating device like GameShark or Action Replay. I just have yet to actually buy the device.
I still have every console and game I ever bought. Even my old BBC Micro and Commodore Amiga with all the games are still boxed up in my parents loft, along with the inexplicably large boxes of loads of late 90s/early 00s PC games.
That would be pokemon snap and mario party at a car boot sale, I know, I know what an idiot!
I gave for free snow bros for NES in early 2000's to a friend of mine. Boy what a mistake
Only traded in a couple of DS and Wii games to GameStop (luckily nothing major) and yet I still deeply regret doing so, will never do that again for the rest of my life!
Also gave my first 3DS to a friend, but don't regret that at all as letting someone start playing 3DS games is much more worthwhile than keeping it to myself when I have other 3DS consoles.
My family threw away boxes of pre-GameCube and pre-DS games, but honestly don't particularly regret that since they were made of cardboard and so were mostly in bad conditions (on the other hand still have most manuals, always loved those) and maybe some old PC games from when I was a kid although those could simply be lost somewhere in our house.
Nice article, I've always been a sentimental fool when it comes to games so never parted with anything from my childhood or other major stuff (i.e., games people bought for me for one reason or another). I was quite fortunate to live at home for uni, so a big chunk of my meagre maintenance loan went into building my collection. However I did reach a point in 3rd year where I parted with a good chunk of stuff, like a few DMG Game Boys, a Game Boy Micro along with a copy of Pokemon FireRed (regret this a little, but I got another Micro and still have LeafGreen), a really cool custom modded GB Color that I put together, and some bits like my Action Replay carts (which are kinda expensive now) and Pokemon event distribution carts. I really did not control my finances at all at uni LOL
One thing I do really regret is not having a single cardboard box for any of my childhood Game Boy games, and all my DS games' boxes seem to have vanished from my parents' house completely!
But I'm happy with what I've got now. Pretty frugal with my living these days and save a fair bit so fingers crossed I can continue to work through what I've got and perhaps even clear that gargantuan backlog someday!
I don't mind too much that I no longer have all my console games, since after the Wii/PS3/360 generation I have opted for the digital download more often than the physical disc anyway.
But for handhelds, I REALLY wish I still had my games. So many great GB/GBC/GBA/DS/3DS games I no longer have access to and would take a fortune to replace. I can't remember if I sold them or trashed them or lost them or what, but I really wish I still had them. Those were a lot fun.
At least Nintendo has given me an opportunity to revisit the Pokemon TCG game on GBC. That's one of my biggest time sinks ever. Hopefully on the next wave of GB titles at least one of the original Pokemon games is included.
I didn’t get rid of many games so all the retro stuff is fine for the most part. The main things are twilight princess and windwaker along with punch out Wii. I also regret removing my skylanders collection after the series ended. I really regret that one because I had well over a hundred of those and probably sold em all for 50 bucks.
Sold Silent Hill 2 on PS2 in near-pristine condition, bought it again years later, $170 for a shoddy copy. The PS3 port was horrible so there's no way to play this version without forking up.
The one that gets me? I got offered a Panasonic GameCube for £200 by a mate who was short of cash and - being the good friend/human I am - I advised him that he could get significantly more if he went the ebay route. Should have bitten his hand off... and then purchased the PGC...
I never did. I was always sentimental about everything I have.
In 1998 my mom got me Gold Box Zelda Ocarina of Time when it came out and I played it and didn't like it because you couldn't jump like Mario 64.
Since I couldn't watch the show (and Software Etc didn't care if you were a kid buying M rated games) I traded it for South Park 64. Which I did play and have fun with friends but wasn't great.
I learned my lesson and never traded or got rid of any of my collection since that. I got a letter about this story highlighted in EGM in 2007, so that's a silver lining too!
Influenced by my family, I got rid of a handful of Wii games circa 2010. Insta-regret. That's probably the moment that triggered my now lifelong goal of working towards a complete Nintendo UK set.
(Yes, I later went and re-bought all of the games I traded in.)
I have a handful of regrets on selling certain games/consoles. But most of the time I don't.
I have a handful of regrets on selling certain games/consoles. and ive miss them today alot and today they cost like a fortune
games like chrono trigger,secret of mana,zelda-series and more
Got rid of Twin Snakes, Cubivore
When we die we don't take anything with us. So ya we can regret getting rid of some of our games. I miss my dreamcast but cannot be helped. Gave it to a church I went to as a kid. Who knows where those games went.
Being a child of early 90s economic depression, I have problem of letting go of things. Now with other stuff I have managed to cut so no clutter but my games.
I have all we got as family when we were kids. I have Philips G7000 (Magnavox Odyssey2 for you muricans) even idk if it still works. I have SNES and three games for it. Had four, but MY MOTHER decided to give it to one brat visiting and whining to get it because "you are too old for this " (I've reminded her few times, she gets upset) I have checked auctions now and then but have rather bought Amiibos or new games instead replacing that.
IT's about not having things as a kid (because no money) or as youngest, everything was hand me downs. So my things have always been super important. It was time when we luckily got 1 game on christmas and happily played it for years.
One game I have sold. NBA game for GC. I have zero interest for basketball and I got GC and games from my sister.
(I had GB but then I saw Wind Waker bundle as new in our local place that sold Nintendo games. In addition to bundle, I could choose two games. I chose F-Zero and Metroid Prime. THe deal mentioned memory card, it wasn't in it and it was so late in GC lifespan that there was none available. So I got to choose 3rd game. Four Swords it was. So got all that for 80€ and sold new console and threw NBA in it for 45€)
I always look at my game cabinet, and think "I could sell, I never use..." and then I just cannot. No. My games. One day I'll have time and hopefully those will still run. Same goes for my Amiibo Collection. "maybe I should keep this in box... NAH I BOUGHT IT FOR ME"
If I was kid and lived in city, maybe I'd traded/sold games. Just wasn't option here.
I also kept our Pentium 90 as long as it would turn on, so I could play DOS games, needed few tricks to get it running Win95 and then one day nothing helped and I had no means try fix it anymore. With heavy heart I carried it to recycling. Kept the disks.
Everyone has their own thing.
I had to do a significant culling of my collection before I moved away to another country forever. Part of that was getting rid of my Dreamcast and all its games and accessories, which was... painful. What's weird, though, is that the single game I decided to keep was PenPen TriIcelon. Granted, I loved that game and had a lot of good memories of playing with friends, but I had even better memories of and more love for ChuChu Rocket!, and for some reason didn't keep that one. I'm sorry, ChuChus!
I must be in the minority, as I haven't got rid of any games I regret and have kept 99%.
Turok was traded in for GoldenEye, but it wasn't a game I've wanted to play again, and we have Turok 2.
Not quite gaming related but relevant to the theme here.
I will never forgive myself but more importantly my Mum (if you're reading this mum its cool I still love you)
As a kid I had a massive collection of original... it pains me to say it... Star Wars figures. Some of them boxed and all pristine. I even had some of the rarer pieces and vehicles etc. Back then they weren't worth jack and when I was done playing with them and was now too cool for Star Wars as an angsty 13yr old with a skateboard I took them to a carboot with my Mum.
When I wasn't looking a passer by noticed that they were all there and offered to buy the whole collection, my mum said "£50 and its all yours". Just like that they were gone forever.
Occasionally I scroll through ebay looking at the 1000s of pounds I could have today if I had kept them. Scrolling through listings for individual figures worth multiple £100s thinking "I had that one, I had that one, that one was boxed, my one wasn't missing his lightsaber, my one wasn't faded" and wondering what mansion I could have now...
@-wc-
Oh dude don't! 😫
I'm a Bass Player and I gave away my first Bass for nothing, I would do anything to have it back but I gave it to a school it could be anywhere now. It was absolute garbage but it was mine and it would be so cool to have on my wall or something. On the other hand however, I would never ever play it over my current guitars so it would just sit and never be played but I like to think it might have set another Bassist off on their journey and maybe even more after them
I sold my special edition zelda gba with minish cap to fund my ds....
There are several consoles and games I've had to sell off/donate due to various circumstances including moving to another state. Some of which include the golden Majora's Mask cartridge, would've been lovely to keep it. Ports, remasters & emulation have softened the sting at least. I'm just glad I'm able to still play them even if I can't have the physical media in my collection.
I got rid of my Electric Blue 2DS a few years back in order to build up funds for my Switch. While I am glad I finally got in on the phenomenon that is Nintendo Switch (albeit 4 years late) I do miss MK7, ACNL, M3DL, Y+PWW, and of course the classic Ninjago Nidroids! (Kidding about that last one being a classic, but it did bring good times!)
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