HOT C64 games...

jerellis1 · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:24 pm Post subject:

jerrykurtz wrote:

jerellis1 wrote:

Spelunker (£33.32, although I'm guessing the instructions are not included with this one - still a nice addition to the collection though).

The instructions should be printed on the inside of the cover, however, that is the US version of the disk, not the Ariolasoft version of the disk.
Ariolasoft version:
http://postimage.org/image/cafd1je3t/

US version:
http://postimage.org/image/m9c1e1ibn/

Thanks for the pics Jerry - that's interesting to note, although it does make me wonder if I've made a mistake buying this particular example if it's actually just a 'marriage' of two differing releases to make one 'complete' game... Confused

Do you think it might be possible that for some of the original Ariolasoft releases they simply repackaged existing stocks of original Broderbund disks? The pernickety collector in me really hopes so, as otherwise I think I'll always be slightly dissatisfied with this particular addition to my collection! Wink

jerrykurtz · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:37 pm Post subject:

jerellis1 wrote:

Do you think it might be possible that for some of the original Ariolasoft releases they simply repackaged existing stocks of original Broderbund disks? The pernickety collector in me really hopes so, as otherwise I think I'll always be slightly dissatisfied with this particular addition to my collection! Wink

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any of the Ariolasoft releases of Broderbund games have the same disk label as the US version. I think this auction was pieced together Sad

I would have to boot the games to see if there are any differences for loading/title/intro screens. The different releases do have different copy protections though.
_________________

My favorite game houses: Broderbund and Synapse.

hbhzth · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:52 pm Post subject:

Or it may be 2 European versions? English + English AND German? Seen this with other AriolaSoft releases.

I've seen US Gold games which appear to be 4 similar disk releases. Only closer study shows small differences; Same cover design, except some text are in English, German, French or Spanish. Desert Fox being one such creature! Very Happy

quapil · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:18 pm Post subject:

jerrykurtz wrote:

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any of the Ariolasoft releases of Broderbund games have the same disk label as the US version. I think this auction was pieced together Sad

I would have to boot the games to see if there are any differences for loading/title/intro screens. The different releases do have different copy protections though.

So far I haven't seen one Ariolasoft game, that had it's own packaging and not an Ariolasoft branded disk label including their own product number.
I too have Spelunker and some of the other Broderbund titles, they all have ariolasoft disk labels and not the us ones.

I think Ariolasoft distributed some Synapse games where they just used the same (US) packaging, put a german instruction sheet into the box and an ariolasoft sticker on the box...but once they did their own packaging, they also branded the disk.

IFW · Groupie in Training Joined: 26 Jun 2012 Posts: 145

I am afraid that's just a EU box with a cheap US loose disk.
The real EU version has very different protection code compared to the US version, ie different content - and the disks look like the pictures posted by Jerry.

jerellis1 · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:39 pm Post subject:

IFW wrote:

I am afraid that's just a EU box with a cheap US loose disk.
The real EU version has very different protection code compared to the US version, ie different content - and the disks look like the pictures posted by Jerry.

Ah well, it's a shame but I guess it's still well worth having (Spelunker seems to be even more rare than I had anticipated - there's not a single other example of the C64 version available on eBay anywhere in the world at the moment, and apart from the one I bought, there doesn't appear to have been another one for some time). Anyway, somewhere down the line I'll hopefully find a complete example of either the US version or the European version and I'm sure another collector will be happy to have this one. Smile

jerellis1 · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:32 pm Post subject:

Folks, I'm sure you'll want to know who won the sealed Raid Over Moscow disk in the end - well, I'm really pleased to say it was me, and getting it for under £100 (well, £101 including p&p) has gone a long way towards making up for the slight disappointment of my Spelunker being a US / Euro marriage! I'm certainly glad that on this occasion my prediction of £250 for a sealed UK Raid Over Moscow disk was way out. Very Happy

Mayhem · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:10 pm Post subject:

Guess I was closest on the price prediction then Wink

_________________

Mayhem64 - for all your cartridge needs!

"My aim is to produce games that have graphics and audio that will rape your eyeballs and take your ears from behind with a strap-on" - Jeff Minter

hbhzth · Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 4:12 am Post subject:

jerellis1 wrote:

Folks, I'm sure you'll want to know who won the sealed Raid Over Moscow disk in the end - well, I'm really pleased to say it was me, and getting it for under £100 (well, £101 including p&p) has gone a long way towards making up for the slight disappointment of my Spelunker being a US / Euro marriage! I'm certainly glad that on this occasion my prediction of £250 for a sealed UK Raid Over Moscow disk was way out. Very Happy

Congrats on that win Jerry! I was a bit surprised to see it sell for £100,- Still, it's a serious bunch of money for just one game. Some USGOLD disk titles will still be of the most expensive titles available. And it being sealed - should make it a bit more valuable, I'd think.

It's perhaps another example that having TOO HIGH asking price - will not make it a very popular item. It's something I've noticed holds up where the asking price is very high. It's most def something to do with it. Don't you think so Mayhem?

Looks like Mayhem had the closest price estimate. Not far behind; Me! Giving a slightly more enthusiastic estimate. Very Happy

I was off with + £25,- (compared to Mayhem). It's the optimist in me, I guess Wink

jerellis1 · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 12:24 pm Post subject:

I spent a bit of time hunting for C64 disks on eBay internationally last night (something I don't do as often as I should, really) and found a seller in Germany who had a huge selection of games available, of which I've just bought seven (he offered me a bit of a discount overall for buying several items at once, and the postage & packing only came to 15 Euro which seemed pretty reasonable). Anyway, here's what I bought:

Jail Break
Heartland
Stratton by CRL
Express Raider
(10) Computer Hits
Side Arms
Desert Fox - German Version! Very Happy

I paid just under £200 for all seven games including postage & packing from Germany, which I know isn't cheap but it seems reasonable for what I'm getting. Heartland is a nice find, which will go nicely together with my Hypaball and Mission AD disks, and Express Raider likewise (it looks like there's no instruction leaflet, but hopefully the instructions will be on the reverse of the inlay, or at the very least I'll be able to find an identical leaflet from the cassette release).

The 10 Computer Hits compilation is something I'm really pleased to have found - this was the first compilation I ever owned, and I have really fond memories of all ten games. It's great to be able to get hold of a disk version - again, the instructions appear to be missing, but I'm sure I have a couple of spares from the cassette version somewhere so that shouldn't be a problem.

Jail Break was a bit of an indulgence - the asking price was quite high but I really wanted this game so I asked the seller to include it in the deal anyway. Stratton was interesting as it was yet another CRL game I'd never heard of before, and CRL is a nice publisher to collect. Side Arms was also relatively cheap and worth buying, even without the instructions (again, hopefully I'll find them on the back of the inlay, or failing that I can find a spare from the cassette release).

Which leaves the German release of Desert Fox - a game we've discussed on these very pages (I think around halfway through the thread) and I remember some of us felt it might be a rather rare title, so I bought it even though I already own a very nice example of the English version. Hopefully this will prove to be a sensible addition to the collection.

So there you go. Along with Thing on a Spring, Space Gun, Spelunker, Raid Over Moscow, Kikstart 128 and a few others here and there, it's been a fruitful if very expensive few days! Time to get back to the selling now, which I've been having a short break from recently, as I need to plaster over a hefty dent in my bank balance pretty quickly! Wink

jerrykurtz · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 12:50 pm Post subject:

I just checked the scans of mine -- Express Raider's instructions are on the inside of the insert Smile

_________________

My favorite game houses: Broderbund and Synapse.

jerellis1 · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 1:26 pm Post subject:

jerrykurtz wrote:

I just checked the scans of mine -- Express Raider's instructions are on the inside of the insert Smile

Result! Thanks Jerry! Smile

zapposh · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 1:55 pm Post subject:

jerellis1 wrote:

I spent a bit of time hunting for C64 disks on eBay internationally last night (something I don't do as often as I should, really) and found a seller in Germany who had a huge selection of games available, of which I've just bought seven (he offered me a bit of a discount overall for buying several items at once, and the postage & packing only came to 15 Euro which seemed pretty reasonable). Anyway, here's what I bought:

Heartland
Express Raider
Very Happy

That's funny. I just bought the disk versions of Nodes of Yesod, Robin of the Wood and Tarzan off the same guy and told him I'll be back after payday for Heartland and Express Raider as he had them online for over 3 months and no one was showing interest in them. Seems someone finally has. Very Happy

jerellis1 · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:09 pm Post subject:

Oh man - Nodes of Yesod and Robin of the Wood on disk? That's a great find - I've never even seen the disk versions before! I shouldn't be too envious as I've had a very good week myself, but I sure as hell wish I'd found those two first! Wink

zapposh · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:28 pm Post subject:

I usually get bored of things and end up selling them again after a while so you'll see them again don't worry. Wink

hbhzth · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:45 pm Post subject:

jerellis1 wrote:

Stratton was interesting as it was yet another CRL game I'd never heard of before, and CRL is a nice publisher to collect. Side Arms was also relatively cheap and worth buying, even without the instructions (again, hopefully I'll find them on the back of the inlay, or failing that I can find a spare from the cassette release).

CRL games are a nice find - only that I've experienced that some of the disk versions I've bought from Germany/France are Prism Leisure re-releases (often from 91-92). Same thing with Hewson games. Just check if there's the PL logo on the back. Kind of brings down the value - I think. I'm not saying it applies to the CRL titles you bought, they may be original releases for all I know.

jerellis1 wrote:

Which leaves the German release of Desert Fox - a game we've discussed on these very pages (I think around halfway through the thread) and I remember some of us felt it might be a rather rare title, so I bought it even though I already own a very nice example of the English version. Hopefully this will prove to be a sensible addition to the collection.

Very sensible addition! I was looking at this version too for some time. Thought about getting it, but I could not afford to do so. I do have the French version of the same game: perhaps a trade? Then you'd have all 3 European disk wallet versions (Perhaps there's a Spanish one too Smile

) And I know you got some titles that I want Wink

Looks like you've been on a roll lately Jerry. Best of regards from a fellow collector. I think you have a very strong collection going on. Hope you can send some pics of the setup when you have got time to put them up.

And keep the posts coming - I love reading about your findings. Be it stuff you've bought or just found interesting.

IFW · Groupie in Training Joined: 26 Jun 2012 Posts: 145

The Stratton disk is the original release. There is also a c128 only version in theory...
I'd say most Prism Leisure budget releases worth about nothing (given they are usually games freezed after loading, then written to disk...), but nice to have just for completeness sake.

Mayhem · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:15 pm Post subject:

Looking at these takes me back... sheesh... I remember picking up my disk Heartland about 15 years ago for around 5 quid heh. During the point in the mid 90s when the C64 dropped off the radar and places were shifting warehouse stock to clear. I remember filling quite a lot of gaps for not that expensive a price.

I think I have one of the Nodes games on disk too, but I'd have to go hunting for it. I found the Heartland disk quite easily heh...
_________________

Mayhem64 - for all your cartridge needs!

"My aim is to produce games that have graphics and audio that will rape your eyeballs and take your ears from behind with a strap-on" - Jeff Minter

Rami Airola · Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 1:00 am Post subject:

Quote:

GAUNTLET III USGOLD DISK.

I've been mailing with the fellow who bought this gem.

He is a collector from Finland, and the same guy who's been buying lots of other HOT stuff on eBay: p***a!

They say there are some crazy people here in Finland, and that might be true, but Finland also seems to have the HOTTEST C64 game collection around Cool

quapil · Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:53 am Post subject:

Rami Airola wrote:

They say there are some crazy people here in Finland, and that might be true, but Finland also seems to have the HOTTEST C64 game collection around Cool

At least the most paid for Wink

hbhzth · Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 1:22 pm Post subject:

Rami Airola wrote:

Quote:

GAUNTLET III USGOLD DISK.

I've been mailing with the fellow who bought this gem.

He is a collector from Finland, and the same guy who's been buying lots of other HOT stuff on eBay: p***a!

They say there are some crazy people here in Finland, and that might be true, but Finland also seems to have the HOTTEST C64 game collection around Cool

I've noticed several Finnish C64 game collectors. They seem to take it serious - by looking at the titles they buy/sell and the prices they pay.

p***a (Player's Choice) have made a name for himself. Especially since this thread started and people began discussing HOT prices and titles. Since you have been talking to him, did you ask him if he's ever on LEMON or other C64 sites?

Would gave been nice to hear more about his collection though.

Rami Airola · Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 2:06 pm Post subject:

quapil wrote:

At least the most paid for Wink

Yeah, and that's HOT Wink

hbhzth wrote:

Since you have been talking to him, did you ask him if he's ever on LEMON or other C64 sites?

He is not registered in Lemon although he does read this forum occasionally.

I wonder how many heavy collectors are reading the forum but not writing on it.

zapposh · Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:55 pm Post subject:

What I can confirm is that when I sold my whole collection 2-3 years ago in single sales, about 90% of it went to different collectors in Finland, and they paid well. I was surprised about the high demand coming from there.

Rami Airola · Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:26 pm Post subject:

This actually surprises me quite a bit.

Commodore 64 was HUGE in Finland in the 80s. It even had a nickname "the computer of the Republic" (rough literal translation of "tasavallan tietokone"). In that sense, it's understandable that Finnish people would still be in love with the machine. However, as I've been seeing this step by step rise of the popularity of C64 games on ebay, and been seeing that a Finnish auction site won't attract that many Finnish buyers bidding games in high price, I've been thinking that perhaps the most avid C64 collectors are somewhere else than in Finland. I thought that perhaps people here still have the games so that people aren't much buying them.

But apparently Finnish people have played a surprisingly big part in making the C64 collecting scene rise on international trading and auctioning sites. I'm not diminishing the collectors from other countries, but Finland's part of this is a nice surprise, and fits well with the history of the computer in Finland.

hbhzth · Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 2:10 am Post subject:

OMG!! There's some VERY lovely disk titles going under the digital hammer this coming week; 18 wonderful disk titles.

Check it out! Wonder how many hundred pounds it will end at. Anyone dare put an estimate on this?