You can see what didn't make the cut in the sale thread in the Marketplace forums but beyond that I'm having some problems making a decision on some games - see the second half of this list. Can anyone talk about those titles and help me make a decision?

Keeping:

NES:
Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
- I know Simon's quest doesn't really fit in with I and III; see Xenosaga II
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
Contra
Crystalis
Felix the Cat
- this is a lot better than a single glance would suggest
Mega Man
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Metroid
Mighty Final Fight
- probably like this more than the original
Ninja Gaiden
- still awesome despite the problems with continue points near the end
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
- love it!
Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game
Tetris 2

GB/GBC:
DuckTales
- I grew up with this version rather the NES edition so I like it's level layout more
Kirby’s Dream Land
Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge
Mega Man Xtreme
Mega Man Xtreme 2
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
- has held up really well; last level is still a bitch however
Tetris
- I think it's a law to have this if you have a gameboy

Genesis:
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic and Knuckles

SNES:
Breath of Fire
Castlevania IV
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country 2: Kiddy’s Kong Quest
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble
Final Fantasy II
- I know, the PSP version is really nice
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
- I should break down and play this
Final Fight
Killer Instinct
- if I was going to keep a SNES fighter it was going to be this
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Mega Man X
Mega Man X2
Mega Man X3
Star Fox
- I like this more than the 64 one
Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World
- well, you just need this
Super Metroid
Uniracers

Saturn:
Panzer Dragoon II Zwei
- I know SaGa is the crowning jewel but it was Zwei that drew me to the series
Mega Man 8
Mega Man X4

PS1:
Battle Arena Toshinden
- you're probably wondering why this is here. I like the music and characters
Brave Fencer Musashi
- one of my favorite Square products of the 32-bit era
Breath of Fire III
Breath of Fire IV
- good but very dry
Castlevania: Chronicles
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Chrono Cross
- outside the story this game is a winner
Crash Bandicoot: Warped
Destruction Derby 2
Doom
- I [heart] Doom
Einhander
- I missed this the first time around; awesome despite the fact I suck at it
Final Doom
- like Doom just fun in a different way
Final Fantasy Origins
- I kind of like this game without all the GBA/PSP "enhancements"
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy VII
- anyone find this surprising?
Final Fantasy IX
- has a ton of character desipte the fact I'm not a Kuja fan...
Legend of Legaia
Mega Man 8: Anniversary Collector’s Edition
Mega Man Legends
- Huge Legends fan
Mega Man Legends 2
- does what a good sequel should: up the difficulty and answer questions
Mega Man X4
- gives the original a serious run for it's money
Mega Man X5
- the definition of mediocrity
Mega Man X6
- outside the Ninja Armor and Naoto Tanaka's music this game shouldn't exist
Metal Gear Solid
- impressive but not bulletproof
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne ~ disc only : (
- have had this since 2005 and have yet to play it
Resident Evil
- a classic but it's rather rustic compared to the first sequel
Resident Evil 2
- steamlines the experience from the first game
Rival Schools
- has an impressive amount of character development for a fighter
SaGa Frontier
- one man's trash is another man's treasure
Silent Hill
- really liked what I played of it
Soul Blade
- Soul Blade was really my Tekken
Star Gladiator
- pretty much made Toshinden obsolete
Syphon Filter
Syphon Filter 2
Syphon Filter 3
- while some will doubt the claim I consider these must haves for a PS1 collection
Tomb Raider
- awesome, sequels never matched it
Tomb Raider II
- decent enough
Tomb Raider III
- kinda bad
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
- need to finish this so I can say I played all the PS1 games
Tomb Raider: Chronicles
- this was a lot better than expected; I'm sorry TR3 kept me away
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
- it's amazing how little this sequel did and in turn made the original obsolete
Twisted Metal
Twisted Metal 2
Twisted Metal 4
- wish the cast of characters/cars was better
Wild Arms
- love it.
Wild Arms 2
- love it, but the Wild Arms story pretty much ends here
Xenogears
- can respect what it accomplished but it's far from perfect

N64:
GoldenEye 007

DC:
Marvel vs Capcom
Plasma Sword
Soul Calibur
Time Stalkers
- I really liked this turn based Diablo dungeon crawler

PS2:
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
- flawed but I liked it
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
- flawed but I liked it
Final Fantasy X
- Pretty much the last FF I cared about
God of War
- I should at least play the original
Mega Man Anniversary Collection
- here for the sake of completeness
Mega Man X7
- I don't think there's enough loading scenes; Burn! Burn to the ground!
Mega Man X8
- a decent apology until the story asks more questions than it answers
Mega Man X Collection
- here for the sake of completeness
Mega Man X Command Mission
- MMX mixed with FFX. Not too shaby; definately could have used better dungeon design
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
- if I'm going to keep the PSP games
Wild Arms Alter code:F
- if it weren't for those blasted few scenes...
Xenosaga
Xenosaga II
- along for the ride as part of the set
Xenosaga III
- needs to be play

GBA:
Breath of Fire
Breath of Fire II
- I'd take this over the SNES version
Capcom Classics Mini Mix
Castlevania
Castlevania Double Pack
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
- this was a really odd game
Excitebike
Final Fantasy V Advance
- played 90% of this on Chronicles years ago
Mega Man & Bass
- not really a good game or port
Metroid
Metroid Fusion
- really liked the slow burn of Fusion's story
Metroid Zero Mission

PSP:
Breath of Fire III
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
- I wasn't really crazy about Lunar but this is a solid remake
Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X
Mega Man: Powered Up
- I think they should have gone a bit futher in making this game more approachible
Star Ocean: First Departure
Star Ocean: Second Evolution
- what I played showed me some things I was previously unanawre of

PC:
Diablo Battle Chest
Doom Collector’s Edition
- completely overpaid for this thing
Master Levels for Doom II
- the setup for how this has to be played is HORRIBLE and completely shortsighted

I'll list the ones I have an opinion on.

NES:
Castlevania 1 and 3: These should be automatic keepers. They're absolutely fantastic in almost every category (and this is coming from someone who didn't really grow up with them, so I know it's not just nostalgia talking here). I consider them quintessential to any NES collection

Crystalis is the best damn Zelda clone I've ever played (maybe tied with Okami). Truly a lost gem. I'd keep it without any hesitation. A hidden SNK masterpiece.

I'd really only keep the Ninja Turtles games if I could find the third one (I believe called Manhatten Project?)

Genesis:
I'd keep all of those Genesis games. Bloodlines is absolutely fantastic and the Sonic games are worthy of keeping for the sake of posterity alone.

SNES:
As cool as it would be to own an original BoFII, it'd be a mistake to think this is the definitive version (or the GBA port, for that matter). Honestly, I'd just download an emulator, snag the rom, and install Ryusui's translation patch and be done with it.

As far as the SNES Final Fantasies go, the best port of FFIV undoubtedly goes to the PSP version, I'd snag that instead of keeping this one. FFVI, on the other hand, I think I'd prefer the SNES cart. This is totally up to you.

PSX:
I'd keep FF Tactics. I know the War of the Lions PSP port added job classes, swank FMV's and reworked the translation, but it's hard to imagine a definitive PSX collection without it. Ditto with RE1 and Xenogears, but I know how you feel about the latter.

GBA:
Keep FFV. It's absolutely the best version available to the North American market at present.

PS2:
You've gone on at length over your feelings for WA:ACF, I'm kind of surprised you didn't sell it.

If Sonic 3 is "probably a keeper" but then you ditch Sonic & Knuckles, you're only keeping half the game.

I agree that Crystalis is a keeper.  That's one of the best RPGs of the NES era.  I just wish they had a soundtrack release for that game...

You REALLY love Mega Man, eh?
I sold my NES, SNES, etc. collection long ago, and am very happy I did. I realized I'm not a collector, and it was too much hassle and headache to keep everything and "worry" about condition, etc. etc. Basically, I found that collecting took the "fun" out of playing the games, so when a disk such as the Mega Man Collection came out, I quickly grabbed it and am more than happy. Now, I can play any classic MM game and I do not have to worry about damaging the carton, inserting the cartridge, cleaning, etc... Same goes for the Sonic Collection, and numerous other collection games; which in my opinion are FAR better than keeping all the old cartridges around. That said, that was my opinion, and if you have sentimental ties to these games, by all means feel free to keep them. My personal opinion, if you're "on the fence" about a game, ask yourself if you think you are likely to want to play it again at some point? If the answer is yes, then keep the game. If the answer is no, then sell/trade it. Also, which games have been re-released? If a game has been re-released, why keep the original, unless it has some sentiment for you.

Anyway, of the games you listed, I can only say that the original Silent Hill was my favorite of 1,2,3,4. In fact, I thought it was by far the best. 3 was also very good by the way, and 2 was overrated (highly, overrated). 4 was just bad. Anyway, if you don't mind the old graphics and poor voice acting (still more than Nintendo does today!), then I would suggest holding on to SH.

cheers,

-avatar!

I get what your saying but for some reason many of the games I'm keeping (like the NES Mega Mans) really came alive playing them with the native controller.

Still, I get your point about collecting. That's why I'm having this sale... I really overdid it "collecting" in a bunch of areas and am just trying to keep what I've played or will play game or not. I don't want to get into too deep into this but some of this stuff I probably bought trying to fill a void within me. I've known this for a very long time... I don't want to abandon gaming or any other interests but I probably shouldn't have gone to the point I was going. I'm trying to fix that while maintaining some of what I've built.

The reason I'm so unsure of the Castlevania games is Ninja Gaiden I and II. I played those before I played any of the NES Castlevanias so the impression they made on me all those years ago runs much deeper.

I'm probably going to part with this. The only reason it would be around is to complete the "hat trick" of having all the BOF games and ports. Not really the best reason to have something around. As for the translation, I know its poor (and the GBA port could have really benefited from a relocalization) but it's become part of an experience I adore. I know it's probably a poor comparison but I've always seen Breath of Fire II as a poor man's Final Fantasy VI. There's actually a lot of parallels between the games and how they treat their characters.

You know, I've really thought about this one considering what you said and I think you're right.

Yeah, same thing I was thinking.

I kind of hinted at this in the Zelda thread. About ten hours in there is a handful of scenes that truly knock me on my ass. Not that the original didn't do a wonderful job at that as well but it's these meager 5 to 10 minutes that make me question getting rid of it or not.

As for SH avatar, I think you're right as well and I'm kind of surprised you didn't defend it Idolores, didn't I pick this one up for you a while back?

And yeah avatar, I'm a true blue sucker when it comes to Mega Man. I know some of the games are bad but I've already got rid of some of them once - it didn't work out very well.

Yeah, you did. I kind of missed it when writing that. I love it lots.

It's hard to find, though. You might never see it again if you get rid of it.

Why buy the same game again if you've still got the original and it works? Re-releases are often a poor substitute - buggy emulation, undesirable alterations, and, as in the case of the aforementioned Mega Man Collection, horrible controller remappings that can't be reconfigured.

I'm pretty much with Smeg on this one. I kind of like games on their original console and I can think of many re-releases I'd skip in favor of the "original" - Breath of Fire II and Final Fantasy V on the GBA being good examples. I don't like the Mega Man Collections either (the only reason I'm keeping them is for the sake of completeness) even though I really don't have a good arguement as to why.

And Smeg, I assume you're talking about the Gamecube version of MM:AC?

Updated the list (moved Silent Hill and FFT to the keep side) and added the Dreamcast games which I forgot about.

Your praise of the PSP version of IV made me curious so I popped in The Complete Collection and wow. All the little touches they added and the conversations come off much smoother in general. To be honest there seems to be parts the original just omitted or that I just don't remember. Anyway, I can't promise I'll play The After Years right afterwards (because I didn't think a sequel was needed) but I definitely like to finish IV and see everything this version has to offer.

Edit: I also love how you can switch between the SNES score and the DS score in the options menu. You can probably guess which one I picked (I probably could have stood it until the last fight) but the only other game I can think of with such an option is SoulBlade on th PSX.

I know this is pointless to say but as the thread starter this is where I wanted the topic to go, so...

Castlevania Chronicles.

SH = great! Still my favorite of the bunch. Only available for the PSX.

FFT (PSX) = not nearly as good as FFT PSP. The PSP version is slightly slower, but is much improved in nearly every way. Beautiful cutscenes (fully voiced), much better script, even a few new surprises! My suggestion, if you have a PSP, get FFT. I personally would not recommend keeping the PSX FFT, unless you're attached to it for some sentimental reason, and prefer the weaker of the two iterations.

To be honest I think I'll just stick with PS1 rendition. I'm sure the PSP version is nice and I'm definitely willing to wager it's a much more appropriate product to celebrate the series 20th Anniversary and the re-re-re-release of Final Fantasy I & II but as good as the game is it's something I'm not sure I'll ever get around to again. The game requires an awfully long time commitment - much more than a regular RPG - and to be honest even 20-30 hour games test my patience. I got it for a measly $10~12 and it's in great shape so I'll just hang on to it and see if anything happens. Without a bunch of filler titles around maybe I'll get around to it someday.

It's okay to ignore obvious spambots, Ashley, they have no feelings.

For some reason this put a real smile on my face...

I know Avatar mentioned my obvious perchant for Mega Man earlier but I'm surprised no one mentioned how much Castlevania was in there. I'm not confused about that but what I am confused about is out of all the Castlevania games I have I have no problem getting rid of Circle of the Moon. I got stuck in this one and I'm not really sad to see it go.

I edited the first post with the final selection of what'll be kept. I can think of a few things I'd like to add but at the moment I'm happy with it.