Hey ho, I was wondering how you guys feel about this.

Yesterday I finalized my new playlist, the goal is to play all Bandai Namco (or old Bandai, or old Namco) Games which saw a release on the Xbox Platform (Xbox to XBS X/S) in order.

Now, my problem is living in the worst country for "Used" markets - Germany. Buying old/used games is insanely expensive here and often struggle to even find any kind of offer for a lot of products.

Buying and experience them on the original console would be ideal, but I don´t have a big wallet and want to start playing.

How do you guys feel about this, are you just emulating games when they are to pricey / hard to get or just play them and buy them later? Do you have any tips or tricks acquiring games besides ebay, amazon etc.?

My general rule is: "Can I buy this game in some way that supports the creators?"

• Yes: Buy it
• No: Emulate it

Profiteering resellers can f right off.

I used to emulate everything or play on original hardware via things like flash carts or SD loader CD drive replacements, and still do sometimes. But while I discovered loads of great games that way, I found that the sheer amount of choice I had was often a hindrance as much as a help, and I would jump between games way too regularly, rarely giving anything a proper shake unless it was absolutely exceptional. So these days I tend to buy a lot more, and mostly play games I own. I find that putting down money for something and having a physical copy on my shelf pushes me to play and properly explore games, and I tend to finish most of the physical games I start, so I like to do that wherever possible.

That being said, I can read and understand Japanese very comfortably, which makes collecting games much easier and more affordable, and puts me in something of a position of privilege as a collector. I doubt I'd own even half of what I do if I had to pay English retro game prices, and I'm not above emulating games in the (luckily comparatively rare) case that they're oppressively expensive even in Japanese. So while I have a preference for playing what I buy these days, I do still do a bit of both, and don't begrudge anyone choosing to emulate.

I have no issue with emulation even if I prefer original hardware. In a lot of cases emulation is just the better experience, more convenient and way cheaper.

I'll echo Dhobo though emulation (and piracy) are really only justified if there isn't a legal way to purchase the material. At the same time I'm not going to jump down someone's throat because they emulated Ocarina of Time when they could have gotten Switch Online.

As for your specific scenario, if this stuff is out of reach in Germany I'm not going to judge you for emulating it. If Bandai Namco really wanted your money for that product they'd rerelease it on modern platforms.

I agree with barleybap in that when I did emulators a while back, I ended up being less immersed in games because it lacked the initial investment. Something about putting that cost up front gives me a little extra motivation to play something and I switch around a lot less so I do try to get the originals if I can. That being said, I don't think emulating old games is bad, especially with some games being so ridiculously priced!

Imo there's nothing wrong with emulating, even if you don't own the game. I personally prefer actually getting the games since I like the feeling of ownership and try to play them on original hardware, though I'll also often emulate them to take advantage of stuff like Retro Achievements. Depends on the system and the game for me.

For me, it all comes down to the quality of the emulation and the quality of the original game.
For example, older handheld games don't always look great when you're squinting at a small screen. But if I can emulate that game on my laptop and then plug it into a TV, that makes for a far better play experience. However, I know that not all emulators are perfect and not all games can be played without issues like lag. In those cases, owning the original console and games is the way to go. Also, playing with a controller designed for the platform you're using is also important or the experience becomes more of a "what button is that again?" than natural gameplay as the developers intended.

i liked what comment #2 said because that some's it up briefly. My philosophy is this. Emulation is fine, but if I were to make a video or playthrough about the game, I would own the actual copy in case any questions come up.

Okay, I think I have found something that I am happy with.

I play my games list from top to bottom:
If I have the game -> Play on OG Console
If I don´t have the game -> Emulating

But all games I do not own are added to my wishlist and I allow myself a fixed budget per month to acquire items from the list.

I will not completionate games which I do not own, just simply playing the story.

Being here in the States, my choice is owning rather than emulating. I go by this phrase when making my gaming decisions: "If the game is too high, just don't buy. If you just can't wait, go ahead and emulate". Since I am exceedingly patient when it comes to pricing, I never get to the last part. LOL

Simple I work a type of job where I am not a millionare. So my choice is simple emulate or do not play any games. Also companies that shut down there online stores support pirating so emulate now and forever baby.