Collecting MSX games

Okay, nothing TOOO expensive, but since I see Metal Gear on your list I take it that you might stretch a little for great games.

You say you're not a big fan of non-English games; how important is this to you in an action game? There are a lot of games that were not translated, yet only use text in cutscenes, so it doesn't affect the gameplay. Personally, I collect a lot of Japanese action games but only get RPGs if they're something special to me.

A Konami title that's in the same price range as Metal Gear that you should at least play a ROM of is Space Manbow. I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion, but I really don't think there's a good reason to play the MSX versions of other Konami shooters, like Gradius. There are better versions out there. Not true for Space Manbow. This game rocks! Smooth scrolling, baby! And a killer soundtrack.

Now of course, I have to mention Compile! Even from a conservative perspective, they are at least the second greatest developer for MSX. Some, myself included, would even say they were the best developer on the platform, with the most expertise of the hardware. All that aside though, play Aleste 1 and 2. If you enjoy shooters, they are a blast. (pun included) Hard though, so don't say I didn't warn you. Try the English language ROM of Shin Golvellius if you can. It's an action-RPG similar to Zelda with its own twist.

Golvellius isn't cheap either. I guess MSX collecting became a rich people's hobby

@BitSquad: This is your auction?

BitSquad eBay Auction

Didn't know about this. You have some good tips and advice. Thank you!

Yes, that is my listing, but the price is too high. Let me fix it. I haven't been actively selling games for a while now. That title was selling that high for a short period of time, but more became available and I think the people who needed it, myself included, managed to get a copy, and it goes for much less than that now.

That's the MSX1 version but there is also an MSX2 version. However, it is on floppy disk and does still sell around 50k yen complete.

You might want the translated version for either version of Golvellius. These are pretty readily available because they were actually officially released digitally a few years back, although I believe that service failed in the long run.

Space Manbow can be had in the range of 20k yen to 30k yen. Just have a little bit of patience because it's not uncommon for an MSX game. If you watch Yahoo auctions, you should have a chance to get it for a decent price maybe once a month or so.

If you're going to buy Japanese games, the price is almost always going to be higher on eBay. Unless you get lucky and catch someone unloading their old collection, eBay sellers had to pay to import the game the first time. But you can talk to the seller and know a lot better what you're getting. Going through a proxy service in Japan means that you have nearly no ability to return an item. If you're careful, this shouldn't be a problem. I've bought hundreds of games from Japan for different systems and never felt like I was scammed. But there are fakes up there and they don't always say it. This is less of an issue for MSX than other systems, but you never know. Gotta double check everything.

20k is the lowest end price you're likely to see and that copy will likely have some wear. I'd say you should be prepared to spend 25k to be safe. This game in particular is a tough one to find on eBay for a decent price. I guess because it's so well known, people spike the price up pretty high.

Funny thing about the eBay listings; these days a lot of the sellers don't even have the item they're selling. See the two copies of Manbow sitting on floral print? Both of those sellers are trying to pre-sale this seller's game: https://item.mercari.com/jp/m92192313846

Notice that it's no longer available, so even if you did buy that listing on eBay, the purchase would be cancelled.

If you were interested in Shin Golvellius, there is a licensed reprint by BEEP that is currently available for preorder. This game has two problems for your criteria though. It is in Japanese and it is on floppy. This is why I was suggesting the translated ROM. I've got a room full of retro games, but ROMs do have their place for things that you can't do with the original copies.

No idea about Manbow 2. I don't think there are new ones being produced right now but I see them pop up here and on eBay from time to time.