The Vote is in

I thought it was time for another post. Let's talk about my one-of-a-kind, original, vintage, Action 52 Artwork.

This is the artwork:

I had posted it up for sale a few months ago along with my Action 52 Prototype Cartridge but as I mentioned in other posts have decided I'm keeping them. That being said, I have pondered the thought of professionally reproducing and selling them, probably a limited numbered series type deal.

If you haven't already noticed, I added a Poll widget to this blog. It was on the right hand side of all pages. Since its inception, 172 folks have voted on whether or not they would be interested in acquiring one of these. As of today , 83 (or 48%) have said Yes, 71 (or 41%) have screamed NOOOO !!!!, and 18 (or 10%) have voted a very neutral but encouraging Maybe.

I'm very excited about the possibly of sharing this Action 52 legacy. Action 52 is a part of gaming history. We can't erase it. The history is here to stay. It's utter failure and unattainable goals have propelled the project into infamy. While I was one of the young and naive developers that had high hopes for the project, I agree whole heartedly that it was a just an utter flop, there's no denying that. However, I also believe, and I know I speak for the rest of the developers, that we, the developers, only had the best intentions. I can't speak for the owners though.

While the history is already written, the future isn't. Yes, things can stay the same and it can be remembered for all the rants and raves the project is currently known for. Or, the future can surprise us with a new chapter to the story. One that will be talked about, blogged, tweeted, etc. and cast a different perspective on the Action 52 brand. That perspective may be, oops or oh no, it flopped, again, or, it can prove to be one of the most successful brand recoveries in gaming history. Either way, it's definitely going to be interesting.

This artwork is part of that history, and future. When I think about what Action 52 is and what it may soon become, it's really exciting.

Thanks to EVERYONE that voted !

More to come as the future unfolds,
Action 52 Developer #4

Soaring Prices of Rare Vintage Video Games

The title says it all, however, I'm NOT one of the naysayers. You know the ones that post videos, spend hours on forums, etc. etc. blabbing on and on about how much they hate the fact prices are soaring. How they can't stand how people are even asking and paying so much for items.

I believe it's the season for Rare and Vintage video games. Let's face it, this is not something new. There's always been high priced items, and there will always be people with enough money and interest to purchase them. The vintage and rare gaming market is not the first, nor will it be the last, niche to sky rocket.

Take the time to read through "Video Games Will Sell for Comic & Baseball Card Prices" found here. It's a very well thought out article and has made some very interesting and well educated assumptions.

As people who were once kids that spent countless hours playing video games get older, they tend to go to school, graduate, work, make money, and spend it or invest it. Don't tell ME how to spend my money, I won't tell YOU how to spend yours.

You think the gaming market is inflated ? How about these trinkets ?

1933 Henry Graves 'supercomplication' - A Patek Phillipe pocket watch that sold at Sotheby's for $11 Million.

Treskilling Yellow - A vintage stamp from Sweden that sold for 2.3 Million Dollars, yes, a stamp.

US Grand Watermelon Note - An 1809's $1,000 note that sold at auction around 2005 for 2.25 Million. So, according to the critics, it should only be worth $1,000, or less because it's just plain old.

1909 T206 White Border - A Honus Wagner, who ?, baseball card worth 2.35 Million. I never did collect these, but I hope the current owner is enjoying it.

Action Comics, No. 1 - A 2 Million Dollar comic book, made out of paper like most other books. Never collected these either, but, the current owner, whoever he is, must have really liked Superman.

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1869 - A glass of this will set you back $29,000, a bottle ? $232,692 American Dollars. Drink up my friend, enjoy.

Zelda NES Prototype - Sold in 2012 for a record breaking $55,000. The start of a new era for rare and vintage gaming items.

I'm sure all the whiners would now hang the watch from their shorts while skateboarding, mail a letter to their grandma with the stamp, buy $1,000 worth of toungue rings with the Watermelon Note, trade the Honus Wagner for a 2012 run of the mill Tron Legacy trading card, read the Action Comics till it was torn to shreds then leave it at the skate park, drink the wine with some Cheeto's, all while opening the tamper proof case of the Zelda and playing it in their parents basement.

I think not ! As much as you whine and complain, you, yes YOU, would be the first to put it up for auction trying to finally score. Hey, I don't blame you. You're just a squirrel trying to get a nut. Now shoo little squirrel, go find your own nut and leave the other squirrels alone !

An items worth is determined by many factors: market, historical prices, rarity, condition, provenance, and most importantly, in my humble opinion, Perspective. What one person perceives as garbage, another may perceive as special to them. The kid whos parents could never afford to get them that GI Joe with the "Kung Fu" grip may likely collect it because he never had it, or, vice-versa, the one that did have it and has fond memories of his childhood now collects GI Joe's because of those fond memories. I'm not a GI Joe fan, neither because I had or didn't have one, I'm just not into GI Joe's. But, who am I to scream, you paid $200,000 for a GI Joe ?!? Dude, it's yours, you bought it, enjoy it, store it in glass or play with it. It's frankly none of my business how you earn or spend your money. I'm happy for both you, and the guy who sold it to you.

More to come as the future unfolds.

Yours Truly,
Action 52 Developer #4

Birthplace of Action 52

With all the excitement of the auction, blog, and so much interest in the Action 52 Prototype and story behind it, I took the time this week to go by what I now affectionately will call "The Cave". "The Cave" is where 3 other guys and I developed the Action 52 games. A place where sunshine was absent for 3 months. The birthplace of Action 52, the legendary NES cartridge.

It's in South Florida, Miami to be exact. Thinking back, I remember the elevator had an actual working phone you could use to make local calls. We'd have to use it sometimes to call The Cave because after 6-7PM the elevator was locked and wouldn't let you push the floor numbers without a key so sometimes we'd get stuck downstairs trying to get up to The Cave. One of us would have to call the elevator up to let the others up. Once up the elevator, we'd walk down the hall and open the office door only to be presented with an iron gate. Past the gate there was a small reception area with a desk. Then a door leading to the workspace\studio which also had a small vocal\isolation room built out that was being used for storage.

I got the current tenants to let me take a picture from within the space. A little weird asking and explaining why I wanted the picture. I didn't push my luck and just asked if I could take a window shot so they wouldn't freak. Of course it's a window shot and we all know from my story that it was actually a recording studio full of sound dampening insulation covering the walls for 95% of the time we were there.

Here are some shots from the outside.

The elevator to go up.

The elevator from that floor to go back down.

The Office door

The inside the office window shot.

More to come as the future unfolds.

Yours Truly,
Action 52 Developer #4

Post Auction Excitement

It's been a very exciting time. So many things have happened since the end of the auction of my Action 52 Prototype and Original artwork. First I'd like to thank the 1,000's of visitors to this blog for visiting. And to the 100+ that have already subscribed or followed, I'll do my best to keep you informed and entertained.

Since the ending of the auction I've been contacted by several people regarding my Action 52 Prototype and the artwork. Some have already asked if\when I'd be putting it up for auction again, others have made offers, all were very excited for the find. It appears my readers that this "is" just the beginning of this story. Others that contacted me have very interesting ideas about the future of these items and the Action 52 project. Let's keep it simple but interesting, one of them used the word "REUNION" a lot.

Here's a tidbit for you all. Take a look at the Action 52 \ Cheetahmen commercial:

and pause it at 0:59 seconds. See anything familiar ?

how about now (from my auction) ?

Nice eh ? Anyone catch this one ?

From the Active Enterprises booth at the Consumer Electronics Show, see the poster to the right ? Look familiar ? How about the one directly under the word "Enterprises" ? Yes, it's the Cheetahmen !

If anyone has a better quality picture of that booth please forward it to me Action52Developer@gmail.com. I can post about your contribution if you want, name, website, blog, etc..

More to come as the future unfolds.

Yours Truly,
Action 52 Developer #4

Auction Ended

So readers, the eBay auction for the rare Nintendo NES Action 52 Prototype cart has ended.

The final numbers ? 10,430 interested, obsessed, or lost people were curious enough to view the auction. People from all parts of the world including, but not limited to, Germany, Austria, Canada, Great Britian, Switzerland, Ireland, Japan, Russian Federation, Belgium, Norway, just to name a few. 50 offers, some generous, some not so generous, but, thanks to all who participated !

Question: Can anyone guess what my first auction question was ?
Answer: Some curious gamer asked if they could come to Miami to see the items in person before they get shipped to who knows where. Pictures will have to do, I politely declined.

Question: Can anyone guess what the highest offer was ?
Answer: Suffice it to say it was a generous offer but it just was not enough to purchase this rare item.

Question: Would you have really sold it ?
Answer: Yes, for the right price.

Question: What's my favorite quote referencing this auction ?
Answer: Someone on a forum posted:

"The retail game itself is ultra rare, and this is a prototype. $100,000 is a @#$% ton for it, but when you own one of only two instances of something in the world you don't have to be reasonable."

Question: What now ?
Answer: It's going to be 'safe'ly (pun intended) tucked away for a while. I wrote this in the "The Past" tab detailing my history with Action 52, I have a feeling this is just the beginning.

BTW, I don't think I'll be including the one-of-a-kind posters with any future sale. I've really grown very attached to them during the last few weeks.

Dont' forget to use the "Follow by Email" service on the right, it'll send you an email with any updates to this blog via FeedBurner.

More to come as the future unfolds.

Yours Truly,
Action 52 Developer #4

Express Yourself

Yes, comments have been disabled for the whole blog. It just looked so nice I didn't want to dirty it up.

That being said, I know so many of you will want to express yourselves that I've created this ONE post with moderated comments enabled so bring on your best comment or worst flame, but, keep it clean or I'll delete it.

Yours Truly,
Action 52 Developer #4

First Post

Check back "after" the auction is over or subscribe to the blog using the Follow By Email service on the right to be notified of any new posts. Also, click here to be notified if the Action 52 Prototype is ever auctioned again.

Yours Truly,
Action 52 Developer #4