First, Game Collector. I got this program a few years ago. It cost around $30, but I found it well worth it. Before this, I had been using IGN's online database to keep track of my collection, but they simply didn't have every game I had in their database. Plus, their database was filled with mistakes. When my collection started growing to encompass some pretty offbeat games and systems, I quickly realized I needed another solution. Then I found Game Collector. Game Collector allows you to use a preset database to add your games if you wish, or you can simply enter the information manually however you want. So, when I bought a bunch of games for Chinese handheld Gameking, I could just type their names into the program and add them that way, without having to rely on some database to already have them listed.
But by far, my favorite thing about Game Collector is the customization it allows. You can fill in as much or as little information about the games as you wish, and you can then tell the program how much of that info to actually display in your list. Let me give you an example. Whenever I add a new game to my collection, I always put in the following information: title, platform, developer, publisher, year of release, and rarity value. But if I wanted to, I could add more. A lot more. You can also list things like the number of discs a game uses, what kind of multiplayer support it has, its rating, its genre, review scores, where you bought it, how much you paid, what it's worth, and so on. You can go really deep with it if you want. Or not.
If you like, you can add a picture of both the front and the back of the box. You can then have the program display all your box images for each system in varying sizes. And on top of everything else, there are a number of user created fields, where you can have the program display any information you want. This is useful in the rare case that you want it to display something that it didn't already have built into it. This is how I get the program to display rarity values.
Here's a picture sample of my list.
I have my list sorted alphabetically first by system, then by title within each system. You can also see the developer and publisher fields, the release year, and lastly a user created field I use to display the rarity. On the right side of the screen you see a sidebar. Now, I personally don't use this feature, so I just push it to the side to allow for more room in my title field, but for those that do use it, this is where your box art would show up, along with any description of the game you wrote and any other info you decided to use.
There's one other feature I'd like to touch on. You can go to the Tools dropdown menu and click Statistics to get this great little graph showing you how your collection breaks down. That is, how many games you have for each system. Here.
So, overall I'd totally recommend this program. It's very easy to use, offers an insane amount of customization if you want it, and you can even export your list to a number of different formats to allow you to post it online, or export it to a portable device so you can carry it with you. No more buying a game you already have! My only real gripe about the program is this. It cost $30 when I bought it, and I was okay with this cost, but then a few years later, after receiving many updates for the program, I was told that if I wanted to update to the newest version I would have to pay $30 again. I already payed for the program once, and the new update really wasn't anything special, so I didn't like having to pay for it again. But I did. I'm not sure if this means the program is $60 now, but even if it is I would still recommend getting it to any serious game collector.
Now, Comic Collector. This program features a lot of the same types of customization that Game Collector does. You can add all sorts of info for your comics, if you like. What I really like about this program is their extensive database of comics. With Game Collector, I valued being able enter all the information on my own in any way I liked, but with this program I find it much easier just to use their database. You can search through a ridiculous number of titles. Even some of the most obscure limited series are listed in there. When you find a series you like, you can same add it to a list of your favorites and jump straight to it in the future. From there, you can display a list of every issue of that comic (and sort out the ones you already have), including variant covers and reissues. Then just go down the list, check off the ones you want to add to your collection, and you're done! It makes it so simple. Plus, it adds images of the front and back cover for many comics.
Here's a picture.
This program was also $30, which brings me to one final point I wanted to make. Collectorz.com offers a way to get their software for free. On their page, at least back last year when I got Comic Collector, there was an option to complete a couple of free trial offers for some advertisers, and in exchange you could choose one Collectorz.com program for free. Now, I know what you may be thinking, but it may be worth it to check it out. I got my Comic Collector this way, and all I had to do was sign up for some newsletter, which I later canceled. No money was involved, no giving out my phone number, none of that stuff. You may get lucky and find a similar offer if you're interested.
So, if any of you out there read these reviews and decide you want to try the programs, please let me know what you think.
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