Heroes of Time: Meet Luca Locatelli

Hello everyone! My name is Luca and I’m a big fan of current video games and retro games for consoles from the ’90s and early 2000s.

The first game I bought almost secretly with my first pocket money was Resident Evil 3: Nemesis for PS1, paid for — I remember it etched in my mind — 63,000 lire. From there it was an escalation: Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, MediEvil…

But there is a particularly important game that tastes of childhood: Syphon Filter. For me, this one is an indelible memory of Christmas holidays in fifth grade, at my childhood friend’s house, while we snacked on Pringles with the ever-present little carton of Estathé, strictly lemon-flavored.

2. Collecting means maintaining a deep connection with our past and the games we have loved. What are your favorite titles of all time? In your own words, allow us to “see” your shelves and the collection, or collections, that represent you.

Without a doubt, among the titles that represent me most are the ones I grew up with: Resident Evil, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, MediEvil and above all Syphon Filter.

These are games that for me are not simply titles to collect, but true memories, tied to specific moments of my childhood and adolescence. It is precisely this connection to the past that makes video game collecting so special to me.

3. By having your title graded, you made an important choice and from now on it has become something more, not just as a collectible item. How did you get to know the world of grading? Have you already had similar experiences with other collections of yours, even ones different from your video game ones?

I wanted to have two Biohazard games purchased in Akihabara in 2019 graded. Buying those games was already a dive into the past in itself, and over time, I began to see grading as a way to give these items even more importance.

4. What were the main reasons why you wanted to grade the title you brought us? Beyond the nostalgic aspects tied to the game, were there other reasons behind your choice to entrust the grading process to TGM?

In 2024 my wife gave me the legendary pass for Games Week, which allowed me to meet one of my heroes: Mikami, in person!

To preserve those games over time and, above all, to authenticate the autograph, I chose the guys at The Games Market: serious, friendly, but above all passionate.

It is a world in constant evolution, moving toward inevitable digitalization, but thanks to these guys I had the chance to crystallize forever the memory, the emotion, and the anxiety of holding in my hands a physical copy made of plastic and data, with which we could detach ourselves and become what we had dreamed of all day long: a warrior, a scientist, a king, in short… a comfort zone.

5. Every game has its own story, just like its owner; the bond that is formed goes far beyond the simple owner-object relationship. When the title was finally returned to you graded, what did you feel?

It was a special feeling, because I had the opportunity to see that memory transform into something that can be preserved over time.

More than just the graded item itself, what I felt was that I had crystallized forever a memory, an emotion, and a piece of my personal history.

And thinking about the future, I have a four-year-old daughter and I hope to be able to pass on to the next generations that same emotion that we felt with a physical copy in our hands.

6. To conclude, we can only ask you the classic ritual question: which aspects of our service did you like the most? Thank you not only for giving us your time, but also for choosing to place your trust in us!

This grading house is fantastic on all fronts: from acceptance to step-by-step support during grading, right down to the type and care of the packaging in shipping.

And then, above all, UNPRECEDENTEDLY KIND AND HELPFUL!!