Truth be known, I thought I’d traded in everything I was willing to part with when I picked up the Nintendo 3Ds XL. But when you’re staring down a $350 game system at the same time your wife is doing everything within her power to convince you it’s time to get that Mazda5, you start looking for ways to save.

Okay, that example may be too specific, but I can’t imagine there are many gamers out there who haven’t been forced to trade in some quality games when looking to upgrade a system.

I view video games like books, you see; I want a library of them. It’s not that I’ll ever read (play) any of the titles again, but I like having that record of my accomplishments. I was just as happy about completing Xenoblade Chronicles as I was about finishing up A Confederacy of Dunces…which I’ve now done three times. But I won’t get that luxury with Xenoblade, because I’ve traded it in.

So, now I’m looking at my collection to see what I can part ways with. I have set criteria for this:

1. Will I ever play it again?
2. Is it part of an ongoing series?
3. Is the trade-in value even worth it?
4. Did I buy it?

That last one is a Gamertell thing, and overrides all others. Many of the games I review are provided gratis by the publisher, and it wouldn’t be ethical to make money of those, now, would it. As such, games like Arc Rise Fantasia and Abba: You Can Dance remain, even though I can likely answer “no” to questions one and two.

Actually, no, I’d keep Abba, and I’m not ashamed.

But I do have harder choices with games such as Kirby’s Return to Dreamland and Mario Party 9, both of which are complicated by GameStop deals this weekend and by the Wii-U itself. Fun games, and the kids like them, but (1) we don’t play either of them much anymore, (2) they’re each part of catalogs I have no intention of ever completing, (3) GameStop is offering crazy trade-in values on both right now, and (4) I bought them both. In addition, I’m sure it won’t be long before there are new high-def entries in each series for the Wii-U.  So, it’s one last hurrah this evening, then they’re off to GameStop this weekend.

Of course, there are some games with which I’ll never part. Fire Emblem, for example, is as important to my game library as Kurt Vonnegut is to my book library. The Legend of Zelda is right there, too, of course. And my guilty pleasure is the Trauma Center / Trauma Team series.

All told, I’ll be getting $85 for three Wii games this weekend if GameStop’s promo is accurate, plus whatever I can for a few 3DS games. So, what will I play between now and November 18th? Well, that’s what the iPad is for, now, isn’t it?

Or I could always just read A Confederacy of Dunces again.

Read all entries in the Wii-U Countdown.