Buying Games Like It's 1989

[Dyne]

The Triple Stack is small, but the Classic Triple isn't.

yeah she got the big one.

[red_war_machine]

The only game I remember buying new for the Mega Drive (my first system; didn't start playing games again til the Dreamcast came out, though I got into emulators before that) was Primal Rage. My dad took me into town and I withdrew £50 from my building society account to buy a game. I can't remember how I settled on that one, but it probably had something to do with me loving dinosaurs and the arcade machine being in the lobby of the pool where I learned to swim.

I think before that I'd been buying used games for ages, though I didn't have some money so every saturday I'd go down to the market with a game, trade it in and get something new. Next Saturday I'd take the game I got last week back and get another one. Oddly enough, I clearly remember doing this all the time, but the only game I can remember getting was Home Alone, which I played the hell out of. I still love that game - it was only recently that I realised it had been panned in reviews. I still have absolutely no idea why.

Also got games like Desert Strike, Ghouls & Ghosts and Toejam and Earl by borrowing them off friends.

[Scourge]

I think we only owned about 4 NES games (Rad Racer, Mario, Zelda, BreakThru, maybe one other). But I spent half my time at my friend's who lived behind me and he had a lot of stuff (Tecmo Bowl, RC Pro-Am and Faxanadu come to mind). Plus every weekend we went to the rental store and got a few things so there was always a wide variety of games being played. The Toy'R'Us game aisle was like going to Disney Land though.

[GohanX]

When I was little I never had very many games, my parents didn't have a lot of money then. However, between my friends we all got one or two games during a christmas season, and there was a cheap rental spot not far from the house, so we managed to play damn near everything. It was a good time.

It got better when I was around 10, I started mowing my lawn for cash. I got 10 bucks a week. Coincidentally, this was around 1990. The NES was winding down but still had many great titles and the local used shop was selling them cheap. I would pick up $10 games like crazy, and occasionally save up for a really great game that was 20-25. That was probably the best game collecting I ever had, I only recall buying one game that I didn't like (Code Name Viper?)

Of course, like everyone else I can buy pretty much any game I want, but the magic usually isn't there. Probably the closest thing now is my collecting Neo Geo games since many of the games weren't readily available on home consoles and they are a little hard to find now.

[Fe 26]

You bringing up Neo Geo carts reminds me of something. I think probably a lot of people have found some way to replace that "magic" feeling with something else. I know for me I experiance the same thing now with finding vintage gear or weird records. I kind of also get the same feeling when I find games really cheep at pawn shops. It is freaking awesome to find Valkyrie profile for $7.

[kingoffighters]

I found a Neo Geo system (with 2 games and 2 controllers) for $99 back in 1992, I thought I hit gold that day. I had to replace the AC adapter, but that was the beginning of my SNK/Neo Geo obsession.

[GohanX]

Yeah, but could you afford any games for it?

Seriously, if I had gotten that deal in 92 I probably would have had my first orgasm in my little tighty whiteys. Even if I didn't have a game I could just stare at it.

[Othello Harrington]

I once turned down a trade for the arcade version (MVS?) the guy wanted my SNES and 15 games, I should have done it.....

[Giga Power]

Yeah, the Neo does it for me because it was something I always wanted as a kid and was just impossible to get at that age. Every time I get a new cart and order a custom shockbox from Southtown Inserts I always have that same feeling I did opening games as a kid whenever I see it in the box for the first time.

As a kid I had the 2600 first. I remember playing ET (of course not understanding it), Fast Eddy, and Keystone Kapers. I'm not really sure what year I got this, or how old I was. I just know we had a 2600 before I got my hands on a NES. It was the old wood grain model given to me by an older cousin who was moving out and just didn't want it anymore. I remember feeling like I won the lottery.

My parents bought me the NES. And my best memory with that console was signing up for a subscription to Nintendo Power and getting Dragon Warrior in the mail for free. I played that game like it was stuck inside my NES and nothing could pry it out. It's also the ONLY game that my dad ever played. We even argued a couple of times over who would play it. I have no idea what happened to my copy of that game...but several years ago I went on a crusade on Ebay and managed to snatch up every DW for the NES. Complete and in mint condition. Even have the maps!

Later on I got the Genesis and that was just amazing at the time. My parents didn't let me open it as a gift on Christmas, they went into my room (which at the same time they were putting new carpet in) and just hooked it up without me knowing. I freaked out when I saw it sitting there on my tv stand with Sonic 2 sitting in the cartridge slot just begging me to play. I also have a lot of fond memories of this system because of my cousin and Uncle. I'd often spend the night with them when I was little and we'd have all night sessions of Road Rash 2 ( I still smile whenever I think about that game), G-LOC, and of course the multiplayer racing in Sonic 2. My only negative memory is selling off most of my NES games at a local mom and pop shop for just a few Genny games. I wished I hadn't as soon as I got home and I still won't trade games in to this very day.

We had a small video store here in Bluff City called Magic Video. It's been gone for years here but that place was like a haven for me when I was growing up. It's where I rented all my Genesis/NES games, and they even had horror movies for 99 cents a night. Soooo many fond memories.

I also remember the Christmas when the N64 came out and it being impossible to find one anywhere. My parents were getting a new dog and somehow they found out that the guy selling it to them had one and talked him into selling it with the dog.

I had a great gaming childhood.

[Giga Power]

I found a Neo Geo system (with 2 games and 2 controllers) for $99 back in 1992, I thought I hit gold that day. I had to replace the AC adapter, but that was the beginning of my SNK/Neo Geo obsession.

That's absolutely insane.