Game stop is planing to sell retro games in stores

[wartoy]

I've heard game stop is going to start selling retro games in stores.I know they sell them on line but im not sure how there going to pull this off.Most stores around me have very limited space.Im not a big fan of game stop but this might get me in thier stores alot more should be interesting.What are your thoughts on this.

[oldgamerz]

That's good to know, I know they used to sell everything from the 5th and 6th generation of consoles, but I will warn they did sometimes swap cartridge insides when they were selling them back in the day


 I did find a copy of NHL Breakaway 98 inside of a NHL Breakaway 99 case. I didn't find out that these games were actually different until I bought a real copy of NHL Breakaway 99 from a different seller

both of these games are Nintendo 64 games.


I would even buy ROM cartridges from GameStop if I could, but I didn't like how misleading the games were back then. retro games are in limited supply this is why I would not care as long as the cartridge worked. I would keep going there, after all I only care about if  the games worked not if it is a reproduction cartridge or game

By the way if GameStop is reading this if you're ever planning on selling ROMS that first tell the customers what their buying ok?

[bikingjahuty]

They already do at a lot of the stores in my area, and I can tell you it's not as great as it seems. Mostly their prices are terrible! Occasionally they drop the ball and sell games for well under ebay prices (someone local grabbed Mars Matrix for only $50), but 90% of their retro games are between 10-50% higher than ebay.


On a side note, I don't know how they plan on making this work for them. Sure, initially they might be able to produce a decent stock of retro games in their stores since they've been stock piling them for around 5-years now since they began taking games on older platforms, but still, this will mostly be PS2, XBOX, and PS1 games most likely. But the main issue is sustainability. Most of the remaining independent game stores in my area have to turn to ebay lots in order to keep their inventory stocked with games that motivate people to go to their store, with the irony being that those same people could have bought those exact games on ebay for cheaper themselves. At the very best I can only see this idea being profitable for a few months before the supply issue hits them hard and they're back to their predicament of being a failing business.


I hate to say it, but Gamestop's time is running out fast, even faster than I originally predicted. I thought they'd definitely be around for the entirety of next generation, but I am having serious doubts about that. I think it's safe to say that there will be a lot fewer Gamestop's in the coming years as they close off a massive number of stores to stay afloat for as long as possible. For how heavily digital next gen will be, the gen after that will almost certainly be all digital, which means Gamestop is finished as soon as that becomes evident.

[Flashback2012]

I've heard GameStop is going to start selling retro games in stores.I know they sell them on line but I'm not sure how there going to pull this off.Most stores around me have very limited space. I'm not a big fan of GameStop but this might get me in their stores a lot more should be interesting.What are your thoughts on this.

OOF. Talk about a bad idea. They already do a horrible job with their older gen stuff like DS/3DS/Wii/PS3/XB360/Vita in that they regularly toss cases/boxes for these games to "save space" where they usually dedicate a single gondola to ALL of those systems. I've been in several stores where the games for these systems is an afterthought but yet tons of wall real estate is filled to the brim with useless merch that often times has NO connection to gaming at all (Conan Pops, Cats in Bananas, just-add-water underwear and toilet paper shooting guns to name a few things).

I get they were trying to delve a little more into geek stuff and pop culture but went into it with reckless abandon. Peruse the GameStop subreddit and half the posts are from associates who are dumbfounded at items they receive in shipment and wonder who's in charge of purchasing. 

Given their habit of tossing cases/boxes, I've NO faith that it wouldn't be the same for anything Classic/Retro that they carry. There's WAY too many associates in their employ who care not a bit for collectors who appreciate boxes and instruction books (if my history of them trying to mangle damn near every CE I've tried to buy there is any indication). The ones that do care would probably abscond with those things since GameStop's POS doesn't account for such things as packaging. The other thing is anything that they do carry that might be somewhat rare is going to have near eBay pricing attached to it. 

That's good to know, I know they used to sell everything from the 5th and 6th generation of consoles, but I will warn they did sometimes swap cartridge insides when they were selling them back in the day

I did find a copy of NHL Breakaway 98 inside of a NHL Breakaway 99 case. I didn't find out that these games were actually different until I bought a real copy of NHL Breakaway 99 from a different seller

both of these games are Nintendo 64 games.

I would even buy ROM cartridges from GameStop if I could, but I didn't like how misleading the games were back then. retro games are in limited supply this is why I would not care as long as the cartridge worked. I would keep going there, after all I only care about if  the games worked not if it is a reproduction cartridge or game

By the way if GameStop is reading this if you're ever planning on selling ROMS that first tell the customers what their buying ok?

I ought to ignore this response like I do for everything else you post on here but it's irritating to read how what might've been a simple mistake on their part somehow leads you to think they maliciously pulled one over on you. You sought to buy NHL Breakaway '99 and they put '98 in the box. That's an easy mistake to be made; I know because I've accidentally grabbed the wrong game out of the drawer a time or two for a customer. What I can't fathom is how you weren't aware or why you didn't return it and ask for the correct item. The cart would be labeled as '98 and when you turn it on it would say '98 on the startup screen but NO SIR, those rat bastards at GameStop got over on you!   

Also what the hell do you mean by ROM carts? Do you mean bootlegs? The company's position has ALWAYS been to never accept bootlegs/fakes in trade. If they were accepted then it was likely due to a particular associate not being aware the game wasn't legit and/or didn't care. They get paid pennies and are hounded by their superiors for numbers which includes trade dollars so a lot of times it's simply them just trying to do their job. Also, there's TONS of boots that look spot on to the real deal and even seasoned employees might get hoodwinked. Frankly it's obnoxious on your part though to think that they're deliberately trying to fool customers by passing off bootlegs as the real deal.

[mark1982]

Gamestop already has a decent online catalogue of older titles, nothing mind blowing but a presence is there. So if they can manage to acquire more for their retail shops, sure why not. Options are always good, prices will have to be decent for anything to be worthwhile though.

On the topic of Gamestop selling bootleg games or ROMs, I think they would be out of business a long time ago if they did that. Especially with Nintendo slamming their ban hammer on ROM sites recently in the past...

[sworddude]

Gamestore Already sold retro games online if it was brand new I'd say bad news since even more common people would just go to gamestop. But the damage has already been done so it can't hurt to much i guess.

also in my country in some stores in these big chains there is always some guy that has some knowledge or is a collctor of retro games. usually trade in values are crap and if good stuff comes in Such employees in chains just offer a bit more with their own cash and pocket the stuff in wich it will just not reach the online or store shelfes anyway. seen it happen a few times before my own eyes. i can't blame them for doing so not to mention mostly focused on modern goods so less likely that people higher up give a crap. online catolgue can be nice though with tons of messups. not all physical stores are the same fortunately.

[oldgamerz]

. nothing to say

[oldgamerz]

the case I meant to say wrong chip in the wrong cartridge

[sworddude]

the case I meant to say wrong chip in the wrong cartridge

I don't see the issue here it's a big chain store they are not going anywhere. return it get your money back or a replacement game that is just fully functional and correct. nothing to worry about it's not some random guy that's going to beat you up in a back alley if you complain about the game that you got 

[oldgamerz]

the case I meant to say wrong chip in the wrong cartridge

I don't see the issue here it's a big chain store they are not going anywhere. return it get your money back or a replacement game that is just fully functional and correct. nothing to worry about it's not some random guy that's going to beat you up in a back alley if you complain about the game that you got.

It's way long time ago, it was years ago, I thought for many years it was legit but then I sold my old collection for N64, just a few years ago I picked up a different copy of NHL 99 Breakaway from another seller and when I played the new copy (the one I got today) it had a different startup screen then NHL 98 Breakaway, I once thought that both these hockey games were exactly the same

I once thought the NHL Breakaway 98 and NHL Breakaway 99 were the same exact game due to it's startup screen having the same exact copyright and blue screen text.

But I will admit both these games in my collection still have roughly the same graphics only the 99 version has a different startup screen and a roster changes. This is a sports game, but the real 99 has a few things changed over from 98.

If you want my opinion don't buy both of these N64 games like I did because they are pretty much the same exact hockey game

[wartoy]

the case I meant to say wrong chip in the wrong cartridge

I don't see the issue here it's a big chain store they are not going anywhere. return it get your money back or a replacement game that is just fully functional and correct. nothing to worry about it's not some random guy that's going to beat you up in a back alley if you complain about the game that you got.

It's way long time ago, it was years ago, I thought for many years it was legit but then I sold my old collection for N64, just a few years ago I picked up a different copy of NHL 99 Breakaway from another seller and when I played the new copy (the one I got today) it had a different startup screen then NHL 98 Breakaway, I once thought that both these hockey games were exactly the same

I once thought the NHL Breakaway 98 and NHL Breakaway 99 were the same exact game due to it's startup screen having the same exact copyright and blue screen text.

But I will admit both these games in my collection still have roughly the same graphics only the 99 version has a different startup screen and a roster changes. This is a sports game, but the real 99 has a few things changed over from 98.

If you want my opinion don't buy both of these N64 games like I did because they are pretty much the same exact hockey game

They are the same game. The developers tried to pull a fast one on us consumers in fact  magazines reviewing the second game refused to review it.Instead they said when they actually make a new game then they will review it.It had nothing to do with game stop.

[oldgamerz]

the case I meant to say wrong chip in the wrong cartridge

I don't see the issue here it's a big chain store they are not going anywhere. return it get your money back or a replacement game that is just fully functional and correct. nothing to worry about it's not some random guy that's going to beat you up in a back alley if you complain about the game that you got.

It's way long time ago, it was years ago, I thought for many years it was legit but then I sold my old collection for N64, just a few years ago I picked up a different copy of NHL 99 Breakaway from another seller and when I played the new copy (the one I got today) it had a different startup screen then NHL 98 Breakaway, I once thought that both these hockey games were exactly the same

I once thought the NHL Breakaway 98 and NHL Breakaway 99 were the same exact game due to it's startup screen having the same exact copyright and blue screen text.

But I will admit both these games in my collection still have roughly the same graphics only the 99 version has a different startup screen and a roster changes. This is a sports game, but the real 99 has a few things changed over from 98.

If you want my opinion don't buy both of these N64 games like I did because they are pretty much the same exact hockey game

They are the same game. The developers tried to pull a fast one on us consumers in fact  magazines reviewing the second game refused to review it.Instead they said when they actually make a new game then they will review it.It had nothing to do with game stop.

thanks for confirming that I feel a lot better now, and thanks for warning others too about that since most of us are Nintendo 64 collectors around here.

[Cartagia]

Yeah, if people are going to swap out boards it is not going to be for a sports game.  It would be pointless.

[droaa]

I have bought a good amount of carts from them. Their selection for the most part is decent and in good shape and if you take advantage of their sales plus the coupon code from cheapassgamer, it makes it worthwhile. Of course, its a gamble if you buy disc based games. Most times is disc only and only sometimes will you atleast get the case. If they were to have that online selection in store then perhaps it can gain traction however with 10% off used games going away then probably not.

[masamune]

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing considering the lack of ethics Gamestop has in general. And besides that, will they price gorge us on retro games

more than Ebay? I doubt you can go there a get a better deal than you could on Ebay or other online resources.