A book/video store about an hour from home is set to go out of business soon. It’s a chain of stores across the state, and they rotate merchandise from time to time. I hadn’t been to this store since January, but when I went this weekend, they had a goldmine of stuff that was definitely not there before, and all priced to sell.
The first thing I found when I walked in was a rack filled to overflowing with mostly junk Genesis and SNES sports titles. Funnily enough, they also had a ton of new-in-box PS1 “game enhancers” — ie, import enablers that plugged into the PS1’s parallel port (marked at $0.95 ea). Too bad they’ve sort of outlived their usefulness, ‘cos they were a fascinating device back in the day. (I even wrote a couple of FAQs about them for GameFAQs nearly a decade ago!)
On the back of the rack, I found an unexpected gem: Metal Gear Solid for PS1. It was the start of good things.
Next, walking down a main aisle, I spotted a box I’m well familiar with — DDR Mario Mix! No game, unfortunately, but $5 for the pad is still a good find. I’m betting someone traded in the game into Gamestop and they refused the pad “for sanitary reasons.” Apparently in Gamestop-speak, “sanitary reasons” translated to “We’d rather force people to buy our own branded pad and make profit from the ludicrous markup.” I digress.
Next, at the end of the computer and gaming aisle, there were 2 boxes full of lovely vintage 90s gaming magazines. I would have loved to have taken the 2 big boxes that they had home, but I know full well that I have no room for them, so I cherry picked the Final Fantasy covers.
And lastly, I discovered the crown jewel… on the bottom shelf of the computer aisle, stuck in sideways, I spied a red border that I have drooled over on eBay many times. Could it be? Yes! The Final Fantasy (1) Nintendo Power Strategy Guide, in excellent shape. I felt my heart flutter a bit. It’s not a particularly valuable item, but I have indeed coveted it for awhile, and this is the first one I’ve seen in person. Oh, the price? 50 cents.
- Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix (pad only) — $5.00
- Metal Gear Solid (PS1 Greatest Hits) — $5.90 — this was mixed in with a bunch of crap sports Genny and SNES games, all priced $5.90. Have no idea where this gem came from!
- Tons of mid-90s gaming magazines — $0.50 ea
And the crown jewel…
- Final Fantasy 1 Nintendo Power strategy guide — $0.50
With the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 a couple of weeks ago, the Metal Gear Solid Essential Collection suddenly evaporated from Amazon and Gamestop. The box, released in March, includes Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance, and Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence at an absolute steal of a price, $29.99. Prices in the past 2 weeks have been climbing over $50 on eBay and one opened set even fetched a ridiculous $81.
