Sam’s Scores 13

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4) NES game carry case

You may know how I love to buy the canvas travel cases for retro systems, but I’ll buy almost anything branded that allows me to store my video games and systems. Such is the case with this NES game carrying case. Back in the NES days Nintendo put their name on anything, sometimes it was utter junk and other times it was decent, in this case it was JUNK! This thing was meant to carry up to 10 NES games anywhere you needed to go. The problem was these things were merely plastic covering cardboard, not the strongest combination! The strongest part of this thing is the brass parts, which have tarnished. This is still a pretty cool retro piece to own, and it does hold 10 games quite well, even if it is slightly misshapen.

NES game carry case – $3


3) 1080 Snowboarding N64

In a previous edition of Sam’s Scores I discussed how I may have bricked my N64 Gameshark. After a little bit of research I learned that fixing it may be as easy as buying the game that corresponds with the key code I changed it to. Lucky for me it did the trick and fixed my Gameshark to usable condition once more! Even if it hadn’t, it was cheap enough that I wouldn’t have minded just adding it to my collection anyway.

1080 Snowboarding N64 – $.99


2) Krazy Kreatures NES

Most of the unlicensed games for the NES are naturally harder to find than the official releases, such as Krazy Kreatures. When I found this I originally thought it was an old 8-track tape, it looked so strange inside it’s American Video Entertainment sleeve. Although the game isn’t very fun, this is one of only two games actually developed by A.V.E.

Krazy Kreatures – $.79 per pound


1) Tecmo Super Bowl

About a year ago I happened to find Tecmo Bowl for $1, but could never find Super Bowl for a price that I felt was good enough to warrant owning both of them. Until recently, when I found one at such a good price that I couldn’t turn it down!

Tecmo Super Bowl – $.79 per pound

Posted December 21st, 2012

Sam’s Scores 12: Strange Controllers

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4) Ms. Pacman Plug n Play

Today we start off with a plug n play, ok it isn’t really a controller, but this thing is wireless, which means the top becomes a controller! Flawless Technicality! I love the modern-retro influx of plug n play systems, I still hunt down the original hardware and software, I just prefer to have tons of options at my finger tips, and this thing does just that. Jakks took the Ms. Pacman cocktail design and brought it to a handheld, and with other games thrown in, coupled with wireless, this is quite a unique plug n play system

Ms. Pacman Plug n Play – $.79 per pound


3) SG Genesis ProPad

I’m no stranger to controllers that look like this one, I actually own one for the SNES, which is why I was originally confused by the pseudo SNES button layout. There are even shoulder buttons, for what I haven’t the slightest clue. The point is this controller is comfortable, for the Sega Genesis and has a turbo for almost every button, and a slow motion for the start button. Strange, but fun.

SG Genesis ProPad – $.79 per pound


2) NES Dog bone controller set

On two previous occasions I’ve run across NES Dog bone controllers, not that often though. So when I saw these two I had to pick them up. I needed to untangle them for nearly 10 minutes, but the efforts were well worth that time spent. One of them looks as if the previous owner thought it was literally a dog bone. Sadly only one of them worked, so I put all the best parts together to make 1 working and the other is for parts.

NES Dog bone controller set – $.79 per pound


1) NES Turbo Touch 360

I’ve seen the Turbo touch controllers for other systems and I knew they made one for the NES, I just never thought I would have one cross my path. The D-pad is a motion sensing pad and is pretty accurate, the buttons are large and have very NES Max like turbo buttons underneath them. My only complaint would be the Genesis controller styling, which isn’t really a complaint as much as it is kind of weird to feel while playing an NES.

NES Turbo Touch 360 – $.79 per pound

Posted October 28th, 2012

Sam’s Scores 11

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Personally I feel as though Sam’s Scores has hit a crossroad. I want to continue bringing you cool finds, yet I rarely hunt anywhere other than the Goodwill outlet store. Although I do find a lot of cool stuff there, I feel a bit strange marking prices as per pound. I’ll do my best to keep the series going, but hunting anywhere other than the Goodwill Outlet store usually leaves me empty handed. Please bear with me in my continuation with the series and please let me know what you think. Enjoy!


4) N64 Gameshark

I was out at a normal Goodwill store when a glistening N64 Gameshark caught my eye. I picked it up and checked the price, it was oddly cheap so I decided to buy it. After doing some research online, promptly after walking out of the store, I learned that version 3.3 Gamesharks, which this one is, commonly brick and become unusable. I hoped that wasn’t the case and indeed, it wasn’t! The Gameshark worked flawlessly, until I bricked it myself changing the keycode. No worries, apparently this can easily be resolved by plugging in the correct game that corresponds to the keycode I changed it to. At least I hope! Either way it was cheap enough to keep even if its shot.

N64 Gameshark – $.99


3) Nintendo Gameboy

I’ve been collecting for a few years now and I’ve never run across an original Gameboy that I wanted to buy. They were all trashed beyond repair and overpriced! After finding tons of stuff at the Goodwill Outlet, I decided I could hold out, in hopes of finding one there. I prevailed in doing just that, although the system was extremely dirty, missing the battery cover and the contrast adjustment is broken. I still feel that it was worth holding out to find one, because it cleaned up really nice!

Nintendo Gameboy – $.79 per pound


2) Nintendo Gameboy

No, this isn’t an error, this is yet another Gameboy that I happened to find in a flea market. If you examine the pics closely, you’ll notice some discoloration in the screen protector for this one, as if it were super glued back into place. It was cheap enough that I figured I could use the guts and battery cover to repair my other one, if needed. This one however worked perfectly, with the exception of missing columns which is common for these original Gameboys, after time. Now I feel as though I can repair both Gameboys and have 2 for way cheaper than any of the ones I had seen before.

Nintendo Gameboy – $2.50


1) Nintendo Gameboy Pocket

Another Gameboy, but this one fits in my pocket! Yes, the Gameboy Pocket! I already own the silver one without a power LED, so when I saw this one I needed to own it as well. I’ll be honest, this and the previous Gameboy came together in a bag, so for half the price I’ve seen them bashed up in thrift stores or flea markets, I now have 2 decent Gameboys. This one works perfectly, but having a GBA SP and the Gamecube Gameboy Player, I’ll probably pick those over pulling this thing out.

Nintendo Gameboy Pocket – $2.50

Posted October 9th, 2012

Sam’s Scores X

It is finally here, Sam’s Scores edition 10! Perhaps a milestone, perhaps just getting started, we’ll have to see! Scores have been slim, for a number of reasons, and the fact that thrift stores are closing down left and right doesn’t help, but that is a story for another day. Today, however, I will show you four of my latest finds, which just so happen to be the only finds of any real worth, enjoy!


4) – ASCII Pad SG

I had seen this controller many years ago while looking through an old video game magazine, and it wasn’t until recently that I even saw one. I’m no stranger to picking up strange, innovative and sometimes completely useless controllers, if they’re cheap. It was a little dirty, but I took it apart and thoroughly cleaned it, although I have yet to test it.

ASCII Pad SG – Goodwill $2 + 50% off = $1


3) – Sega 6-pak

It isn’t everyday that I walk through a flea market and find anything priced where I just can’t pass it up. On this day I found a booth that had a box filled with cassette tapes and said how much they were each, sitting in the same box along side were numerous Sega Genesis games. After sifting through the lot I grabbed this one, because it had 6 really good games on it, and it was cheap!

Sega 6-pak – $1 (Divide that up and each game costs about 17 cents each.)


2) – Light Crusader

I had read about this game before and for some reason I never bothered to put it on my wanted list. Even though the game is loose I figured for the price I couldn’t pass it up! I’ve given this game a try and although it isn’t in what some would consider an RPG style, it is worth a try for those Genesis fans looking for an RPG for the system.

Light Crusader – $1 (same place as above)


1) – Mega Man Legends

Sometimes I should be able to tell that I’m going to run across a certain item, and although I never foresee it, I always put the puzzle together in hindsight. When I happen to take an interest in any given item in a youtube video for no apparent reason, I usually end up finding that item within a week after watching the video. In this case I watched a review on Mega Man Legends on retrowaretv.com, I enjoyed the review and got that warm feeling in my stomach that I wanted to go thrift store hunting after I watched the video, you know at 4am! In reality I was hoping to find the much harder to find sequels, but finding the first one was good too, especially the black label version.

Mega Man Legends – Goodwill $5 + 50% off = $2.50

Posted August 13th, 2012

Sam’s Scores IX


Finally Sam’s Scores has made a triumphant, yet brief, return to it’s maiden format, the article! Some changes have to be made as the video format simply isn’t working out very well for myself, as well as the complete and utter lack of anything worth buying that isn’t outrageously overpriced. In previous editions I loved to show off the price tags as proof that I was indeed getting a score, but nowadays I often buy things in bulk from the Goodwill Outlet stores.

From now on most scores will be noted as bought from the Goodwill Outlet store as well as the bulk price paid, but when I do indeed get a score from somewhere I will do my best to show the price tag. Sadly the price tags on two of today’s scores were both on the back and were removed when I cleaned them. Normally I clean around them, take the pics I need for the article and then remove them after I’ve gotten what I need, but since it would do no good to simply show the back of the items I decided to just remove them anyway and toss them up, enjoy!


4) – Superbike 2000

Number 4 isn’t really anything to brag about, but it is a rare find none the less. Not the game itself, no, but the fact that this game is still wrapped and sealed (note the hologram to the right of the helmet in the image), with the exception of the lower right corner being ripped. From the reviews I’ve seen of the Playstation version, which this one is, perhaps that is where it is most rightful to stay, forever! But finding it still intrigued me enough to warrant a purchase.

Superbike 2000 – Goodwill Outlet $.69 per pound = ???


3) – Interact Superpad for the SNES

Number 3 is an interesting tale of going back for something you wanted, but finding more than you originally went in for. I went into a Goodwill looking to find score #2 (see below), as I had previously passed on it, and couldn’t find it, but instead ran across this sad looking controller. The controller had damage on it and had been pried half open, as if some idiot couldn’t simply remove the 6 phillips screws holding it together. In the end I picked it up, and after a good cleaning, and careful reconstruction, the controller works great. It also has a contoured back, making it quite comfortable to hold as well!

Interact Superpad for the SNES -$1.99 w/ 50% off weekly discount = $1


2) – Sega Sports edition Dreamcast Controller

As I mentioned above I had passed this one up but it stayed on my mind for a week, until it’s price tag color was half off. I hardly find anything related to the Sega Dreamcast, and even less related to the Sega Sports edition, so when I saw this at the price they wanted AND the 50% off, I couldn’t walk away a second time.

Sega Sports edition Dreamcast Controller -$2.99 w/ 50% off weekly discount = $1.50


1) – Final Fantasy VII

And finally, an original black label copy of Final Fantasy 7, with all 3 discs but no manual. I used to own this when they were between running out of the original stock and making up the green labelled “Greatest Hits” version. Personally I don’t mind either, as long as I can play the game, yet as a collector I’m glad I have the original version.

Final Fantasy 7 – Goodwill Outlet $.69 per pound = ???

Posted June 13th, 2012