Sam’s Scores: Nintendo Edition!!
Today’s edition of Sam’s Scores is ALL about Nintendo! If you thought I was only going to make a special Sega edition, you were wrong! Maybe an Atari one next?… With this edition comes another slight change to the layout, I think I’m finally getting it in order!
8) – Gameboy Pocket
As almost always, number eight was found at a local thrift store. It was hidden amongst the bric-a-brac and at first I wasn’t sure the screen worked, until I adjusted the contrast (I almost forgot that was an option on the Gameboys). It had Pokemon Gold in the back and it was all one price. It was dirty and a little beat up, but it still functioned so I bought it!
Pokemon Gold is notorious for not saving, mine doesn’t either.
7) – Gameboy Pocket Protector
Number 7 goes with number 8, though they were found in different stores. Searching through bric-a-brac, again, I found a strange rubber device in the shape of a Gameboy. After picking it up and inspecting it some more, I found it’s a (Gameboy) Pocket Protector. You slide your Gameboy Pocket into it and it protects it from bumps and scratching, I wish my Gameboy Pocket had this in the first place!
6) – 15 NES games
Recently one of my favorite thrift stores had a stack of NES games, so I bought them all! Some notable titles include: Guerrilla War, Kid Icarus, Adventure Island and Double Dragon II. Many of them were in poor shape and 2 of them had ripped labels, but they were all worth buying!
5) – 8 SNES games
A later trip to the store from the above score gave me 8 SNES games: Super Mario World + All-stars, Super Mario World 1 and 2, Pac-Man 2, Yoshi’s Safari, Frogger, Populous and Kirby’s Avalanche. This time the SNES games were all in good shape!
4) – Plush Donkey Kong
Number four isn’t a video game but a plush video game character! Thrift stores are a treasure trove of things people don’t want, you just never know what you’ll find! I often check toys and electronics in search of misplaced or miscategorized items. I happened to pass the stuffed animal bin and saw Donkey Kong gazing out at me…I had to have him!
3) – Gameboy carry bag
As I’ve said before, I am always looking for anything related to video games, especially carrying cases! Number 3 was hidden in with the purses at a local thrift store. I was going through a bin filled with CDs right next to the purses when I saw GAMEBOY jumping out at me. I picked up the case, inspected it and bought it!
2) – NES-039 (aka Dog Bone Controller)
On a whim I went a flea market I hadn’t checked in quite some time and came out pretty well! They had a lot more booths with vintage games than I remember, but all of them wanted too much. While looking through a small basket of cables and power supplies, I noticed the carved back of the infamous NES Dog Bone shaped controller. I used to have one as a kid and I have wanted to find myself a set more recently, but I’m not the only person wanting them and they can get pretty pricey. The start and select buttons are gnarled but they still work, sadly the SNES start/select pad looks close but won’t interchange. With the price I paid, I can’t complain.
1) – Super Gameboy CIB
I found this one at a local used media store which I only purchase games from on rare occasions. The chain of stores are all individually owned and pricing seems to be the same throughout, but this particular store seems to be more fair and a little cheaper than the rest. Within their glass case they had several Super Gameboy units, I inspected them all to find the one in the best condition. Although they were all the same price they were all in varying conditions, mine happened to be the only one complete in the box.
Sam’s Scores II
It’s that time again! Sam’s Scores is back with another set of scores from my thrift store adventures! Also, thanks to Will once again, I have a new logo and a small layout change! Lately the thrift stores haven’t had much to offer in favor of holiday decor, which is odd because after all it is Christmas time! I’m hoping after the holidays all the good stuff hits the shelves so I can continue to bring you great scores. But mostly I just enjoy getting cool stuff cheap!
8)
I’m not a PC gamer by nature and even less of a D&D fan, but I did know enough about Baldur’s Gate II that when I saw it in a toy bin at a local thrift store, I checked it for all the discs and make my purchase! Now this might seem a little questionable for TVG, but lets not forget Baldur’s Gate II has a large following in the RPG community and it’s 10 years old.
7)
The day I bought my Nintendo 64, all I had to play was Zelda: Ocarina of Time so I decided it was time to hit the thrift stores! That day I found three more games: WCW/NWO Revenge, Automobili Lamborghini and Top Gear Rally. Needless to say, I wasn’t bored that night!
Automobili Lamborghini -$.99 cents
Top Gear Rally – $.99 cents
6)
When I’m out hunting, I always keep my eyes open for anything with video game branding on it; Atari, Nintendo, Sega, etc. I especially love finding things other gamers might overlook, like carrying cases. This is a rather large Gameboy Advance SP carry case. It holds the system, charger, about 6 games and still has some room! This one was in great shape and was a great price!
5)
Although game controllers maybe getting harder and harder to find, it’s not impossible if you look in the right places. I happen to find what I originally thought was an NES Quickshot. Essentially it is (it even says so on the PCB) but this one was built for Radioshack. It’s a joystick with integrated A and B buttons, start and select on the base as well as a turbo switch!
4)
Lately ebay is a scary place, so I try to avoid it all together. But earlier this year I purchased an NES Advantage and my experience both re-enforced my fears and worked out in my favor due to seller error (I’m being liberal with kindness here). The seller didn’t send out my package until almost 3 weeks after I made payment, so to make up for it, I got 2!
3)
This is another rare purchase from Craigslist. The seller was accepting offers for an NES Power pad and Track Meet game cartridge (with case). I sent the seller my offer and after speaking with them for a bit, they threw in an NES controller and Super Mario/Duck hunt cartridge!
2)
Some of the local thrift stores have glass case, in which they keep items they assume to be the most valuable. Sometimes it’s rubbish and other times it’s pretty good! When I saw Mega Man 3 in a Nintendo sleeve I have to own it, now I do…
1)
As you may have seen previously, I purchased a complete in box Zelda: Ocarina of Time for extremely cheap! Again, I found another Zelda game complete in box, this time it was The Legend of Zelda for the NES. Everything inside the box was near mint, all that was missing was the shrink wrap and the box has slight shelf wear.
