Sam’s Scores: Atari 2600!
The Atari 2600 was my first video gaming system, I loved that thing! Even though I first got it during the Super Nintendo days, that didn’t matter. What mattered was that I was actually playing video game classics in my home, in front of my TV! Although my Atari 2600 doesn’t work, I still keep my eyes open for Atari items, so here is an entire edition of Sam’s Scores for the Atari 2600!
4) – Atari 80 Games CD-Rom
No, this isn’t entirely vintage, but the games are! This is Atari’s 80 classic games in one for the PC and it has some really good games on it: Asteroids, Centipede, Haunted House, Human Cannonball, YAR’S Revenge and it even has all 3 Swordquest games, but you won’t be getting any prizes for finding the secrets. I picked this up cheap enough at a thrift store and since it’s 80 Atari games, that classifies it as vintage gaming!….technically!
3) – Atari Controllers
This score is 2 different sets of Atari controllers I found at the same thrift store. The items were in 2 different bags so I couldn’t see what all was inside, I just knew they were Atari and I needed them! 1 Joystick, 1 set of sports paddles, 2 driving paddles, a DC adapter and some other miscellaneous hookups for the 2600. Each set had it’s own price, but when I reached the cash register I got an additional 30% off, even though the tags weren’t discounted that week.
2) – Atari DC Adapter
While trying to test my Atari I found my DC adapter was bad, so I was on the hunt for a new one. Searching through adapter bins and bric-a-brac piles alike, I finally found one! It was an official Atari adapter and it worked, sadly my system did not. The price was good, but I still pushed for (and failed at getting) a discount under the “No Returns, yet I don’t even know if this thing works” act. Still wasn’t a bad price…
1) – 26 Atari Games
After Thanksgiving I hit some thrift stores that were having sales, the store I happened to get these games from has become a staple in my thrift store rounds and has paid off quite a bit! I had noticed a shoe box filled with Atari 2600 games, so I took a look. I didn’t know if my Atari even worked at this point, I had no controllers but I also had no games! Each game was set at a certain price but I didn’t have that much, so 2 of the store employees gave me an early X-mas gift! And there were some seriously great titles inside the box!
Sam’s Scores: GTA Collector’s Edition
I’m a HUGE fan of Grand Theft Auto, and have been since it’s initial release on the Playstation. To me, GTA is more of an RPG than a game of bloody horrors, as the media tried to portray it. Roaming freely through the expansive, open city, running from mission to mission, it all just seemed like an RPG with a modern day crime theme to it. I personally own almost every GTA released across many different platforms, and to be totally honest I only wanted my PS2 so I could play Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories (though it is good for other games too!).
Back when Sony released the PSOne, Rockstar released the GTA Collector’s Edition, a boxed 3 disc collection including the first Grand Theft Auto, London 1969 expansion pack and Grand Theft Auto 2. I’ve never owned this collection because I already own both GTA and GTA 2 for the Playstation and never felt the need to buy the whole thing just for London 1969. I think fate had another reason for why I would never buy the collection, as I’ve had many chances to buy London on it’s own before this purchase. You may be wondering by now why I’m devoted an entire Sam’s Scores to just one thing that possibly everyone owns and had probably forgotten about…
In the store the box was taped shut so that the cases couldn’t be removed or fall out, so when I got home I had to make sure I didn’t just buy a box of empty cases. To my surprise all 3 games were inside, albeit in the wrong cases, but everything was there. What I happen to find in one case got my collector’s juices flowing!
This collection had a different label on the top of the CDs than the normal GTA games, so that you could never just stick the normal GTA games in these cases and pass them off as the collection. Only 2 of mine were the collector’s label, the other…BLANK! Yes, my copy of the first Grand Theft Auto had absolutely no label on top of the CD what so ever.
My mind quickly thought to test the CD to make sure it was real and sure enough GTA played without any problems at all. I thought to myself this had to be rare, perhaps some kind of promotional ticket from Rockstar much like Wonka’s golden ticket? I wasn’t sure what to make of it so I fired off an email to Rockstar to find out.
Through 3 different support members at Rockstar I’ve gathered this game shouldn’t be like this and it may be a real 1 in a million error disc that missed the printing process, somehow. After talking to co-writer Will, he informed me that there were companies that made black CD-Rs that looked much like the Playstation discs. Could this game be a hoax cooked up by someone? I’m not sure anyone has broken the original PS booting scheme to create a disc that boots flawlessly like this one, but I may be wrong.
Whether this is an extremely rare error or just a practical joke created by someone, I don’t care because either way it plays Grand Theft Auto without any problems. If nothing else I own 2 parts of the collection, and I will probably keep an eye out for a single copy of the collector’s edition GTA. Even though the box is a little beat up I’m still excited to have it, because the whole collection came at an extremely cheap price.
Sam’s Scores III
Welcome to the third edition of Sam’s scores! I believe I’m finally getting things in order as I’m going to start weeding out the average everyday scores from the unique or harder to find items. I’ve literally found hundreds of games, systems and other classic gaming related items, obviously they are all scores to me, but not all of them are unique in the scope of collecting. I will also be cutting back from 8 to only 4 items per edition for a more streamline look and feel.
4) – A Bug’s Life N64 w/case
You may be wondering why on Earth this would be a score, well it isn’t much but it came with a case. Some of you may find out if a classic video game comes with a case, for some reason the store thinks the value is quadruple what it really should be! Now I bought it for 3 reasons, the case, the fact that I didn’t own one beforehand and the fact that it was only….
3) – Gameboy Pocket AC Adapter
After acquiring my Gameboy Pocket, I’ve fallen in love with it’s outdated dot matrix screen and vintage Gameboy charm in a smaller case. Sadly, with the technology of it’s time, the system eats batteries like the Cookie Monster eats cookies! You either pumped more batteries in or bought the power adapter! I happened to find the wall adapter, in really good shape, at a 50% off sale in a thrift store recently….
2) – NAMCO NeGcon
If you’re not familiar with the name, don’t worry I wasn’t either! I found this at a thrift store during the New Year’s 50% off sale, yes that long ago! I had no clue what it was and I didn’t purchase it on my first trip, I went back a month later and it was still there. The item had no price tag and I wasn’t sure what it was, to me it was rare. After some research I found they sold poorly in the US and only later did they become popular. Want to know why or even what it does? You’ll have to wait for a future series! Until then….
1) – 6x NES Controllers
Yes, you read that correctly, six NES controllers! Why do I need so many? I don’t! They had been sitting in my favorite thrift store for quite some time and to make room for new merchandise I got a really good deal on them. Naturally they all needed cleaned (2 are a really cool nicotine yellow — yuck!) and a few needed some internal cleaning and pad replacement, but overall they’re worth the price.
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: Box Score!
Welcome to a special edition of Sam’s Scores! This edition is going to be a little different, so let me jump right into the details and explain….
Back in January, I was on my normal thrift store hunt when I came across a box with quite a few items inside that peaked my interest. None of the items had price tags, so I decided to ask a store employee about them. The employee looked in the box and asked me if I wanted everything, short of some stray hangers and a few cassette tapes, the answer was yes! The employee looked at the box and shot me a price that I couldn’t turn down!
On the very top sat a Nintendo 64 and a Sony PSOne with it’s power supply. Inside the N64 was Mario Kart 64 and within the PSOne was Test Drive Off-road 3. Deeper in the box there were 3 more games for the N64 (Turok 2, Madden ’99 and San Francisco Rush), two different RF adapters (one for the N64 and a multiple adapter for Nintendo, Sony and Xbox), the power supply for the N64 and a PC controller. Sadly there were no controllers or other accessories for the systems within the box.
Everything inside the box needed cleaned but that doesn’t scare me as most thrift store finds do and I clean them all anyway. After some testing, the N64 works but the PSOne refuses to read discs. The PSOne might be an easy fix or maybe not, I will check further into it and possibly write an article about the fix. Even if the PSOne doesn’t work, I’m still happy to have gotten such a great score!
Sam’s Scores: Sega Editon!!
Welcome to a special edition of Sam’s Scores! All scores featured in this edition are for the Sega Genesis. This is also the first Sam’s Scores of 2011, yet I’m still working with scores from 2010, as I have so many, so stay tuned for more! It may not always be easy to find the things I want, but I always enjoy searching through thrift stores to find something that is valuable to me. I just hope everyone enjoys these finds as much as I do!
8)
Number eight is a Sega Genesis 2 that I found at a local thrift store. It was just the system and 1 controller, with no other hookups. Even though it was just the system and controller, I decided the price was still decent and it was in good cosmetic condition…
System powers on but I have no way to test full functionality.
7)
After purchasing the Genesis above, I knew that both of my Sega Genesis systems needed power supplies and AV cables, so I kept my eyes open. Soon enough I came across two Sega AC adapters in a thrift store. These adapters work for the Genesis 2 and the 32x, the last of which I don’t own, but at least I found own these! I didn’t see a price so I asked a store employee…
Both AC adapters powered up the Genesis above!
6)
Are you being menaced? Get THE MENACER! Do you remember the Sega Menacer? Honestly, me either! I had never in my life seen this until I found it in a local thrift store. The box was crushed but still intact. After inspecting what was inside (everything but the game cartridge) I headed to the cashier…
5)
I am always looking for controllers and now I have quite a few for the Genesis. I bought a High Frequency, which has individual switches for programming turbo or slow motion on each of the 6 buttons. I also bought a Performance brand controller with the same feature, only this time it’s only 1 switch for all 6 buttons. Finally I bought a Power Player controller, which isn’t even for the Genesis but I hope it works because it’s blue and has a joystick add-on for the D-pad.
Performance Super Pad -38 cents
Power Player -$1
4)
Number four is an official Sega Genesis controller. These were much smaller than the original controllers and more comfortable, they also had a mode button on the top right. I needed Genesis controllers so I bought this one for just…
3)
Naturally if you’re going to have a Genesis, you want games! I’ve managed a handful of them throughout the year, you may recall the 2 I got for 50 cents each in my Top 5 scores list. I also happened to score these others: Altered Beast, Pacman 2, Virtua Racing and Ren and Stimpy.
Pacman 2 (Complete in case) -$2
Virtua Racing -50 cents
Ren and Stimpy (Complete in case) -Free!
2)
Recently, I found an original Sega Genesis in a local thrift store, the side door was missing but I wasn’t concerned with that. I knew the store had the system, so I went to check for a power supply or AV cables. I ended up only finding 2 Sega controllers; a Quickshot and a genuine controller you could tell went with this deck. These items were marked a little funny but I went ahead and bought them all…
Sega MK1650 and QS-181 -$4.50
1)
Probably one of the most well known RPG series for the Sega Genesis was Phantasy Star. Despite an odd (intentional) spelling error it looked fun, yet I never really clicked with the series. But I did know when I saw Phantasy Star II in it’s case, I had to snatch it up!
Sam’s Scores II
It’s that time again! Sam’s Scores is back with another set of scores from my thrift store adventures! Also, thanks to Will once again, I have a new logo and a small layout change! Lately the thrift stores haven’t had much to offer in favor of holiday decor, which is odd because after all it is Christmas time! I’m hoping after the holidays all the good stuff hits the shelves so I can continue to bring you great scores. But mostly I just enjoy getting cool stuff cheap!
8)
I’m not a PC gamer by nature and even less of a D&D fan, but I did know enough about Baldur’s Gate II that when I saw it in a toy bin at a local thrift store, I checked it for all the discs and make my purchase! Now this might seem a little questionable for TVG, but lets not forget Baldur’s Gate II has a large following in the RPG community and it’s 10 years old.
7)
The day I bought my Nintendo 64, all I had to play was Zelda: Ocarina of Time so I decided it was time to hit the thrift stores! That day I found three more games: WCW/NWO Revenge, Automobili Lamborghini and Top Gear Rally. Needless to say, I wasn’t bored that night!
Automobili Lamborghini -$.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.
