Welcome, You!
The purpose of this newsletter is to inform, entertain and
continue to breathe life into the retrogaming market. We will do our best to make this a
monthly newsletter. Included in each issue will be any news that has popped up (like new
games discovered, old games coming back on new systems, etc...). I will also do reviews,
tell of cool links, spotlight different systems, and ask different questions for the
readers to answer. We will debate the classic systems, games, and companies. So check back
often and see what is new. Also, we are looking for contributors. Our only guidelines is
that articles must be brief, have some relevance to the material and be clean. While we
don't pay, you get a chance to let others read your work. Electronic immortality (or until
we run out of money).
Question of the month!
If you were stranded on an island and could only take one classic game system and ten
games, which system would it be? What games would you take and why? Before you start
asking where we are getting the power source for this and other such questions, just
assume the professor (as in Gilligan's Island) created a solar powered coconut battery. So
you were able to use this for a power source. Anyway, send in your lists and we will post
the most interesting ones. Here is my choice:
Intellivision - While Colecovision is my favorite system, the
Intellivision has the best games as far as depth and replayability. All the best one
player sports games and role-playing games are on the Intellivision and they would keep
you busy long after most arcade games bored you. Here is my list of games and why I chose
them.
1. Tower of Doom - The best of the role-playing games from
the classic era. Lots of different games, different characters, and big dungeons would
keep this game fun for quite awhile, hopefully till the rescue.
2. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of
Tarmin - Another great role player with a different perspective. Would also keep you going.
3. Super Slam Dunk Basketball - A very good basketball game
and with the ability to draft players, adds some replay value to it. Also you can play one
player for times when Skipper is in a bad mood.
4. Utopia - Great one player or two! Plus, you will be able
to relate to the being on an island.
5. World Championship Baseball - The second of the baseball
games, which is the same as the original except for one player mode and fly balls. Another
fun game as sports games have some of the greatest replay value.
6. Chess - The Intellivision give you a decent battle and
makes for a fun and challenging game. Different skill levels will keep it interesting.
7. PBA Bowling - Much like real bowling, as soon as you think
you have it figured out, you mess up and have a bad game. With the ton of options, it
keeps the game rolling (bad pun intended).
8. Royal Dealer - Card games are always good for another go
and this one has a handful. Plus, the ladies on the game will give you a little company if
you don't luck on an island with Ginger and Maryann.
9. NFL Football - The white label one with the one player
option. Again another fun sports game to keep your competitive nature going.
10. Burgertime - Gotta have one arcade game and this is a
great one. Good for when you want to look at some kind of food other than coconuts and
bananas.
SHRINKWRAPPED? SHOULD IT BE MORE?
One of the things that is popular in every collectible market
is to collect sealed, new in the box items. Whether it is toys, trading cards or Disney
videos, people are always willing to pay a premium for a sealed item. Should an item
actually be worth more if it still has the original seal? If so, how much more should it
be. While in my own collection, I don't have any shrinkwrapped games in my collection, I
have sold them. While I am not willing to pay extra to get a shrinkwrapped game, I do
believe they have an added value due to the scarcity and the assumed mintness of the item.
I do think people should be aware that a game can be shrinkwrapped quite easily, so I
propose that shrinkwrapped games with original store labels should command a slight
premium. Especially from well known stores like Toys R Us, Kiddie City, Children's Palace,
K-Mart, etc... While it would be easier to duplicate a generic price sticker, these would
pose a tougher challenge. While I don't know of anything like this happening in the
industry, as the market gets bigger these problems may creep in. As a former sports card
dealer, I have seen all kinds of unsavory practices like counterfeiting, resealing packs,
doctoring cards and other practices. These are some of the reasons I left that industry. I
couldn't stand to see fellow dealers ripping off kids, it was sickening. Not that all the
kids were honest either. Anyway, I feel a little caution can help avoid any problems. Just
my two cents worth.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO SELLING CLASSIC GAMES?
One question I get asked alot is why and how did I get into
the market of selling classic games. Most people have problems grasping the concept that
there are people out there who want these games. In the age of 3D worlds, and FMV , people
cannot understand the draw of these games. Well, here is how I became a classic game
dealer. About three years ago (1995), I finally connected onto the internet and began
surfing the web. I started finding items from my youth and teen years like Freakies
cereal, USFL, Quark and other oddities from my youth. I started gathering some items from
the past and one of them was a Vectrex. When it came, I started playing it and became
instantly addicted again. So in my regular trips to the flea market and garage sales (I
went in search of toys to sell at my store), I began to search for these. So that is my
story.
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That is all for this month. Come back next month and I will
try to do a little more. Look for more news, hopefully some reviews and other gaming
stuff.
-Tom Zjaba
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