Written by Patrick Mulhern  on May 06, 2008

Special: Retro-tastic!

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Welcome to the first part of our multiple part look at all things related to Retro Gaming. In the upcoming series of articles you can expect to find topics of interest for anyone into the fine art of Retro or old-school gaming, from buying guides, hardware reviews and dissections, interviews and even information guides. The realm of Retro gaming is a large one and we hope we can bring you a wide-range of interesting information from a multitude of our writers over the course of the series. Without further adieu here is the inaugural piece, an experienced collector's guide on how to find retro merchandise from knowing the field, checking the goods, and haggling for prices.

Barrier to entry
One of the best things about getting into retro gaming, aside from impressing your gamer friends with your collection, is that the hobby is relatively cheap and full of great deals. Many people make the mistake of thinking that the hobby is incredibly expensive, and while it CAN be, especially if you become a hardcore collector, for someone who just wants to play the old classics, it generally isn't. The key to keeping the costs down is patience. Seriously, be honest with yourself, you probably won't be getting to the dozens upon dozens of games you are likely to purchase in a single summer, perhaps not even a year. Therefore it pays to take it slow and focus on looking for the best deals. Another misconception is that auction sites have the best deals, that is generally not the case. Stores on eBay or specifically video game auction places, are often full of people who know the topic, and therefore know what their goods are worth. The best deals come from people who are just getting rid of "junk" or better yet, their kid's "junk" who moved out. Thankfully enough, Spring time is right around the corner, a time which is accompanied by Spring Cleaning, leading to a massive amount of tag/yard/garage sales and flea markets, a collector's wet dream.

Know your needs
Before you launch your elaborate path finding algorithm to best plan your route, get a plan of purchase first and foremost. Going out into the bustling markets with no target purchases is generally not a good idea and could end up costing you. For those new to Retro gaming, pick your favorite old-school platform, whether it be NES or Atari or ZX Spectrum, and come up with a list of things you will need, such as the system itself, the various RF units and power cords, controllers and naturally, a laundry list of your favorite games. Then, for the love of god, try to get some general idea of what these titles are worth. eBay will lead you to believe that every NES game ever made, even the system pack-in Super Mario Brothers, is "R@RE". THAT IS NOT THE CASE. Only a handful of titles are truly rare. If you come across a game with blindingly clean pins, a box and a manual, then it is probably worth about $20. If it is a loose title, it would be ludicrous to pay that much, unless it is a rare title.



What works, what doesn't
So you have your list, and your plan of attack, now you need to educate yourself on the hardware itself and how to tell if it is even usable. The older the machine, the more likely it is prone to failure or simply issues, but that doesn't mean they are worthless. Nintendo makes rock solid products and has for years. The issue with the original NES, the one that caused most people to faint from excessive blowing, is easily corrected by a new 72-pin connection. The installation of the unit is actually fairly simple as well. If at all possible, simply ask the wares dealer if you can see the system in action, many will try to oblige you and if they don't then walk away or offer a much lower price because you are taking a risk.

Finding a working system, for many of the old 8-bit or 16-bit machines should be fairly simple. Yes, they may be a bit dusty and need some cleaning, but by and large they were generally treated well since they were a staple in the entertainment center of yesteryear. The games themselves are a different story however. The little cartridges that took up so many hours of our childhood were treated, by most, like any other toy. Even EBGames/Gamestop employees literally toss these things around as if they are indestructible. They aren't.

The little plastic boxes can take an impact fairly well, as can the boards contained within them, but the boards can be crippled by simple humidity, something that years of your acrid breath contributes to. A simple visual inspection of the connection pins is generally enough to indicate the state of the game. Bright and shiny gold pins are ideal, I am talking "Ow my eyes" shiny. Normally, you will only find mint-condition pins in games that were well taken care of and stored in the protective cases. Anything less than that means that the title will likely need a thorough cleaning, an often necessary evil in this hobby. If the pins look anything other than dusty (greenish/white gunk on the pins is corrosion), it is not really worth the purchase unless it is part of a bundle. Which brings me to the next topic.

Haggle, haggle the crap out of people
I mentioned that not only is the hobby fairly cheap to enter, but it is full of fantastic deals, but you often have to work for them. I have hit enough junk sales to come across some incredibly solid purchases, such as a bag of unopened Atari games a women's son left there when he moved away. The price was so low that I didn't bother haggling, and I even told her they were worth more than she was asking. The kind lady just wanted to see them put to good use. I also scored a set of mint Game and Watch handhelds for under $10. I felt obligated to pay him his
full asking price as well. But those kind of gems do not happen often. If you can read the person you are haggling the best information to try an ascertain is A) whether they know anything about the equipment and B) what kind of attachment do they have to it. The best deals will come when the purveyor in question knows little to nothing about what they are selling AND they just want to get rid of the "junk." If you feel this is the case, then you have a great opportunity to score a hot deal. But be polite about it, offer a respectable amount, perhaps a bit less than you are willing to pay, and let them counteroffer, hopefully to the amount you are willing to pay. Then they feel good about the few extra dollars and you still get a deal.

Last thoughts
As with most hobbies, information is the key to getting deals. The most important aspect, beyond haggling and being able to judge if a game or system may work, is knowing what the item is actually worth, not to you, but to any collector. Having a list of items you are looking for is also incredibly handy. Before I made such a list I found myself re-buying the same titles over and over whenever I saw them. Also noteworthy is just offering a sweeping statement to the salesmen. If you see a good selection of titles and equipment you want, offer them a reasonable lump sum for EVERYTHING. Often enough the people will just be happy to get rid of all the clutter even at a severely reduced price. I must have a half-dozen copies of Super Mario Bros. 3. because of that tactic. Worst case, you can always sell or trade them to another collector later on. Speaking of which, anyone need a copy of
R.B.I. Baseball 1-3 for NES? I have a few dozen of them! Happy shopping.

Next up on our Retro Round-up series, FC Mobile Review.