Where do you get your hard to find games?

[Avatar of Justice]

I'm currently looking for a couple of games that must be out of print, as I can't find them at EB Games, Wal-Mart, or Amazon.com. So, my question for you is that is there any single place you like to buy hard to find games (think not E-bay)? The games I'm looking for are from around 2004 so they really aren't THAT old.

[Bigfoot]

Any fleamarkets around your area? Where I live we have a pretty famous fleamarket. We're lucky enough to have a pretty cool game store. It's called the Video Game Dungeon

So yeah, I'd try a fleamarket.

There's also one of those privately owned game stores a few mins from my house that has a bunch of old/new games/systems that they sell.

[Effef]

Look everywhere you think might sell games. I mean everywhere. Hell, even walmart.

I found Rez, Disgaea 1, ZOE 1 and 2, and a bunch of other rarer games on discount shelves.

[BigBoss]

"can you please answer this request without giving me the obvious answer"

fuck no, use Ebay

[I-n-j-i-n]

eBay can be good sometimes if it's from a reputed dealer/store.

I usually go to Gamestop for obscure Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube games.

[Cerrax]

Movie/Game Rental stores. I've found numerous rare games at movie/game rental places because they sell off their extra stock when the game is old enough. They buy a whole bunch of new titles, then once their popularity gopes down, they sell them off (usually at a fairly low price because they are heavily used).

[The Coop]

eBay (you may have to whether you wish to or not), half.com, yesasia.com, ncsx.com, ebgames.com, walmart.com... there are a good number of online places to look. Also, it might help things along if you told us what the games were.

[SoloGamer]

There's a store around where I live called GameQuest that has a good selection of older, out of print games (hell, they even have some factory sealed SNES games in there). Every time I walk in one of their stores, I see a brand new Ico, Gitaroo Man, and Rez just sitting there.

[Orange Pylon]

Thrift shops, swap meets, yard sales, indie game shops, Gametap.

[Lemonectric]

Meh. I've had some bad experiences with ebay. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door never came, and Super Mario Sunshine didn't even work (not to mention there was some strange substance covering half the instruction manual). The seller went all insane when I told him/her. Sigh.

We have a place called Slackers downtown. Sells used games and stuff. I usually look there if I can't find what I'm looking for at EB Games.

[Kizyr]

Mad Gear LLC:

http://www.mad-gear.com/

They're usually at anime conventions along the east coast, though they also have an online store. I've always had very good results with them, although I'm usually looking for rare import games--since you're only looking for games that are 3 years old, it should be easy to find here. On top of that, I've always found their prices really reasonable (the only place I've found with any better prices have been overseas). KF

[Gyrick]

Sometimes you can find rare gems at used video-game stores. I know that a friend of mine found "Suikoden" and "Suikoden II" at a used-game store on the Ohio State University campus. I also found a copy of "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night" and "Rhapsody" at an EB games. They're always worth a look, but finding rare games is all about luck, so you have to be vigilant.

Good luck with that.

[Dhsu]

GameXchange and Vintage Stock are where I usually go for the classic stuff. We also have a tiny shop called Gameco here that stocks some really old games (think Atari).

eBay is just a matter of getting stuff from a trusted seller (preferably with a 99.5% rating or above) and establishing good communication when things go wrong.

[Red Shadow]

Any fleamarkets around your area? Where I live we have a pretty famous fleamarket. We're lucky enough to have a pretty cool game store. It's called the Video Game Dungeon

So yeah, I'd try a fleamarket.

There's also one of those privately owned game stores a few mins from my house that has a bunch of old/new games/systems that they sell.

Talking about the one in Waldo, or another?

[Devyn]

We once had this badass store called Rhino Games. The prices were relatively low and they carried new and used games from current consoles to NES games (and not just commoners like Super Mario Bros. but good ones like Battletoads). Not only did they have appropriate pricing for old games (low prices for common, higher for rare games), they had buy x get x specials on games and merch. The used games were sold for lower prices than the big chains.

EB/Gamestop bought them out and opened them with their stores.

[Bigfoot]

Talking about the one in Waldo, or another?

Daytona Flea Market

[Azul v2]

My local game store (no chain) has Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island new in box for 39.99, Chronotrigger new in box for 59.99, and lots of NES games for around the same price.

[Jaybell]

We used to have a couple of Microplays in town. Great for old games, but the prices can be a little steep sometimes (60 bucks for a game gear? Srsly?). Unfortunately I have no clue what happened to them. Now there's only one Microplay in all of New Brunswick, and it's all the way up north...

Other places include yard sales and thrift stores. Every so often you can find a gem at these places.

[zircon]

Mad Gear LLC:

http://www.mad-gear.com/

They're usually at anime conventions along the east coast, though they also have an online store. I've always had very good results with them, although I'm usually looking for rare import games--since you're only looking for games that are 3 years old, it should be easy to find here. On top of that, I've always found their prices really reasonable (the only place I've found with any better prices have been overseas). KF

Seconded!!

[Zophar (insert new name)]

I used to use ebay for older titles, now I sometime buy my copies from either EBGames/Gamestop, pawn shops, or even a store called Mario's in Provo.

[Shining Mirage]

Thrift shops, swap meets, yard sales, indie game shops, Gametap.

And hey, if you have to, raid Blockbuster. I know, it sounds absurd, but I found my replacement Disgaea 1, Ace Combat 4 & 5, as well as Xenogears.

[Maco70]

I go to a local shop called "Video Game castle". They have stuff all the way back the the eight bit era.

But if you're looking for 2004 games, just look through bins in Gamestop of EB.

If you get desperate, check Half.com or even Amazon might give you some results.

[Guy In Rubber Suit]

There's a great place in LA called Game Dude. Fantastic brick and mortar store that is huge and carries virtually every console released in the states as well as some import games. They sell games that if they're loose, then they don't have any markings, and if they have packaging they're original. Last time I was there, a few months ago, they had a copy of Shining Force III.

[KWarp]

There's a great place in LA called Game Dude. Fantastic brick and mortar store that is huge and carries virtually every console released in the states as well as some import games. They sell games that if they're loose, then they don't have any markings, and if they have packaging they're original. Last time I was there, a few months ago, they had a copy of Shining Force III.

I've been there a couple times myself. The one with the huge NiGHTS poster on the wall right? The store's in a pretty dangerous area.

Another good place to look is Japan, but you might need a native to help you out. (my trip caught me Hoshi no Kirby, Kirby's Pinball Land , Ouendan 1 & 2, Jump Superstars and Jump Ultimate Stars)

[supremespleen]

You will be surprised what shows up on bargain bins and discount shelves at Wal-Mart, Target, and even Menard's.