This week in retro games, I was fortunate to nab some flea market finds. Check out everything below:
Games and Accessories
Retro game hunting is fairly dry in my area and has been for a few years now. At least, if you have only the moderate dedication I do nowadays. I value my sleep far too much. If there’s a good possibility I’m not coming home with cool stuff that I don’t have yet, I’m probably sleeping in.
I do still go occasionally though. At our local flea market, which can vary widely in terms of the number of vendors, finds are pretty sparse. There still exists one vendor who manages to find and sell nice stuff though. I’ve found multiple carrying cases for the GameBoy and Game Gear, as well as some decent games here and there. Only recently did he begin charging $5-10 for retro games, and uncommons and rares are kept in a glass case.
The photo above contains the one find that I plucked from this particular vendor:
NBA Jam (Genesis) This is an obvious classic that I had yet to have in my current collection. I honestly don’t remember the differences between NBA Jam and NBA Jam: Tournament Edition. I’m sure I’ll be fine with just this one for now though. Priced completely fairly at $5 CIB.
I also found a vendor who wasn’t selling anything in particular but had a couple of things that I felt were good to stash away for a later date:
Original Atari power adapter I have a total of three Atari 2600 units, one Vader and two heavy sixers. I can’t get any of them to work. This is probably due to my lack of expertise though. Some day I’ll get back into reviving them. This power adapter may come in handy when the time comes. Nabbed for $1.
PlayStation 3 camera and Move wand I was a little bummed that this only came with the PS3 camera and one wand. It didn’t include the games advertised on the original box they came in either. These include Medieval Moves and Sports Champions. The latter has a bocce game that’s actually pretty awesome and a lot of fun with two players. I have to imagine that game costs a buck or two by now though, so finding that and a second wand shouldn’t be too difficult. The camera only works with the PS3 though, which was an error on my part. I thought it could be used with the PS4 somehow. Still, I only paid $2.
KISS Pinball (PS1) This was from another vendor but it’s a bit of a throwaway so it doesn’t get its own section. I knew there was a KISS game that was valuable and knew that this probably wasn’t it, and I was right. Still, I bought it anyway not being 100% sure. I also find taking out your phone and looking up prices right in front of a vendor to be in poor taste. Long story short, I bought this terrible game for $2. It doesn’t even have actual KISS music in it FFS. What a waste. I’ll take it for a spin some day regardless. The valuable game I was thinking about was KISS Psycho Circus on the Dreamcast, and it doesn’t even seem to be that valuable anymore!
The consoles
Lastly, I was looking at a vendor’s old vintage signs when I came upon two consoles in an old, beat up bin. One was the Dreamcast that I highlighted in my article on how to fix DC controller issues. Not a bad deal for $10. The other was an absolutely filthy Genesis that I couldn’t leave behind.
The Sega Genesis has a few different models, and the Model 1 itself even has a difference or two. The ones that say “High Definition Graphics” along the top are thought to be the best ones. Ironically, I believe it’s because they have a better sound chip. I don’t believe the graphics have anything to do with it. (PS: That seems to be correct based on the link above).
I already have a Genesis but it’s probably the retro console that is most special to me. Given that, I had to take it home and bring it back to life. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it after that. Depending on how clean I get it, it will either be sold or replace my current one. I have a hard time believing in the latter though. The unit I play on now is in great shape with no issues.
It’s going to take a lot of work and likely a complete teardown. There’s dirt in every crevice on this unit. I’ll definitely be producing an article out of it though, so hopefully my experience will help someone down the line.
That’s all for this time! I’ve got some retro stuff that I’m currently playing. I’m sure I’ll have popped in some other games by then too, so stay tuned for the next retro game diary! Hopefully I have some more flea market finds to share as well.