GameCrazy no longer taking in classic games, but...

[DigitalSpace]

...they changed the 3 for $10 classic plastic sale to a 2 for $5.

Here's the full details, from a thread posted by Scorch at CheapAssGamer (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140447):

I didn't know where else to put this, and sorry if it's already posted, I just got off work.

You all know that the 3 for $10 classic plastic has moved to 2 for $5. It's effective immediately, barcodes downloaded into stores yesterday and today, if your store says it's not effective, they're idiots. Or it's regional. I dunno.

ANYWAY!

A memo came down this morning stating that, effective immediately, GameCrazy will no longer accept trades on NES, SNES, Sega, GB, GBC, Dreamcast, and PS1 software AND accessories. Basically everything the classic plastic covers. Hardware is still tradable for the time being.

Trade values were supposed to lower to $0.00 today but they did not. I imagine they will in the morning. This is highly upsetting as my store was still receiving rare/great games (in the past week, we received Mario All Stars, Donkey Kong Country and Final Fantasy Anthologies).

Basically.. get what you want now because it won't be restocked. If you have any special orders to do, do them now. I'm still really pissed at this decision.

_____________________________________
I knew this was coming, and I'm kind of surprised it didn't happen sooner. Fortunately, there are still other sources around here for older games and most of the local GameCrazys have been all but cleaned out of anything beyond loose sports games and a few common games I already have. I'll be checking a few out anyways, since you never know.

Also, what's the best classic find you've made at a GameCrazy? For me, it would have to be a loose Castlevania: Bloodlines for Genesis for $1.99.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Thanks for the heads up. :) I'll check out some of the local stores tomorrow.

[Damaramu]

Man....are there still GameCrazies in your are, Icarus? The only two I know of are south of 59 in the ghetto and one way out on 1960 near Veterans Memorial......

Sigh, there used to be one right next door to me on Fondren @ Westheimer but they closed it down about 2 years ago.

[Icarus Moonsight]

The ones I usually hit up are at Atascosita, New Caney and the two out on FM 1960. I'm just north of Houston in the Kingwood/Humble area. I've been to the Richmond store a few times. Last time I was there they still had carts. All the other stores in the region supposedly sent all of their stock to them (Richmond store) a little while back.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[Oobgarm]

http://WWW.DUSTINCARTER.COM/dp/Construction.jpg

I can't see how they can stay in business any longer, honestly. They don't do anything better than anyone else out there. In fact, as much as I hate to say it, they're drastically inferior to GameStop.

[cyberfluxor]

I don't stop in their stores often because they're a good distance away, in a high traffic area and closed at odd times. Another thing is their classic game inventory doesn't move, like at all. Every time I've gone there might be around a dozen new, lame games that aren't really worth even a few bucks IMO. Then there's that bin of those few hundred sports titles... They aren't horrible just lack in the locations around here.

[Slate]

I don't stop in their stores often because they're a good distance away, in a high traffic area and closed at odd times. Another thing is their classic game inventory doesn't move, like at all. Every time I've gone there might be around a dozen new, lame games that aren't really worth even a few bucks IMO. Then there's that bin of those few hundred sports titles... They aren't horrible just lack in the locations around here.

And they put their stores in the stupidest locations. The last time I checked, There weren't any in pittsburgh or philadelphia!

I'd go, But the closest GC is 60 or 70 miles away in the middle of nowhere.

[heybtbm]

I can't see how they can stay in business any longer, honestly. They don't do anything better than anyone else out there. In fact, as much as I hate to say it, they're drastically inferior to GameStop.

I don't know about that. GS/EB don't sell any "classic plastic" games either and haven't for over a year. Anyway, most (if not all) Gamecrazy stores are directly attached to a Hollywood Video. If Hollywood video started going under...then you might have something there (honestly Netflix and BB are slowly killing all brick and mortar video stores).

Also, Gamecrazy is a haven of odds and ends. Games and misc. stuff that GS/EB don't bother with, GC picks up and sells at their retail locations. For instance, my local GC carries the entire Messiah line of NES/SNES products...including the Generation NEX. You can still buy an assorment of Hori sticks and other wierd Hori items there (I just bought a Dragon Quest blue slime PS2 controller there a few weeks ago).

[Kitsune Sniper]

I don't know about that. GS/EB don't sell any "classic plastic" games either and haven't for over a year. Anyway, most (if not all) Gamecrazy stores are directly attached to a Hollywood Video. If Hollywood video started going under...then you might have something there (honestly Netflix and BB are slowly killing all brick and mortar video stores).

Actually, they still sell GB and GBC games. Some still have N64 and PS1 games, and very, very few still stock NES and Genesis games. My local store has everything except NES games. It even has a copy of a Dreamcast NFL game. :p

This sucks. Badly. I wish the closest store to my house wasn't 150 miles away.

[PentiumMMX]

Not a problem for me, because there arn't any in my area...

[kainemaxwell]

Not a problem for me, because there arn't any in my area...

Same here. (Is in NJ).

[snes_collector]

Not a problem for me, because there arn't any in my area...

Agreeded, I've never even saw a GameCrazy anywhere that I can remember

[mailman187666]

theres actually a shit load of GCs in my area but none of them ever had any new/good classic games comming in. All they had was a bunch of Tomb Raiders and sports games, along with nothing but common NES games. I usually just hit up flea markets for my classic stuff and rarely go to GC anymore. They still aren't a bad store for reasons other people have listed like the multiple copies of the LE Metal Gear 3 Sub and Digital Devil saga boxed CE. While it lasted though, they have definately bumped up the size of my collection drastically.

[Porksta]

There are only a couple around where I live, I guess I beter go check the out. I went to Texas a month or so ago, and there were GC everywhere. One store had stacks upon stacks of NES and Gen games. Unfortunately none of them interested me. The one thing that does bother me is a lack of display. Everytime I go I have to ask to see a master list of their games, or just have them go into the back and bring out all the cases they have.

[rurouni318]

There are a couple of GameCrazy's in NJ, I work in Hackensack and I worked in Garfield. You just gotta look around for a Hollywood video.

I gotta agree that it does suck that we can't even take back the "classic plastic," that was one of the main things that separated us from Gamestop/EB. I gotta admit though, the "classic plastic" is taking up too much space now. In the Hackensack store, we have almost 25 PS1's, 14 N64's, 11 DC's and we were getting more every day. The Garfield store actually sent out all of their "classic plastic" because they didn't have room for it. I gotta look at this from both sides since I do work there.

And I can say that for a fact, that Hollywood is losing ALOT of money and would be out of business right now if it weren't for GameCrazy. Granted they are still growing, but there is a rumor going around the company saying that GameCrazy might be bought by another company if Hollywood cannot support us anymore. And I gotta say, that if it does get bought out by GS/EB then I am gone in a second.

But back on topic, it does suck it offically started yesterday but I still took a trade-in since the games were not zero'd out of the system. And I am still gonna take them until they do zero them out.

Also GameCrazy and Hollywood started out on the West Coast and slowly made their way over. So if you go to the Midwest or the West Coast you will see a bunch of them.

[norkusa]

So when Game Crazy closes it's doors, GS/EB will pretty much be the only major used game retailer around? Game Rush looks like it's getting ready to close down any day now and it sounds like GC will do the same soon.


I've never even seen a GameCrazy store (none near me) but it's kinda sad news since I'd always hear stories about the great deals people would get there.

[rurouni318]

It won't be anytime soon, but down the road maybe a couple of years down the road, then GameCrazy does have a chance of closing down

[Steve W]

There don't seem to be any GameCrazy locations in Dallas, but apparently they're all over Houston. That kinda sucks. But at least Movie Trading Company stores were bought out by Vintage Stock and have very slowly started getting in a few classic games. And they sell Pocky!

[Trebuken]

I wne tyesterday looking for the 2 for 5 and they didn't have it at this particular store. The only thing worth buying were GB/GBC games.

Game Crazy closed a bunch of stores a couple years ago and I too expect them to crash and burn at some time, but they have managed to linger around. You can find some good prices on preowned games now and then; at least some of their games are priced below Gamestop/EB's. I've got five stores within 25 miles that I used to visit...

[FantasiaWHT]

There's one by me, but it's in the ghetto... down in the twisted sprawl of streets where you can lose your life as easily as your way.

Aw what the hell, what's life without some risks!

[Damaramu]

There don't seem to be any GameCrazy locations in Dallas, but apparently they're all over Houston. That kinda sucks. But at least Movie Trading Company stores were bought out by Vintage Stock and have very slowly started getting in a few classic games. And they sell Pocky!

Were all over Houston. They've been busy shutting down locations left and right.

[Vinnysdad]

Only one GC near me and that store has been picked clean of classic games a long time ago. Mostly by me :) All they have left is a bin full of sports titles.

[bangtango]

I don't think I ever saw a real Game Crazy store. There is a Hollywood Video store not too far away from my home. They don't have GC attached to it, though. The majority of my local movie stores are Movie Gallery. I like that chain better than Hollywood Video anyway.

Too bad to hear Game Crazy is in trouble and that some members will be out another good store or two.

[DragonMaster Sam]

I've never came across a Gamecrazy around here or in Northern Virginia. Thank goodness for Starland.

[Steven]

Only one GC near me and that store has been picked clean of classic games a long time ago. Mostly by me :) All they have left is a bin full of sports titles.


ditto here. By this time last year, the retro selection SUCKED. In early '06 I found gems like MegaMan X2 and Kirby Superstar for $9.99

By mid 2006, there were literally nothing but Madden games. I stopped visiting 'em ever since.

[MarioMania]

Boy Time's are changing..I don't go to Gamecrazy that often anymore

[j_factor]

The GameCrazy nearest me hasn't stocked any classic plastic for a long time now... I guess they would just transfer any trade-ins to other stores or something.

[Icarus Moonsight]

As far as I understand, most the classic plastic stuff has been sent to the main store in a given region with the best sales and most space. Makes sence, I guess. I will fondly remember their print ads with the hatchback full of game carts... I dunno, it just screamed "flea market haul!" to me. :)

[DigitalSpace]

Also GameCrazy and Hollywood started out on the West Coast and slowly made their way over. So if you go to the Midwest or the West Coast you will see a bunch of them.

Yep, the Portland area was the original test market (for obvious reasons), and there are several GameCrazy stores here. The store closest to my house was one of the first in the chain to open up. I still have two SNES games (F-Zero and Super Baseball 2020) that were bought there shortly after they opened, both rental copies from the adjoining Hollywood Video store.

Even without the classic plastic, I'd hate to see them go, just so there will be another major specialty game store chain out there.


I will fondly remember their print ads with the hatchback full of game carts... I dunno, it just screamed "flea market haul!" to me. :)

I remember that ad. Spent a good few minutes looking at all the carts in that hatchback. Of all their ads, that one was probably the least corny.