Results 1 to 16 of 16

Thread: Old SNES rentals in the US

  1. #1
    Strawberry (Level 2) lkermel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    California
    Posts
    508
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default Old SNES rentals in the US

    Hi,

    I've been living in the US for a few years now (I'm actually French) and I've been surprised to find old Japanese Super Famicom games that seem to have been available for rental... A lot of them are sadly damaged, they come with stickers all over them and retailers usually made two holes at the bottom of the cartridges so they'd fit in a SNES... did the Blockbuster chain (and others) have Super Famicom games available back in ths 90s ?

  2. #2
    ServBot (Level 11) ShinobiMan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    3,400
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post
    Xbox LIVE
    loonieman

    Default

    Interesting. I don't recall any video rental stores carrying Super Famicom games, but there were some video game shops that sold them. Believe it or not, there was a time when Lame Stop didn't have a monopoly on gaming and independently owned shops thrived. I picked up a number or imports from shops like Game Force and Die Hard Video Games (Austin, TX).

    But back to the topic at hand, it seems unlikely that a video rental chain like Blockbuster would knowingly rent Japanese titles. Maybe someone else can shed some light.

  3. #3
    Great Puma (Level 12)
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Posts
    4,278
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    3
    Thanked in
    2 Posts

    Default

    Blockbuster didn't, but there were several video game rental chains in Los Angeles that did rent Famicom and Super Famicom games in the 90s. There was a chain called Gameland that had 5-6 locations at one point (now they only have one in Torrance and I don't think they rent anymore) and several smaller chains in Orange County and Los Angeles County that also rented and sold Japanese games and systems.

  4. #4
    Mega Man (Level 19) The 1 2 P's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    The World Is Not Enough
    Posts
    11,193
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I don't ever remember hearing this before but I do remember friends telling me that there was one point in the 90's where EB games actually started selling Japanese import Saturn games. I never saw them there but apparently certain locations sold them.
    Last edited by The 1 2 P; 04-29-2009 at 06:20 PM.
    ALL HAIL THE 1 2 P
    Quote Originally Posted by THE 1 2 P
    Why? Once you've seen one partially-exposed butthole you've seen them all.

  5. #5
    ServBot (Level 11) ShinobiMan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    3,400
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post
    Xbox LIVE
    loonieman

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by The 1 2 P View Post
    I don't ever remember hearing this before but I do remember friends telling me that there was one point in the 90's where EB games actually started selling Japanese import Satrn games. I never saw them there but apparently certain locations sold them.
    Actually certain EB Games sold Super Famicom as well. This was a brief period, didn't last long. Most places would have to also sell the necessary boot disc or adapter to plat import games. I miss those days.

  6. #6
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    55
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    They sure did. Radiant Silvergun for 39.99 in the bargain bin. D&D as well. Konami MSX collection 9.99. good stuff was had in those days.

  7. #7
    Great Puma (Level 12)
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Posts
    4,278
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    3
    Thanked in
    2 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by withalligators View Post
    They sure did. Radiant Silvergun for 39.99 in the bargain bin. D&D as well. Konami MSX collection 9.99. good stuff was had in those days.
    I remember seeing those languishing on the shelf of the EB in downtown San Diego for what seemed like a year. Of course, they gutted their games even back then, so it's not like it would have been sealed new or anything.

  8. #8
    Apple (Level 5) tubeway's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    1,081
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by lkermel View Post
    Hi, (I'm actually French)
    Mods please close this thread, thanks.

  9. #9
    Pac-Man (Level 10) Kid Fenris's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    2,790
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by withalligators View Post
    They sure did. Radiant Silvergun for 39.99 in the bargain bin. D&D as well. Konami MSX collection 9.99. good stuff was had in those days.
    How quickly did those Saturn imports drop in price? I suppose they didn't turn enough profit for EB Games to routinely stock Japanese titles.

    Quote Originally Posted by tubeway View Post
    Mods please close this thread, thanks.
    Mods, please close the lid of my Duo so it doesn't fill up with roaches.
    Kidfenris.com: Never Updated.

  10. #10
    Great Puma (Level 12) Bratwurst's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Posts
    4,461
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    4
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    13
    Thanked in
    10 Posts

    Default

    Oh no Kid Fenris you are on tubeway's shit list for sure now!!

  11. #11
    Pear (Level 6) Soviet Conscript's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,361
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Kid Fenris View Post


    Mods, please close the lid of my Duo so it doesn't fill up with roaches.
    lol, ok that was funny

    but still, those things could have got in there at any point in time, even in very sanitary homes you can have a infestation. unfortunitly they apperently like electromagnatism so duos make a nice home for them. the duo fought back though as evidenced by the mangled bodies i found in the gears.

    as for the topic. i never knew anywhere around here that sold or rented anything jp as far as games went. i'm assumeing this was mostly a west coast thing?

  12. #12
    Apple (Level 5) Superman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    1,025
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Another vote for not knowing of any chains renting import games.

    I've never heard of any chains renting Super Famicom or any import games, in general. Even when the respective systems were new, I didn't know of any stores even selling import games. One time I went to Japan town in San Francisco to the rental stores and markets looking for them and they looked at me like I was crazy.
    Last edited by Superman; 04-30-2009 at 02:15 AM.

  13. #13
    Bell (Level 8) Smashed Brother's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Milwaukee WI, fool!
    Posts
    1,722
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Kid Fenris View Post
    Mods, please close the lid of my Duo so it doesn't fill up with roaches.

    *Strokes long imaginary white beard* "Hmmm, I see..."

  14. #14
    Apple (Level 5) tubeway's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    1,081
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bratwurst View Post
    Oh no Kid Fenris you are on tubeway's shit list for sure now!!
    haha, no, that was funny as hell actually.

    I don't know how the roaches got in there -- I'm pretty sure it wasn't from my place. The Turboduos were in a warehouse for a few years before I got that one from the lot.

    I'm kind of glad I never got the bit to open the case, though... *shudder*

  15. #15
    Pear (Level 6) Soviet Conscript's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,361
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by tubeway View Post
    haha, no, that was funny as hell actually.

    I don't know how the roaches got in there -- I'm pretty sure it wasn't from my place. The Turboduos were in a warehouse for a few years before I got that one from the lot.

    I'm kind of glad I never got the bit to open the case, though... *shudder*
    be glad...be very very glad

  16. #16
    Lvl 99 Custom rank graphic
    Daria's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    5,214
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    3
    Thanked in
    3 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    Nymphomatic

    Default

    Not a rental story, but at one point Target was selling preowned rental games. My dad and I would go there to look at what they had for NES and Game gear. One day I spot a very Japanese looking game gear cartridge, hoping it was an RPG I took a gamble and bought it. Turned out to be a weird sort of rock/paper/scissors type fighting game which I only found out years later was actually Yu Yu Hakusho.

    Point being somewhere, someone was renting import game gear games and liquidated their stock to Target.

Similar Threads

  1. Gplay.com Video game Rentals ?????
    By ig88vsbobafett in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 03-05-2005, 09:07 PM
  2. blockbuster exclusive rentals for sale
    By bluecollarninja in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 03-27-2004, 12:04 AM
  3. Video Game Rentals
    By SoulBlazer in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 01-31-2004, 07:46 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •