Goodwill Video Game Buying Guide

For a long time Goodwill has been a good source for LEGOs and Video Games for me , but sometimes I’ve just broken even when reselling. To prevent others from losing money , I thought I’d make a guide.

(NOTE : This Guide is for older Systems , not Modern.

KNOWING WHICH GAMES ARE OF LITTLE VALUE:

Though there’s a few exceptions , most SPORTS Video Games for SEGA Genesis , NES , SNES , N64 , and others are basically worthless unless you intend on doing something like making a Video Game Reproduction with it.

 

Also Games that were EXTREMELY POPULAR , especially Pack-Ins (Games included with the System) are , though fun , virtually worthless. They were mass-produced , so many of them are out there.

 

Lastly , GAMES BASED ON TV SHOWS , GAME SHOWS , OR BOARD GAMES are usually useless. Though TV-Show Based Games can be worth some , most are not.

 

Now , let’s assess Games with Value. My local Goodwill charges a flat rate of $5 for Games , so these titles should bring in more money than that so you will profit.

 

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA  , especially Gold Cartridge Games , usually carry some value.

METAL GEAR : SOLID (GBC)  is a rare title , but it’s usually readily available for a high-ish price .

SEGA SATURN GAMES are generally worth lots of money. There are few that are worth less than $10.

 

I hope this guide helps you , GOD BLESS!

 

Star Wars Episode I Monopoly Game

Today’s post was originally going to be about how the new Monopoly Empire Game excludes Jail and replaces locations with brands , but it was too short so I added my Star Wars Monopoly Game to it. I later took out the Monopoly Empire part , as it was swallowed whole by my Star Wars Game. So today’s post is about my 1999 Star Wars Episode I Monopoly Game. I included lots of nice Pictures in this post so enjoy!

Betcha can’t guess where I got this? Goodwill , of course! I paid about four dollars for this and everything but the box is in GREAT CONDITION! At my local Goodwill , they don’t treat their stuff very well : they wrote the price on this box and used lots of packing tape to keep it shut. Nonetheless , it’s amazing. Though Episode One may not be my favorite Star Wars Film , I don’t hate it at all. Its got lots of nice Star Wars Figures and Cards as well as the Game Board with Star Wars locations and Star Wars Credits!

Here is a Picture of the Game Board!

Here is everything in the box:

From what I can tell by reading the Instruction Manual , this is complete and even has a few extra pieces! The open slots in the box are for the players’ Credits.

Here are the Figurines!

And my favorite : The Emperor!

What do you guys think of this Monopoly Game? Do you like it? Please comment what you think! GOD BLESS!

Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (GBA) Review

Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis was released in 2006 for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance System. The Game is a port of the hit 1991 Video Game for the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis and also has an “Anniversary Mode” where Sonic can Spin-Dash , an ability originally not seen until Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The Game has been reviewed as a terrible port of the original by others , and today I will review the Game myself.

I got my copy on eBay (won an Auction) for $8.18 . From the reviews I read , I expected it to be a Glitchy mess , something I might not have been able to beat. When I got it , I found that all the Reviews had one thing in common : they were all WRONG.

(Sorry , my Camera doesn’t do well with screens)

When you first start the Game you get “Licensed by Nintendo” followed by the Classic “Say Guh!” that we all know ; something that you would never hear back in the 90’s. The user is then greeted with the above. Just like the original version , the Game goes into Demo if the Start Button isn’t pressed within a certain amount of time. Once Start is pressed , a Menu opens up allowing the player to choose Original Mode , where the original Classic is played , Anniversary Mode , where Sonic can Spin-Dash , and Options where the player can turn either the Sound Effects or BGM or both on or off . The Juke Box option is unlocked if the Game is beaten. Beating the Final Boss in Original Mode unlocks all the Sound Effects. Beating it in Anniversary Mode unlocks all the BGM (Back Ground Music).

If a Zone is beaten in one Mode , it is unlocked saved in its own data , and unlocked and saved on the other , so you don’t have to beat the Game twice.

The Game saves your progress automatically , but if you want to delete it , hold the Left and Right Trigger and press Start while on the Title screen and you will be given the option to delete it or not.

This Game was criticized for its jerky and sometime slowed down Gameplay , bad Music , the fact that the Game was zoomed in a little to accommodate the GBA , the idea that the Game can’t keep up with Sonic , making him unable to be seen , in which case he could get attacked by an unexpected enemy , and Glitches. All of these are untrue , except the slowdown and a few Glitches. Also the second (Music) is subjective so that doesn’t really count , and the third (Zoom-In) is not a problem. Here is my Review of those:

Jerky Gameplay:

It is claimed that this Game has jerky Gameplay. This is not true. There is a little bit of “bouncing” when going up a slope , but that is not jerky.

Slowed Down Gameplay:

There are slowdowns if too many things are happening at once. This also happened with the original Genesis version , but not as easily as with this. To make it just as good as the original , go to “Options” and turn off the BGM and SFX.

Bad Music:

This Game’s Music is a GBA remix of the SEGA Genesis original. The Music is very “GBA-y” and emulates the original Music. I could see how this would upset someone , but the Music is not bad at all.

Zoom In:

There is a bit of a Zoom-In to make up for the difference between a regular TV and the GBA’s screen. This makes a little bit of the top and a little bit of the bottom of the Game appear to be cut-off , but it’s only noticeable a few times throughout the Game . No problem at all.

Sonic speeding ahead of the screen? Not a chance , ever. I played the whole Game , Spin-Dashed , and matched (and sometimes even beat) my time records that I had on the original version with no screen being left behind.

Glitches:

In the Game there are very few “added” or “new” Glitches. The only real Glitch that I have found is that if you stand in between the Crusher and the floor in the Final Boss and the Crusher lifts , it will count as a crush and Sonic will lose a life. I’ve heard of other Glitches involving moving objects that can crush , but this is the only one I’ve encountered.

There are differences between this version and the original , like the Music , some of the Sounds and the Spin-Dash , but that’s part of the fun of it! There are very little “physical” changes made to the Game , and the Graphics are perfectly intact .

Honestly , this Game is a good port of the original ; though it’s not Arcade Perfect , it’s a lot like the original while being a fun remix. In my opinion , this Game is VERY underrated , and I gave it the Review it deserves. Thank you for reading , GOD BLESS!

SEGA Genesis AV Adapter Revised Review

I got my Genesis for $20 from a woman at my Church. The RF Unit was great , but
I was getting tired of it fading to static and looking fuzzy. To solve this , I
bought the AV Adapter . I must say , it gives PERFECT , SHARP Video and STUNNING
, CLEAR Audio. It’s much easier to plug in and use than the RF Unit , because I
had to set mine to Channel 4 since the Game was extra-fuzzy on Channel 3 (TV is
on that Channel , so there was interference) and you have to use the remote to
get to that Channel (it won’t let you do it from the TV , which I would like to
do when I go to turn on the Genesis). With this I could just change it to the AV
Channel and turn on the Genesis.

By now you’re probably wondering what
the problem is with this product. Well , here it is. When you use the AV Adapter
on a Model 2 Genesis (Can’t speak for anything else , as I don’t own a Model 3 ,
Nomad , or 32X) and you play ANY Sonic Game (excluding Spinball and Mean Bean
Machine ; there are no Rings in the latter) you have a big problem with the
Rings Sounds and BGM. When you get one Ring : nice , great sounding , “GLING”.
Next time , very faint , almost impossible to hear when running through multiple
Rings , “gling” , just like with the Emulated Compilations made for Modern
Systems. Also most of the Music in STH3 and S&K sounds off. Very , VERY
annoying . I also found that the Sub-Boss Music was missing the main part of the
BGM in Sonic 3 and Knuckles! Plus the Final Boss BGM in Sonic 2 was “Drowned
out” by the Death EGG Robot stomping. That pushed me off the edge , to the point
that I wanted to return the Product. But , before I did that , I did some
experimenting . I put the red wire in the white hole and that fixed the STH2
Final Boss Music and the S3K Sub-Boss Music , but then the Doomsday Zone Boss
was missing part of the BGM. So that meant I had to switch the cables around
when a different BGM plays. Very troublesome.

After a few days using this
, I switched back to the RF Unit. I plugged it in a fidgeted with it and got the
Picture quality looking much better. This cable has way too many Sound problems
, and no amount of crystal clear Picture can make up for that. The idea is good
, but it doesn’t work. If I try again , I will get the one made by Retro-Bit ,
as they seem more quality. This is what mine was like , and it MAY just be this
cable , but I’m not sure. If you can think of a way to fix any of these problems
, please tell me in the comment section below. GOD BLESS!

The Best of the Best Video Game Merchandise

Along with most successful Video Games comes merchandise such as Action Figures , Plushies , and LCD Mini-Games , though the latter fazed out a few years ago. Since I’m a big fan of Sonic and Pac-Man , I thought I should post about the best of the best merchandise. Let’s Start off with Pac-Man!

LCD Pac-Man Game

This is the cooler Lit one that is transparent. It’s got lots of extra functions like Pause , New Game , Two Player , Sound ON/OFF , and Player/Check. The Zones consist of multiple “Floors”  that make up the map.

Arcade Candy Tin

The Arcade Candy Tin is amazing. It has lots of details and is low-priced. Look at the Game Screen!

Light-Up Sound-Making Ornaments

Though these are rather expensive , they are totally worth it. Press a Button and the Screen and Banner light up while sounds from the Game play. They retailed around $30 each when they came out , but the price is bound to have changed by now.

Ms./Pac-Man and Ghost Wind-Up

This is my NM Ms. Pac-Man 1982 Wind-Up. The fact that Ms. Pac-Man has pretty much been left out from all the modern Pac-Man Games makes it even more cool , as there isn’t anymore merchandise like this.

Pac-Man and Ghost (Blinky) Wind-Ups

These look great! You wind them up and they race around in circles. Plus the box can be closed back , unlike the Carded Ms. Pac-Man Wind-Up.

Pac-Man Bandages

Very unique and only a Dollar! Nice and Nerdy!

That’s all for Pac-Man . Now time for Sonic!

Dr. Eggman (Robotnik) Plushie

Though Sonic X was terrible , there was still some good merchandise that relates to the Games. This Robotnik Plushie is a great figure that is one of the stars of my collection.

Sonic Spinball Machine

This is a fun machine with artwork from Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (Game Gear/Master System). It’s got fun Sound Effects and a flashing light. It also has an LCD Display that will display a Score up to 99,999 Points.

Sonic the Hedgehog Archie Comics

Though the Archie Comics are a little too expansive compared to how the Games are (which are also too expansive themselves!) it’s still good to have something similar to the TV Shows , since the only good one was SatAM and that and the others are all gone.

Nooowwww…… for the best merchandise that BOTH Pac-Man AND Sonic have in common…..

TV GAMES!!! It is the cheapest way to get Arcade Perfect ports of Classic Games , since the Games on Virtual Console and Live Arcade are Emulations , not Ports. TV Games Still remain today , though Pac-Man TV Games are pretty much gone.

That’s today’s late post. I hope you like it! Please Comment , GOD BLESS!

Atari Breakout’s (Late) Anniversary Gift from Google

Have you ever played Breakout? Well , if you don’t know , it’s a classic 1976 game made by Atari that involves a large “wall” and a paddle and a ball. You bounce the ball between the paddle and the wall and break through the wall bit by bit , until you destroy it entirely. I have the original version on a TV game , but for a quick pic , check out the LCD version (Click the image to play the Google game).

For the 37th anniversary , Google made a Breakout game on the Images search! Just Google “Atari Breakout” and you will play a Breakout game where you destroy the images that would ordinarily show up if you Googled it. It emulates the game very well , though the sound effects are from Atari’s Video Olympics , but it’s still fun. Though it’s late (Breakout was made in April)  , it’s still a fun game. Beware a few glitches though . Go check it out!

(Special thanks to Yoda Archives who told about it)

GOD BLESS!

Plush Toys : Addictions at Low Prices

Ever since I was a child and got my first Sonic plush toy , I have collected plush toys from my interests. Through my previous addiction with Claw Machines , my collection has grown and grown and grown , and now I have an uncontrollable mass of stuffed creatures living in my room and promoting my nerd-ism.  Sadly , some of the plush is large and too limp to display without a shelf , which I have no room for. But , even though the reside in my closet , they still have display potential , so I have decided to show you all what I have!

WARNING: Most of these came from Claw Machines , so be prepared to hear that a lot.

Here is the entire collection spread out on my bed. As you can see , there are a lot , so I will break them up into sections.

Holiday figures. The one on the far left is the first Sonic plush toy I ever got , and it is around 10 years old. The next came from a claw game , the third also , and the 4th from a thrift store. The last is also crane-won.

Random Plush. The first was from a carnival and the second from a claw machine. As far as I know they are both from Sonic X.

UFO Cather (Japanese Claw Machine) Prizes. The first I got for free from a guy that was refilling the crane , the others are from countless dollars spent on a SEGA UFO Catcher. I have also seen the football in UFO Catchers.

The back of the football.

My two Shadow’s. One of them came from a thrift store and the other was my brother’s and he gave it to me so I have no clue where it came from.

Store-Bought Plush. First is the Sonic Generations classic plush , the other came with a blanket .

My RARE Shadow. It is around (I think) 2 ft and it is stuffed with hard foam , so it is very fragile (I had to sew it after I took this picture). What’s rare about this is the fact that the feet and legs are on backwards!

And now for my favorite….

Dr. Robotnik from Sonic X!

I got this at a carnival , and back then I was so excited (And I still would be now!) that I dedicated the events of that day to memory:

“That day , I was destined to get Dr, Eggman , one of the few characters that I didn’t own in plush or action figure form. I saw him the year before at my local fair , but my parents wouldn’t let me play the game in order to get it. A few years later I went to a different fair. After getting sick on the rides , I started a search for the famous Dr. Eggman of my dreams. I found a balloon-popping game and quickly grabbed a dart. He cost 3 popped balloons , so that was my goal. I threw the first balloon *POP* the second -Oh , dear- miss! I only had one dart left , and with all the rage of a nine-year-old nerd-to-be , I threw that dart and , by the grace of God , popped two at the same time. When we were leaving my cousin said “Oh , you got your Dr. Robotnik” and I snarled at her and said “NO! It’s Dr. Eggman!” That was before I know they were the same people.

Interesting story , huh? Well , that’s all my Sonic plush , so now for my Pac-Man plush!

As you can see , I have many duplicates , but that is because :

1. I had all 5 characters , and my brother would have , but he didn’t receive his Clyde ,  and he gave me his lot of them.

2. Every time I had a chance to get one of these , I did , and Claw Machines proved to be the most successful way to do so.

Here is the collection from top to bottom , left to right.

I have 2 small Pinky’s

3 Pac-Man’s (two with the classic “Pac-Man” logo on the tags , and one with the Pac-Man 25th anniversary logo on the tag)

1 custom Pac-Man made by my aunt

1 Large Pac-Man with the Pac-Mania design

I have 2 small Blinky’s

2 small and one large Inky

And 1 small and one large Clyde.

That’s all there is for my Classic Plush. Please comment , GOD BLESS!

May the 4th Be with You / Free Comic Book Day

Today , May the fourth , 2013 ,  is Official Star Wars Day!! On top of that , it’s Free Comic Book Day , and you can get select comics for the low price of oxygen participating Comic Book stores. I went to my local one and picked up three (the limit) of these:

I got one for me , one for my best friend , and one for my brother. The comic is rather short , but it’s free , so I’m not complaining.

Now I have the rest of the post to talk about May the Fourth (Force) Be with You! Stores are putting merchandise on sale , Nerds are rejoicing , and stuff is on sale! Enjoy your retro films , video games , and , mostly , LEGOs!!!! You can get a free Hoth Han Solo fig with any purchase of $75  (on LEGO.com) or more on today and tomorrow. Did I mention that tomorrow is Revenge of the Fifth?? I wonder who came up with these? Einstein?  A genius had to have done it!

Last but not least , today I added a new member to the Classics Rising family : a SEGA Saturn!

I picked up this wonderful machine at my local flee market for $25! I have no games , but I put in a music CD to test it (the seller said it worked , but I wanted a confirmation). The guy I bought it from was selling a PSP , GBA SP , WII , Atari 2600 ,  XBox , SNES , Genesis ,Saturn , Dreamcast ,  and a souped NES that the guy fixed to work with EUR cartridges and he added an extra controller port as well as other amazing changes. He had low prices on the systems , but he over-charged for games , which is why I didn’t buy any.

This beautiful contraption sits right next to its technological “little brother” , the Genesis!

Here is the amazingly comfortable controller:

That’s this wonderful day’s post! Please comment , GOD BLESS!

Blast from the Past: 1982 Mrs. Pac-Man Wind-Up

In a recent post I told of a Mrs. Pac-Man Wind-Up that I picked up on EBay , so now I am going to post about it!!

I got it nearly mint for $4.99 and the owner was selling 89 of them. The price has lowered by 50c , and as of now there are only 3 left!

To be 31 years old , it’s in nice shape. I will never open it , so I cannot tell how well the wind-up function works. From what I’ve seen , it seems that it opens and closes its mouth while it wiggles and moves around. They really don’t make toys how they used to! Its got a cute little ghost (Inky) trapped inside Mrs. Pac-Man , obviously not good for him.

*Awww shoot!*

Ha!

The entire collection along with a tempting little advertisement above them. I do eventually plan on purchasing the rest of the collection. This is the only cheap one I could find though.

That is this weeks BFTP! I did get many cool LEGO sets that I will write about soon! Please comment , GOD BLESS!

Blast from the Past – LCD Arcade Games

This week’s Blast from the Past is about LCD Games- a game’s cheaper , portable counterpart! Today I will show you some old ones from my childhood. First up , Pac-Man!

 This is a 2001 Pac-Man LCD game . This is the backlit version that is see-through , so it is better an easier to play than the non-lit one would be. It was given to me for Christmas way-back-when. It works and it still has the manual. Here is a screenshot:

Pac-Man goes through eight levels (floors) per stage eating Pac-Pellets , Power-Pellets , Fruit , and Ghosts. It is really fun to play especially for nostalgia’s sake. It has fun sound effects and two-player mode.

Next , my Super Breakout mini Arcade Game! I can’t find the manual but I still have the original joystick and the game works great!

I know the screen looks dim but that is just the camera flash. Here is a screenshot:

It is much like the Atari 2600 SB but it has a few differences. Despite that , it is still fun. It has great music , fun play , and a “demo” mode.

That’s this week’s Blast from the Past and today’s post. Please comment , GOD BLESS!