In this week’s edition of Retro Game Hunting, I head over to our friends at 1UP Videogames in Covina, California. As I walked in, I felt like I had entered a haven for retro gamers. The wide array of consoles and games, ranging from past to current generations filled the store with a sort of inviting ambience that was welcoming to all kinds of gamers, retro and modern alike. Anything imaginable could be found in the diverse collection of gaming merchandise in the store, from SNES to PS2, to N64, even Original Gameboy games.
I walked inside and met up with Andres who was running the store. He kindly assisted me in searching through his store for the list of titles I was hunting for. As he went on his search, I decided that it was necessary for me to scout the rest of the immensely diverse store.
Near the back of the store on display was the Pikachu edition of the N64. As I scanned through the cartridges that were for sale: Super Smash Bros., Pokemon Stadium, Zelda, I was reminded of a dilemma I had as a kid. I had to choose between an N64 and PS1. Though the idea of playing Pokemon on a TV screen was a dream come true, I still chose the Playstation, and I was glad I did. Titles such as Spyro and Crash, and the original Biohazard (aka Resident Evil) were unforgottable. There were also many other games that I’ve never heard of, including Kid Icarus, Duck Tales, and Trouble in Blobolonia. These are definitely some titles that I plan on picking up in the future.
In the back of 1UP Videogames was also a Street Fighter arcade machine, something you don’t see in your typical video game store. I went ahead and challenged a random guy to a match. Street fighter, and fighting games in general, were definitely not my thing. But of course, I do have mad respect for the fighting game community. King of Fighter is a personal favorite, just because that is what I grew up playing. Behind the Street Fighter machine, there were fighting sticks for sale. There was even Super Street Fighter 4 for PS3. The vast diversity of game merchandise is what makes 1UP Video Games unique.
Andres was done going through the list of games, and I ended up picking up a copy of Rygar for NES, and Megaman X for SNES for an amazing deal. Andres was very helpful and even took the time to clean out the two cartridges before handing them over. The prices 1UP Videogames have are a bargain. I saw a used PSP 2000 God of War edition for $65; quite a steal.
Right when I got back to the office I tested out Megaman X on the RetroN 5. I can confidently say, without a doubt, Megaman X is the most phenomenal games I have seen so far on the RetroN 5. The pixels are beautifully smoothed out. It was unbelievable. The Megaman X series is classic; one of my personal favorite side-scrollers of all time. I’ve never played this particular one, but the ones I have played are X4 and X5 for the Playstation One. I was still starstruck of how good Megaman X looked on the RetroN 5; it was exciting indeed.
Not only does 1UP Videogames contain a diverse collection of retro and modern game merchandise, but they also offer incredibly low prices. Repair services for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and many retro video game consoles such as NES and SNES are available as well. If you are having issues with your gaming console or are just looking for some games to purchase for your old school consoles, definitely pay 1UP Videogames a visit!
