I recently got into collecting games, specifically older ones. I'm more of a movie guy, but I still enjoy the feeling of buying and playing these sometimes forgotten games. Here are some tips for keeping your hobby cheap but also finding games you actually want to play.
1. Get stuff you want to play Unless you are going for a complete collection, play games that you actively want to play and not something that looks good on a shelf. Just because it's expensive doesn't mean you should buy it. 2. Road Trips are your friend I have gotten some good deals while staying in small towns. There are a lot of retro game shops to be found around small-town areas. There are several stores called Game X-Change across Texas, where there are plenty of used games at really good prices. If you're ever on a road trip and pass through the towns of Abilene, Athens, Baytown, Burleson, Cleburne, College Station, Conroe, Copperas Grove, Corsicana (or any towns on this list http://www.gogamexchange.com/find-a-store/) be sure to stop by their stores. 3. Look beyond Many game stores have their bad games on the normal shelves, but to really find the rare or good games you have to look further. Often these games can be found in a glass case or inside the counter. Sometimes asking helps as well, inquire to the employees if they have any backlogged games. 4. Check the games label before purchase Bootlegs litter the retro gaming market. There are many ways to check to see if the copy of the game is legit, and tips like this can easily be found online. 5. Never buy the first copy you see Let's say you see a Playstation 2 at a retro game store for $43.00. Don't buy it just yet. Write down the store you found it at and ask if they have an extra. After this, if you're still hankering for a PS2, go to a Goodwill or Savers. They might have it for cheaper, but the risk here is that it might not be in great condition. Goodwills and other stores that don't specialize in retro games won't have as high of an upkeep rate. Cables might be missing or corroded. It's up to you to decide.
0 Comments
Stephen Speilberg is arguably the most famous movie director ever. He’s directed some of the greatest, most iconic, and successful films ever. So where did he get his start? Why, with the 1971 TV movie Duel. All geniuses have to start somewhere, and Spielberg started with this low budget TV film, although it eventually got a theatrical release. This film, and Jaws, are perhaps Speilberg’s only 2 horror movies. And Duel is a far more stripped down movie than Jaws. There’s only one named character, and the villain is never seen. In this way, it reminds me of Halloween. A faceless, unkillable main killer stalking an innocent person, with the motivation and identity never revealed. The simplicity is astounding, with the only semblance of a plot being “a man gets followed and menaced by a gigantic gas tanker truck whose driver is never seen”. While this might sound like it could get repetitive, the editing and direction make it really engaging and suspenseful. The movie has a limited score and excellent stunt work, and there are even some Speilberg hallmarks here as well. His tendency to include absent father in his films (Close Encounters, Jaws, Jurassic Park, etc.) as well as naturalistic sound and locations crop up here as well. Some sequences here remind me of the road scenes from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and obviously that’s a good thing. Throughout the movie, the main character’s masculinity is tested, with his last name even being Mann, and you could easily read this as an allegory for one’s “manhood” being destroyed. Acts of physical strength on Mann’s part are constantly failing, and his wife is constantly nagging him.
Duel is an excellent film, and it’s astounding that it was intended for TV. This is 1,000 times better than most of what clogged the airwaves at the time, and is also better than what clogs the airwaves now. 9/10 |
AuthorI'm Spoon Goon. I like movies and video games and occasionally a good TV show. Archives
April 2020
|