New game shop - Jammin!

Yes, it's a copy of ToeJam and Earl, and yes, it's sitting on my shelf right now. Regular readers should realize how much I love this game by the number of times I've mentioned it, but I haven't owned an actual copy in quite some time. Sure, there are always emulators, but it's just not the same. Oh, and it's illegal. So how did I come across this classic piece of video game history? Let me tell you.

Yesterday, my girlfriend and I had friends over (a rare occurrence in these parts), and before dinner, we decided to build up our appetite with a stroll around the mall. It was just five minutes after a conversation about Gamestop and their monopoly on the video game retail market that I spied something unfamiliar to my eyes. It was a kiosk. You know, like the type where they hassle you about your cellphone service or offer all-natural skin care creams made from real Dead Sea salt, only this one had shelves full of electronic entertainment.

3D Games was it's name (unimaginative, I know), and a little research tells us that the company opened it's first store in 2006 and it's first kiosk in 2008. It's franchise-based, and seems set on giving Gamestop a little competition. I'll be honest - I didn't spend a lot of time browsing their modern games and checking prices, because I quickly spied their older titles. And in amongst their selection of cartridges was the prize I sought, a little more expensive than some of the others, but worth every penny.

While I plan on returning to this kiosk and browsing through their more recent stuff, it's really the classic games that I'm most interested in. After all, new releases can be acquired from any number of places, but if you're looking for something more than one generation old, you're pretty much stuck with online stores only. Even PS1 games are difficult to find in brick and mortar shops these days, which is why I'm so excited by this new 3D Games thing. Also, since they will be the only ones who take classics for trade in, they may actually be able to build up a nice selection!

So anyway, I have ToeJam and Earl, my local mall has a fun new place to shop, and Gamestop has a little incentive to review some of their prices. Awesome. Oh, and before you say it, yes, I'm aware of the irony of shopping for old spite-based titles in a place called 3D Games.