/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.7978228]

My local Sears just closed. What are some of your vidya related Sears memories?

[Anonymous No.7978236]

[Anonymous No.7978238]

[Anonymous No.7978331]

>>7978228
Buying a copy of Yoshi's Story that later probably got borrowed out of existence without anyone telling me.

...also, not retro, but I thought I bought a DS Lite there once. What was retro is that they still had a Gamecube kiosk playing Metroid Prime on it.

[Anonymous No.7978358]

>>7978228
There was a mall somewhere around Woodland Hills that had a Sears and was the closest to where I lived. They also had a pretty decent arcade as well and a bunch of machines in the hall outside that I guess were independent. Got my first Pong console at that Sears xmas 75.

[Anonymous No.7978580]

>>7978228

Sears was where I first encountered a Nintendo 64 as a kid not long after it launched. They had a demo unit running with Mario 64.

I was pumped as fuck because no one was playing. I ran up and grabbed the controller and my first reaction was, "What in the holy hell is this awkward abomination?"

I figured it out after a minute because, I mean, I was a dumb kid, but still. I then proceeded to mess around with the baby penguin in Cool Cool Mountain. Off the side he goes!

[Anonymous No.7978604]

I never bought games from Sears, it was always K-Mart and Toys R Us for me.

[Anonymous No.7978860]

>>7978228
Dude, I was "thisclose" to buying an HD-DVD player at a Sears. HD-DVD had just lost the next-gen DVD wars to Blu-Ray and the HD-DVD players (and everything with it) were supremely marked down to "I can't believe they're selling it this cheap" rate.

Unfortunately, there was only one sales rep on the floor and the dude was not giving even one part of one shit to customer service. I called him "Mr. Shuffles" because he kept shuffling his feet everywhere. After trying to find another sales rep that could even remotely help me, I just gave up. Never got a HD-DVD player.

Also, I remember when our local Sears sold Dungeons & Dragons stuff unironically. Yeah, I'm an old-timer. I'll admit it.

Also, my Dad would always stop by the tools section and spend half-an-hour just browsing the tools section. He'd either always walk away with a new tool or like one of the tools and see if another comp made one similar.

[Anonymous No.7979430]

Played a demo for Threads of Fate at a PS1 kiosk at Sears and immediately fell in love with the game. It's not an especially great game, but it's always been charming to me, and the memory of playing that demo is one of those weird bits of happy nostalgia.

[Anonymous No.7979519]

>>7978228
Playing Star Fox 64 at a kiosk in a Sears in 1997. My parents couldn't afford to get me an N64 at the time because it was still pretty expensive and not too many people were selling them used. My dad started watching me to kill time while my mom finished her shopping, and he seemed kind of impressed or at least a little entertained by the voice acting and said something like "You know, maybe it wouldn't be too bad to own one of these". They ended up getting me a N64 less than a year later.

[Anonymous No.7979521]

>>7978236
Imagine being some white middle class Sears sales clerk who gets to work in the video game section. That must have been a lot of fun.

[Anonymous No.7979590]

My Sears had an awesome mini arcade by one of the entrances outside the mall. Played games like fucking Exidy Crossbow, Sinistar, Choplifter, and more there as the vending co rotated them out.

This was in the mid 90s so those games were already old. I would kill for the Crossbow and wonder if it's still in the area.

[Anonymous No.7979595]

I didn't even know Sears had videogames. It's one of those stores we didn't really go to so I wasn't sure what they sold.

[Anonymous No.7979612]

>>7978228
My mom always went to sears. I cant remember them ever having a good selection of games but I always looked at the bargain bin while my mom was shopping.

[Anonymous No.7979926]

>>7978228
>My local Sears just closed

Sears were still open?

[Anonymous No.7979940]

>>7979521
>Middleclass
>Sears sales clerk
That is an oxymoron. Ain't NO middle class a wage slave even going back 30 years.

[Anonymous No.7981275]

>>7978228
what the fuck sears had games. i thought all they sold was clothes and washing machines.

[Anonymous No.7981292]

>>7979940
the middle class have never existed, all you have is the boot, those who lick it, and those that get death/incarceration

[Anonymous No.7981293]

>>7979940
Sears employees likely were, they used to get commission.

[Anonymous No.7981624]

My mom used to shop at Marshall's in the same shopping complex that had a Sears, so I'd go hang out in the video game section of Sears while she did clothes shopping, I have good memories of playing Vectorman on the Genesis demo kiosk and getting Super Mario World on clearance, also remember seeing Star Wars Chess for Sega CD in the clearance bin and would have bought it if I had a Sega CD at the time.

[Anonymous No.7981658]

>>7978228
I was thrilled when my Sears closed because I got a bunch of shit super cheap, including my current bed.

[Anonymous No.7981663]

My mom works for Sears corporate in a high up position, ask me anything

[Anonymous No.7981664]

>>7979926
Kek this. My local mall’s Sears closed down nearly a decade ago.

[Anonymous No.7981665]

>>7981663
Why is she still working for a nearly defunct business?

[Anonymous No.7981679]

>>7981665
She started at Kmart and moved over to Sears when they were bought out. She's been with them her whole working career. That and she signed a contract to stay on and was given a pretty big bonus.

[Anonymous No.7981684]

>>7981679
Going down with the ship. Fair enough.

[Anonymous No.7982853]

>>7978228
>What are some of your vidya related Sears memories?
everything prior to the Gun Control Act of 1968

[Anonymous No.7982869]

Got a Resident Evil 2 T-Shirt with my copy bought at Sears it's release week.

[Anonymous No.7982882]

>>7979940
Part of the reason why Sears went down as a business was their practice of - shock and horror - paying their clerks decent money. Since the competition didn't have weird ideas like that, they could cut corners where Sears refused to

[Anonymous No.7983998]

>>7981275
I don't recall ever seeing video games at Sears either. I remember tools, clothing, furniture, and appliances.

[Anonymous No.7984028]

>>7978228
My mother took me there one day because she thought the school had an in service day. I walked up to the Electronics counter and saw they were stocked up on Panzer Dragoon Saga for the Sega Saturn. Didn't realize it was an RPG at the time. Didn't know I liked RPGs at the time. Didn't buy a copy. Was five feet away from at least twenty sealed copies of Panzer Dragoon Saga

[Anonymous No.7984053]

>>7982882
I’d say buying Kmart was an infinitely worse decision desu.

[Anonymous No.7984082]

>>7981275
>>7983998
Sears locations often acted as anchor stores at malls. My old local Sears had a pretty big electronics and video game department in its prime. It’s since been converted into a Planet Fitness.

[Anonymous No.7984101]

Definitely picked up some classics like Donkey Kong Country from Sears.
I remember they had a kiosk for Yoshi's Island and I was utterly baffled by that game. Just didn't know what to make of it.

[Anonymous No.7984135]

>>7984053
Sears was already solidly on a path down the shitter at that point, venture capitalists doing venture capital things just accelerated it.

[Anonymous No.7984152]

>>7984101
I still don't know what to make of it.

[Anonymous No.7984205]

Your local sears just closed recently? The one near me closed like 4 years ago.

[Anonymous No.7984208]

>>7981663
What's her plan once the company goes bust? It's liable to happen in less than ten years at this rate.

[Anonymous No.7984242]

>>7978228
Buying a Sega Genesis console back in 1991. I got the one with Sonic The Hedgehog included. Became a Sega fan ever since.

[Anonymous No.7984251]

>>7984208
It happened 15 years ago, anybody that's left is smart enough to stick around and cannibalize the remains or dumb enough to think they're not 20 years too late for a complete overhaul.
Just because the company's cashflow is shit doesn't mean they're not sitting on a cash cow; no milk left but still some choice cuts of meat. C-suite won't be losers unless they purposely try to fuck up.

[Anonymous No.7984264]

Sears was already well into its decline when I was in high school. I remember going to the electronics section at the local mall Sears, and the ENTIRE wall of games was just filled with PS2 copies of Katamari Damacy for like 10 or 20 bucks. So I bought it and played it and it was based as fuck.

[Anonymous No.7984271]

>>7984264
Yeah you could often find the most random games at Sears. When the Dreamcast went under in 2002, I got Grandia II and Skies of Arcadia for $20 each.

[Anonymous No.7984273]

>>7984271
Two of the best games of all time. That's awesome.

[Anonymous No.7984623]

>>7979521
Why is the white bit important.

[Anonymous No.7984639]

>>7981663
Was Eddie Lampert actually *trying* to kill the damn thing?

[Anonymous No.7984647]

>>7981664
My local Sears just closed last year. They were so fucking vindictive about it they not only demolished the store but also chopped down all the goddamned trees before pulling out. It had a distinctly retaliatory feel to it.

[Anonymous No.7984656]

>>7979519
based dad

>>7981275
zoomer or late millennial detected

>>7981663
>>7981679
>Aunt worked at Sears for a career
>Retired with some huge stock options in early 90s
>Could have cashed out and made $300K after taxes
>Thought the internet was a meme like Sears
>Ended up making $50K after taxes
>Still glad because "Didn't buy a new house, but still got a new car."

[Anonymous No.7984658]

>>7984647
Nah, honestly the best thing they could have done as well as the most profitable.
Most companies just abandon the lot to rot, way worse in the long term. Sears might still own the land too, looks more like an asset if it's in a presentable condition.

[Anonymous No.7984660]

>>7984264
>>7984271

>TFW the only times I played Sega Saturn and the Dreamcast was at the Sears Electronics kiosk while mom was shopping.

[Anonymous No.7984665]

>>7984658
>presentable condition.
A bunch of naked tree-stumps and a pad of asphalt is "presentable"?

[Anonymous No.7984671]

>>7978228
Is it 1999 where you live?

[Anonymous No.7984679]

STORY TIME:
>Be Kid
>Sears has kick ass NES setup in the late 80s
>Downsize it
>Get the mcfuck huge sign they had
>Plug it up in the basement, looked awesome

YEARS LATER
>OG DS is hard as fuck to find
>Go there
>They have it
>Some old guy sells it to me
>Score

YEARS LATER
>Get a job in electronics
>Wii comes out
>Every nutjob parent wants one
>Some hick midget wants to see it after we get one
>Show him the box
>Wants me to open it
>LOL NO
>Points a gun at me
>Laugh in confusion
>He runs

THE VERY NEXT YEAR
>Work in inventory management because I got my degree
>Upped me to 10 an hour instead of 6 (this was 2011
>Be drunk fuck
>Break up with fiance months after big drunk fight because I won't do probation
>Touch girls
>Call the niggers downstairs NIGGERS
>Get fired

Sears was dope

[Anonymous No.7984698]

>>7984671
If only it were always 1999.

[Anonymous No.7984701]

>>7984679
>when your autism is so powerful, you can make hardened criminals spill their spaghetti.

[Anonymous No.7984721]

>>7984679
What a ride

[Anonymous No.7984729]

>>7984665
>A bunch of naked tree-stumps and a pad of asphalt is "presentable"?
Yes, for a developer interested in the space.

[Anonymous No.7984731]

>>7978238
A used nintendo system costs $50 more than that now

[Anonymous No.7984741]

>>7984731
yeah, but people are retarded these days

[Anonymous No.7984748]

>>7984729
So, 'til then, it looks like a forsaken blight of shit. Okay, Anon. Maybe next time we'll have that conversation about how ashpits are actually a really keen aesthetic for any aspiring low-income housing project.

[Anonymous No.7984793]

>>7984639
According to my mom it's a complicated answer, he has pored 10's or millions into the company to pay off loans but he also seems to be making the stupidest decisions any ceo can make.

[Anonymous No.7984803]

>>7984208
I have no idea, hard to ask her honestly. She's been with Kmart/Sears her whole working career so it's hard to imagine her doing anything else

[Anonymous No.7984808]

>>7984803
Sounds like she’ll be able to just retire by the time Sears truly goes under.

[Anonymous No.7984817]

>>7984698
iktf ;_;

[Anonymous No.7984824]

>>7978228
too many to count. I played so many SNES, PS1, and Virtual Boy games at sears. My parents pretty much dropped me off at Sears as if it were an arcade.

[Anonymous No.7984916]

>>7984748
>So, 'til then, it looks like a forsaken blight of shit. Okay, Anon.
I don't know why you're getting mad at me because you don't understand commercial real estate. Dilapidated buildings and unkempt foliage is going to be a bigger shitshow in the long run, for both the landowner and the community.
Yes, NO development having ever occurred there would be better for the environment. But guess fucking what? Development did happen, junior, it looks like shit but it looks less shitty than if they had cut and ran.
Go do something about it if you want it to change.

[Anonymous No.7985207]

>>7978228
Grandpa took me there and bought me pic related, only game I ever got from Sears
Thanks Papaw, RIP

[Anonymous No.7985240]

>>7984916
>it looks like shit but it looks less shitty than if they had cut and ran.
...But they literally *did* cut down everything and run away. I could not have been more clear about this, Anon.

[Anonymous No.7985253]

>>7978228
Adam Walsh.

[Anonymous No.7985317]

>>7984623
WOKE !!!!!!

[Anonymous No.7985368]

At Sears I was hanging out by the video game section where they had demo systems hooked up and this black dude came over was saying to his girlfriend how PlayStation was so cool and for grown ups and Sega Saturn was for kiddie games.
I'm not sure why I remember it all these years later, but I just remember thinking in my head how wrong he was and that Sega Saturn had adult oriented games too!
Even as a kid I hated fanboy type shit and I did own a Sega Saturn, so maybe that's why I took enough offense that I still remember all these years later.

[Anonymous No.7985402]

>>7978228
The snes had just released, my grandpa thought it was a good idea to buy us a "nintendo" like we played at home (NES) instead of going to his house. He went to sears and asked for a Nintendo they assumed he meant the new one. We had a great day because of him.

[Anonymous No.7985407]

>>7985240
I. Understand. What. You. Are. Saying.

It is not residential, it is not a public park, it does not exist for your enjoyment.
A company bought a piece of land that was zoned for commercial use. They built a building upon that land to conduct business. This building was surrounded, on the property, by supporting structures, such as parking lots and greenery. NONE of these structures probably existed before the company began development. Trees and bushes where probably brought in from who knows the fuck where. Their sole purpose was to make the space look more visually appealing.

NOW, the company most likely has no use for the land, it is simply another debit (shit owed to someone else) on an accounting statement. Property taxes alone eat away at its profitability every day it sits unused. It needs to be sold asap, especially for a company that has almost no cash flow (making money on regular basis).
So how do they sell it quickly? Make it as viable a space as possible for as many potential buyers as possible. A flat nothing. Not everybody wants to build another big box store, most people don't. And most developers don't want to deal with tearing down preexisting structures before they even start, fuck those costs and time. This shit can take YEARS.

There might even be a contingency in the commercial zoning agreement, "take your shit with you if you leave," or something like that. Zoning law is basically "anything goes" as long as everyone (almost everyone) is in agreement. It might not even be commercial anymore, probably going to build another "luxury" apartment building/complex with quarter sized balconies 5ft away from the street.

[Anonymous No.7986286]

>>7981275
>>7983998
Maybe you only saw the parts of the store your parents dragged you along to when they bought shit?

[Anonymous No.7986328]

>>7978228
I used to love checking out the games at Sears. The electronics were prominently displayed right next to the exit to the mall so you couldn't miss them. Eventually they moved them to some random corner in the back of the store and I questioned why the hell did they ever do that. Before they went down Montgomery Ward did the exact same thing. I played Nights for the first time at that place and thats what convinced me I wanted a game console instead of the occasional trip to the arcade.

One time at Sears I had my gameboy and I got a new gameboy game and when I swapped out the old cart for the new one I lost my old game. I was kinda upset my dad didn't even try to help me look for it. I was sitting on one of those bed sets, it probably accidentally got lost under a blanket but he wanted to leave. RIP DonkeyKong

[Anonymous No.7986378]

>>7984028
Better than the he dude you spent 5 million Bitcoins on a Domino's pizza or whatever at least.

[Anonymous No.7986821]

>>7986378
Not really. Since that guy was involved in such high volumes that early he's still probably a multi millionaire.

[Anonymous No.7986829]

>>7978228
The first and only time I ever played Virtual Boy was at a kiosk at Sears. I was never under the impression that the games were in color (I'm p. sure I'd already seen screenshots in NP), so when I tried it the screen(s) didn't bother me. Had a pretty fun time, though it didn't instill in me the sense of 'oh god my life is missing this!' the way playing the SNES demo did.

[Anonymous No.7986842]

>>7979519
lol funny enough your story almost exactly matches mine, just with the SNES Starfox instead. My dad was never into games but he watched while I played a demo at TRU and was really impressed by it.

[Anonymous No.7986864]

>>7986328
>I was sitting on one of those bed sets
Man this thread reminded me of how the bedroom/linen area of Sears was always so closely packed and how comfy that seems in retrospect; in my memories it's all the fabric from the duvets and bedsets, those metal cage things they'd keep the stock in and the bright overhead lights. Companies all aped the Apple-style displays and lost their soul in the process.

[Anonymous No.7986981]

The first time I saw a store display with an iMac G3 playing Nanosaur and my mind was blown, then the year after that when they had a Dreamcast in-store demo

[Anonymous No.7987015]

>>7978228
I remember playing Banjo Kazooie at a demo kiosk and getting some these keychain plushies. Loves these fucking things to death as a kid. Took them everywhere. Could never find Toad for some reason.

[Anonymous No.7987016]

>>7987015
Whoops.

[Anonymous No.7987056]

i only vaguely remember looking for games here. i went to softwear etc, kay bee. or toys r us for games.

[Anonymous No.7987070]

>>7985407
>There might even be a contingency in the commercial zoning agreement, "take your shit with you if you leave," or something like that.
So why did they have to chop down the fucking trees too? I get demo'ing the store itself, but chopping down the trees yet leaving the damn stumps seems like a stealth middle-finger to the community.