I thought such a thread would be quite useful. If not, then not:110: I'm asking for the price of a really mint copy of Metal Slug incl. RAM-Cartridge for the SEGA Saturn in Akiba or wherever in the land of the rising sun. I was going to buy it in Japan this summer, but now an offer came up: 80€ (13'000yen) for a mint (regcard, game, cart, perfect box) copy and I don't know if its cheaper or similar in Japan. A friend who travelled to Akiba last year told me he saw just 1 copy of the MS RAM-boxset for about 10'000 but it looked very worn.
Well, in Paris we can find it in nice condition for 70€ in import shops,so i hope that you can get it for cheaper in Japan
At YJ the game only (not the boxset) is going for 3000-5000 Yen, an unopened copy is offered for 10000. I've seen a complete boxset in Akiba for about 7 or 8000 if I remember right but the box was also quite worn. I would not rely too much on finding a mint boxset while you are visiting Japan. You might get lucky and get it - say - 2 to 3000 Yen cheaper than the one offered to you but you can guess that they are hard to come by in this condition. Also depending on what you are looking for it could be "not mint enough" for you. As for the thread, if someone has a lot of spare time wouldn't it be better to compile a price list from Yahoo Auctions first and then eventually let members correct/expand it with street prices?
Metal Slug on Saturn as it is a game that most collectors get, you are unlikely to really find a copy (let alone a mint one) and if you do then places like Super Potato whack on a premium which means you might find it cheaper and in better condition outside of Tokyo.
Bollocks to Akihabara. I bought a normal edition for 3000 yen (mint) and a very good condition box set for 5800 yen. It all depends upon the place you shop. Saying that, if you are just here for a holiday the chances of you having time to find great deals is not so good. Only today I found a nice little shop in an area I've known for years yet never noticed the game shop. Bought a shit loads of expensive (in the land of Akihabara) PC Engine games as well as a few MD, Dreamcast and Saturn titles for only 14000 yen. Must have got about 30 games in total. So in short it's impossible to do a Japan price guide. Prices just vary far too much from area to area. Yakumo
There's Akiba, there is Nipponbashi and then there is the rest of Japan with small game shops scattered around. Which reminds me of a somewhat self-pleasing but good-to-read feature at ntsc-uk I came across a few years ago. It's still here: Seeing The Invisible Part 1 (replace the "1" in the URL with "2" and "3" for the respective parts).
YOu could go through a surrogate bidding service and get it way cheaper than 13,000 yen. I think there's one up there now if I'm not mistaken.
i want to go to japan on spring break (march/april) of 2008, some people told me that it's not a lot of stuff of retro gaming now in japan, this is true? i thought that i could find anything (i rather neo geo aes systems and saturn and super famicom games) sorry for my english thanks
Well akihabara has changed a lot even since a few years ago, a lot of shops have shrunk the amount of retro they do or have ceased altogether but you'll still find most of the stuff you want. I've had no trouble finding the things I wanted so far.
If you are going to Akihabara then check out Trader behind Club Sega then Super Potato although Super Potato is quite expensive. Finding retro isn't a problem at all if you look in video rental places, indie game shops and junk shops. Yakumo
Getting harder. Trader 2's retro section ain't that hot any more, (although they have the best prices). Super Potato's prices aren't terrible outside of the showcase. In the showcase, they suck balls.
I'd only buy from Super Potato if I really wanted the item and couldn't find it anywhere else. They have good prices on Hardware but their software and their Music CDs prices, border on extortion. Really worth shopping around, shouldn't take too long.. :crying:
I buy (rarely) from the Super Potato shop in Akihabara, although I do visit the ones in Osaka from time to time. They website address is http://www.superpotato.com/
I don't see why everyone is bashing Super Potato exclusively. Their prices aren't that outrages. Media Land has been around longer, and has traditionally had worse prices. I went on an Aki crawl yesterday. Both places had sealed Delisoba Deluxe in their showcase. Super Potato: 98,000 yen. Media Land: 198,000 yen. Liberty, is a rip-off as well. Saw a PS game I wanted for 3000 yen. Went over to Superpotato, got it for 2000 yen.
Oh yeah, I'll back you up on Liberty being a rip off. Couldn't even concider paying some of the prices they ask. Yakumo
Conversely the Soundtrack CDs they sell are generally a lot more reasonable. Bought Le Mans 24 OST for Y680 and in Super Potato it goes for Y2800... Although at the moment all retro stuf has a nice 30% discount so it's possible to bag a bargain or two.
