The Web & The Wire

Technology Column with Joe Granese

Great sources for finding old or used video games

I miss the old Pennsauken Mart. A day at the Mart was a special experience, from the first moment I saw that big “M” in the air until I left its friendly confines to see if my car was up on blocks in the parking lot. The Mart was little slice of life just a few miles to the west, now faded into the past.

One of my favorite Mart businesses, aside from the hot soft pretzel booth and the collectible toys store, was the used video game booth on the west side. That was quite a shop. Chances are that anyone looking for an old game would find at least a couple of copies here, in varying conditions, priced accordingly.

I hauled home dozens of bargains, including old “Darkstalkers” titles, a couple of early Saturn imports, and even my first copy of the distracting fighter “Dead or Alive.” With new games zeroing in on the $50 mark, a visit to that store represented significant savings. Its passing is yet another reason I really miss that old Mart.

The store may be gone, but the concept of buying and selling used games remains alive and well in the Information Age. In preparation for the winter holidays, I checked out a few online resources for the odd previously played title, and I will share them with you today. Note that commercial sites are eligible for a maximum of four spiders, and keep in mind that several area retail establishments also sell used games and bear a bit of investigation.

www.dawdle.com

Most gamers have been accused of dawdling around at one time or another by people who don’t know how important it is to finish a level, even if it means missing the school bus. Now you can dawdle online any time at a new gaming site, Dawdle.com.

The idea is to connect people who want to sell games and gaming gear with people who want to buy it. It seems so simple when you lay it out like that. Sellers simply list their items and inform the system of their minimum price. It takes seconds. Buyers enter their want list along with the price they want to pay. The system does the rest.

Dawdle was founded by gamers, for gamers, and the system seems to be working fairly well. I was amazed by the wealth of great games for all platforms listed on the site, including some titles that had only been in the stores a few weeks, along with a few true classics.

I found a PC version of “Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo,” my all-time favorite video game from the late 20th century. There was “Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy,” and even the PlayStation version of the original “Dead or Alive.” They had an amazing selection of PlayStation 3 titles, too, including the popular “Guitar Hero III,” with controller.

I could have spent my entire winter holiday budget there. If you are looking for a few inexpensive games to build up your library, or want to have a couple of titles to give to someone who’s getting a new console this year, Dawdle deserves a look. For bringing buyers and sellers together, www.dawdle.com picks up a quartet of previously webbed spiders.

www.prex.com

Speaking of favored destinations, the Princeton Record Exchange in Princeton was always a favorite stop for me on a Saturday morning. Sure, it was a two-hour drive into the middle of nowhere, but the insane selection of used media, from rare LPs to the latest CDs, always yielded a few gems at bargain prices. Today, the selection also includes video games.

The store would also buy my old castoffs, making the trip that much more worthwhile. When I am in the Princeton area, I always make it a point to run through the store. Since broadening its inventory, the Exchange has been actively seeking used video games to build up its selection. In some cases, it is offering prices that may be much more attractive than those given at other walk-in venues.

Check things out on the website to get an idea of what they may be willing to pay for old games. The store buys old DVDs, CDs, and even LPs in some cases, and much of the deal can be transacted online. It offers an interactive questionnaire that you can fill out to get the process going.

The store usually has a couple hundred used games on hand, with more coming in regularly, so shoppers may be able to pick up that odd old title that has been eluding them for so long. While there, look for favorite recording artists, TV shows and movies. The trip itself is long, but fun. For providing a venue for gamers to offload their collections online, and for presenting one of the best bricks-and-mortar browsing opportunities in the Garden State, www.prex.com recycles four classic spiders.

www.gamefly.com

The trouble with buying and selling used games online is that one never really knows the people with whom they are dealing. Even the best-looking website could be hiding a single room in a far-off country where a couple of scammers with a remailing service are plotting to separate owners from their games and cash.

It pays to do business with a known entity. Gamefly is just such a thing, one of the best-established sites on the World Wide Web. Best known for its game rental facility, Gamefly also offers an incredibly large selection of used games for sale on its website.

I visited the Pre-played Store looking for PS3 titles and found quite a few good deals. A copy of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” could be had for $17.99. On a well-known online retail site, a new copy of the game was selling for $12 more. It had “Call of Duty II,’ “Tony Hawk’s Project 8” and “Major League Baseball 2K7” for the PS3 in stock, each selling for under $20.

There was a great selection of used Pokémon games, and even a page or two of Wii titles, including a used copy of “Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2” that I was barely able to resist. The used games are fully inspected, come complete with the original case and manuals in new condition, and can usually be purchased for as little as half the regular retail price.

Bargains appeal to me, and the Gamefly site was full of them. Inspected and guaranteed, their games present little in the way of downside. For offering tons of titles to dedicated players who demand variety, www.gamefly.com picks up four slightly used spiders.

I have been playing video games since day one, and my major objection has always been that they cost too much for me to get all the titles I want. Now, with a bit of legwork or a little driving, players can hook up with some truly great games without spending the egg money. If you have had a good or bad experience with any of the game vendors discussed today, or would like to tell me about a favorite source for used games, put down the controller and email me at granese@juno.com.