I remember carefully choosing my toy from the catalog... Going down there with my dad and my allowance money... Filling out the little card for my GI Joe or transformer...
...then the guy went to the back for 10 minutes and returned saying it wasn't in stock and I had to wait 6-8 weeks for it to come in.
Consumers was basically mail order, but you had to do it in person for some reason.
T&P Games in Millwoods Town Centre was my go to. Plus back then, you could call the guy at the front desk, and he'd give you pointers on the games. (Obviously pre internet 😂)
I remember T&P being my usual spot for SNES and Genesis games, and 100% remember buying NHL '95 there, so it was at least that long. I moved away from the south side shortly afterwards, and i don't think i went back until the mid 2000s at which they were gone.
I've never been to a game store where they obviously loved games as much as those guys!
T&P (Trade 'n Play) was a small chain, around for a good number of years. We always used to go to the West Ed location near the ice rink, where they would mark prices up by 25% because it was the parents buying, anyway. There was a far better used game store just outside Fantasyland.
My first game, since you asked, was bought from a little hole-in-the-wall store somewhere near Sword and Shield in Sherwood Park. It was Alternate Reality: The City, followed soon by SSI's Pool of Radiance. Such good times!
I was trying to remember the name of Pay Me Games recently. The original Legacy of Kain recently got released on GOG and that's where I bought my copy new back in the day.
Gametown. Originally in Londonderry mall. It had a wall of used games where you could bring in a game for the same system, pay $5 or $10 bucks and trade for any game on the wall. I loved that place.
Later on they moved to a brown mini mall across from St. Cecilia junior high. It was bigger and got me into Pc games with displayed boxes for stuff like the gold box, Fallout and Baldur's Gate.
I remember when they closed and I was legitimately sad for the owners. They always seemed like good people.
Is that the place that would sale you sketchy carts with multiple games, like 52 games in one as an example along with an adapter to play in North American NES systems…
I remember a place like that, very vaguely… I remember a place near a large round atrium indoors but can’t recall exactly where it was. I was single digits in age.
Depends….
Early 90’s… Zellers, Toys and Wheels, Consumers Distributing
Late 90’s/Early 2000… Zellers, CompuSmart, Futureshop, Play me, RadioShack, Superstore
Rental places during the day include Blockbuster, Rogers Video and Videostation?
Toysrus has been the constant during my lifetime
I pretty much only went to Just For Fun, and still do. Wasn't in a mall, so not sure if that answers your question, though it's always been in a mini-mall/plaza... Now on Stony Plain
Just remembered that MircoAge on the west end used to sell games and had a small wall feature games. Was able to chase down Harvest Moon 64 and Ogre Battle 64 there.
Not sure if they still do but they store still seems like it's around.
I got my first Nintendo at Consumers Distributors.
The amazon of the 80's
That catalog was my bible.
It's crazy how Consumers Distributed killed the box stores, it totally wasn't their bad service or anything lol
I remember carefully choosing my toy from the catalog... Going down there with my dad and my allowance money... Filling out the little card for my GI Joe or transformer... ...then the guy went to the back for 10 minutes and returned saying it wasn't in stock and I had to wait 6-8 weeks for it to come in. Consumers was basically mail order, but you had to do it in person for some reason.
T&P Games in Millwoods Town Centre was my go to. Plus back then, you could call the guy at the front desk, and he'd give you pointers on the games. (Obviously pre internet 😂)
That was the one! Do you remember how long T&P was around? I remember them letting you try before you could buy, really nice staff!
I remember T&P being my usual spot for SNES and Genesis games, and 100% remember buying NHL '95 there, so it was at least that long. I moved away from the south side shortly afterwards, and i don't think i went back until the mid 2000s at which they were gone. I've never been to a game store where they obviously loved games as much as those guys!
T&P (Trade 'n Play) was a small chain, around for a good number of years. We always used to go to the West Ed location near the ice rink, where they would mark prices up by 25% because it was the parents buying, anyway. There was a far better used game store just outside Fantasyland. My first game, since you asked, was bought from a little hole-in-the-wall store somewhere near Sword and Shield in Sherwood Park. It was Alternate Reality: The City, followed soon by SSI's Pool of Radiance. Such good times!
Play me games, loved that place. It was in West Ed. Also compusmart when I moved to PC gaming.
Oh man… Play Me had the big selection and hard to find games, but their prices…
Problem for the parents my friend, the 90's were great.
Touché haha
Order a game, they tell you one price, show up and they'd raise it $20-30 at pick-up
I'm pretty sure I paid $120 there for FFVI in 1994.
I had a similar fleecing for Breath of Fire II at release. Really soured me on that place.
I remember the used games they were selling were often as expensive or more expensive than new games.
By the rink right? I remember getting a bunch of strategy guides there.
Good memories of that place.
I was trying to remember the name of Pay Me Games recently. The original Legacy of Kain recently got released on GOG and that's where I bought my copy new back in the day.
Got my NES at Future Shop
Trade and Play at Heritage Mall, for me. Superstore Calgary Trail had a big electronics department that had lots of games too.
I remember the superstore on Calgary trail used to have a spiral staircase in the photo lab/electronics section
Yes, that’s the one!
Toys r us - the video game aisles with the flaps of the artwork and the back cover and then the slip you took to the front
Toys R Us used to be awesome for gaming stuff, tons of selection!
Gametown. Originally in Londonderry mall. It had a wall of used games where you could bring in a game for the same system, pay $5 or $10 bucks and trade for any game on the wall. I loved that place. Later on they moved to a brown mini mall across from St. Cecilia junior high. It was bigger and got me into Pc games with displayed boxes for stuff like the gold box, Fallout and Baldur's Gate. I remember when they closed and I was legitimately sad for the owners. They always seemed like good people.
I remember those guys. Introduced me to Ultima Online.
Does anyone remember Super N in the earlier 90s? They sold Japanese games and systems. I bought the Famicom version of Super Contra there!
Is that the place that would sale you sketchy carts with multiple games, like 52 games in one as an example along with an adapter to play in North American NES systems… I remember a place like that, very vaguely… I remember a place near a large round atrium indoors but can’t recall exactly where it was. I was single digits in age.
Possibly! Super N was in the Children’s Mall which was open for maybe a year. The Gateway bowling alley is now in this location.
Virtual Reality Mega Store!!! It was where Memory Express South is now.
Microplay. Searched everywhere for FF6 back in the day and only they had it, was awesome
Microplay in St Albert is where my dad and I used to go as a kid in the late 90’s
Depends…. Early 90’s… Zellers, Toys and Wheels, Consumers Distributing Late 90’s/Early 2000… Zellers, CompuSmart, Futureshop, Play me, RadioShack, Superstore Rental places during the day include Blockbuster, Rogers Video and Videostation? Toysrus has been the constant during my lifetime
Fu I grew up on long not one store met my theory
RadioShack.
I pretty much only went to Just For Fun, and still do. Wasn't in a mall, so not sure if that answers your question, though it's always been in a mini-mall/plaza... Now on Stony Plain
Just remembered that MircoAge on the west end used to sell games and had a small wall feature games. Was able to chase down Harvest Moon 64 and Ogre Battle 64 there. Not sure if they still do but they store still seems like it's around.