Pang Man continues the Retro-Gaming journey around Japan with a visit to the legendary Video Game Shop "SUPER POTATO" !!!
If there's one video game shop on this planet that I would love to visit it would have to be Super Potato.
This Video Games Shop retains all the character of the old school video games shops without the blandness that we are presented with nowadays from the chains like GAME & GAMESTOP...
Read on for a retro-gaming treat like no other....
Ladies and Gentlemen....I present to YOU...
PANG MAN'S VISIT TO SUPER POTATO EXCLUSIVELY FOR GAMES FREEZER!
"Having been to a few Retro gaming bars, I decided the next step would be to check out whether there were any retro-gaming stores within the local vicinity.
After a bit of online digging, I found that there was a store called "Super Potato" that fit the bill.
Well, actually there were 2 Tokyo branches of Super Potato. I only had time to visit one store though so it was a tough decision. I carefully weighed up the pros and cons of each, before laziness took over and I just went to the one which was closest.
In what has become a bit of a reoccurring theme, the store itself (address 1 Chome-23-13 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Tokyo 170-0013) was located up a flight of stairs. (I'm thinking that Japan must be a right pain for disabled gaming fans).
At the entrance a multitude of game controllers was on display; from the Famicom controller to the classic SNES controller and all the way up to the N64 controller.
The whole store was busy and vibrant with shelves jam packed with retro-gaming goodies like towels, t-shirts, badges, figurines, plushes, cups, stationary, lights and CD Soundtracks.
The strangest thing in the store was probably this Gigantic Mario peering down from the ceiling:
Much like the 8 Bit Cafe, playing in the background were retro-gaming tunes such as the Duck Tales Moon theme.
An assortment of Kirby plushes drew my gaze, so in the spirit of Christmas, I decided to purchase a Santa Kirby for 780 yen (around £6.20).
My 2nd purchase of the day was this Nintendo coin bank for 380 Yen (around £3.00). Designed to look like a retro question mark block, this collectible plays Mario related sound effects (the Mario jump sound, coin block sound and the mushroom power up sound) when you put money in the coin slot.
The great thing about this store was that it had something for everyone. Now I am a huge Nintendo fan…
….but for those that who prefer Sega, Sony or NEC etc., there were sections for games from those systems as well.
There were displays for; Sega Dreamcast, PC Engine, SNES, NES, PS1, PS2, Neo Geo and the Sega Saturn.
Now one of my regrets in the past was giving away my old consoles. I gave away my Sega Master System, Commodore 64 and Super Famicom to relatives and I sold my Playstation 1 and Wii. Selling my Wii was an absolutely idiotic decision. I only got £30 for it and I sold it with 2 Wii remotes. Given that the Wii remotes work with the Wii U and cost around £30 each that was clearly a terrible bit of business. If I was on the Apprentice, then for that alone I would have been fired.
So with these thoughts in mind, you might be thinking, “ok it's all well and good that Super Potato sells my favourite retro game, but what’s the point if I no longer have the original system?”
However luckily for us, Super Potato has your back! Unlike most retro gaming stores which only sell the games themselves, Super Potato also sells the consoles to play them as well! And not just more recent consoles like the Game Cube, but proper old consoles like the Sega Game Gear, Nintendo Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, PC Engine, Sega Dreamcast, Sega Megadrive, Super Famicom and my very first console -The Sega Master system!
Now, of course, these are mostly 2nd hand but most of the stock is in good condition. What's great about them having such large console volumes is that you can get your favourite old console at a budget that suits you. Feeling a bit poor -no problem, if you don’t mind a less than pristine looking machine. On the other hand, if you are a big spender then you can get a mint boxed console in virtually perfect condition for a bit more.
For instance, the cost of a Super Famicom (i.e. SNES) ranged from around 3,980 (£30) to 10,000 yen (£80), a PC engine (TurboGrafx-16) 4500 (£36) to 8000 yen (£64), whilst the Sega Master system was a bit more pricey at around 22,800 (£182).
The only issue you might have is UK compatibility for older consoles but as someone who used to have a Japanese SNES, I know there are always ways to get around this problem via adaptors etc.
For those who prefer the era before the Gameboy, you will not be disappointed- the original Game and Watch handhelds are also available to buy!
One day I would like to go back and pick up one of each console from the original NES, all the way up to the consoles in the modern era (along with say the top 10 games for each system) and start my own playable retro mini gaming museum. It would be amazing to share the consoles I grew up with and show the progression of games and consoles through the ages. Unfortunately, I don’t have room in my home at the moment (or indeed the money or luggage space!) but it's something that I definitely aim to achieve as a medium term goal.
Simply put Super Potato had it all; retro games -check, retro consoles -check, retro merchandise-check, retro gaming background music-check! The only way this place could have been better is if it had a load of gaming stations for each console set up and ready to play. Maybe the other bigger branch of Super Potato does this? Who knows- I guess I will just have to see for myself the next time I visit Japan!"
PANG MAN
This Has Got To Be The Best Video Game Store In The World, Right?
What's Your Favourite Video Game Store Ever?
Let Me Know In The Comments Box Below
"Stay Frosty Freezer Followers"
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