import store ads in gaming magazines....

[Never_Scurred]

Anyone remember back in the day when you could pick up any gaming magazine and get a good 20 pages in the back of nothing but ads for import gaming shops? God, I miss those days of sitting in class wishing I could own an PC Engine or wondering why the hell Neo Geo made so many damn fighting games. I wonder what ever happened to those shops and why you don't see anymore ads for independent retailers no more.

[Benjamin]

why you don't see anymore ads for independent retailers no more.

You can thank the Internet for that.

[Never_Scurred]

why you don't see anymore ads for independent retailers no more.

You can thank the Internet for that.

oh of course...but I cn't see why they all would have vanished so quickly..I figured alot of them would have scrapped mail order and taken it to the 'net but I don't think any of 'em are even around anymore at all.

[DC906270]

VGI http://www.videogameimports.com were one of those retailers back in the day, they now thrive online!

[Benjamin]

oh of course...but I cn't see why they all would have vanished so quickly..I figured alot of them would have scrapped mail order and taken it to the 'net but I don't think any of 'em are even around anymore at all.

Well, I personally think the Internet really opened up a lot of options for people looking to purchase import games, and for a pretty niche market, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of vendors had to close shop due to the competition. Plus, Game Cave accounted for the bulk of import ads from what I remember.

Remember when import games debuted at $100+ prices? I remember a friend of mine getting some MD Dragon Ball game for $120 or so back in the day. Personally, I'm glad things have changed and that I don't have to rely on gougers like those anymore.

[undamned]

I totally remember those days. I'd read my EGM till it was tattered
-ud

[neorichieb1971]

I ran one of those import ads in the UK around 95-96 in C&VG.

It was hard selling games, but easy selling systems. Piracy was rampant and competition was stiff because alot of people went to importers they trusted.

[JBC]

I used to love those gamecave ads in the back of Gamefan. I remember thinking about how cool they looked back then. I sorted through my collection not long ago and saw how crappy the renders where compared to today's cg stuff.

Maybe i'll scan them sometime soon just for s-n'-g's

[SuperGrafx]

I used to love those gamecave ads in the back of Gamefan. I remember thinking about how cool they looked back then. I sorted through my collection not long ago and saw how crappy the renders where compared to today's cg stuff.

Maybe i'll scan them sometime soon just for s-n'-g's

Yeah, that's what I was going to bring too. Diehard Gamefan (later Gamecave) really and truly "got" how to do a good ad back in those days. Look at their ads in any 1991-era EGM and you'll see what I mean.

Before that, "Ultimate Game Club" used to place huge 1-page ads in the gaming mags of the late 80's and early 90's. I credit them with opening my eyes to the world of import gaming since their ads featured listings for never before seen games and systems (like the Neo Geo) months and even years before we US gamers even heard about them. Reading their PC Engine and Mega Drive game selections was always fascinating for me....I think UGC later went on to become "innovation" or something rather.

[Never_Scurred]

I used to love those gamecave ads in the back of Gamefan. I remember thinking about how cool they looked back then. I sorted through my collection not long ago and saw how crappy the renders where compared to today's cg stuff.

Maybe i'll scan them sometime soon just for s-n'-g's

Yeah, that's what I was going to bring too. Diehard Gamefan (later Gamecave) really and truly "got" how to do a good ad back in those days. Look at their ads in any 1991-era EGM and you'll see what I mean.

Before that, "Ultimate Game Club" used to place huge 1-page ads in the gaming mags of the late 80's and early 90's. I credit them with opening my eyes to the world of import gaming since their ads featured listings for never before seen games and systems (like the Neo Geo) months and even years before we US gamers even heard about them. Reading their PC Engine and Mega Drive game selections was always fascinating for me....I think UGC later went on to become "innovation" or something rather.

Weren't they the ones that used to sell those Gundamn model kits and Final Fantasy soundtracks too? I used to see all those Neo Geo games and wonder to myself why do all their fighting games look the same?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Yep, Ultimate Game Club changed their name to "Innovation" to branch out into selling for other game consoles such as the PSX with their Super Game Convertor (aka the Goldfinger cheat device that hooked up to the back 'parallel port' of the SCPH-7500 series of PSX consoles and below).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[SuperGrafx]

I used to love those gamecave ads in the back of Gamefan. I remember thinking about how cool they looked back then. I sorted through my collection not long ago and saw how crappy the renders where compared to today's cg stuff.

Maybe i'll scan them sometime soon just for s-n'-g's

Yeah, that's what I was going to bring too. Diehard Gamefan (later Gamecave) really and truly "got" how to do a good ad back in those days. Look at their ads in any 1991-era EGM and you'll see what I mean.

Before that, "Ultimate Game Club" used to place huge 1-page ads in the gaming mags of the late 80's and early 90's. I credit them with opening my eyes to the world of import gaming since their ads featured listings for never before seen games and systems (like the Neo Geo) months and even years before we US gamers even heard about them. Reading their PC Engine and Mega Drive game selections was always fascinating for me....I think UGC later went on to become "innovation" or something rather.

Weren't they the ones that used to sell those Gundamn model kits and Final Fantasy soundtracks too? I used to see all those Neo Geo games and wonder to myself why do all their fighting games look the same?

Yeah, DH and GameCave sold lots of things in addition to games. Anime, kits, soundtracks...they had it. Not many brick-and-mortar stores carried that kind of stuff, so it was always cool to see the newest ads.

Diehard later began publishing their own competing magazine starting in 1993 called Diehard Gamefan (later to be called just Gamefan) which enjoyed a good deal of success up until they folded in 2000.

[Dale]

Is their a website I can check for U.S locations of import dealers?