Games

[filterpunk]

So my 27th birthday is coming up in September and yesterday, my girlfriend asked me if I just wanted to pick out my gifts myself, since she was itching to go pick up the new William Gibson novel. I said sure, figuring I'd either load up on used games or snag a copy of BioShock. We headed over to Game Trader, which is one of the few indie game shops in the area. It's run by a Korean family, most of whom seem a little spaced out much of the time, especially the ancient-looking owner.

We walk in and I'm browsing a bit. I grab a cheap copy of Crimson Sea 2 and start scanning the wall again when my girlfriend asks, "what's that Tekken 5 thing?" I'm not a massive fan of Tekken, having ignored the series since Tekken 2, but I glance up anyway.

Much to my surprise, it's a Tekken 5 Collector's Editon box for $49.99. I've been fiending for an arcade stick, but too broke to shell out for an imported HRAP and I don't have the facilities to make my own, being an apartment-dweller. After scanning the wall again, I decided to give in and check it out, since I've been fed up with trying to play fighters with pads. I also grabbed a copy of the Resident Evil remake on GameCube, along with DOA 2: Hardcore, which the girlfriend had been itching for.

We took our haul up to the counter and the clerk was some Korean guy I hadn't seen before. We'd been chatting a bit periodically while I was browsing, mostly bemoaning the lack of hardcore 2D fighters and reminiscing about everything from SNK to the SNES vs. Genesis days. After about 30 minutes of back-and-forth, realizing that we both know what the fuck is up, he says, "tell ya what, I'll knock $10 off the price because I like ya." Turns out this guy is the owner's son and he's being groomed to run the place. As a result, they've started carrying a few import titles and he set up a JAMMA cabinet in one corner, which is a very nice addition to the already-cramped building.

I'd also grabbed a 20% coupon off the website, so after 4 games and a $50 arcade stick, my total price came to only $37.

This, my friends, is one of the many reasons why I no longer shop at GameStop. It also makes for a pretty damn awesome birthday present.

[icycalm]

Cool story.

On a sad note, I have to inform you that the US Tekken 5 HRAP stick is a cheapo version of the Japanese original, and is the worst version of a HRAP yet. The reason for this is that it uses a Hori stick, instead of the Sanwa one used in the Japanese version. There may be other reasons, but that's the main one.

The idea was that Americans can't tell the difference between one stick and another, so why not give them something cheap? Which is fine, I guess, but then they should have renamed it, because the reason those sticks are called "Real Arcade Pro" is that they use real arcade sticks (i.e. Sanwa or Seimitsu) and not the cheap sticks that Hori normally uses.

Anyway, I am sure it will serve you fine. I had to use a Hori Fighting Stick 2 for a while and it tied me over until I got my first HRAP.[/off-topic]

[filterpunk]

On a sad note, I have to inform you that the US Tekken 5 HRAP stick is a cheapo version of the Japanese original, and is the worst version of a HRAP yet. The reason for this is that it uses a Hori stick, instead of the Sanwa one used in the Japanese version. There may be other reasons, but that's the main one.

Yeah, I saw that after I checked on it when I got home. I sort of figured that would be the case, since Hori often uses their own stock stuff for branded sticks. More disappointing was finding out that the buttons are soldered to the PCB, which would make it a bitch to swap 'em out for Sanwa buttons. It's not labelled as a HRAP, but I think enough people consider Hori to be synonymous with "Real Arcade Pro" and assume it's all the same stuff.

IIRC, the Fighting Stick is mostly (or all) stock Hori stuff, isn't it?

Anyway, I am sure it will serve you fine. I had to use a Hori Fighting Stick 2 for a while and it tied me over until I got my first HRAP.[/off-topic]

That was really the main draw for me. Ideally I'd just build my own or wait for a decent deal on a HRAP, but for now, I just needed something cheap and usable to get me re-acclimated to using a joystick. Considering how much the insane discounts I was able to get, I figure I came out with a nice deal.

Better still, maybe I can expect discounts every time I go there from now on :p