Lets talk Super Potato

So recently on Twitter someone linked me to a video that was featured on IGN that was titled "This is what $250 will get you in the worlds best second hand game store".  The store featured was Super Potato and the idea of that being the worlds best anything is laughable 

If you want to watch the video you can google it yourself because there is no way I'm linking that shit on here.  

So first, for those who are unfamiliar or don't live in Japan, Super Potato is easily the most famous retro game shop chain in Japan.  Partly for good reason since almost everyone I've ever met over here, gamer or no, has at least heard of it. 

The one thing that this store has going for it is the selection of games.  If there is something you are looking for then you can almost guarantee you can find it there.  However, calling it the best retro gaming store in the world is fucking laughable and it just shows that IGN just did a piece on the biggest, most well know store available rather than doing any real research.  

You see, the problem with Super Potato is the prices.  They will always jack up the price of everything and charge out the nose for stuff that is really worth not all that much.  I've seen games in there for 1000 yen plus that are only being sold for mere hundreds in other retro gaming stores.  My favorite example of this happening is when I found a copy of Megaman 2 for Famicom in Book Off.  Super Potato usually asks about 2000 yen for it but I found it in the other store for 250.  Granted it's worth a bit more than 250 but with a bit of patience you can easily beat most of their asking prices.

You see, there is so much depth to retro collecting in Japan and just waltzing into Super Potato and dropping tons of cash is the exact wrong way to go about it .  Generally speaking, Book Off is about your best bet price wise but it's ALWAYS worth hunting down the small time retro shops for that special deal or that one guy who might price things a little better.  Also in my experience, the Tokyo stores tend to jack the prices up a little higher than in other areas and finding small time retro shops takes a bit more effort than it does in places like Nagoya.

Super Potato isn't a bad store by any stretch but it would be a shame if people new to collecting started to get ripped off every which way because IGN put out a shitty video.  Shame on you IGN, Super Potato isn't even JAPANS best retro store, let alone the worlds, do some goddamn research next time.