Do you enjoying collecting Retro Video Games from the 80’s and 90’s?

Then allow me to bend time and space and give you a glimpse into the Golden Era of Retro Video Game Collecting!

Recently I found a very old receipt tucked inside my Japaneses Sega Mega Drive game Assault Suit Leynos. Clearly 1998 was the time to be buying games for your Sega Genesis or Mega Drive.

Have a look at this Video Games Connection receipt from July 30, 1998 (in Canadian dollars).

Oh yes, you read that right (and just in case you can’t see the image):

Batman $10
Rolling Thunder $10
ESWAT $10
Dino Land $10
SD Valis $10
Magical Hat $10
Heavy Unit $10
Assault Suit Leynos $10

Even after tax that is just $11.50 per (complete and like new) game. Ah, good times…

I bought my Sega Genesis sometime in the launch year of the system and I was buying games from Video Games Connection all through the consoles life span and beyond. I even paid Video Games Connection $30 to modify my Genesis so that I could play Japanese Mega Drive games. The larger Japanese Mega Drive plastic cartridges physically did not fit into the Sega Genesis and that was the only form of region protection for a long time (much later Sega added software region locks to some games). At the time Video Games Connection told me they would have to cut the plastic of the Genesis case to widen the slot for the larger Japanese cartridges and they also told me that they had to do ‘a little technical work here and there’. That last part was a lie to help sell the $30 service. I didn’t know any better and to be honest I bet I would have been content to pay the $30 (Mom actually paid) even if they stated that cutting the plastic was the only work required. There was no need to lie.

But Look! Complete Mega Drive games for $10 each! All is forgiven.

I still have my original Sega Genesis and I’ve since widened the cartridge slot even more on my own because Video Games Connection original work was not wide enough to fit the extra large Japanese cartridges made by a company called Sunsoft.

What I find surprising is that I have re-bought every one of these games more recently except for Assault Suit Leynos. Which means that I likely traded or sold those titles in the receipt for other games. I did a lot of trading back then. And it looks like I no longer have Rolling Thunder 2 for the Mega Drive. Hopefully I traded it for something worth while because Rolling Thunder 2 is a pretty good game.

Here’s what re-buying the games cost me (CAD).

Batman (couldn’t find my cost)
ESWAT $23 (Purchased June 2014)
Dino Land $15 (Purchased February 2012)
Valis SD $35 (purchased July 2014)
Magical Hat $60 (Purchase July 2016)
Heavy Unit $20 (purchased June 2014)

What I enjoy most about finding this receipt is that it validates my memory of what I remember paying for these games (and many others from back then). Over time memories can get skewed and it’s great to see that what I thought I remembered actually was.

Video Games Connection turned it’s back on Video Games and the store changed into a Travel Agency (same owners) a very long time ago… but the Sega Dude is still going strong!

**Update**
I recently found a copy of Rolling Thunder 2 locally.