スーパー *
コンソール
(Review by Katy E.)
In short - yes. Akihabara is no doubt the 'place to go' for all gamers worldwide, even if you can't speak a word of Japanese there are many stores which stock PAL and NTSC games as well as Japanese ones. However what I'm going to concentrate on is what I find the best thing about Akihabara - retro game spots.
'Electric Town' is pretty much any gamers heaven and is easily reached on the JR Yamanote line. If you're interested in modern games then you can pretty much hit any shop and end up with what you want, many of the big seven-storey high stores are pretty recognisable with names such as 'GAMERS'...
(images taken by myself)
Akihabara is also a great place for arcades - most noticeably pachinko which is huge in Japan. If you do get time to visit, head into any of the big multi-storey arcades where there are all sorts of things to do; retro and modern arcade machines, grabbing machines, "idol" shops, purikura photo booths and lots of Western games too. Don't be too surprised if you come across a few cosplayers too.
(images taken by myself)
But the real deal is Super Potato スーパーポテト which is most likely my favourite shop in the entire world. It's a retro gaming chain so has stores in Tokyo: Akihabara and Ikebukuro and Osaka: Namba, Hanazono, Kishinosato, Shouwamachi, Suminoe, Taisyou, Mikuni, Kamishinzyou and Harinakano.
Address: 東京都千代田区外神田1-11-2 北林ビル3F/4F/5F
(image from: map.yahoo.co.jp )
Their stock includes consoles, games, controllers and add-ons for;
- Nintendo Wii
- PlayStation
- PlayStation 2
- PlayStation 3
- Nintendo DS
- PlayStation Portable (PSP)
- Xbox 360
- Game Boy Advance
- Game Boy Colour
- Game Cube
- Famicom (NES)
- Super Famicom (SNES)
- Xbox
- Nintendo 64
- Virtual Boy
- Game Boy
- Dream Cast
- Sega Saturn
- Sega MegaDrive
- Neo Geo
- PC Engine
- Game Gear
- Game & Watch
- Game Music & more
The games are reasonably priced - except from a few rare boxed classics, and the consoles are all in amazingly good condition for their price tags (no yellowing at all on any of the SNES/Super Famicoms!).
(images taken by myself)
You enter through what feels like a back alley, I looked over my shoulder before I headed in with the feeling that I ought not to be there... Even the stairs up to the third floor where retro-heaven begins is littered with brightly coloured posters and stickers of games and anime. It's quite exciting racing up the steps with buzzing and game boy bleep sounds humming from above, and as you reach the floor you are greeted with a huge Mario plushie - and that feeling of nostalgia and excitement really hits home.
(image taken by myself)
The third floor is filled to brim with Famicom, Super Famicom and DreamCast games and consoles. All along the left side of the floor there are all sorts of different consoles stacked high opposite which controllers, converters and add-ons are plastered across shelves. Along the tops of the shelves are TVs with retro game demos playing, with the actual carts taped to them. The middle section is full to brim with both Famicom and Super Famicom games - boxed and non-boxed, here is where you can really grab a bargain. For example I got hold of Dragon Quest II for 50yen (roughly 25p!). The back of the third floor has many a DreamCast game and also at the front are classic game art books and duo games consoles, such as the FC Twin which allows you to play both Famicom and Super Famicom games on one console. Handy.
(images taken by myself)
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| (images taken by myself) |
The fourth floor has even more games and consoles - but this time mostly Nintendo 64 and PlayStation. There is also a rack of game music soundtracks, along with a cabinet full of Nintendo Game & Watch - some of which quite cheap, but the majority slightly out of my price range... However most of the N64 games are in fact boxed, in very good condition and not that much more expensive than the unboxed ones - any Zelda fans would be overwhelmed by what they could get for a couple of hundred yen, in comparison to what they may spend on the same items on eBay.
(images taken by myself)
The fifth floor is dedicated to retro arcade and slot machines. It is a lot darker than the other floors, making the bright flashing lights from the machines glow and giving everything a reddish hue. This time as you walk in you are confronted by a huge Snake from Metal Gear, with camouflage draped around him. Needless to say, the whole floor is pretty awesome.
(images taken by myself)
I did end up spending quite a bit in Super Potato - all of which from the third floor, although I regret not spending longer there. It goes without saying that if you are ever passing through Japan you would be crazy not to make a stop here.
(images taken by myself)
Note: all games and consoles etc. in Super Potato are of course of Japanese format, and so the games will not work on PAL consoles and consoles will not work with JAP games. It would be a good idea to purchase a decent converter for any consoles if you wish to play these games. And also remember that all the in-game dialogue will be in Japanese, so an understanding of the language may also come in handy!
Note: Japanese DS games on the other hand seem to work on PAL DS handhelds (I have 4 or 5 and they all work fine) but once again all text will be in Japanese.
(image taken by myself)
Pay Super Potato a visit soon, or visit the website http://www.superpotato.com/
If you can't read Japanese, access the website using Google Chrome and it will translate the page into English.
