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Sears Ad from 1988 is Selling 'Legend of Zelda' for $37.99

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  • mrbroli, on 04/15/2008, -8/+39Wow... Adventure Link. That's...
    • alexdemers, on 04/15/2008, -7/+6No that one... look below.
    • hipnotyq, on 04/15/2008, -1/+5Wow Karate Kid for $35 :|
    • rentmitchum, on 04/15/2008, -1/+8Wow.. English stilted.. That's..
    • nerdherder, on 04/15/2008, -0/+8...Well? Thats what?
    • schizogony, on 04/15/2008, -1/+7I'm... confused. What's...
    • mugicha, on 04/16/2008, -1/+5No! This is just....!
    • Grummond, on 04/16/2008, -2/+1Great...Broken Link. What's...
    • jsaya, on 04/16/2008, -3/+1What what...
    • SkippyDoorknob, on 04/16/2008, -0/+4Who knew Captain Kirk leaves comments on digg!
    • andystrummer, on 04/17/2008, -2/+2The Legend of Link was the WORST Zelda series game ever. It played more like Castlevania than anything else, which although a good game, was nothing like Zelda. It was side-scrolling, dungeon style. Zelda was so much more. Then Nintendo redeemed themselves with A Link to the Past for the SNES.
      • Nyaos, on 04/21/2008, -0/+1It's a good game for it's time, now it is obviously linear and boring. But it really paved the way for non-linear Zelda type games in the future.
  • coachmcguirk, on 04/15/2008, -4/+32Hell, that's a steal at twice the price....
    • degron, on 04/15/2008, -5/+36That's like $200 in today's money...
    • nofrickenway, on 04/15/2008, -3/+0Alot of the games actually made by Nintendo cost more than by other companies (not just the seal of approval). Look at the Zelda, Mario, and Metroid games on the DS next time you go to Wal-Mart- $34 for a portable?!?!?!?
      • DephexTwin, on 04/15/2008, -1/+3Zelda and Zelda II also had battery packs in them, don't forget, so that increases the price.
    • mille716, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2So what is the actuall '88 price of "Zelda", the $37.99, in today's dollars?
    • pdxuser, on 04/16/2008, -1/+3I downloaded Legend of Zelda for free on my cell phone.
  • greennoodles, on 04/15/2008, -2/+55Pro Wrestling for $29.99? A winner is me!
    • thebza451, on 04/15/2008, -2/+2Pro Wrestling was the shiz!!!!!!!
    • OneLess, on 04/15/2008, -0/+9Oh Zoidberg at last you are becoming a crafty consumer! I'll take eight!
  • Zippo, on 04/15/2008, -5/+78Real-life sound generation? I love listening to some 8-bit music as much as the next gamer geek, but come on now.
    • soot, on 04/15/2008, -14/+6People were stupid in 1988, give them a break.
      • techweenie1, on 04/15/2008, -0/+11no, sadly people are dumber in 2008.
        • Stochio, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2Nah, they're just more empowered and have a larger soapbox.
    • Wintermute426, on 04/15/2008, -0/+62How about the "true-to-life" graphics?
      • MuskokasFinest, on 04/15/2008, -2/+50Just wait another 10 years, when Crysis' "photo-realistic" graphics will be laughed at.
        • Scynet, on 04/15/2008, -1/+8Surely the "photo" comes from the fact that the monitor surface is flat as a photo instad of REAL virtual 3D world :P
      • owls27, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2Gosh, I miss the good old days. Life was so much easier in Technicolor.
    • xeren, on 04/15/2008, -0/+11Like the guy in the $4,000 power suit is going to listen to 8-bit music. COME ON!!!
      • piznut, on 04/15/2008, -0/+3Looks like you finally filled dad's pants!..had to take in the crotch a little though.
      • xeren, on 04/16/2008, -3/+0huh? you're obviously not getting the reference here.
  • NaziHatinChimp, on 04/15/2008, -1/+22I used to have an NES advantage. They were great for Ninja Turtles
    • TheObviousChild, on 04/15/2008, -0/+6The NES Advantage was the ONLY way I was ever able to beat "Operation WOLF". Sadly, without the slow-mo button, I was nothing.
    • hexydes, on 04/15/2008, -0/+13Well that's great for Ninja Turtles, but what about the rest of us?
    • Shadic, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1I found one at a Gamecrazy for $3 a year or so ago. It was pretty much in mint condition. I love having lucky finds.
    • JonnyG24, on 04/16/2008, -0/+0NES Advantage on Track & Field. It was like running on roids.
  • Sucka27, on 04/15/2008, -0/+23I remember my brother paying somewhere in the range of $60 for asteroids on our Atari 2600. And my dad paying 6 grand for an IBM that would look about right in an Austin Powers movie.
    • timlump, on 04/15/2008, -2/+0I bought asteroids in 1999 in some pound shop (before the Euro in Ireland) for 1 pound, fully packaged and pristine, it was new, they just never shifted it.
      Sadly i have lost the box since. By the way 1 pound was about $4
    • phenolholic, on 04/15/2008, -0/+3must be good to be rich. got a sister?
      • Sucka27, on 04/15/2008, -1/+3Dude, it was the early 80's. My brother saved up for months to buy that game.
        • synergye, on 04/16/2008, -0/+4I think he's talking about your dad...
    • bbhh, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1i think my parents paid like 5 grand for their compaq 486 in like 1995?
  • smiley2billion, on 04/15/2008, -2/+239Maybe game prices today aren't as bad as I thought,

    $37.99 in todays dollar would be about $68.48
    • roosterjm2k2, on 04/15/2008, -5/+36They arent...especially when you consider that production costs have gone up (rivaling that of production A list movies in many cases)

      We're spoiled... and we complain. In 1980, gas was around 1.05 ... thats almost $3.00 now... we complain and fail to see inflation when we look back at those times.
      • louiedog, on 04/15/2008, -3/+44People don't care about gas prices in 1980. In 2002 I paid $1.15 to $1.30 during the summer. That's like $1.50 in today's dollar. Those are the prices we remember and want back.
        • kevincannon, on 04/15/2008, -2/+7Stop interfering in the middle east so.
        • DeucesWild, on 04/15/2008, -0/+25Dang, who would have thought gas prices and the middle east could come up in a post about Zelda.
          • knetworx, on 04/16/2008, -2/+3Now all that's missing is "RON PAUL 2008", "Hillary sucks", and "***** the RIAA".
          • wheelsee, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2Ron Paul 2008
        • warplayer, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1Yeah, when I turned 16 in 2000 my grandparents bought me a car. I could fill up the 13gal (more like 12.5 imo) tank for 20 dollars, almost to the penny.
      • sparql, on 04/15/2008, -0/+19Games back then also didn't sell as many copies as they do now AND they didn't have advertisements IN THE DAMN GAMES.
      • kinseyincanada, on 04/15/2008, -0/+9didn't we complain back then too?
        • woohhaa, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2I didn't.
        • blueRAP, on 04/16/2008, -0/+3The other day some old 60s TV show was on and the old guy said to the young'n "Things aren't like what they used to be" in the exact same manner our parents tell it to us.

          Some things will never change
      • daimposter, on 04/15/2008, -0/+4there at least was an end to the high cost of gas in the early 80's. We have seen drastic increases year in and year out since around 2002. It was around $1.20 then and then it hit $2 and we thought it could never hit $3 but it did. and now $4 is going to be comon this summer in major metros. It's already $3.70 in chicago!

        by the mid 80's, it all dropped back down. The future may never see under $2/gal as we haven't even peaked yet!
      • bluechipps, on 04/16/2008, -0/+0I agree that only in that game prices are not too bad today. I turned 16 in '01 and remember paying 1$ for a gallon in texas. not to mention the little non-chain store at the end of my street who even had it at 89 cents.
      • allens555, on 04/16/2008, -4/+2I PAID $4.65/g FOR GAS TODAY IN CHICAGO, IL$#!@!@%@$
        • neon1nk, on 04/16/2008, -1/+1That is a dollar more than a regular in the city and still more than the highest price diesel as well. Sounds like you're lying, had a bad typo or plain getting ripped off. Either way, buried for the caps, sir.
          • daimposter, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1the high quality of gas is $3.95 in my neighborhood of chicago. where would it be $4.65?? i think he meant $3.65.
    • minorthreat, on 04/15/2008, -25/+15the inflation theory is *****. I paid .89 cents a gallon for gas in 1997. I made $5.15 an hour. People now pay $3.30 a gallon for gas and make $5.75 an hour. I've taken my economics courses in college and I honestly don't believe they can accurately say that the dollar from year X is worth $5 in year Y. It all depends on what goods you are purchasing.

      and what production costs? The cost of what they pay the programmers? DVD's cost a fraction of a penny.. At least you got a sturdy cartridge back in the day
      • Chompy, on 04/15/2008, -6/+43"I've taken my economics courses in college"

        You, ah.. should have paid more attention.
      • sexybobo, on 04/15/2008, -2/+4minimum wage is $5.85 will be $7.25 in just over a year I
        and http://www.inflationdata.com/inflation/images/char ...
      • TheRealDj, on 04/15/2008, -3/+10Its called supply and demand. Thats why gas is more expensive now, not just inflation.
        • BadseedJR, on 04/15/2008, -2/+3Wrong. The supply is being restricted purposefully, shifting the whole supply curve artificially. What's more important is that in this ad, an NES was only 89 bucks!
          • petrodollar, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2" The supply is being restricted purposefully, "

            Link?
          • iMike360, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2" The supply is being restricted purposefully, " if thats true then there is still less supply and more demand.
          • rivalius13, on 04/15/2008, -1/+2The supply is being restricted by the cartel OPEC. Although they don't own as much of the market now as they did back in the day. Man, they could have bought a LOT of NESs back then...
        • saucedmike, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2supply has gone up for gas, while demand has actually decreased by around 4% year on year i believe. (in the U.S.)
        • Chompy, on 04/16/2008, -1/+2Do yourself a favor and google up "cartel". I will also accept "price collusion".
      • roosterjm2k2, on 04/15/2008, -1/+12You do realize that companys like EA throw Millions and Millions into their games, right? Voice acting, scripting, writing, modeling, texturing, designing, developing...it adds up. Big name voice actors, corporate deals, license fees.

        It adds up, on a large scale. For Madden 07 (i know this because I sat in on an advertising meeting) they needed to sell 900,000 copies to make a profit.

        Remember, consoles arent like PC games. Console games means that x% goes to the console manufacturer (MS, Sony, Nintendo) right off the top, more goes to the manufacturers for "certification", royalties, etc. Then the publisher gets some. Then the distributers get some.
        • repick3, on 04/15/2008, -0/+7Selling 900,000 Maddens probably isn't too difficult.
      • AbsurdParadox, on 04/15/2008, -16/+4I don't know anyone making minimum wage. Maybe you should find friends with more ambitious goals.
        • TobiasParker, on 04/15/2008, -0/+8i had things to say but i will settle for
          facepalm.jpg
      • shakin, on 04/15/2008, -0/+7Thank you for saying at least part of what I was thinking.

        Pressure on the salaries of a middle-class family has never been greater than it is now. Wages have not nearly kept up with rising prices, so purchasing a $70 (in "today's money") game may have been a luxury, but it was one that more middle class families could afford twenty years ago than today.
      • HyperionHK, on 04/15/2008, -2/+4Anyone who tries to say any sort of software is only worth the cost of the disc it's printed on is pretty retarded. Tons of man hours goes into designing and make games, not to mention license fees for engines or names depending on the game, advertising, etc.
      • Yez70, on 04/15/2008, -4/+1The fiberboard 'Video Game Cart' from the ad would sell for about $20 today, as production costs have come down drastically - but the video games are maintaining their prices (inflation wise), yet their production costs have dropped by an even greater margin.

        A cartridge cost nearly $10 to produce (without any content) back then - while reproducing a disc nowadays cost less than $1 including packaging.
        • cesclaveria, on 04/15/2008, -0/+6but the production costs of making the game are far greater now.
          Heck, read the history of the guy who made the atari port of Donkey Kong, it was just him, a computer and some reference art work for a few months.

          No big voice actors, motion capture, sound production, writing (even if the games story is bad, it had to be written and paid for) etc, etc.
        • Abomonog, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2In 1985 the production costs for the average video game was around $2000. Quake 1 Was the first to top $50,000 and Q3A ran something in the order of a million dollars to produce. A major game like COD4 or Crysis is a 20 million dollar project when all is said and done these days. Madden about 45 million to produce after licensing and all. That's why it take 900,000 sales to turn any profit.
          • pak314, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2Early 80s my dad used to run a printing business. It was a family run operation. Had a customer that used us to print manuals for their video games. Maybe 10K run for a few dozen games each. Things were low key and less glitzy back then. Each game was written by maybe 2 people. No marketing. One perk that came out of this relationship was that that customer would give my dad one of each game they made that year as a christmas gift.
        • HyperionHK, on 04/16/2008, -0/+0a disc costs
      • rune420, on 04/15/2008, -1/+2.89 cents for a gallon? Do you by any chance work at Verizon?
      • quarkie, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1You can't look at one good (no matter how important) and say "inflation is ***** look at this price".

        Its called an average.
      • tcpip4lyfe, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2Wages aren't link to inflation no matter how much you want them to be.
    • HanSolo69, on 04/15/2008, -2/+10So...a PS3 game?
    • usingpond, on 04/15/2008, -6/+34Yes but Zelda is exactly twice as good as anything out right now.
    • kalvinb, on 04/15/2008, -2/+4Inflation doesn't have to affect the final price. You have to look at the production costs. If it cost Nintendo 50 cents to package the game in 1989 and $1.00 to package it now, why raise the price? The cost of inflation is only 50 cents. Nintendo would rather "lose" 50 cents and keep the price constant for 20 years than nickel and dime people and lose customers. It makes more sense for Nintendo to switch to a cheaper format, cut the manual costs and reduce the production cost back to 50 cents.

      It's been established for 20+ years now that a brand new video game is worth $50. Hard core fans will pay $50. $37 will attract another large batch of customers willing to wait a month or so and $20 is the bargain bin price since the 90's.
      • Antwan718, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2Go into Gamestop, look for a new PS3/360 game that is less than 59.99. Go ahead try, hell ill do you one better those same games that are 59.99 the USED version is a mere 54.99, tell me something isn't wrong here? People are willing to pay whatever god dam assanine price that the companies set for those people.
      • hackiavelli, on 04/16/2008, -0/+5Are you kidding? As a child of the 80s I can tell you Nintendo loved to pump every dollar out of their customers they could. That only changed when the industry become competitive with multiple consoles on the market.
      • HyperionHK, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2The fact that a package costs $1 is meaningless. A producer can't make a game without having a whole team of developers, artists, testers, etc working for YEARS. Those people don't work for free.

        Heck, Halo 2 had a development cost of $40 million dollars and three years time to make, and I'm not even sure the cost of advertising is factored in there. You can't base the price of software on the cost of the media it's printed on
    • basevillin, on 04/15/2008, -0/+3I recall paying $70 at Toys-R-Us for Breath of Fire 2 on the SNES in what, 1995? FF3 was $80 too IIRC.
      • neon1nk, on 04/16/2008, -0/+0Yep, new role playing or strategy nes games were regularly $70. Video game prices are pretty reasonable if you ask me.
      • BabyWookie, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1That's nothing. I bought two Genesis games, Virtua Racing and Phantasy Star IV, that retailed for $99.99, complete with the brand new, lame card-board packaging and xeroxed-looking manuals. Before that, all Genesis games used to come in nice, sturdy plastic cases. I think that this was about the time when Sega began to lose it. The 32x came out at about the same time, as well. Phantasy Star IV was an amazing game that every RPG fan should experience, but way too short for $100.
    • petebert, on 04/16/2008, -0/+3i thought piracy was raising prices?
    • copypastry, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1But they're etched on DVDs for next to nothing now, right? No having to worry about faulty rom chips and what-not.
      Shouldn't that really decrease the production overhead even more?
      • HyperionHK, on 04/17/2008, -0/+0probably, but development costs have also been rising over the years
  • Braingoo, on 04/15/2008, -2/+34The real travesty is the price for JAWS:The Revenge.
    • BoneheadFarker, on 04/15/2008, -5/+0No...the real travesty is that I paid over $200 for my Nintendo in 1987...
      • exscind, on 04/15/2008, -1/+16The real travesty is that you seem to regret it.
        • BoneheadFarker, on 04/15/2008, -1/+2Hey...$200 is a lot of money for a 9 year old, especially in 1987. If I waited a little, I could have used that extra money for games...
          • Namco, on 04/15/2008, -0/+3That's why you beg your parents to buy it for you in 1985 like I did and enjoy the launch titles for a couple years :D
    • reknaps, on 04/15/2008, -0/+6I loved me some Jaws. The only part that frustrated me was trying to stab Jaws with the point of your boat at the end. It seemed like pure randomness when it decided to actually hit him.
  • twertyto, on 04/15/2008, -0/+16WTF with the Bionic Commando pic? That's not the right game
    • Dragular, on 04/15/2008, -0/+12Classic Sears catalog "We couldn't find a screenshot for this game ah screw it here's a screenshot from a completely different system" tactic. I used to have one of the catalogs advertising some football game with a Mortal Kombat II screenshot.
    • chronichyjinx, on 04/15/2008, -0/+5It's from the arcade version.
    • mytibt, on 04/15/2008, -0/+8Bionic Commando was a great game, probably replayed every level at least half a dozen times
      • twertyto, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2Since I played it as a kid I always go back at least once a year and replay the game.
    • reed311, on 04/15/2008, -0/+9The Jaws and Karate Kid pics are also not right.
      • JDPoZ, on 04/15/2008, -6/+1Nor is the Bionic Commando screenshot.
        • travitherabbi, on 04/15/2008, -1/+5I don't think the Jaws picture is right, either.
          • DephexTwin, on 04/15/2008, -0/+8Since we're on the topic, something is off about the Karate Kid pic as well.
        • chinolofus, on 04/15/2008, -1/+1nor is the jaws screenshot.
    • casbar, on 04/15/2008, -1/+2Back in the day they didn't necessarily use screen shots from the correct system. Usually it seemed like they would find the system the game looked best on and use those for the box cover screen shots. A little asterisk would lead you to the fine print at the bottom of the box which said something like, "Screen shots are from the Coleco Vision, etc". I remember I bought Smurfs on the Atari 2600. The box screens were so cool. It almost looked like the cartoon itself. When I popped the game in I was very disappointed with the graphics. The box screens they used were for the Intellivision or something.
      • ggko, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1That or Sears may have used an image provided by the publisher, Nintendo (Similar might explain you getting Smurfed by the game box.) Back when Epyx released Winter Games, pretty much all the advertising and promotional pics featured a screen shot of the bobsledding event ... upside down. I imagine the wrong/erroneous image got past certain people, and the ones who do the typesetting and proofing were typically not gamers, so they wouldn't have noticed. (Plus it's not the setter's job to question or edit the content, just lay out what they're provided.)
      • DephexTwin, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1Yeah, I remember I had Karate Champ for Nintendo, and on the box it showed graphics from the arcade game. So the people didn't look right, and one of the screen shots had a guy fighting a charging bull, which doesn't even exist in the NES version of the game. I remember trying to find that elusive bull for so long...
  • Bamshackle, on 04/15/2008, -1/+20They should have payed us for playing Jaws the Revenge.
    • timusca, on 04/15/2008, -1/+1If you've played that game, I salute you. Considering it never existed... I know it sounds odd, but seriously... Google it. All you'll find is "Jaws" and nothing about "Jaws: The Revenge"
      • rspeed, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1True, though the game is clearly based on the last movie.

        *shudders*
    • Lith25, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2I actually liked the jaws game. Sure it was simple and short, but it provided me and my friends a few hours of fun back in the day.
  • fr0ng, on 04/15/2008, -12/+114The Legend of Zelda was arguably the best game ever made. Ever.
    • SirFragsMore, on 04/15/2008, -4/+1http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/simplerat ...
      • dubloe7, on 04/15/2008, -4/+1how is gamecube RE4 .5 points better than the ps2 version.
        at least i could understand the pc version of orange box being .5 points higher than the xbox360 version since its more natural to play an FPS with a mouse than a dual analog controller.
        • Harabeck, on 04/15/2008, -0/+6They liked the gamecube controller more?
        • AuburnTigers, on 04/15/2008, -3/+4The gamecube is purple. Also, Sony is evil.
        • thatcrazycommie, on 04/15/2008, -0/+13Because it was made for the Gamecube, and the PS2 port (which came out almost a year later), despite the extra content, didn't quite have as good graphics.
        • mercano, on 04/15/2008, -1/+2Plus, its allot easier to do custom maps, mods, and updates on the PC.
          • dubloe7, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1which is why I said it was obvious why orange box for pc was rated higher...
            i believe i have found the secret identity of captain obvious.
        • louiedog, on 04/15/2008, -1/+3Better controls. Smoother framerate. Fewer bugs. I can't speak for RE4 because I haven't played it on both systems. But there are many things that can make the scores different on separate consoles.
        • cesclaveria, on 04/15/2008, -0/+4"Better controls. Smoother framerate. Fewer bugs" are you sure you haven't played RE4?
          I have every RE4 version (GC, PS2, PC and Wii) the gamecube version was far superior (more than .5) to the other versions and it was the best until the wii version came out.
      • ryan899, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1No NES games included!
    • rudy23, on 04/15/2008, -3/+7evar
    • Genthree, on 04/15/2008, -5/+27Ocarina of Time
      • wolferz, on 04/15/2008, -1/+7i still prefer link to the past...
      • GuacamoleSan, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2agreed..ocarina of time had the best music too
    • rune420, on 04/15/2008, -4/+6If you pay attention to the images, the game in this ad was actually Zelda II, arguably one of the weaker links of the series (no pun intended).
      edit: And if I had paid better attention, I would have seen that both Zelda I and II were featured in the ad. Bury this.
      • darkcooger, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2The picture in #12 is definitely from The Legend of Zelda, not Zelda II. Those bastards that come to life when you touch them were a pain in the ass. Whoever was playing when they made that screenshot just didn't have enough sense to go *around* them.
      • allahuakbar, on 04/15/2008, -1/+4Zelda II was great, I don't know what you're talking about.
    • cesclaveria, on 04/15/2008, -1/+11right franchise, wrong game, the best game ever is Ocarina of Time.
      • EllimistX, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2You actually just motivated me to buy it on my Wii...
    • rentmitchum, on 04/15/2008, -6/+2It's arguably the best game ever 60% of the time.. Every time.
    • cvindustries, on 04/15/2008, -1/+3Any game is "arguably" the best game ever. Doesn't mean its a good argument. My vote is for Civilization II.
      • BrewBeau, on 04/15/2008, -0/+3Civ 2 was great, with the improvement of having units take damage instead of just 100% or dead. I used to hate when a battleship could destroy an entire army in one turn. However, I think Civ 3 had the best improvements and was the funnest to replay over and over and over.
      • wolferz, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1If you wana talk about games that had the greatest impact though, E.T. is the greatest game ever... it was the spark that ignited the inferno known as The Video Game Crash of 1983. If not for that Nintendo and Sega might never have had the success in the States that they did. Microsoft and Sony might never have gotten into the console arena ether.

        Or pong, which started it all....

        If you wanna talk about games that changed the direction of the entire industry. The Resident Evil series (upped the ante for graphics and storytelling in games). Dance Dance Revolution (you laugh but look at all the non-hardcore games out there now). The Wing Commander Series (the 90s were over flowing with space sims, which became popular with Wing Commander). Everquest (made the mmo popular). and yes, the one most of us have come to hate the very mention of, Final Fantasy 7 (spawned more memes than the last decade of internet subculture, responsible for the death of classic style games (everything is 3d now, no game without a $500,000 music score is taken seriously, etc), and has managed to have wide spread effects on every sub culture and even popculture)
    • AgentofId, on 04/15/2008, -4/+2Pacman or Tetris. The availability of these games over the years, the sheer number of gamers and non-gamers alike who play them... seriously? You honestly believe zelda's the best game ever? How about, your personal favorite, or the only game you've played ever? either of those would make more sense... Otherwise, yeah... tetris.
    • Meatball01, on 04/15/2008, -4/+5You spelled Half-Life wrong
    • insomniac8400, on 04/15/2008, -4/+3No, Mortal Kombat for the sega genesis is the best game ever!
      • dumpyhumpy, on 04/15/2008, -4/+12 was way better, although 1 was ground breaking
        • insomniac8400, on 04/16/2008, -1/+2I don't know about 2, but others would say Donkey Kong is the greatest game ever.
    • ajchavar, on 04/15/2008, -0/+4i know tons of people will say that ocarina of time or link to the past were better titles, but my all-time favorite zelda game and all time favorite videogame, is Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, back on the old Gameboy.

      Man I used to bring that thing to class in middle school by "hiding" it in my jean pocket, and the only reason I now have an emulator on my mac is to play LoZ:LA. . . well, that and Kirby's Dreamland
    • nerdherder, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1Hello Kitty Island Adventure
    • Shiftyeyedgoat, on 04/16/2008, -4/+2I believe a spiky, red-haired young lad who wants to get to the Millennial Fair might hold that distinction a little better.
  • typicalusername, on 04/15/2008, -0/+8Damn, I remember that I had that NES Advantage controller/stick. That kicked ass in fighting games compared to the Dpad. I pwned everyone with that thing!
  • dagnabbit, on 04/15/2008, -1/+31There was no NES game called Jaws: The Revenge. It was just Jaws. That screenshot doesn't look like it's from the NES game either.

    Niether does the screenshot for Karate Kid. False advertising!
    • phaseblue, on 04/15/2008, -1/+11You make an excellent point. (Although secretly I dugg you up just for the Kefka avatar.)
    • timusca, on 04/15/2008, -1/+3You're right... i have Jaws and it looks nothing like that. I also couldn't find anything on Google about Jaws: The Revenge.
      • cado100, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1this company was known for doing that. They would have the same screen shots on the back of the game boxes, but the games would look nothing like them.
    • slantyeyed, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2isn't that near the END of the game right before you trigger the strobes and make Jaws jump up from the water so you can stab him with the ship?
      • timusca, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2No, the graphics are completely different.
      • jeffness, on 04/15/2008, -1/+1YUP, righto. that is a legitimate screenshot of the game
    • Sifl, on 04/15/2008, -0/+4It's an artist's rendition.
  • killbert24, on 04/15/2008, -11/+1Wasn't Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link after The Legend of Zelda? Or did Sears just not have enough space to fit the whole title?
    Or is it referring to this ***** Zelda game: http://www.zeldauniverse.net/content/section/4/45/ ?
  • INDOAZZ, on 04/15/2008, -3/+95Sears: when there was no Targets, Wal-Marts to compete with... What an Era.
    • bbqsalad, on 04/15/2008, -0/+18I am really surprised Sears still exists....
      • Ruger11mcrdpi, on 04/15/2008, -1/+15I was too, but then I worked there. Man I fully believe the Craftsman tools keep that company above the fall out zone. They make some damn good tools, sell them at a decent price and back them up with a good warranty. I once returned a guy a hammer and gave him a new one cause the bumps were worn off the head of the hammer from USING IT A LOT. lol
        • jsballardx, on 04/15/2008, -9/+1Are you a ***** Crafsman pitch man or something?
          • bbqsalad, on 04/15/2008, -0/+9Are you a ***** JSBALLARDX man or something?
        • frepnog, on 04/15/2008, -0/+5you can get a good look at a butcher's ass if you stick your head up there.. i mean...
          • Enthwar, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1Dugg, Great movie, watched it every weekend in my childhood.
      • hexydes, on 04/15/2008, -1/+1They just switched from video games to tools for your dad and bras for your mom.
    • poesybeater, on 04/15/2008, -5/+4Maybe you were in utero or something in 1988, but I hate to inform you that Target and Wal-Mart were very much competitors of Sears. And they might have been a decade prior even.
      • fjc8, on 04/15/2008, -1/+4Depends where you lived... where I am, Target and Wal-Mart didn't show up until the mid-90s. Best Buy, Circuit City, Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart, and Target put most of their local big-box competitors out of business.
        • bbqsalad, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2same.
        • poesybeater, on 04/15/2008, -3/+1You're right that Target and Wal-Mart weren't everywhere at once, but it is naive, not to mention wrong, to say that Sears had no competition from Target and Wal-Mart in 1988. Quite the contrary is true. Why everyone keeps upping Indoazz is beyond me.
      • Abomonog, on 04/15/2008, -5/+5Target existed, but Walmart was a nobody in 1988. Still just a single store.
        • poesybeater, on 04/15/2008, -0/+5Wrong. Way wrong. Walmart had over 1,000 stores in 1987.
        • BrewBeau, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1Where I lived, Wal-mart was kind of a joke, like a trashier K-mart. I guess it's still a joke and still very trashy, just with more stores and more monopolistic.
        • Lyght, on 04/15/2008, -0/+6You're off just a bit.

          "During the 1980s, Wal-Mart continued to grow rapidly, and by its 25th anniversary in 1987 there were 1,198 stores with sales of $15.9 billion and 200,000 associates." From Wikipedia.
    • fjc8, on 04/15/2008, -1/+3I actually went to Sears about a year ago. They were the only place I could find Wii remotes.
  • orangetiki, on 04/15/2008, -0/+6And that wasn't even the price for the "collectors" cartridge.
    • SpeakerCity, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1***** yeah! I remember that thing being a bitch to pull out.
  • markbrown, on 04/15/2008, -1/+22[Description of the Nintendo]

    "The control deck houses two microchips to provide high-quality graphics and real-life sound generation. Super Mario Brothers game, 2 controllers with 6 ft. cords and hookup accessories included."

    Man, I wish my 360 had a control deck.
    • copypastry, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1I wish my Wii had a conning tower.
  • HollasTJ, on 04/15/2008, -0/+149Fastforward 6 years to:
    February 1994 Best Buy
    http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e216/HollasTJ/?a ...
    http://s40.photobucket.com/albums/e216/HollasTJ/?a ...

    I enjoy reading vintage tech ads.
    • cambob76, on 04/15/2008, -2/+31Dude, you need teh 486DX if you wanna get a good framerate on DOOM.
      • BabyWookie, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1My 486SX did alright, once I upgraded the RAM from 4 MB to 8 MB, for about $200. It took me a while to get that money. I was so ***** pissed that I couldn't play Doom.
    • CaptainM4d, on 04/15/2008, -1/+9The Sega Genesis Best Buy ad is most orgasmic. Such great times.
    • Kythas, on 04/15/2008, -0/+22Wow, check out the camera. Includes case, two lithium batteries, and FILM. Oh, the memories....
    • brstilson, on 04/15/2008, -1/+15My first computer was a Packard Bell similar to the one pictured, except it had a 486 SX/33 and a 340 MB hard drive.
      • wit21, on 04/15/2008, -0/+3340 MB?!?!? Awww, lucky!
        • brstilson, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1I lusted for a 540 MB drive though. I couldn't imagine being able to fill one of those up.
      • JudgeMonkey, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1Yeah, my first computer had 64kb of memory, and a hard drive? yeah, that was a floppy disk, not high density either.
      • likwidfuzion, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2My current computer runs on vacuum tubes.
        • brstilson, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1I'm typing this on an Antikythera mechanism.
    • snoop101, on 04/15/2008, -1/+13NHL 94 was what made EA's NHL line. Was one of the best.
      • hammburglar, on 04/15/2008, -2/+12nd best. 03 is the best.
      • lejake, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1I still fire up the SNES and play that game - best one ever, not the most realistic, but the most fun.
    • kiiwii, on 04/15/2008, -0/+17I never realized how much game prices differed back then. $47.96, $49.96, $54.96, $56.96, etc.
      • lukas88, on 04/16/2008, -0/+3I remember buying final fantasy 3 when it first came out for like 70 bucks. I had to explain to my parents that it was worth it because it takes so much longer than a real game. (that is only true if you don't spend 18 hours a day playing it)
        • regression, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1Did you ever beat chupon in the Colosseum? I could never manage to do it. he always sneezed me out of the battle.
      • BabyWookie, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1Varying cartridge ROM sizes.
    • kinseyincanada, on 04/15/2008, -0/+7man that Aalddin game was amazing, so was NHL 94, Mortal Kombat, man games suck now compared to my childhood.
      • lejake, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1Aladdin on the Genesis was 10x better than on the SNES...completely different games. I beat the SNES version in about 4 hours and was like...ummm...what now? Mortal Kombat...ah, the memories.
    • damon5334, on 04/15/2008, -0/+0Man... We had that computer. I always held it over my friend's head the fact that mine was a DX2/50, when my friend was stuck with the SX/33.
    • cvindustries, on 04/15/2008, -1/+2Oh, look, Speed Racer. Some things never change.
    • sn0w, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2I love how all PC's back then were marketed as "multimedia" computers.
      • brstilson, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2I remember seeing commercials for them, they'd show one playing a video of a giraffe or something and i'd be like "HOLY CRAP"
      • BabyWookie, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1Only if they came with those fancy ass CD-ROM drives.
    • warispeace21, on 04/15/2008, -0/+3Hey, don't laugh. That was a bitchin' system in 1994.
      • jcm267, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1I guess... my dad got us a custom 486 with a 700-something MB hard drive for our main computer sometime in the early 1990s. It didn't have a CD ROM drive at first, but we upgraded and I don't know how much RAM we had but the computer was able to handle Windows 95 when it came out.
      • BabyWookie, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1Nah. The 486SX was like the Celeron of its time. DX was where it was at.
    • mahku, on 04/15/2008, -0/+4Gah damn... Street Fighter 2 was expensive!
    • abtarhar, on 04/16/2008, -2/+1I actually have a mint condition comp ad book from 90's. I'll submit it to digg in 5 years and let it get dugg to the heavens or sell it on ebay. :)
    • lukas88, on 04/16/2008, -2/+1At the age of 7 I was such a little nerd already with my 386/12 and my 486SX/25, down in my basement, running networked games of doom and making text adventures with gwbasic. For doom, whoever used the 386 was up ***** creek because the only way it would run is if you made the frame reaaaally small.
    • speedbmp, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1I love the CD caddy i think it's a dual speed cd rom :)
    • RFtesla, on 04/16/2008, -1/+1My parents had that exact Packard Bell.
    • jsaya, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1OMG FREE LOCKET w/ The Secret Garden! WANT!
  • caddyalan, on 04/15/2008, -0/+13I've heard (since I barely remember...) that text-heavy NES games such as Dragon Warrior 2-4 weren't cheap. Prices were almost universally higher on the SNES, and worse on the N64.
    • ArtificialAnus, on 04/15/2008, -1/+9I don't know about 'text-heavy', but RPGs generally were more expensive because they tended to take up more space (and hence needed a larger ROM = $$$). If the cart was battery backed (Legend of Zelda was the first) or had add-on chips in the cart (SuperFX comes to mind) then that could be expected to add even more to the cost of the game. This was true for a long time for any cart-based system, such as SNES, Genesis, and N64.

      It's only now that we have much cheaper memory (ROM, RAM, and flash) that the Nintendo DS is almost immune to this effect.
    • slantyeyed, on 04/15/2008, -0/+4those games also were a little heavier (physically) than the regular games
    • j1ggy, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2Not only were Dragon Warrior 2-4 pricey, they were hard to find. But worth it.
  • timusca, on 04/15/2008, -1/+40TWO microchips to provide high-quality graphics!
  • RHA0, on 04/15/2008, -1/+67True to life graphics!
    • exscind, on 04/15/2008, -0/+12Good thing their testers told them to tighten up the graphics a little on level 3.
    • solid12345, on 04/15/2008, -0/+6bit mapping is very aggressive and very Miyamoto
    • hexydes, on 04/15/2008, -0/+8NOW YOU'RE PLAYING WITH POWER!
  • leerayIG88, on 04/15/2008, -1/+2good times. If I had the chance, I would play the world and win.
  • manticore1977, on 04/15/2008, -1/+6holy crap, I had that video game cart!
  • fuhcough, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2Hmm that pic isn't the same Karate Kid I remember from my NES days... Drum punch! Crane kick!
    • john2kx, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2I remember it being the most frustrating game i've ever played. You'd literally get surrounded by bad guys and just bounce around between them until you're dead. It was stupidly ridiculous.
      Miyagi catching flies w/ chopsticks was kinda fun tho.
  • FaithclubDotNet, on 04/15/2008, -1/+10That was a great value for how awesome that game is! I remember buying it at Sears. We had my uncle's Monty Carlo which stalled at every intersection we went through and didn't get over 35mph. My aunt and my cousin were worried the trip wasn't going to be worth it, but I told em it was one of the best games I ever played. My cousin agreed when we started playing it. It was a trip worth while that I still remember to this day.
    • DephexTwin, on 04/15/2008, -0/+6For some reason, that story makes it feel like the game came out in the 1920's.
  • bobbybebob, on 04/15/2008, -5/+71HAHA I remember this.
    Mirror http://uploadingit.com/view/537041_6i6uq if needed
    • timusca, on 04/15/2008, -21/+4Did you wipe your ass with it before scanning it and uploading it? That's some ***** resolution...
    • MrSidnet, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2uh..it's one of those image you click on to view.
    • digitalunit, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1That is the best I have ever seen Rad Racer look
    • Amiga500, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1The main link was down for me, thanks for the mirror.
  • TinternAbbot, on 04/15/2008, -1/+13Dugg for reminding me how sweet Top Gun was.
  • bigteebo, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1I love the crappy artists' rendition of the game screenshots.
  • donatelli, on 04/15/2008, -6/+1bionic commando = great game that will be remade into an even greater game. gotta love GRIN! thank you GRIN! ya *****!
  • yohnstoppable, on 04/15/2008, -3/+4Bah, how was Commando outselling Ghosts and Goblins?
    • TomTruelle, on 04/15/2008, -1/+2yeah, seriously. ghosts and goblins is my favorite nes game ever.
    • punkcat, on 04/15/2008, -0/+3i prefered Ghouls and Ghosts
  • chrissku, on 04/15/2008, -18/+1What if I were to tell you that a guy with no background in science or medicine-not even a college degree-has come up with what may be one of the most promising breakthroughs in cancer research in years?

    Would that be something you might be interested in Eric?
    • AussieFox, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2Who are you talking to?

      What does cancer have to do with this topic?

      And why do we care?
    • RFtesla, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1I think he might be referring to the radio wave cancer treatment in the top 10 right now.
  • Kireblade, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2I remember Gamer's Paradise selling Zelda II at $99, no joke.
  • Oktoeatfish, on 04/15/2008, -0/+8Punch-Out!!! Seriously though, ***** Super Macho Man, he's hard.
    • BRODEL, on 04/15/2008, -0/+5I always hated that terrorist looking guy...
  • ControlcChris, on 04/15/2008, -0/+5Jesus, thats a big cabinet for just 2 games.
  • kingUssop, on 04/15/2008, -13/+3Uh... ok? What's so great about this ad?
  • asskicker32, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2Man, I wish Jaws didnt suck. Id pick it up for $34.99...
    • jcastillo81, on 04/15/2008, -1/+5i first read that as "Jews"
    • banshee9x, on 04/16/2008, -0/+0hey i liked that game, but then again i pretty much liked any game for the nes.
  • mlrigsby, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2The weird thing is that, while LoZ is without debate the best game on the page, it probably is the least impressive graphically, at least in the screenshots.
  • jcastillo81, on 04/15/2008, -0/+47I remember staring at these sears books for hours circling everything I wanted Santa to bring me for Christmas. Nearly every page had something circled. Man I was a greedy little bastard.
    • Kythas, on 04/15/2008, -1/+12You still are.
      • jcastillo81, on 04/15/2008, -0/+6You're right, now instead of circling transformers and NES games i circle flatscreens and laptops...
    • sdbyrd, on 04/15/2008, -1/+7the Christmas edition was called the Wishbook
    • hexydes, on 04/15/2008, -0/+2Ditto, but mine was a Service Merchandise catalog. I don't think Service Merchandise has catalogs anymore though...
      • Kornstalx, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1I didn't think Service Merchandise even existed.
        They closed all the stores here a decade ago.
      • jcastillo81, on 04/15/2008, -0/+3Oh man I remember Service Merchandise! They had a bitchin' toy section!
      • Kythas, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1Hell yeah. I got all my Star Wars figures from Service Merchandise back in the day. Wish I still had them. My mom sold my entire collection for $5 at a garage sale.
  • kburk, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1and worth every penny!
  • exomni, on 04/15/2008, -8/+20At that price the NES would be just $162.22 today. Beats $599 US dollars for a PS3.
    • knowitman, on 04/15/2008, -2/+18$399 for a PS3 also beats $599 for a PS3.
      • MacHarborGuy, on 04/15/2008, -1/+6it would be nice if the $399 price included the ability to play my PS2 games so I wouldn't need multiple generations of systems
        • Ultage, on 04/15/2008, -7/+0You can play PS2 games on PS3...
        • damon5334, on 04/15/2008, -6/+1If you're going to be like that... why not just get a PS2? That's like buying a Wii because you wanted to play GameCube games.
        • tocsy, on 04/15/2008, -0/+0You're both fools. From what I understand, the cheapest PS3 does not have backwards compatibility. And damon, I'd imagine the reason to buy the PS3 was so that you could play BOTH PS2 and PS3 games on it. So, it'd be like buying a wii to play gamecube AND wii games. Which you can't do on a gamecube.
        • SwedishNinja, on 04/16/2008, -2/+1I LOL at all the people who used to flame the 360 because of the selective backwards compatibility that now sing the praises of the $399 PS3 that has NO backwards compatibility whatsoever.
    • Enron, on 04/15/2008, -0/+3Yes, and it even comes with Super Mario Bros. and two controllers.
    • relic120, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1This guy is stuck in 2006
  • SenorCardgage74, on 04/15/2008, -1/+133Anyone else remember the happy days of game consoles coming with TWO controllers?

    The mother *****.
    • cambob76, on 04/15/2008, -2/+25Nobody has RL friends anymore... right?
    • solid12345, on 04/15/2008, -0/+16Yeah I wish I could cheat and pull the plug on all the other player's controllers on Live like the old days.
    • frepnog, on 04/15/2008, -1/+9A+++++ Digger! Would Digg Again!
      • blueRAP, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1User transition from eBay to Digg: 50% complete
    • triskele, on 04/15/2008, -4/+1If you're dumb enough not to read through the ebay product descriptions Wii comes with 2 controllers.
  • BRODEL, on 04/15/2008, -0/+10Rad Racer FTW!
    • hexydes, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1I love the power glove. It's so bad.
  • sesstreets, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1I like Adventure Link on the top right
  • Robthefrog, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1Worth every penny. I feel sorry for my parents back then. :(
  • slantyeyed, on 04/15/2008, -0/+11real pic of Jaws screen
    http://www.nesplayer.com/jaws/walkthrough/bombship ...
    • cubbiesx, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1i got that game after having my appendix removed in fourth grade. honestly it was pretty fun back in the day. especially when u got the zippy little submarine thing.
  • Deived, on 04/15/2008, -1/+4That screen shot of Karate Kid, isn't a real screen shot.
  • ChristineMM, on 04/15/2008, -0/+4I still have my Nintendo and my Zelda and my kids had a ball playing with it, believe it or not.
  • CaptainM4d, on 04/15/2008, -5/+8Sometimes I really wish I was born a lot earlier than the late 80s...
    • CaptainM4d, on 04/15/2008, -2/+3Ouch. Dugg down. What gives?
    • Abomonog, on 04/15/2008, -1/+5No you don't. You missed the Disco era followed right up by hair band hell (and new wavers wearing flower pots for hats). I was a teen through all of this and I'll be scarred for life because of it.
    • BeavisMcSleavis, on 04/16/2008, -2/+2Get off the internets, your not old enough yet!

      /sarcasm - kinda
  • milkmit, on 04/15/2008, -1/+21"true-to-life" graphics.
    I love how every video game system and computer even since the Commodore/Amiga and NES days always made such bold claims with their killer 16 or 256 max colors.
  • AZTriGuy, on 04/15/2008, -0/+19Screw the Advantage joystick, I had the Power Glove. It's so bad...
    • gaucho4, on 04/15/2008, -0/+5So bad that it rarely worked.
    • Namco, on 04/15/2008, -2/+6The Joystick "slow-motion" is just a feature of the stick that presses the pause button a 600 times a minute.
    • frepnog, on 04/15/2008, -0/+1Yeah i had a powerglove, too. it was only good to cut the cable off and run around with the glove on pretending to be a terminator or something.
    • jpezzznuts, on 04/16/2008, -0/+2everyone miss the movie reference?
      • AZTriGuy, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1Apparently so, I was hoping more would jump on that one.
      • DDION, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1SMB 3 overshadowed the cool ass Power Glove scene, I must say.
      • TheAmoryWars, on 04/16/2008, -0/+0Nobody beats Lucas. He's incredible.
      • timmyrich, on 04/16/2008, -0/+1so jealous i was of his game collection
    • Bob24, on 04/17/2008, -0/+1the kid from beethoven seemed to like it
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