A question for the U.K.

[megabomberman]

Guys I'm just wondering, and this is mainly directed at smith and elusive cos I know ye are from the Uk.

How good is the retro scene in england, in terms of second hand shops and retro retailers?
Are those gigantic car-boot sales that go on in england any good for retro goodness?

I'm just wondering because me and my mate (a snes collector) were thinking of going on a big expidtion to the UK to go game hunting in some of those huge car boot sale thingys, is it worth our while???

[Jordan]

Hi there.

Am from the UK myself, and it very much depends where you are, and in some cases its pure luck. I have had some wonderful finds at car boots in the past, but also been to them where there is virtually no games at all! There is the odd specilist retailer that has some retro stuff on display and available, for example Gamestation, a big chain that has just been bought out by Game, has cabinates full of rare and usually old stuff, including SNES games and the like. Unfortunatly alot of the time it is overpriced...

Cheers.

[Elusive]

The UK? You're Irish, you're part of the United Kingdom too :P

Hit and miss, depending on the size. No High Street places sell anything pre-PS2 save from Gamestation, and even then the good stuff is usually tucked away behind racks and racks of PS2 software, a shelf of Sold Out Software PC releases stickered 3 for £10, and the lingering odour of feet and despair.

Go for the car boot sales, or open-air markets. Now that summer weather is here, you can enjoy the fresh air if all else fails :) I'd imagine that any large-scale event big would be advertised elsewhere. So, uh, plan ahead.

[Mr Smith]

There's quite a few places to pick up Mega Drive stuff where I am (Nottingham) you just need to know where to look. We have quite a few shops which sell retro games (aside from GameStation) and if you visit my wonderful city you can say you've visited the gun and burglary capital of the UK :D
Naturally car boots can be hit or miss, however, you can find some real gems if you turn up early enough (usually 7am) these events are usually advertised in the local rag.

I would also advise avoiding touristy London if your soul purpose is to buy retro games and you have no interest in Chinese people gawking down Downing Street/at Buckingham Palace.

Oh, Elusive, I love your sig. A bit of pure STC #9 is enough to get anybody's juices flowing.

[megabomberman]

hmm judging by your mixed responses and thank you all very much, I'm wondering would an expidition be fruitful at all, myself and my friend were imagining boots full of gear ready for the taking!!!

[megabomberman]

Alright my friends, the time is drawing closer, a posse of 4 has been assembled and it has been confirmed we're going to the UK in late august,

So I'm going to keep my ear to the ground, and if any of ye dudes here of massive gaming conventions, huge car boot sales etc don't be afraid to drop me a line it would be much appreciated,

Also this tour is intended to go into the features section of the site when it happens so all ye're help is necessary!