I really enjoyed walking into this store. I felt like I was in a gamers museum because of the old discontinued consoles displayed on the wall. If you're looking for old game cartridges, I recommend you stop by. read more

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This spot is a little tight but it has a lot of ol' school merch. Against the wall there were a bunch of consoles or their boxes from back in the day. Neo Geo,Atari,Dreamcast,Turbo Grafx 16,Nintendo,etc. That was pretty cool. They also had tons of video games for those consoles. This store def put me down memory lane. read more

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I love stores like this! I have not seen some of these gaming systems in years. And some i was to young to know existed. So many old school video games and consoles. This store brought back alot of memories. I would love to own all these systems one day. if you are a video game lover and can appreciate where it started and where its at today this store is for you. read more

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It's a great place to find interesting classic games, repairs and even shipping they do for people, but do research on the items you might want to buy before you go into this place. I bought a third party GameCube controller meant for Wii/Wii U here a couple years back and it doesn't work well at all. The sell price for games you can bring in here might also be kind of odd.. they won't always pay you a fair price no matter the rarity or quality. It seems that the quality of this store has changed ever since the old owner left it to some other guy. The new guy is oddly pushy/annoyed about people coming in to just browse and I'm assuming trying really hard to sell you stuff (like that 3rd party controller I bought) probably because of some partnership or something.. kind of an odd vibe. I give this place a 4 star for the amount of items available and the decent pricing on them, but because I can't give half stars, I just took a star off for the odd vibe this place has nowadays. read more

The only retro game store you'll ever need. Been going to game zone for a few years now, and when I have friends in town it's always one of the spots we hit. They have a massive, constantly rotating variety of games and a deep knowledge of so many systems. I often see rare games (like original Pokémon, castlevania, etc.) and coveted systems for sale. They happily repaired my Nintendo DS after I'd been refused by every technician in the NH/MA area. The repair was very cheap and done quickly and seamlessly. I am so thankful to have my DS working again- the lovely people at game zone made my week (: Salem would be missing without local, honest places like this. Highly recommend. read more

Game Zone is such an awesome shop right in the heart of Salem. It has some real charm and fits right into this quirky yet wonderful little town! My wife and I really enjoyed seeing all the cool displays they had. It was nice to see that the folks who curate this store are clearly trying to make it appealing to gamers and non-gamers alike! It's very fun and really inviting. The game selection is very much on par with most of the other game stores I've been to on the east coast--nothing really standout, just really lovely to see all the games and reasonable prices. I was looking in this store for a handful of games, but specifically, I needed a PS2 cable that would plug into HDTVs. I asked the folks behind the counter, and they were kind enough to refer me to a specific cable that they said has worked amazingly well for them. I was a bit skeptical at first, though after hearing about their own experiences with it, I decided to give it a go. I took it home, and it has been a literal game-changer for me. Before, I was unable to read most of the text in the GTA games. Now, everything is crystal clear and displayed in widescreen perfectly - it's just such an awesome addition to my collection and makes these games look truly great even to this day. For the curious, the cable is made by Hyperkin. Thank you Game Zone for your awesome service, and for keeping the game culture and history alive! read more

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I have been going here for a long time the best place ever and of all time best people there

Great customer service the people there ARE the ones to talk to. I bought 3 games there with only 10 bucks to spend there the one Xbox game I bought the bottom of the case was shattered but the game was perfect. The other game I got was a ps1 game it was nba live 98 it had a few scratches on the disk but they were very tiny. The last game I got was madden 2000 perfect condition couldn't be better. In a short note if you want any kind thing related to gaming that place has got it. Great workers, the best game library, not too expensive, definitely the game store, also ps the store sign is a nes controller which is just awesome read more

Game Zone - The 3 games I bought - Video Game Stores Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Not to be confused with the Gale Zone (Chicago) or the Gay Zone (my bedroom). The Nintendo store is actually called GameZone but it will always be the Nintendo store to me because it has an old NES controller attached to its sign and it's pretty awesome. I will definitely come back here and get my game fix on at some point, and bring Barbie because she loves this stuff. I liked it a lot. Very well positioned as well in the middle of everything in Salem. Unfortunately the prices probably reflect that. read more

Game Zone - Wanna play with my station? - Video Game Stores Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

All time favorite gaming store in my book! Great staff, great people, great selection, great time.

Always a stop when we're in the area. A small video store packed with old school and new games. My daughter loves looking for games she grew up with and no longer has. And wants to play again now for memories. Always friendly and helpful staff read more

Was basically kicked out of their store because I suggested that one of their items was above market value and you know this is not how you're supposed to do business with people. If you don't like something a customer says you don't nudge them to leave. Basically I was told I should leave because I should look for things on Amazon, which is extremely disrespectful. I am really disgusted to be honest and I'm never coming back again. I hope that people understand that this place is not the best place you can go to to buy yourself some video games. I suggest that you look on Facebook because you're going to get ripped off here. They wanted to sell me a $40 nintendo 64 controller, I mean I can buy an entire nintendo 64 with Controllers for 60-70$. He wanted $40 just for one used controller, it's disgusting. read more

Game Zone - Video Game Stores Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Bad selection, insanely high prices, would not recommend to any collector. Go somewhere else.

I love this place ever since I found it on my 11th grade field trip, the only problem I've had was 1 i bought a ps2 and they said it was completely rebuilt but when I bought it it had laser issues and when I got 4 games for it they wouldn't read but luckily they were nice enough to give another ps2 since I had the receipt and that one worked the only other thing is the return policy because you can only get store credit no cash which in some cases could suck like if the game doesn't work at all you can't get a refund. Other than that no complaints it's an amazing place nice people. read more

Game Zone - Transformers Revenge of fallen that I got at gamezone - Video Game Stores Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

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Diggin' this stop on Essex for sure. Stopped in at the end of a busy Saturday in October. Spoke extensively with the nice gentleman behind the counter who answered all of our questions and showed us different vintage games. He was not at all flustered or bothered by all of our questions. I was so impressed that I'm sending my old NES up to them from Providence for service. You can't replicate solid service. These guys made an immediate impression on me. More to come once I receive the system back. read more

Awesome, neat, nostalgic place for the first generation of gamers. The store is almost like a console museum, the top of the walls are lined with console systems dating back to the first Atari, Neo Geo, Dreamcast, R.O.B., each accompanied by a little description of the units sold, years active and quirky facts about the console. It is just so cool to look through the evolution of gaming systems to what they are today. The monitors is playing a demo of the first Castlevania. The games are also of different eras, from quite a collection of super nintendo cartridges to ps1 games to the most current games. We spent quite a while there being nostalgic and remembering the joys that these titles brought us back in the days. Highly recommended for any gamers to check out! So cool. read more

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I have to say as a PlayStation 1 collector that they have one of the largest spread of good condition PS1 games I have seen in a long time in one place. The problem with this store is that eBay has a much larger spread and the prices on there are significantly cheaper than in the store. This is why I suppose they have such a large collection, because no one is buying at these prices. The store serves better as a retro gaming museum than a retail store. Such a shame considering there were probably over 20 games I would have bought at reasonable prices. read more

Game Zone - Video Game Stores Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Again very rude especially, with a return ,a nonexistent return policy! It's dead in the Store why? I won't go back Thay have cute dog! read more

I am only able to visit this store every once in a while. But I have always had wonderful service. Not only can you buy quality videogames from new and old systems but they will also fix your broken systems. Finally I can play my Wii U again! read more

Awesome place, awesome conversation with 2/3 of the employees I met. Prices are a little high and of course they low ball you on the trade in pricing, but WAY better than those corporate pigs at Game Stop. I feel good for supporting a local business. read more

Today was my first and probably last time at this store. My goal was to find some awesome SNES games for me to fill the evening with. We tried the first two games I picked up at the store to see if they worked... nope. I was pretty disheartened. These were priced at $5 and $10, and certainly neither were ever tested. Prices are high in general. If it's not a rare collectible, then I really don't want the cost to dissuade me from the purchase. I feel the prices don't reflect the lightheartedness most customers are going to approach buying retro games with. Their return policy seems like a scam. This is taken verbatim from their receipt: No cash refunds Receipt dated within 30 days is required For all returns & exchanges A $5 a day charge will be taken off all returns New opened games that are scratched will not be exchanged or refunded ... Minus a 25% restock fee So, essentially, if I had bought that game for $5, discovered it did not work, and then tried to return it tomorrow, I would be penalized $5 and would not be refunded for the game at all. Furthermore, they would also charge me a 25% restock fee. They will never give you cash back for any reason, all refunds are in store credit only. I've been in plenty of used video game stores that feel like a great place to get absolutely ripped off, and this one is no exception. read more

Clearly I have been living under a rock. I have lived in Salem for almost six years now and until last night I had never been in to Game Zone. I discovered it randomly when I was going to Harrison's Comics last night. I had to park a block away and on my walk to the comic book store I noticed Game Zone. I decided to pop in to see what it was all about. Let me tell you ... straight up: video game nerdgasm. Game Zone has everything. Literally, everything. I saw Atari games, NES, Sega Genesis games ... right up to Xbox 360 and PS3. It was amazing. I have several systems including an Xbox and my "old school" NES and Sega Genesis. In the past I have gone to Game Stop for my Xbox games but after seeing Game Zone's prices ... I'm never going to Game Stop again. Game Zone's prices were generally cheaper than Game Stop or Best Buy. Games for my NES and Sega were a bit different. I usually order games from eBay or Amazon and it's dirt cheap to do it that way (I've bought whole bundles of old games for $10 before). Old games at Game Zone were a bit more expensive then what I am use to paying ($5 - $10) but still worth it. I would much rather buy a game from Game Zone and be guaranteed the quality then take the gamble with eBay and deal with shipping costs. Game Zone is my new "go to" store for all of my console gaming needs. This is going to be the start of a beautiful relationship ... read more

This place is awesome!!! I brought my scratched up Modern Warfare 2 CD to this place to get it resurfaced and now it works and it looks brand new too. For $5 to fix a $60 game which i thought was no longer good is a great price I told him I would've paid $10 for that service. The owner was extremely nice and helpful and his dog was the best in the world, it kinda looked like a baby Chewbacca. I am bringing all my scratched games here from now on. It looked like they had every system ever made and almost every game for those system. They even had virtual boy!!! read more

I too wish I could give this place a 5 star review as I liked their setup and location, but with the prices being what they were for their vintage games, it's just not possible. 10$+ for LOOSE (very common and easy to find if you look) vintage NES carts?! Really? The boxed carts price wise were what you'd find them for if you were in a bidding war with a rabid fanboi of a given title. Instead of "reasonably priced" being an adequate adjective, I believe "overpriced" fits better. The kicker when I tried negotiating with the guy behind counter was his "Well you don't pay tax!" argument. Pfft. So you can't even talk them down.. gotcha. To give an fact based example of the prices you'd be dealing with: they had a boxed Secret of Evermore for the SNES for 70$. I went home the night I visited this place, hopped on Ebay and bought one for 45$, with free shipping. Sure I have to wait for it, but the money I saved will stay in my pocket. I'm all about supporting local businesses, and I LOVE this sort of side-store that caters to the retro/vintage gamers out there (that also isn't a soulless Gamestop clone), BUT... the prices really kill the enthusiasm and fun out of the equation for me. If you're going here, just keep in mind the odds are you could buy anything from this store for a ton less elsewhere, (with probably minimal effort). read more

I stumbled onto this place while walking down the street so I popped in to see what it's all about. To my surprised, it was a vintage gaming store! I started browsing and noticed on that wall was this evolutionary chart of gaming systems. Under each system is a small stat sheet of the system so customers can see how each generation of systems is different from the last. This was really cool. The store was very well organized and spacious. I had no problem browsing their huge selection of games and consoles. The prices here are slightly higher than you would find online, but there's overhead cost of running a physical business, so people shouldn't complain if it's a little higher than average. I recommend that you check out this place if you're in the area. Maybe you'll find that copy of Contra you'd lost those years ago. read more

Came in from out of town for Halloween this year. Dressed as Adam Jensen from Deus Ex, I proceeded to find a copy of Dragon Age Inquisition priced very reasonably and went to purchase. "This card doesn't match your ID Mr. Jensen." 10/10 would buy again. (thanks for playing along with my costume it made my day) read more

I was reluctant to go into this story, because I thought a local shop could never compete with gamestop. I was sure wrong. This place had alot of games for much cheaper than gamestop. I will for sure be shopping here again read more

I'm very torn on Game Zone. As others have said, the prices are very high. They do not exceed those on Amazon or Ebay but represent the absolute highest price that people are selling their items for - in Mint or new condition. Most of these games are in Good or Very Good condition but should not command the absolute premium due to disc wear or cracks in the cases. I've had experiences where the manager was willing to work with me regarding prices and selling my games over the phone to find a happy medium. I don't feel that the other associates are given the same leeway to negotiate or just choose not to. They have hard-lined on their prices in most of my experiences. That being said, the selection of consoles and games in the store is astounding and is organized very well. If you are looking for it, chances are they have it. It's fun just to go in there and look at video game history. And sometimes you just need that game so badly that you can't wait for the 3-day shipping from ebay. They also resurface games for a small fee and do it for free for games bought there if you bring in the receipt. Overall, awesome store for selection. If they can figure out a better way of making customers happy with buying/selling and not going out of there feeling like they got a raw deal, that would turn into a 5 REAL fast. read more

I don't do a ton of reviews but I kind of feel the need to here. Game Zone is a pretty cool store and they're definitely well stocked with a bunch of good retro stuff, but the vibe kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. I probably won't go back. I was expecting a more laid back staff honestly. I'm just busting out some of my old game consoles and getting back in to the stuff and it's pretty exciting for me. When I got there the dude offered help if I asked for it. I'm like oh he seems cool, so I'll talk to him about my console issues and some other stuff. I dig talking about games etc. It was kind of odd but he was a bit condescending the entire time. It got to the point where I was so annoyed that I asked him how old he was because he was attempting to make it seem like he was a retro game veteran. He was just trying way, way too hard. He was talking about some old school gaming stuff which was is awesome, regardless of being a decade younger than me, but when I started talking it's like I wasn't even there. Like dude, you're a borderline millennial who grew up on Playstation 2. Mommy and daddy bought you second or third hand retro stuff when you found out that it was cool. He literally had no response to my nostalgic enthusiasm for childhood memories and game talk. I even said out loud, "I'm talking to myself here" and left. It was pretty sad. I almost bought something. Maybe I just went at the wrong time. The pimply faced children do get out of school around 3pm so I'll attribute it to a probable shift change. It does get two stars just because of the good selection of games, variety of systems and the fact that Green Hill Zone music was being played in the background. But damn, when I go to most game stores people are usually welcoming and cool to talk to. If you're looking for some good conversation and friendliness along side of good game selection, this probably isn't the place for you. read more

Little video game shop with as many old-school Nintendo games as new ones. I went there to sell my old Nintendo 64 and Super Nintendo stuff. The dude was really nice (video game-nerdy way) and gave me a good deal. They had a number of consoles set up to play and try out games. Looked like they had a good selection of current games as well. read more

I'm not a gamer but my husband is and he loves this place. I like the owner's dog that hangs around inside and I like that the owner lets me bring my dog in while I wait for my husband to decide on what he's going to buy (the minutes truly seem like hours, tbh). The prices are fair and hey have a lot of cool stuff I knew nothing about during my apparently deprived (re: outdoor) childhood. Also, you can get discs resurfaced here so you may as well try that before you buy that replacement copy of whatever it is you played to absolute death or dropped between the couch cushions uncased. read more

I wish I could really offer this place a better review, it truly has SO much potential. However, despite my several attempts to give this place credit, they always find a way to disappoint me. They really don't have a very good selection of modern accessories, however they claim to be able to get you anything you may need. I went in looking for a (Preferably new) wired Microsoft brand controller, but they did not have one. No problem, until he told me I could have one ordered. I inquired on price (mind you on a $40.00 device) he told me $60.00!!! Also, one of the employees there isn't friendly, I wish I had his name. Very quiet, almost awkwardly, almost no care for me as a consumer. Tall Skinny guy. They do have a WIDE selection of great condition older/retro games and consoles. I've only seen a better collection in a handful of other places I've visited around the country. This is the only thing keeping this shop from a 1-star for me though. Many things are not labelled for price, and asking about them, they search eBay or similar for top dollar selling price on a MINT condition item and quote that. You may be able to haggle effectively, but I doubt they would budge much. Don't even get me started on that ridiculous return policy. It's setup such that they never have items returned, and if they do they don't take a loss. In summary, Prices are too high, anti-social workers, limited modern selection, and an unfair return policy make GameZone a no-go for me. Sorry folks, but you have so much untapped potential. read more

My best friend and I went into this store for the first time this week. As a long time video collector, this location was a huge treat, as there was a tall case full of interesting finds and NFS game history. The selection of purchasable items was very impressive, and the young man behind the counter was extremely hospitable, very passionate about game collecting and other media knowledge, and was fun to chat with while exploring the collection and asking for recommendations which he happily gave us. I did not feel obligated to purchase anything but the increasingly comforting atmosphere and conscious effort to keep us interested made me appreciative enough to ensure I did not leave empty-handed. read more

Sadly, I didn't buy anything from this establishment, but good lord, I tried to convince my husband to buy the Sega Saturn save cartridge for me. Next time, clerks...next time. And the Dreamcast! And -- my god, is that a Master System -- MEGA DRIVE GAMES?! Poor husband had to listen to me geek out about some PAL games for SNES on top of that. Seriously, I was in gamer heaven here. Sam was a blast to talk to -- it was wonderful to meet a fellow female gamer who knew her craft! All prices were very reasonable -- and hubs was shocked to find that his beloved Parasite Eve games i'm were fetching pretty pennies. Sorry, we're not letting those go. But I'm digressing: the shelves were jam-packed with titles, organised in an easy-to-figure-out manner; I usually only feel euphoria like this when I'm in a used book store. I now know where to call if I'm looking for something extra special! read more

The guys here are so friendly and helpful; they help us out and make sure everything works before we buy anything. They really put the effort in to make their customers feel welcome and the owner(?) is an absolutely lovely guy always checking in to see how we're doing. Customer service to a T. Wife and I love this place and visit as often as we can. Thanks guys! read more

Just traded in quite a few of my old consoles and games. Tyler took care of my trade and was fair and honest. He helped me out with the best value for my trade and hooked me up with a few new items. Go in expecting to get real trade value (and not what you could sell it for on eBay) and you'll be pleasantly surprised. I've done business at many of the locally owned game stores around, but this one takes the cake! Thanks guys! read more

Game zone salem is probably the only place in the area with a big selection of older generation games. They have a great selection at fair prices. They also will resurface the scratched up discs. I brought an old game (which ended up being too damaged) and they resurfaced it for free, just in case it worked. Really great service and reasonable prices for the variety and quantity of games they offer. read more

Love coming here to find rare games, all systems are usually available for purchase, from Atari to ps3, the power glove and R.O.B.! Check this store out, and say hi to the coolest dog ever if he's in there! read more

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. First for the good- the selection is amazing and the store is very well laid out. That's about it The bad- The sales guy is extremely awkward and makes shopping extremely uncomfortable. I understand In this market you're bound to meet some socially awkward people but man o man. And for the deal breaker, the prices are off the wall insane. So badly inflated that I was actually insulted. 200 dollars for a boxed copy of pokemon yellow on gameboy? this game sells in mint condition on eBay for about 50. I understand overhead, but this guy is totally taking advantage of people who want that nostalgic feeling and don't want or know how to order online or use ebay. Used super Nintendo that is totally yellow stained from 20 years of chain smoking? 80 bucks. And like that's not enough, the return policy is store credit only even if what you buy is broken. Please people. Do yourself a favor. Make an eBay account and just buy whatever you want for literally 1/4 of what this place charges. Use the extra money you save to add more games to your collection or something. But do ANYTHING besides paying this guy quadruple for games. Joe read more

PRICEY at times, but was very fair when I visited. GREAT store!