I'm a collector. I own nearly 1000 games, ranging from the Atari to the PS3. As I collect mostly older games, places like Gamestop and EB don't really offer much to me. Large retailers like Gamestop also have a problem with the quality of their products; many of the games are scratched and many of the systems are faulty (if used.) They don't care enough to really check their stock.
Now, having searched far and wide for a decent place to shop (barring the internet, which is a beast all its own), Next Level is probably the best place I've ever walked into. While other stores may offer a handful of retro games, NL is entirely dedicated to them. Atari, NES, SNES, Genesis, Gameboy, JPN imports, etc: the list goes on. But, not only is the stock large and varied, the prices are very fair. Most people have this idea that if a game is old, it's worth mad money, which isn't always the case. If a game is worth $2.00, that what NL sells it for, which is a rare dose of honesty that isn't seen very often in this business. The games are plentiful, the prices are good, and (this is important) they all work. Each and every game, controller, and system is hand cleaned, and for any game that has a built-in memory pack, is tested. I know this because I've seen the owner personally do all of those things. And if something doesn't work, you have a week to return it, no problem. You don't find commitment and service like that at Gamestop.
I suppose if there was a way to wrap this up it would be to simply state how great the atmosphere is in the store. I believe the owner recently redesigned the store and now has chairs and running systems on all day for the customers. I sat down one day and tried a handful of games before I bought them to see if I liked them. Too cool. From the shirts to the plushies to the magazines to the figures to the games, NL literally has everything. Not Amazon, not Ebay, not Gamestop: Next Level does. read more
