Today i was out with the misses doing a little shopping for her. After a few stops and i finally found her gift, that is for another time, i proceeded to drop her off at work since her car is in the shop. On the way back home i decided to stop at goodwill since i haven't been to this particular one in months. Nothing really of interest except a bundled N64 and a few spawn comics. Right up the road is a mom and pop gaming shop that i use to visit at least 3 times a week up until i found a new job in the city we live in. So i decided to stop in there because i can't remember the last time in there. Her prices are usually high (some even higher than ebay). I have purchased a few smaller dollar items from her in the past as well as traded in a few games that i couldn't sell or trade online. A pone browsing the glass display that she has the systems in, I noticed this tiny hand held that was sitting next to a copy of Fire Emblem for the SFC. It was a Swan Crystal. I was shocked to see her actually have this since she said she doesn't except imports. It was there along with Final Fantasy II. I ask the guy could i see the "Crystal" and he pulled it out and popped in the game. He starting telling me about where it came from and all (I knew more than he knew). This is the first time i have ever seen one in person so i had to play it. I fiddle around with it for a few minutes, trying to get the button layout and all. It is a pretty neat system, aside from the fact that most of the games aren't English friendly. I remember how i had wanted one back in 2005 but things changed and i never got around to it. Now i am like a kid again, i gotta get me one soon.
The import seen is kinda dwindling in the US. I admit i stopped playing imports back in 2006 due to lack of funding. Still have a copy of Front Mission for Super Famicom but no Super Famicom to play it on. I have started playing Gundam again on my Playstation and i think the love is coming back. If you haven't at least tried some import games that were never released stateside i think you should. Can we really call are selves game enthusiast if we haven't experienced what is to offer in other countries? There are a few hidden gems out there that quite possible might be better than what is offered today. Do yourself a favor and look into imports, more so of the previous generation.
