Manchester's Golden Days

[Jushin-Thunder-Liger]

Aaahhhhh the memories, my childhood, where did it go?????

Microbyte was the finest thing going, NeoGeo and PC Engine goodness
Laser Quest had a great selection of MVS cabs at 1 time

Anyone remember "Ringo's Imports" deep, deep in the basemen of the Coliseum?
Dodgy as ****, but a great place.

[davek22]

I was a regular at Ringos dating back to when he was in the Corn Exchange before it got destroyed in bomb blast. I remember buying SF2 Turbo from him for ?80 on the SNES in the heyday. There is still a "Ringos" in town but its not Ringo himself running it any more. The last I heard he did a runner to Hong Kong after scamming 200k from some dealers at Bowlers computer fair!!

Where abouts was Microbyte in the Arndale? I dont remember that shop for some reason.

[davek22]

I even rememebr the MK2 buzz in the arcade - internet faqs were just getting going and my time was divided between that and Darkstalkers II at the arcade near the train station.

I'll take a trip to Llandudno now that you have mentioned it - I'll con the missus into thinking it is an 'honest' day out! I tried a few places in Southport recently but notihng to note and definielty not the seaside blitz that places like Blackpool and Scarborough used to be!

God we used to pester our mate for the finishing moves. Used to scribble them down on fag packets or whatever! I still remember the day I saw Kung Lau's slice down middle fatality in that arcade up near Picadilly station. We were in awe! Brings a smile just remembering the 2D days!

Blackpool has gone down hill in the last couple of years. I remember when I was at uni and we went on a big piss up down there. Playing GLOC 360 when bladdered is a very bad idea! :-)
There are a couple of quality arcades in Llandudno. Theres one at the end of the pier that has some real golden oldies. Also there is one on the main street opposite Woolies thats worth a go.

[MonkeyWrench]

AAAH Stockport - I had some fun in the arcade that became the Hat Museum -Buggy Boy, Gauntlet (again!), Shao Lin Road and Outrun!!

That was Roddies!

Don't remember any of those machines, though I do have fond memories of - Terra Cresta, Wonderboy, P47, Blasteroids, Truxton, Altered Beast, Star Wars, Chase HQ and Continental Circus (with 3D glasses!).

Did you ever play the machines in Software Superstore? Through the years they had classics such as R-Type 2, Gradius 2, Vigilante, Bad Dudes vs Dragon Ninja, Shadow Warriors, Rastan and Robocop.

[MonkeyWrench]

That the one opposite the Virgin movies? Formally MGM? I used to go there during my lunch breaks at Stockport College, said this before, met that Japenese guy who taught me everything on Tekken 2. Used to be a good arcade, kept upto date. I imagine it closed down due to the chav's in the area, and the crime. Felt like I was putting my life in my hands going there sometimes!

Now, is that other arcade the one near the bus station? I seem to remember that place smelling rather nasty. They had that four (maybe 2) player cabinet of Turtles back in the day. I think I remember the place burning too.

The one near the cinema was Gamestation...I used to work there (my first ever job ). During my time there I became a SF2 master, learnt all the Tekken 2 characters 10 hit combos, was unbeatable on Cyber Sled and could complete Ridge Racer with my eyes closed. I think I remember that Japanese guy, we used to chat about obscure games a lot.

I knew there was a dodgy import shop in Stockport, that place smelt too. Was that near the costume store? Cobwebs? Wait, now I think about it, there was another store where you could trade in your games, near that army shop. Dunno if that's the one your talking about?

I forget what that shops name is, but it's now called Active Minds, and no longer sells import stuff. When it sold import stuff it was further up the road by Richer Sounds. I remember buying Stunt Race FX for 60 quid, but then I bought lots cool games also (remember picking up a Japanese copy of Actraiser for a few quid there).

[taurusnipple]

The one near the cinema was Gamestation...I used to work there (my first ever job ). During my time there I became a SF2 master, learnt all the Tekken 2 characters 10 hit combos, was unbeatable on Cyber Sled and could complete Ridge Racer with my eyes closed. I think I remember that Japanese guy, we used to chat about obscure games a lot.

That's awesome MonkeyWrench, I think you just made my day! I've been talking about that Japenese guy on the forum since I first came here, he had a mate who was the aces at it too, one of them had a lady friend trailing after them.

Ridge Racer was a game my mate would show off at, he would be driving one handed while looking at us most times. I was to self concious to be sitting in a driving cabinet being looked at though!

That's cool then, prolly seen you at some point, either during lunch at college or at night sometime!

[MonkeyWrench]

Yeah if I remember correctly they used to hammer one of the SF2 machines before Tekken arrived, I used to have some awesome matches against them.

What year where you at colleague? I used to go to Stockport colleague too before I started working there.

[taurusnipple]

Somewhere between 97-99 I was taking the Advanced in IT course. You work there?What ya do?

[mr_fantazmo]

I forget what that shops name is, but it's now called Active Minds

The game shop was called Games express and indeed was up near richer sounds. In fact i'm sure me and monkeywrench had this same conversation about manchester/stockport not to long ago!1 That shop used to be ace, i remember first seeing a playstation in action with fifa 96 on it, i was amazed and the commentary was "so realistic" i then pestered my mum and told her that i'd never be bored again if i had a playstation, and sure enough one birthday it was there with destruction derby! Ahh memories!!

The shop has gone a bit down hill now, hardly any second hand stock although you do get some gems from time to time, i got a capcom game called glass rose from there a few months ago which i had never heard of and it's quite good, got it for under a tenner as well!!

The other shop near the fancy dress shop doesn't look much but has it's fair share of games and the old guy ain't too bad, although the shop is abit ropey!!

And finally i remember the arcade opposite the cinema, me and my mates game of choice was the excellent GTI club racing game, handbrake turns+good graphics+windy tracks+small cars = top game that reminds me of the Italian Job

ACE!!!

[MatWoods]

Aaahhhhh the memories, my childhood, where did it go?????

Microbyte was the finest thing going, NeoGeo and PC Engine goodness
Laser Quest had a great selection of MVS cabs at 1 time

Anyone remember "Ringo's Imports" deep, deep in the basemen of the Coliseum?
Dodgy as ****, but a great place.

Spoke to Danny at New East who knew Ringo and Eddy and worked with them down in the 'bowels of hell' only a few days ago.

Ringo did time for TV card fraud at one point, I think even the FBI turned up at his house for the bust - it was a huge, national even, not just his house, but a lot acros the country, all in one go.

Ringo is still as dodgy as you like and would probably make a pirate copy of the 'skull and crossbones' if there was money invovled and Eddy is a food delivery guy now, how the times change!

Oh boy, some of these Stockport memories - the GTI club was great in GameStation, loved SF II CE in there and DD Crew, Spiderman, Dragons Lair, Cyber Sled, lots fo great games - and Kriss Kross 'Jump', always on MTV!!!!

know the shops you mean, but not a patch on the old days - but still get some good bargains in them and the guys that run them are worth my money over the major chains, anyday!

I work in the Town Hall over the road and would give a nut to still have the arcade within such easy 'dinner time' distance.

NOW THEN - the $64,000 question for you - who remembers the guy who used to come into the shops in Manchester, who jogged everywhere with a rucksack on his back, wore a pair of very tight shorts, chattered on all the time to anyone and bought everything he could get his hands on?

Why you ask?

Becasue I still see him jogging around Manchester looking not a day odler, when I am driving though in the week and when I last chatted to Danny, he said he still sees him occasionally too.

[MonkeyWrench]

Somewhere between 97-99 I was taking the Advanced in IT course. You work there?What ya do?

Ahh I was at college there around 91-93 and was working in the arcade around 94-95, so we might not have crossed paths after all. My job was a bog standard gimp that dished out the change.

The game shop was called Games express and indeed was up near richer sounds. In fact i'm sure me and monkeywrench had this same conversation about manchester/stockport not to long ago!1 That shop used to be ace, i remember first seeing a playstation in action with fifa 96 on it, i was amazed and the commentary was "so realistic" i then pestered my mum and told her that i'd never be bored again if i had a playstation, and sure enough one birthday it was there with destruction derby! Ahh memories!!

The shop has gone a bit down hill now, hardly any second hand stock although you do get some gems from time to time, i got a capcom game called glass rose from there a few months ago which i had never heard of and it's quite good, got it for under a tenner as well!!

The other shop near the fancy dress shop doesn't look much but has it's fair share of games and the old guy ain't too bad, although the shop is abit ropey!!

Ahh yes Game Express...it was on the tip of my tongue. Yeah the new shop is dire now. I have managed to get a few retro things there, but for new stuff it's pretty poor. God knows how it's still running.

That other shop (Game City) has tons of stuff on the other hand, but the guy that owns it drones on at you if you ask him a question, bores the **** out of me. I remember when that place first opened and they used to sell chocolate! Me and a work buddy (when I used to work at Electronics Boutique) went round one lunch time and asked how much we could get a mars bar for if we traded in a twix and a curly wurly...the joke went completely over the guys head...but we were pissing our pants. He stopped stocking chocolate after it all melted one summer

[RuBiQ]

Blimey

you guys must of been in the same places as me too

mid 90's manchester. i used to go in that arcade with the pool hall upstairs, they had final fight downstairs for 10p a go and Shinobi amongst other games..

I also used to be in NOBLES when they had RidgeRacer and Sf2 was first out, and a bit further along on the way to the train station picadilli there was a nother Arcade near Hurleys.... I used to own Sf2 in there too, put 20p in and be on all afternoon..

I remember Ringo Too, I used to do a SNES Stall carboot on Bowlers many years ago, and when doing dodgey games was fashionable we used to do them but Ringo went BIGtime compared to us 'few mates compared to him supplying half of Mcr'

He had some proper mongs working for him in that colliseum..

the corn exchange, remember b4 it got blew up, if u went around the back of it, there was a little games shop down some stairs, I used to go College with the guys son that owned it. Got some ace games from there, Contra Spirits on snes the day it came out !:

anyone remember the games shop in MONTON ? I bought SF2 Super for ?120 the day that came out too back in the days..

Arrrrrr, the retro years, Lovely...

[glazza]

Wow remember going to Ringos n Eddys shop when it was in the Corn Exchange just to drool over all th gadgets the guy had and to watch Tekken 1 running on the TV he had in his window.

Dont even get me started on Nobles god me n me m8 Kev use to spend all our money in the very first X-Men game and come away absolutely ponging of BO.We would even go into town early on a lads night out just to play a few hours of Xmen before we went on to a club(The Ritz-me shivers).

I still see Ringo regulary at Bowlers and yeah you guys are right he is still as dodgy as ever ive seen the guy get given Xbox chips back he sold the week before that dont work only to re sell them to other peeps the same day lol.

I also remember being half way down Bury New Rd on my way to Ringos to get some games put on a floppy for my wildcard when the Bomb went off in Manchester..Very scary that was.

[Tychom]

Not quite Manchester, but in Bury around 92-3 there used to be a large stash of import snes games hidden at the back of the large newsagent in the town center (it's now a Forbouys, opposite Game).

I used to get there about 9am every saturday pocket money in hand, it's where I got my Gradius III and some others from. I found it odd back then and still to this day havent quite twigged why the hell it was going on.

[df0notfound]

talking about manchester, is there any import or indie game shops within walking distance of the centre