Level Up Games, Comics, and More

Reviews 3

SA

Sam Burg

I came here a few times when they first opened and I loved it! The prices were good, the staff helpful, and the selection was great considering they had just started out. I got busy with work, so I stopped coming in for quite some time. I recently went in a few months ago and my god this place had changed completely. The fair prices were gone, the staff really didnt care to help me at all, they just fiddled around on the computer, and the selection of video games appeared to have shrunk. Instead of carrying a ton of video games they now carry card games and board games, which I understand they want to grow and evolve the business, but it’s still sad. The games they carry now are overpriced and not worth it. They do carry some imports but they expect some random idiot to pay a fortune for them. Dont even bother going in if there is a magic tourney going on. The place will be very crowded and the staff wont even look at you unless you are buying cards in bulk. Absolutely whatever you do, DO NOT TRADE ANYTHING IN. I had some somewhat decent titles to trade in and I asked how much I would get in store credit and the cashier laughed and said. "We wont even take most of this stuff because we have 20 copies of it in the basement, so it will be useless junk to us." First off, how rude, second, you never tell a customer that the stuff they are trying to sell is useless or junk, and third, maybe you wouldn’t have 20 copies in the basement if everything in your store wasn’t overpriced. They say that they give you a fair trade in value, but they don’t. If you trade something rare in they give you half of the lowest price on eBay, which doesn’t seem too bad right? Wrong! Lets say you trade in a game and the lowest one on eBay is $50, so they give you $25 credit, but there may be a bunch on eBay for $60 or even $75, and the one for $50 is the lowest on eBay by a lot because some idiot on eBay underpriced it. So, it doesnt matter at all, they still give you half of the lowest on eBay no matter what, even if some are at a much higher value. The worst part of this is, when they turn around and sell it, they sell it for the highest priced one on eBay. So the game I got $25 store credit for, they will sell it for $75 or more. They had a rare title in the case that was not priced and I asked how much it was. The guy looked on eBay and most where buy it now for $100 or so, he even checked the completed listings and some even sold for $80-$90, so a fair price would be $90-$100 right? But oh wait, someone listed one at a buy it now for $120, so that means they sell it for $120, and if I went to trade it in they would give me only half of $80 or $90. These prices are only for the rare titles, if you trade in common or non high demand stuff, dont expect to get more than a $1 for it. Overall, don’t waste your time unless you like to overpay for stuff you can get on eBay for cheaper or if you like to get ripped off by trading stuff in.

MA

Matt Willms

I have been into and out of Magic the Gathering for many years. I was looking to get back in and started shopping many of the local gaming stores. Most often I would find either an ultra competitive environment or a place that was just out to make the most money they could off of trades and high pricing. That was pretty much my experience with all the local shops I stopped at, until I visited Level Up Games. I walked in this unassuming building with no expectations because it didnt look like your typical gaming store from the outside. When I walked in it seemed small and I couldnt believe the amount of video games they had on the walls. It was like a retro gamers heaven. They had video games all the way back from the Atari 2600 and many different collectible card games. The inventory for Magic the Gathering was pretty light and only went back a few editions, but you were able to do any of the current standard block. They hosted booster drafts and pre-releases. Fast forward to today, the store has opened up more square footage for gaming (it can still feel a bit cramped for tournaments), they have added a ton board games, and the Magic collection has increased greatly. You can get a bunch of good legacy cards and they have 20-30 organized binders from some of the more recent editions. If you are looking for a big retailer kind of feeling you wont see it. It is an older building that has seen better days, but they are always updating what they can. They dont wear uniforms, most of the staff is local high school kids that play in tournaments at the store so they know the games and inventory. It is a very laid back atmosphere with a large selection of current gaming items and legacy gaming items. The prices are fair for any brick and mortar business. I will always go back to Level Up Games for my purchases and tournaments. You could call me a regular and if you stop by, you might see me there chatting with a few other great regular customers and staff.

AS

Ashley Knuth

**cross posted on Facebook** We stopped in for the first time today and had a great experience. Im one of those Minnesotans that almost never asks for help. Even if I actually need help finding something and an employee offers because I look lost, I will turn them down unless Im in a hurry. Ive just had too many bad experiences with judgemental employees ragging on my hobbies(yes, especially in game shops).This was NOT the case at level up, the staff was super friendly! Beyond sincerely checking in they actually engaged me in conversation. The staff person who rang us up actually addressed me first instead of assuming my husband was the real customer and I was just there to hold things. After chatting with him at the register I actually felt comfortable enough to ask if they had a book in stock that I wasnt able to find on my own. Turns out they did and I ended up with the next 3 volumes (they were on the very bottom shelf and the title is in a weird place on the spine, I totally missed them.) He even offered to look up the release date of the 5th volume. That was a $30 additional sale that the store got just because he showed interest in what I was buying. Bonus! Their shelving system makes sense and I could actually figure out where games were quickly. They also sell console games which is also a huge plus. Id a much rather purchase those from an independent store if I can. Level up is definitely out of the way for us. We practically drove past our two regular game shops, that are 2 and 3 miles away from our house, on the way there. I can say that its definitely worth the 20 min drive and well be back! Im even considering checking out some of their gaming events, which I have never felt secure enough to do at other shops. Thank you level up, it appears you put a lot of effort into the management of your store and it went along way today! Im really looking forward to taking advantage of your rewards program too.