Category: | Video Game Store |
Address: | 1026 6th Ave, New York, NY NEW YORK, USA |
Phone: | +1 212-233-3399 |
Site: | jnlgame.com |
Rating: | 4.2 |
Working: | 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM |
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Casey Penk
Very friendly staff! That earns them the three stars. The guy greeted me when I walked in and asked if I needed help. This is good service for New York, where staff are usually gruff or disinterested, and its good service for a game store, where many are reclusive or distracted. Being close to Times Square and Bryant Park means they have to be tourist-friendly, and that means courtesy. Selection is fairly deep but not particularly broad. For instance on the N64 they had Donkey Kong, GoldenEye, Banjo-Kazooie, and Banjo-Tooie (the last is on the distinctively Rare side -- note the pun -- so its a nice surprise to find). They also offer an excellent selection of special edition 3DS consoles. Theyve got a good selection of imports and JRPGs. The owners are Asian (maybe Japanese). Theres a recency bias at play. They dont have many games for the likes of NES or Atari, and they dont seem to have many retro consoles. If you want a selection of true retro games youll need to go elsewhere (if oh want reasonable prices that means out of the city or on eBay). Prices are pretty high -- for instance, they offered an original Game Boy for a ridiculous $100. For an unsuspecting tourist this might seem reasonable, but its about double the fair price. The biggest absurdity was the $500 Majoras Mask 3DS XL console. These were scalped upon release, but theyre worth $200 to $250 now. Im not sure if theyve crossed the line between trying to make a profit and cheating people. They seem nice though, so I wouldnt assume the worst. I respect the gist of what theyre doing; theyre running a niche business in an expensive tourist zone, and theyre doing it with a friendly face. The games are simply too expensive.
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Casey Ste. Claire
Maybe I just have really high standards for gaming stores, especially for ones that carry the older games, but I was disappointed with this store. Theres definitely some pros to it-- the selection is massive. Off the top of my head, I couldnt think of any famous game (across any console) that they were missing. Additionally, they have some really cool imported stuff, like an Eevee 3DS that really tempted me. However, the prices of the store reminded me that the store itself is not far off from all the other tourist attractions, and I think the prices reflected that. Some prices were almost laughable-- 55 bucks for Luigis Mansion on GameCube? 35 bucks for Mario 64? Trust me, I understand that all game stores need to make ends meet-- Ive always called this the "small business support fund", because prices are typically higher in these smaller stores. But theres a difference between helping to support a family-owned business and a rip off, and I was getting vibes of the latter during my visit. Finally, the feel of a game store just isnt there: no demos, no friendly staff, no poring over games. Everythings behind glass, and although I understand NYCs foot traffic may occasionally welcome unwanted thieves, I dont think I should be trying to read small-sized game titles six feet away while two or three of the staff are staring at me. Go for the selection and cool Japanese imports, but if youre looking to buy anything (as I was), try out a locally owned game store in your hometown! And remember, anywhere is better than GameStop.
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Michael Magnani
HUGE selection of everything from systems to handhelds, retro, modern, and imports, could spend a whole day there looking through all the games in the showroom and in the basement which i could see had even more games from the show room. One problem, the games are VASTLY overpriced. I understand these stores sell retail prices, which is fine, but they sell many games from over retail. Crappy sports games for any system are going over $10 at points. $55 for Pokemon Red and Green, no way. Many imports seem very expensive, although I dont know the value of those. Many systems as well, even just a Gamcube or PS2, theyre selling for $65 when I could probably buy one of a friend for $10 or find it at a garage sale for much cheaper. Id go back, but I wouldnt get more than 3 items at most because it starts ti get very pricey. They should price according to PriceCharting.
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Matthew Willett
J+L Games has a great selection of current generation games, as well as a plethora (cases and cases and cases!) of older games spanning as far back as the original Nintendo NES. The employees are very knowledgable and have great recommendations for any type of gamer; even with niche/novelty titles someone on their staff will know just exactly what youre looking for. The stores square footage is not small, but the single long room makes the space feel smaller than it actually is. They pack a lot of games and accessories into the showroom including Amiibos, Gamepads/Controllers, Limited Edition Consoles and much more. A great stop for every gamer.
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Shaun Young
Visiting J&L is a past-time for me. I would come here in my teenage years, after shopping at the Elizabeth Center Mall across the street back from when this shop was located in Chinatown. I’m happy to say that the only thing that’s changed is the location. The same friendly and helpful staff is here. I try to support this shop as much as I could for my gaming needs. They have a wide selection of pretty much anything and everything you could want and even stuff you didn’t know you wanted yet! From NES to PS4, this place has it all. My only gripe is the prices can be a bit steep, but business is business and with J&L, you get what you pay for!
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Daves Campagna
Molto rifornito, personale molto gentile però prezzi da pazzi, prezzi incredibilmente alti, giochi da 10 dollari li trovi a 40 dollari, speravo che comprando molto avrei ottenuto uno sconto ed invece no, mi sono dovuto limitare a comprare e loro potevano vendere tranquillamente il doppio...
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Domenick Pabillena
Been here a couple of times while it was in Chinatown and I loved being in the store because it was like a gamers paradise. its true about the prices being high but seriously what other places out there that has good service thats not pricey. My only problem was its in chinatown. Now that they moved close to where I work, I dont have a problem with the place anymore. If you are a gamer you know what I am talking about! Check it out, you might find yourself back when you were stress free.
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Chris Trucchio
Let me start by saying j and l is one of the best game stores Ive ever been too , from the countless games , systems and accessories to the friendly staff that works there , everything was perfect .. The prices are great and there is such a huge selection that you definitely wont leave empty handed... There are many game stores in NY but in my experience there is none greater than J and L and the only game store I would bother going to.
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Jack Huang
Been here since I was just a little kid in chinatown and still a fan of this place ever since it moved. The people that work here are awesome and glad to help you find your games or recommend games to you. I prefer here rather than gamestop because they have basically everything at a good price even japanese games. When you need game related things, go here and you wont be disappointed.
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Jared Boggs
Great selection of both modern and retro games, as well as consoles. They even carry some limited edition versions of consoles and some of the harder to find games. Kit and the rest of the staff are pretty great to talk to and are very knowledgeable about many different games and developing studios. Didnt give five stars because they didnt offer any deals for black friday.