Used to be very good when it first opened around 2 years ago. Since then, it has gone way downhill. Example: I got Ocarina of time for like 24 bucks the first time I went there, now it is at least a 40 or 50 dollar game there. Games like mariokart and smash bros are 60-75 bucks at the store but are 40-50 on eBay. I understand that retro game prices fluctuate but they don't go up THAT much in a year. Honestly, I think they just charge higher because they don't think customers will notice and for a lot of people it works. I always google the games I consider buying at blue shell and the eBay prices are always considerably less, often times 10-20 bucks. In my humble opinion I'd rather buy games on eBay or flea markets where I can get a better deal and Nintendo cartridge games are virtually indestructible if you know how to clean them (another thing blue shell doesn't do a good job of, have bought a few popular n64 games that were very dirty when I took them home. Btw: the whole idea that they clean systems before selling is complete and utter BS. Sucks we don't really have a good retro gaming store that is honest. read more

Ehhh... nothing impressive or anything to where I'm dying to comeback. They say there prices are cheaper then GameStop witch is BS because I look up used games every time I'm there and GameStop is always cheaper. Pretty much one of the only retro stores in Fresno Clovis area so anything retro gaming related better believe they are capitalizing and charging collector price if not a few dollers more on basic common original games. You can pretty much find every single item in there store cheaper online other then the 1$ comics and few vintage toys. Went consistently for about 2 months and rarely seen any new retro games, always same old ones just rearranged. I gave it 2 stars simply because they are the only store really who sells retro gaming games and consoles. Staff not the friendliest unless your one of there butt buddies coming to hang out for free. Seriously thinking of never wasting my time there again. I might go one or two more times if it's the same story it has been the past few times I most likely will never return to this place again. PS Madera store is even worse! High prices no inventory and weirdo staff who have zero social skills. Sorry Blueshell I really expected a lot more from your store.. read more

Waited 15 mins to be acknowledged or helped. Once the person was done being helped in front of me, some people from the back of store walked up and cut in front of me. So I stayed quiet bc I didn't want to cause a scene and these individuals looked like they had been dropped on their heads a few times. But STILLLLLLL wasn't acknowledged by person behind the counter. I really didn't have time to drive anywhere else so I just waited another 15 mins. I would never go back here honestly. read more

A treatise to the retro/modern video game store, which spoiled a lot of potential for the Central Valley. Let me preface this by saying, the purpose of this review is not to scorn the staff & company name over a sour experience; rather to provide the my reflection for others' consideration when deciding where to take business. Three major ways a store can invalidate itself as a small business to the community: 1). Greed/Price-gouging -- By establishing to steep of a curve in pricing & buyout-margin, at some point it stops becoming worthwhile for customers to visit your brick & mortar establishment. Customers have plenty of trustworthy online retailers to turn to for risk-free, cookie cutter prices and guaranteed quality every time. That being said, naturally, pricing becomes harsh. Understood. Gamers should expect a little mark-up when dealing with a smaller establishment VS. online giants. However, if that price is too high, what's the point of buying from a 'mom & pop shop'? Not everyone has extra cash to support a local store, just for the sake of it being local. 2). Trustworthiness & local connection -- What's the real difference between buying from a local small business VS hitting "Buy it now" on Ebay, or ordering from Amazon? I'd say customer service, personal connectivity, community outreach, face-to-face bartering/dealmaking & arguably most importantly; trust. If you can't trust your local small business, what the hell is the point? Might as well bid on things from a stranger on Ebay (*as long as their rating is seemingly high enough & you have Paypal protection). I've been buying & selling to Blue Shell for over 2 years, with nothing but good experiences until today. Today's experience helped me realize things that I'll get into later. Earlier this week, I'd met a man who introduced himself as James, the owner of the Clovis location. James and I reached a deal, that if I brought in 4 titles, I could trade them for 1 rarer title (note this deal was VERY much in the company's favor, I was losing a huge margin in value for this trade, but making a physical deal for something rare felt worth it). Which brings me to point #3... 3). Efficiency & time management -- One major appeal to our bustling day & age of using something like Amazon Prime is almost instantaneous gratification; you buy something and your product magically shows up FAST. Plenty of Ebay sellers also have FAST N' FREE shipping, as well as a litany of other retailers. This goes right out the window for the most part when it comes to rare titles, obviously. Back to my story... Today, I went in to follow up with my deal. When I had last spoke to James, he assured me that if he himself was not present for the transaction, that he could be called by staff to double-check our arrangement was legitimate. James was called by David, and together they checked the authenticity of the chip of a rare title I was trading in. More than half an hour later, the game checks out as authentic. I totally understand the need to check cartridges for being legitimate. At this point, a discussion was being held behind the scenes. I'm then told that in order for us to proceed with the deal we had already agreed upon, I'd need to fork over another $15. Keep in mind, the titles that I was offering were highly desirable, highly sellable, and in great condition. I was already losing a significant amount of value. I feel like your local game store should be there to work with its community, however not only was I VERY obviously price-gouged, but I was lied to AND my time was wasted. This helped make the following apparent to me. ***NOTE: Not here to flame, but there are a number of criteria that a shop like this could provide in services that, in my opinion, may be best served in a number of ways & means. A) -- New/Current games If you're looking for a major title, new, you have thousands of options with lots of guarantees. B) -- Used Games If you're looking for a used title, explore. Explore Ebay, or if you'd like to stay local, there are tons of new apps to help you look for specific things to buy from someone in person. These include apps like: LetGo, OfferUp, Decluttr... etc. Hell... There's always GameStop. C) -- Rare Games If you're looking for a rare/hard-to-find title, expect the mark-up at Blue Shell to be HARSH. That price difference alone (at least) will pay for your shipping from an Ebay seller with high marks. D) -- Selling/Trading Blue Shell's stance on buying your game collection is that they'll 'give you a better deal than GameStop'. Fair and true, however, the slash you take if you're actually looking to sell a worthwhile title is FAR from worth it. Try selling your cool Mario games using something like LetGo, but be safe. Both Clovis Police & Fresno Police now have designated trading zones where you can meet in front of their headquarters for in-person transactions. read more

This place is amazing! I was just about to spend $55 on two PS2 games but luckily my friend told me about this place. Cool guys running the desk and answering questions. Humble enough to turn down a tip, just asked to come back and buy more fun games. Really dope local business! And I only spent $12. read more

The staff is friendly. That's a plus. My concern was the fact that I gave a $35 fee for diagnostics and to have my device opened up. They were not able to open up my device and I did not receive a refund. My device just sat there for a couple of days since they were unable to do anything. I also received some invalid information from them. I think if you are going to offer services to people you must know your stuff. I had to call around myself and get the correct information. My advice, look into things once you get a price from here if you are attempting to have something fixed. They quoted me their price a $60 difference from actually going through Nintendo when in fact, it was only a $5 difference. Kinda shady. Really sucks as there aren't many shops like this around. read more

The bottom LCD touch screen on my DS Lite was going out so I brought it to this place. I gotta say, I'm more then pleased. The employees here are awesome and the store's tech, Boyd, is amazing and he knows his shit! He helped me when I dropped off my DS and made sure I got it back and fully repaired as soon as possible! So glad I found this place on Yelp! I seriously recommend this place if you need any type of gaming console repaired! read more

Love this place! It is my son's favorite place to shop. The employees always take time to chat with him and they understand his game talk. His mom and dad, not so much. We rarely go to Gamestop anymore. It's always Blue Shell. They sell and repair all types of game systems and are honest and fair with their return policy. We will continue to patronize this local business. read more

Very great selection of retro games. The managers are very nice and know all he about the games and consoles and really liked how I'm a 12 year old who likes old games ( and I barley see any kid my age or little older or younger like me ). Even though they didn't have what I wanted witch was a wooden grained atari 2600, they still have a lot of awesome games to get. Totaly would recommend this store if you are in the Fresno area. read more

Excellent retro gaming store with a friendly and knowledgeable staff. I was very well taken care of, and just by speaking with these guys you can tell that customer service is key to them. This is a store I am proud to support. read more

Rick and company always fair with great prices. I would highly recommend them for all your gaming needs. They also have a store in Madera. If you have never visited them give them a shot you won't be disappointed. read more

My husband found this place while browsing online and wanted to check it out. I have to say, we were not disappointed! If you want old school games..etc come here. The man who works there is very down to earth and knows what he's talking about when it comes to the products. Definitely an awesome place! read more

I would like to say this is a nice retro video game story but it is not. If you are into paying 200% over what good and honest retro stores charge for games this is the place for you. The store way underpays, even GameStop offers better deals than Blue Shell. I would advise to look elsewhere to spend your hard earned money. read more

Had a bit of a hassle between going back and forth to the store trying to work out an issue with non functional guitars and dealing with David, but James (one of the owners) made everything right in the end. read more

If I could give them no stars, I would. This is probably the worst store I have ever done business with. Apparently, because my husband, a 13 year veteran, did not want to accept Blue Shell's ridiculously low offer for some games we were selling, WE were banned from the store. I was not even THERE and i was banned. When we tried to ask why, they made insulting comments about his veteran status. We had done business with them when they first opened (including the Madera store) but over the course of almost 2 years, we have noticed how badly they rip people off. In fact, James, one of the owners admitted to buying "sony" controllers (not oem products) from Mexico and their inventory would depend on if the truck made it past customs!! Maybe we were banned for knowing too much. And don't expect a receipt because as we found out the hard way, if they sell you a game that won't work, they won't fix or exchange. And should you ask to return the broken item, they CHARGE a 20% restocking fee! Has anyone else experienced similar treatment? Or are they singling us out because we are a bi-racial couple? Customers would be better off using ANY other gaming store, either local, online stores or online classifieds, to buy or sell your games. Many of their games are incomplete and have not been resurfaced or even cleaned for that matter. Blue Shell over-charges when you buy and underpays when you sell. read more

Just went in right now to trade in a box full of old consoles and games and the man behind the counter, James was not only funny while negotiating but was more than fair. Good business and would recommend anyone who needs to get rid of old games or has something they're searching for to check it out! read more

very shady business went into the store last week to trade in some of unwanted systems and games including 2 wii motes 2 nunchuks several xbox ps3 and wii games plus a sensor bar an original xbox and a controller for the xbox. told me 6$ cash or 12$ credit less than id get at gamestops website. also when i purchased a few raspberry pi computers off them they didnt give me a reciept and said no returns or refunds at all and said all they can do is buy the pis off me for what they can way less than what i bought them for! saw a guy come into the store and sell brand new triple a titles at least 15 ps4 games plus 3 switch games like smash bros and splatoon and they only offered him 40$ and another customer paid 28 bucks for a copy of mario galaxy 2 for wii and he said it didnt work. highly suggest selling your games and systems on craiglist amazon ebay or other local buy sell trade groups like facebook or offerup huge scam avoid at all cost all they do is scam customers and pretend to offer better prices than competitors read more