I love the massive collection of nostalgic & vintage video game gear, games, & merchandise. I was super surprised when I learned that the cultivated collection is ONLY available in-store & kept at reasonable prices to avoid online gauging/hoarding of rare items. The store is super organized & really clean & I love the assortment! read more

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Great video game store. The manager knows his stuff and they have a great selection. It's always fun to browse the store for a favorite game. I've bought many used games and have never had a problem. read more

Love this place! Super fair and personable owner. Will definitely be coming back when I'm looking for something specific.

This hands down is the best retro game store I have ever been to. Unlike the way more popular "Exchange" this store has great deals and will even give you a $10 dollar discounts when spending over $25 bucks. The community is great the few people who work there are very kind and are glad to answer questions. Me and my Farther have gotten some of our best deals from this store. We got the original Tetris with a slight worn out sticker for the "Nintendo Entertainment System" for $70 bucks and it's worth $120 dollars. read more

Really neat store! If you're in the Cleveland area and need anything video game related (current or vintage!) this is the place to check out first. The customer service is very friendly as well - I highly recommend giving this place a shot. read more

Purchased a DS, Cooking Mama, and Dogz (all obvious must-haves). Great pricing and service! Wouldn't hesitate to come back.

On the fence here... On one hand, I'm a little disappointed in the merchandise here, especially after shopping at some other local spots that resell used, older systems and games. On the other hand, they did allow us to exchange items for store credit, which we were then able to use for a game we wanted. We stopped in on a Friday evening after walking past the front window and seeing a silver GameCube in the window. We were in the market for some old gaming systems and games. After browsing the games, we asked if we could buy the silver GameCube in the window. Then we heard the most ridiculous, forehead-smacking statements ever: "Oh, that one is broken. We just put those in the window so people can see what we have." *sits and ponders* So you have those systems in the window to show what you have, but you don't have what's in the window? Then we hear, "But we have this black GameCube. It has generic controllers though." Ugh. No thanks. Who wants an old gaming system without the name brand accessories? So we moved past it and asked about a PlayStation 1. They had one we ended up purchasing since we were able to find a copy of Crash Bandicoot at another trade-in store up the street. Boy was that a mistake. IT WAS FILTHY. I understand this is a trade in store, but what makes them think they don't have to clean up what they try to resell? We cleaned it off (a process that took HOURS) before we touched it and plugged it in to play. It only sort of worked... if you think listening to a loud grinding noise is a pleasant playing experience. So, like I said, we were able to exchange it for a Nintendo 3DS game we wanted, but they should be happy that they got it back in MUCH MUCH MUCH better condition than we bought it in. Regardless, we most likely won't be returning since they don't seem to put much care into what they're reselling you. Especially when they charge as much as the places that DO clean up their items. read more

Visited this store while in town and was immediately put off by the ridiculously high prices on games and items I'd seen elsewhere in better condition for more reasonable rates. I'll preface my review by saying I'm a video game journalist and write for several high-profile entertainment publications, so I've frequented my share of used and retail video game stores. I was willing to overlook that until I realized what kind of a visit we were about to have. The clerk was a teenager who was playing online via Xbox Live the entirety of my visit save for a few moments when he'd ask if we needed help or if we found anything, but he gave off the most disinterested vibe I've ever seen in a gaming store, and it was very clear it bothered him so much to leave his game to help us -- not to mention the profanity spewing from his mouth and irritating chats he was having with teammates, which was very off-putting as we were trying to browse the store. It was as if we had walked into someone's house and they were busy with a game, and felt as though our very presence was an intrusion. The fact that a teenager would be left to run the store with access to Xbox Live was mindblowing to me considering a business should be professional and welcoming to customers, but I suppose that's an argument for another day. We were interested in a stack of Nintendo Power magazines in the floor that were stacked lazily in front of another colossal stack of magazines, right where they could be damaged or trampled, and several issues were marked $20 and up. When we asked about the pricing we were told (a very flat) "the price is whatever's marked there." However, the clerk did let on that the store was "just trying to get rid of the Nintendo Power magazines" and were selling the ones without price tags for 50 cents apiece. This is ridiculous, considering the overpriced issues were without any sort of slipcover or protection to keep them in good condition. Only hours prior to visiting this store we had gone to The Exchange, where some of the very same magazines were in pristine slipcovers to protect them since they were priced higher, so why would anyone want to drop this kind of money with books that were just laying all over the floor to be stepped on? We decided we'd take a lot of the cheaper magazines, and the kid at the register gave us a pretty lousy deal, but we went ahead and got them anyway because there were some very important pieces to add to the collection. We must have purchased 30+ magazines, however, in two heavy stacks, and the kid had the audacity to ask if we "wanted a bag or wanted to carry the magazines how they were." Why would we want to carry 30+ magazines out across the street back to the car without a bag? Why was that even a question? I really didn't appreciate the kid playing Xbox Live while we were there the whole time, nor his complete lack of professionalism, and the prices were way too high. It's as if they don't want your business. Don't bother with this place. read more

James Games is a store that specializes in video games from the earliest of Atari titles to the most current PS4 blockbusters. Like most game stores, the pricing is slightly on the higher side but the selection is and variety always empresses. I've been there many times, but after my experience today, I decided to write a review about it. As far as I know, there are two stores. One is in Lakewood and the other is in Fairview. This review might have the Lakewood adress, but I will talk about both of them because they provided different experiences. Lakewood: we walked in and saw the sales clerk playing a game over the Internet. He greeted us, and told us to let him know if we needed any help. I asked him to check a few things, and he was annoyed that he had to leave his game. He told the guy on the other end of his headset to hold on while he helped us. In part of the store is a glass case that has some import titles. I asked if I could see them, but he said they weren't for sale. I asked why, and he said his dad hasn't priced them yet. We looked around some more, and eventually left. The clerk wasn't rude, but he was disinterested. I came in with the intent to buy, but ended up regretting even entering. Also, the store smelled like moldy fried food. Fairview: We entered the second James Games with hesitation, but the experience ended up being great. The woman behind the counter greeted us, told us that the display cases were not locked and that we could ask any questions. When something wasn't priced, she offered to call the owner and ask for a price. Unlike the Lakewood store, the person in charge of the Fairview store cared about our business, was relatively engaging without being pushy and I ended up making a purchase. Honestly, both stores have great selection. However, the experience as a whole is a 3 star experience. I think the people in the Lakewood store should show a bit more enthusiasm and offer more help. All that said, I'll be back the next time I'm in town. read more

I was surprised at this store. They have an expansive older generation games/consoles. They do have DVD's/VHS...I believe their VHS has a great price and they have great sale prices on all Media. I went in to make a purchase of a game...but it wouldn't work on my handheld...so the owner at the time was Female and she plugged in an Nintendo to make sure the game worked. Which it did, it wasn't what the sticker said it was, but they worked me and knocked the price down a little to make me happy. It did. I have not been there in a couple of months, but I do miss it and I am planning a trip. The parking is a little difficult and their is no public restroom. You have to go across the street to UDF and for parking. I know their is front parking. It is a meter, but luckily it's one of those with a 15 min free button. They do have some rare games/consoles and they care about games. -Thanks read more

I visited the Lakewood branch of James Games and More, and I was very impressed by the quantity of quality titles they had. From Super Turrican 2, to 2 copies of Suikoden II, to Breath of Fire 3, they just had so many uncommon and desired titles. I'd go as far as to say the selection is unrivaled. The prices on the other hand were steep, even for a smaller mom and pop shop type of store. If I had to guess, I'd wager about 20% above what price charting would suggest. So if you want to pay close to retail, I'd probably go with eBay still. That said, the prices could have been set during the covid gaming boom and just never adjusted (they've been dropping since around September, after ballooning from January up to July). If you want to track down your games in person, this is the place to do so. A lot of game stores (outside of GameStop) are willing to haggle, so maybe you can get a closer to retail price, but based on other reviews I wouldn't hold my breath. read more

If I could leave no star I would we have been here a couple times the prices are always jacked however we usually find deals, however last Wednesday me and my buddy went in and the son was repricing games with a laptop out looking at price charting (which is fine their store his privilege) we go over and start pulling games out of the ps1 / psp / Saturn sections he kept coming over and looking at us then finally sits down with the laptop grabs games out of my friends pile and types it in, and accused us of "scanning games in eBay / pricecharting" and accusing us of "stealing from him" explaining a guy just came in last week and scanned his whole ps3 section and got some deals and wanted to ensure we weren't doing the same (who cares). I pulled a game off the shelf (ape escape 3) and he goes oh you better be paying cash for that it's my dads etc I'm not taking cards for that etc. see they have a rediculous rule anything "high end" is "his dads" even though his dad is James I.E. the owner and is not priced and is looked up on the spot and they will not take cards for it? Why? Avoiding taxes maybe? Because a card fee is nominal and all the shit is his dads cause he owns the place, anyway I balked and he changed his mind, then my friend had barnyard for GameCube Corey or "the son" said oh I have multiple copies of that a nicer one I will go get it (it was about 15 under valued) needless to say we never got that game. and finally I came up with saga frontier 1 and 2 which were both marked around 20-25 under market (even though the cases were destroyed) and both of them had a stroke and James was whining why was it not in the lock case blah blah blah, and pressured me again into paying cash. Which I did not have finally James gave in and just said do it. Between being stalked, treated like thieves, inconsistent pricing, stuff in awful condition, and just general crappy attitude I will not be going back, also if you are a single proprietor in ohio you cannot "consign your own stuff" your stuff is the stores product if it's in the store, what's the big deal about not taking cards, tax avoidance? drug front? something else shady? Idk but I'm not going back and I'm sure I'm not welcome after this review either read more

Cool little independent video game store in Lakewood, OH. I've gone in here a couple of times, spread over many years and I always think that their NES video game prices are a tad on the steep side so I never buy any NES games from here. Once I paid 15$ for Super Dodge Ball, only to see this game elsewhere for about $5. Bummer for me. However, their Wii games are appropriately priced and you can find some good deals. read more

James games is a good place to find deals on mid range or lower end games. Premium titles often have at or near ebay pricing. Reliably best inventory of games for niche systems including SMS, Saturn, and more common systems including most Nintendo consoles. read more

Bottom line, the kid who works there is an a-hole. I went in on Thursday, bought a few games, he was indifferent. Went in the very next day to return two games that didn't work and he acted like he never saw me before (mind you, I was in a cast and a sling). He said he was going to have to review the camera's to see if I was actually there the previous day. I felt like I was a burden to him and his online friend. I was so surprised by his contempt for my patronage, I told him to keep the games and I don't want my money. He followed me outside and asked if I wanted the broken games?? The kid needs to get outside and work on his social skills and maybe get a job at McDonalds to get training on customer service. When customers can get anything online, service is all that can separate you, for better or worse. I will never go back there and I will tell everyone in ear shot to not give this kid any biz. I wouldn't pay him $5 to wash my car. read more

I have been in there twice in the past month looking for some specific vintage games and there was a guy screaming on his Xbox about his game. I hoped my first experience would be a fluke. read more