Heartland Pawnbrokers (Olathe, KS) Customer Review

I love stuff; toys, games, electronics, collectibles, home goods, you name it. Naturally, I have an appreciation for the best places to find that stuff, like thrift shops, swap meets and flea markets. My time in the corporate retail workforce has particularly fostered my interest in pawn shops. They don’t have the best reputation overall, but I think that’s a shame given the combination of products and services they can provide. Balancing unique merchandising challenges with loan brokering creates a very interesting business model about which I’d love to learn more.

Olathe, Kan., has a handful of reputable pawn shops. One of its best-reviewed is Heartland Pawnbrokers, for which reviews’ common theme is great customer service. Often times when I go thrifting I'm not looking for anything in particular, so I place a premium on a memorable in-store experience. This includes characteristics like store aesthetic, product assortment and organization, and (of course) customer service, so the reviews caught my attention.

Top 100 NES Games For Collectors (and a TON of Honorable Mentions)

Let's say you've got a little money and nothing better to do, so you decide to start an NES collection. You do a quick Google search for "best NES games" only to be disappointed by handfuls of top-### lists built on nostalgia goggles and high price tags. This list has that hypothetical person in mind.

This is not a one-by-one list based solely on quality. It's a collection of pseudo-logical groups of licensed North American releases prioritized by how I'd recommend a new collector pursue them. I did attempt to order games by importance within their respective tiers, based (unscientifically) on quality, popularity, value and iconic importance to the system. Here goes...

Nintendo Gold: Mandatory
They're the best, most iconic and most common games on the system. They're not literally the five best games, but if you own an NES you literally need to own these. You could be very happy with little else.

1. Super Mario Bros 3
2. The Legend of Zelda
3. Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt
4. Super Mario Bros 2
5. Tetris

UPDATE - 2nd Annual CMN Slowpitch Softball Fundraiser

UPDATE: I dug up every photo I could find from the past two years of Slowpitch Softball Fundraisers for the Children's Miracle Network, and stuffed them in an album for your viewing pleasure. Between these two events we raised more than $1000 dollars, and we're very excited to do it again next year!

10 Best Games In My Backlog (Owned But Unplayed)

What gamer actually plays as much as he/she would like? I buy games with the best intentions, but it doesn't always pan out. Here are the 10 games I'm most embarrassed to say I've purchased, but never played.

Why I'm A Video Game Collector But Not A Library Completionist

I recently listened to (and really enjoyed) Video Game Dads podcast episode 26. They revisited a facet of video games and collecting in general that I often ponder (when my mind wanders while at work); complete video game libraries. I love collecting video games, but completing a console library is something I don't think I can do.

Dragon Quest XI Review (Part 1: First Impressions)

Read my review!

I've played enough of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (PC) to offer a few initial thoughts. I'll try to strike a balance between my own preferences and a more worldly critique. A quick summary is just below, followed by a little more detail on the following:

• • Audiovisuals (sights and sounds)
• • Interaction (function and mechanics)
• • Narrative (story and setting)
• • Everything else (summary, memorable qualities, miscellaneous)
• • Additional stuff

Summary

Dragon Quest XI is a stellar entry into and evolution of the main series, and a pretty good game overall. It does everything series fans want, and attempts to add mass appeal. The result is a very full, refined JRPG in a casual, accessible package. It's probably not enough to grow the franchise's western audience, but loyal fans will love it and hopefully newcomers with appropriate expectations will be pleasantly surprised.

My take is that it's already my favorite entry in my favorite franchise. I have some minor grievances; casual difficulty and whimsical style (common series complaints) aren't among them. Games don't have to be realistic or hard to be immersive and fun. It almost feels like a rich, light-hearted simulator of an massive modern RPG.

Memories of Mega Man

Mega Man 11 is out on every major platform and is generally receiving praise. New games aren't in the budget for me right now, but that won't stop me from enjoying the experience vicariously through others. I've listened to podcasts from Retro Warriors (some vulgar language) and The Last Podcast Network (more vulgar language) on the broader series, got text reviews of 11 from Hardcore Gaming 101 and Destructoid, another in video from The Completionist, and have generally been reminiscing nonstop about the franchise. I highly recommend it as a way to pass the time.