Inside The Vault #2-February 2025

WELCOME TO ISSUE #2

Indeed, Vault fans, we are live with our second issue of our online newsletter "Inside The Vault"!

This month we're going to talk a bit about our most challenging season, Winter, some improvements we're looking to make this year,  as well as a look at some titles currently in shop.

We sincerely hope you enjoy this issue, as we look to build off a successful debut issue last month!

So sit back, relax, stay warm (Brrr!) as always..

 GAME ON!! 

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ENDURING THE WINTER MONTHS

What small business pulls back the curtain and talks about an all too common situation during the months of January through March? Well, we've always believed in transparency, as a way to build trust with our customer base.

Whereas during the spring and summer months, even as far as into the fall months, we have the dual experience of both buying items brought into us, as well as scouring flea markets and yard sales to bring you that retro goodness you know and love, during the winter months we are more relegated to what you, our customers, bring to us to buy.

Despite your welcomed support in boosting our inventory, the truth is it doesn't happen with the frequency the spring and summer months provide us. We understand it. People spring clean, they don't mind bringing us stuff in 70 degree weather compared to below zero temperatures.

We're just talking about this to let you know we understand our shelves are not as full as they normally are, and we're constantly working at it, for you, our customers, but the reason is, quite simply, these months are tough, they've always been tough.

Thank you, though, for your consistent patience and support. We do this for you. This is your store.

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THE BITTERSWEET TALE OF THE ATARI 7800

When one looks at the vast history of video games, which encapsulates a lot more years than many can initially see, there are as many stories of failure as there are of success.

Here at Nick D's Video Game Vault, we appreciate every single piece of video game history, regardless of whether or not the game or console in question was an instant hit, or a commercial flop.

While the stories of success are uplifting, and the tales of commercial failure heartbreaking, I think I'm personally moved by those stories involving a game or console that could have been something, and in this month's newsletter, I'm sharing with you the first of many of these stories, that of the Atari 7800.

Now obviously as we possess a large age group of consumers, there are many of you who don't even know what an Atari 7800 is. Truthfully, the younger a customer you are, unless you were blessed with parents who introduced you to the wonders of late 70s and early 80s home consoles, chances are you don't even recognize the brand name Atari, and that's ok.

I blame your parents for that.

Am abridged version of the Atari 7800's name is quite simple. Atari named its consoles in variants of 2600, the first being the Atari 2600 in 1977, followed by the ill fated Atari 5200 in the early 80s, and then its last true gasp for some time, the Atari 7800.

Like many bittersweet tales of video game consoles that didn't quite make it, the Atari 7800 had a lot going right for it. Atari fixed the huge blunder in the department of controllers they had with the Atari 5200, going back to basics with a more simplified design. 

Additionally, the Atari 7800 offered semi backwards compatibility, at least the only backwards compatibility that mattered. You could buy an Atari 7800 and enjoy its library of games, as well as those you still had lying around from the days of the Atari 2600. While that may not scream wow factor today, it was something that was few and far in between with home consoles in the 1980s. 

Originally announced on May 21, 1984, but the eventual sale of Atari Inc to Tramel Technology pushed the release of the console back a whole two years to May 1986, which, as you may know, was about one whole calendar year AFTER the NES hit the market.

While this was the first dagger to the Atari 7800, it wasn't the sole reason that support for the system was discontinued in the early 90s. Atari did not spend anywhere near as much on marketing for the console, in comparison to the NES and Sega Master System that were also around at the time. We're talking hundreds of millions for those two systems, versus a paltry low million for the Atari 7800. 

Lastly, game releases were slow and few in comparison to their rivals, and this hurt particularly because they had great arcade ports of some classic titles, but when you're having 4 to 6 months in between these stellar releases, while Nintendo and Sega are cranking out titles almost monthly, that makes it really easy for you to find yourself in a distant third place.

The Atari 7800 is mostly forgotten these days, but not by those who grew up with it, or found a love for home consoles of the time period of the late 70s to early 80s. Would it truly have been able to compete with the likes of the NES and Sega Master System? Who knows, despite it having a strong following just about everywhere OUTSIDE of North America. 

The worst part of that unanswered question is that Atari and Tremel Technology never really gave it a chance.

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THE PROS AND CONS OF THE SIMS 2 IN 2025

Recently it was announced that The Sims franchise turned 25 (Imagine that!) and the first two PC games have been re-released! (Amazing!)

However, while yours truly did get to enjoy the bio making and swimming pool ladder removing chaos of the PC games, I cut my teeth in the world of The Sims on home consoles, mostly the Playstation 2. Will the first two PS2 Sims titles end up on Playstation Plus or the Playstation Store? Who knows. But all of this Sims hoopla begs the question..

..is The Sims 2 fun to play in 2025?

Here's what I discovered:

THE PROS

-Creating a Sim, especially with a random "roll of the dice" is still utterly satisfying. 

-Nothing screams the early 2000s like hearing music that fits the time period..sung in Simlish. Still gets my toes tapping and fingers snapping.

-It is 2025, why don't we have fish tanks and plants we can use for food that just keep filling up with grub for our recipes? 

-Building (or destroying) relationships is still a blast, from playing with puppets to seeing a cloud of dust and flying fists, there's something fun, still, about having good Sim friends and bitter Sim enemies.

THE CONS

-The Story Mode, while a cool addition, gets increasingly more tedious and annoying. I feel like I talked myself out of not liking it back then, but now, now I struggle to see past its shortcomings.

-Having a career is cool, but is also a ton of work, which, when your Sim goes rouge and decides to do whatever it wants, can become nearly impossible when it comes to leveling them up by reading a book or exercising.

-Obviously, just in the limitations from PC to home console alone, the amount of hairstyles, clothing, and even body shape and image, is severely limited, and it is far more noticeable now than back in the early 2000s.

-Building the perfect house, putting everything you want it, WITHOUT in spontaneously bursting into flames is a huge challenge. 

IN THE END..

Fun fact, I had no idea that in this game, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SLEEP! Seriously, you don't need a bed, just drink coffee or cappuccino and stay up for the rest of your Sim existence! This would have been an important bit of info for me when I was trying to grind through the Story Mode thinking you needed to sleep.

The Sims 2 on PS2 is still a lot of fun, BUT only if you're ok living within the small confines that the console puts on the game versus the PC version. I really do wish they could have at least given you the option to write a character's bio. I had friends that would give me free reign to do this on their PC version of the game, and I would have thoroughly enjoyed it on the PS2.

Bottom line, it is never a bad thing to be transported back to the early 2000s and play God in the life of The Sims. Just know it will never, ever, EVER compare to playing the games on PC.

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SPRUCING UP THE PLACE

Vault fans, Nick D here, coming to you live from our newsletter, and, well, I wanted to touch base with you, our loyal customers, before we wrap up another monthly newsletter.

In just a few short months, we will be celebrating our 6th year at our Marketplace At Steamtown location, and while that's all well and good, and we're super appreciative when you tell us we are the reason you come down, the truth is, I feel our store is in need of a revamp, a reimagining if you will.

I always envisioned the store to be covered, from head to toe, with vision, with passion for what we do, that retro goodness you've all come to know and love, just like us!

A big way of making that happen is by touching up the walls with some fresh paint, and making each colored section of wall covered in various video game characters, as well as pieces of 80s and 90s cartoons! 

Secondly, I think it is time once again to update our RetroVerse Lounge. We have had to pull out some arcade machines as they have stopped working, and we could use some more board games for you to enjoy, heck, maybe some Giant Connect Four! As well, those arcade cabinets are going to be changed into something even better than their original design. 

Look for these and more changes in the coming months at The Vault, but don't fret, the one constant, great games, great systems, at even better prices, isn't going to change. Nor is our knack for having some of the most amazing items that also showcase our love of that shared nostalgia that brings all of you (big) kids through our gate to remember.

I hope you enjoyed this month's newsletter. Join us next month as we all start the slow trudge to spring, and all the other glorious spectacles that will be in store at Nick D's Video Game Vault!

GAME ON!!