Nintendo Switch GAME HUNTING in LONDON!

[@BeatEmUps]

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[@mikeuk666]

AirCon why? Its usually cold & wet in the UK.... we build to keep the heat in here not out 🥶🫂

[@mikeuk666]

16:25 Elliot has a great channel 👌

[@al4xb]

​@@mikeuk666and then we suffer when it finally gets hit 🥳

[@Kazpper88]

NICE DECIDED TO WALK OUTSIDE AND TOUCH GRASS I SEE @WOOD HAWKER 😂

[@Tilburger]

Man. Having troubles with your bowel movements. And eat an English breakfast the next morning AND fish and chips the next evening. AND you have to take the plane the next day. You are making some questionable life choices.

[@datlobstaguygenius1792]

As an Englishman, I feel it's my duty to inform you that the wifi at my local CEX is called "unprotected CEX"

[@DRAG0NSPIRIT10]

I wonder how many other CEX's have wifi passwords along those lines across the country 🤣

[@ADMASMR]

I’m pretty sure they all do , most CeX I visit seem to have that unprotected CeX WiFi 😂😂

[@Pokemark17]

@@DRAG0NSPIRIT10 they all do

[@baconbreadwithbacon]

@@DRAG0NSPIRIT10 Their free WIFI is unprotected CEX and their passworded WIFI is protected CEX. It's a running joke and they use it in all stores. Originally when they first opened, people thought it was an undercover 18+ shop. Hence why they use those WIFI names.

[@killtubecameron]

Same here in chippenham

[@CousinChal]

"I don't want to carry around a Gamecube" Mate it has a handle

[@richardlawton]

😂

[@pauley_eseprius]

HAHA W COMMENT

[@nickprovence]

Literally what I was thinking. A built-in handle!

[@youtuber6193]

This was the GameCube handles moment to shine - 23 years after launch finally someone would carry one round all day. We were so close to seeing the GameCube reach its full potential and we had it snatched away. My only wish is that we don’t have to wait another 23 years to see it.

[@modsreview]

I think he meant that I would be heavy with all the other stuff in the bags

[@BigBadTomA]

The CEX that said Computer Exchange was the first ever CEX. The man on the front was drawn by Charlie Brooker of Black Mirror fame when he worked there.

[@MonoDree]

I didn't know it all started in London, that's cool.

[@jaredbowhay-pringle1460]

One of the first. The first one was nearby on Whitfield Street and doesn't exist anymore.

[@BigBadTomA]

@@jaredbowhay-pringle1460 Thanks. My mistake, I should have said one of the first

[@ktbreathingin]

In the early 2000's, before internet shopping really kicked off, they used to do a lot more importing of stuff. I got my first Japanese gameboy advance from there when the first came out, and my now hb bought a US game cube from there before they launched in the UK. I love that shop.

[@IdiotRace]

@@jaredbowhay-pringle1460 Wait that one isn't there anymore? The original one was the best as it was designed to be like uhh the Japanese store 'super potato' I think? I had a friend from school who worked there for a bit. I remember going there and they always had a bunch of japanese and american imported games. Plus a bunch of really cool retro stuff. Sad it's no longer there.

[@jaredbowhay-pringle1460]

Fun fact: the boba shop you visited on the first day used to be an independent import/retro game store called Game Focus. I used to work there about 15 years ago, but unfortunately it shut mainly due to rent being pretty ludicrous in central London.

[@HyperTeddyBear]

Used to visit Game Focus whenever I took a trip to London. I remember they had imports downstairs. I purchased Pocky & Rocky for the SNES there many years ago.

[@whatwhatyep]

Fun?

[@jaredbowhay-pringle1460]

@@whatwhatyep Fun fact, 98% of "fun facts" aren't actually fun.

[@Trakker1985]

GAME had a hard fall from grace, they were everywhere, but a staggering amount of terrible corporate choices basically left them bankrupt. They got brought out by Sports Direct and now the live a withered life tucked away in the back corners of their sports direct shops =( What's worse is, there was another awesome game shop called Gamestation, GAME brought them, converted them all and wound up destroying them too =(

[@MonoDree]

I miss Gamestation, i used to always ask my mom to drop by every time we went to the Wolverhampton Town Wulfrun Centre to shop 😂

[@latristessdurera8763]

I miss Game Station and Ourprice too.

[@coreycarnegie5990]

The 2 for £20 deal introduced me to so many bangers back in the day 🙃

[@lawrence703]

There was a moment when HMV had games too.

[@jaygo6390]

Growing up in the 2000s, going to the shops to buy games was always so cool. Now it’s super depressing. Wish we could have both GAME and Gamestation

[@andrewwilson4733]

gaming hunting in the UK just means CEX lol

[@MonoDree]

Surprisingly there are smaller self owned shops that resell games and consoles, just gotta look up where to find them. i even found out we have game museums too. its pretty cool.

[@andrewwilson4733]

@@MonoDree ooo ok good to know thanks

[@antomanifesto]

@@andrewwilson4733 Super Game Shack in Leicester city centre is the best one I've found so far!

[@simmzfour]

Lol

[@a.n.o3414]

same in poland, there's just CEX and some underground small business stores that sell retro games stuff but there's not alot of them

[@slotcarpete1]

Just a bit of context, a few years ago Game was bought by British businessman Mike Ashley. He owns a company called Fraser group, as a result there is a load of stores that has sports direct, flannels ( for rich people), Frasers, and game

[@DaffCookie]

Yeah and since that happened he closed our local Game down and moved it to the mall in the city 😢

[@springer1786]

Yeah they've pretty much run them all into the ground at this point, I fear they won't be around much longer.

[@nallie2022]

@@springer1786 they're still going pretty strong, just moving the games stores into almost all stand alone sports direct or Frasers stores. their deals are still booming too! so hopefully they stay around a lot longer hehe

[@nallie2022]

not just Rich ppl dbf, sports direct and game are still semi affordable its just Frasers and flannels that can be extortionate lol

[@Dynastone]

so upset they stopped doing preowned

[@Robbie-tl5iw]

Also those smaller games shops that do phone repairs are probably a front for money laundering so it doesn’t surprise me they got rude about filming, they obvs don’t wanna be recorded 🤣🤣

[@TheRealSlimsagey7]

100%, all the middle eastern type shops (phone repair, barbers, food etc) are pretty much a front for illegal activities. I'm surprised you weren't escorted out back by some heavies

[@artiseating]

Yeah that was also my first thought lol

[@oioisaveloy6227]

100%

[@MrMark1]

Especially in Shepherd's Bush. Least they saw one of the worst areas in London too lol

[@petersziraki7672]

Unfortunately, London is not really into video games. There are many video game markets around the country. In every 4 months, it is happening in London, but other than that, only CEX, some GAME and maybe some smaller shops can be found. It is sad, but at least it is still a thing.

[@MonoDree]

yeah it is sad, you would think a capital city would have more to offer, but im guessing the high cost of living and owning a shop there has driven all the enthusiasts away

[@DarthSnugglePuss]

London is more about books, innit?

[@ajritson]

It really is a shame because about 15-20 years ago London was one of the best places for videogames in the world. The original CEX featured in the video was an amazing store selling loads of import titles and there were a lot of other independent stores around central London, as well as the big Electronics Boutique on Oxford street and the massive Virgin Megastore where Miyamoto once did a signing! On top of that there were also huge multilevel arcades like Trocodero and Namco centre as well as smaller 'underground' ones dotted around. I really do miss those times 🥲

[@petersziraki7672]

@@Cousin_Elvin_sweet I was there early this year and I really enjoyed it! I hope I can go next year as well :) . There are other similar markets in other cities, so not everything is lost, you just have to leave London to find good stores and markets.

[@MrMark1]

Not true at all. For most of us, we are not going to travel around all day looking for a game, which we can easily buy online

[@Sammej_]

I'm lucky to live by one of the only GAME stores in the country that hasn't yet moved inside a sporting goods shop. It's where I've bought all of my games for my entire life, from original GameBoy and Xbox right through to the Switch, but now games only make up about 1/4 of the store, the rest taken up by Funko Pops and Fortnite toys. There are rumblings that GAME plan to cease sales of physical games altogether (they have already stopped taking pre-orders) so I'm just waiting for the inevitable end of physical game retail. So thank you for visiting, and thank you for shining a light on our dire situation - we need all the help we can get!

[@RDHMT24]

give it a few months, it will be gone soon

[@artagle_14]

I really despise Funko pops man. They were cool at first don’t get me wrong. I bought a whole collection of exclusive Street Fighter Funkos back when Toy R Us was up and running but now I just see it everywhere and it irritates me.

[@pheebles02]

@@RDHMT24I work in one. It is staying open as it has part of head office above it. Not all of them will go to concession stores (in a sports direct) but they are always gonna be rare. I’m very lucky to work in the one I do. They started getting sports direct people to run the game stores on certain days and it has messed EVERYTHING u.

[@mzarectah]

That Mario poster was signed by Charles Martinet. I’ve seen him incorporate that Mario face in his autograph before

[@benjamindry3516]

I’m from Brighton as well and I can confirm, the fish and chips is much better down here than in London. Side note, if you ever come back to England, you should DEFINITELY go to Brighton and check out the Lanes, you’d love it!

[@dthayward7]

Totally! Im from Brighton as well and there are some bangers chippy to get. Mind you have to fight the seagulls first before you get your bites. xD

[@MonoDree]

Nah he will be too busy visiting Birmingham, wait your turn (not for the fish and chips mind you)

[@latristessdurera8763]

I just don’t think the south does a good fish and chips. They all anaemic to me.

[@MoviesNGames007uk]

Not true it's 100% better in Yorkshire. In particular Whitby

[@MoviesNGames007uk]

​@@latristessdurera8763has to be in Yorkshire

[@jackmay5504]

As someone who works in CEX in Ipswich, THERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE MESSY! those stores are in such a state!

[@MonoDree]

Well it is London, i live near Birmingham city and it can get really busy, a lot of people traffic. London is Larger and worse so it is probably a waste of time to continuously fix the shelves when people will just mess it up seconds later. They probably do clean it up to a good enough state though.

[@BassBanj0]

I mean it's bound to happen when there's hundreds of people coming in and moving all the games aha

[@jderrick1994]

I have never been in a Cex that didn't look like a small bomb went off in there, to the point where I would assume it was part of the weird edvy image they seem to try so hard to cultivate.

[@Renvaar1989]

Is the no filming policy that commonly enforced in CEX? I was surprised to see so many stores flat-out say no...

[@Blue_Bellife]

I’m near Ipswich 🙌

[@PyraJord]

Game hunting in the UK SUCKS! Small independent game stores in the UK are a rarity! Its pretty much just GAME, CEX and stores that sell games like Curry's and Smyths Toy Store! I work at a CEX and getting employee discount and using store trade in credit makes some of their more egregious prices easier to swallow.

[@bsmith6646]

WRONG! London has been diminished with retro games stores but there are plenty of amazing independent stores throughout the UK. The UK is far more than London fella

[@nenenoonooo]

@@bsmith6646 nah hes correct

[@InfinityDude88]

I spent a bit over a month 5 years ago travelling around the UK and somehow the only independent game store i remember finding was a tiny one in York that sold me a gameboy with a broken button.

[@hoptop77]

You're right, I live in Kent and the only ok place to get games where they might have stock is smyths toys in Crawley. It sucks as I means I can only get games online and usually at amazon.

[@jevonburness19]

30:55 that’s me staring at you with a confused look on my face trying to think of where I remember you from 😂 Not seen in the video is when you had past by, me excitedly explaining to my friends who you are 😂

[@antomanifesto]

Sadly, the reason why GAME was so good when you visited is because they've decided to stop selling physical games altogether. What you picked up was them desperately getting rid of their stock of actual games to make space for funko pops and Pokemon plushies

[@TheNadazza]

Your editor made me crack up when he said he remembered Buckingham palace with more colour.. he says with sunglasses on 😂

[@sp3lllz]

Game is basically on the brink of closing down as a last ditch effort they closed almost all their dedicated stores and put them in the back of other stores owned by the same people that own game. CeX is okay for buying games used but that’s about it their hardware is always on the pricy side and I’ll never forgive them for taking part in price gouging on the PS5 when it released.

[@RDHMT24]

as someone who worked in GAME during PS5 launch, what are you on about? 🤣 they sold the PS5 at retail price ... the only things stores did was aggressively try and upsell (blame Mike Ashley) but that wasn't mandatory

[@hoak1]

@@RDHMT24he’s talking about CEX price gouging not game.

[@jderrick1994]

Yeah CEX gouging like that was absolutely disgusting. Our local had 3 ps5s with prices on them that were just over double RRP at the time. Genuinely thought it was a mistake until i saw instance 2 and then 3.

[@muga9506]

I’m not a Brit, but I’m european, and London is my favorite city in the world, I’ve been there so many times… So seeing you discover this incredible city is so awesome! Thank you for this great vlog!

[@MoviesNGames007uk]

London to me it's probably the least British town in the UK. It feels like a foreign country compared to where I am in Yorkshire. I'm really happy you have a great time though

[@AbbieWillett]

That's absolutely Martinet's signature on the poster :) Thanks for touring our game stores! There are some really great retro stores but you really have to hunt for them!

[@Imeanwhatarewetalkingabouthere]

There’s no air conditioning cuz all of the buildings are much older than a/c. It’d cost so much money to rig up central air in a 100 year old building. They probably have plenty of window units. This is a guess.

[@CM-cs4bq]

It doesn't cost that much bro. Every building in America has AC.

[@mikeuk666]

​@CM-cs4bq you ever seen the average UK weather.... we build to stay warm 😂

[@Imeanwhatarewetalkingabouthere]

Their buildings are 100s if not thousands of years old. We’ve only been a country for 250 years. lol

[@drivebyemusic]

Westminster abbey is ~1000years old if you want a benchmark on how “old” many buildings in London are. Most modern buildings have air conditioning though

[@jakemaanimeikalainen248]

​@@mikeuk666 Stop lying. Every finnish person that has ever visited or lived in the UK has always complained how you guys don't know how to build insulated homes and it's ridiculously cold inside. Even my english pals started to complain about it after they visited Finland and got a taste of how warm it can be inside while it's -30c outside. :D

[@ac_aces1657]

At 11:00, GAME in the UK was about to go bankrupt until the house of fraser bought them. Now in every house of fraser there is a GAME.

[@SteveODonnell]

More convoluted than that. Mike Ashley who owns Sports Direct bought Game when they were about to go bust, he did the same with House of Fraser. Now most Game stores closed and are now inside HoF or SD, saves him renting seperste stores.

[@ccliffy90]

Mate house of Fraser went bust ages ago - they are all in sports direct

[@SteveODonnell]

@ccliffy90 Glasgow still has a big massive House of Frasers. Sure it was the original one.

[@ccliffy90]

@@SteveODonnell just looked 20 left, so yeah they really have gone small

[@SteveODonnell]

@@ccliffy90 Mike Ashley owns so many brands now.

[@guessweredointhis5486]

If you ever come back to London again - head down south to The Heart of Gaming. You can't buy games, but central London used to have a really cool arcade scene based around one location called 'the Trocadero'. It had an anime store in there, Initial-D (where you got an actual plastic drivers licence that worked as a save file), Dance Dance Revolution, a *ton* of Japanese import cabinets. When it shut down, a small number of people bought up a lot of those cabinets and were like "We should start somewhere else that people can come and play these games." It's worth the travel. Staff are really cool, it doesn't feel like a 'barcade'. You pay £20 when you go in, can play anything and everything, a lot of the PCB's on the arcade cabinets there are owned by players. I'd honestly love to make a documentary on the place and where it came from.

[@lxstfixna291]

As someone who lives in London ( and also works in a Cex) trying to buy video games here is very limited with your options. We've only got GAME, CeX, Argos and Curry's ( which is like Best Buy in the US). People now resort to buying things online or paying for digital games which is killing high streets with shops and businesses closing down :( Also the Playnation shop mentioned in the video has another shop nearby called 'Game On' which would have been worth a visit.

[@Jav-r4i]

Also, the Playnation store is next-door/attached to a retro arcade called Heart of Gaming. Probably the best retro arcade in London when it comes to selection of games. There are no redemption machines there, instead you'll find classic Capcom and SNK fighters, and Sega racers, amongst many other legendary arcade titles. Plus every retro console fitted with flash carts/ODEs and their respective library of games all playable! Worth checking out. Wood missed out!

[@nicklayton3159]

What happened with Crazy Thumbs?

[@MrMark1]

Makes no sense to buy in a shop. The game is always cheaper online. Let alone saving on travel time and costs. New releases usually arrive before the release day too, get games 2 days early sometimes

[@appleschloss]

I love that Kim ALSO loves blind boxes (as a blind box enthusiast myself)

[@GemmaKingsley]

I hope she opens them on her channel

[@PinderProductions]

Game and cex pretty much some up the UK game buying experience for the most part. The Gebs 24 does a great job of showcasing the independent game stores, but they often feel few and far between. Also because cex are so established around the country they pretty much dictate the used game prices here across ebay and other places.

[@jderrick1994]

Gebs has been one of my fave channels for years she's great!

[@finalpalerider66]

I’ve missed the early 2000’s who else misses game station? I liked going in there more then game as a kid

[@MonoDree]

Same, i would always go to Wolverhampton Wulfrun Centre for my Gamestation. Good times.

[@Karrott2cents]

I used to work in the one in my city every Christmas.

[@TheOtaku031284]

Kim has impeccable taste is music.

[@binaryrooster]

First rule of CEX: check they've put the right disc or cart in the box before you leave the store.

[@surfingconcrete]

Or the disc in it at all 😅

[@_GeekyDad_]

It's nice to hear someone pronounce CEX properly.

[@MonoDree]

i said this to my co-worker once and they would not believe me, i had to tell them that the cex ads literally say it and they were still adamant about it. i don't know why cex chose S-ex over K-ex when it is short for computer exchange and computer is pronounced K-omputer. but it is what it is.......unless they change it some day

[@BassBanj0]

​@@MonoDreethey literally have a video on their official channel saying how to pronounce it and it's sex lol At the end of the video the guy doing it says "I'm a sex worker" before getting cut off part way through lmao

[@MonoDree]

@@BassBanj0 i think you misunderstood my comment. im saying that i was telling my co worker that it is pronounced s-ex, i was not saying it isn't

[@BassBanj0]

@@MonoDree I know aha, I was more just getting behind you and saying for people that aren't sure

[@MonoDree]

@@BassBanj0 ah ok, that is ok. i think the way you started it made it sound like you misunderstood me

[@jackstraughan24]

I’m from Newcastle in the North of England. Up here we have one retro game shop and other than that a bunch of CeX shops and a couple of Games. Game is in a really sad state these days and many of their shops don’t even sell physical games anymore, just gaming merch. A lot of them are just hidden away in the corner of Sports Directs and other shops owned by Mike Ashley. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs tbh. I collect for the GameCube and have to do all my hunting in either CeX or online Hope you had a great time in my country! This was an awesome video

[@TheSurfingBear114]

26:42 W shirt that kims wearing, I just saw them live a few nights ago for the first time and am still crazed. Oh and nice Alice In Chains shirt.

[@GemmaKingsley]

She just went to see them, and that is her shirt he borrowed. She is a big music fan.

[@danbooke2001]

There's this invention called the telephone that you can use. It allows you to call businesses and residents, where you can ask them if you can film prior to driving all the way out there. I checked with the British Parliament, and they confirmed they have telephones there.

[@keanuchampion]

Glad you came to visit our country sorry it sucks 🤣

[@davehuson-glover8135]

Mate London sucks ... Notts and York are ok

[@cloudspinner]

Awww I'm so happy you got to experience England for the first time!! I'm also a fellow East-Coaster (from Connecticut!! :D) and my American family friends who work in the antique business have a really old (1500s) house in a cozy English countryside village filled with animals and nature, it's absolute magic!! The countryside there is close to my heart, one of my favorite places!!

[@moonpixelle]

thanks for this video, I grew up not far from London and it's really sad to see how many physical games/media stores have closed down in the last 5 years. I wanna go hunting for rare cool stuff but it hardly seems to exist out here lol :(

[@Karrott2cents]

Fun fact. Growing up in Plymouth we had Electronics Boutique and Game in the town centre. They both sold exactly the same products just branded differently. Now we have neither a game nor a EB

[@FaithPixel]

As a Brit it sucks here mostly. Especially the towns and cities. The best part is the countryside and that is getting destroyed.

[@Jakeyboy258]

This is crazy to see as a Londoner who literally goes to these shops all the time

[@DecoyW]

Europe in general doesn't use air conditioning, not just London

[@Trinket_Master]

What are you going on about? I’ve been travelling all around Europe the last few months and just to keep it short Poland and Ireland have both got Air condition in nearly every store unless it’s a corner shop (privately owned small business) It would be illegal here in Ireland to make people work in a boiling hot store, we do have to treat people like humans even in Europe

[@DecoyW]

@@Trinket_Master I'm talking about homes, hotel rooms etc. Obviously stores have it, but you'll rarely find apartments or places to live that has it all across the continent

[@PRIDEY999]

This is completely not true. Most of Europe, has air conditioning.

[@Trinket_Master]

@@PRIDEY999 dude is acting like we Europeans sit in 30 - 40 degree weather at our jobs, sweating our balls off like it’s nothing

[@Kaiser86]

eUrOpE

[@namcorak1980]

“They warned us about the food in London. But all the food we had was great!” -Day 2: “I had a food poisioning”! 😂😂😂😂

[@Burr_]

These are genuinely some of my favorite videos. Always love seeing the little adventures and slices of life. Much love always Wood!

[@GemmaKingsley]

Is Kim going to bring back her shop soon?

[@miamitten1123]

Damn. Haven’t seen your channel since 2018. Watched Metal Jesus and remembered you. Glad you’re still going strong.

[@antonchesse]

I've never heard the streets of London described as pretty

[@bsmith6646]

I imagine there's a lot you haven't heard mate

[@theTenaciousTea]

The main central part of London is incredibly pretty and very historic. Obviously if you start to veer into the other districts of London it might be less so..

[@WhimsicalLorelei]

I don't think he'd be saying Peckham or Tottenham look very nice once he goes there

[@asurupenn]

Had the same ticket issue for a concert in Amsterdam, which we planned the whole trip around. Ticket said doors open at 8pm, but concert actually started at 7. We were going primarily to see the opener and only caught the last song. I think it’s some european resale site BS.

[@lucie_xxxxx7186]

Wood and Kim in London?!!! I’ve never clicked on a video faster 😂😂

[@MusicSkypirate]

Electronics Boutique became GAME in the UK. We also had Gamestation around 15 years ago too but they closed down. Most GAME stores are also being closed/relocated into Sports Directs. Everything is going online really and we also consider CEX to be so-so value-wise for retro I guess. One of those typical things where a lot of us are savvy enough to shop online for deals. Only other options are Charity and Thrift stores but even they catch all the good stuff nowadays and sell online at a premium.

[@nikdavies6829]

Did you have a Greggs though?

[@Ceso123]

Got to have a Greggs

[@Gamezzz2213]

Living up north means it's got old

[@Ceso123]

@@Gamezzz2213 I’m from the north, albeit live in London now. Greggs is still life

[@Nimguizeppi]

Seeing that yall were going to All In at the beginning got me so excited. Also seeing the want for popmarts is so neat!

[@GemmaKingsley]

Is Kim going to do a video of what she bought please?

[@Robbie-tl5iw]

I used to work next to that CEX store down on Rathbone place… I have lovely memories of going for a coffee and then the game shop… before 2020. So happy to see you in the UK and the assistants recognising you… so cool. You need to come back again and do a vintage game haul across England!

[@GAMERTAGVR]

If he doesn’t ’Bottle of water’ I’m unsubscribing

[@MonoDree]

If he does i'm unsubscribing 😅 😂 i have heard enough of that joke, its sorted and done, give it a rest.

[@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek]

Baddle af waddur

[@brittianyistre]

​@MonoDree 😂same. It's so annoying now.

[@ChocolateKieran]

As a London resident I think it was Martinet that signed that Mario Maker poster too, pretty sure it's from when he did a signing in Central London at Hamley's because I got one too 😂

[@gardirem392]

1 view in 14 seconds??? Bro fell of.

[@robertwolfgan]

1k views in 4mins, he really is losing it...bummer. I loved this channel, can't stand what it has become now...

[@mikeuk666]

​@@robertwolfganyet you're still here and attention seeking 😂

[@robertwolfgan]

@@mikeuk666 my man, as painful as it is to say it because you swoosh* the biggest swoosh* ever and it loses the joke, yeah it was all a joke...sorry to burst your attacking random people on KZbin mode...the first comment was a joke and so was mine following his sarcastic "opposite logic" further. There, I explained the joke now. I hope you can process it.

[@thomasbryans6547]

These kind of comments are so annoying I see it on like every video now

[@gardirem392]

@@thomasbryans6547 I agree... I was pretty early to the video and wanted to make a top comment and was like hey why dont i try that and i did and some brit guy is beating me to it...

[@peacheenie]

Ahh this is so fun to watch :) I'm glad you all had a fun time in the UK!! I'm a brit and I know the struggles of trying to find games first hand here.... Over the years I've watched all the game type stores close down in the cities/towns around me and its been kind of depressing since we used to have so much more variety... When i was a kid there used to be a GAME store AND a Gamestation store in my town, it was so cool! Gamestation used to have so many older games and I got all of my gameboy games from there as a kid but now I'm an adult the only surviving GAME has now been moved into Sports Direct and Gamestation was replaced with CEX... such is life I suppose!

[@owningmicrobe2107]

As a Brit, there are less and less game stores because people either buy it online or through secondhand, like from CEX. The few shops that are family owned though are a different case, but for the one where I live, they have the main music shop, getting most of the bills that support them in that endeavour. Lastly, from GAME, due to the covid pandemic, most of their stores closed and were put into cramped spaces in their other shops like the clothes one you were in. In my local one, they say GAME may close because of less revenue due to console and game pricing, making people buy second second hand and other obvious reasons for scaling down, and it is still happening. They got rid of their rewards and preorder program a month ago!!

[@White25390]

Never go to London during xmas time unless you want to be stuck between thousands of people. Decorations are beautiful tho

[@latristessdurera8763]

The combo of rising business rates, internet trading and high rental costs have slowly killed of a majority of the small brick and mortar independent game stores. Hopefully the tide will turn in the next 10-15 years and things will pick up again. It’s a sad state of affairs right now.

[@Blaiddcymru]

So fun fact it used to be called computer exchange many many years ago, but CeX is now called complete entertainment exchange and pretty much now have majority of the second hand market in the UK since GAME recently stopped doing trade ins and preowned games. As for GAME the company got bought out when it was struggling financially and the owner owns Sports Direct stores and also seems like it’s killing off GAME all over again.

[@pink_nicola]

Hearing you refer to CEX to Computer Exchange most of the video was so amusing 😂 also I’m surprised the HMV didn’t have any games as you used to go between there or Game to see which had the best deals 😄 although I think they’ve tried to refocus on music again the past few years so it makes sense

[@rhl2macwan]

0:53 that CEX near the Goodge Street Station

[@rhl2macwan]

That cex across the shepherd bush station used to be my favourite before 27:04 well not anymore

[@ishwiz407]

Clicked for the games, stayed for the babes *innit*

[@ameliastar_7267]

I love the collage for the intro. Makes me feel like I'm watching a 2008 iphone pictures video, in the best possible way. :)

[@sparkeythehamster]

As a British person, the video game market has crashed here. I exclusively buy physical copies of games unless I have no choice, and I have had to shift to buying nearly everything online. GAME won’t even let you preorder anymore, and they’ve basically dumbed their stock down to the 20 most recent releases on each console. CEX is still good for 2nd hand stuff or retro games (which GAME does not sell anymore), but new releases have become a really tricky thing to find and the prices have gone all over the place as GAME really used to set the standard for pricing in the UK. Thankfully I found an online retailer that seems pretty good for all my new releases, but it is annoying that GAME at their peak bought out all the competition so when their new owner decides to turn them into a toy shop, it tears the whole thing down with it.

[@randombread1456]

Game is honestly a really tragic case. Those stores used to be amazing and I loved going to them all the time as a kid. Then for some reason the Fraser group bought them and buried all the Game stores into Sports Direct stores - nowadays they’re just small cupboards in the back, full of toys and maybe like a small shelf of games. They used to do preowned games until a few months ago, they stopped doing preowned consoles too, their rewards program that gave free store credit shut down a couple of months ago too, and you can’t preorder in stores anymore either. It’s a depressing husk of what it once was. Let’s just say if you ever think GameStop in the US is in a bad way, holy moly.

[@georginamathias5231]

One little thing, the underground/metro is called the tube, chube is referring to the channel tunnel which takes you to France

[@tasarasforever]

Finally! The greatest couple in KZbin History together again! BeatEmUps and Woulff Den ❤

[@ShinySilvery]

Glad you had fun on your trip over here in the UK and a somewhat fruitful game haul. Yes, physical game stores are few and getting fewer. There are some hotspots outside of London that are still thriving. There is also another retail outlet Smyths Toys Super Stores that has exactly the same business model as Toys R Us, which fills that void when they all shut down. Yes, the ‘Game’ Stores now share space with Sports Direct. As they are both owned by the Frasers Group of retail outlets, so saves the company on local government business rates.

[@MrDylanJones]

Awesome video! As a British person myself, it was quite cool seeing you go to British shops.

[@jamesberloth]

So nice to see Wood and Kim in London :)

[@final909]

As someone who live in UK South East London, it good to see them enjoying here in UK.

[@NYClough]

ONG HOW DID I MISS YOU I WAS THE KID IN THE YELLOW SHIRT AND JEANS AT 15:28 NOOOOOO

[@aaron_h3289]

wait, did wood just say he got surfshark to pay for his trip😂 1:54

[@GamerPlanesO-]

As a British guy, seeing my favourite KZbin go to my country makes me very happy

[@DanTJones]

Ex CEX employee from about 11 years ago here. man the prices are all over the place. also.. NO CASH ON FRIDAYS.

[@pampamtamtam4001]

Seeing not only Bob but Elliot from Retro Future was really cool!

[@passiondrivendriver]

❤ from INDIA 🇮🇳 I thoroughly enjoyed the content. I wish you could have filmed the games for a longer time. It would have been a visual treat. Funfact - Nintendo is not available in the indian markets but our love for Nintendo in unwavering

[@alexrose1ukv2]

Hope you had fun, one of my colleagues [from the US] was there working on that AEW event. He had a pretty intense week too, although I got to take him out for cream tea so think he was thrilled lol :) Regards Retro stores, there are still some great ones in the UK, but what you saw was a combination of COVID lockdowns killing some of them/some of them moving online only with no physical retail, and then on top of that London being so expensive, most of the best ones are in other places where its not so expensive. They're certainly not as prevalent as they used to be. They were also hit hard with online prices, and then even supermarkets even began stepping in on game sales about a decade or so back, although mostly they've pulled out again now, but the shifting market killed a lot of these cool retro stores, and now the best ones are undoubtedly out of London and in cheaper places to rent/own.

[@stekiknight]

At the 7:12 Mark, there's a fan that also acts as an air conditioner on the ceiling. Also, England does have air conditioning.

[@Aceavia]

I love the Retro Future crossover! Elliott has a great channel!

[@Thoushaltplaymore]

Wood doesn't realize all the things he thinks are Australian were originally British 😂

[@Ianrf93]

These are my favorite videos you do. I love seeing you go to these different places and find so many cool things. It’s actually one of the reasons I enjoyed my trip to New York so much because of the places you guys found. Please keep it coming!

[@AJapaneseDream]

That was definitely a Charles martinet signature. Loved waking up to this video in my feed.

[@HomeworkRadio]

Harrods is a shop that you almost need a day trip for 😂

[@daniellikahong]

I have been to London too, no much video games to find there, but the food was quite superb, especially in Chinatown ;).

[@adaytorememberfan121]

I love these vlog vids. I rewatch the Japan vids pretty consistently. It’s just so fun

[@agentcooki]

I lived in London for over ten years. The game shops always sold consoles and games early and I don't think that's allowed so they may be worried about that.

[@GariClark]

There are so many independent game stores outside of London. They have the biggest one in the UK in Scotland which is insane and it is basically a warehouse filled with games. It's a shame that you didn't have more time to go to other places as outside London there are so many amazing stores

[@LukeWatson121]

CEX actually had some shops on the east coast of the USA but shut them down years ago

[@BassBanj0]

Weird to think about, I mean they have stores in a tonne of countries They are in: UK (390 stores) Ireland (40 stores) Spain (65 Stores) France (1 store) Belgium (1 store) Australia (31 Stores) Mexico (31 stores) Portugal (30 stores) India (17 stores) Netherlands (11 stores) Poland (11 stores) Malaysia (5 Stores) Italy (6 stores) Canary Islands (8 stores) Surprised he never came across any in Australia but I guess they must be more recent

[@bmill229]

They have been in Australia for a little while now. I first visited them in July 2023, thats when I got me back into retro games. In Queensland there is a lot of them, I see them a lot, mainly at big shopping centres. Unsure if they was any of them around where wood was staying in Perth and Adelaide. Maybe more them in Queensland than other states of Australia.

[@x-xsharkix-x]

honestly, as a Brit watching this reminded me of how many more video games shops we used to have in the 2000s. like even now GAME seems like it's just slowly closing down, we used to have GameStation which was a rival to GAME but now we have Cex, with their weird pricing team, and GAME

[@CrazyMakerNerd]

I'm based in England, and there used to be a massive amount of second games stores around Bristol, Bath and Swindon. So maybe you should do a trip to Wiltshire area. Id certainly recommend a local guide, as the shops can change yearly. We call it "death of the high street". Also, if you're about this way you can visit Lacock (sounds dirty, but it's not). That's where they filmed a tone of Harry Potter, and is a beautiful ol' time village. My fiancee used to be a tour guide there.

[@EstonianBerserker]

The guy in the toy store who dropped the boomerang, I thought he was trying to get a look under the skirt! Anyways, you should’ve called that video game store that was a hour away to see if you could film or not instead of calling it off immediately. Great video. Thanks for sharing!

[@jamesrock27]

Hey dude it was awesome to randomly meet you and Bob in my hometown of London, I was stoked. Keep up the great work (From Wolverine t shirt guy). Lol :D

[@joshawott_27]

I’ve been watching you for years, and seeing you make content about CEX is wild. It’s a shame that gaming retail has been gutted in the UK. Not even supermarkets stock them any more. In my city, we used to have two GAME stores, a Gamestation, and an independent import shop called Gametron. Now, we only have a single GAME - one of the few that the Fraser Group hasn’t shoved into the bottom of a Sports Direct or similar. I did visit a neat little retro store in Norwich a while back, though.

[@yorkshirejayy2051]

The fact your editor is wearing a bloodstock t shirt means I have probably met him at some point at the festival 🤣

[@davehuson-glover8135]

Haha just about to mention bloodstock tee

[@TheEKUL89]

Dunno how I found this video. Started watching out of curiously but was fully invested by the end. What a well put together video. Bravo sir

[@solarsolistical6358]

Blame the government and councils for the closure of stores. People can't pay high rates and people are just not buying stuff anymore due to a cost of living crisis.