On a fairly nondescript corner in the industrial, northiest end of North Hollywood lies Game Dude, a brown concrete slab of a building that's easy to overlook save for the yellow “BUY, SELL, RENT” signage. Inside, however? — a dinged-up, well-trod but endlessly well-stocked slice of gamer heaven, with new and especially good used bargains in every conceivable gaming platform going back practically to the Mesozoic era. (They have ColecoVision games! OMG!) Most of the merch is housed in row upon row of glass cases, so it's pretty much strictly an over-the-counter affair but well worth hauling one of the surly looking clerks over to get that copy of Castlevania for your still-functioning NES you've been longing to play since ninth grade. Plenty of deals for today's more advanced gaming systems, too, of course, and though the prices range wildly (anywhere from $5 to upward of $100, depending on the game), there's an instant-gratification factor you can't quantify versus spending loads of time on eBay searching for a better bargain. Did we mention they also buy and sell DVDs? Didn't see a single one at more than 20 bucks, either. 12104 Sherman Way, N. Hlywd. (818) 764-2442, gamedude.com.

—Nicole Campos

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