Post by tussockythree68 on Jul 6, 2024 7:32:20 GMT
I recently toured all around Japan looking for Noah's Ark. (Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Okayama, Tokushima, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kita-kyushu, Kurume, Osaka)
Unfortunately I didn't find it, but here's some info for other people who might look:
Hard Off was the most likely place to find retro PC games. Different Hard Offs specialise in different things, so sometimes they didn't have any, or sometimes they'd only have a few in the "junk" (untested/damaged) section.
I found sizeable PC game selections at a few random Surugayas. Usually PC games are just in the "retro game" or "other games" sections rather than a section labelled with the console.
I had a conversation with the owner of a retro game store who gave me some advice about finding PC games. First of all, most places (even specialist retro game stores) don't stock Windows/Mac games and they're more likely to be sold on Yahoo Auctions (or Mercari less often). He then suggested Hard Off, Mandarake and Surugaya. Mandarake sometimes have things tucked away in the back, so you can call stores or go in and ask if they have a specific item.
Places like Super Potato only have console games and don't stock PC games.
Some places (i.e. Surugaya) may look like they only have 18+ PC games but they do have all-ages games mixed in with them so check the ノ section just in case. Other times they have the all-ages part tacked on at the end of a shelf.
There was a good selection of PC games at a retro PC store called "Pau" in Nagoya if anyone's in the area. Unfortunately there was no Noah's Ark when I went, though.
In summary, however, if Noah's Ark comes up for sale it's most likely to be online. I think this game just sold ridiculously poorly back in the day, which is why no Japanese people even talk about having played it when they were younger online. I found one (1) guy on Twitter who'd mentioned playing it, but I talked to him and he'd already given the game to a Hard Off a year prior. I later messaged him again and he said he checked the Hard Off in Tokushima that he'd sold it to, but it was gone (after a long time of no one buying it). I went there in person just in case but all I found was a Noah's Ark-shaped hole in the shelf of PC games, lmao.
