(Contributors: Elise Vogel and Ryan Kuo)

STATS


Name: Olivo's Games Depot

Location: East Village, New York City (55 Avenue C)

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Owner/Operator: Elias Olivo

Elias' favorite game: Nobunaga's Ambition: Rise to Power (Koei)

On a cold winter afternoon, Elise Vogel, Ryan Kuo and I venture out of Crispy Headquarters and head for Manhattan's East Village to visit a game store that Vogel (who lives in the trendy neighborhood) has been talking about for months.

Pamphlets on crocheting pad out the game-shopping experience.

Despite Vogel's hyperbole -- she used the words "awesome" and "unbelievable" to describe the place -- Olivo's Games Depot, located on a semi-bleak block, more than lives up to her billing.

The store is one of those rare, old-time New York places that are almost impossible to find these days. Two-thirds of the store is devoted to yarn, knitting, mannequins, candles, homemade lollipops, porcelain hands designed to hold your rings, and blouses. It's like a thousand five-and-dime stores crammed into 600 square feet. The remaining third -- the front corner of the store -- is devoted to videogames.

I remember those old Reese's Peanut Butter commercials. Only instead of, "You got your chocolate in my peanut butter," I think, "You got your game store in my yarn store."

Sodas and Sonic: Olivo's in brief.

Olivo's Games Depot is currently running a special: Buy a game, get a free can of soda. (Note: Special may have expired by the time this story is posted.)

Ryan says that shops like this are why he loves New York City. "You couldn't make them up," he says. But before we go inside, Ryan is worried that we're here for novelty's sake, and that Olivo's wares -- his trove of software -- won't impress him. What he secretly wants is a bargain bin or import find. "The more unexpected the better," he says.

Behind the counter sits Elias Olivo. He wears an oversized hoodie and wireframe eyeglasses. He sits on a stool, his arms folded. He seems happy to talk to us. Above the counter, high above his head, is a rack of dusty trophies. Elias explains that he won those playing baseball and flag football when he was growing up. "I used to be a big athlete," he says.

Just below the trophies is a very small, very old television broadcasting a demo of Sonic the Hedgehog. "Actually, it's Sonic the Hedgehog 2," Elias says.

Elias Olivo, Proprietor

A girl who's around 10 years old comes into the store, knit cap pulled low on her head. "Do you have Personal Trainer: Cooking?" she asks. Elias gets off his stool and inspects his rack of DS games. "No, that one is out of stock right now," he says.

I think to myself, I doubt it was ever in stock.

"I can order it for you," Elias says. "It will take about a week to get here."

The girl nods and leaves. "People are always coming in, asking me for this or that," Elias says. I ask Elias where he gets his games. "I have a few suppliers," he says. I press him further -- I'm curious about how a game store works -- but it's clear he'd prefer to be vague about this.

We'll never find out what the fourth game was.

It turns out that rummaging isn't something Ryan can do here: There are no bargain bins. Instead, the games sit snugly beneath a glass counter and on ceiling-high racks beyond Ryan's reach, where they're arranged neatly and alphabetically. Ryan looks in the PlayStation 2 section. His eyes lock onto a new copy of Rez priced at $99.99, but he'd already "picked up a secondhand copy at GameStop for a third that price," he says.

Elias also tells us that he doesn't sell import games. Ryan scours the PS2 alphabet another four or five times ("He doesn't have Gradius V," Ryan whispers) before moving on to his DS ("He doesn't have Electroplankton," Ryan whispers) and Xbox 360 library. The selection isn't shocking, but it's decent enough to supplant your favorite chain.

An older man with nicely combed gray hair appears from the back. "Elias, don't forget to pick up your kids," the man shouts across the store.

"I'm going in a minute!" Elias shouts back. Then he turns to us and says, "That's Olivo. That's my dad." Elias explains that his dad owns the store, but he rents out the small front space to run his Games Depot from.

What a curious pairing this is for a family business: the dad with his yarn and his mannequins and his porcelain hands to hold your rings; the son with his videogames.

In search of good Wii titles

Elise, Ryan and I decide to each buy a game and get our free sodas. As we're scanning the racks, a customer comes in.

"Yo, what you got new for the Wii, man? Give me some good shit," he says.

As the man is contemplating buying an overpriced copy of the very terrible Medal of Honor game for the Wii, I can't help myself. I say something. "You don't want that," I say.

"I don't?" the man says.

"You don't," I say.

Elias gives me a look.

The man decides to come back later. Elias proceeds to show us a copy of his favorite game of all time: Nobunaga's Ambition: Rise to Power for the PlayStation 2. "I love this game," he says. "There's so much going on in it. There's a sequel coming out soon. Man, I can't wait for it." [Editor's Note: The sequel is out.]

"Elias, your kids!" Olivo calls again. "Go get them!"

Better than games?

Elias hands Ryan his used game listings. They're in an old white binder and divided by tabs for each system. Ryan says that he likes being able to hold the binder in his arms and run down the lists of games and prices with his finger. "It's more personal than gazing at the distant wall of games, and it's more efficient, and brings a lower risk of eye strain," Ryan says. Ryan and his eye strain. How he worries.

The three of us manage to resist the temptation to buy a copy Elias' favorite game. Instead, I settle on a $19.99 copy of Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. Elise debates between Advance Wars: Days of Ruin and New Super Mario Bros. for the DS. (Ryan and I persuade her to buy Super Mario Bros.) And Ryan -- he buys a used copy of Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil for the PS2.

"Don't forget your free sodas," Elias says, ringing us up. He points at the sign listing all the kinds of soda that he has available. "They have Hawaiian Punch," Ryan says. This delights him for some unknown reason. Elise gets a Tropicana Orange Twister. I get a plain old ginger ale. Ryan gets his Hawaiian Punch.

This dragon watches the flow of cash.

"Elias! Go get the kids!" It's Olivo again.

"I'm going! I'm going!" Elias says. "I've got customers!"

Elise and I begin drinking our sodas. Ryan puts his in his pocket, claiming that he's going to save his for later. Out on the street, we peer through the front window and see Elias, putting on a heavy jacket and scarf, apparently preparing to head out and pick up his kids. He waves to us, then vanishes behind a little curtain.