Max Level Video Games

Max Level Video Games is a locally owned video game store at 169 Cohasset Rd, Suite 1, in Chico, California. It deals mainly in retro and modern consoles and games, with Pokémon among the titles it carries. It suits collectors hunting older cartridges and discs, and anyone with a scratched disc that needs repair.

What's on the shelves

The core of the business is video games and the hardware to play them. The catalog spans Nintendo from the Famicom and NES through the Switch and Switch 2, including Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, DS, 3DS, GameCube, Wii and Wii U, plus the Virtual Boy. PlayStation runs from the PS1 through the PS5, along with the PSP and PS Vita. Xbox titles cover the original console through Xbox One, and the Sega section reaches back to the Master System, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, Sega CD and 32X. Atari, Magnavox, Coleco, Turbografx-16 and PC-FX are also stocked, and Japanese imports appear for the N64 and PS1.

Beyond games and systems, the store sells instruction manuals for NES, Gameboy, Gameboy Color and N64, along with video game clothing, figures and toys, and jewelry. Limited and collector's editions turn up among the consoles and boxed games, from special-edition Xbox One systems to Funtastic-colored Nintendo 64 units, and prices on the rarer pieces run into the hundreds of dollars.

How condition is graded

Items are graded on a four-step scale: New, Good, Fair and Poor. New is reserved for factory-sealed items without noticeable wear, and anything with box damage or a torn seal is marked down. Good means no creases in artwork or manuals, no water damage and no rental stickers on discs, with the grade applied to the case artwork, manual and game rather than the plastic case itself. Fair allows very slight wear to labels, manuals or artwork and minor surface scratches. Poor covers major defects such as water damage, tears, missing pages or a cracked cartridge shell. Every disc, whatever its grade, is in playable condition.

Disc resurfacing

The store repairs scratched CD, DVD, Blu-Ray and GameCube discs using an RTI Eco Auto Smart machine. Pricing is $2.00 per disc for one to nine discs and $1.75 per disc for ten or more. A double-sided disc resurfaced on both sides counts as two discs. PSP games cannot be resurfaced.

Resurfacing removes scratches but cannot promise a working disc, and very deep scratches may survive even repeated passes. A disc with top-side scratches, cracks or separating layers may be beyond repair; if that damage is spotted beforehand, the disc is returned as is with no charge. Mail-in orders are also accepted, with the customer covering postage both ways and paying by invoice once the work is done.

Online orders and policies

The store also sells by mail within the U.S. and does not ship outside the country. Online orders can be returned within 10 days of receipt, provided the item is unused, in the condition received and in its original packaging. An approved return must reach the store within 20 days or it is rejected. Returns are limited to defective items, shipping damage or the wrong item being sent; a change of mind or ordering the wrong title does not qualify. Customers are responsible for any customs, duties and taxes.

A trade-in estimator for working out cash or store-credit offers on games is still in testing and not yet available.

History

The business began in the owner's garage before moving into its current retail space on Cohasset Road, and it continues to grow as a locally run shop in the middle of Chico.

The local scene

Max Level sits among several other hobby shops in Chico. Heroes Corner Games & Merchandise is about 0.6 miles away and J&r Sportscards about 0.8 miles. BaT Comics & Games and Chico Magic are each about 1.7 miles out, and Collectors Ink is about 1.8 miles away.