Relive the video rental experience with 'The Last Video Store' on PSVR

[Shawn Knight]

Editor's take: The Last Video Store won’t be for everyone, but it’s neat that we live in a time where developers are willing to think outside of the box to create something that isn’t just another cookie cutter first-person shooter. No word yet on when it’s scheduled to launch or how much it’ll cost.

As a child of the 90s, it’s weird to think that today’s kids don’t have any concept of video rental stores. A trip to Blockbuster was an emotion-filled experience, for sure. After rushing in and confirming that all 26 copies of the new release you wanted to see were gone, it turned into a game of searching for something else on the outer perimeter. If that failed, you’d then head into no man's land (the middle aisles) in hopes of finding something... anything... to watch.

Soon, you’ll be able to relive that experience – or enjoy it for the first time – without having to visit the last remaining Blockbuster in the world.

RareBird Games is working on The Last Video Store, a PlayStation VR game that’s focused on the video rental experience. Based on the three-minute trailer and accompanying YouTube description, players will be able to visit some of the most iconic video store environments that have been “faithfully recreated from our fading memories.”

You’ll even be able to stroll the aisles, pick up and examine movie boxes, and play tapes in a living room or movie theater themed room. I’m not sure how that’ll work with licensing restrictions, but we shall see.

Diehard movie buffs are encouraged to hang around in-game stores to meet like-minded people. There’s even a ‘survival mode’ that includes “local jobs and bills to pay while maintaining your video enthusiast hobbies on the side.”

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/90506-relive-video-rental-experience-last-video-store-psvr.html

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Not sure this will capture the fun of "Movie Night". Going down to local store with wife and kids, walking the aisles, checking out dozens of titles, selecting the Disney flick or two which we haven't seen 6 times, going home, firing up the 36" Sony (no longer 'big screen' but certainly 'big box' - I think it made the floor sag) and getting together for a couple of hours of over-buttered popcorn and giggles....priceless.

 

[wiyosaya]

I'll stick with my local library.

 

[stewi0001]

Noticed the N64 controller. The question is, will Nintendo?

 

[Neatfeatguy]

One of the last (that I'm aware of) local video rental stores in my area closed about 6 months back. I'm surprised it held on so long. I suppose one thing that helped was the video store was linked with the pizza place right next door - you order a large pizza and 2-Liter of pop, you could get a free movie rental that the pizza delivery driver would bring with the pizza. You got a free rental twice a month, any other rentals this way were billable.

I took my kids to the store about two years ago. I told them how much I loved the Blockbuster and Hollywood Video stores when I was young; finding movies and games to rent for a period of time. After I mentioned "games" they were kind of interested and wanted to see what the video store was like.

So we drove the 2 miles to the video store - passing 2 different locations that had RedBox rental kiosks. We walked into the store and instead of it feeling inviting and somewhat kind of a clean store (like most Blockbuster stores I've visited) it felt like I walked into the local 24 hour Walmart at 2am.....just gross.

We walked the aisles and looked at movies and games for rental and we found a couple of movies that perked their interest, so we rented them.

In the end, the kids weren't impressed and thought it was tedious to have to drive away from home to find a movie, rent it, take it back home, watch it and then return it. So, that trip was the first and last for my kids, they weren't impressed and I have to say that I wasn't impressed with the video store itself, it was nothing like how Blockbuster or Hollywood Video stores were back in the days.

On a closing note, that picture in the story showing "Mac and Me" VHS - I hated that movie.

 

[TheBigT42]

Noticed the N64 controller. The question is, will Nintendo?

Where?

 

[trgz]

I never had much love for Blockbuster - it offered a huge volume of a limited number of titles but with next to no customer service value. It put our favourite little video rental shop out of business who couldn't cope when a slice of the market was being sapped just down the road from them. It was a real shame, as you could walk in and the guy would actively suggest great titles that he'd suspect you'd like, based on the fact that he remembered you. In comparison, the Blockbuster staff didn't recognize half the titles I'd ask for and they might just as well been working in a supermarket.

 

[stewi0001]

Where?

43 second mark on the video

 

[Danny101]

One of the last (that I'm aware of) local video rental stores in my area closed about 6 months back. I'm surprised it held on so long. I suppose one thing that helped was the video store was linked with the pizza place right next door - you order a large pizza and 2-Liter of pop, you could get a free movie rental that the pizza delivery driver would bring with the pizza. You got a free rental twice a month, any other rentals this way were billable.

I took my kids to the store about two years ago. I told them how much I loved the Blockbuster and Hollywood Video stores when I was young; finding movies and games to rent for a period of time. After I mentioned "games" they were kind of interested and wanted to see what the video store was like.

So we drove the 2 miles to the video store - passing 2 different locations that had RedBox rental kiosks. We walked into the store and instead of it feeling inviting and somewhat kind of a clean store (like most Blockbuster stores I've visited) it felt like I walked into the local 24 hour Walmart at 2am.....just gross.

We walked the aisles and looked at movies and games for rental and we found a couple of movies that perked their interest, so we rented them.

In the end, the kids weren't impressed and thought it was tedious to have to drive away from home to find a movie, rent it, take it back home, watch it and then return it. So, that trip was the first and last for my kids, they weren't impressed and I have to say that I wasn't impressed with the video store itself, it was nothing like how Blockbuster or Hollywood Video stores were back in the days.

On a closing note, that picture in the story showing "Mac and Me" VHS - I hated that movie.

In the 80's, we had a pizza delivery service that had videos you could rent with your order. I'm trying to remember, but I think it was Blockbuster Pizza at the time.

 

[captaincranky]

I think I, "most fondly remember", what absolute garbage tape to tape copies were, even on the 480i TV screens of the era.

(Oops, I've once again, said too much)..

Besides, what kind of a nitwit would I have to be, to want to play a game based on a video rental store, when there are likely 50 Redboxes within a 5 mile radius of my house?