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Deal of the Day: Cheap PSP games at Gamefly
After opening your gifts on Christmas, we're sure there were a few cards with several $20 bills tucked neatly inside, and now it's just burning a hole in your pocket, right? Well, if that's the case, we'll help ya spend it! Through Jan. 4, Gamefly is having a great sale on a ton of PSP games, and to make it all the more sweeter, every game comes with free shipping.Here are just a few of the great deals to be had. Coded Arms - $7 Death Jr. - $10 Infected - $10 Ultimate Ghosts 'N Goblins - $13 Tomb Raider: Legend - $15 Crush - $18 Valhalla Knights - $20 With such great deals on some pretty darn good games, it's hard to turn away. If you want extra-special-mega-epic cool points, be sure to pick up Crush; it's one of the generation's most original and oddly unique games you'll play.
Get some used Wii games for cheap
GameFly is not only having a sale on DS games, but Wii ones as well, giving even more of a reason for you to bleed your wallets dry (you heartless, vampiric spendthrifts). Just be careful not to get tricked into buying games like Wii Play (which would be a great deal for $29.99 if it came with a Wiimote, but it doesn't) and Ninjabread Man (because it's crap). Still, you can find plenty of things to spend your money on should you be so willing, so you'd best mosey on over there before the pickings get slim.[Via CAG]
The Twelve (well, thirteen, actually) Sales of GameFly
Video game rental service GameFly has a pretty big year-end sale going on through January 4th for over 30 of its used DS games. Though the carts are all pre-played, each one will come with a new manual and case, so you need not worry about receiving an incomplete set. As usual, we've picked the notable titles out of the bunch and listed them for you, except this time, we've done it in Christmas carol form! On the twelfth day of Christmas, DS Fanboy sent to me: Twelve Diddy Kong racers Racing ($17.99), Eleven Spectrobes for collecting ($15.99), Ten Hoshigamis a-SRPG-ing ($14.99), Nine Planet Puzzles Leaguing ($19.99), Eight Custom Robos a-fighting ($12.99), Seven Sim Cities a-building ($16.99), Six Bombermen a-touching ($22.99), Five of Sonic Rush's golden rinnngggggs ($17.99), Four Mana Children ($14.99), Three Elite Beat Agents ($22.99), Two Mega Man Star Forces ($17.99 each), And a Naruto: Ninja Council 3 ($17.99)! [Via CAG]
GameFly opens Tampa, Florida distribution center
GameFly's Tampa, Florida distribution center finally became semi-official this week as subscribers received emails explaining their return mailer may now have a Tampa address. We contacted GameFly for a fuller explanation of states serviced, but the company stated it has no release at this time and will issue something later this month or January.If the opening of the Tampa site is anything like the one in Pittsburgh, the company will have the center work out the kinks and then announce states served. Now we wait for GameFly's Austin, Texas center to become semi-official, which we actually knew about months before Tampa.[Thanks to all who sent this in]
GameFly Tunes music downloads start today
GameFly, in partnership with a company called Brandracket, will begin offering subscribers five free pre-selected songs to download per month beginning today. The feature is called GameFly Tunes and will highlight up-and-coming and established artists. Non-subscribers will have the option to download one featured track from the GameFly site. The first month will present music from artists RJD2, Thievery Corporation, Shadows Fall, Ok Go and Little Brother.Although not earth-shattering news (some answers as to what is going on with the jammed-up availability queues would be nicer), some added value for the site and subscribers is always nice. We'll take five free legally downloaded songs -- free and legal we like. Who knows, there might even be a couple gems in the song choices we can listen to on our iPod while playing Phase.
PSP break dancing game may be heading to the States
B-Boy, Sony Europe's break dancing game, disappeared from the face of the earth. But, now it's back. It looks like Sony won't be publishing the game in America. According to a new GameFly listing, it appears that the relatively unknown publisher South Peak Interactive will be bringing the PSP/PS2 game to the US around February of next year.Check out our previous coverage of the game to see some footage of it in action.[Via Siliconera]
Rumor: Wii to suffer like G did
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Rumor_has_it_that_House_of_the_Dead_2_3_will_hit_Wii_in_compilation_disc'; The Wii's status as the home of light gun games is totally cemented, if this incredible rumor is true. According to NeoGAFfer King Zell and a mysterious Sega Europe PR statement that we can't verify, The House of the Dead 2 & 3 have been announced for the Wii as a single-disc collection. What makes this rumor more plausible is a Gamefly listing for The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. Gamefly tends to be right about these unannounced games! If this is true, we will absolutely buy The House of the Dead 2 again, with III (which saw a home release on the Xbox) as a bonus.Psst, Sega ... if you do get House of the Dead 2 running on the Wii: may we remind you that the Wii supports USB keyboards?
Konami hopping on the ported shooter bandwagon?
It looks like we aren't the only people who have been paying attention to Ghost Squad. Konami has decided to dust off an old arcade light-gun game for the Wii, as well. But rather than pulling one of their own games like Lethal Enforcers out of their back catalogue, they appear to have opted for Raw Thrills's 2004 arcade shooter Target: Terror. That's according to a new Gamefly listing-- which, of course, could be mistaken, or could refer to a completely new shooting game called Target Terror. Target: Terror is a full-motion video shooting game in which, like in Ghost Squad, the player shoots a bunch of terrorists. Unlike Ghost Squad, the game features real-world locations and ... let's say emotionally charged situations, including a scenario in which the player must stop a hijacked plane from crashing into the White House.We hope this turns out to be a different game.[Via Siliconera]
Toys R Us and GameFly deals before the holiday flood
CheapAssGamer points the way this week to two retailers that have consistently brought on the great gaming deals: Toys R Us and GameFly. Toys R Us apparently took their famous "Buy 2 get the 3rd game free" deal underground this week. It's going on right now without a flyer being produced for last Sunday's papers -- a first as far as we're aware. Maybe they're testing to see if the web does the work for them? The deal is both online and in the stores. We're just completely baffled why TRU said nothing about the event we're consistently excited for whenever it happens. Some are even rumoring that this could be a two-week deal and that it'll actually be advertised this Sunday, so get in now before the general populace finds out. They are also doing a "buy one, get one accessory 50% off deal." No word yet if you could work the Circuit City MS point angle on that.If you don't know about GameFly's store, well let us inform you about another hidden gem of value on these intertubes. According to CAG, this week GameFly is offering free shipping to non-subscribers who purchase select used games. GameFly subscribers always get free shipping. The purchased used games are sent with the original case and manual practically untouched. Save as much money as you can while feeding the need for gaming. The storm is coming.[Thanks Anonymous]
GameFly expanding to Tampa, Florida
It's like the GameFly Austin, Texas post all over again, except now it's Tampa, FL. Heck, we'll just copy the first part of the post from last time with a few small edits: A very observant reader noticed while searching job listing website Monster.com that GameFly, the online game rental service, is looking for a manager in the Austin, Texas Tampa, Florida area. The job description clearly states: "GameFly, the leading subscription based video game rental company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA will be opening a satellite Distribution Center in Tampa. We have an outstanding opportunity for an OPERATIONS MANAGER." The listing looks completely legit and we're happy to see GameFly continuing to open distribution centers -- anything to cut down turnaround time is a good thing. We've contacted GameFly for confirmation.If our strange deja vu keeps up and this plays out exactly like last time GameFly will respond saying, "GameFly is definitely looking at a variety of locations for an additional distribution center, but we don't have anything firm to announce just yet." The simple fact of the matter is the Ops. Manager is one of the first pieces of the distribution center puzzle. We're not expecting the Austin or Tampa announcements for a little bit, but we're glad they're happening. For those keeping track, when Austin and Tampa open, GameFly will have four distribution points in the US. We're also happy to report the East Coast center has cut down our turnaround to a week.[Thanks Anonymous]
OMG: could this rumor be true?
The answer is yes. We have no reason to doubt the prescient Gamefly, and we have absolutely no reason to doubt the existence of more minigame collections. According to the rental service, a new game called O.M.G. -- Our Mini Games 26 is being published by UFO Interactive, for an October 25 release. No idea what any of the games will be like, but if they're as cute as the title, we might be on board. Finally, the DS has its answer to WTF on the PSP, LOL on the Dreamcast, and AFKBRB... oh, that last one wasn't a game title. We were making a sandwich-- sorry about that.[Via Siliconera]
Ha-ha, rumors!
Gamefly, longtime supplier of pre-announcement reveals of new games (they also rent games, or whatever) now has a listing for a Wii version of the PS2/PSP Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law game. For those of you who outright refuse to read news about games on other platforms, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is a Capcom-published adventure game in the same format as the Ace Attorney series, but with the cast and writers of Adult Swim's Harvey Birdman. This needs to happen. We want to play this game anyway, being fans of both Phoenix Wright and Harvey Birdman, and we'd totally prefer using the Wiimote to navigate its menu-driven interface. Plus there's that whole liking-the-Wii thing that is, you know, the premise of this website.[Via Siliconera]
MGS: Portable Ops Plus spotted on GameFly, amazon
The upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops expansion pack hasn't been officially announced for US release yet. However, it appears that it won't be too long before we get confirmation that the game is coming to America ... and soon! GameFly is listing a November release date for this MGS sequel (of sorts). In addition, amazon.com is listing a similar release date, and a retail price of $20.It's clear that the retailers know something Konami hasn't officially announced to the general gaming public. Stay tuned ... we know you want some Old Snake action on the go.[Thanks, Random!]
Tops on GameFly DS: Brain Age 2
No wonder the Brain Age franchise keeps getting NoA's Reggie Fils-Aime in trouble -- we're all renting it instead of buying it, according to GameFly. We're actually pretty surprised to see Brain Age 2 at the top of the list on the rental service. The other games rounding out the current top five most-requested DS titles aren't surprising to us at all; it's a rousing round of try-before-you-buy, especially with the sketchy Heroes of Mana swinging in at number two. We can even understand people wanting to try out Picross; after all, not everyone loves paint-by-number, even when it comes in an awesome package. But with a budget-priced sequel, we figured most people who were interested enough in Brain Age 2 to be looking ahead would just pick it up come release day, or toss down a preorder somewhere. Are you looking at this one as a rental? Maybe considering that shiny bundle? While you ponder, check out the current top five most-requested DS titles at GameFly; we've tucked the list behind the break. %Gallery-3436%
GameFly expanding to Austin, Texas
A very observant reader noticed while searching job listing website Monster.com that GameFly, the online game rental service, is looking for a manager in the Austin, Texas area. The job description clearly states: "We are the leading subscription based video game rental company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. We will be opening a satellite Distribution Center in Austin and we have an outstanding opportunity for an OPERATIONS MANAGER." The listing looks completely legit and we're happy to see GameFly continuing to open distribution centers -- anything to cut down turnaround time is a good thing. We've contacted GameFly for confirmation. This would mean the rental service will have two distribution centers beyond their original California location. They just recently opened and expanded service at their East Coast branch located in Pittsburgh. For many on the East Coast, they've seen their turnaround time go from two weeks to around one week. Sadly, GameFly's growth has caused Xbox 360 and Wii game availability to appear in short supply and there was a recent $1 increase (although Netflix recently did a $1 decrease, so for subscribers of both it balanced out). We're guessing the tech-friendly city of Austin's distribution center will service the middle of the country. Don't expect the distribution center to open for a couple months though, they're obviously still staffing the place.[Thanks Raymond]
Would a fifth grader buy this?
If there's a listing on Gamefly for a previously-unannounced DS game based on the game show you host, you might be Jeff Foxworthy. The show is Fox's Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, and the game is apparently going to come out on November 15. If you find this to be good news, you might be Jeff Foxworthy.For those of you who haven't seen the show, it's a test of fifth-grade textbook knowledge in which a contestant has the option to get assistance from a stable of authentic fifth-graders. We doubt the DS game will come with real children. Who knows, though-- maybe it'll use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to connect you to a team of kids who will help you answer trivia questions via voice chat! Or some kind of exciting "artificial intelligence!" What a magical world we live in.[Via Siliconera]
NumbThumb online game rental service closes its doors
Subscribers of the online video game rental service NumbThumb received an e-mail yesterday with a very misleading subject line: Exciting News from NumbThumb.com. The four-year-old company is closing its doors, killing all accounts as of July 5th and requesting all games be returned by the 15th. The "exciting" news is subscribers were given a special link to sign up with Gamefly for a 44% discount on the first month of service and a free magazine subscription.The competition is fierce in the online rental biz and NumbThumb has always had an uphill battle. It became one of our favorite services largely due to its speedy turnaround times. It never had the flash and features of Gamefly, but it felt worth it to support the little guy.
GameFly East Coast distribution center adds states
When GameFly's East Coast distribution center opened last month it was apparently still working out the kinks in the system. Readers pointed out that not all the states on the East Coast were served. GameFly sent us an updated list of states served by the new center (full list of states after the break). As time goes on we can probably expect to see a couple more states added to the list.As GameFly told us before, the Pittsburgh, PA center is intended to "serve East Coast and midwest members." We've noticed a significant reduction in turnaround time compared to the week and a half that used to plague East Coast members and have been able to better order the queue since the availability listings were made clearer. Less than a week turnaround time is the mark and it looks like GameFly is on the path.Update: GameFly contacted Joystiq and said NY will be added to the states serviced by the East Coast center. A GameFly representative says, "NY will be added to PA [distribution center] in the next 4-6 weeks. As we've mentioned previously, we would be adding states as soon as we had the inventory and operational capacity to do so."
The shunning begins for Manhunt 2
Our esteemed colleagues at Joystiq spoke with the excellent online rental service GameFly about their plans to carry Manhunt 2, or, more to their point, their plans not to. According to a GameFly rep, "GameFly as a general policy does not carry AO rated titles." That makes sense, since they only serve customers 18 and up and deliver games directly to said customers' homes. And to be clear, by "makes sense" we mean "doesn't make any sense at all."Blockbuster isn't going to carry it either, but that's less of a surprise. Blockbuster has a long-standing policy of not carrying NC-17 or equivalent movies.
GameFly, Blockbuster won't carry Manhunt 2 with AO rating
Joystiq spoke with game rental service GameFly and we were informed Manhunt 2, now with an AO rating, will not be carried by the company. A GameFly spokesperson said, "GameFly as a general policy does not carry AO rated titles." When asked if they have ever made an exception to the "general policy," the representive said, "Not that I know of, there's been no exceptions." GameFly also points out that you must be 18 to subscribe to their service which absolves them of any sticky issues regarding M rated titles, and that it is the credit card holder's responsibility to monitor the games rented on the service.This is the first time GameFly has been put into this position as no other title from a major publisher has ever received an AO rating right out of the gate (GTA: San Andreas ver. 1.0 received its AO rating later, GameFly also swapped all their versions for the new M rated one). Manhunt 2 is still available to queue up for rental July 11, but that may or may not change once Rockstar officially states what they plan to do. We also contacted Blockbuster corporate and they informed us, "Blockbuster does not carry adult or NC-17 movies, or AO rated games." So, it looks like not only will Manhunt 2 have trouble at retail, but the rental outlets aren't going to carry it either.
