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PS3 pre-order procession (East coast edition)
The line to fork over $100 to reserve a Playstation 3 started at 6 a.m. at the Gamestop on Route 1 in Laurel, MD. Mike (the red-shirted gentleman in the picture above, who refused to give a last name) lined up at the early hour to ensure he got a system for himself and said he planned to go to another local store to reserve a system "for eBay." By 9 a.m. the line had grown to the seven hearty souls above, who still had an hour to wait before the store would open and take their money.
PS3 pre-order procession (West coast edition)
Continuing our Joystiq World Team PS3 Launch Pre-order Coverage, I headed to San Francisco's Mission district and its EB Games. I usually think of suburban malls as game-store habitat, but this EB Games is nestled in a busy neighborhood of taquerias, thrift stores, clubs, and bars. The line of about thirty passed a few shops, including a boot store, terminating in front of a seafood market. (My favorite part of this fish store is the laminated dive-cards in the window, identifying how the fish would look if encountered underwater.) As I was shooting photos, a man in a white jumpsuit -- maybe on his way to repair a refrigerator -- stopped next to me. He asked, "What are they waiting for?""PlayStation 3," I said."Why?" he replied and kept walking.
EB-Gamestop launches download service, "largely garbage" declares 1UP
EB Games and Gamestop have launched a download service, staking claim in the growing industry trend to distribute content digitally. If you're familiar with the conglomerate retailer's websites, the setup is straightforward, giving browsers near-instant access to over 1,000 PC titles; though it's a collection that has been criticized by 1UP as being "largely garbage." We're also concerned about prices. The games range from $9.99 to $49.99, but, for example, Texas Hold 'Em and Zuma, which are featured on the Gamestop (pictured) and EB pages, both retail for $19.99, whereas XBLA versions of the same games retail for just $10. Still, as 1UP points out, there are a few gems to be unearthed from the trash heap (e.g., 1942, Civilization III, Deus Ex, & Heroes of Might and Magic). Unfortunately, the sites lack a satisfying interface for sorting out these favorites from the rubbish. Looks like an act of desperation to us. This service needs a makeover and more reasons for us to check it out. Anyone cashed in on a game yet? How are the download speeds? [Via 1UP] Shop - Gamestop Shop - EB Games
Observational standpoint: PS3 preordering
All right, I admit it. I may be a Wii fanboy, but that doesn't mean I can't preorder a Playstation 3 and attempt to resell it for twice its value on eBay enjoy other consoles too. As such, I took a little trip down to my local mall (which has both a Gamestop and an EB Games) to see if I couldn't pick up a preorder for that bullet train of a console, the PS3, for pickup on November 17th. I arrived ninety minutes early, got to the front of EB Games ... ouch. Fifteen or more in line. I quickly bolted (provoking the ire of a security guard) to the Gamestop, where only eight or nine waited in line. I decided to throw my chips in with them.The Gamestop employee arrived about thirty minutes before opening. He actually admitted the first two people in line several minutes later, and presold them PS3s. He then came out to the line and said that his store had only been allocated two measly units. While I later found out that the EB Games had twelve units allocated, it was far too late for me. And to think, I could have slept in.Where does this leave us Wii-goers? Well, we know that Nintendo will have a hell of a lot more units at launch than the PS3, but this by no means guarantees you a unit. EB/GS preorders open this week, and if you want to ensure your spot in line, you'd best get there early. Use your best judgement, but the earlier, the better ... besides, chances are that a few people in line will be rocking the DS. Multiplayer action FTW.May the Force be with you!
EB/GameStop PS3 pre-order bonanza
If hadn't already heard, today's the day to get on with your PS3 pre-order badself at your local EB Games or GameStop location. That is, if you haven't already done your pre-order somewhere else, or haven't decided to forgo the PS3 entirely for that attractive "Wii60" alternative. Unfortunately, the console looks to be in quite limited supply, so you had best get over there on the double if you don't want to be playing with your sister's Barbie dolls come this November. Reports vary, but from the sound of things, most stores are getting 16 units, with 2 of those available to store employees, which should give a pretty good indication of the scarcity of the PS3 headed into the holidays -- GameSpot and EB can't even guarantee those numbers to pre-order customers, who will be required to put down a $100 for this quasi-assurance. Oh well, you and your sister can always "B who U wanna B" this fall while you wait for those elusive blue lasers to stockpile.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Rumor Mill -- Wii pre-orders open Wednesday at GameStop/EB
These days Wii rumors are about as common as PS3 delays. Anything and everything people scrounge up flies all over the interwebs but this one here is quite a doozy. It's time to (hopefully) break out the fireworks and confetti 'cause an unconfirmed source told us that Wii system and accessory pre-orders are open TOMORROW. Re-read that a few times gents. It was hard for us to believe too. Now the reason we say "rumor" is because we made a dozen calls to all our local GameStops/EBs and while a good chunk of them said yes to tomorrow, others said the boring non-helpful "sometime this week." Still, even if it is "sometime this week" that is something to celebrate. Break the piggy bank and get your 50 bucks ready. Oh, and ignore those still trying to tell you that you have to trade in 50 dollars worth of games/systems/accessories. They are liars and thieves. Celebrations commence!
The PS3 preorder experience
I was there. I waited in line a good hour. Ahead of me? 16 lucky, lucky people with nothing better to do than get to their Athens GameStop at 6AM. How many preorders were taken? 16. That means they stopped when I reached the register. A true shame, since, you know, I kind of need one to properly do my job. But enough talk of shame and pity and the like! I'm sure you all want to see the pictures of people waiting outside in chairs and stuff. You're in luck. If you click on "continue reading", I'm throwing up another picture there, since it's just... interesting. We also got to see a list of games coming out up until June of next year -- all were slated at a $59.99 price point. That's good. Most of the "good" games are arriving in February, so don't be too disappointed if you weren't able to grab a preorder. Besides, they'll have the bundle packs online by the end of the week.If anyone has any questions relating to the preorders or the shopping experience in general, leave a comment and I'll share whatever I was able to learn with you.
PS3 pre-orders open tomorrow at EB Gamestop
And they'll likely close 10 seconds after. In what is sure to result in a pulsating mass of pushy gamers waving their hundred dollar bills in the air, PS3 pre-orders are opening at Gamestop and EB Games stores tomorrow. According to an e-mail sent to online customers, Tuesday, October 10 will be the supply and demand doomsday that has been anticipated and dreaded by countless gamers across the world -- Europe excluded, of course (not that they mind).The message goes to great lengths (it has bolded text) to point out that supplies are "extremely limited" and that you'll have to part with $100 in cash, credit or trade in order to secure your PS3. And by "secure," we mean "a reservation deposit does not guarantee receipt of a system available to purchase at launch." The full e-mail text: "GameStop and EB Games will begin accepting limited pre-orders for the PlayStation 3 console on Tuesday, October 10, on a first come, first served basis. Due to extremely limited supply, we expect to deplete this allocation very quickly, most likely in minutes. We will not accept additional pre-orders at this time. To avoid an unnecessary trip we strongly recommend you call your local store to determine availability. A $100 reservation deposit is required, which can be funded with cash, credit or trade. As we cannot control production and shipping issues by the manufacturer, a reservation deposit does not guarantee receipt of a system available to purchase at launch. Reservations/Purchases are limited to 1 per household.Our limited online pre-order program will be announced at a later date, after software and accessory availability dates are confirmed. Online product pricing and availability will vary and will be fulfilled independent of store reservations."Good luck.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Deal of the Day: MLB 06: The Show $20 at Bestbuy.com
If baseball on the go is your bag, then I have pretty darn good deal for you. Bestbuy.com is offering MLB 06: The Show for only $20.Now I haven't played the game before, so I can't personally vouch for it, but it currently holds an 83 at Metacritic. And for comparison's sake, Gamestop sells the game new for $30 and used for $25; however, it is currently backordered.See also:The PS2 version for $20[Via Cheapassgamer - Registration required]
Buying Burning Crusade: Collecter's Edition for profit? [Update]
Skimming the forums the past couple of days, I have seen several posts dealing with the perceived scarcity of the Burning Crusade Collector's Edition. Much like the XBox 360 last Christmas, and surely the PS3 and Wii this holiday, it seems like people are getting the idea of grabbing a Collector's Edition and hitting Ebay with it.While I am certainly not against anyone making a few extra dollars, I wonder about this strategy. Blizzard is in the business of making money, and you have to think they are going to be producing A LOT more Collector's Editions than they did with the original. A majority of the speculation about the perceived rarity of the CE stems from Gamestop.com taking down their preorder. However, Amazon's preorder page is still active, and they have the price at $59.99, not $69.99. Perhaps Gamestop.com had the price wrong and took down the page until they could get their ducks in a row. Additionally, the Gamestop near my house, and the 5 others I called in my area, are all taking preorders on the CE as of 3 PM today. Finally, my faith in Gamestop having any clue what they will or will not be getting in terms of product is nil. You see, last year I was number 13 on their XBox 360 preorder list, and they promised I'd get my 360 on release day. I ended up getting my 360 a full month after release. Liars I tell you! Why would they have any better idea what kind of CE stock they are going to get? If anything they are gun shy about making the same mistake twice, which is why they still aren't taking Wii preorders. If the CE is indeed rare, then more power to the people who are snatching the CEs. However, I sincerely hope that there is plenty to go around and everyone who wants one can get one without paying through the nose on Ebay.[Update: Seems like Amazon.com has taken down their CE page as well! Maybe it will be rare. Profit whores rejoice!][Update #2: Seems like the Amazon preorder is back up. I will not be updating at the whim of Amazon anymore, but suffice to say, it looks like you might want to reserve your copy ASAP, just in case.]
GameStop has Wii kiosk exclusivity
In what seems like a strange new development in the marketing of the Wii, it's been announced that only GameStop will play home to the Wii kiosks we recently saw. Considering how new and different the Wii is, we'd think Nintendo would want to put it into as many hands as possible. Of course, there's little to stop a store from setting up their own playable units, but if certain rumors are true, we may not be seeing the Wii everywhere this winter after all. The Motley Fool's Rick Munarriz recently offered an interesting perspective on the news -- likely different than what most of us would have thought. Nintendo, they say, will have no trouble selling units, and when they sell out, the fact that GameStop will be the only gig in town if one wants to try it out will turn into good publicity for both companies. In fact, he says, having the Wii there, at GameStop, ready and able, will snag more of the hardcore gamers when they come in to buy other things. Could there be some truth to that, or is it just another case of a non-gamer theorizing in the dark?
GameStop to have only authorized Wii kiosks?
So if you think that you're going to pop down to your local store and play the Wii on a big kiosk when it comes out on November 19, think again. According to The Dallas Morning News, the only retailer to have authorized playable Wii kiosks will be GameStop, much to Wal-Mart and surely every other big box retailer's chagrin. That said, as our brethren at Joystiq point out, many shops may open up their own Wiis and set up a playable demo unit or three, but official blessed-by-Nintendo kiosks apparently won't be widespread for some time.[Via Joystiq]
GameStop inconclusive about PS3 pre-orders
Last week, I went to GameStop to pick up a fresh copy of Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria and while I was there, asked about pre-ordering a Playstation 3. I got a clever smirk and "isn't that the popular question this month?" It sure is. The manager of the store told me there was a meeting in Texas to discuss the PS3 preorder crisis that weekend and now, we have our answer. Which is no answer.That's right. GameStop hasn't decided whether or not to do the preorder crisis for the PS3, remembering the 360 shortage and the insanity that followed. Selling out of both the PS3 and Wii is practically guaranteed, so they're... waiting to decide. This pretty much means they won't take preorders. Get out your tents, Sony and Nintendo fanboys! There's going to be a camp-off come launch day for both of us.
Rumor: Gamestop taking pre-orders soon after Friday
According to a post over at bits bytes pixels sprites, a national conference being held tomorrow in Texas will determine allocation numbers for Gamestops across the nation. Allocation numbers for the Wii and PS3 are supposedly going to be divulged here and upon the conference's close on Monday, your local Gamestop could be taking pre-orders as early as next week. We understand some of you feel the need to pre-order as it is an ever-comfy security blanket, but with the confirmed million units available to US gamers at launch, is this even a worry?
Castlevania: PoR preorder bonus [update 1]
If you're a Castlevania fan, then it tends to follow that you dig the music from the series as well, and Konami knows it. If you preorder the newest installment, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, from EB Games or GameStop, they'll throw in a bonus disc, the Castlevania 20th anniversary soundtrack -- a compilation of the best the franchise has to offer, musically. No word on a track listing, but the anticipation is half the fun. Tragically, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin doesn't release until December. In the meantime, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow was re-released this month, so fresh copies are available at many stores. If you can't wait to get your whip on in PoR and missed DoS (shame on you), snag one while you can. [Via NeoGAF][Update 1: Fixed a typo]
Gangs of London and SOCOM demo UMDs spotted
It appears that Sony's been making a lot of demo UMDs lately. The Killzone: Liberation UMD seems to be sent to random PlayStation Underground members and will also be available on newsstands in the next Official US PlayStation Magazine. But there are two more UMD demos to be clamoring for now: Gangs of London, which we assumed would no longer arrive after the game's website stopped taking orders for demos. SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 2's demo UMD can be secured by pre-ordering the game at GameStop. That seems a little dumb (aren't demos supposed to help uninterested people in purchasing the game?) but maybe you can hassle your local GameStop employee to give you a disc for free, sans pre-order.[Via IGN Boards]
Sony to buy stake in Gamepot
Sony Communication Network Corp. has announced it will buy a 27-percent stake in Gamepot, (No, not Gamespot or Gamestop) a mobile content and solutions provider, for about $22 million, according to Gamasutra.So-net says the move will broaden its online games operations.In addition, Sony Communication, which operates So-net Internet service provider, will purchase 8,200 new shares of Gamepot in a third-party allocation. It will also buy 15,000 existing Gamepot shares from Aeria Inc., Gamepot's parent, a Reuters report stated.Gamepot made a name for itself by publishing the popular online fantasy golf game, PangYa. I doubt this will have much of an impact for anything coming stateside, but it's encouraging to see Sony continue to take online gaming seriously.(Via Gamasutra/Yahoo)
Rumor: Your money is no good for GameStop reservation [update 1]
NeoGAF points us to a clearer version of a blurry poster floating around the net regarding pre-orders at GameStop/EBGames for the Wii and PlayStation 3 purportedly starting this Monday, September 18. The catch? Well, the catch is that "cash and store credit will not be accepted." The only way to make the reservation is to trade in $50 worth of used games -- which inevitably ends up being a real life version of Deal or No Deal at the register -- and will actually end up costing you $150 to $250 worth of games.After calling six different GameStop stores in six different states, nobody knew or could confirm the poster. The best information we got was from a Manhattan store which said, "We can't release that information."The super fine print at the bottom allegedly says: "All trades must be in working condition and are subject to manager approval. As GameStop cannot control production and shipping issues by the manufacturer, the reservation deposit will only guarantee a spot in line when the PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii becomes available. The reservation deposit does not guarantee receipt of a system available to purchase by Christmas."We've contacted GameStop corporate and will let you know what we hear.[Update 1: According to reports from Go Nintendo and Gamers Reports, the program is indeed true for stores in Hawaii and Guam. The program is purportedly being tested before a possible expansion into other territories. We're still awaiting an official response from GameStop corporate.]See Also:Circuit City offers to set-up Xbox 360 backward compatibility[Thank you to all those that sent this in]
Xzibit to pimp rides on 360
We love pimping rides. That's fairly apparent. If we see a ride that has not been pimped, it tears a hole right in our krunky soul. Lucky for us and other would be pimpers of rides, Mike from K1lla's Xbox Domain sends us word that the 360 will be getting it's very own iteration of Pimp My Ride. GameStop lists the game for a November 14th release from Activision -- Activision's site has no listing of the game at all, though. We're a little worried that the genre is "Racing, Online" and not "Rides, Pimping." What's the point of racing rides if they haven't been pimped first?
PSP Fanboy Review: Killzone: Liberation demo
While I was in Gamestop today picking up my copy of Saints Row, I noticed they received their demo copies of Killzone. After plopping down $5 big ones, it's now mine, and I've spent enough time with it to give you my take. First of all, I can't help but keep being reminded of Metal Gear while playing this game. With its isometric view, it looks a lot like Metal Gear Acid, but, thankfully, there are no damn cards involved in Killzone. But looking similar to Metal Gear Acid, which is beautiful in its on right, is not bad at all – oh hell no. Read on to see my full review.
