This place is so sketchy I've refused to buy games there for almost 4 years now.
The thing that really did me in was when I purchased a brand new copy of a game and they pulled a disc out of a sleeve and inserted it into an unsealed game box. I told them I wanted a brand new game and they told me it was. A brand new game is sealed. That was it for me.
The other major annoyance was that they insist you pre-order something and/or sign up for their gamestop card. $5 to pre-order? Why? You'll get hundreds of copies.
With so many options to buy games where you don't have to put up with ANY of this crap I don't see why anyone continues to shop there.
I have to call you out on the preorder thing. They don't always get "hundreds of copies", for starters. Further, there are some hot releases you really DO want to preorder if you want it on day one. Also, they don't charge you $5 to preorder. It's a deposit. It counts towards the purchase - you can pay the full amount ahead of time, if you so choose.
And it's only Gamestop that has these artificially low numbers of copies. Go into any other store and you would've found a copy no problem. I have in 20 years of gaming never had a problem buying a game on release day. The closest I came was for Panzer Dragoon Saga for Sega Saturn, which Sega only initially made 6000 copies since it was one of the last titles made for the system. Even then, I didn't preorder and managed to get a copy on day one after calling a few stores to see who had it.
yeah sure, but some people can't be arsed with that and prefer to preorder, regardless of the shop, so that they can walk in and get their game without wasting time.
I'd rather save $20 an preorder online. Lots of times Newegg and Amazon have great online pre-order promotions. Sure you have to pay upfront but you can cancel at any time and it is sent to your house the day of release.
The Panzer Dragoon series was fucking excellent. Highly underrated series, mostly thanks to Sony and there marketing BS for killing the Saturn console.
It's true. Walked into Gamestop and asked for a game. "Did you pre-order it?" No. "Well sorry, it's only for people who pre-ordered."
Drove to Toy's R'Us picked up the game and was out in less than five minutes.
Ever since I've never been back to Gamestop. If those jokers at Gamestop corporate ever wonder why I've never been back and why they've lost my business for life, there's the answer.
Was it really worth it? The game was not a mainstream title, it was a Game Boy Advance game for christsake. I know they had enough titles to sell. Was it really worth it to lose me as a customer for life over this?
Right. If Gamestop didn't order enough copies to meet demand rest assured that you could go to almost any other store and buy 20all copies. I have never once been unable to find a game on launch day. Not once.
So what if it is a deposit. You shouldn't need to put a deposit on a game that will be in stock everywhere. They are hoping you'll forget.
The one positive thing I can say is that they have a great selection of used games that they've scammed from past customers.
I'd have to agree. While they don't always get hundreds of copies (it really depends on what Game Stop you go to) they harass the hell out of you about pre-ording, and if you say no that you'll just wait they give you this "You're a dumbass" look. I've seen this happen at 2 different Game Stops.
Also, and this may vary by store, but with most places you go in and someone will ask if you need help, if you say no they will leave you alone. Not Game Stop though. We were just browsing through the games and they guy literally came up to us SEVEN times, and not just to talk but to advertise other games. I swear I had more handouts leaving that place than I had received my entire High School career. It felt like a car dealership...
What did it for me though was when my friend and I were looking at one of the games and he literally walked up to us and said we wouldn't like it and to not bother with it, but to pre-order some gaming that was coming out in a month instead, that it was a 100 times better. That was the last time I'd ever deal with Game Stop.
Except your example of Bush and WMD is even more moronic because the Clinton thing was an act between two consensual adults, and the WMD debacle involved hundreds of intelligence operatives, and Congress etc falling victim to misinformation.
Gamestop obviously got caught doing some underhanded tactics. That said:
At my local Gamestop, any new game I ever got from them was factory sealed, either that, or they opened it, took out the stuff, then re-shrink wrapped it and applied new game case seal stickers.
I never had them grab a disc in a sleeve for anything except the used games.
I would love to be woefully ignorant and believe that hundreds of intelligent, high ranking officials, were just woefully ignorant and shocked by the news that there were no WMDs.
I can't, however, possibly believe such nonsense. A war was wanted and a war was received.
So you're saying he killed Kurds with imaginary chemical weapons? We killed "hundreds of thousands" of Iraqis? Bull. Hussein killed more Iraqis than we ever did.
Oh, and when does your precious Chosen One pull our troops back, again? I was told 18 months, three years ago...
The President of the UNITED STATES has 0 business dictating what the President of Iraq is doing. Just like the President of Iran has 0 business dictating what the president of the United States is doing.
Iraqis getting killed? Well then it sucks to live in Iraq and you should probably move somewhere else.
if you kill kurds with gases it's genocide, but it's not WMDs.
Have the US intervened in all the african genocides the same way? no. Then why iraq?
WMD were false and were the excuse. If they kill kurds with gas, that doesn't mean there's a risk to american security.
In reality the reason for the invasion was to protect american economic interest, that's it. But the public doesn't care about this stuff, they care about the lives of their dear ones. So they invented WMDs.
So its ok to kill them because Hussein killed more? WOW your retarded. And no one was given bad intel they cherry picked what they wanted and fashioned it to fit their propose. they even took out revenge on our own CIA op for her husband denying Iraq tried to but yellow cake. And you back that shezzzzz? pathetic!
I don't know how far they reach, but in Chicagoland we have a store called Plan N Trade. Like Gamestop but no evil and they still support NES through current. They have some game stations with HDTV's for every console. Better trade in pay out and better prices. If I go to an actual store, instead of newegg or amazon or the game devs site for direct download, I go there every time.
By not selling the game they punish the game developer for gamestops wrong doing!! How is that right, if they continued to sell deux ex and refunded 50 dollars for every game back to the developer that they opened that would be a step in the right direction. But this sleazy move is just covering for the fact that they continued to punish a company for competing with their online gaming service, and only went further once caught.
This isn't right, we have few good game developers bringing us awesome games, deux ex is one of the best games to come out recently so to treat them this way is wrong. People should stop giving gamestop their money all together.
This is the gamestop ex employee whistle blower video. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6wnow_zero-origi... Done in the style of zero punctuation he goes down the list of the gamestops sleazy tactics, and even brings up the issue of them opening games and then selling them as new even years ago when this video was first made.
Best Buy has empty boxes on their shelves which represent a preorder and is labeled for $5-10 of the game's price. It's no different for Gamestop. Just that I haven't preordered from a physical store since before 2000. I order online and still get my packages arrive on release date as well. I really don't care that much about midnight release "parties" that they host.
It should be common gamer knowledge already that Gamestop opens packages to place the game disc(s) in a sleeved binder. If this is something you don't like, then don't shop there. Ever. Just stop it. You're just continuing the abuse by having Gamestop maintaining it's business from your ignorance. If there's a game you want and want it unopened and new, then order it online.
Why in the world would they want to sell their competitor's product? Not only that but why would the game manufacturer put something like that in the retail packaging? You don't go to McDonald's and expect to be given a certificate for Burger King.
Its not even close to the same. Boxes have stuff (coupons) in them all the time and Gamestop has NO business opening them and removing items they don't agree with, Items that the buyers are expecting to be in them. If they don't want to promote a competing service then they should just not sell DX or give away a free copy themselves for their service, not steal the content in boxes. If their service was good they should be happy to compete with the other not hide the other by stealing their coupons.
Square Enix obviously tried to pull a fast one on GameStop by not telling them about the coupon prior to the launch. Had they told them, GameStop would likely have chosen not to sell the game. Well, it is well within their rights to choose which games they sell.
However, GameStop totally mishandled the situation. They did stop selling the game, but only after getting caught attempting to sell the game sans the coupon. They have now pulled the game off the shelves, but they should have pulled the game immediately as soon as they found out about the coupon being slipped in on them.
As usual, two wrongs didn't make a right. Still, it was Square Enix's shady dealing that started the mess by putting GameStop in a no-win situation.
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tayb - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
This place is so sketchy I've refused to buy games there for almost 4 years now.The thing that really did me in was when I purchased a brand new copy of a game and they pulled a disc out of a sleeve and inserted it into an unsealed game box. I told them I wanted a brand new game and they told me it was. A brand new game is sealed. That was it for me.
The other major annoyance was that they insist you pre-order something and/or sign up for their gamestop card. $5 to pre-order? Why? You'll get hundreds of copies.
With so many options to buy games where you don't have to put up with ANY of this crap I don't see why anyone continues to shop there.
Alexvrb - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
I have to call you out on the preorder thing. They don't always get "hundreds of copies", for starters. Further, there are some hot releases you really DO want to preorder if you want it on day one. Also, they don't charge you $5 to preorder. It's a deposit. It counts towards the purchase - you can pay the full amount ahead of time, if you so choose.JKflipflop98 - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
That's such a crock. If it's a "hot release" you're going to get excess inventory. That's basic business sense.The only thing GameStop is good for is midnight releases and that's it.
cmdrdredd - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
"That's such a crock. If it's a "hot release" you're going to get excess inventory. That's basic business sense."WRONG! They sell out very often. I remember many games like Grand Theft Auto, Uncharted 2 that only had 2 or 3 copies that were not reserved.
Azh1 - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
And it's only Gamestop that has these artificially low numbers of copies. Go into any other store and you would've found a copy no problem. I have in 20 years of gaming never had a problem buying a game on release day. The closest I came was for Panzer Dragoon Saga for Sega Saturn, which Sega only initially made 6000 copies since it was one of the last titles made for the system. Even then, I didn't preorder and managed to get a copy on day one after calling a few stores to see who had it.Murloc - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
yeah sure, but some people can't be arsed with that and prefer to preorder, regardless of the shop, so that they can walk in and get their game without wasting time.quiksilvr - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
I'd rather save $20 an preorder online. Lots of times Newegg and Amazon have great online pre-order promotions. Sure you have to pay upfront but you can cancel at any time and it is sent to your house the day of release.B3an - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
The Panzer Dragoon series was fucking excellent. Highly underrated series, mostly thanks to Sony and there marketing BS for killing the Saturn console.Craig Getting - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
Amen on Panzer Dragoon.WhamBham - Monday, August 29, 2011 - link
It's true. Walked into Gamestop and asked for a game. "Did you pre-order it?" No. "Well sorry, it's only for people who pre-ordered."Drove to Toy's R'Us picked up the game and was out in less than five minutes.
Ever since I've never been back to Gamestop. If those jokers at Gamestop corporate ever wonder why I've never been back and why they've lost my business for life, there's the answer.
Was it really worth it? The game was not a mainstream title, it was a Game Boy Advance game for christsake. I know they had enough titles to sell. Was it really worth it to lose me as a customer for life over this?
tayb - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
Then go to walmart. They'll have several hundred copies AND they will sell it to you at midnight.tayb - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
Right. If Gamestop didn't order enough copies to meet demand rest assured that you could go to almost any other store and buy 20all copies. I have never once been unable to find a game on launch day. Not once.So what if it is a deposit. You shouldn't need to put a deposit on a game that will be in stock everywhere. They are hoping you'll forget.
The one positive thing I can say is that they have a great selection of used games that they've scammed from past customers.
daniel142005 - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
I'd have to agree. While they don't always get hundreds of copies (it really depends on what Game Stop you go to) they harass the hell out of you about pre-ording, and if you say no that you'll just wait they give you this "You're a dumbass" look. I've seen this happen at 2 different Game Stops.Also, and this may vary by store, but with most places you go in and someone will ask if you need help, if you say no they will leave you alone. Not Game Stop though. We were just browsing through the games and they guy literally came up to us SEVEN times, and not just to talk but to advertise other games. I swear I had more handouts leaving that place than I had received my entire High School career. It felt like a car dealership...
What did it for me though was when my friend and I were looking at one of the games and he literally walked up to us and said we wouldn't like it and to not bother with it, but to pre-order some gaming that was coming out in a month instead, that it was a 100 times better. That was the last time I'd ever deal with Game Stop.
Ronakbhai - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
Kinda like how President Clinton got caught... pants down. Except he didn't have $50 gift cards.Lifted - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
It's actually more like how Bush got caught... no WMD's. Except he didn't offer anything to the hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi's.FYI, not trying to make this political, just pointing out how moronic the Ronakbhai's statement is.
SilthDraeth - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
Except your example of Bush and WMD is even more moronic because the Clinton thing was an act between two consensual adults, and the WMD debacle involved hundreds of intelligence operatives, and Congress etc falling victim to misinformation.Gamestop obviously got caught doing some underhanded tactics. That said:
At my local Gamestop, any new game I ever got from them was factory sealed, either that, or they opened it, took out the stuff, then re-shrink wrapped it and applied new game case seal stickers.
I never had them grab a disc in a sleeve for anything except the used games.
tayb - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
I would love to be woefully ignorant and believe that hundreds of intelligent, high ranking officials, were just woefully ignorant and shocked by the news that there were no WMDs.I can't, however, possibly believe such nonsense. A war was wanted and a war was received.
Alexvrb - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
So you're saying he killed Kurds with imaginary chemical weapons? We killed "hundreds of thousands" of Iraqis? Bull. Hussein killed more Iraqis than we ever did.Oh, and when does your precious Chosen One pull our troops back, again? I was told 18 months, three years ago...
JKflipflop98 - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
The President of the UNITED STATES has 0 business dictating what the President of Iraq is doing. Just like the President of Iran has 0 business dictating what the president of the United States is doing.Iraqis getting killed? Well then it sucks to live in Iraq and you should probably move somewhere else.
Murloc - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
if you kill kurds with gases it's genocide, but it's not WMDs.Have the US intervened in all the african genocides the same way?
no.
Then why iraq?
WMD were false and were the excuse.
If they kill kurds with gas, that doesn't mean there's a risk to american security.
In reality the reason for the invasion was to protect american economic interest, that's it. But the public doesn't care about this stuff, they care about the lives of their dear ones. So they invented WMDs.
piiman - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
So its ok to kill them because Hussein killed more? WOW your retarded. And no one was given bad intel they cherry picked what they wanted and fashioned it to fit their propose. they even took out revenge on our own CIA op for her husband denying Iraq tried to but yellow cake. And you back that shezzzzz? pathetic!SlyNine1 - Monday, August 29, 2011 - link
We are not there to kill the Iraqis. The reason we are there was because Saddam broke a treaty and our inspectors were not allowed in.Besides, Even if he did have weapons we may never find them, hell we have enough trouble finding drugs in our LA.
Saddam was an evil dictator and needed to go, I and many Iraqis are glad he is gone, despite bushes misuse of information.
The sad fact is you guys will never know the facts behind this, But like bandwagon riders you just flock to the most popular opinion.
This is my 2 cents, and if you don't agree I don't give a dam, because not me or you know enough to make an informed opinion.
Hrel - Friday, August 26, 2011 - link
I don't know how far they reach, but in Chicagoland we have a store called Plan N Trade. Like Gamestop but no evil and they still support NES through current. They have some game stations with HDTV's for every console. Better trade in pay out and better prices. If I go to an actual store, instead of newegg or amazon or the game devs site for direct download, I go there every time.Craig Getting - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
I like the phrase "Like GameStop but no evil."Watwatwat - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
By not selling the game they punish the game developer for gamestops wrong doing!! How is that right, if they continued to sell deux ex and refunded 50 dollars for every game back to the developer that they opened that would be a step in the right direction. But this sleazy move is just covering for the fact that they continued to punish a company for competing with their online gaming service, and only went further once caught.This isn't right, we have few good game developers bringing us awesome games, deux ex is one of the best games to come out recently so to treat them this way is wrong. People should stop giving gamestop their money all together.
This is the gamestop ex employee whistle blower video.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6wnow_zero-origi...
Done in the style of zero punctuation he goes down the list of the gamestops sleazy tactics, and even brings up the issue of them opening games and then selling them as new even years ago when this video was first made.
dayanth - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
Best Buy has empty boxes on their shelves which represent a preorder and is labeled for $5-10 of the game's price. It's no different for Gamestop. Just that I haven't preordered from a physical store since before 2000. I order online and still get my packages arrive on release date as well. I really don't care that much about midnight release "parties" that they host.It should be common gamer knowledge already that Gamestop opens packages to place the game disc(s) in a sleeved binder. If this is something you don't like, then don't shop there. Ever. Just stop it. You're just continuing the abuse by having Gamestop maintaining it's business from your ignorance. If there's a game you want and want it unopened and new, then order it online.
prophet001 - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
Why in the world would they want to sell their competitor's product? Not only that but why would the game manufacturer put something like that in the retail packaging? You don't go to McDonald's and expect to be given a certificate for Burger King.piiman - Saturday, August 27, 2011 - link
Its not even close to the same. Boxes have stuff (coupons) in them all the time and Gamestop has NO business opening them and removing items they don't agree with, Items that the buyers are expecting to be in them. If they don't want to promote a competing service then they should just not sell DX or give away a free copy themselves for their service, not steal the content in boxes. If their service was good they should be happy to compete with the other not hide the other by stealing their coupons.Jaybus - Tuesday, August 30, 2011 - link
Square Enix obviously tried to pull a fast one on GameStop by not telling them about the coupon prior to the launch. Had they told them, GameStop would likely have chosen not to sell the game. Well, it is well within their rights to choose which games they sell.However, GameStop totally mishandled the situation. They did stop selling the game, but only after getting caught attempting to sell the game sans the coupon. They have now pulled the game off the shelves, but they should have pulled the game immediately as soon as they found out about the coupon being slipped in on them.
As usual, two wrongs didn't make a right. Still, it was Square Enix's shady dealing that started the mess by putting GameStop in a no-win situation.