Is Gamestop Evil? The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

[noiseredux]

I feel bad for gamestops employees when they get to the cash register. They must feel like tools having to ask a bajillion stupid questions that they know the customer does not want.

agreed. The worst is the pre-order bullshit. Why would I want to pre-order a game that's months away? Couldn't I just come into the store and buy it when it's out? That's generally how things have worked before pre-orders. Right? Or am I missing something (besides the occassionally cool freebies).

[sevin0seven]

the same thing happen to me when they could not find the disc for Contra shattered dreams last year.

Hmm, I seem to be missing that one. Must be harder to find than Contra Force.

oops! i meant shattered soldier.. (i must be dreaming)

[Flake]

agreed. The worst is the pre-order bullshit. Why would I want to pre-order a game that's months away? Couldn't I just come into the store and buy it when it's out? That's generally how things have worked before pre-orders. Right? Or am I missing something (besides the occassionally cool freebies).

Well there are some advantages. Gamestop orders their merchandise based on how the pre-orders pan out. If you're buying Halo 17.5 'Shoot People Edition' then there's no reason to pre-order unless you want a certain promo item.

If you're like me and you like niche mecha games or some other not-terribly-popular staple then pre-orders are often the only way to get them to even bother ordering the game. I made a mistake with Armored Core: Silent Line back in the day where I did not pre-order it...and the local gamestop subsequently had only a single copy shipped from their warehouse. Guess who had to scour town for the next couple of hours...

Also, I like being able to order a game far in advance and pay it down bit by bit. Yeah, I could do the same with a piggy bank but this takes away the temptation to give Mr. Piggy a blindfold and a smoke before I shatter him to buy beer.

[Opa Opa]

agreed. The worst is the pre-order bullshit. Why would I want to pre-order a game that's months away? Couldn't I just come into the store and buy it when it's out? That's generally how things have worked before pre-orders. Right? Or am I missing something (besides the occassionally cool freebies).

Actually sometimes it is best to pre-order a game just to guarantee that you can get one. I preordered Dementium II and the one I bought was the one I pre-ordered. No other copies came in. And the store didn't get any more copies for at least a few months.

Better safe than sorry if you know you want to play a certain game.

[noiseredux]

I guess the concept of "new releases" is still kind of new to me.

[CRTGAMER]

Couple things I can never figure out:
1. Preorder a product just to get a bonus DLC hype. Six months later its half price.
2. Buy an opened "New" game when its the same price sealed at a competitor.

To add, Costco does sell new games cheaper, averaging five bucks less then other stores.

[Inazuma]

As much as I hate Gamestop, that lawsuit is bullshit. Common sense would tell you that a one time use code was already used.

You know who is very happy right now? The game developers. They hate the used game market and it looks like their plan is working out great. Including free DLC with the game disc is genius.

As for me, I will stay away from these games altogether. New or used, I don't want to support that shit. I want to be able to buy 100% of a game, 20 years after it came out.

[Opa Opa]

Why make another thread about disliking gamestop?

I got this in the mail today:

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So this is from the Powerup Rewards program. I accumulated enough points for a prize and I chose this. If you're unfamiliar on how the points work here's the deal.

You get 20 points per dollar for buying used stuff and 10 points per dollar on new stuff. Okay. They'd rather you buy used items because they're making more money off that. I'm fine with that. Makes sense. That's what I'd do if I ran the business.

Here's my major problem with the rewards. Some of the "prizes" are unobtainable for an ordinary person. Last time I looked the prize that costs the most points is around 68,000 points. That means you'd have to spend $3,400 to get it. DOUBLE that if you strictly buy new items. Who is going to spend $6,800 on new games?

If you stay current with all the next-gen systems and games then this rewards program is probably going to work for you. However, for someone like me, who only occasionally shops there looking for older games or the obscure new titles, the reward program isn't all that useful.

And I'm using the Free card. There's one for like $15 a year. I honestly don't know the difference. You probably get a discount or more points or something, but this rewards card, for retro gamers at least, isn't worth the time. Once all the last-gen stuff is gone, I probably won't shop there until I get a 3DS. And maybe not even then.

/rant

[Hobie-wan]

If you're buying Halo 17.5 'Shoot People Edition' then there's no reason to pre-order unless you want a certain promo item.

Shit.

I just pre-ordered the 'Ham & Eggs, Break Some Legs' edition from another retailer that comes with bacon salt, an egg poacher, and a meat tenderizer. What comes in the 'Shoot People Edition'?

[Flake]

If you're buying Halo 17.5 'Shoot People Edition' then there's no reason to pre-order unless you want a certain promo item.

Shit.

I just pre-ordered the 'Ham & Eggs, Break Some Legs' edition from another retailer that comes with bacon salt, an egg poacher, and a meat tenderizer. What comes in the 'Shoot People Edition'?

A free plane ticket to the conflict zone of your choice to take part in human atrocities. Gonna be honest, I think most people would have settled for a cloth map or a T-shirt.