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Rumor: Saints Row Coming to PS3?

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, PlayStation 3, Rumors, THQ,

PS3 Saints Row?

EBGames/Gamestop’s website is quickly becoming the source of choice for new game rumors that end up being true. So when their website listed Saints Row for the PS3 and then quickly took it down, it set off quite a buzz. Now keep in mind, Gamestop probably has their fair share of bad web programmers and crappy database administrators working for them, so this could all just be a simple mix-up of placing the game under the wrong console. But if we didn’t fan the flames of interesting rumors, we wouldn’t be good bloggers, now would we??!

Read More | destructoid.com

Gallery: Rumor: Saints Row Coming to PS3?


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GameStop Reveals Wii Bundle Contents

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo, Wii,

Wii BundleGameStop/EBGames have revealed the contents of their mega-Wii bundle that will be available for pre-order starting tomorrow evening. The bundle will include the following:

  • Wii Console
  • Wii Memory SD 1 GB
  • Additional Remote
  • Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
  • Trauma Center: Second Opinion
  • Red Steel
  • Marvel Ultimate Alliance
  • Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
  • Madden NFL 2007
  • 12 Month Product Replacement Plan
  • Game Informer Gift Subscription

All of the above will sell for $694.88, making the fantastic EB/GameStop PRP and the subscription to their in-house magazine’s price about $45. While the game selection is decent, the addition of the forced PRP and magazine subscription seems over the top. Add to that the fact that third-party 1 GB SD memory cards sell for about $25 starts pushing this bundle into the price-gouging territory. Hopefully, the amount of consoles that Nintendo ships this holiday will make bundles like this less popular, but consumers may decide that spending a little extra will be worth it for some peace of mind as the Wii launch date nears.

Read More | GameStop

Gallery: GameStop Reveals Wii Bundle Contents


EBGames & GameStop Prepare Price Gouging Wii Bundle

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo, Wii,

Wii BundleEBGames just sent an e-mail out to their mailing list subscribers describing their online pre-order program. On Thursday evening CST, the company will place a limited number of Wii bundles online. Each bundle will sell for $699, and will be limited to 1 per household. EBGames’ official statement is this:

This Thursday evening (CST), November 9, your opportunity to get in on the excitement arrives when our Wii bundle becomes available for pre-order online at EBgames.com. You’ll get the best games, accessories and more in one convenient package delivered right to your door - all for under $699 plus tax and handling!

Quantities are extremely limited and there will be a limit of 1 Wii bundle per household, limited to US delivery only. Ordering a bundle does not guarantee shipment at launch and orders will be shipped on a first-come, first-serve basis. The bundle will be removed from the site as soon as we have reached our expected quota.

$699 for an online bundle that doesn’t guarantee a console at launch seems to be folly, particularly when so many other retailers seem to be getting a plentiful supply of the console at launch.

Gallery: EBGames & GameStop Prepare Price Gouging Wii Bundle


Wii Pre-Orders Start Friday, October 13, at GameStop/EB

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Nintendo, Wii,

GameStopGoNintendo has official confirmation that Nintendo Wii pre-orders will start Friday, October 13. The site has a scan of the the confirmation e-mail sent from GameStop’s corporate headquarters; while Wii console allocations aren’t given, GameStop responds to some issues reported by customers during the PS3 pre-order event (as quick as that was). First, GameStop stores are not to have reservation lists or other methods of holding pre-orders before the program starts. All pre-orders are to be allocated in a first-come, first-serve basis for customers in store. According to the e-mail, customers “must be physically present at the store at opening time… to make their reservation deposit.”

GameStop also stresses that stores are not to force bundles on customers, or otherwise give preference to gamers that had previously pre-ordered Wii games or accessories. This contradicts what some customers were told earlier by GameStop employees, and may cause some conflicts. GameStop also stressed that stores were not to have special opening times for the pre-order start; no midnight or early openings would be allowed.

While the Xbox 360 pre-order system was basically a nightmare, and the PS3 pre-orders didn’t last long enough for issues become a problem, Nintendo’s larger allocation of consoles will help alleviate some of the pre-order issues. At the very least, it looks like GameSpot is trying to eliminate some of the problems they have had in the past.

Read More | GoNintendo

Gallery: Wii Pre-Orders Start Friday, October 13, at GameStop/EB


GameStop/EB: Limited Playstation 3 Pre-Orders October 10th, $100 Down

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, PlayStation 3,

GameStop Store GameStop/EBGames have announced that a limited Playstation 3 pre-order program will start on October 10th. The full statement on the site is as follows:

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.

With $100 down and no guarantee of a system on launch day, this would not seem to be a very viable option for getting a Playstation 3 in a reasonable time frame. However, given launch day scarcity, it would seem that gamers would have few other choices, except to wait.

Read More | GameStop

Gallery: GameStop/EB: Limited Playstation 3 Pre-Orders October 10th, $100 Down


Gamestop Testing New Pre-Order Program

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: PlayStation 3, Rumors, Wii,

Wii PS3 Pre-order

Word of a new test program for pre-orders at GameStop/EBGames surfaced this weekend. GoNintendo found a thread on the NeoGAF forums pointing to pre-orders for the Wii and Playstation 3 opening for one week, starting September 18. The key part of the pre-order program was the catch: gamers would only be able to place a pre-order by trading in $50 in games or accessories. However, this “improved” pre-order program would not actually fix any of the problems faced by gamers last year. The pre-order would not guarantee a system at launch (or even during the holidays) and effect doesn’t really even hold your place in line.

Since the initial report, it has been confirmed by GoNintendo that the trade-in program is going to be a test program, only for GameStop stores in Hawaii and Guam. GameStop is apparently trying to determine how effective a program would be.

It is pretty easy to understand why GameStop would want to make gamers trade in software and accessories to hold their place in line for a Wii or a Playstation 3; trade-in sales made up by far the largest percentage of gross profit on last year’s annual report. GameStop gets the highest gross margin from used software sales; so much so, that it appears that trade-in software is more valuable to the company than cash. Trade-ins are traditionally the worst possible deal for the consumer, giving meager amounts of money for software that is then turned around and sold for large profits.

So, GameStop has huge incentive to push gamers towards trade-ins. But along with this horrendously punishing trade-in program, little is being done to fix their broken pre-order system. Like last year, the pre-order only gives the customer a place in line at the store they pre-ordered from. Gamers also witnessed in-store hard sell programs, where people that put money down on more of the profit-generating software and accessories got to jump in line. The new program seems to address this somewhat, but a place in line means nothing if the stores never get the product. When the Xbox 360 launched, gamers holding pre-order tickets would see GameStop and EBGames place huge, expensive bundle systems online, while stores were crying for product. GameStop has shown in the past that they care little for the people that have given them money in the promise of a game console at or near launch, and these new moves would seem to indicate that they have learned little from the past.

Read More | NeoGAF

Read More | GoNintendo

Gallery: Gamestop Testing New Pre-Order Program


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