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http://www.1up.com/news/gamestop-removed-free-onlive-codes-pc-deus-ex

Basically, Gamestop employees were instructed to remove coupons for an Onlive copy of the game included with all retail versions of Deus Ex. This is not insignificant. An Onlive copy also goes for 50 dollars. This is seriously outright theft by Gamestop and it continues to justify to me why I will never buy anything from them.

I used to work for GameStop, they would pull crap like this all the time.

I was in a gamestop just the other day - The only PC games there was one endcap of one of those tiny shelves in the middle of the floor that basically had WoW and 3 other games on it. I'm more flabbergasted that gamestop actually has more PC games in it than that they are ripping people off.

I buy almost all my PC base games of Steam now (except SWTOR since Steam doesn't have it)

GameStop in general just hates PC games. I was always pushed to sell a console version of a game if there was one, even if the customer was looking for the PC version. Why? Because GameStop makes most of it's money on trade-ins and used games, and PC games can't be traded-in. That is why when I started working there years ago, they basically took the decently sizes PC sections of the store and shrunk them down to a rack with only a few of the more "popular" games. There were even rumors they were going to drop PC games entirely.

I actually blame a lot of retailers, mostly the used game retailers, for the whole "PC gaming is dead" crap. They want you to think that so you will stop buying them and costing them money they could get back in all those trade-in sales, which is why most PC game sections are left dark and shuffled away from the shiny, lighted console game racks.

Why did Stardock sell Impulse to this crappy company anyway?

because Impulse is not making a profit i guess.

I hate gamestop because you almost can't go there and just buy a new game. You either have to have pre-ordered a game, or get it used. I don't like used games because twice I've had a game that starts having scratch troubles at around the 90-95% complete mark, and more than that, I just want a new goddamn game.

I remember being able to go into a Babbage's and browse new games, and buy one. That doesn't really seem to be what they're going for now. Guess that means I'll be getting my games somewhere else.

figmentPez said:

Why did Stardock sell Impulse to this crappy company anyway?

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They were probably smart to. Dump that onto Gamestop, make a tidy profit and not have to compete with the Steamernaut.

Eh - I get my DS stuff from Gamestop - never had a problem and found a couple harder to find games cheap enough. I'd rather buy the new stuff online or at another retailer. Halo: Reach - $40 at Best Buy NEW. Same game - $50 at Gamestop USED.

You guys know that Gamestop is doing this because they are planning on making their own version of OnLive, right? It's about crushing the competitor so they can ether push their own version forward or so they can drive the stock of OnLive down enough that they can buy it for a song.

It'll fail just like Impulse is.

I go there to buy older games when they have a Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale going on. I've pre-ordered from them numerous times, and then cancelled my pre-orders for various reasons, only to then buy the games anyway.

Frankie Williamson said:

It'll fail just like Impulse is.

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It is hard to play catchup.

Gamestop doesn't have the best rep (and certainly this doesn't help either).
We already have GoG and Steam. I know that Steam have DRM, but it is a system I'm willing to work with compare to other DRM. Now granted some games have "extra" DRM. I don't buy those except battlefield which uses Punk.

Frankie Williamson said:

It'll fail just like Impulse is.

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Impulse may actually be what I'm talking about. It's basically going to fail because it's in a shakier position than even Origin is. At least EA can withhold it's games from competing services... what can Gamestop do?

Frankie Williamson said:

They were probably smart to. Dump that onto Gamestop, make a tidy profit and not have to compete with the Steamernaut.

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But now they're stuck with their PC games being distributed by a company that is actively trying to kill off PC games.

Why not just go to Walmart or Target. They pretty much have the exact same stuff. Actually Target probably has more PC games to choose from.

Mathias said:

Why not just go to Walmart or Target. They pretty much have the exact same stuff. Actually Target probably has more PC games to choose from.

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I verify this. They have a friggin' WALL of PC games, even the really crappy ones that nobody buys.

I gotta agree... if I want a game, I get it from somewhere other than Gamestop unless they have something exclusive. It's just not worth dealing with the assholes who work there.

Only deal with them for my NHL games as they get nice exclusive options and they deliver for free. I have orders shipped by mail on the same day it is released. However, I never trade in, they once offered my the previous year's version of NHL for 5$ and I sold it only 2 days later on ebay for 35$ making the next version cost me about half price.

I hear the stories about Gamestop assholes. Where I went in NY, those stories were totally on the money; bunch of jackasses working in the place I went to. I never bought anything back then though.

Here, I can't really bitch about the current store--they're a little pushy, but aren't jackasses. However, for the first couple years living here, we had a Gamestop with great employees. They were helpful, friendly, not pushy about pre-orders, chatted politely with us. We went there quite a bit because they were worth going to, and they did favors for us sometimes when we had issues with a game or were trying to find something. I don't know why Gamestop HQ closed them down in favor of moving their stock to another that was closer to a mall that already had a Gamestop. I could walk to the one that was our usual, and sometimes did. I came home with the PS3 from there to surprise my wife. Not doing that from across town. It's out of the way and the only store near there is Trader Joe's, which we don't go to. I'm guessing all those nice people got laid off; I hope they all found other jobs where their good attitudes were appreciated.

Looks like they're pulling the PC version of the game off the shelves completely.

Guess they realized that removing part of a retail product is not something customers will like.

This whole business is just another nail in the coffin for an already sinking company.

I buy most of my games either online from Amazon, or at Wal-Mart. If I want a game on launch day, I'll pre-order from Amazon and get free launch day delivery with my prime membership.

Going into a store to buy a game is like going to the rental store to rent a movie.

This is 2011, not 1991. Order it online, eat your Hot-N-Ready, drink your Mountain Dew: Code Red and have it delivered to your doorstep.

Shegokigo said:

Going into a store to buy a game is like going to the rental store to rent a movie.

This is 2011, not 1991. Order it online, eat your Hot-N-Ready, drink your Mountain Dew: Code Red and have it delivered to your doorstep.

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Rental Stores still have their place, if you don't always rent something every month or if your like my household and rent both games AND movies. There is no service that provides both, so we'd be looking at too much a month to get both Gamefly and Netflix.

Also, I was right about them trying to make an OnLive competitor. They acquired Spawn Labs, which specializes in streaming services... they want to make a version of OnLive that works on internet ready device.

I buy used games from Gamestop a few months after they've come out and gone down in price. The store by my apartment has pretty cool employees that ask about, but don't push, pre-orders. I'm not all that interested in PC gaming, so I hold no ill-will towards them there. I love their "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" deals.

How about when they ripped the codes out of all copies of LA Noire for the bonus episodes because they were only for preorders despite every copy having one?

That wasn't a PC game.

GameStop in Plano is not bad. I know the manager there and he runs a good ship. All the employees are friendly and such. If I had issue, I would tell him and it will get resolve (of course his wife works with us at our community college so that helps hehehe)

Frankie Williamson said:

How about when they ripped the codes out of all copies of LA Noire for the bonus episodes because they were only for preorders despite every copy having one?

That wasn't a PC game.

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I didn't pre-order and they didn't rip mine out. I had all my codes in the box where they belonged.

Your's wasn't, but many were.

I never had a problem with Gamestop. Not selling PC games is their business model. You really can't blame them for concentrating on the more lucrative used game business or protecting their interests. In fact, if you asked me what Gamestop was for, I (and probably a huge chunk of people) would say "used games", not new games or PC games.

Nice to see you back in usual good form fade.

Everyone shouldn't be persecuting the poor game store.[/Charlie]

Well that depends on their color of their skin and everyone else's.

Gamestop's been a crummy company and store for years now. Why get upset about it now?

Because now they are just out right stealing from customers, not just ripping them off.

Testing the boundaries, are they?

--Patrick

PatrThom said:

Testing the boundaries, are they?

--Patrick

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I think it's up to the game companies to go against them on this kind of thing. It's their product being tampered, even if the consumer is the one being hurt.

Virtual Shackles. If you don't read this you should. So even though I hotlinked, go to their page and check out their archives.

That ... "escalation" doesn't follow logic at all. I have no particular love for Gamestop, but the internet does have this tendency to demonize things it decides it collectively hates to the extreme.

Psssst Fade, it's a joke/comic strip.

I can see the middle panel being something that happens, too.

Shegokigo said:

Psssst Fade, it's a joke/comic strip.

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Sure, no one's really going to do it. But if you're going to try to make a point, even a joke one, it should follow.

fade said:

Sure, no one's really going to do it. But if you're going to try to make a point, even a joke one, it should follow.

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I think the logic is pretty sound. If they're going to remove something included in a product because it competes with them, why not do it for other competition?

Also, fuck you is totally a policy.

Removing the manufacturer's add in window protectant from a new car so you can sell your buyer your own isn't the same as removing what constitutes the core car, like the engine or the seats. Both suck, but that doesn't imply equivalence. It's an argument in extremis. Again, not arguing for GS, just annoyed by the cartoon.

fade said:

Removing the manufacturer's add in window protectant from a new car so you can sell your buyer your own isn't the same as removing what constitutes the core car, like the engine or the seats. Both suck, but that doesn't imply equivalence. It's an argument in extremis. Again, not arguing for GS, just annoyed by the cartoon.

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But is that car still advertised as having the protectorate? That's the issue most have. The game was sold as new, with no mention of removed content. And for some, the onlive version may have been a selling point that made them choose that version.

fade said:

Removing the manufacturer's add in window protectant from a new car so you can sell your buyer your own isn't the same as removing what constitutes the core car, like the engine or the seats. Both suck, but that doesn't imply equivalence. It's an argument in extremis. Again, not arguing for GS, just annoyed by the cartoon.

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Think of it this way, Fade. Imagine a dealership is getting a shipment of cars from Honda. Honda decides "Hey, lets throw some HD radios in the cars free of charge from Sony!" and they do it. The cars get to the dealership and the dealership notices the radios. The dealership is also owned by an electronics company that may be selling HD radios soon in competition with Sony, so they uninstall all the radios and put a plate over the hole since they don't even have their own radios to add in themselves at that point (they are "still in development"). They then sell the cars for the same price as all the other dealerships that just got the same car with the radios. They didn't just remove an "ad", they removed was counted as a free copy of the game through a streaming service.

Can you not understand why that would be called bullshit? They are removing something with a high value from the product, in this case something that is an EQUAL value to the game itself, because they don't want the chance to give future competition any publicity.

GameStop had two choices here. Either leave the boxes as they were designed by the seller, or send them all back to Square. They only chose the send back option when people caught them on the bullshit, which is how they have always done it. I know, I worked for them for nearly three years as an SGA.

Don't get me wrong, I love the store I worked for because of the people. The guy behind the counter is not always a douche, it's the guys above them, the ones that run the company and come driving up in their brand new Mercedes once a month to tell us our busy store is not making pushing enough subscription cards.

Wow, they are backpedaling hard right now:
Gamestop giving customers a $50 gift card, other perks for Human Revolution flub

figmentPez said:

Wow, they are backpedaling hard right now:
Gamestop giving customers a $50 gift card, other perks for Human Revolution flub

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Of course. The very customer who come to their stores probably buy console games too (also trade in) with the latest stunt Gamestop pulled (and highly publicized) Gamestop could stand to lose customers. Gamestop is not the only game in town for trades (pun intended) Best Buy is doing it and some other shops (I can't remember them)

Chibibar said:

Of course. The very customer who come to their stores probably buy console games too (also trade in) with the latest stunt Gamestop pulled (and highly publicized) Gamestop could stand to lose customers. Gamestop is not the only game in town for trades (pun intended) Best Buy is doing it and some other shops (I can't remember them)

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They're also in a real precarious legal situation. Heck, I'm surprised there's not a lawsuit yet.

Covar said:

They're also in a real precarious legal situation. Heck, I'm surprised there's not a lawsuit yet.

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Square Enix kinda fell on the sword for this one. They admitted that they didn't give Gamestop proper notice of the inclusion, so they aren't going to seek legal action against them.

Gamestop's position as the king of video game retail is to blame for that. Any smaller retailer would have been ripped to shreds.

Frankie Williamson said:

Gamestop's position as the king of video game retail is to blame for that. Any smaller retailer would have been ripped to shreds.

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Yeah, any Mom and Pop would... but you wouldn't have HEARD about it if it was a Mom and Pop. Gamestop is the biggest in a sea of giants, not insects. It competes with the likes of Walmart, BestBuy, Amazon... and Square Enix wouldn't have been able to go against any of them without losing a huge amount of money.

AshburnerX said:

Yeah, any Mom and Pop would... but you wouldn't have HEARD about it if it was a Mom and Pop. Gamestop is the biggest in a sea of giants, not insects. It competes with the likes of Walmart, BestBuy, Amazon... and Square Enix wouldn't have been able to go against any of them without losing a huge amount of money.

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Slightly off topic: Due to these giants (and a huge success with online stores like Steams and GoG) Mom and Pop shops doesn't stand a chance now-a-days. They just don't have the buying power to keep up.

Chibibar said:

Slightly off topic: Due to these giants (and a huge success with online stores like Steams and GoG) Mom and Pop shops doesn't stand a chance now-a-days. They just don't have the buying power to keep up.

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Mom and Pop's compete by breaking street dates and offering more in trade-in than Gamestop. They can afford to do this because they have less overhead and don't have to pay for huge shipments of games.

AshburnerX said:

Mom and Pop's compete by breaking street dates and offering more in trade-in than Gamestop. They can afford to do this because they have less overhead and don't have to pay for huge shipments of games.

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Yea but breaking streetdates can get your chance of newer game from that company pulled

Chibibar said:

Yea but breaking streetdates can get your chance of newer game from that company pulled

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That happens rarely, at worst. Most of the time it goes unreported.

I can't remember ever in my life seeing a mom and pop type of store for video games. The smallest it ever was was Electronics Boutique, which is part of Gamestop/EB Games anyway.

We used to have them in Edmonton, there's still a few. Nexwave, Microplay, City Games. They mostly are either gone or just deal in retro stuff now.

I've still got one near my house, and a couple within a few miles. You tend to see them in poorer areas that Gamestop doesn't want to open up in.

There's one in my town. Oddly enough, they ripped off GameStop's logo. The store uses the same font and color scheme, except it changed the name to "GameAlley" and substituted green for red.



vs.



I've never been in there. It seems... cheap.

Tress said:

There's one in my town. Oddly enough, they ripped off GameStop's logo. The store uses the same font and color scheme, except it changed the name to "GameAlley" and substituted green for red.

vs.

I've never been in there. It seems... cheap.

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Wow; you're from the East Bay (CV) as well?

And yeah; I did find it funny they ripped GS's logo. If we're talking about the same store, I've been in a few times before I moved; they seem to be good guys, at least the ones I talked to knew a thing or two, and they do game system repairs/deal in retro stuff/do game rentals as well.

Enresshou said:

Wow; you're from the East Bay (CV) as well?

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Yeah. Small world, apparently.

i buy my games off of Steam or Wal-Mart. Gamestop is overpriced and overrated. Ebay or Craigslist trumps Gamestop.

Well, I've been onboard with Gamestop, and had a small bag full of games to trade in whenever they got a 50% deal I felt interested in.

But now Amazon sent me an Email saying I can trade in The 3rd Birthday for $13. That's half of what I paid for it. I started typing in other games I had in that bag, and counting out the PS2 ones with crap cases, it was going over $80, and Amazon obviously has a much more diverse selection of goods. No way I'd get that much, even with a 50% bonus, for these particular games. I can still trade Gamestop the PS2 ones and get something, but the others are going in the mail on Monday.