Game & Gamestation: GAME credit woes

[EvilBoris]

Neverdead i floating on a 53 score on metacritic, That game will probably finish of Rebellion.

[teddymeow]

NeverDead has just kind of come out of nowhere. We didn't get any stock as we had no pre-orders for it. Thing is; there's no point stocking a game if nobody wants it. Beside somebody is really desperate for it they can use the I store ordering service and have it delivered to their house.

[BaronSqwelch]

Oh i am used to them not having most games i want on the shelf ...but they almost always have 1 copy in a box under the counter. EDF IA, Okami-den, Solotarobo, Deathsmiles, NBA Jam, Williams Pinball and several others have all had their solitary copy taken by me. Not filling the stores with hundreds of them I get but is it really so insane having a copy or 2 at some of there stores?

They do say everytime that any game that comes out if I preorder it they will get me one in but I am a quirky (re:- annoying) guy. If I have to think ahead and pre-order something I will do it somewhere like ShopTo where I will get it cheaper and early.

I am old fashioned, I like going into a shop and having a quick chat about a game orlistening in the queue to some tall tale of what some kid is telling his mates about his adventures in fingering/COD, grab my game and go off feeling a little happier than I was.

Now its go in, get hassled as soon as I walk in by a kid with a pre-order clip board, not find the game I want then while they are telling me why they have not got it get a copy of Soul Calibre 5 (60 quid version of course) shoved at me saying that I should buy this anyway as its 'toooo sick' and asked if I want to order SSX too.

I used to think that as annoying as this approach is to me and everyone I know, that it obviously must bring in the cash or they wouldn't do it. But this story seems to show it doesn't really work.

Maybe changing focus a little back towards "real gamers" (wanky sounding though that is) would work?
Even using the Elite card data maybe like Tesco do...they know the type of games we like/buy, they know the branch we buy them at....even just an email saying something like 'DoDonPachi is out this week, come buy it here for 100xp bonus' and having a copy or 2 at that store would be a start?

Or maybe not as i am rambling....I am full of NightNurse and snot

[teddymeow]

Not filling the stores with hundreds of them I get but is it really so insane having a copy or 2 at some of there stores?

It'll depend on how many Konami made & how many Game were expected to buy based on their % market share. It's possible there were only enough copies to send to the top 50 stores and then some held back for online.

[mingo]

Game in Westfield London had no MGS either, however they had 3DS games @ ?39.99 (3Dland, Res,i MK) Silly prices TBH

[ETC]

I did see one in Grainger games but that tends to happen where I live game and gs don't get it but Grainger get one - looked quit **** tbh was on demo screen

[FelixofMars]

I have to admit it, since the first AVP in the late 90s have they done another good game? All of the recent attempts have been pretty sour. As things are at the moment any retail game that has a less than promising review has killed the company in months. That said don't they own the 2000AD licence? how far will that stretch? they have to be on the ropes along with Game?

Neverdead i floating on a 53 score on metacritic, That game will probably finish of Rebellion.

[parkinho]

Just want to say that the guy who served me in Game yesterday was really nice. Like all stores, there are good and bad staff.

I don't buy many games nowadays, but last time I made a purchase from Game was when Deus Ex: HR was released and the guy who served me was absolutely top class, exrtremely polite and knowledgeable. We had a good 15 minute chat after he served me and I left knowing that I'd be using that store again next time I was buying from town. Would be a shame to see such excellent people lose their job if Game does eventually fold.

[dvdx2]

i woundnt like to see them fail

they are really handy for me as most shopping centres have one. Some of the preowned bargains are great (3 for 2). What would be left here in Belfast - HMV and tesco/sainsburys.....

hardly good preowned stuff or prices...be bad for gamers

[Flabio]

That said don't they own the 2000AD licence? how far will that stretch? they have to be on the ropes along with Game?

They don't own a licence, they own 2000AD itself. They'll be making enough to get by purely from sales of that and it's collected trades. It's felt like the videogame side of them has been an afterthought for some time now.

[nakamura]

Guy got really ****ty with me in Game yesterday because Uncharted on the Vita didn't impress me. I think he was trying to sell it to someone else at the time!

[EvilBoris]

Yeah, they've handled quite a few PSP ports of existing franchises aswell as making a few other low rent PSP games. Their full sized console fair has been quite poor for some time though.

[davek22]

The staff at my local (Altrincham), gamestation are brilliant. The same staff have been there for years and they are all real gamers. The manager there is brilliant. They don't BS customers and have always given me good deals. For instance in the past they have given me pre order bonus codes when I buy a game that I didn't pre order. I also went in to get a used PSP go and the guy went up to the stock room because a mint one had come in recently. It was so mint they could have sold it as new. Would hate to see this shop disappear

[EvilBoris]

I popped into the altrincham one yesterday. They were the ones that first the news that I'd have to lie/cheat to get a copy of MGS.
I wouldn't want for them to go under, I can't see why any would would either. It's handy to have a high street games retailer in every town ever.

I couldn't give a Monkies what the staff are like to be honest, I don't need their help to do anything but put the sale through.

[Grapple Convoy]

Have to admit, I don't like the pressure-selling tactics used in Game these days. Can't go in to pick up a random bargain (and there were a lot of bargains the week before and after Christmas) without the sales people trying to talk you into buying a game for a console you don't own, then try and sell you a "pre-owned" console, then... Well, that's off putting as a customer, as you can imagine. I personally only buy from Game when there's seasonal offers and discounts.

Hate to see Game go under though, because I wouldn't wish sudden unemployment on anyone, certainly not in these Tory Britain days of decline and high levels of joblessness. Also, I agree that the lack of Game and Gamestation branches on the high street won't do the games industry any favours, as mentioned before, many consumers will not buy stuff online.