One less choice to make.

Locit · Post by **Locit** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 8:58 pm

<a href="http://ps2.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3139724">Because this kind of thing matters...</a>

I just found this funny is all. Just yesterday I was dragged to an EB games where one of the employees was commenting on how shitty Gamestop was, and that they'd never associate with such trash.

Post by **Popcorn** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:01 pm

I thought that Gamestop was much smaller company than EB. I heard Gamestop is supposed to be coming over here, actually.

Speaking of here, Game bought out Electronics Boutique a few years ago. I guess it's the end of an era, or something.

Post by **Segaholic2** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:24 pm

GameStop has about 200 less stores worldwide as EB. It's something of a merger, with GameStop coming out on top.

I don't know how I feel about this. Hopefully the new company will be better equipped to take back more of the market from the likes of Wal-Mart and Blockbuster.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:31 pm

I put in an application at the local EB just a few days ago. Today I got called for an interview, then not two hours later my friend from GameStop called to tell me the company was buying EB. I guess the goddamn circle is now complete.

Incidentally, the manager who had fired me was fired and the DM left, now the manager who had originally hired me (and also helped me get on at Best Buy) also left Best Buy because it sucked, and now he's back at the mall GameStop and he got my other friend (who had been fired a few months before me) back on as assisstant manager. It's occuring to me that I may be stuck in a terrifying Twilight Zone web of retail evil.

Post by **Squirrelknight** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:31 pm

Hey, those Blockbuster-owned game stores (Game Rush) are pretty good-- They give you a shitload of credit for trade-ins, and their prices are decent.

This Gamestop/EB thing doesn't really bother me... I never had a preference for one over the other, and I only really bought new releases from them. I get all my used games from Gamefly now-- They're cheap, and they're guaranteed to be in mint, almost-new condition.

At least I won't have to buy two discount cards. I hope that Game Informer magazine somehow becomes a casualty of this merger.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:40 pm

I hope that Game Informer magazine somehow becomes a casualty of this merger.

I hope I'll wake up tomorrow morning and find 42 million dollars in cash lying on the floor of my room.

That's the other thing that pisses me off, I was quite looking forward to not having to pimp that accursed magazine.

Locit · Post by **Locit** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:53 pm

I actually prefer EB to Gamestop. While both try to get me to "insure" my fucking games with speeches that resemble vague mafia threats ("It's only $3 to insure it for six months! It sure would be a pity if your disk got scratched...") the people at my local EB are generally nicer and less pushy and give me free pre-order stuff. It also has a cleaner atmosphere about it. Of course, now all of the people who give me free swag are going to get fired because there's a Gamestop not three blocks away.

chriscaffee · Post by **chriscaffee** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 10:18 pm

When living in Japan I got in the habit of ordering games online when they would arrive in the local exchange late. Now that I'm in college without a car it's the same policy. I generally buy from EB, but only online. So... I really don't give a shit to be honest.

Post by **Delphine** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 7:11 am

I have an EB and a GameStop at my mall. Hopefully now they'll be able to buy a bigger store so that when I go in there I can get past the high schoolers and to the games.

Neon Chaos · Post by **Neon Chaos** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 8:41 am

This sucks. I wish they would stay seperate because back when there used to be only one game store in the malls, they jacked up their prices.

Post by **Squirrelknight** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 10:49 am

Delphine wrote:Hopefully now they'll be able to buy a bigger store so that when I go in there I can get past the high schoolers and to the games.

Y'know, they have this thing called the "internet" now that let's you avoid human contact completely.

I wonder if they're gonna close all the EB's or convert them to Gamestops-- Every mall here has either a Gamestop or an EB, and there's usually another Gamestop or EB located within less than a mile of the other.

Post by **Segaholic2** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 10:54 am

Or I wonder if they'll leave the stores the way they are, which is also likely.

Post by **Delphine** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 11:16 am

Squirrelknight wrote:Y'know, they have this thing called the "internet" now that let's you avoid human contact completely.

I like going to the mall. There are stupid people and I laugh at them.

Post by **Segaholic2** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 11:17 am

You can laugh at stupid people through the safety of the internet!

Post by **Delphine** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:10 pm

But stupid people in action are funnier that in text!

Light Speed · Post by **Light Speed** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:20 pm

Isn't Gamestop part of Barnes and Noble? Wouldn't that explain why they have the abilitly to buy out EB?

Double-S- · Post by **Double-S-** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 1:17 pm

I thought Babbages or whatever it was just had a deal with B&N to have stores inside, then GameStop bought Babbages? Or something.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 2:19 pm

To my recollection, Babbage's was bought by Barnes & Noble years ago when the company almost went bankrupt. The Babbage's company then bought Funco Land and changed the official company name to GameStop. According the original plan, by this point there should be no more Babbage's or Software Etc or Funco Land - they should all be GameStops. I don't know if that's gone all the way yet, though.

Spazz · Post by **Spazz** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 3:06 pm

There's a Babbage's at the mall close to where I live. That's where I got my PlayTV Genesis Legends thing just this weekend.

Post by **Segaholic2** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:05 pm

To those of you that hate Game Informer (everyone), bad news.

<A HREF="http://vgombud.blogspot.com/2005/04/wap ... in.html</A>

Looks like Game Informer is the most popular gaming magazine being published today. Huh.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:20 pm

Wonder why that is.

Post by **Esrever** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:21 pm

I've never even SEEN this thing before. Is it only sold at GameStop?

Post by **Squirrelknight** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:33 pm

What happened to game magazines? EGM is probably the best US-based game magazine right now, and that's not saying much.

Magazines now are either complete garbage (Game Informer, Game Pro), mediocre (EGM), or pure fanboy propaganda (Official Xbox Magazine, PSM).

I miss Next Generation. I miss Game Players. I miss Xbox Nation (to a lesser extent). Hell, I even miss Game Fan. I wish I could go back to the mid-ninties, before the gaming press sold out to the mainstream, casual Madden/GTA player who's more interested in reading what celebrities think about games than actual game coverage.

Gwilym · Post by **Gwilym** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:40 pm

Edge. But it costs a fucking mint.

SuperKnux · Post by **SuperKnux** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 7:52 pm

Squirrelknight wrote:Magazines now are either complete garbage (Game Informer, Game Pro), mediocre (EGM), or pure fanboy propaganda (Official Xbox Magazine, PSM).

Yes, I agree. Maybe I have an even bigger hatred because I get TWO Game Informer issues every month because my cousin (who is assistant manager at) GameStop whored two subscriptions to my house. I would complain to him, but fuck does he give awesome Christmas presents.