GAME exits Administration

[Freestyler]

As an addition to the above: the fact that pre-owned console titles are getting more expensive is a deciding factor in me appreciating PC games more now. Tools and sites like Steam and GoG are making it insanely easy to get some quite wonderful titles for frankly PEANUTS compared to the modern consoles.

I have absolutely no desire to see the Next Generation consoles now. Why bother to go back to £60 releases when I have thousands of games on PC for a few pounds each?

[James A]

Ok, Pre-Owned prices are definitely staying high, and it's again definitely affecting other stores.

CeX has put everything up by quite a bit too. Rage (the id shooter) used to be £8 but now it's £12. Games like Space Marine have gone up by two quid and games in franchises (Mass Effect, Saints Row, etc) have leapt astronomically. Fifteen quid for the first games up to £25 for the second. Ouch.

On the plus point got a few deals in GAME. Halo: Reach had a £17.99 sticker on but the guy charged me £12.98 instead. I'm guessing the computers hadn't updated the till price yet!

The Mass Effect ones shot up in price when the thrid one came out, that always happens with some games in a series.

[retrosofer]

Ok, Pre-Owned prices are definitely staying high, and it's again definitely affecting other stores.

CeX has put everything up by quite a bit too. Rage (the id shooter) used to be £8 but now it's £12. Games like Space Marine have gone up by two quid and games in franchises (Mass Effect, Saints Row, etc) have leapt astronomically. Fifteen quid for the first games up to £25 for the second. Ouch.

On the plus point got a few deals in GAME. Halo: Reach had a £17.99 sticker on but the guy charged me £12.98 instead. I'm guessing the computers hadn't updated the till price yet!

Think Mass Effect and Saints Row might have gone up slightly due to the current releases ME3 & SR3, seen this happen with Halo and Gears, might not nesesary be because of demand (although it could be,) but Game/Gamestation have done this from time to time when new releases appear within a series.

[Megamixer]

Ok, Pre-Owned prices are definitely staying high, and it's again definitely affecting other stores.

CeX has put everything up by quite a bit too. Rage (the id shooter) used to be £8 but now it's £12. Games like Space Marine have gone up by two quid and games in franchises (Mass Effect, Saints Row, etc) have leapt astronomically. Fifteen quid for the first games up to £25 for the second. Ouch.

On the plus point got a few deals in GAME. Halo: Reach had a £17.99 sticker on but the guy charged me £12.98 instead. I'm guessing the computers hadn't updated the till price yet!

Think Mass Effect and Saints Row might have gone up slightly due to the current releases ME3 & SR3, seen this happen with Halo and Gears, might not nesesary be because of demand (although it could be,) but Game/Gamestation have done this from time to time when new releases appear within a series.

With regards to ME, don't save files from previous games (if you had them) carry stuff over to the latest one? I'm sure that kind of thing would drive up interest in pre-owned copies of the first two games.

[commanderkaiser]

I was in today, as expected the store was flooded with over priced pre owned games.
One that caught my eye was Advance Wars Dark Conflict on the DS it's £3 in CEX I should know since I bought it during the week yet they have it up for £9.99
I did manage to pick out Apollo Justice for £9.99 which I didn't think was bad but on the whole they are very poor.

They are starting to push pre orders a lot more now too, I kept getting asked if I wanted such and such since they have extra content etc, they alo wanted £5 for the pre order of Diablo 3 which is a bit stupid really.

I still very disappointed with the website too, literally everything is out of stock on there, don't get me wrong I don't expect them to have every game under the sun available but I expect a lot more choice then just the stuff on offer in Tesco and at higher prices.

I think that's the problem really and one they don't seem to have addressed very well, that everything they sell you can get better at a shop that doesn't specialise in games such as Tesco or Asda, there is nothing unique about them (well apart from the high prices). They really need to offer something that would make me keep going back stuff that you can't get at other places, like cheaper prices, more choice than just the top 10 and maybe even look at going back to having retro games and even imports.

[retrosofer]

Ok, Pre-Owned prices are definitely staying high, and it's again definitely affecting other stores.

CeX has put everything up by quite a bit too. Rage (the id shooter) used to be £8 but now it's £12. Games like Space Marine have gone up by two quid and games in franchises (Mass Effect, Saints Row, etc) have leapt astronomically. Fifteen quid for the first games up to £25 for the second. Ouch.

On the plus point got a few deals in GAME. Halo: Reach had a £17.99 sticker on but the guy charged me £12.98 instead. I'm guessing the computers hadn't updated the till price yet!

Think Mass Effect and Saints Row might have gone up slightly due to the current releases ME3 & SR3, seen this happen with Halo and Gears, might not nesesary be because of demand (although it could be,) but Game/Gamestation have done this from time to time when new releases appear within a series.

With regards to ME, don't save files from previous games (if you had them) carry stuff over to the latest one? I'm sure that kind of thing would drive up interest in pre-owned copies of the first two games.

Yeah the save files carry over into each game, if you was a censored or a saint in ME, then that reputation and the choices you made will carry over to ME2 and effect story, how characters treat you etc. I guess it could if gamers want to play the series through from the start because of this, it could increase the demand for the first two games in the series.

[Freestyler]

Due to the fact that GAME's pre-owned Console stock is virtually non-existent they're offering a +25% cash/credit deal on all console trade-ins. So if you have an Xbox/PS3/Wii/whatever you need shot of now's the best time to do it. Dunno how long it'll last, but my guess is a few weeks at least. They really need the stock.

As a plus they're now selling new copies of EA titles such as Mass Effect 3. Pity they missed the big rush!

[retrosofer]

I dont understand where Game/Gamestation think they are heading with buying up loads of preowned again, i know they need to get stock on the shelves and all that, but arn't they just heading down that same preowned path that has helped get them into this sorry mess.
I would have thought trying to hammer out some deals with publishers and stocking their walls with brand new games, maybe getting more that you just never find in shops these days would be a good start surly.

[Negative Creep]

Ok, Pre-Owned prices are definitely staying high, and it's again definitely affecting other stores.

CeX has put everything up by quite a bit too. Rage (the id shooter) used to be £8 but now it's £12. Games like Space Marine have gone up by two quid and games in franchises (Mass Effect, Saints Row, etc) have leapt astronomically. Fifteen quid for the first games up to £25 for the second. Ouch.

On the plus point got a few deals in GAME. Halo: Reach had a £17.99 sticker on but the guy charged me £12.98 instead. I'm guessing the computers hadn't updated the till price yet!

The Mass Effect ones shot up in price when the thrid one came out, that always happens with some games in a series.

So it wasn't just my imagination. I went into town for about the first time in a month thinking I'd spend £10-£15 on something, yet I tried CEX, Game (the larger one has closed) and Gamestation yet walked away with nothing

[killbot]

Remember the copy of Excite Truck I took back to GS about a year ago because it didn't work, only to find they were selling the same copy again a week or two later? Remember I was really angry about it but some people here managed to convince me it was probably an honest mistake? It's happened again! The exact same copy of DKC Returns I took back because the disc looked like it had been given a going over with a brillo pad (leading to the game repeatedly crashing) is back on the shelf and being sold for £27.99! I know it's the same because the case is cracked and scuffed in exactly the same places.

I've now officially had it with GS. I will only buy games from indie stores or online from this point on.

[Freestyler]

I dont understand where Game/Gamestation think they are heading with buying up loads of preowned again, i know they need to get stock on the shelves and all that, but arn't they just heading down that same preowned path that has helped get them into this sorry mess.
I would have thought trying to hammer out some deals with publishers and stocking their walls with brand new games, maybe getting more that you just never find in shops these days would be a good start surly.

I think they have. I'm not 100% sure, but they seem to be selling quite a bit of new kit this last week. Mass Effect 3, the new Halo Anniversary/Reach bundle and quite a few more. I'm sure it was pissing EA off the first time round that got them into the mess, but there's certainly brand new EA games on the shelves now. They're even taking pre-orders for imminent games such as Ghost Recon, Diablo 3 and Max Payne 3, not to mention Black Ops 2. So something must have been worked out behind the scenes...

It's happened again! The exact same copy of DKC Returns I took back because the disc looked like it had been given a going over with a brillo pad (leading to the game repeatedly crashing) is back on the shelf and being sold for £27.99! I know it's the same because the case is cracked and scuffed in exactly the same places.

Yeah, my old battered instruction-less Tomb Raider Underworld was on the shelves for £7.99 as well. I think they gave me about £7 off the top of my head. Same box and everything. Curiously though there wasn't the usual "No instructions included" sticker, so I guess they fished one out? Or are maybe trying a newbie con.

[Negative Creep]

Could be they have more than one copy of said games and are just using your old ones for display purposes?

[killbot]

Could be they have more than one copy of said games and are just using your old ones for display purposes?

The last time it happened with Excite Truck they sold me the exact same game again - it crashed in exactly the same place. Frankly, I'm not prepared to risk buying anything from them again. If they're knowingly putting faulty stock back on the shelves, and it looks for all the world like that's what they are doing, then they deserve to go bust again. To be honest, buying my games from Amazon or independent shops will save me a bundle anyway.

The reason I was in GS was to buy Rayman Origins on the Wii. As usual, the new copies and the preowned ones were the same price (nice one, genuises) so I picked up the new one. When I took it to the counter I was given a manual with a big crease in it and a disc that - whilst not scratched - did have some dirt and fingerprints on it and looked like it had been played at some point. I asked if this was a new copy and was given the most withering, demeaning look the manager could muster before being told in no uncertain terms that it was. I took the game, but I'm sure something iffy was going on. Probably the staff had been taking it home to play and then slipping it back on the shelf and selling it as 'new'.

[ToxieDogg]

Yeah, my old battered instruction-less Tomb Raider Underworld was on the shelves for £7.99 as well. I think they gave me about £7 off the top of my head. Same box and everything. Curiously though there wasn't the usual "No instructions included" sticker, so I guess they fished one out? Or are maybe trying a newbie con.

They haven't been using 'no instructions' stickers for a while, at least here in Liverpool...same with CEX. The only shop that I have seen mentioning 'no instructions' recently is Grainger Games to be honest. A couple of years back, I refused to buy Chronicles Of Riddick: Dark Athena from CEX (the Liverpol Central Station branch, for anyone interested) because it had no instructions (I'd seen the other branch 5 mins down the road selling it for the same price so decided to try there) and not only did the guy behind the counter question why I was bothered, he also started asking another customer nearby if he was bothered about getting instructions with his games, as if I was some kind of shameful minority just for wanting a complete copy of a game. Unbelievable but true.

Probably the staff had been taking it home to play and then slipping it back on the shelf and selling it as 'new'.

Wouldn't surprise me. I've mentioned this story before, but when Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga first came out on GBA, I bought (what I thought) was a new copy off the shelf in Game (down in Aylesbury, whilst I was living down that way). When I got home, it had obviously been used (the 'Set Language' option never came up, and there was a save file already on the cart for around 23 hours of playtime ) I took it straight back the following morning (which was less than 23 hours later) with the game and my GBA to show them, along with my receipt to prove that there was no way I could have been playing it for 23 hours unless I was a Timelord or something. The guy behind the counter took my GBA and showed it to the manager in the back room (who never came out to face me) and then returned to me and said 'It came from the factory like that' and handed it back to me. I had to pretty much demand a replacement, and then made sure that I checked it there before I left.

[jdanddiet]

See that's just shameful treating of the customer as an idiot. They'd been found out. Just apologise and replace and you'd have been happy.