We'll wait 'til the numbers come in before declaring it a tame Black Friday, though, and maybe blame it on the Bay Area rain. Feel free to share any of your own Black Friday shopping photos in the comments — especially if it was a madhouse in your area.

Amazon.com: The Black Friday video game deals are in full swing, with more game discounts being revealed all day long. Right now you can get bargain prices on Forza 3 and Halo 3: O.D.S.T.

On the console side of things, Amazon has a 120GB PlayStation 3 bundle that comes with inFamous and Killzone 2, with a $10 Amazon promotional credit included.

Best Buy: While most of Best Buy's Black Friday goodness is sold out online, there are several great deals in stores, including a $299 120GB PlayStation 3 bundle with LittleBigPlanet and Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time; an Xbox 360 Elite bundle for $399 that includes Pure, LEGO Batman, and a bundle of Wall-E, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Sonic the Hedgehog and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2; and the two limited-edition Nintendo DSi systems, each with bundled software and a $20 gift card.

Brutal Legend: The Brutal Legend blog has posted a deal tracker so you can find the best possible price on Brutal Legend on Black Friday. Check it out here.

Capcom: The Capcom store is dicounting PC titles from 20-75% off for Black Friday, with free shipping on $25 worth of toys, books, and other fine Capcom-related products.

Dell Direct: Dell Direct is selling a Nintendo Wii bundled with New Super Mario Bros. Wii and an additional Wii remote for $249.99, which saves you the price of that additional remote.

EA: The EA Store has downloadable PC titles on sale for 30% off, including the latest releases like Dragon Age: Origins.

EA Mobile: More than 30 EA iPhone and iPod Touch titles have been discounted by up to 50% for the holiday weekend. From casual titles like Littlest Pet Shop and Sudoku to big-name games like Command & Conquer: Red Alert and Rock Band, now would be a great time to download some EA to your Apple device.

Futureshop: Canadians can have Black Friday deals too! Futureshop has popular EA console games on sale for $39.99 apiece, including Dragon Age: Origins, Brutal Legend, and Left 4 Dead 2.

Gameloft: Gameloft has reduced prices on a bunch of iPhone games to $.99 for the day. Terminator Salvation, Shrek Kart, Blades of Fury, Real Tennis 2009, Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes, Castle of Magic, and Hero of Sparta for less than a buck could certainly help you pass the time waiting in line today.

GameStop: For those of you living where it's not hit 11AM yet, you've still got time to partake of GameStop's doorbuster bundles, which include a $299 PlayStation 3 with LittleBigPlanet Game of the Year Edition and God of War I & II and an Xbox 360 Elite with Pure, LEGO Batman, and your choice of either Call of Duty: World at War or Bakugan.

Steam Sale: The Steam 5-Day 1-Day Sale continues today, with Left 4 Dead 2 at $37.49, Mini-Ninjas at $14.99, Dead Space for $14.99, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for a measly $2.49. Plus, keep in mind that Steam also has LucasArts and THQ bundles on sale for $49.99, so if you've got a fan of either developer in your family, you've got them covered.

Be sure to check out our Black Friday tag page for all of the deals we've been posting over the past couple of months.

Remember, this is by no means a complete list. This is a starting point. A place for our friends in the comment section to share their own deals with each other, giving their fellow gamers a hand in finding the best deals going on during the busiest shopping day of the year. Sharing is caring!

Kotakuite Charles stopped by a New York City Best Buy location this morning to pick up Modern Warfare 2, only to encounter the stuff of nightmares - Bon Jovi fans. Also, clowns.

"Went to best buy this morning to get COD. We were greeted by Ringling Brothers clowns waiting in line to buy the Ringling Bros. game from 2K. Also waiting in line were about 30 people waiting to get the new Bon Jovi album (they were even chanting Bon Jovi for a moment....wtf). Needless to say, Bon Jovi and Ringling won today's morning crowd as there were only about 2-5 people waiting to get COD. Just another NYC moment."

Just another NYC moment? I'll be staying on the Southern half of the East coast for the rest of my life then, thanks.

The participating Best Buy stores will start selling Modern Warfare 2 at 12:01 a.m. this Tuesday. GameStop tells me that 4,250 of their 4,360 stores will also be selling at midnight and that they plan to also have "lots of fun activities" for waiting fans.

Is anyone here going to be staying up late come this Monday? If so, what platform are you getting it for?

The sale, which was spotted at NeoGAF and runs October 25 to 31, applies to all new Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 games, and is limited to games priced $59.99 or less. Sorry, no DJ Hero Renegade Edition for you, bargain hunter!

The timing looks a hell of a lot better for the cash-strapped holiday gamer, considering that Forza Motorsport 3, Tekken 6, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will all hit North America next week.

That's right before the big Tuesday release!

Modern Warfare 2 Midnight Store Opening Locations:

ALABAMA
Alabaster
Auburn
Hoover
Huntsville
Mobile
Montgomery
Oxford
Trussville

ALASKA
Anchorage

ARIZONA
Ahwatukee
Arrowhead
Avondale
Camelback
Casa Grande
Chandler
E. Tucson
Fiesta Mall
Flagstaff
Goodyear
North Scottsdale
Paradise Valley
Prescott
Scottsdale Shea
Superstition Sprg
S.W. Tucson
Thunderbird Rd
Tucson
Yuma

ARKANSAS
Fort Smith
Rogers

CALIFORNIA
Apple Valley
Bakersfield
Brentwood
Cerritos
Citrus Heights
City of Industry
Clovis
Colma
Corona
Costa Mesa
Culver City
Downey
Duarte
East Orange
Elk Grove
Fairfield
Fresno
Fullerton
Glendale
Hawthorne
Irvine
Jamboree
La Quinta
Lakewood
Long Beach
Manteca
Marina
Menifee
Mira Mesa
Mission Viejo
Montclair
Montebello
Moreno Valley East
Natomas
Northridge
Oceanside
Ontario
Orange
Oxnard
Pasadena
Pinole
Pleasant Hill
Porter Ranch
Rancho Cucamonga
Riverside
Roseville
San Bruno
San Carlos
San Francisco
Santa Clarita
Santa Maria
Santa Rosa
Santana Row
Sherman Oaks
Signal Hill
Simi Valley
Thousand Oaks
Torrance
Tracy
Tustin
Vallejo
Victorville
Visalia
West Covina
West Hollywood
West L.A.
Westminster Mall
Westwood
Woodland Hills
Yorba Linda

COLORADO
Arapahoe and Parker
Boulder
Colorado Springs II
First and Main
Fort Collins
Grand Junction
I-70 and Tower Rd.
Northglenn
Parker
S.E. Denver
Southwest
Westminster

CONNECTICUT
Manchester
West Hartford

DELAWARE
Christiana
Wilmington

FLORIDA
Aventura
Boca Raton
Bradenton
Brandon
Coral Springs
Dadeland
Daytona Beach
Doral
Florida City
Fort Myers
Gainesville
Gulf Coast
Hialeah
Jacksonville N
Jensen Beach
Kissimmee
Lady Lake
Miami Beach
Millenia Mall
Oldsmar
Orange Park
Pembroke Pines
Pensacola
Pinecrest
Regency Mall
S. Tampa
Saint Johns
Sanford
Sawgrass
St. Petersburg
Tallahassee
Tropicaire
W. Kendall
W. Palm Beach
Waterford Lakes
Wesley Chapel
Winter Garden

GEORGIA
Alpharetta
Athens
Atlanta (Midtown)
Augusta
Columbus
Cumberland
Gainesville
Gwinnett
Kennesaw
Macon
Perimeter
Savannah

HAWAII
Aiea
Honolulu

IDAHO
Nampa
Twin Falls

ILLINOIS
Algonquin
Arlington Heights
Bloomingdale
Bloomington
Bolingbrook
Burbank
Butterfield Road
Champaign
Crystal Lake
Dekalb
Edwardsville
Evanston
Geneva
Gurnee
Harlem and Irving
Joliet
Kankakee
Kildeer
Mundelein
North Avenue
Orland Park
Schaumburg
Springfield
Tinley Park
Vernon Hills
W. Dundee

INDIANA
Apple Glen Cross
Bloomington
Clarksville
Evansville
Fort Wayne
Greenwood
Kokomo
Lafayette
Mishawaka
Muncie
Valparaiso

IOWA
Ames
Ankeny
Cedar Rapids
Davenport
Des Moines I
Des Moines II
Iowa City
Waterloo

KANSAS
Lawrence
Manhattan
Oak Park
Olathe
Overland Park
Topeka

KENTUCKY
Bowling Green
Elizabethtown
Florence
Hamburg Pavillion
Lexington
Outer Loop
Shelbyville

LOUISIANA
Baton Rouge
Lafayette
Lake Charles
Shreveport
Veterans Blvd.
Westbank

MAINE
Bangor

MARYLAND
Arundel Mills
Frederick
Germantown
Glen Burnie
Hunt Valley
Lexington Park
Rockville

MASSACHUSETTS
Brockton
Milford
North Dartmouth
Pittsfield
Saugus
Seekonk
South Bay
Taunton
Worcester

MICHIGAN
Allen Park
Ann Arbor
Brighton
Farmington Hills
Flint
Grand Rapids II
Gratiot
Kalamazoo
Lansing
Madison Heights/Troy
Novi
Port Huron
Saginaw
Southfield

MINNESOTA
Apple Valley
Baxter
Blaine
Duluth
Maple Grove
Minnetonka
Northtown
Oakdale
Richfield
Roseville
Shakopee

MISSISSIPPI
Gulfport
Hattiesburg

MISSOURI
Cape Girardeau
Columbia
Lees Summit
Manchester
Mid Rivers Mall
South County
Watson Road

MONTANA
Billings
Kalispell
Missoula

NEBRASKA
Lincoln
Omaha
W. Omaha

NEVADA
Carson Valley
Centennial
Henderson
Las Vegas II
Maryland Parkway
Reno
Sparks
Summerlin
S.W. Las Vegas

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Manchester
Nashua
Salem

NEW JERSEY
Cherry Hill
Deptford
E. Hanover
East Brunswick
Holmdel
Manahawkin
Manalapan
Mount Laurel
Rockaway
Secaucus
South Brunswick
Union
Vauxhall
West Paterson
Woodbridge

NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque
Farmington
Santa Fe
W Albuquerque II

NEW YORK
Albany
Bay Shore
Broadway (NoHo)
Big Flats
Clarence
Commack
Hartsdale
Henrietta
Huntington Station
Ithaca
Liverpool
Patchogue
Rego Park
Riverhead
Syracuse
Vestal
W. Nyack
Westbury

NORTH CAROLINA
Asheville
Asheville South
Burlington
Cary
Charlotte North Lake
Durham New Hope Commons
Durham Renaissance Court
Gastonia
Greensboro
Greenville
Hickory
Jacksonville
Monroe
Rocky Mount
University Place
Waynesville
Wilmington
Wilson
Winston-Salem

NORTH DAKOTA
Fargo

OHIO
Avon
Canton
Chapel Hill
Colerain
Dayton Mall
Eastgate
Elyria
Fairfield Township
Fields Ertel
Findlay
Grove City
Lancaster
Mansfield
Mayfield Road
Mentor
Niles
Parma
Polaris
Sandusky
Springfield
Strongsville
Toledo
Tri-County
Tuttle Crossing
Western Hills
Youngstown

OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma City North
Owasso
Tulsa

OREGON
Gresham
Salem
Springfield

PENNSYLVANIA
Altoona
Century III
Cranberry
Erie
Harrisburg East
Mechanicsburg
Monaca
No. Fayette
No. Hills Village
Oxford Valley
Pittsburgh Mills
Plymouth Meeting
S. Philadelphia
Scranton
Selinsgrove
So. Hills
State College
Stroudsburg
Whitehall
Wilkes Barre

RHODE ISLAND
Middletown

SOUTH CAROLINA
Anderson
Charleston
Florence
Greenville
Myrtle Beach
Summerville
Two Notch

SOUTH DAKOTA
Rapid City
Sioux Falls

TENNESSEE
Johnson City
Kingsport
Knoxville
Memphis
Mt. Juliet
Nashville West
Rivergate

TEXAS
Abilene
Allen
Baybrook
Baytown
Beaumont
Brownsville
Corpus Christi
Denton
East El Paso
East Houston
El Paso
Flower Mound
Fort Worth
Forum
Frisco
Galleria
Grand Parkway
Gulfgate
Heritage Trace
Hulen
Lake Jackson
Laredo
Legacy
Lubbock
McAllen
Midland
Midway/LBJ
N. Garland
N. McAllen
No. Austin
North Arlington
North Irving
North Rim
Pasadena
Pearland
Price Plaza
Ridgmar
Rockwall
Rosenberg
San Angelo
San Antonio
San Marcos
So. Austin
South Fort Worth
Sugarland
Texarkana
Victoria
Victory Lakes
W. Oaks
W. San Antonio
Waxahachie
Weatherford
West El Paso
West McAllen
Wichita Falls
Woodlands

UTAH
Logan
Murray
Orem
Riverdale
South Salt Lake

VERMONT
Williston

VIRGINIA
Charlottesville
Chesapeake
Chesterfield
Christianburg
Fairlakes
Fredericksburg
Leesburg
Lynchburg
Newport News
Princess Anne
Reston
Roanoke
Springfield Mall
Stafford
Sterling
Virginia Beach
Virginia Center Commons
W. Broad
Williamsburg

WASHINGTON
Bellevue
Bellingham
Burlington
E. Spokane
Everett
Olympia
Puyallup
Seattle-Northgate
Spokane North

WEST VIRGINIA
Granville
Huntington

WISCONSIN
Bluemound Plaza
E. Madison
Green Bay
Kenosha
La Crosse
Racine
Southridge
W. Madison

WYOMING
Casper

Midnight [Best Buy Thanks, Alex!]

The Best Buy near Scranton, Pennsylvania (yes, that Scranton) will be hosting the Scranton Warfare Premier, Best Buy's David Partenio tells Kotaku.

The event will pit customers against the National Guard in a Laser Tag challenge outside the store hosted by Big Entertainment Events. Meanwhile, there will be a LAN party for the game going on inside the store.

The store will also be testing a "GameStop pre-order price match" deal, Partenio says. Any customers who brings in a receipt showing that they placed a $5 pre-order with GameStop, Wal-Mart or Toys R Us gets $5 off the price of the game at the Best Buy.

This is the second red carpet premiere event Best Buy has done for a video game's midnight launch. The first was for Resident Evil 5 and featured a haunted house, zombies and the National Guard pushing back a wave of zombie insurgents.

Stay tuned for more details about the Modern Warfare launch event in PA and let us know if you plan on attending.

Kansas City, Missouri, to be exact, where a Sony representative was instructing store representatives on the relative values of the three consoles, making note of the Xbox 360's optional wireless adapter and pay-to-play online and the Wii's limited-capabilities and $199 price tag. Did you know that the PlayStation 3 has a Blu-ray drive and the other two consoles don't? You did? Oh. Well maybe the Best Buy people didn't.

The clock is ticking, and the proof is definitely building up. Will Nintendo announce a price cut before the week is out, or will it be a surprise? Will it happen at all?

We've requested comment from both Sony and Nintendo regarding both the presentation and the price cut, but we've yet to receive a response.

UPDATE: A sony representative contacted us to let us know that the presentation was only giving perspective based on a speculative price for the Wii.

"What I think is something that we've missed in the industry and is something other participants have been doing is the proportion of business that is used," Robinson told DJ Newswires. "We've not developed the capability to the extent that other participants have. It's a very margin-rich portion, so I think there's opportunity in that business."

This is all in response to the site Bloggingstocks.com, which speculated on Tuesday that GameStop could be an acquisition target. Of course, it might also cost north of $4 billion to do that, which is dough Best Buy doesn't have. Leveraging the deal or doing a stock swap then commits Best Buy to the bricks-and-mortar game retail business for the long term, and Robinson noted the industry's shift toward digital distribution. He also pointed out the company's test of in-store kiosks that buy back used games.

Best Buy US CFO: Used Video Games 'Strategically Interesting' [Dow Jones Newswires on The Wall Street Journal.com]

The deal involves "qualifying games" but with 140 on the list, it's practically all PS3 games priced $59.99 or less, It does not cover preorders. Basically, you pay full price on one game and then get the second half-off. So it's two titles, $90. You can take advantage of the offer either in-store or online. Online, they're giving free shipping on all orders over $25, which this is.

Buy One PS3 Game, Get One 50 Percent Off [Dealzon]

On Sept. 9, ten Best Buys will kick off celebrations for the game at 8 a.m. with prize and memorabilia giveaways including gadgets, t-shirts, the title and one-year Reward Zone Premier Silver memberships.

"With their timeless music, The Beatles have long been a favorite of Best Buy customers," said Gary Arnold, senior entertainment officer for Best Buy. "The Beatles: Rock Band and The Beatles` remastered studio albums are two of the most highly anticipated entertainment releases of the year, and we`re thrilled to celebrate with the fans and provide our customers a unique experience they can`t get anywhere else."

There will also be live broadcasts from DJs in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

The main attraction, though, will be those all-expense paid trips to Abbey Road in London.

Fans attending the in-store events can enter to win from each of the store locations. The winner, along with his/her guest, will be flown to London where they will tour EMI`s famed Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles recorded their albums. In addition, winners will be taken on a walking Magical Mystery Tour including:

* The Beatles `rooftop session` location
* Paul McCartney`s offices
* The `birthplace` of Beatlemania
* The Beatles coffee shop
* A Hard Day`s Night and Help! Film locations
* Registry office where Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both were married
* The Beatles Apple shop

Entries will be accepted on the day of the event through in-store kiosks in the 10 event locations with the DJs announcing the winners on air the following morning, September 10, 2009. Visit www.bestbuy.com for a list of event locations.

If you're not lucky enough to live near one of the ten locations, you can still swing by a Best Buy to try out the game, which should now be on display at most stores.

Best part being it's not limited to a selection of old, unwanted games. It's limited to, well, 232 Xbox 360 games, awesome to bad and everything in between. Even upcoming games, like Modern Warfare 2 and Brutal Legend.

Here's the list. Have at it.

[Best Buy]

An internal memo, verified independently by a number of employees at different stores, shows that Best Buy is offering people who come into the store to exchange recently purchased Playstation 3's for the newly released PS3 Slim a choice of a free Playstation 3 title and price match in lieu of the new slimmer, larger-hard-drive sporting console.

Due to the interest in the new Slim model, the memo warns, stores may see people trying to return their console for the newer model. Before doing the exchange, a store is allowed to offer a choice of a free copy of Infamous, MLB 09 The Show or Killzone 2. Not a bad selection, but is it worth more than the smaller footprint and bigger hard drive?

It's important to note that this isn't an advertised sale, it's an internal memo. So it may be up to the store manager's discretion how often to offer the deal. I'd also assume that this would only hold for Playstation 3's purchased within the past 30 days and with a valid receipt.

We've contacted Sony and Best Buy for confirmation. If this is true, I think it's just further evidence of a console war heating up to deliver plenty of great deals for gamers on both sides of the fence.

These prices come from a West Jordan, Utah area GameStop, the same location that Best Buy is testing its "buy new games at used prices" plan. The deals are fantastic, slashing $10 to $15 off GameStop's regular used prices for most of these titles, including relatively new releases like Red Faction: Guerrilla, Prototype, UFC 2009 Undisputed, inFamous, The Conduit and Fight Night Round 4.

In fact, those price drops on used games affect dozens of titles, prices that would make it unattractive and unprofitable for Best Buy to continue with its plan. The real attraction here is for the West Jordan, Utah gamer, who can probably snap up new copies of tons of games at below wholesale prices.

According to the flyer that we were forwarded by Kotaku reader Corvus, these prices are in effect at the West Jordan GameStop only until August 31. If you're in the market for just about anything, might be worth heading to GameStop and grabbing one of these flyers, Utahans.

Here's the flyer, which apparently does not reflect all price drops at the West Jordan GameStop.

One Cheap Ass Gamer snapped this photo highlighting the promotion at a West Jordan, Utah area Best Buy. The offer boasts that the store "now price matches NEW video games at USED prices from Gamestop or Game Crazy." GameStop's used pricing tends to be about $5 less than the retail price on new releases, a decent savings on brand new games, but not out of line with pre-existing deals offered by Best Buy.

We're currently waiting to hear back from Best Buy on the finer details of the promotion. It's not clear how many of Best Buy's retail locations are offering this price match guarantee. Obviously, we'll let you know if this is just a test and just how this program will work.

If this policy rolls out at Best Buys nationwide, it's possible that it could impact GameStop and Game Crazy's used game sales business, but maybe not as substantially as some might hope.

Best Buy Price Matching New Games at Used Prices from GameStop and Game Crazy [Cheap Ass Gamer]

No matter where you preorder Champions Online you'll gain access to the open beta test on August 17th, 30 days game time, and five in-game microtransaction dollars, but after that it all comes down to where you pick up the game. Want access to the early-start preview weekend? Then you'll want to buy from GameStop or Best Buy, depending on whether you want an in-game pet or special costume pieces.

Wal-Mart preorders are for those who prefer real-life swag, with a lenticular cover, and iron on patch, and a zone map packed into its exclusive limited edition package, while Amazon is the place for those who value avatar looks above all, with three exclusive costume pieces on offer.

I am really beginning to hate this practice. It seems completely silly and arbitrary to me. It also makes me wonder who is negotiating these deals, as I cannot see why any fan would chose Amazon or Wal-Mart over the stores offering early access to the game. Madness, I tell you. Check out the full list of benefits below to help you determine where you'll buy Champions Online come September 1st.

GameStop

GameStop customers who pre-order Champions Online receive access to the Early Start Program. Battle an alien menace, collect exclusive items, and join the early start weekend to get a jump on the action! GameStop customers also receive the exclusive Insectoid Airfoil costume piece and Experimental Anti-Graviton Generator flight travel power at character creation for an early boost in mobility.

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is offering an exclusive Limited Edition Package with collectible lenticular cover that includes an exclusive zone map, iron-on decal and an additional ten in-game micro-transaction dollars! Check online and in-store for more details and other potential offers.

Best Buy

Best Buy is offering their customers the fun and functional Lil' Champ Pack. These persistent pets are iconic, knee-high characters from the Champions universe! Best Buy Customers receive their own Lil' Champ. In addition, Lil' Champ owners also receive a functional damage resistance item. Best Buy pre-order customers will also receive access to the Early Start Program and head start weekend.

Amazon

The High Roller Pack is perfect for players who insist on the finest accoutrements for their avatar. With three unique, exclusive apparel options (harlequin headpiece, black knight helmet, grenade chest strap), and an additional five in-game micro-transaction dollars, you'll have plenty of options to push your "High Roller" look.

All

All Champions Online pre-orders receive guaranteed access to the Champions Online open beta test on August 17, exclusively offered by IGN.com. Additionally, all retail purchases include 30-days of free play and five in-game micro-transaction dollars.

Lombax fans who put their money down on Ratchet & Clank's latest PlayStation 3 adventure at GameStop will gain exclusive access to the Insomniac Moon, a special planet laid out to resemble the Insomniac offices, chock-full of extra content that didn't make it into the game. They're calling the planet the Discovery Package. And then there's the Power Package, that lets players start off with extra hit points, an exclusive weapon skin, and the Cryo Mine Glove, which ejects mines that freeze enemies in their place.

Now how much would you pay? But wait! There's more. Also up for grabs is the Space Package, with a hot rod spaceship skin, 5,000 free bolts, and a custom PlayStation Home avatar! Or perhaps you'd prefer Amazon's Bolt Package, which includes 5,000 bolts, the Bolt Magnetizer, and a handy Box Basher?

So we've got GameStop, Amazon, and the other two will end up at Game Crazy and Best Buy. Considering the options in my area, looks like the Discovery Package for me. I suppose I could have done worse.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time should be in stores this fall.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time Pre-Order Goodies [PlayStation Blog]

That makes the actual hardware somewhat of a steal, considering these are two must have (or at least should have) titles that will play on your PS3. Both the game and movie were adored by critics, so only buy in if you have superb taste. Asking price is $399 USD, likely part of Sony's efforts to clear out remaining PlayStation 3 80 GB stock before issuing a hardware revision and cheaper base price, as rumored.

Really the only way to top this is to put a puppy in the box.

Sony - PlayStation 3 (80GB) with LittleBigPlanet and Wall-E [Best Buy via Joystiq]

GameStop addressed Best Buy's plans at their annual shareholders meeting in Southlake, Texas on Tuesday, explaining that their years of customer service give it the winning edge over cold, calulating machines.

"GameStop understands that trading in used games and consoles is a highly-assisted activity," the company said. "We are very confident in our business model that allows our expert associates to help consumers trade in product, a fact not addressed with a self-serve process."

Of course, the expert associates generally don't do more while trading in then look at the games and tell you the price you'd be getting, which is what the kiosks themseves do, but this is beside the point.

The point here is that GameStop isn't afraid of Best Buy. They aren't afraid of Amazon. And if you start accepting game trade-ins, they more than likely won't be afraid of you.

GameStop is unfazed by new rival in used-video-game market [Star-Telegram.com]