retail woes

Blockbuster Not The Best Game Store So Far

So I ran out today to pick up Iron Man the video game, exciteable little fanboy that I am, and decided to purchase it at my local Blockbuster Video, to see how they were doing with the new retail push. They had one copy for the PlayStation 3 and one copy for the Xbox 360 available, and on a whim I chose the PS3 version, seeing as my poor system hadn't been getting much attention since Hot Shots Golf last month. Upon getting the game home I hastily unwrapped it, only to discover that my PS3, which I have long considered the best of the three current consoles when it comes to reliability, would no longer accept any Blu-ray media. PS2 games work fine, and DVD's, but PS3 games and blu-ray movies were a no go. I was completely crushed, and jonesin' for some Iron Man, so I took the game back to Blockbuster, hoping they would show pity on me for buying a game I couldn't play. They swapped out versions for free and I lived happily ever after!

Unfortunately I'm lying.

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retail

Blockbuster Video Gunning For GameStop?

As hinted at by a store manager back in the beginning of this month, Blockbuster Video is ramping up the video game side of their business big time, and they might just be gearing up to give GameStop a run for their money. Along with granting video games like Grand Theft Auto IV sacred space on the New Release wall, corporate-owned stores across the country should now be carrying retail games, consoles, and accessories for purchase, as well as kicking up their rental offerings with more titles and platforms, including DS games, which up til now my local store hadn't carried at all.

"We are committed to offering a full assortment of everything gamers want in our stores — hardware, accessories and retail and rental games across all platforms — including Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS," said Rod Murray, vice-president, games merchandising, Blockbuster Inc.

The company will also be offering a variety of exclusives, such as their exclusive Sony PS3 movie and game bundle, that features a 40GB PS3, Spiderman 3 on Blu-ray, Transformers the Movie the game, and a 12-week PS3/Blu-ray rental card entitling users to a free rental each week of for twelve weeks, all for $499.99. More »

Canadian Blockbuster Video stores and Microsoft are once again teaming up for their Badges of Honour program, which features five limited-edition pins, available now through April 7th. As with last year's program, a $2 donation to the Children's Miracle Network nets you one of these five lovely pieces of flair. This year's selection includes Gears of War, Ninja Gaiden II, and Rock Band buttons, while the Guitar Hero II and Halo 3 buttons of last year are only a memory. Disappointing, yes, but you should have been charitable in a more timely fashion. Don't miss out this time!

Badges of Honour [Xbox Canada]

control freak

Blockbuster Renting GH Guitar

This is certainly something new for my local Blockbuster Video store, though your results may vary. The Blockbuster my roommate works at is renting the Guitar Hero controller for the Xbox 360 starting today. The controller rents separately of the game itself at $7.99 before tax, so, for the total package, you'll have to shell out $16 of your hard-earned monies. I cannot remember another time in the history of major retail game rentals that they've had a separate rental—or rental at all, for that matter—of a gaming peripheral. It's a testament to the popularity of the Guitar Hero franchise, I suppose. Keep in mind that Blockbuster tends to have its head up its ass when it comes to ordering games at their non Game Rush stores, so call ahead before rushing out to have your heart broken.