It's a blow to Kiwis who take pride in local ownership and believe that retailing games and consoles isn't a job so complex only American multinational corps get to do it. As far as actual economic impact, Geekpulp says Gamesman staff have been told no job losses are planned. However, there are eight stores in five cities, all of whom also have EB stores. So it's inevitable that some will close down the line. Not happy news for our gamer friends in New Zealand.

The Gamesman Set to be Acquired by EB Games [Geekpulp, thanks Ahmad]

After 7 productive years with GameStop, Steve Morgan has made the decision to reapply his energy and drive outside out GameStop Steve will officially be leaving the company on May 2nd 2008. Steve has stated from the very first day we discussed his position with our merged company that his goal was to head up a company as a CEO. After two and half very successful years as our President he now feels that the time is right to pursue his objective.

The kicker? Due to EB Games policy, the customer couldn't return the product (even in light of certain evidence). Shame on EB Games? Yeah, but bigger shame on the customer for giving in. Unless, of course, the guy was lying and the missing games were just an incredible coincidence. Buyers beware. Open GH3 in the store or suffer from a potentially lethal mix of bad luck and assholedom.

Open Guitar Hero III Inside The Store, Some Boxes May Be Empty [via gaygamer]

London, 2038. According to to legend...

Who knew the DS was part of "ancient knowledge and rituals [that] were lost to the antiquity of time"? We certainly didn't. But now that we do, we're ordering ourselves another DS.

God bless typos that aren't our own.

Thanks Addy! [damn, they fixed it already]

This is an ONLINE ONLY Limited Edition. This item WILL NOT be available in stores.

This seems like an odd move, but who am I to question the logic of the great EB Games? So as not to cause any confusion, EB Games isn't the only place you can get the Mass Effect Limited Edition, you just won't be able to get in their stores. Whether or not it will be available at other brick and mortar locales remains to be seen.

Mass Effect Limited Edition- ONLINE ONLY [EB Games]
[Thanks, Doomstink]

[via The Asian Power Hour]

Alvin and the Chipmunks Invading Consoles [Siliconera]

The BBPS has a great two part article called Exposed: The Ugly Truth Behind Pre-Order Pushing that is quite a good read. Author Xav de Matos managed several EBs and has quite a lot to say, good and bad, about the corporate process and the thinking behind it.

I think it is easy to jump on the "I hate Gamestop/EB Games" bandwagon without knowing the full truth. Sure, they have some policies that are aggravating, but at the end of the day, they are a corporation with some sucky corporate policies just like any other business. And yes, some employees are rude and distant, but others are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I have never had a problem dealing with my local EBers here in Atlanta. At both of the stores I frequent, the staff are extremely nice and always have something smart to say about games. On the other hand, my experiences with EB in New Orleans was less than stellar, often ending with me leaving the store extremely frustrated and vowing never to return. But, in the end I did. I guess what I'm saying here is these thing need to be taken on a case by case basis.

And yes, I pre-order sometimes. I pre-ordered my Wii at the local EB and had one of the most pleasant experiences picking it up at midnight and I certainly didn't have to wait overnight in a long line in the cold. The feeling was friendly and cordial and the whole process took about 20 minutes. later i got the requisite phone call about selling back my copy of Zelda, but I simply hung up the phone. But then, I'm a pretty laid back guy when it comes to those sorts of things.

All that said, I encourage you to read Xav's article. It has a good deal of insight into the corporate structure of EB and sheds some light on the whole subject. I like the fact that while he criticizes the corporate process, he makes it clear that the employees are in some ways as much victims of the system as the customers. Agree with his presentation or not, more articles of this ilk are certainly needed and appreciated. Flynn De Marco

Exposed: The Ugly Truth Behind Pre-Order Pushing Pt. 1
Exposed: The Ugly Truth Behind Pre-Order Pushing Pt. 2 [the bbps]

An anonymous Gamestop tipster has informed us that Gamestop/EB is revisiting their PS3 trade in deal that was available for a short time a few months ago. With your trade in of a fully functioning PS2 with cables and controller, a second Sony PS2 controller and an 8mb Sony PS2 memory card, you will receive $100 dollars off your purchase of a PS3. As the 20 gig Ps3's are no longer readily available (and apparently will no longer be available at all), your trade in will most likely have to go towards the 60 gig version.

As I remarked in my article in January on this same subject, $100 off still isn't enough to make me want to part company with my trusty old PS2. Flynn De Marco

Often times it's very easy to find fault with corporate owned game stores. The main complaint with these places usually seem to be their admittedly terrible trade in values and their sometimes inability to fill pre-orders. But, there is a flip side to the coin as well. It's not uncommon that you'll turn up that game you've been looking for forever at a pretty reasonable price. Or you might find a game that you got rid of a while ago and wished you hadn't. And sometimes, if you're really lucky, you'll stumble across a game you didn't even realize you wanted, but the price makes it impossible to turn down.

Last week, my friend Clint and I went to our local Gamestop during lunch so I could pick up a copy of the God of War II demo. Sitting at the end of an aisle was a large stack of Nintendo bongo controllers and at the bottom, two brand new copies of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat with bongos included for $15. Clint immediately snatched up a copy and headed to the counter to pay for it. After we got back to work, I was kicking myself for not picking up the other copy, but I figured I could check out Clint's at some point. The next day, my friend Greg showed up with a copy of Donkey Konga, also with the bongos, that he found for $15. Being the kind soul that he is, he offered the game to me and said he could go pick up his own since the store is right by his house. I took him up on his offer and found myself thoroughly enjoying the game.

By now, my interest was piqued in the bongo department so, as I mentioned in my Night Note, I headed to Gamestop yesterday and grabbed a copy of Jungle Beat and a second pair of bongos (Donkey Konga can actually be played by multiple players on different sets of bongos at the same time). After playing a bit of Jungle Beat, I was totally hooked and found myself playing and clapping well into the night much to the chagrin of my neighbors.

So in the end, for less than the price of a new Wii or 360 game, I was able to get two great, brand new, never been opened games and two specialty controllers. Sure I took a chance, but the point is that games like this are out there just sitting on the shelf, waiting for you to find them. If you're willing to take the time to do a little digging, you may just uncover that special hidden gem amongst the dreck. Flynn De Marco

Sometime in the last few weeks, Gamestop has snuck in put up an EBGames.com website for our brothers and sisters in the fair land Canada. Formerly, Canadians wishing to order from the online retailer had to do their purchasing form the U.S. website and unfortunately, they still have to.

The site currently provides no way to actually order games online, although they say it's coming. Clicking on the title of a game you would like to purchase brings up a description and then directs you to purchase the game at one of their brick and mortar stores. There isn't even a search function so that you can check out their inventory. Each console has a list of about five games and then some lists of top sellers.

I'm a little baffled that they would bother put up a site that is not yet completed, but I suppose it's better than the page they had up before that directed people to the US website. Still, if I'm going to purchase something online, I want to purchase it online, not be told that I need to go to the store to buy it. Otherwise, how am I supposed to maintain my stereotypical gamer persona of not leaving the house except for booze, food and occasional sex? Flynn De Marco

Canadian EB Website [EB Games - Thanks, Addurobi]

EB games charging people $7.99 for used Burger King Pocket Bike Racer. [Digg]

Managers found Amber Belken, 24, at the store about 2 p.m. after going by the store to see why she wasn't answering the phone. Police said a witness saw Belken enter the store alone around 9 a.m. and that they believe she was confronted by her killer as she prepared for the store's 10 a.m. opening.

Police believe robbery to be the motive in the killing. Anyone who lives in the area and was near the store between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. should call police, 210-207-7635 if they have any information. Brian Crecente

Clerk Found Dead in Video Game Store [KSAT]

EB/Gamestop is offering a hundred dollars credit towards any PS3 system with the trade in of your old PS2. Surprisingly, unlike most EB/Gamestop deals, you are not required to trade in any games, but you must have all of the following items; A working PS2 system including all appropriate cords and controller, a second PS2 controller and any brand 8mb PS2 memory card. The offer is good through Feb. 18.

I don't know about you, but I'm not quite ready to part with my good old PS2. We've been through a lot together, moved to three different states and it even survived Hurricane Katrina while most things in my living room did not. Somehow, a hundred dollars just doesn't seem worth the price for an old faithful friend. Flynn De Marco

EB Games Weekly Ad [EB Games]

Kotakuite Landon L. had read yesterday's story about Nintendo of Canada's life size Link statue sweepstakes and, I'm sure, desperately desired to have the stationary hero all to himself. As he was walking through the streets of Vancouver, he happened upon an EB Games that was displaying a giant Link statue right in their front window. Despite being hassled by employees for snapping this photo with his phone, he was able to escape down the street with his prize and send it off to us here.

Could this be the statue they are giving away? Well, not this particular one, obviously, but one like it? It would be pretty damn sweet if it was. But, I still say the shipping fee is going to be a bitch. Flynn De Marco

EB/GameStop's latest newsletter brings us news of some interesting price drops just in time for the holidays. The EB/Gamestop exclusive Final Fantasy XII Collector's Edition has dropped from $59.99 to $49.99 making it the same price as the plain-Jane edition. The Collector's Edition comes in the requisite fancy metal box, and includes:

• Developer's Interviews
• History of Final Fantasy featurettes
• Final Fantasy XII U.S. Trailers
• Final Fantasy XII Japan Trailers
• Final Fantasy Art Gallery

Square/Enix's Kingdom Hearts II also receives a drop from $49.99 to a paltry $29.99 and if you can make it past the stomach churning Little Mermaid levels, it's totally worth the money.

Speaking of stomach churning, if you're feeling brave, stop by and check out the gallery of photos from EB/Gamestop's "FF XII Dress-up and Win Sweepstakes". Not for the faint of heart... Flynn De Marco

Final Fantasy XII CE for $49.99 [GameStop]
Kingdom Hearts 2 for $29.99 [GameStop]

So, I made it back safe, sound and without incident from my midnight Wii launch. I've set the Wii up, done the software updates and created my first Mii. Now, while my roommate is making his Mii I'm going to take some time to jot down what happened.

We arrived around 11:30 and roamed around a bit until they opened the doors and let everyone in around 11:45. We were immediately greeted by a female employee dressed as Link which really set the tone. The mood was upbeat and friendly as everyone was very excited to get their Wii's. There were about 15 people there who had pre-ordered and some of their friends. There were a couple people playing Excite Truck and a few people checking out the PS3. It was very organized and calm with people waiting their turns and being very nice to each other, Apparently, several of the store's employees had friends pre-order their Wii's for them and oddly enough, none of them were there. Still, a good time was had by all and as soon as they made their purchases, everyone was off into the night to go play at their respective homes.

Now it's back to the Wii for me to check out Zelda, Trauma Center, Wii Sports and Raving Rabbids. Flynn De Marco

Reader exit86drummer wrote in saying he had received this t-shirt from a friend who works at a Gamestop. So, being the ace reporter that I am, I put on my Press hat and headed down to my local EB gaming concern to see what the deal was.

I discovered upon entering that they still didn't have their Wii kiosk up and running (grumble, grumble) since they were waiting for their tardy Nintendo Rep to come set it up for them. I chatted for a bit with my store's game mistress and got a few details about tonight's midnight launch and eventually got around to asking about the t-shirt. She confirmed that they indeed would be giving these t\T's out to everyone who had pre-ordered a Wii. Then I heard those magic words, "You want yours now?" she said with a sly wink. Of course, I said "Yes" and duly received my sweet shirt. As I gazed lovingly on it I noticed, and exit86drummer agrees with me, that the guy on the shirt is the spitting image of Reggie a la' Bruce Lee.

I will wear my hunky Reggie shirt proudly to tonight's midnight launch and make everyone in line jealous until some gun toting maniac mugs me for it. Flynn De Marco

America's most famous shopping day of the year, Black Friday, is swiftly approaching. Everything is on sale and the frenzy of shoppers hit the stores, ready to tear each other apart over this year's "Cabbage Patch Doll" or the most recent "(fill in the blank) Elmo" toy. Seeing as the two new next-gen consoles come out less than a week before the fateful day in question, I wouldn't count on them being on sale, but you can pretty much bet that everything having to do with those consoles will.

The folks over at Black Friday Ads, the self proclaimed "official site for the hottest day of the year", have compiled scans of the BF sales ads from a lot of the major retailers. Of particular interest to gamers, will be the ads for such stores as:

So grab your credit card and head out to the mall on Friday the 24th for the closest real life experience to Dead Rising you'll ever have. Flynn De Marco

Black Friday 2006 [Black Friday Ads]

The Kotaku inbox is literally overflowing with emails from concerned readers from all parts of the US about EB/Gamestop's midnight Wii launches. Some people claim all of the stores will be having these launches while others claim none of them will. Well, I'm here to set the record straight for all of you who may be wondering.

The real truth of the matter is that each store is being treated on a somewhat individual basis. It is all determined by area and that areas' District Manager will be the one to make the decision. If your local EB/Gamestop is a free standing store (meaning, not in an enclosed mall) the chances are pretty good that you'll be able to grab your Wii at midnight. Stores inside malls are a different story though, being as they would have to shell out a lot of extra money to stay open and are restricted by the mall's rules. So if your EB/Gamestop is in a mall, there's slim to no chance that you'll get a midnight launch. In most, if not all cases, these launches will be strictly for pre-order customers only.

The best rule of thumb in these situations is not to listen to any blanket statements made by internet weirdos and just take the 5 minutes to call the store yourself and ask. Better to do that than face the bitter disappointment when your local store has drawn it's shutters for the night and you're left out in the cold. Flynn De Marco

News is coming in from cities such as New Orleans, LA, Cleveland, OH and Timonium, MD about delayed Gears of War shipments to their local EB/Gamestops. Other states have also reported in about the missing shipments including Florida, Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina. EB/Gamestop is pointing the finger of blame directly at FedEx who apparently left a huge shipment at their hub in Memphis, TN.

EB/Gamestop has even gone so far as to send their customers automated phone messages stating a "shipping issue" and warning people to call their local store before making an unnecessary trip. They assure that they will have the game in stock tomorrow.

Personally, I think Mr. Cliffy B. needs to climb on his Segway or skateboard or whatever the cool kids are riding these days, and hand deliver those copies himself. Flynn De Marco

Unscrupulous bastards, relax! While we previously floated a rumor that EB Games, Sony and eBay were using their powers for good, that is untrue. These companies will continue to use their powers for evil and turn a blind eye while scalpers flood the online auction site with pre-orders, squeezing money out of rich PS3 hungry poopie heads. According to game site Next-Gen, the retailers PR director Chris Olivera stated:

Are we canceling pre-orders that appear on eBay? The answer to that is no.

If anyone with more money than sense is reading, we'd recommend waiting until Sony produces suffice consoles. It's their shortcoming, not yours. Until then, PS3 eBay free-for-all carry on as usual. Brian Ashcraft

EB Games Ain't Gonna Stop the Madness [Next-Gen via Game|Life]

Today during a conference call, managers of EB Games stores in Canada were told that a list is being made of all pre-orders for Playstation 3's that have been posted for sale on eBay. Lists will be distributed to individual stores and all pre-orders that have appeared on eBay will be canceled by EB in the very near future. According to the information I've been given, this is a joint initiative between EB Games, Sony and eBay. eBay's new policy regarding pre-order sales has made this possible by requiring that all pre-order listings include a photo of the receipt.

Just mentions Canada, but wow. Big brother! If this is true, we assume EB would do the same in America. As creepy as this is, it actually could ensure those who want a console at launch have a better chance of getting one. And will only have to pay Sony's outrageous price and not eBay's. Brian Ashcraft

EB To Put A Stop To eBay [Evil Avatar via Game|Life]

Don't have a PS3 pre-order? Launch is gonna suck. If only, if only you worked at Best Buy, then you could take home consoles by the truckload. Right? Nope, not according to one insider who claims that Best Buy is attempting to lock all staff out from getting a console. At all.

Going to float this comment from an insider. Not sure if it's true or not, but any readers who work at Best Buy, feel free to fact check it in the comments section. Anyhoo, our insider says staff cannot buy consoles:

Not even if we stand outside in line overnight like everyone else. I'm heading up employee training for the new consoles at our store, the memo we received stated that employee purchases 'should not be allowed.' According to another store manager, 'Employees are completely locked out of buying a console.' Unfortunately, we only get this news after the EB preorders. Apparentlly, this decision came about so that 'more consoles would be available to our customers.' No word, as of yet, as to how long the lockout is supposed to last.

Needless to say, many of us are pissed. But not nearly as many as there will be. The memo came to certain members of management, so I don't think most employees know about the rules just yet. I'll be the first to say that Best Buy is usually nothing short of great to it's employees, it is by far the best company I've ever worked for, but they really dropped the ball on this one from an employee standpoint.

That's what they call counting your chickens before they're hatched. Still. A head's up would've been nice. Brian Ashcraft

Kotakuite Genki wrote us in with this swank image of a custom painted Guitar Hero controller he gave away at the EB he manages:

, I just wanted to let you know that I manage an EB Games and we held a Guitar Hero 2 tournament this past weekend. I know some of the Kotaku staff are big GH fans, so I wanted to submit a photo of the grand prize we gave to the winner of the competition - a custom-painted guitar controller done by a local tattoo artist (who also works at my store). The enclosed photo shows the guitar in the display case behind our counter and the back of the guitar, which the artist also painted. This was NOT an EB Games event per se....it was something I did on my own, with corporate's approval and Red Octane's assistance (they provided t-shirts and posters and a 10-song demo). The turnout was pretty huge and the store was packed for the Finals on Sunday....the final 2 competitors played Expert VS "Who Was In My Room Last Night", then solo "War Pigs," and then the tie-breaker was solo "Psychobilly Freakout" since that was the hardest song on the demo. I didn't expect either of them to finish the song since they hadn't played it before the tournament, but they both aced it on their first try, with the winning spread being only a dozen or so notes.

Very nice. I need to co-opt a a tattoo artist to spruce up mine. That toy guitar sitting in the corner doesn't have my nocturnally-visiting chicksters thinking "Rock Badd Ass." Florian Eckhardt

First came news that in Japan, Twilight Princess would only be available through online order. Now comes word that in Australia, purchasing Twilight Princess for the GameCube will only be done through EB Games. Worse yet, they are only getting one shipment.

Nintendo would really like to shove the GameCube in the dusty closet with all their other consoles as soon as possible, wouldn't they? Florian Eckhardt

Aussie news - Cube version of Twilight Princess exclusive to EB Games [Go Nintendo]

When the doors to EB Games opened at 10 a.m. the clerk came out and handed the first ten people in line a little sheet showing what bundles they could pre-order if they'd like.

One of the line-standers was kind enough to give me a copy when he left. EB had three options listed: The Core Pack, the Starter Pack and the Premium Pack. Hit the jump for the break downs. Brian Crecente

Core Pack
Wii System
Remote/Nun Chuck Controller
Wii Sports
Reservation: $50
Total: $249.99

Starter Pack
Wii System
Remote/Nun Chuck Controller
Wii Sports
Additional Remote Controller
Nintendo 512 MB Memory Card
Reservation: $70
Total: $329.92

Premium Pack
Wii System
Remote/Nun Chuck Controller
Wii Sports
Wii Classic Controller
Nintendo Wii 1GB Memory Card
Wii 200 Points Card
Additional Wii Remote Controller
Addiontal Nun Chuck Controller
Reservation: $100
Total: $409.94

I just got back from my local EB Games where about 15 people were waiting for ten Wii pre-orders.

Most surprising to me was the discovery that two women actually camped out over night for the first two spots in line.

Shannon Facchinello, 32, and her sister, Tiffany Grantham, 26, got to the EB Games at 9:30 p.m. last night. The two sat in their car until about 4:30 a.m. when a third line-stander pulled-up and then all three went and stood in front of the store by themselves until 7:30 a.m. when more people started showing up. The store opened at 10 a.m.

Shannon said she was standing in line to buy the Wii as a Christmas present for her children, but that the Wii is really for her. Her sister made no such illusions, the console was strictly for her.

Of the first ten standing in line, a handful owned Xbox 360s, but none of them did the Playstation 3 pre-order. One of the line-standers did say he was going to buy a Playstation 3 next year, "probably when the price dropped."

All of the ten had DSes, a few of them Lite, and most of them brought them there to play, though they weren't for the 20 minutes or so before the doors opened.

All of the line-standers had already pre-ordered games for the Wii or were going to that day. The most popular game on everyone's list seemed to be The Legend of Zelda.

It took the store clerk, the same guy who did the PS3 pre-orders, nearly an hour to write up and get the deposit for the pre-orders. This seemed mostly because the store was selling bundles for the Wii as well and he had to type them in manually.

I also noticed that the store had set up equally small Wii and Playstation 3 shelving spots in the store, though both just had a bunch of empty game cases and posters.

In general there seemed to be more excitement surrounding the Wii pre-orders, with people actually shouting with glee or pumping their fists in the air after getting the confirmation paperwork.

Those who didn't make the list stood around to make sure no one droppped out due to lack of cash, or as one person said, heart attack. Brian Crecente

At last month's NYC presser on the Wii, Nintendo announced that all first-party Wii games would be the slightly high $50. Maybe EB Games didn't get the memo, because they're listing a slew of first-party Wii games for $60.

While the latest Legend of Zelda rings in at $50, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, Project H.A.M.M.E.R., Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Wii Sports, Wii Sports Airplane, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Duck Hunt (yeah, I don't think that;s a game either), Wii Music and Necro-Nesia all show a price of $60. I suppose this could be a typo, a whole lotta typos, but it does make me a bit nervous.

The thing is, prices are never determined by the cost associated with creating a thing, it's always about supply and demand and we know Wii demand has been going through the roof lately. I'll buzz Nintendo about this for an official word. Brian Crecente

GameStop and EB Games finally got around to sending out email alerts to their customers today about Wii pre-orders.

From the email:

GameStop and EB Games stores will begin accepting limited pre-orders for the Nintendo Wii console on Friday, October 13, on a first come, first served basis. Due to extremely limited supplu, we expect to reach our limit very quickly, most likely in minutes. We will not accept additional pre-orders at that time. To avoid an unnecessary trip we strongly recommend you call your local store to determine availability. A $50 reservation deposit is required, which can be funded with cash, credit or trade. As we cannot control production and shipping issues by the manufacturer, a reservation deposit does not guarantee receipt of a system available to purchase at launch. Reservations/Purchases are limited to 1 per household.

Same drill, different console. I'll be swinging by the local EB tomorrow morning to check out the crowd and get some impressions. Brian Crecente [Thanks to all the readers who sent in the email]

Is it or isn't it? Tipsters have been writing in, saying their local GameStop/EB Games say Wii pre-orders start this Friday morning. Some have heard otherwise—that they won't start until Friday. Go Nintendo hit up their local GameStop and can now confirm that Wii pre-orders will start this Friday at GameStop/EB Games. Go Nintendo even got their hot little hands on the company confirmation email that pretty much settles all doubts. The email reads:

We need to be consistent with our store opening times in order to insure that all customers are given a fair opportunity to line up and reserve their system. All stores will open at their NORMAL opening time on Friday, 10-13-06, for their Wii reservation custoemrs. Do not host 'mightnight' or 'early openings' for the Wii reservation program. If you do arrive at your store and have a line already assembled, you should let your customers know that you will fill their reservations in order once you open. You should also let your customers know how many units you have to reserve so that your customers at the back of the line don't feel compelled to wait if units won't be available.

Some stores say they are not taking Wii pre-orders, but this appears to be a nationwide dealio. Looks like Friday's gonna be an early one for many of you! Brian Ashcraft

Email Scan Confirmation [Go Nintendo]

While The Wiire is reporting GameStop has announced plans to start Wii pre-orders on Friday, a GameStop vice president told me yesterday that they have not yet set the plans for Wii pre-orders. So there you have it, I suppose it's possible, but we probably won't know until Thursday night. Brian Crecente

GameStop Wii Preorders Begin Oct. 13 [The Wiire]

A lot of people lined up for GameStop PS3 pre-orders, and guess what, a lot of them aren't playing on keeping those machines. With eBay shenanigans already underway, it's not surprise that game site Aeropause reports that the majority of people at a local GameStop didn't even want the PS3, but were simply pre-ordering with plans to resell. Says Aeropause:

Out of 15 people in line that I spoke with, only 4 were actually going to keep and play the console. The other 11 had eBay in mind for their pre-orders. One gentleman named Todd told me he is selling it on eBay so he can afford to buy every good 360 game and accessories over the holiday season.

Well, that may be Todd, but Todd is no Scott. Remember Scott? That freeloadin' dude that took pics for us at TGS 2006, rubbed Pikachu's belly, helped us score free beer and ordered, yes ordered, the Tokyo Cerulean Tower hotel to "make our beds softer."

Well, Scott was wearing his Unibomber outfit, or "incognito" with cap and sunglasses as he likes to say, while he waited in line for the PS3 pre-orders yesterday. Let me tell you this: Pre-TGS, Scott hated the PLAYSTATION 3 and even threw rocks at it. But after getting hands on with every playable PS3 title at TGS for at least thirty minutes, he had nothing but good things to say and will not be selling his PS3 on eBay. Or so we think. Brian Ashcraft

Scott Was Third In Line [IGN]

Each store had at least eight PS3's for preorder, with some getting as many as 16. And, he confirmed that only two units per a store could be sold to employees.

While they sell-out wasn't confirmed until 2 p.m., the spokesman told me it was a matter of minutes at most stores. He added that this was much faster than the sell-out rate of the Xbox 360. at the chain. Brian Crecente

The first guy to hit the line arrived at 6:30 a.m. in short and a t-shirt. (Keep in mind I'm talking about Colorado, where this morning's temp at 10 a.m. was a balmy 42 degrees.) The rest trickled in up until 9:55 a.m. or so.

I chatted it up with the group and found all but one of them were waiting for a PS3 for themselves. One woman was in line to buy one for her sons. Only two of those in line had an Xbox 360 and none of them planned to buy a Wii. Two also owned a Playstation Portable.

The biggest draw, among those waiting this morning at the store, seemed to be the Playstation 3's Blu-ray player. One guy said they were "giving it away" and another guy said he was just going to tell his wife he bought it for the Blu-ray.

None of the people pre-ordered games. There was some excited talk about Resistance: Fall of Man, and a bit about Fight Night 3, but in general people seemed to feel like there would be plenty of games to go around come launch.

Funny enough, two guys arrived at the very last minute, not to pre-order the PS3, but to pick up pre-ordered PS2 games. Neither seemed to be in rush to buy the PS3 just yet.

The store employee told me that the pre-orders bought the people a spot in line when they open on launch day, but if you're not there when the doors open you lose your spot.

He also claimed that the nearby Best Buy was only getting two and that GameStop and EB were getting "75 to 80 percent of the Playstation 3s."

Sheesh, I hope that's not true, that would mean all but 20 percent of the next-gen consoles are already spoken for. Brian Crecente

My in-laws are in town from Australia and we decided to take them to the mall over the weekend. While they were traipsing about the shops I bee-lined it to EBGames to hit up the staff for Wii and PS3 info.

I'm always shocked at how blatantly obnoxious some of those guys can be. When I asked them about Playstation 3s, the manager on duty told me that every store in the chain is getting about four or five each, which means they aren't getting any. I asked him to explain and he said, while literally rubbing his hands together, "They're letting employees buy PS3s, so there won't be any left." I asked if they have to stand in line and he said no, the second we open we'll just buy them up. He did say that they can only buy one each, but I'm guessing most stories have at least five employees smart enough to know how to use Ebay.

He said that the stores are supposed to be getting about 50 Wii each. In general he seemed to be dismissing the PS3 and telling me that the Wii was the way to go. Brian Crecente

While the sight of retailer HMV UK or HMV Japan selling video games should be normal for some, HMV Canada doing so is not. Until now. An insider sends word that the Canadian outlet will be giving EB and Best Buy a run for their money by selling games. Starting in August, video games will be carried at the "flagship" megastores in Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver and Montreal. After that, titles will start magically appearing in the smaller shops. This seems like a logical step, filed in the no duh department. So what's been holding HMV Canada back?

No Games Here [Amazon HMV Canada]

Starcraft Ghost is cancelled. At least according to an email circulating among EB Games management. Our insider passed on the email, which clearly states that game has been nixed. It reads:

The following titles have been cancelled. We will use the ARN to notify all reserve customers.

-993932 Starcraft: Ghost XBOX
-993930 Starcraft: Ghost PS2

There has been no official press release on Blizzard's site.

Dratz got absolutely nowhere trying to get a refund for his game, but his solution was ingenious. Reluctantly accepting a new copy of the game in exchange for the opened one, under the pretense that the game was broken because of a manufacturing defect, Dratz then proceeded to get back in-line and trade-in the unopened copy of Blazing Angels he had just been handed.

Hi, I have my receipt and an unopened game. I would like a refund."

They stopped smiling.

The manager tried to explain the policy again, but I cut him off.

"Yeah, that's a good policy. However it no longer applies to me. I have my receipt and an unopened game. I would like a refund."

You've really got to hand it to a guy who reaches down his pants and slaps his testicles right on the counter like that to get satisfaction. Way to go, Dratz!

Trying to get a refund on a video game...or, My policy differs from yours [Confessions of an IT Hitman] (Thanks, Consumerist!)