GameFly Opens Austin Distribution Center

Video game rent-by-mail company GameFly has just announced the opening of a brand new distribution center in Austin Texas. The new center will handle mailing games in little orange envelopes to subscribers across Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. This is the third new center opened in the past 13 months, along with the Pittsburgh, PA and Tampa, FL locations.

“The Austin-area distribution center is strategically placed to provide the quickest shipping times to a large number of members across multiple states,” said Jeff Kawasugi, vice president of logistics for GameFly. “In addition, we are extremely pleased to join the Austin business community and look forward to a mutually beneficial and long-term relationship.”

Now all they need is a center in Seattle and they're golden. Sorry Hawaii and Alaska, but you knew what you were getting into in the first place.

Iron Man Game Rentals Beat Out GTA IV (Sorta)

Iron Man the movie wasn't the only Marvel enterprise to do well against GTA IV over the weekend, it looks like Iron Man the video game also held it's own, at least for rentals.

In GameFly's weekly run down of top releases they show that while Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360 took the top spot and Grand Theft Auto IV for the PS3 took the number three spot, Iron Man managed to wedge itself between the two, creating a crunchy GTA sandwich. The game based on the movie was also the top PSP and PS2 rental last week.

Not bad. Hit the jump to see the full list of cross-platform rentals for the week of GTA.

GameFly Trying Out Trade-In Program

We got word from GameFly subscriber and Kotaku reader Jeremiah who informs that he's one of the few asked to participate in the company's new trade-in program. Inventively named the GameFly Trade-In Program, gamers can send in their used games—shipping cost footed by you—to get credit for their account.

Looks like the mail rental service is going after some of GameStop's business, hoping to pay bottom dollar for more of its library. I can't imagine there are too many publishers and developers who will be thrilled to learn of yet another game retailer who's tapping into the used market.

GameFly Becomes Viable For Southeast

"We are continually optimizing our service to provide the best possible experience for our members," said Dave Hodess, CEO, GameFly. "The GameFly team was very strategic in selecting the location of the Tampa warehouse in order to ensure the most efficient delivery throughout the region."

Retailers All But Confirm Silent Hill Origins PS2 Port

We first brought word last month that Konami's PSP original effort Silent Hill Origins would get the profit-maximizing PlayStation 2 port, like many PSP games before it. Today, we have more evidence. SCEA and Konami reps decided not to comment on the rumored game when we asked about it in December, but that doesn't stop retailers GameFly and Amazon from essentially confirming it, two listings dug up by Siliconera. Both companies now feature box art and release dates for the PS2 port, which is expected to ship in March.

Amazon's details on the port don't mention any additions to Silent Hill Origins, so we expect something quick and dirty. Well, probably not dirty, but you know what I mean.

Silent Hill Origins PS2 port looking increasingly probable [Siliconera]

Gamefly Testing Trade-Ins

We all know that GameFly replaces having to run out to the store and buy a game with the convenience of having to wait several weeks in a queue for AAA titles, but what about our old games? They just sit there, gathering dust and making our entertainment centers look all varied and colorful. Well soon GameFly might even be able help with that. The company has been testing a game trade-in service through select customers, allowing gamers to ship in their used games in for credit towards membership fees and purchasing other used games. The folks at Joystiq contacted GameFly, who gave them the down-low.

We've been testing a trade-in program for a few months now. When we are convinced that there is sufficient consumer demand and the customer experience is highly robust, we expect to make it available to all our members.

GameFly testing pre-played trade-in program [Joytiq]

GameFly has their Year-End Sale going on now until January 4th on all their preplayed (when did that corporate euphemism for "used" enter our dialect anyway?) games. Their prices are generally pretty solid, especially if you're a GameFly subscriber and get their free store dollars now and again, but this sale definitely has some deals to keep in mind. You could do a lot worse than picking up Forza Motorsport 2 (Xbox 360) for $14.99 or Worms: Open Warfare (PSP) for $9.99. Hit the jump for all their highlighted deals (and the stuff to fill that gaping post-Christmas hole in your heart that a Gap sweater can't touch).

House of the Dead Series Shuffling To Wii

Ghost Squad may not be the only arcade light gun shooter Sega plans to refit for the Wii Zapper, as Go Nintendo has uncovered a listing for House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return at rental service Gamefly. We can fairly safely assume that this will bring both The House of the Dead 2, based on the Sega Naomi hardware, and The House of the Dead III, originally for the Sega Chihiro hardware. The two titles have made console appearances on the Dreamcast and Xbox, respectively, but have never been bundled before.

At this point, Sega has made no official announcements about such a collection, but Gamefly's track record of spoiling announcements has been fairly solid so far. As a superfan of The House of the Dead 2, I am cautiously optimistic, hoping that I'll get the Wii opportunity to give the shotgun-heavy The House of the Dead III a second chance.

House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return [Gamefly via Go Nintendo]

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