Richard Thornhill purchased two used Grand Theft Auto titles from a Gamestation store in Cheltenham on Sunday. Upon opening one of the game boxes, a cling-film packet dropped from between the pages of the game manual containing four ecstasy pills, which he promptly brought to the local police station. Thornhill shudders to think what could have happened if his 12-year-old son or 16-year-old daughter had found the pills.

"I have two children and my son plays Xbox all the time. He could easily have opened the box and found them. I dread to think what the consequences would have been if he had. He is only 12. He could have died."

Of course any 12-year-old should know not to eat random pills they find inside video game boxes, but that's beside the point. The point here is that Gamestation sold a man a video game with psychedelic drugs inside it. How does that happen? Gamestation said:

"We have rigorous procedures for accepting pre-owned titles and checking them before they are put back on sale. We have launched an immediate investigation and we will work closely with police to find out what happened in this instance.

Anyone who has ever traded in a game at GameStop knows full well that they never, ever check the game manuals. One could theoretically print out a bunch of porn from the internet, wrap the game manual's cover around it, trade in their used copy of Animal Crossing, and then wait for the headlines to appear. Not that I am suggesting anyone try that, of course.

Somewhere in Gloucestershire a raver is completely kicking themselves right now.

Father of boy, 12, finds ecstasy tablets in video game manual [Telegraph via Game Politics]

The designer of the watch himself, Adi Wells, sends us the scoop on the Resident Evil 5 watch, which will be available for pre-order through UK retailer Gamestation later this week, for a July 31st release. Limited to 555 pieces, this lovely watch comes with a steel band with a dual-clasp buckle engraved with the Capcom logo. It features a reinforced mineral lens, a screw down crown, and many other things that I'm sure only a watch aficionado would understand. Adi was a bit excited when he mailed us, so the description gets a bit technical.

Solid screw down case back Matte black dial w/ white luminous imprinted indices and Special 5 index in colour. OS21 mov't 5hands with date at 6hr, White luminous hands. Presented in an RE5 display box..

Out of all of that, I think the only thing I understood was RE5 display box, which if anything like the Metal Gear Solid 4 display box is a lovely piece of work in and of itself.

The Resident Evil 5 watch has been fully endorsed by Capcom Europe, and will retail for £119.99. Each watch has its series number inscribed on the underside, and will ship with a certificate of authenticity.

They will be a UK exclusive initially, though Adi indicates that they'll try to offer it to the rest of Europe should supplies hold out. With only 555 hitting market, I'd say now would be a god time to find a friend in the UK. Keep an eye on the Gamestation website over the next few days, cause when pre-orders start, I doubt they'll last long.

They've only got a limited number of these puppies to sell, so if you're the type to spend large amounts of money of frivolous gaming extras you might want to do it quickly.

Gears of War 2 - Gold Lancer Assault Rifle (World Exclusive) [Gamestation]

Sainsbury's has been knocking £30 from the price of the Xbox 360 and Wii, bringing the 360 to below £100 for the first time. Staff from GAME, Gamestation and other retailers, both chain store and indie, quickly descended on the bargains and re-upped their own stocks.

“With 360 and Wii on sale at these prices we allowed our store managers to supplement their stock,” explained GAME CEO Lisa Morgan.

Shame the gamers didn't get to enjoy the same benefits, really.

GAME in Sainsbury’s stock swoop [MCV]

The Office of Fair Trading is considering whether arrangements are in progress or in contemplation which, if carried into effect, will result in the creation of a relevant merger situation under the merger provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002.

Should it be found to be a relevant merger situation, the OFT will further consider whether the creation of that situation may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets in the UK for goods or services that warrants reference to the Competition Commission for investigation and report.

Let's hope GAME doesn't starting building up hotels or taking over railroads before the "investigation" even begins. Kim Phu

Office of Fair Trading to Investigate Gamestation Acquisition [Games Industry Biz]

GAME's chief executive Lisa Morgan says that the deal is all above board. She continues by adding:

The deal will be subject to a regulatory review process and that will be an ongoing process during the first ten weeks. We have taken considerable advice in this area and we are confident and comfortable to proceed.

Any time you have to take on "considerable advice" before doing something usually means you're doing something wrong. Like when you're a kid and you have to ask all of your friends if it's a good idea to barrel down a creek on a skateboard. Sure, you can feel "comfortable to proceed", but "feelings" ain't gonna protect you from, say, gravity. Kim Phu

GAME Dismisses Monopoly Talk

GAME chairman, Peter Lewis claimes that:

By investing in both brands we will further enhance the group's retail strategy while continuing to deliver and broaden our consumer reach.

Which I'm sure it is. But it oddly has tones of a speech I've heard before, and we all know how that turned out in the end. Kim Phu

GAME Acquires Gamestation in 74 Million Deal [MCVUK]