Kotaku: shopping

Not Exactly a Quote That Inspires Hope for Retail Season

Owen Good — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:30:00 MST

The New York Times took a first look at holiday sales and, while finding that it didn't suck as bad as last year for retailers, found someone to remind us that stores aren't the only ones deserving of concern.

"This is not the year for silly stuff," said Keith Browning, 50 of Columbus, Ohio. He lost his job at a Honda plant and struck out on his own. "My brother gave me a Wii video game. I'm definitely returning that. We need some new pots and pans for the house. And I need tools to get my company going."

Last year, I bought my parents a Wii for Christmas, then was laid off from a gig in Silicon Valley. Mom demanded that I return the machine, and when I told her the Amazon reseller wouldn't take it, she insisted I sell it and pocket the money, which I did.

So I can understand where this guy is coming from, with the "silly stuff" comment. We've heard plenty about video games being high-value diversions similar to what movie houses provided back in the Depression. But for some people, when you're not working - or not working enough - giving or playing games just doesn't feel right.

Browning's quote is the definition of anecdotal, but I'm wondering if it portends a shopping mindset that means bad things for games this year.

A Tentative Sparkle Enlivens Holiday Shopping [The New York Times]

Amazon Gold Boxes Wii Games All Day Long

Mike Fahey — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:20:00 MST

Amazon continues to dole out the savings, Gold Box style, with Nintendo Wii games going fast all day long. How fast? They sold out of Spore Hero in under an hour. That's pretty damn fast.

First Black Friday, then Cyber Monday, and now's it's Wii Wednesday over at Amazon.com. They've got Wii game deals all day long, and despite the rather crappy Deal of the Day (Active Life: Extreme Challenge Bundle with Mat? The hell?), there's still plenty of bargains to be had in the Gold Box section, if you're quick.

Spore Hero, the first deal, went live at 6AM Pacific, and as of this writing (around 6:50AM) they are completely sold out. Makes you wonder how fast games people actually want will sell out, doesn't it? Looking at the clues we've got a Star Wars game at 9, Guitar Hero World Tour at 11, Little King's Story at 1, Wii Sports Resort at 3, and what I am assuming is Drawn to Life for the Wii at 6.

Be vigilant, Wii owners and Christmas shoppers. Be strong.

Amazon Gold Box Deals [Amazon.com]

Amazon Does Video Game Deals This Friday

Mike Fahey — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:40:00 MDT

Tired of arriving late to the Amazon deals party? Well now you've got two days to prepare for Amazon's next all video games Gold Box event.

You should all know how this works by now, but just in case we'll explain. At 12:01AM Pacific time on Friday, August 28th, Amazon will post a special discounted video game deal as its Deal of the Day. Then starting at 6:00AM Pacific, a series of Lightning Deals will appear, each with a limited window of availability. Miss one, and it's gone forever, or until Amazon gets around to doing it again.

Of course we don't know what the games are yet. It could be something spectacular, or it could be Amazon clearing out its $19.99 Wii shovelware back stock. Been in the market for a cheap copy of Go Play Lumberjacks? Friday might be your big day!

All Video Games Gold Box Event [Amazon.com - thanks Bakushu!]

Amazon Gold Box Thursday Full Of PS3 Goodness

Mike Fahey — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:40:00 MST

Amazon continues to roll out the holiday video game deals, having announced that this coming Thursday, December 18th will see an entire day of PlayStation 3 and Blu-ray Gold Box deals.

Starting Thursday night at 12:01AM, Amazon.com's Gold Box will be kicking off an entire day of PS3 bargains. While we've no idea what said bargains are as of yet, chances are they'll have something for the PS3 owner in your life marked down ridiculously as only Amazon can.

For some odd reason we generally don't hear about these things until the day they are happening, generally after the best item on sale has already come and gone, so a big shout out to all of our lovely readers for passing this on.

Gold Box Deals - Bookmark and come back Thursday [Amazon.com]

Kotaku Helps You Spend Money on the Right Games

Brian Crecente — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:00:00 MST

Happy Black Friday everyone. We've spent the past few weeks prepping you for any possible spending spree you go on today.

Now that you're standing, coffee in hand, in front of some store, or maybe in your robe preparing to go to some store, now might be a good time to refresh your memory on what to buy and what to avoid, where to get what you want, and when.

You can check out all of our reviews here, and our most recent reviews here.

Some handy-dandy gift guides:
The iPhone Gaming Gift Guide
The Playstation 3 Gift Guide
The Wii Holiday Gift Guide
The Xbox 360 Gift Guide
The Portable Holiday Gift Guide
The PC Gift Guide
The Import Gaming Gift Guide

And of course, all of those Black Friday deals.

If you come across any super great deals make sure to drop in and tip off your fellow Kotakuites.

The Great Black Friday 2008 Round-Up

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:00:00 MST

Now that you've gorged on your Thanksgiving feast, it's time to start planning your Black Friday shopping attack. In between tryptophan-induced naps, of course. There are some amazing deals to be had this year.

Many of the online deals are yours for the taking right now. If you want to score some of the Black Friday deals in-store, you're going to have to contend with some interesting, extremely dedicated characters. The people above, for example, have been in line at a Culver City Best Buy since early this morning. Oh, they'll cut you if you get between them and their $15 DVD player.

Hit the jump for a location by location breakdown of some of this year's best gaming deals.

Amazon.com
Animal Crossing City Folk w/ WiiSpeak bundle (Wii) - $39.95
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (Xbox 360/PS3) - $17.95
Dead Space (Xbox 360/PS3) - $29.95
Fallout 3 (Xbox 360/PS3) - $39.95 [Friday Only]
Fallout 3 (PC) - $29.95 [Friday Only]
Call of Duty: World at War (Xbox 360/PS3) - $49.95 [Friday Only]
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) - $14.95
Far Cry 2 (Xbox 360) - $49.95 [Friday Only]
Far Cry 2 (PC) - $29.95
God of War (PS2) - $9.95
God of War II (PS2) - $9.95
God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP) - $19.95
Guild Wars Eye of the North (PC) - $9.95
Guitar Hero Aerosmith (Wii) - $25.95 [Friday Only]
Heavenly Sword (PS3) - $19.95
Infinite Undiscovery (Xbox 360) - $18.95
Left 4 Dead (PC) - $19.95
LEGO Batman (Xbox 360/Wii) - $29.95
Metal Gear Portable Ops (PSP) - $9.95
Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection (PS2) - $14.95
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (PS3) - $39.95
N+ (PSP) - $9.95
Persona 3 FES (PS2) - $29.95
Personal Trainer: Cooking (DS) - $9.95
PlayStation 2 Limited Edition LEGO Batman bundle - $99.95
Pure (Xbox 360/PS3) - $29.95
Resident Evil 4 (Wii) - $9.95
Resistance: Fall Of Man (PS3) - $14.95
Soulcalibur IV (PS3) - $39.95 [Friday Only]
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360) - $39.95
The Club (Xbox 360) - $14.95
The Last Remnant (Xbox 360)- $39.95
Too Human (Xbox 360) - $19.95
Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii) - $29.95
Warriors Orochi 2 (Xbox 360) - $29.95
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - $29.95

Best Buy
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (PS3) - $19.99
Far Cry 2 (PC) - $37.99
PlayStation 3 80GB with Ratchet & Clank Future and Casino Royale Blu-ray- $399.99
Soulcalibur IV (PS3) - $37.99
Tom Clancy's EndWar (Xbox 360) - $37.99
Turok (Xbox 360) - $14.99
Xbox 360 60GB Pro Bundle with NBA 2K8 and Tony Hawk's Proving Ground - $299.99

Circuit City
Opens 5:00 AM - Store Locator
BioShock (Xbox 360) - $19.99
Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway (Xbox 360/PS3) - $19.99
Cooking Mama (DS) - $9.99
Dead Rising (Xbox 360) - $9.99
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PSP) - $9.99
The Orange Box (Xbox 360) - $19.99
World of Warcraft Battlechest (PC) - $14.99

Dell.com
Xbox 360 Arcade Holiday Bundle w/Rock Band 2 Game - $199.00

Game Crazy
Opens At 7:00 AM - Store Locator
Alien Syndrome (Wii) - $9.99
Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360/PS3) - $9.99
Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway (Xbox 360/PS3) - $19.99
Far Cry 2 (Xbox 360/PS3) - $39.99
GRID (Xbox 360) - $39.99
Pure (Xbox 360/PS3) - $39.99
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Xbox 360/PS3) - $9.99
Soulcalibur IV (Xbox 360) - $39.99
The Darkness (Xbox 360) - $4.99

GameStop
Opens 12:01 AM - Store Locator
Battlefield: Bad Company (Xbox 360) - $29.99
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (Xbox 360) - $19.99
Civilization Revolution (DS) - $19.99
Civilization Revolution (Xbox 360/PS3) - $49.99
Crysis Collector's Edition (PC) - $19.99
Final Fantasy XII (PS2) - $9.99
Guitar Hero Aerosmith (Wii/PS2) - $19.99
Guitar Hero Aerosmith (Xbox 360/PS3) - $29.99
Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360) - $49.99
Resident Evil 4 (PS2) - $9.99
Rock Band Track Pack Vol. 2 for $.99 (with purchase of Rock Band) [7 AM.-11 AM]
Samba de Amigo (Wii) - $19.99
PlayStation 2 with $30 gift card and free game ($19.99 or less) - $129.99
Soulcalibur IV (Xbox 360) - $49.99

K-Mart
Opens 6:00 AM - Store Locator
Guitar Hero III bundle (Xbox 360/PS3/Wii) - $54.99
Limited Edition Ratchet & Clank PSP Bundle - $199.99
Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - $49.99

NewEgg.com
Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360) - $49.99
Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) - $39.99

PlayStation Store
PixelJunk Eden - $4.99
The Last Guy - $4.99
echochrome - $4.99
Novastrike - $4.99
Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 - $4.99

RedOctane.com
Deals Currently Running
Guitar Hero III bundle w/ second guitar controller (PS2) - $59.99
Guitar Hero III bundle (PS3) - $59.99
Guitar Hero III bundle (Xbox 360) - $29.99
Guitar Hero On Tour 2-player bundle (DS) - $89.99

Sam's Club
Opens 5:00 AM - Store Locator
Wii with Mario Super Sluggers and King of Clubs, two extra Wii Remotes - $425
Nintendo DS Metallic Rose with Nintendogs and Purr Pals, a Princess Peach "Bling Kit" and a Princess Peach case - $200

Sears
Opens 5:00 AM (varies) - Store Locator
Guitar Hero III bundle (Xbox 360/PS3/Wii) - $54.99
Limited Edition Nintendo DS Colors
Xbox 360 bundle with wireless controller - $199.99-$399.99

Target
Opens 6:00 AM - Store Locator
Boom Blox (Wii) - $19.99
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway (Xbox 360/PS3) - $19.99
Burnout Paradise (Xbox 360/PS3) - $19.99
Call of Duty: World at War (XBox 360/PS3) - $49.99
Dead Space (Xbox 360/PS3) - $29.99
de Blob (Wii) - $39.99
Guitar Hero III (Xbox 360) - $19.99
Halo 3 (Xbox 360) - $29.99
Lego Batman (DS/PSP) - $19.99

Toys 'R' Us
Opens 5:00 AM - Store Locator
Nintendo DS Ice Blue with Brain Age [5 AM -1 PM] - $149.99
Nintendo DS Mario Red with New Super Mario Bros. [5 AM -1 PM] - $149.99
Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway (Xbox 360/PS3) - $17.99
Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed (Wii) - $14.99
Guitar Hero III Bundle (XBox 360/PS3/Wii) - $49.99

Walmart
Opens 12:00 AM - Store Locator
Bully (PS2) - $9.99
Guitar Hero III with Guitar Hero, II, and Rocks the 80s (PS2) - $50
Guitar Hero Aerosmith with Guitar Hero II (Xbox 360) - $50
Guitar Hero Aerosmith with Guitar Hero III (Wii) - $50
Madden NFL 09 (Xbox 360/PS3) - $30
NASCAR 09 (Xbox 360/PS3) - $30
NBA Live 09 (Xbox 360/PS3) - $30
NFL Head Coach 09 (Xbox 360/PS3) - $10

Xbox Live Marketplace
Rez HD - 500 Microsoft Points
Arkadian Warriors - 500 Microsoft Points
Assault Heroes - 400 Microsoft Points
Catan - 500 Microsoft Points
Brain Challenge - 500 Microsoft Points
Boogie Bunnies - 500 Microsoft Points
Golf: Tee It Up! - 500 Microsoft Points
GH3 Metallica “Death Magnetic” Full Album - 1000 Microsoft Points
Forza – March Car Pack - 400 Microsoft Points
Crackdown – Getting Busy Bonus Pack - 500 Microsoft Points
Rock Band All That Remains Pack 01 - 290 Microsoft Points
Lips – The Remedy (Jason Mraz) - 100 Microsoft Points
Gears of War 2 – Last Day theme - 180 Microsoft Points
Sonic Unleashed them - 180 Microsoft Points
Castle Crashers Premium theme - 180 Microsoft Points

Infinite Undiscovery On The Cheap. Anyone...

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:40:17 MDT

Infinite Undiscovery On The Cheap. Anyone looking for a low-cost stocking stuffer for the JRPG fan on their list might want to take advantage of today's Amazon deal of the day. Square Enix's Infinite Undiscovery is 50% off its regular retail price which, given it's rather middling review scores, should make the purchase more palatable. [Amazon]

Amazon Gold Box Full Of Wii Deals Friday

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:20:23 MDT

Ready the credit cards and one-click ordering, kids, as this Friday brings with it another round of Amazonian deals. The online retailer's Gold Box will be stuffed with Wii game goodies starting this Friday at midnight Pacific Time, as eight mystery Wii titles will be slashed in price for a limited time. You know how this works — load the page, consider the deal, toss it in your cart and... curse yourself for taking that extra second to decide whether you really wanted Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition at half-price. We'll give you a helpful reminder just prior, so you can get a jump on the bargains.

All Wii Gold Box [Amazon - thanks, Derek!]

Amazon Deals On Wii Games Friday

Mike Fahey — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:20:06 MST

Amazon wants to make shopping for Wii games fun! This Friday, starting at 12:01 AM Pacific time, Amazon will be putting up an unspecified Wii game as their Gold Box Deal of the Day, which will be available all day as long as supplies last. Then at 6 AM and every four hours after that until 10 PM, Amazon will be putting up Lighting Deals - games that are only available at the discounted price for those four hours. Sound like fun? Oh come on, you know you want to check Amazon.com every four hours to see what game they're going to discount. Just wish they wouldn't keep us in suspense. I don't want to wait until 6 PM Friday afternoon to discover that the last bargain Wii game of the day is Ninjabread Man.

5 Wii Game Deals On Friday [Amazon.com - Thanks BtownDesignGuy!]

Pac-Man Coasters! Coasters!!

Mark Wilson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:40:04 MST

Right now, recycled circuit board coasters are my living line of defense between condensation and the fragile finish of $30 coffee tables. (Yes, I spent as much on the coasters as the tables they protect). And even though these coasters really are pretty fantastic, they can be out-gunned during my larger gatherings that feature more condensation.

Needless to say, a coaster afficienado such as myself is consider the purchase of these Pac-Man coasters with box. For $22, my crappy furniture never slept so soundly. Here's a bonus pic:

Coasters [Etsy via GeekAlerts]

NYC Nintendo World Store Is Still Line Central

Mark Wilson — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:40:08 MST

Look at all these sad, faithful who think that Christmas still isn't ruined because they still might score a Wii. Every morning the Nintendo World Store in New York has hundreds of people line up—many whom are camped out from the night before—all hoping to nab a Wii. I know that we talk about Wii shortages quite a bit and many of you are probably growing sick to death of it all. But take the time to appreciate this as a moment in culture that may never be replicated as long as you live: one year after a consumer electronic's release, the public is still ravenous for the product. Unbelievable.

The Great Wait for the Wii [via gonintendo]

Amazon Sale Makes For Good Gifts

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:40:07 MST

Looking for something a little more affordable for the gamer in your life? If so, or if you're in possession of a bit of walkin' around money, Amazon has slashed prices on a good portion of this season's possible underperformers. Price drops on Beautiful Katamari, Lair, Stranglehold, Viva Pinata Party Animals, Manhunt 2 and Halo 3 LE lead the list of deals. Incidentally, I just picked up Cruis'n for the Wii. Yes, I'm serious.

For a list of some of the notable titles with respectable savings, hit the jump.

PlayStation 3
Lair - $39.99
Stranglehold Collector's Edition (with "Hard Boiled" Blu-Ray Movie) - $49.99
The Eye of Judgment (with PlayStation Eye) - $54.99
Time Crisis 4 (with GunCon 3) - $69.99
Sega Rally Revo - $39.99

PlayStation 2
God Hand - $14.99

Xbox 360
Beautiful Katamari - $29.99
Halo 3 Limited Edition - $49.99
Viva Pinata Party Animals - $29.99
Virtua Fighter 5 - $39.99
Sega Rally Revo - $34.99

Wii
Manhunt 2 - $29.99
Tomb Raider Anniversary - $29.99

Nintendo DS
Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck - $19.99
Master of Illusion - $19.99

PSP
Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles - $19.99

Save Up To 50% Off [Amazon via Cheap Ass Gamer]

What Are You Buying This Week?

Mark Wilson — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:40:44 MST

It's like our credit cards have been through war after months of onslaught from awesome games. What's with these developers, anyway? Who are they to deliver on their promises and make these new consoles worth a damn? Who are they to take over our minds, reach our hands in our pockets ~~spend a little too much time down there~~ and whip out our bruised bank accounts?

Pac-Man T Ready For Your Mass Consumption

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:40:01 MDT

Jessica Fink's fabulous "Ghost Rider" design was snubbed by the pun-hungry voting masses at Threadless, but that didn't stop her from printing up her own batch of the Pac-Man inspired tee for those of you who loved it to death when we posted about it a year ago. It's up for sale at her Etsy shop, with printing numbers well into the "lots." Don't sleep on it, though, as the trademark stewards may be fashioning an e-mail within the day.

Pacman Grim Reaper Halloween Ghost t-shirt [Etsy]

New DS Colors, Bundles Coming This Holiday

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:20:08 MDT

Two Nintendo DS colors will be coming to North America later this year according to information creeping out of retailers gearing up for the post-Thanksgiving holiday spend frenzy. The two will be bundled with copies of the system's best-selling games, with a rose DS paired with Nintendogs and the gold DS packed with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Each features a decoration on the outside of the top half, the former a paw print, the latter a Triforce.

Based on information from BlackFriday.info, both Sears and FYE are listing the bundles, but show different prices. Sears is listing both at $149.99, with FYE listing the Zelda bundle at $129.99.

Ad scan via GoNintendo. Thanks to BPMΩ and Andrew for the tips.

Video Card Buying Advice From Someone Who Matters

Mark Wilson — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:40:39 MDT

You don't listen to us. It's OK, we've known for some time now. As long as our moms are reading and appreciating our cock allusions as much as we are, things are going pretty well on the old Kotaku. But if you plan on buying a videocard for your computer in the near future, you should listen to Epic's Tim Sweeney, the number cruncher behind the Unreal 3 engine. Here's his advice:

In Unreal Tournament 3 and Gears of War for PC, there is a significant gain in having 512MB of video memory rather than 256MB. So, first and foremost, get at least a 512MB card if you can afford it. If you haven't maxed out your budget, then go for the maximum single-card performance that doesn't require extreme cooling, e.g. buy an entry-level GeForce 8800 over a GeForce 8600.

Remember, while the rule applies to these two games specifically, Sweeney knows what's in store for gamers as the engine is exploited more and more. So pony up, lay down the cash and buy that 512MB card during your next PC upgrade round.

And when Dell recommends the upgrade, you can be like, "Who the @*&$ do you think you are, Tim Sweeney? And yes...I would like the upgrade."

Oh, and for what it's worth, I've heard about games during the past year where they were testing 2GB videocards for future compatibility. Trust me, once these devs get the memory, they ain't handing it back.

Tim Sweeney says memory is all you need [via gamingtoday]

The Halo 3 Legendary Edition is Amazon's...

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:15:00 MDT

The Halo 3 Legendary Edition is Amazon's deal of the day. If 130 bones was too rich for your blood, you can protect your cat's head and enjoy the end of the Halo trilogy for a lot less. Free shipping, too. I'm seriously tempted... Halo 3 Legendary Edition [Amazon]

Master Chief Helmet Available on eBay

Kim Phu — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:00:53 MDT

Halo fanatics out there who can't wait for the Halo limited edition and the Master Chief helmet to come out in September can start gluing their eyeballs to the computer now. One lucky seller got their hands on the helmet—supposedly from a Microsoft employee—and assures potential buyers that it is 100% authentic, made by Bungie and complete with serial number. Obviously, this item doesn't come with the game, because if it did, I'm pretty sure the bids would far surpass the $166 mark it's accrued since its listing. The auction ends this Sunday, just in time to say hello to July.
Halo 3 Brand New Master Chief Helmet Collectable [eBay via N4G]

Mario Themed Tote Bag

Kim Phu — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 12:40:00 MDT

This tote bag rocks, and not just because it has Mario on it, but because TheFennec on Etsy actually made a bag you can wear. Other Mario totes have been shown before, but you know, at the end of the day, you can't take those kinds of things to outside without looking about 12. This bag isn't busy, it's got an awesome pockets, and most of all, it looks expensive. Fortunately, it's not. A $10 tote? You can't go wrong. Kim Phu

Power Up Tote [Etsy via Wonderland]

Shopping Gamer Style

Kim Phu — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:40:00 MDT

Okay, so not many people were impressed with the Original Gamester shirt yesterday, so lucky for you and American Express that Stephen over at Aeropause has compiled a list of places where you can pick up more satisfactory gaming threads. They range from the overlooked (like a Pac Man ghost shirt he picked up at Target of all places), to the painful (there was mention of going into a Hot Topic store). Die-hard t-shirt collectors should take a look at the list and decide what they want to add to their coveted wardrobe. Oh, and if you are going to actually step foot in a Hot Topic, try not to look at the employees in the eye. Legend has it that you will turn into stone. Or a goth. I can't remember which, but either way it's scary. Kim Phu

Gamer, Skin Thyself [Aeropause]