I thought that I was desensitized to Gamestop's capacity for terrible business practices, but the exquisite dickery of labeling new copies of a game "used" so that you don't have to explain why you're charging almost double MSRP is a level of shamelessness that I wasn't prepared for. Bravo, Gamestop, bravo.
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Xenoblade in stock at many Gamestops for $90. Was it reprinted? Who knows!
- Thread starter drtomoe123
- Start date
Grinchy
Banned
Yeah, come on guys. If this is what's going on, please don't support it on matter how much you want to buy the game.
And stop shopping at the shithole altogether.
I KNEW there was something strange about how so many "used" copies suddenly showed up!
They've done this before too with ps2 reprints. Most recently that I can recall is the original Fatal Frames last year.
Small reprint, sold as used. Of course, they weren't sold at such a ridiculous price.
They've done this before too with ps2 reprints. Most recently that I can recall is the original Fatal Frames last year.
Small reprint, sold as used. Of course, they weren't sold at such a ridiculous price.
Lumpy Onion
Member
Nice! Hope more people get to experience this gem. $90 for the amount and quality of gameplay that is to be had with the game is very much worth it imo. I am glad I got it for $50, but I could totally see myself paying $90 for it if I had to. Xenoblade totally lived up to the hype.
cheststrongwell
my cake, fuck off
I don't really care about a company's policies if it means I can finally play Xenoblade. This better be good!
Since it was missed earlier in the thread, it's scummy be they're doing it because up until very recently they were giving people $50 in trade-in credit for copies. Literally anything they had to do for the reprints was going to actually cost them money if they sold them for $50. Not saying it justifies $90, but that's why they're doing this.
ZedIndyLil
Member
Has there been any corresponding appearance of MPT copies? If that happens, then it's definitely due to that promotion.
Any forensics people who could tell how many hands these copies have passed through?
Any forensics people who could tell how many hands these copies have passed through?
It's not. It's one of the most overhyped games ever. It's not worth paying over $20.
Its going to vary from person to person here, but I couldn't even imagine paying $90 for a single video game that I may or may not end up liking. Its hard enough already for me to stomach paying $60 or $70 for a game all that often here in Canada.
ThatsMytrunks
Member
I'll be the first in line to step up and condemn GameStop for shitty business practices, but how can any of you believe that they actually did this?
Let's think about it, they order a reprint of a game that didn't sell well when it was new, then marked it up an additional $40 to hopefully steal the money from some people who think it's a good idea to buy a used copy of it from GameStop? How much money would GameStop even be making in this situation? And what makes you think they'd place their bets on being able to sell a $90 WII game?
GameStop's too busy making ludicrous amounts of money off underpaying and overpricing AAA titles to worry about making a few grand off a "rare" Wii game.
Let's think about it, they order a reprint of a game that didn't sell well when it was new, then marked it up an additional $40 to hopefully steal the money from some people who think it's a good idea to buy a used copy of it from GameStop? How much money would GameStop even be making in this situation? And what makes you think they'd place their bets on being able to sell a $90 WII game?
GameStop's too busy making ludicrous amounts of money off underpaying and overpricing AAA titles to worry about making a few grand off a "rare" Wii game.
IntelliHeath
As in "Heathcliff"
People need to check metriod prime trilogy since most of my stores suddenly have those games now.
It's not reprinted, so many people actually sold their both games.
It's not reprinted, so many people actually sold their both games.
drtomoe123
Member
Man, the days of GameQuestDirect.
Maybe because Xenoblade is consistently selling on eBay and other online marketplaces for $100+? Maybe because as soon as they were shown as in-stock on CAG, people started buying 3+ copies to flip? Maybe because they've done this exact thing with other hard-to-find titles in the past (including Fatal Frame, SMT DDS + Nocturne, Dokapon Kingdom, etc.)?
GameQuestDirect, probably most notable for (at least for a while) exclusive reprints of SMT Nocturne/DDS/DDS2. I think they also had reprints of the Fatal Frame and Atelier Iris trilogies. I was on CAG back then and remember this because I really wanted a reprint for Cubivore.
picklecannon
Member
Reprints or used copies from a promotion? This is really important. Also fuck GameStop. Super shady if they are reprints.
Yeah, ultimately this is how it'll be. And I think the used thing is usually due to a quirk in their system about putting older new games in again, though I do think that's a quirk that really should get stomped out, especially if games ever can reach the point where something comes back in stock repeatedly for new people to buy similar to movies or books. Though that sort of DOES happen with the likes of Greatest Hits games, so I guess they're just being a pain.
Mauricio_Magus
Banned
totally worth it
I still have my sealed NA copy because I play my EU one anyways. I never thought it would be worth so much, I'm still never going to sell it.
I still have my sealed NA copy because I play my EU one anyways. I never thought it would be worth so much, I'm still never going to sell it.
Welp, my point on this is that people that still don't have the game should get it now, because it only can get worse. Well, until a HD release but I'm not sure it'll happen anytime soon, especially since Monolith kinda have their hands full at the moment.
But yeah, GameStop are assholes for doing this, I totally agree on this.
But yeah, GameStop are assholes for doing this, I totally agree on this.
idrinkalone
Banned
This is the one game I would have no problem paying 90$ for. AMAZING game. Haven't played a game like this since ff7. (to me)
It was GameStop exclusive. Besides Nintendos website
VGChampion
Member
I'm not sure what I want to do. I bought my brother a copy as a present and played it after he finished it. I want a copy for myself now but considering I've played it I don't want to spend $90 now. Stupid me should have just bought two copies at launch.
grandjedi6
Master of the Google Search
This is not how reprints work. Unless Gamestop got permission to reprint it themselves, in which case, yes, they might be slimey enough to do this. But it seems like a stretch.
I don't think that Xenoblade is the be-all end-all of JRPGs like some gaffers do, but your opinion is definitely in the minority. The game has a spot next to Mario Galaxy and Dark Souls as one of the most well received titles of the generation on this forum.
charlequin
Banned
Shadow Hearts was the first one I remember them doing.
It's sad that this is another area where we've started to backslide as an industry: much like we've slipped well below the peak level of Japanese localizations we were seeing in the late PS2/early DS era, we've also slipped quite a bit from the peak reprint era where effectively zero current-gen disc games were selling for over $50.
HawthorneKitty
Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
Anything to hate Gamestop; amirite guys?
olimpia84
Member
Somebody needs to find out if this reprint thing is true or not. Can't believe they're doing this (if true)
You're probably in the 2% that think this game is overhyped and not worth over $20. Why try to pass your opinion as fact?
You're probably in the 2% that think this game is overhyped and not worth over $20. Why try to pass your opinion as fact?
DrForester
Kills Photobucket
Hope this gets looked into more. I think it's more likely that they were just hoarding them. I can't imagine Nintendo would reprint to let them do this.
Also, if it was a reprint, surely it would pop up on Nintendo's website.
Also, if it was a reprint, surely it would pop up on Nintendo's website.
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
'Murica, fuck yeah!
PushTheButtonMax
Banned
Yeah I'm pretty sure these are not reprints. These are all copies that were brought in from that previous promotion, and the high trade in value before that.
Why cant they just sell Xenoblade every where like every other game they sell?
This is new "news" not sure how true it is but it's a new wrinkle.
Shadow Hog
Member
MPT is suddenly available everywhere, too (for $85).
$90 might be sleazy, but I dunno, it's still cheaper than eBay prices. I think I'll jump on this while I can.
Admittedly this seems to be a special case due to the retailer exclusive angle. If it WEREN'T a retailer exclusive Nintendo would've shipped copies off to Amazon/GameQuestDirect/maybe Walmart and there'd be more pressure to immediately lower the price on GameStop, even if they still gutted new copies. Well, there's MPT too, but that seems like a similar situation: released only in CE packaging, only a minority actually get the game, goes on clearance crazy fast then people go "WAIT I WANTED THAT" which probably could've been avoided by immediately selling again in basic packaging then moving to Player's Choice.
Though I do believe that, handheld and Nintendo games aside, you really don't have many games going for over launch price still, and handheld's always kind of been a problem there likely because when it's not optical it IS a pain for reprinting.
Ironically, I also think that the decrease in localizations has also probably contributed to fewer low-print games becoming expensive on the secondary market this generation. Games vanishing from retail and then skyrocketing in price is annoying, but maybe in some way it was a sign of a healthier industry willing to take more risks or cater to smaller quantities of niche consumers. This gen, excluding LEs, I can think of, what, three or four games?
drtomoe123
Member
Also, Xenoblade is now listed on Gamestop's front page and they apparently added a lot of new information to the game's product page, including character bios that weren't previously there.
Here's a cached page from July 25th and their current page.
That's a lot of work to update a page for a game that's been out of print for a while now...
Here's a cached page from July 25th and their current page.
That's a lot of work to update a page for a game that's been out of print for a while now...
NoA was passing on pretty much every first party JRPG that didn't star Mario or Pokemon around the time that Xenoblade was released. Perhaps they thought that titles that didn't have wide appeal weren't worth bothering with. Wii U sales have likely cured them of that mindset. I think that Gamestop had some sway in bringing the game over, after they saw the reception in Europe, and the preorder campaign on Amazon via Project Rainfall.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Doesn't seem like a reprint. Both it and Prime Trilogy seem to have similar availability. Slightly higher for Xenoblade, but it was probably more common anyway since Prime Trilogy was intended to be a collectors item from the outset.
IntelliHeath
As in "Heathcliff"
Exactly, but no one noticed my post.
http://www.siliconera.com/2006/01/16/the-business-of-reprints/
What happened to GQD? Their site is still up and it looks like they're still selling games.
There needs to be a company dedicated to digital "reprints". That is, getting super-niche games from Japanese publishers onto XBLM / PSN so I can finally play them. I'm looking at you, Aquanaut's Holiday: Hidden Memories.
$200+ for an English copy. The translation isn't even great.
What happened to GQD? Their site is still up and it looks like they're still selling games.
There needs to be a company dedicated to digital "reprints". That is, getting super-niche games from Japanese publishers onto XBLM / PSN so I can finally play them. I'm looking at you, Aquanaut's Holiday: Hidden Memories.
$200+ for an English copy. The translation isn't even great.