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[Shadow Hog]

For what it's worth, my copy was a little beaten up; at the bottom of the end label, the plastic holding in the cover art has noticeably taken a beating, tearing away and crumpling a bit.

But then, the box has the Nintendo logo and not the Wii one, so I dunno.

 

[Naked Prime]

Also, if we go with the NOA sold new copies to GS and GS opened them and shipped them used to stores at a higher price. This only works if NOA only supplied these reprints to GS. If other retail chains received decent shipments the market value would drop as more copies are put out at MSRP to help satiate demand.

 

[R-User!]

Apparently, they received these copies already in "used" condition. The actual gutting does not appear to be happening in stores. Also, I've read that the cases are different, which is how people know these aren't copies from trade-ins.

Where are they getting "white Wii U cases"? Do these exist for certain editions of some Wii U games? I thought that it was only Light Blue that was the color of the case associated with the Wii U.

 

[borghe]

Well, the game doesn't look so rare anymore, so you'd be crazy to pay an inflated price. Those days of $100+ are over for now.

here's the dilemma.. It's not rare (at GameStop) anymore.. but even with just a PUR discount this is still the cheapest you are going to get it.. if you happen to have a coupon to throw on there as well you can get the game down to $68 in-store. $18 over MSRP for one of the best jRPGs ever... there are worse things in this world.

Also, if we go with the NOA sold new copies to GS and GS opened them and shipped them used to stores at a higher price. This only works if NOA only supplied these reprints to GS. If other retail chains received decent shipments the market value would drop as more copies are put out at MSRP to help satiate demand.

Not if the original GameStop exclusivity arrangement is still in place. Likely that that arrangement was based on GameStop footing a portion of the bill for the printing(s).

 

[SmokedMeat]

When Xenoblade was still an active sku we couldn't give them away. Even when it went on sale for $40 a few times. My store shipped about two dozen copies to other store simply because they weren't moving.

That's what I find funny about the whole aspect of videogame collecting. It's like collectors manufacture demand for games nobody every gave a shit about, by driving prices up. Of course there's more than enough fools out there to buy into it.

 

[borghe]

That's what I find funny about the whole aspect of videogame collecting. It's like collectors manufacture demand for games nobody every gave a shit about, by driving prices up. Of course there's more than enough fools out there to buy into it.

sort of sort of not. The fact is that it is still a rare game in the US. And the fact remains unchallenged that it was one of the best games of the generation. That it sat around somewhere forever is pointless. Despite the quality and rarity, the fact is that it was released for a system which in the US almost everyone had moved on from.

basically it's like Panzer Dragoon Saga really. A swan song for an EOL system. When it released PDS really wasn't that rare.. I saw it around a bunch (I mean at game stores and such) and figured I'd pick it up used eventually. It wasn't until like 1999 or 2000 where news started circulating of its price on ebay. I remember reading that and was like "FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU"

the only difference here is the reprint part if true.. but it's a minor difference.. Even if PDS saw a reprint a year after it was released, I have no doubt it would still be at the same price it is today.

 

[Naked Prime]

Not if the original GameStop exclusivity arrangement is still in place. Likely that that arrangement was based on GameStop footing a portion of the bill for the printing(s).

oh yeah...totally forgot that only we carried it. Well then the games are GS's to kinda do what they please with I suppose. If the aftermarket for an item you exclusively carried has inflated prices...I suppose they are well within their right to adjust their pricing (no matter how ridiculous it is). NOA might have been able to sell them directly online (if the agreement permitted) or a digital version on the eshop for Wii U. it is Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price for a reason. Again the game wasn't really selling before it was out of print.

 

[drtomoe123]

Where are they getting "white Wii U cases"? Do these exist for certain editions of some Wii U games? I thought that it was only Light Blue that was the color of the case associated with the Wii U.

That's the thing. No Wii game (or Wii U game) has used a white case with a Nintendo logo. These cases are literally white versions of Wii U cases. They're totally unique.

The last Nintendo published Wii game was Kirby's Dream Collection, which didn't even use those cases. This proves that these copies are at least newer than Kirby.

 

[Minions]

I still don't see why a different case is a big deal. Gamestop has sold games in "gamestop" cases all the time if the copies were traded in without case. I expect (hope) there is a rerelease (or upres of Xenoblade) released for the Wii-U with the missing areas that were not finished added back in the game.

It's possible the discs were resurfaced due to scratches and other flaws. Perhaps gamestop decided to start ebaying the Xenoblade cases for $20-30 a pop. Gamestop could sell you just the game, and sell the cases/manuals online and make substantially more. Pretty crazy.

 

[Malvingt2]

That's the thing. No Wii game (or Wii U game) has used a white case with a Nintendo logo. These cases are literally white versions of Wii U cases. They're totally unique.

The last Nintendo published Wii game was Kirby's Dream Collection, which didn't even use those cases. This proves that these copies are at least newer than Kirby.

I want to see the white cases.... someone should post it .........

 

[dallow_bg]

I want to see the white cases.... someone should post it .........

Was posted earlier in the thread.

 

[Naked Prime]

As far as cases go, around 2008 stores were receiving official Wii white cases. They were white dvd cases that had Wii embossed in the inside of the cases. I have a few at home. These were new unused cases shipped by the case. They were mostly used for marketing setups. Wouldn't be too far of a stretch that there are still a bunch around.

Sorry, I didn't read that far back....whats the reasoning behind questioning the source of official cases again?

EDIT: Ok I see now...but there are official Wii White DVD cases and GS has had supplies of them

 

[chaosblade]

As far as cases go, around 2008 stores were receiving official Wii white cases. They were white dvd cases that had Wii embossed in the inside of the cases. I have a few at home. These were new unused cases shipped by the case. They were mostly used for marketing setups. Wouldn't be too far of a stretch that there are still a bunch around.

Sorry, I didn't read that far back....whats the reasoning behind questioning the source of official cases again?

EDIT: Ok I see now...but there are official Wii White DVD cases and GS has had supplies of them

They aren't Wii cases. They are WiiU cases, but white instead of blue. No Wii game was released in that kind of case.

 

[Malvingt2]

Was posted earlier in the thread.

oh, I see it now.. Interesting..

 

[StarCreator]

Considering Xenoblade is now promoted to 3DS owners in the form of a Streetpass Mii Plaza puzzle, you'd think Nintendo would take steps to make sure consumers can get new copies of the game...

 

[Malvingt2]

They aren't Wii cases. They are WiiU cases, but white instead of blue. No Wii game was released in that kind of case.

yeah that is what it looks like..

 

[chaosblade]

Considering Xenoblade is now promoted to 3DS owners in the form of a Streetpass Mii Plaza puzzle, you'd think Nintendo would take steps to make sure consumers can get new copies of the game...

This makes me wonder if a reprint was Nintendo's idea but they are obligated to keep the game Gamestop exclusive. So they did a reprint and Gamestop is taking advantage of the secondhand prices since it will have to remain exclusive to them. If they sold the copies as new it would drive prices down rapidly because it would be obvious the game was reprinted and more widely available. Selling it as used doesn't carry the same implication.

 

[drtomoe123]

This makes me wonder if a reprint was Nintendo's idea but they are obligated to keep the game Gamestop exclusive. So they did a reprint and Gamestop is taking advantage of the secondhand prices since it will have to remain exclusive to them. If they sold the copies as new it would drive prices down rapidly because it would be obvious the game was reprinted and more widely available. Selling it as used doesn't carry the same implication.

That's what I'm wondering. None of us have any idea how the exclusivity for the game works.

I think you bring up a good point by mentioning that a confirmation of a reprint would most likely bring prices down. Why would Nintendo or GS confirm a reprint if it would only make the price seem more extravagant?

 

[w1gglyjones]

Why wouldn't Nintendo continue to sell copies on their online store like they did on initial release?

I think you bring up a good point by mentioning that a confirmation of a reprint would most likely bring prices down. Why would Nintendo or GS confirm a reprint if it would only make the price seem more extravagant?

Confirmation of a reprint would only bring down prices for Gamestop-to-consumer, not Nintendo-to-gamestop. Unless Gamestop is paying Nintendo even more per copy of a new print.

 

[borghe]

This makes me wonder if a reprint was Nintendo's idea but they are obligated to keep the game Gamestop exclusive. So they did a reprint and Gamestop is taking advantage of the secondhand prices since it will have to remain exclusive to them. If they sold the copies as new it would drive prices down rapidly because it would be obvious the game was reprinted and more widely available. Selling it as used doesn't carry the same implication.

There has to be an agreement on the exclusivity in the first place. I mean think about how games are made exclusive to a console (i.e. money hats).

In cases like true special editions (like the Last of Us Post-Pandemic edition), Gamestop essentially paid for the manufacturing of the statues.

So really the only logical option for this game being exclusive is Gamestop footed a portion of the bill for manufacturing. To top it off, I wouldn't be surprised if Gamestop approached Nintendo about this, given that everything else for the game is the same from the Euro release.

The more I think about it.. The more I am starting to agree with others about it being an official reprint, still bound by the original exclusivity agreement. For those who think the price is stupid, you can try to hold off. IF these things sit around on store shelves for more than a month or two you'll see the price drop. The only hesitation I would have with it is scalpers grabbing them and driving the price up anyway.

which is really the exact thing that would happen had Gamestop just put the games out at $50 anyway.

Glad to see that your area has received at least four copies of the game since Saturday!

So the lesson here is that if your area doesn't have any copies, they're probably on their way. There's tons of these copies floating around.

actually this is true. the store I bought mine from is still out of stock now, but three more stores popped up in the area today.

FWIW one more store popped up for Metroid Prime Trilogy.

 

[drtomoe123]

No stores near Portland, OR have a copy.

Ya'll crazy.

Glad to see that your area has received at least three copies of the game within 15 miles since Saturday!

So the lesson here is that if your area doesn't have any copies, they're probably on their way. There's tons of these copies floating around.

 

[w1gglyjones]

How many thousands of copies would they have reprinted? And how many did they print the first time? And what was the sell-through both from Nintendo's online store and Gamestop? And why isn't Nintendo selling the reprints online like they did initially?

I'd like to hear from NOA. This entire scarcity and high-price nonsense could have been avoided a long time ago.

 

[fates]

I'd like to hear from NOA.

You won't. They never commented on the Fire Emblem shortages in February-March, except when they boasted the digital sales it got.

 

[w1gglyjones]

You won't. They never commented on the Fire Emblem shortages in February-March, except when they boasted the digital sales it got.

Except there is no digital version of this game. They have nothing to gain by this, or, at least, I don't see one. I don't understand the motive. They could easily offload a smaller reprint from their online store at MSRP.

 

[Malvingt2]

Except there is no digital version of this game. They have nothing to gain by this, or, at least, I don't see one. I don't understand the motive. They could easily offload a smaller reprint from their online store at MSRP.

maybe the contract with GS is preventing this?

 

[fates]

Except there is no digital version of this game. They have nothing to gain by this, or, at least, I don't see one. I don't understand the motive.

The tinfoil hat in me has a theory, a farfetched one, but... I have very little faith in the industry these days, so not completely out of the question?

Anyway, at first I thought "Gamestop found excess", but the recent packaging redesign thing came up. That doesn't sit in with it being "found copies laying around". I would not be surprised if Gamestop and Nintendo decided to stealth reprint this knowing the demand for it, and get GS to sell as Used so they can mark it up. Of course, I'm sure Gamestop paid a good bit more for them too, giving Nintendo a cut.

After all, ebay scalpers manage to get 100-200$ if not more for their rare games? So 90$ seems like a sure thing. The only way to do that and not raise eyebrows (or at least in a bigger way than it already has) would be to sell them Used. If they popped up in Nintendo's store brand-new and sealed for 89.99 people would definitely take notice and gaming sites would wonder if Nintendo is doing a new pricing strategy.

Sounds pretty crazy, but I dunno, the new packaging thing doesn't add up.

 

[borghe]

honestly, I'm going to play devil's advocate here (don't shoot me).

Say this is a reprint, and say Gamestop treated it like a reprint.. i.e. stuck it "New" back online and in the store.

those copies would be immediately pillaged by scalpers the MINUTE word got out. And when I say minute, that isn't even an exaggeration. A link would have gone out on CAG (and other sites including GAF), the online store would have been sold out in minutes (it already was sold out in minutes the first day it appeared in stock online at $90 before it started showing up in stores), and stores would have been sold out within hours, guaranteed.

and the above is not only true, but would likely STILL be true even if stores got like 5-10 copies in at $50.

is what Gamestop is doing a shady move? Yeah... probably. Does it significantly raise the possibility of being able to walk into a store and buying a copy as opposed to the copy being sniped and scalped instantly? Almost definitely.

I mean let's call a spade a spade. When it comes down to it this shit is STILL Nintendo of America's fault.

tl;dr - any reasonably sized reprint (i.e. that wouldn't leave copies sitting around on store shelves for years) would have been scalped anyway, and likely WOULDN'T have driven down prices on Amazon/eBay.

 

[darkside31337]

honestly, I'm going to play devil's advocate here (don't shoot me).

Say this is a reprint, and say Gamestop treated it like a reprint.. i.e. stuck it "New" back online and in the store.

those copies would be immediately pillaged by scalpers the MINUTE word got out. And when I say minute, that isn't even an exaggeration. A link would have gone out on CAG (and other sites including GAF), the online store would have been sold out in minutes (it already was sold out in minutes the first day it appeared in stock online at $90 before it started showing up in stores), and stores would have been sold out within hours, guaranteed.

and the above is not only true, but would likely STILL be true even if stores got like 5-10 copies in at $50.

is what Gamestop is doing a shady move? Yeah... probably. Does it significantly raise the possibility of being able to walk into a store and buying a copy as opposed to the copy being sniped and scalped instantly? Almost definitely.

I mean let's call a spade a spade. When it comes down to it this shit is STILL Nintendo of America's fault.

tl;dr - any reasonably sized reprint (i.e. that wouldn't leave copies sitting around on store shelves for years) would have been scalped anyway, and likely WOULDN'T have driven down prices on Amazon/eBay.

Yep this is the truth. The entire mess falls on NoA's shoulders. They didn't want to localize the game, then they localize it and choose to have it only available through 1 retailer and don't nearly ship enough copies.

Blaming Gamestop for this mess is pretty short sighted.

 

[fates]

tl;dr - any reasonably sized reprint (i.e. that wouldn't leave copies sitting around on store shelves for years) would have been scalped anyway, and likely WOULDN'T have driven down prices on Amazon/eBay.

That's true, however Gamestop (or any retailer) has no right to adjust their prices in order to attempt to regulate the aftermarket.

 

[chaosblade]

I don't really agree. A reprint of the size Nintendo would deem worthwhile would probably not dry up just from scalpers. Prices for existing copies would collapse before maybe, eventually going back up depending on how big the second run was.

It's not like reprints of valuable games are a new thing. Games like some of the PS2 SMT games and Radiant Historia were going above MSRP prior to reprints, and those weren't all collected by scalpers and prices are still reasonable even today. I doubt Xenoblade would have been any different.

I agree it's NoA's fault though. They could have avoided this mess by not making it Gamestop exclusive.

Edit: I'm honestly curious in seeing how long these last at Gamestop. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up lowering the price later to clear them out if it is a reprint, as it seems to be.

Edit edit: And of course that could all go out the window if Gamestop was the one determining how many copies should be reprinted and covered the cost for it. So it might be a smaller run that Nintendo would have done normally, and thus not really have a big impact on pricing.

 

[borghe]

Yep this is the truth. The entire mess falls on NoA's shoulders. They didn't want to localize the game, then they localize it and choose to have it only available through 1 retailer and don't nearly ship enough copies.

Technically NoA didn't localize the game. NoE footed the bill for the entire localization as I understand it. Literally all NoA did was the footwork to setup for an NTSC-U release. I strongly believe that they didn't "make it available" through only one retailer.. I really believe that Gamestop footed the manufacturing bill. And hell, I would be SHOCKED if they didn't do so because they saw something EXACTLY like this playing out.

I'd also guess that given that sort of agreement, Nintendo is bound by said agreement on doing their own reprint and sending it to Amazon etc.

tl;dr on this post - Nintendo had no faith in a North American release, made a deal with the devil (I don't really think Gamestop is evil), and now that deal is coming back and biting everyone in the ass.

edit - with all of this being said, I still implore people to go out and buy this. Either grab it from Gamestop or if you want to make a stand grab a PAL version or from eBay/Amazon. Holy shit is this game amazing. Most blown away I've been by a jRPG since FFVII or maybe even Chrono Trigger.

edit 2 - actually the more I think about it, the more I believe that if Gamestop DID foot the bill for manufacturing, that the agreement HAD TO have had something in it about preventing Nintendo to do their own print run of the game. Otherwise it's just an agreement waiting to fuck over Gamestop. "Ok GS, you pay for the first print run for the game, and if it proves successful then we can pay for a normal print run and distribute it through you and all of your competitors!! Sounds great!" Nintendo likely got GS to agree to a small (nominal) amount of copies to be sold through nintendo.com for people without a gamestop nearby, but was probably a condition of only the first printing.

 

[Phenomic]

Glad to see that your area has received at least three copies of the game within 15 miles since Saturday!

So the lesson here is that if your area doesn't have any copies, they're probably on their way. There's tons of these copies floating around.

My town had no copies until Monday. Then BOOM all of a sudden. I'm still not going to just call "reprint" without knowing 100%, but obviously something has happened.

Needless to say stuff just doesn't show up out of thin air and no matter how you slice it, it still seems shady.

 

[Wereroku]

Definitely something going on. No copies anywhere near me in NC and all of a sudden there are copies in every store within a 100 mile radius. It is a little extreme to think this is just from people trading the game in.

 

[dallow_bg]

Glad to see that your area has received at least three copies of the game within 15 miles since Saturday!

http://i.imgur.com/N70MaGPl.png[IMG]

So the lesson here is that if your area doesn't have any copies, they're probably on their way. There's tons of these copies floating around.[/QUOTE]

That's funny because I had planned on doing the exact same check.
These copies are all being distributed out of Dallas and Portland is as far away as you can get.

 

[Cosmoscliff]

So for those who don't know yet.

Here's how a typical Gamestop release works.

A game is announced.

Gamestop promotes and takes pre-orders on said announced game to estimate demographics and drive sales.

Gamestop orders a set amount of said game based on demographics and forecasting.

Games arrive in multiple warehouses, some for distribution and some for storage.

The game releases.

New stock is sold off and distribution warehouses send out more of said title based on sales, usually with more to higher volume stores.

Assuming sales don't drop off immediately, (Which is usually the case for anything besides the AAA heavy hitters and first party Nintendo titles) more games are ordered and shipped until production of said title ends.

Once production ends usually 90 days to a year after release, an item is designated no longer in distribution.

Sometime after a title is considered no longer in distribution, usually all remaining gamestop stock of said item is converted to used.

Then after being converted, said title is shipped out with more priority to stores nationwide, due to more focus on used sales.

Storage warehouses come across extras of said titles on pallets occasionally, especially this time of the year when freeing up space for the holidays and ship them out with the same hasty fashion.

Sometimes this benefits Gamestop when said game has heavy demand after time, such as is the case for Xenoblade Chronicles.

These copies popping up are the remnants of a game that have been sitting in warehouses collecting dust amongst the billions and billions of other games.

 

[Lordwindowlicker]

Oh, Gamestop.
You guys are total cocks.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

Man, I've never been so glad that I bought a game at launch before. NoA really dropped the ball on this release.

 

[fates]

These copies popping up are the remnants of a game that have been sitting in warehouses collecting dust amongst the billions and billions of other games.

That makes sense, but how does that explain the packaging difference?

 

[Persona7]

I went to the gamestop near me that got 30 copies of the game last week. I checked 8 copies that were on the rack and every single copy had the new disk case packaging.

 

[olimpia84]

Except there is no digital version of this game. They have nothing to gain by this, or, at least, I don't see one. I don't understand the motive. They could easily offload a smaller reprint from their online store at MSRP.

If that happens scalpers are going to buy all the msrp reprint copies before you can blink and sell them on ebay for $200 like any other new copies of the game right now. The easiest solution will be for Nintendo to release this digitally and call it a day.

So for those who don't know yet.

These copies popping up are the remnants of a game that have been sitting in warehouses collecting dust amongst the billions and billions of other games.

But what about the "new" case situation posted in the OP?

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

If Gamestop is actually cracking open new merchandise to sell as used and fetch twice the price they're begging for a class action lawsuit. Sleazy move, but not surprising given their illustrious history.

 

[Malvingt2]

I went to the gamestop near me that got 30 copies of the game last week. I checked 8 copies that were on the rack and every single copy had the new disk case packaging.

30 copies? that is a really a good amount lol

 

[KiraXD]

So if Nintendo isnt selling these anymore, and if you buy used from gamestop , neither nintendo or dev gets the money... is it still wrong to just pirate? if so, then where can i buy it so the money goes to the right people...

 

[borghe]

30 copies? that is a really a good amount lol

Pics or it didn't happen. Everyone reporting seeing them in store are all at one copy. Haven't heard yet of a store with even two copies and now this place has 30 with eight cases out on display? Even more suspect when you take into account that GameStop stores no longer have a "Wii section". Every store in my area has all of the games shoved onto a rack. So this rack has like 8 or 30 copies on it?

So if Nintendo isnt selling these anymore, and if you buy used from gamestop , neither nintendo or dev gets the money... is it still wrong to just pirate? if so, then where can i buy it so the money goes to the right people...

If this is a reprint, then Nintendo (who also happens to be the dev) is getting money for each copy sold. Yes.

However, piracy is never justified, not even by being OOP.

 

[Logash]

I went to Gamestop and took a look. Either is was reprinted or they had old stock and opened them all and released them into the wild with a higher pricetag. That box was in pristine condition.

 

[KiraXD]

If this is a reprint, then Nintendo (who also happens to be the dev) is getting money for each copy sold. Yes.

However, piracy is never justified, not even by being OOP.

If ninty gets money from gamestops used sales then... okay...however... if the money goes directly into gamestops pocket... or some scalpers pocket... why shouldnt i just bypass the (bigger) scum and download it?

 

[borghe]

why? again... point me to a place where the money i spend on this game goes to ninty and devs... then i could see why NOT to pirate... however... if the money goes directly into gamestops pocket... or some scalpers pocket... why shouldnt i just bypass the (bigger) scum and download it?

If its a reprint, GameStop still needs to license said reprint from Nintendo. They can't just print up copies and sell them the same way you and I can't. So if it's a reprint Nintendo is seeing money under whatever terms Nintendo and GameStop have in this silly agreement. Either buying the copies wholesale from Nintendo, or paying Nintendo a licensing few to handle all manufacturing costs. Either way Ninttendo is getting paid.

Further evidenced by there being valid Club Nintendo codes in every single copy.

Edit - and I would be REALLY careful with your edit. Piracy is wrong. Period. There is no jusifiable reason for piracy and trying to argue a reason as justifiable could get you banned here. Be careful. If you can't afford the scalper prices, that still doesn't make pirating it ok.

 

[KiraXD]

If its a reprint, GameStop still needs to license said reprint from Nintendo. They can't just print up copies and sell them the same way you and I can't. So if it's a reprint Nintendo is seeing money under whatever terms Nintendo and GameStop have in this silly agreement. Either buying the copies wholesale from Nintendo, or paying Nintendo a licensing few to handle all manufacturing costs. Either way Ninttendo is getting paid.

Further evidenced by there being valid Club Nintendo codes in every single copy.

makes sense thanks

 

[Curufinwe]

I got a reprinted copy of Fatal Frame 3 from GameStop for $30 in 2008. It was sold as used but was obviously new.

 

[chaosblade]

Pics or it didn't happen. Everyone reporting seeing them in store are all at one copy. Haven't heard yet of a store with even two copies and now this place has 30 with eight cases out on display? Even more suspect when you take into account that GameStop stores no longer have a "Wii section". Every store in my area has all of the games shoved onto a rack. So this rack has like 8 or 30 copies on it?

They're definitely getting more than a couple, because they aren't selling out. There are more stores around me that have the game now then there were when this topic started.