Originally Posted by IAmTheCheapestGamer Since when are Dark Sector, SC: DA and PoP considered 'quality' games? I mean, PoP maybe, but Dark Sector is in the same league as Dark Void to me and from personal experience the SC series has been the same shit for 10-15 years now and just rehashed every couple of years. Though that could be said about MANY games nowadays.

Since I said so that's when. The only similarities between Dark Sector and Dark Void is they both start with the name Dark.

Originally Posted by Richard Kain Not to mention that all three of those games are from much earlier in the current console cycle. They are ideal fodder for GameStop's bargain bin. And on top of that, I DID actually get Prince of Persia at Target, for $9.99. And I most likely purchased it and got to enjoy it several years earlier, as it's price at GameStop at the time was still $40+. If you are looking to acquire clearance games that are no longer carried in stores, than digging through GameStop's bins might have some merit. But if that's the case, there's no reason why you couldn't do the same at any used game store that ISN'T GameStop. Having a mega-corporation dictating terms to the used game market isn't necessary for that kind of transaction.

I don't know of any store like that. So instead of waiting for the evil Gamestop conglomerate to fall, I'll just get the game from Gamestop instead.

Originally Posted by Jodou The only downside is that you don't actually own any of the games.

Same goes for PSN or XBL. I actually been burned by buying a PSN game and it stopped showing in my downloads list with no way to play it since it would not activate when launching (and yes I contacted Sony, they claimed they would refund me but they never did). I am ok with Steam is I can get game super cheap and then still be able to back them up to an external HD.

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Originally Posted by Sir_Fragalot Same goes for PSN or XBL.

You're catching on. I don't buy PSN (and especially not XBL) games, let alone DLC either.

Originally Posted by matrix9280 I don't know of any store like that. So instead of waiting for the evil Gamestop conglomerate to fall, I'll just get the game from Gamestop instead.

If you did a little research, you might find a store like that in your area. You use GameStop not for the quality of the service they provide, but simply as a convenience. You are willing to put up with their more negative practices just so that you can avoid a little extra effort. That's not a very CAG attitude to adopt. A real deal-hound wouldn't just settle.

Originally Posted by Richard Kain If you did a little research, you might find a store like that in your area. You use GameStop not for the quality of the service they provide, but simply as a convenience. You are willing to put up with their more negative practices just so that you can avoid a little extra effort. That's not a very CAG attitude to adopt. A real deal-hound wouldn't just settle.

There really aren't too many of those type of stores left. Most of them in this area are either part of other used media stores, with limited selection, or have gone out of business.

There is a good point that sometimes you are better off buying new with how cheap some games drop, but only if you are fortunate enough catch that sale. Target clearance? That's always hit-or-miss. Mostly miss for me.

That being said, you usually get your best value from GameStop when you take advantage of trade-in deals and B2G1.

Originally Posted by Richard Kain If you did a little research, you might find a store like that in your area. You use GameStop not for the quality of the service they provide, but simply as a convenience. You are willing to put up with their more negative practices just so that you can avoid a little extra effort. That's not a very CAG attitude to adopt. A real deal-hound wouldn't just settle.

Jeez. Did some Gamestop manager rape you in the shower? No one hates them more than you.

Originally Posted by TheLongshot There really aren't too many of those type of stores left. Most of them in this area are either part of other used media stores, with limited selection, or have gone out of business.

And who is responsible for this decrease in selection for used gaming retail opportunities? Why, GameStop, of course!

Now, they aren't the only ones to blame. The failure of rental stores to properly address game rentals, and then the failure to adapt to changes in the market are also responsible. A greater degree of competition from that quarter could have helped prevent GameStop from taking over as thoroughly as they have. But at the moment GameStop is the company primarily at fault for muscling smaller competitors out of the way.

Target clearance? That's always hit-or-miss.

Yes, I can't argue with that. While Target's clearance section is a great place to pick up cheap games, it is much more of a crap-shoot. GameStop is more reliable in its selection, and is more likely to have a game that you are looking for. Target clearance is more of a luck-of-the-draw opportunity.

That being said, you usually get your best value from GameStop when you take advantage of trade-in deals and B2G1.

While I can agree with B2G1 free, the trade-in credit only works when you...well, when you trade in. I'm a collector of games, not just a player. I NEVER trade-in. I have never traded a game in, and likely will never trade a game in.

When you trade-in all of your old titles in order to play new titles, you are essentially treating GameStop as a very expensive rental service. The primary difference is that it is actually more expensive than most game rental services, and GameStop gets to hold onto the lion's share of your money and earn interest off of it. (this is even more true when you volunteer to take in-store credit instead of cash)

At the end of the day, it just irks me to see GameStop actively bilk its own customers. It especially irks me when they trick their customers into thinking that they are doing them a favor.

Originally Posted by matrix9280 No one hates them more than you.

Actually I hate them a LOT more. But they do serve a purpose at times.

I've had terrible experiences multiple times at 3 different Gamestop stores. And the Deus Ex thing and another one i'm forgetting. I say they can go to corporate hell. Hell, i stopped console gaming about a year ago, and since Gamestop barely sells any PC games, this won't affect me at all.

Also back when i was a console gamer i used to hate the idea of Digital games too. But now i own shitloads of games on Steam. And Steam has over 40 million active users, so i'm not the only one.

Though those bad experiences may be clouding my judgement. Probably not.

There are some fantastic posts in this thread, but I feel like I should expand on some points that were made.

They definitely have become a victim of over-expansion. Here in Delaware I can count on two hands the amount of stores I know of within a hour drive. Over-saturation of a brand isn't healthy by any means...

Gamestop has really helped to bring gaming into the main stream for the casual gamers. When I go into a Gamestop, I usually see Moms with kids in there... sometimes I see Moms buying games for their Wii's or even Xboxes... that right there is a great thing.

When stores such as Best Buy are struggling to sell off all their overstocked and outdated games and prices, I think that is a fair indicator that we're going to be in trouble if Gamestop goes out of business. Sadly without Gamestop, most prices will go up due to lack of competition from Gamestop driving the price of used games down. Eiher way, we'll always have Gamestop.com I have a feeling.