BB Price Drops List $10 El Shaddai, $15 NMH, $20 RE5 Gold, $30 Catherine, $20 DBZ:UT

Enuf · Jul 15, 2012

JaylisJayP · Jul 18, 2012

Store in Kildeer IL has about 8 copies of Kane and Lynch 2 on clearance. Best part for me was theyre on a 50 percent off rack so the guy gave it to me for $2.

Talgrund · Jul 18, 2012

Is No More Heroes worth $15, or should I wait for it to be cheaper?

Enuf · Jul 18, 2012

[quote name='GamerDude316']Damnit. Bought this at $60 last month. If you're not RZ Silver you only get 30 days to price match right?[/QUOTE]yep 30 days for reg. 60 for silver

[quote name='Talgrund']Is No More Heroes worth $15, or should I wait for it to be cheaper?[/QUOTE]Stock is slim already won't be there to go cheaper to $10. Buy it now & hope for a pm chance.

Talgrund · Jul 18, 2012

[quote name='Enuf']Stock is slim already won't be there to go cheaper to $10. Buy it now & hope for a pm chance.[/QUOTE]
Ok I'll head back tomorrow morning before work, thanks.

ZincAlloy · Jul 18, 2012

I can't find DBZ anywhere! Did anyone pick up or see any extras they'd be willing to sell?

Talgrund · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='ZincAlloy']I can't find DBZ anywhere! Did anyone pick up or see any extras they'd be willing to sell?[/QUOTE]
There was 2 left where I picked mine up. Want me to pick another one up tomorrow?

Dvaraka · Jul 19, 2012

Picked up a skyrim CE yesterday the store only had one left! Unfortunately I could not find ultimate tenkaichi.

Rig · Jul 19, 2012

Hopefully I can grab El Shaddai tomorrow when I'm out at Best Buy.

VyseArcad1a · Jul 19, 2012

Found Virtua Tennis 4 PS3 for 14.99. Figured someone would want to know.

the_ENEMY_ · Jul 19, 2012

wow el shaddai is a weird game.. not sure if want. anyone know if this filth trades in anywhere at a decent rate? doubt i can even finish it without gagging.

VyseArcad1a · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='the_ENEMY_']wow el shaddai is a weird game.. not sure if want. anyone know if this filth trades in anywhere at a decent rate? doubt i can even finish it without gagging.[/QUOTE]

Filth? More like beauty.

But then again, I think most military shooters look like filth so I dunno.

Strider Turbulence · Jul 19, 2012

It does looks like crap. Just because something tries to artsy doesn't mean you give it a free pass.

Good luck with the Skyrim CE. I've seen it at a few places but all of the boxes were torn and/or open.

kitlerc · Jul 19, 2012

Not a single copy of El Shaddai to be found at my Best Buy... Though I found Dark Void for $4.

RedFoxCommando · Jul 19, 2012

Not sure if mentioned before but:

Battlefield 3 Limited Edition :ps3:

$29.99

Bosamba · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='RedFoxCommando']Not sure if mentioned before but:

Battlefield 3 Limited Edition :ps3:

$29.99[/QUOTE]

For anyone thinking about playing this game on console, be aware right now there are problems playing online.

How Fan-Run Servers Are Ruining DICE's Game

Has any game been more inescapable over the past 12 months than Battlefield 3? EA's biggest ever shooter has drowned the industry in a tsunami of orange and teal, dominating the headlines pre, during and post launch.

Even the most casual observer must have been sucked up by some of the hype. 15 million plus have stuck around for the fight, but as is so often the case, many players will have cut ties with Battlefield 3 long ago, ready to hitch a ride onto the next hype train or happy to hide away from anything that's marketed with a litany of explosions and a throbbing score.

Those players, then, probably don't know what's happening to one of the world's most popular videogames. There's a seedy, repugnant underbelly dead set on controlling and ultimately ruining what is one of the finest shooters ever made. And for many, it's just too much to bear.

Since DICE and EA introduced the 'rent-a-server' option to Battlefield 3's console experience, the game that appeared in October 2011 is no more. Where once everyone competed on a level-playing field, one restricted and governed by the rules and balances DICE introduced to its game, now each server has its own rules.

Selecting Quick Match - the typical 'go-to' option of most online games - is a real roll of the dice (if you'll excuse the pun), as you'll be dropped into one of thousands of fan-run servers. Many have specific and aggressive rules established in their loading screens and set by the admins who rent and run the server. Some of these new enforcements might just be small rule changes that many would perceive as positive; things like 'no spawn camping' or 'balanced teams'.

The majority, though, are fundamentally game-changing. 'No shotguns' is probably the most common. 'No anti-air' another. These are rules that specifically alter the balance of Battlefield 3, turning it into a new game, almost always for the worse. Many servers run with tickets (Battlefield 3's spawn currency) that are up to and over 400% what the map was designed for, making for farcical matches where the defending team is up against hopeless odds.

"Since DICE and EA introduced the 'rent-a-server' option to Battlefield 3's console experience, the game that appeared in October 2011 is no more."

Worst of all, though, are the multitude of servers run by petty, mini tyrants; people who will kick and then ban anybody in breach of their rules. Or indeed, anyone who happens to not fit into the exact model of game these administrators want. In other words: anyone who happens to be half-decent at Battlefield.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've been kicked and banned from servers. And I am no world-class player: a solid medic with a big heart, maybe, but certainly no deadeye sniper or Airwolf-wannabe chopper pilot.

A recent example of a pair of servers I came across had the explicit rule 'air vehicles for admin only. Anyone else using will be kicked and banned.' It doesn't take a seasoned Battlefield player to see the rot setting in.

It's a real point of contention, too. Cruising the Battlelog forums brings up countless testimonials complaining of the same thing. Some players even consider it a badge of honour to be kicked for playing well. This brilliant animation sums up the situation splendidly.

The obvious reaction to all of this strife is to avoid the Quick Match option altogether, which most players will. However, even surfing through the server browser gives no real indication of what experience you might encounter. There are places that clearly exist for the admins and their friends to boost ranks, places which can be easily avoided, but plenty of others seem innocent and friendly enough. Until you get kicked. And banned. Again.

On occasion you'll find excellent servers with equally excellent admins, and there's actually a bit of a kinship that develops between like-minded players who just want to enjoy the game the way it's supposed to be played. Even then, though, there are issues. The whole notion of matchmaking has been thrown out of the window. Fan-run servers are nothing new on PC, but on console where most shooters have vastly complicated systems that pair you to players of similar skill, suddenly having none of these algorithms in play turns the whole affair into a crap shoot. Plenty of servers are run by decent folk, but decent folk who happen to be outstanding Battlefield players. Competing against them is almost as painful as scrapping with the tyrants.

"Worst of all are the multitude of servers run by petty, mini tyrants; people who will kick and then ban anybody in breach of their rules."

You'd think, then, that restricting yourself to official EA and DICE servers would be the answer. Only, there aren't any. Well, that's not entirely true. On the last count on Xbox 360, I could find six with the magical preface p24, which the Battlefield community tells us denotes officiality, and there is no in-game filter to discern between fan-run servers and official ones. Searching for the word DICE just uncovers countless unofficial servers hungry for players to join their games. At the time of writing, DICE themselves were playing on unofficial servers (according to Twitter). It's a bizarre and almost unfathomable irony.

And what of those fans who start with the best of intentions and an open wallet? It's the age-old problem - absolute power corrupts absolutely. While there are plenty of despots in the Battlefield world who just want to watch the world burn, there appear to be an equal amount who just can't help themselves. After all, if you ran a server and played with 10 friends, say, and suddenly a highly ranked, extremely skilled player dived into your server and dominated every round in a helicopter - as they are more than entitled to do - how tempting would it be to just make him disappear so everyone can go back to having fun? It's definitely a lot easier than organising your team to tactically and deliberately counter his every movement with SAMs and rockets.

So, if Quick Match is a no go, and finding an official server is next-to-impossible, what's the choice for the action-hungry Battlefield player? You've already guessed it. Hire your own server. It's the trap of all traps, and whether it's a deliberate ploy on behalf of those in control or an unfortunate set of circumstances is largely irrelevant: the outcome is the same. People are paying extra just to enjoy the game they've already paid for.

A month's worth of server fees will set you back 2000 MSP on Xbox 360 or $24.99 on PC and PS3, which then gives you your own play space where you can customise the rules and take command of who is allowed into your game.

Look at it from a punter's point of view. They've bought the game. If second hand, they'll have paid $10 for an online pass. Now, six months in, they can't get a decent game without paying even more. It's a grim situation. Couple this with the massive push for Battlefield's new Premium service (which is in fact an oddly-named season pass rather than the gold-card club it sounds like) and it only adds insult to injury. There's nothing Premium about fumbling around for an hour trying to get a game. It makes you feel like an unwanted guest - the competition winner who's allowed in the executive box but isn't really supposed to talk to anyone famous.

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely. While there are plenty of despots in the Battlefield world who just want to watch the world burn, there appear to be an equal amount who just can't help themselves."

I actually went through EA's customer service system to seek out a reason why I was constantly being banned and kicked from games, and was offered this in response "I apologise for the inconvenience caused to you. It seems that you are not following the rules of conduct or you are trying to connect to a rented server. It's not the player of the server but the admin can kicked you out. Please ensure that you are following conduct rules."

I'd known full well what was going on, so my complaint was somewhat surreptitious, but it's not out of the question that many players think they're being banned or kicked by DICE - not everybody is as ingrained in the industry as those who read and write about it on a daily basis. In response, I simply asked how to connect to a non-rented server, but I've not had a reply.

On Reddit, DICE's community manager Daniel Matros was asked about the server situation by user Kilkito in an AMA (ask me anything) discussion.

"I would like to know if you have heard about the current non-existence of Official EA/DICE Servers in BF3 on Xbox 360. I haven't played in over two weeks because of it; abusive admins and 2000% ticket servers are everywhere and I can't seem to find a normal server with vanilla BF3. I thought Rent-a-server was not going to affect my habits of gaming, but it seems I was wrong."

To which Matros replied "I've heard this for a while now and the feedback has gotten louder. This is definitely something I will raise when I get back into the studio tomorrow."
"The real tragedy though, is nothing to do with money, online passes, premium services and other such ugliness. It's the simple fact that one of the finest online shooters ever made is being torn apart from the inside."

This sort of thing doesn't help the public image of a company that's constantly at the forefront of consumer/company angst. Complaining about EA's business practises is a fool's errand without the specifics of its balance sheet to hand, and DICE does listen and respond well to its community, a very active and vocal one at that. Regardless of whether this situation is innocent or not, it appears rampantly cynical. At the very best, it's massively misjudged.

The real tragedy though, is nothing to do with money, online passes, premium services and other such ugliness. It's the simple fact that one of the finest online shooters ever made is being torn apart from the inside. Battlefield 3 at its best is a thing of beauty - a multi-faceted conflict where myriad elements combine to create stunning, orchestrated chaos. Where war stories live forever in the memory, where every corner and every courtyard is another stage for its peerless theatre.

That game, though, no longer exists for most of us. Wading through the thugs, the boosters, the tyrants and the elite is more of a battle than the game itself. Battlefield 3 matches aren't short either - they're long, involved and at times mentally exhausting. Getting kicked for no discernible reason after 40 minutes of hard work is utterly exasperating. So if you can't beat em, do you join em? What other solution is there?
Another server rented. Another tyrant born. The cycle begins again.

RedFoxCommando · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='Bosamba']For anyone thinking about playing this game on console, be aware right now there are problems playing online.[/QUOTE]

I completely agree. This was a HUGE mistake. It's so hard to find a normal game as well as decent admins. I played the other night on :360:

, and on one game I got switched to the losing team half way through the match and on the next very game got kicked off the server by the admin because we were actually winning and I was in 1st place on my team. I am by no means a dirty player either so I was completely annoyed. Little annoyances have been happening since the change but I think that was the last straw and I don't think I'll play until something is done about it.

Bosamba · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='RedFoxCommando']I completely agree. This was a HUGE mistake. It's so hard to find a normal game as well as decent admins. I played the other night on :360:

, and on one game I got switched to the losing team half way through the match and on the next very game got kicked off the server by the admin because we were actually winning and I was in 1st place on my team. I am by no means a dirty player either so I was completely annoyed. Little annoyances have been happening since the change but I think that was the last straw and I don't think I'll play until something is done about it.[/QUOTE]

Here's a great image that demonstrates EA's logic (NSFW):

wrencrest · Jul 19, 2012

Stuff like that is why I never got into online gaming to begin with. Never fun when people cant stand to lose a GAME.

IAmTheCheapestGamer · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='Strider Turbulence']It does looks like crap. Just because something tries to artsy doesn't mean you give it a free pass.[/quote]
It wasn't so much the 'artsy' portion of El Shaddai that I was annoyed by. It was all of the blindingly bright light blue and white screens between some combat segments. That shit's annoying at 2-3am when you're half asleep and just wanna play something that isn't like staring directly at the sun. Luckily I offloaded the game during the 100% bonus promo, so I got back what I paid at least.

Good luck with the Skyrim CE. I've seen it at a few places but all of the boxes were torn and/or open.

I got a pretty much mint condition one at mine. I got one of the two they had just received a day or two earlier. Unfortunately while lugging it home the slipcover got creased in a couple of places and to my chagrin when I finally opened it the manual for the game(which is in a crappy cardboard/plastic DVD tray hybrid type package) was ripped at the top and bottom of it. :roll:

This is more than likely due to them just sliding the manual in the opposite side of that cardboard packaging in a chintzy cardboard sleeve. :roll:

I contacted Bethesda about it and they were willing to do an RMA on it for me, but I think I'm just gonna swap out for my one buddies' copy complete with regular case and then just print up a custom cover for the bonus DVD and put that in a spare PS3 case.

dgwillia006 · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='Bosamba']For anyone thinking about playing this game on console, be aware right now there are problems playing online.

How Fan-Run Servers Are Ruining DICE's Game

Has any game been more inescapable over the past 12 months than Battlefield 3? EA's biggest ever shooter has drowned the industry in a tsunami of orange and teal, dominating the headlines pre, during and post launch.

Even the most casual observer must have been sucked up by some of the hype. 15 million plus have stuck around for the fight, but as is so often the case, many players will have cut ties with Battlefield 3 long ago, ready to hitch a ride onto the next hype train or happy to hide away from anything that's marketed with a litany of explosions and a throbbing score.

Those players, then, probably don't know what's happening to one of the world's most popular videogames. There's a seedy, repugnant underbelly dead set on controlling and ultimately ruining what is one of the finest shooters ever made. And for many, it's just too much to bear.

Since DICE and EA introduced the 'rent-a-server' option to Battlefield 3's console experience, the game that appeared in October 2011 is no more. Where once everyone competed on a level-playing field, one restricted and governed by the rules and balances DICE introduced to its game, now each server has its own rules.

Selecting Quick Match - the typical 'go-to' option of most online games - is a real roll of the dice (if you'll excuse the pun), as you'll be dropped into one of thousands of fan-run servers. Many have specific and aggressive rules established in their loading screens and set by the admins who rent and run the server. Some of these new enforcements might just be small rule changes that many would perceive as positive; things like 'no spawn camping' or 'balanced teams'.

The majority, though, are fundamentally game-changing. 'No shotguns' is probably the most common. 'No anti-air' another. These are rules that specifically alter the balance of Battlefield 3, turning it into a new game, almost always for the worse. Many servers run with tickets (Battlefield 3's spawn currency) that are up to and over 400% what the map was designed for, making for farcical matches where the defending team is up against hopeless odds.

"Since DICE and EA introduced the 'rent-a-server' option to Battlefield 3's console experience, the game that appeared in October 2011 is no more."

Worst of all, though, are the multitude of servers run by petty, mini tyrants; people who will kick and then ban anybody in breach of their rules. Or indeed, anyone who happens to not fit into the exact model of game these administrators want. In other words: anyone who happens to be half-decent at Battlefield.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've been kicked and banned from servers. And I am no world-class player: a solid medic with a big heart, maybe, but certainly no deadeye sniper or Airwolf-wannabe chopper pilot.

A recent example of a pair of servers I came across had the explicit rule 'air vehicles for admin only. Anyone else using will be kicked and banned.' It doesn't take a seasoned Battlefield player to see the rot setting in.

It's a real point of contention, too. Cruising the Battlelog forums brings up countless testimonials complaining of the same thing. Some players even consider it a badge of honour to be kicked for playing well. This brilliant animation sums up the situation splendidly.

The obvious reaction to all of this strife is to avoid the Quick Match option altogether, which most players will. However, even surfing through the server browser gives no real indication of what experience you might encounter. There are places that clearly exist for the admins and their friends to boost ranks, places which can be easily avoided, but plenty of others seem innocent and friendly enough. Until you get kicked. And banned. Again.

On occasion you'll find excellent servers with equally excellent admins, and there's actually a bit of a kinship that develops between like-minded players who just want to enjoy the game the way it's supposed to be played. Even then, though, there are issues. The whole notion of matchmaking has been thrown out of the window. Fan-run servers are nothing new on PC, but on console where most shooters have vastly complicated systems that pair you to players of similar skill, suddenly having none of these algorithms in play turns the whole affair into a crap shoot. Plenty of servers are run by decent folk, but decent folk who happen to be outstanding Battlefield players. Competing against them is almost as painful as scrapping with the tyrants.

"Worst of all are the multitude of servers run by petty, mini tyrants; people who will kick and then ban anybody in breach of their rules."

You'd think, then, that restricting yourself to official EA and DICE servers would be the answer. Only, there aren't any. Well, that's not entirely true. On the last count on Xbox 360, I could find six with the magical preface p24, which the Battlefield community tells us denotes officiality, and there is no in-game filter to discern between fan-run servers and official ones. Searching for the word DICE just uncovers countless unofficial servers hungry for players to join their games. At the time of writing, DICE themselves were playing on unofficial servers (according to Twitter). It's a bizarre and almost unfathomable irony.

And what of those fans who start with the best of intentions and an open wallet? It's the age-old problem - absolute power corrupts absolutely. While there are plenty of despots in the Battlefield world who just want to watch the world burn, there appear to be an equal amount who just can't help themselves. After all, if you ran a server and played with 10 friends, say, and suddenly a highly ranked, extremely skilled player dived into your server and dominated every round in a helicopter - as they are more than entitled to do - how tempting would it be to just make him disappear so everyone can go back to having fun? It's definitely a lot easier than organising your team to tactically and deliberately counter his every movement with SAMs and rockets.

So, if Quick Match is a no go, and finding an official server is next-to-impossible, what's the choice for the action-hungry Battlefield player? You've already guessed it. Hire your own server. It's the trap of all traps, and whether it's a deliberate ploy on behalf of those in control or an unfortunate set of circumstances is largely irrelevant: the outcome is the same. People are paying extra just to enjoy the game they've already paid for.

A month's worth of server fees will set you back 2000 MSP on Xbox 360 or $24.99 on PC and PS3, which then gives you your own play space where you can customise the rules and take command of who is allowed into your game.

Look at it from a punter's point of view. They've bought the game. If second hand, they'll have paid $10 for an online pass. Now, six months in, they can't get a decent game without paying even more. It's a grim situation. Couple this with the massive push for Battlefield's new Premium service (which is in fact an oddly-named season pass rather than the gold-card club it sounds like) and it only adds insult to injury. There's nothing Premium about fumbling around for an hour trying to get a game. It makes you feel like an unwanted guest - the competition winner who's allowed in the executive box but isn't really supposed to talk to anyone famous.

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely. While there are plenty of despots in the Battlefield world who just want to watch the world burn, there appear to be an equal amount who just can't help themselves."

I actually went through EA's customer service system to seek out a reason why I was constantly being banned and kicked from games, and was offered this in response "I apologise for the inconvenience caused to you. It seems that you are not following the rules of conduct or you are trying to connect to a rented server. It's not the player of the server but the admin can kicked you out. Please ensure that you are following conduct rules."

I'd known full well what was going on, so my complaint was somewhat surreptitious, but it's not out of the question that many players think they're being banned or kicked by DICE - not everybody is as ingrained in the industry as those who read and write about it on a daily basis. In response, I simply asked how to connect to a non-rented server, but I've not had a reply.

On Reddit, DICE's community manager Daniel Matros was asked about the server situation by user Kilkito in an AMA (ask me anything) discussion.

"I would like to know if you have heard about the current non-existence of Official EA/DICE Servers in BF3 on Xbox 360. I haven't played in over two weeks because of it; abusive admins and 2000% ticket servers are everywhere and I can't seem to find a normal server with vanilla BF3. I thought Rent-a-server was not going to affect my habits of gaming, but it seems I was wrong."

To which Matros replied "I've heard this for a while now and the feedback has gotten louder. This is definitely something I will raise when I get back into the studio tomorrow."
"The real tragedy though, is nothing to do with money, online passes, premium services and other such ugliness. It's the simple fact that one of the finest online shooters ever made is being torn apart from the inside."

This sort of thing doesn't help the public image of a company that's constantly at the forefront of consumer/company angst. Complaining about EA's business practises is a fool's errand without the specifics of its balance sheet to hand, and DICE does listen and respond well to its community, a very active and vocal one at that. Regardless of whether this situation is innocent or not, it appears rampantly cynical. At the very best, it's massively misjudged.

The real tragedy though, is nothing to do with money, online passes, premium services and other such ugliness. It's the simple fact that one of the finest online shooters ever made is being torn apart from the inside. Battlefield 3 at its best is a thing of beauty - a multi-faceted conflict where myriad elements combine to create stunning, orchestrated chaos. Where war stories live forever in the memory, where every corner and every courtyard is another stage for its peerless theatre.

That game, though, no longer exists for most of us. Wading through the thugs, the boosters, the tyrants and the elite is more of a battle than the game itself. Battlefield 3 matches aren't short either - they're long, involved and at times mentally exhausting. Getting kicked for no discernible reason after 40 minutes of hard work is utterly exasperating. So if you can't beat em, do you join em? What other solution is there?
Another server rented. Another tyrant born. The cycle begins again.

[/QUOTE]

Well fuck

. I was planning on buying it again, especially if i could find for this price, but not if im gonna get kicked just for doing well

ZincAlloy · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='Talgrund']There was 2 left where I picked mine up. Want me to pick another one up tomorrow?[/QUOTE]

Hey hopefully not too late to take you up on this! I'd love you for this!

Thank you! Even if it's too late

IAmTheCheapestGamer · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='dgwillia006']Well fuck

. I was planning on buying it again, especially if i could find for this price, but not if im gonna get kicked just for doing well

Havok83 · Jul 19, 2012

why does Catherine still show up as $60?

dgwillia006 · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Personally, I wouldn't mind it if Rockstar did that with their servers. At least it'd allow me to get rid of the toolbag griefers from free mode on GTA or RDR when my friends playing the game refuse to join me in kicking them. Of course, it would help if their servers and online games were 100% stable in the first place and you didn't get phantom kicked from games where no one voted you out but when you try to rejoin a game it tells you you got kicked.[/QUOTE]

Well yeah, i agree on GTA or RDR or games like that. But in an FPS like BF3, that was just a horrible horrible idea to give the host complete power. Makes me think back to L4D2 and getting kicked for no damn reason.

Kinda sad when people are limiting weapons/vehicles just because it makes them salty, they should just go play another damn game

IAmTheCheapestGamer · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='Havok83']why does Catherine still show up as $60?[/QUOTE]
Because as of now it's an in store only price.
[quote name='dgwillia006']Well yeah, i agree on GTA or RDR or games like that. But in an FPS like BF3, that was just a horrible horrible idea to give the host complete power. Makes me think back to L4D2 and getting kicked for no damn reason.

Kinda sad when people are limiting weapons/vehicles just because it makes them salty, they should just go play another damn game[/QUOTE]
I was tempted to play BF3 online when I had it a while ago, but chances are I would've been one of the people using one of those flying scout vehicles to get on top of a high building and sniping people.

But yeah, I've even joined games on Rockstars' servers before and all of the people in the games vote you out before you can even move.

Most times it's because people don't know how to make private games, so they set it with open slots and kick out random people.

Of course, after having dealt with so many griefers in online games in the last 3-4 years I shoot first and ask questions later of randoms who join any game I'm in.

VyseArcad1a · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='Strider Turbulence']It does looks like crap. Just because something tries to artsy doesn't mean you give it a free pass.
[/QUOTE]

Played it?

dgwillia006 · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']

I was tempted to play BF3 online when I had it a while ago, but chances are I would've been one of the people using one of those flying scout vehicles to get on top of a high building and sniping people.

But yeah, I've even joined games on Rockstars' servers before and all of the people in the games vote you out before you can even move.

Most times it's because people don't know how to make private games, so they set it with open slots and kick out random people.

Of course, after having dealt with so many griefers in online games in the last 3-4 years I shoot first and ask questions later of randoms who join any game I'm in.[/QUOTE]

Lol, thats why i know i'd likely get kicked. When the game first came out i'd usually always be sniping from somewhere or hiding in the corner of someones spawn

Also, i love to use those little EOD Bots (Or whatever those disarming bots are called) and hide them in corners and wait for someone to try to arm or disarm a bomb and melt their face off

IAmTheCheapestGamer · Jul 19, 2012

That's why the newbies/randoms in GTA hate me and my friends cuz I usually take a chopper up inside a building and stand there with an RPG at the ready waiting for them to try and grief me. As soon as they start shooting at me, I blast em.

Of course, my one buddy is 10x better than me. He's usually flying around under the map chasing people and shooting rockets out from there.:lol:

PublikDefender · Jul 19, 2012

Don't worry if your store only has the skyrim ce's in beat-up condition. I don't even have an xbox anymore so I just bought the last beat-up box at the store and traded the game in the next day for $32. They paid me $2 to take the ce contents. Everything inside was in mint condition.

As long as you open the box, your collector's item ceases to be "Mint on Card" and will not be worth anything on the collector's market as a "complete" item or set. At that point, it doesn't matter how pristine the cardboard box is. The only thing of value would be the actual items themselves (and how rare they are).

YBX87 · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Because as of now it's an in store only price.

I was tempted to play BF3 online when I had it a while ago, but chances are I would've been one of the people using one of those flying scout vehicles to get on top of a high building and sniping people.

But yeah, I've even joined games on Rockstars' servers before and all of the people in the games vote you out before you can even move.

Most times it's because people don't know how to make private games, so they set it with open slots and kick out random people.

Of course, after having dealt with so many griefers in online games in the last 3-4 years I shoot first and ask questions later of randoms who join any game I'm in.[/QUOTE]

lol, bf3 online is not that bad. i am currently playing it

CaoPi · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='RedFoxCommando']Not sure if mentioned before but:

Battlefield 3 Limited Edition :ps3:

$29.99[/QUOTE]

I love using shotgun online

slowdive21 · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='wrencrest']Stuff like that is why I never got into online gaming to begin with. Never fun when people cant stand to lose a GAME.[/QUOTE]

I didn't read the article, but I assume people are rage quitting and dumping the matches? It always happens in the bioshock 2 community Friday nights.

dgwillia006 · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='slowdive21']I didn't read the article, but I assume people are rage quitting and dumping the matches? It always happens in the bioshock 2 community Friday nights.[/QUOTE]

Kinda, hosts are basically setting up matches with dumbass rules like "No shotguns" or "No camping" or "Only I and my friends can use the jets/helicopters", otherwise you get insta-kicked/banned. That or you just get kicked for simply doing better than everyone else

gotdott · Jul 19, 2012

[quote name='Bosamba']For anyone thinking about playing this game on console, be aware right now there are problems playing online.

How Fan-Run Servers Are Ruining DICE's Game

Has any game been more inescapable over the past 12 months than Battlefield 3? EA's biggest ever shooter has drowned the industry in a tsunami of orange and teal, dominating the headlines pre, during and post launch.

Even the most casual observer must have been sucked up by some of the hype. 15 million plus have stuck around for the fight, but as is so often the case, many players will have cut ties with Battlefield 3 long ago, ready to hitch a ride onto the next hype train or happy to hide away from anything that's marketed with a litany of explosions and a throbbing score.

Those players, then, probably don't know what's happening to one of the world's most popular videogames. There's a seedy, repugnant underbelly dead set on controlling and ultimately ruining what is one of the finest shooters ever made. And for many, it's just too much to bear.

Since DICE and EA introduced the 'rent-a-server' option to Battlefield 3's console experience, the game that appeared in October 2011 is no more. Where once everyone competed on a level-playing field, one restricted and governed by the rules and balances DICE introduced to its game, now each server has its own rules.

Selecting Quick Match - the typical 'go-to' option of most online games - is a real roll of the dice (if you'll excuse the pun), as you'll be dropped into one of thousands of fan-run servers. Many have specific and aggressive rules established in their loading screens and set by the admins who rent and run the server. Some of these new enforcements might just be small rule changes that many would perceive as positive; things like 'no spawn camping' or 'balanced teams'.

The majority, though, are fundamentally game-changing. 'No shotguns' is probably the most common. 'No anti-air' another. These are rules that specifically alter the balance of Battlefield 3, turning it into a new game, almost always for the worse. Many servers run with tickets (Battlefield 3's spawn currency) that are up to and over 400% what the map was designed for, making for farcical matches where the defending team is up against hopeless odds.

"Since DICE and EA introduced the 'rent-a-server' option to Battlefield 3's console experience, the game that appeared in October 2011 is no more."

Worst of all, though, are the multitude of servers run by petty, mini tyrants; people who will kick and then ban anybody in breach of their rules. Or indeed, anyone who happens to not fit into the exact model of game these administrators want. In other words: anyone who happens to be half-decent at Battlefield.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've been kicked and banned from servers. And I am no world-class player: a solid medic with a big heart, maybe, but certainly no deadeye sniper or Airwolf-wannabe chopper pilot.

A recent example of a pair of servers I came across had the explicit rule 'air vehicles for admin only. Anyone else using will be kicked and banned.' It doesn't take a seasoned Battlefield player to see the rot setting in.

It's a real point of contention, too. Cruising the Battlelog forums brings up countless testimonials complaining of the same thing. Some players even consider it a badge of honour to be kicked for playing well. This brilliant animation sums up the situation splendidly.

The obvious reaction to all of this strife is to avoid the Quick Match option altogether, which most players will. However, even surfing through the server browser gives no real indication of what experience you might encounter. There are places that clearly exist for the admins and their friends to boost ranks, places which can be easily avoided, but plenty of others seem innocent and friendly enough. Until you get kicked. And banned. Again.

On occasion you'll find excellent servers with equally excellent admins, and there's actually a bit of a kinship that develops between like-minded players who just want to enjoy the game the way it's supposed to be played. Even then, though, there are issues. The whole notion of matchmaking has been thrown out of the window. Fan-run servers are nothing new on PC, but on console where most shooters have vastly complicated systems that pair you to players of similar skill, suddenly having none of these algorithms in play turns the whole affair into a crap shoot. Plenty of servers are run by decent folk, but decent folk who happen to be outstanding Battlefield players. Competing against them is almost as painful as scrapping with the tyrants.

"Worst of all are the multitude of servers run by petty, mini tyrants; people who will kick and then ban anybody in breach of their rules."

You'd think, then, that restricting yourself to official EA and DICE servers would be the answer. Only, there aren't any. Well, that's not entirely true. On the last count on Xbox 360, I could find six with the magical preface p24, which the Battlefield community tells us denotes officiality, and there is no in-game filter to discern between fan-run servers and official ones. Searching for the word DICE just uncovers countless unofficial servers hungry for players to join their games. At the time of writing, DICE themselves were playing on unofficial servers (according to Twitter). It's a bizarre and almost unfathomable irony.

And what of those fans who start with the best of intentions and an open wallet? It's the age-old problem - absolute power corrupts absolutely. While there are plenty of despots in the Battlefield world who just want to watch the world burn, there appear to be an equal amount who just can't help themselves. After all, if you ran a server and played with 10 friends, say, and suddenly a highly ranked, extremely skilled player dived into your server and dominated every round in a helicopter - as they are more than entitled to do - how tempting would it be to just make him disappear so everyone can go back to having fun? It's definitely a lot easier than organising your team to tactically and deliberately counter his every movement with SAMs and rockets.

So, if Quick Match is a no go, and finding an official server is next-to-impossible, what's the choice for the action-hungry Battlefield player? You've already guessed it. Hire your own server. It's the trap of all traps, and whether it's a deliberate ploy on behalf of those in control or an unfortunate set of circumstances is largely irrelevant: the outcome is the same. People are paying extra just to enjoy the game they've already paid for.

A month's worth of server fees will set you back 2000 MSP on Xbox 360 or $24.99 on PC and PS3, which then gives you your own play space where you can customise the rules and take command of who is allowed into your game.

Look at it from a punter's point of view. They've bought the game. If second hand, they'll have paid $10 for an online pass. Now, six months in, they can't get a decent game without paying even more. It's a grim situation. Couple this with the massive push for Battlefield's new Premium service (which is in fact an oddly-named season pass rather than the gold-card club it sounds like) and it only adds insult to injury. There's nothing Premium about fumbling around for an hour trying to get a game. It makes you feel like an unwanted guest - the competition winner who's allowed in the executive box but isn't really supposed to talk to anyone famous.

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely. While there are plenty of despots in the Battlefield world who just want to watch the world burn, there appear to be an equal amount who just can't help themselves."

I actually went through EA's customer service system to seek out a reason why I was constantly being banned and kicked from games, and was offered this in response "I apologise for the inconvenience caused to you. It seems that you are not following the rules of conduct or you are trying to connect to a rented server. It's not the player of the server but the admin can kicked you out. Please ensure that you are following conduct rules."

I'd known full well what was going on, so my complaint was somewhat surreptitious, but it's not out of the question that many players think they're being banned or kicked by DICE - not everybody is as ingrained in the industry as those who read and write about it on a daily basis. In response, I simply asked how to connect to a non-rented server, but I've not had a reply.

On Reddit, DICE's community manager Daniel Matros was asked about the server situation by user Kilkito in an AMA (ask me anything) discussion.

"I would like to know if you have heard about the current non-existence of Official EA/DICE Servers in BF3 on Xbox 360. I haven't played in over two weeks because of it; abusive admins and 2000% ticket servers are everywhere and I can't seem to find a normal server with vanilla BF3. I thought Rent-a-server was not going to affect my habits of gaming, but it seems I was wrong."

To which Matros replied "I've heard this for a while now and the feedback has gotten louder. This is definitely something I will raise when I get back into the studio tomorrow."
"The real tragedy though, is nothing to do with money, online passes, premium services and other such ugliness. It's the simple fact that one of the finest online shooters ever made is being torn apart from the inside."

This sort of thing doesn't help the public image of a company that's constantly at the forefront of consumer/company angst. Complaining about EA's business practises is a fool's errand without the specifics of its balance sheet to hand, and DICE does listen and respond well to its community, a very active and vocal one at that. Regardless of whether this situation is innocent or not, it appears rampantly cynical. At the very best, it's massively misjudged.

The real tragedy though, is nothing to do with money, online passes, premium services and other such ugliness. It's the simple fact that one of the finest online shooters ever made is being torn apart from the inside. Battlefield 3 at its best is a thing of beauty - a multi-faceted conflict where myriad elements combine to create stunning, orchestrated chaos. Where war stories live forever in the memory, where every corner and every courtyard is another stage for its peerless theatre.

That game, though, no longer exists for most of us. Wading through the thugs, the boosters, the tyrants and the elite is more of a battle than the game itself. Battlefield 3 matches aren't short either - they're long, involved and at times mentally exhausting. Getting kicked for no discernible reason after 40 minutes of hard work is utterly exasperating. So if you can't beat em, do you join em? What other solution is there?
Another server rented. Another tyrant born. The cycle begins again.

[/QUOTE]

He could only find 6 official servers? When was the last time he checked, 2 months ago? There are plenty of DICE servers to play on, just favorite them and jump in. Even then, admin abuse isn't as rampant as he makes it sound, I have over 600 hours logged and run into it maybe once or twice a week.

MyCatEdwin · Jul 19, 2012

Battlefield 3: Limited Edition (PS3) is still showing up online at $40 and is nowhere to be found in the "clearance" section on the website section for my local store. Am I out of luck?

GaMeR_2007 · Jul 19, 2012

^ Yeah same, and only the PC version is listed when you search it. How is everyone checking for it?

Sway · Jul 19, 2012

Thanks for the heads up, Enuf. I was able to pickup :ds:

DQ VI,

El Shaddai, Kane and Lynch 2, and Jurassic Park. I was also able to snag the last :360:

Amalur with my Unlocked coupon. I didn't think I would have been able to get all that was listed in the clearance section since this was originally posted on Sunday but I guess it helped that the games weren't listed as clearance (well K&L 2 was tagged $3.99 but nothing to make it stick out other than the price).

Shaq-Funaki · Jul 19, 2012

I went looking for Dragon Quest VI but no go

Solh0und · Jul 20, 2012

Mine has splatterhouse for 9.99. I'll check it out.

MyCatEdwin · Jul 20, 2012

My local Best Buy, to my knowledge, didn't have a single price drop on PlayStation 3 games.

dgwillia006 · Jul 20, 2012

Got a copy of DQVI for 7$ ^_^, quite happy. Still got 50$ on my GC saved for this weekends new blowout too.

tb46667 · Jul 20, 2012

Went to get some Blu rays with the 5 dollar off upgrade
I saw a few games marked down in the regular Shelf not in a clearance bin

PS3 Games--- $9.99 **

Thor**
Marvel Vs Capcom 3 ( regular not ultimate)**
Fear 3**
Earth Defense Force 2**

Blaze Blue Continum shift was 14.99
No More Heroes was 14.99

XBOX 360

Shadows of the Damned was 9.99
Dark Void was 3.99

Wii

Only one i saw cheap was Green Lantern for $9.99

IAmTheCheapestGamer · Jul 20, 2012

[quote name='MyCatEdwin']My local Best Buy, to my knowledge, didn't have a single price drop on PlayStation 3 games.[/QUOTE]
Did you flip through the rows of PS3 games physically or just ask? I ask because price dropped titles are usually easy to spot, since most stores(around here anyway) won't remove the prior 1-2 or more stickers and they'll just slap a new sticker on top of the old ones on those plastic dividers.

Not to mention if they're a clearance item it'll say right on the sticker that it's clearance.

As for the folks wondering why the online prices don't match the instore prices, sometimes they just don't and you have to go into the actual store to buy the games. It sucks if your closest BB is a half hour to an hour away and you've got a gas guzzler for a car, but there's nothing you can really do otherwise.

KrayzieKMF · Jul 20, 2012

Did anyone happen to price check a copy of BF3 LE for the PC? I forgot to scan it when I was at BB yesterday and the website says see store for clearance price.

IAmTheCheapestGamer · Jul 20, 2012

[quote name='tb46667']Went to get some Blu rays with the 5 dollar off upgrade
I saw a few games marked down in the regular Shelf not in a clearance bin

PS3 Games--- $9.99 **

Thor**
Marvel Vs Capcom 3 ( regular not ultimate)**
Fear 3**
Earth Defense Force 2**

Blaze Blue Continum shift was 14.99
No More Heroes was 14.99

XBOX 360

Shadows of the Damned was 9.99
Dark Void was 3.99

Wii

Only one i saw cheap was Green Lantern for $9.99[/QUOTE]
Actually I mentioned Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon for PS3 and other people have mentioned Fear 3, No More Heroes and MVC 3 regular already. I believe that SotD and Dark Void for the 360 have also been mentioned.

I distinctly remember seeing Green Lantern for the PS3 earlier this week as well, though I don't quite remember the price offhand but I remember it being $20 or below.

tb46667 · Jul 20, 2012

well it doesnt hurt to repost.

I only saw no more heroes, but I dont comb through every single post

Add Thor to the list

IAmTheCheapestGamer · Jul 20, 2012

Actually I think it was in the summer gaming blowout thread that those were mentioned as folks on that thread are trying to figure out what stuff was already dropped to a cheap price in anticipation of Sunday.

As for reposting, while it helps bring more attention to the games already mentioned, it also further adds to the possibility that come Sunday those games may be reserved for in-store pickup and people just going to the store may be SOL.

JaylisJayP · Jul 20, 2012

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but I just picked up Tron Evolution PS3 for $6.99.

IAmTheCheapestGamer · Jul 20, 2012

Yeah. I have a feeling that many movie games from the last year or so are likely gonna be dropped either for this sale or for the upcoming summer clearance blowout dealie.

Enuf · Jul 21, 2012

more titles added to OP

BB Price Drops List $10 El Shaddai, $15 NMH, $20 RE5 Gold, $30 Catherine, $20 DBZ:UT

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