Best Buy posing cheap games as Greatest Hits?

[HotShotX]

I walked into my BB today to investigate rumors of them flatlining the prices on some games, and as I browsed the PS2 section, I came across something odd in the Greatest Hits section ($19.99 PS2 games that have sold at least 400,000 copies and been on the market for 9 months):

That's right, Avatar for the PS2...but oddly enough with the "Greatest Hits" brand across its forehead? Further inspection reveals a clue:

That's right, a GH sticker plastered not on the game's case (note that it is not in line with the cover art, nor wraps around to the back of the case), but the clear wrapping, and not just one, but all the copies in stock. Now, if I recall, Avatar was released on nearly every system and received the "piece of shit" score across the board. I debate whether it sold 400,000 copies on ALL consoles let alone one.

This begs the question, is BB marketing off cheap games as Greatest Hits to get them out the door? Or merely saying "$19.99 = Greatest Hit" without receiving word from Sony or the Game's developer? I couldn't find any other PS2 games with their GH status as a meer sticker, but this practice definitely worries me.

~HotShotX

 

[pitfallharry219]

They do this sometimes to get rid of their current stock of non GH before the actual GH versions arrive.

 

[Visc]

maybe someone will get lucky and an idiot employee will give Okami the same treatment.

 

[Scorch]

[quote name='pitfallharry219']They do this sometimes to get rid of their current stock of non GH before the actual GH versions arrive.[/quote]

yep.

 

[monkeydeew]

i saw some alleged 'sony' guy putting those stickers all over used crap at gs one time

 

[buddwier]

Haha i love how kids on here always think something shady is going on. I actually work in the media(video games) department for Best Buy. I know sometimes we do some stupid crap there but this is legit. Normally about once a month or so a rep will come in and sticker stuff like this or sometimes it comes in like that. Its just like the guy a few posts above me said. This is what they do to games that just because GH, until the ones arrive that are actual greatest hits packaging.

 

[Mr Unoriginal]

ZOMG! A conspiracy unmasked!

 

[62t]

find nemo got gh so it is not really shocking

 

[Trancendental]

Alot of times the GH version has some extra features, this is not cool.

 

[ctice44]

Supposedly in July this went Greatest Hits- according to THQ:
http://www.gameshark.com/ps2/news/21849/Avatar-Greatest-Hits.htm
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/avatar-the-last-airbender/avatar-the-last-airbender-vide-8763.aspx
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/avatar-the-last-airbender/avatar-the-last-airbender-vide-8763.aspx

 

[imacgod]

I got a game from Amazon like that. I ordered SOCOM II, I believe, and the GH sticker was on the shrinkwrap, but the game itself was not GH.

 

[devildr1ver]

i actually prefer buying games like that cause i can't stand the printed on greatest hits label on the actual boxart its annoying

 

[Caliburn]

Yeah, I've seen this occurence at my Best Buy for about a year now.

I'd be extremely suspicious if I saw it on Raiden III, though.

 

[M3wThr33]

[quote name='camoor']Alot of times the GH version has some extra features, this is not cool.[/QUOTE]
No. Not 'a lot.'
There's about two instances.
Devil May Cry 3
Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition

That's it.

 

[62t]

[quote name='camoor']Alot of times the GH version has some extra features, this is not cool.[/QUOTE]
Actually GH rarely has new stuff (maybe 4 or 5 games out of all GH), and most people prefer the original cover.

 

[PenguinMaster]

[quote name='M3wThr33']No. Not 'a lot.'
There's about two instances.
Devil May Cry 3
Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition

That's it.[/QUOTE]

There's also Call of Duty 2: Big Red One and Silent Hill 2, IIRC.

 

[jaso]

[quote name='M3wThr33']No. Not 'a lot.'
There's about two instances.
Devil May Cry 3
Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition

That's it.[/quote]

And Tony Hawk American Wasteland.

 

[psiufoxx2]

[quote name='M3wThr33']No. Not 'a lot.'
There's about two instances.
Devil May Cry 3
Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition

That's it.[/quote]

2 = 5? I like that logic!

 

[Lord Draconus777]

Fable the Lost Chapters nearly doubled the content of Fable, and that was just a platinum hits version of Fable.

 

[HotShotX]

Ok, it's pretty much been agreed that Avatar did somehow reach GH status, and that BB is just clearing out the old stock under it's new GH status.

Crisis averted...or is it???

Kidding, thanks for the heads up.

~HotShotX

 

[Tsukento]

[quote name='M3wThr33']No. Not 'a lot.'
There's about two instances.
Devil May Cry 3
Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition

That's it.[/quote]
Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3 got some extras in the Greatest Hits version that were only available in the Japanese version.

 

[ctice44]

Twisted Metal: Black GH came with TMB-Online
Star Ocean came with a bonus DVD that game you 2 extra characters, longer game, 2 player, etc
For Gamecube Pac-Man World 3 came with Pac-Man vs.

 

[Weedy649]

This isnt new....we got GH games like this in shipment back in my old store 3 years ago.

Thats right, over the wrapping and inside a shipment box.

No conspiracy here.

Also aside from a slim few games that have extra content, the red branding is useless and ugly. Wish they went with the over the wrapping only thing from the start.

 

[Punk_Raven]

Of course avatar sold that much. Great games don't exactly = sales. ThQ is a company that thrives off of that.

 

[Ziv]

[quote name='ctice44']Twisted Metal: Black GH came with TMB-Online
Star Ocean came with a bonus DVD that game you 2 extra characters, longer game, 2 player, etc[/quote]

Only specially marked packages TM:B came with online
Star Ocean didn't come with anything extra (it was more explicitly stated though). The original version had the extra stuff in it too.