I swung by two Gamestops today and picked up six promo games plus one extra:
*Heavenly Sword
*Resistance 2
*Chronicles of Riddick
*Lair
*Singularity
*Socom 4
I also picked up Resistance: Fall of Man

for the regular price of $2.99.
All but two games came with manuals (Lair and Resistance 1). I managed to get all the games in their original cases (no Greatest Hits red cases

o), and most of the discs either had no scratches or only a couple small nicks that shouldn't affect gameplay. I treated my PS3 as a glorified blu-ray player a bit too much these past few years. So this sale was a nice opportunity to add a few more PS3 titles to my backlog.
I typically avoid Gamestop like the plague. My last visit there was when the Jack and Daxter collection was new for $10 in June. And it was sometime last fall before that visit. I hate getting hassled about pre-orders (I know they have to get numbers, but I almost never pay $60 retail for anything), and it's usually three or four times that I have to say "no" before I finally pay for my merchandise.
"Would you like to reserve Madden, today?"
"No."
"Would you like to reserve the new Assassin's Creed?"
"No."
"Were you interested in any other games coming out?"
"No."
"Okay, your total is..."
*I hand them my money and PUR free card*
"Would you like to upgrade to the Pro account?"
"...no thank you."
But today, I went to both stores and I got a simple "Would you like to reserve any games coming out?" No hassle about upgrading to a Pro member PUR account (which I was SERIOUSLY considering, since I was spending at least $20 today anyway) or additional questioning about preorders. I was genuinely shocked by both transactions...in a good way. I'm definitely digging up my receipts from earlier and completing the surveys.
I may make another trip this week. I saw Wanted and Bourne Conspiracy, but they had generic cases with no manual. For $3 apiece, I may pick a third title and gamble on complete copies stowed behind the counter. I might also bite the bullet on a Pro PUR card this week, since I didn't today...and I have a feeling there will be another 50% bonus trade in promo before the new consoles. In the 7+ years I've dealt with Gamestop, I never thought I'd see the day when I actually WANTED to give them my money. :shock: