Gamestop Dumping GBA Games - The Reckoning Begins April 18, B2G2 (17th for PUR Pro)

Squarehard

Squarehard

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Well, for awhile only some stores were shipping them back to the warehouse, but now it appears Gamestop seems to be trying to phase out GBA games out of their system, much like how they phased out Xbox games.

This is going to start in about 2 weeks from what I was told from my friends who worked there, and there might be a B2G1 even for GBA games, just like the Xbox games, so keep an eye out if you want to snag what remains of GBA from Gamestops.

No word when this will take affect on Gamestop.com yet, but I can't imagine them waiting much longer.

*Update 03/08/11*

All stores are officially going to start at the beginning of April to dump off GBA games, so at the start of April, keep an eye out at your stores.

*Update 03/09/11*

Compiled a list of games people might be interested in.

These aren't all the games that I thought was worth it, but most of the important ones are there.

Under $5

Robopon 2 Ring Version $2.99
CIMA: The Enemy $2.99
Sigma Star Saga $2.99
Shining Soul $3.99
DemiKids: Dark Version $3.99
Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django $3.99
Klonoa $3.99
Tales of Phantasia $4.99
Phantasy Star Collection $4.99
Klonoa 2 $4.99
DemiKids: Light Version $4.99
Super Puzzle Fighter II $4.99
Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand $4.99
Dokapon $4.99
Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon $4.99
Lunar Legend $4.99
Shining Soul 2 $4.99
Omnimusha Tactics $4.99
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising $4.99
Robopon 2 Cross Version $4.99

Under $10

Advance Wars $5.99
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodi $5.99
Riviera $5.99
Lufia: The Ruins of Lore $5.99
Breath of Fire $6.99
Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2 $7.99
Sword of Mana $9.99
Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones $9.99
Metroid Zero Mission $9.99
Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation $9.99
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town $9.99
Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town $9.99
Yggdra Union $9.99
Breath of Fire II $9.99
Final Fantasy I&II: Dawn of Souls $9.99
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story $9.99
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2 $9.99
Final Fantasy IV Advance $9.99
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories $9.99

Under $15

Golden Sun $12.99
Metroid Fusion $12.99
Golden Sun: The Lost Age $12.99
Fire Emblem $14.99
Final Fantasy V $14.99

Over $20


Final Fantasy VI Advance $22.99

Collections/Series

NES Classics
Castlevanias
Pokemon
Super Mario Advances
Sonic Advances
Mega Man Zeroes (Battle Networks at your own risk)

*Update 3/30/11*

It would appear it will be part of the Power Up Sale, and from the details in the thread, the sale will be B2G2, which includes PS2 and GC games too, so looks like they're just trying to dump as many games as possible, period, lol.

Have fun everybody!

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290739
 
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Cool. I hope it gets as good as the GB/GBC a couple years where everything was 75% off (85% with Edge). The Xbox clearance seemed to get picked pretty quickly around me when it was B2G1, but I was able to find a bunch of good GB/GBC games for
 
Most of my Gamestop stores keep all of their GBA games in the back and behind the counter (except for a few in the glass case near the DS games, which are usually only the Mario games) so it makes it hard to know what they actually have in stock or not. Sometimes I'll find some stuff off the store locator and it'll take them forever to find the cart in the back as they are all unorganized in a big bin of cart only games.
 
The manager at my local Gamestop told me that they're no longer taking GBA games as trade-ins and I was surprised to hear they had "tons of them" in the back room!

I couldn't think of any specific games I was looking for so I told him I'd come back and check out their selection later.

I hope the sales/promos everyone's been mentioning actually happen! :)
 
Sounds like they are going to phase them out when the 3DS comes out. I hope they don't start gutting all DS games and putting the cartridges in that stupid case built into the register so you can't see what they have in stock.
 
[quote name='SaraAB']Sounds like they are going to phase them out when the 3DS comes out. I hope they don't start gutting all DS games and putting the cartridges in that stupid case built into the register so you can't see what they have in stock.[/QUOTE]

They aren't suppose to yet, but most stores have been getting into this practice already.

Luckily my stores all actually read the emails that are sent that says to dump ONLY generic cases, but like I said, most stores' employees and managers just don't want to deal with them, and tosses them all.

Eventually though, that day shall come, and I'll be sad face T___T
 
Sounds like they are going to phase them out when the 3DS comes out. I hope they don't start gutting all DS games and putting the cartridges in that stupid case built into the register so you can't see what they have in stock.
Click to expand...
^They already do that at the three gamestops near me.

Will definitely be looking forward to the sales. I know the manager pretty well at one GS, maybe I can talk him into selling me the little shoebox of GBA games that they have on the counter for a bulk price. :)
 
Could be worth holding back a little bit of GS credit for this one.
 
Damn, I just bought a couple of GBA games too... already cleaned them off (removed all stickers) so I can't return them.:whistle2:(
 
[quote name='Vinny']Damn, I just bought a couple of GBA games too... already cleaned them off (removed all stickers) so I can't return them.:whistle2:([/QUOTE]

I've returned games to GameStop after removing all the stickers before with no issues at all because I had my receipt.
 
I'll keep my eye out for any GBA sales, I wouldn't mind getting a few games here and there for my Micro (as if I don't own enough GBA games already). :D

It'l be sad when they start totally gutting DS games though, of which I'll never buy unless they have their case.
 
B2G1 is a good deal, but they carry some GBA games for like $10-$15.
Do u know if they will just drop the prices like they did with the ps2 games?

I had a idea, I think we should list the highly recommended GBA to have in any collection. There should be some rare GBA gems to look for right?

Zelda, Super mario, etc.
 
[quote name='The Punisher']B2G1 is a good deal, but they carry some GBA games for like $10-$15.
Do u know if they will just drop the prices like they did with the ps2 games?

I had a idea, I think we should list the highly recommended GBA to have in any collection. There should be some rare GBA gems to look for right?

Zelda, Super mario, etc.[/QUOTE]

The only GBA games I have are the Golden Sun games so I would love to know what to look for.

I'm sure most of the GBA games will be under $10 very soon.
 
Considering I missed all of the GB/GBC deals a few years ago because of college, I'll probably end up buying tons of GBA games. I remember getting about 35 fairly good PS1 games for $18 back in 2007. It made me smile.

Did someone ask for a list of good GBA games? Here are a few recommendations:


  • Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
  • Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
  • Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
  • Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
  • Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
  • Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
  • Metroid Fusion
  • Metroid Zero Mission
  • Drill Dozer
  • Sigma Star Saga
  • Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands
  • Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/FireRed/LeafGreen
  • Super Mario Bros Advance 1/2/3/4
  • Breath of Fire 1/2
Just a few.
 
[quote name='Blade']Considering I missed all of the GB/GBC deals a few years ago because of college, I'll probably end up buying tons of GBA games. I remember getting about 35 fairly good PS1 games for $18 back in 2007. It made me smile.[/QUOTE]


Disc only I'd imagine? Still a great deal none the less.
 
[quote name='Blade']Considering I missed all of the GB/GBC deals a few years ago because of college, I'll probably end up buying tons of GBA games. I remember getting about 35 fairly good PS1 games for $18 back in 2007. It made me smile.

Did someone ask for a list of good GBA games? Here are a few recommendations:


  • Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
  • Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
  • Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
  • Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
  • Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
  • Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
  • Metroid Fusion
  • Metroid Zero Mission
  • Drill Dozer
  • Sigma Star Saga
  • Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands
  • Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/FireRed/LeafGreen
  • Super Mario Bros Advance 1/2/3/4
  • Breath of Fire 1/2
Just a few.[/QUOTE]
Nice list!
Add yoshi island 1/2
Yugioh (if u like the trading card game/rpg)
Advance wars
fire emblem (great game. I got 2)
Zelda link to the past (Will try to get this since I already have a sealed copy)
classic nes series

Wasn't zelda 4 swords a gamecube game? I never play this, may have to pick up.
 
I'm excited for this, but there's only one GS in my area (as in a 50 mile radius) that carries GBA games. So unless they restock a bit online, I'm going to be SOL.
 
[quote name='blindinglights']I've returned games to GameStop after removing all the stickers before with no issues at all because I had my receipt.[/QUOTE]

I think he meant he's worried that if he returns it, then rebuys it again when they go on sale, he will have to get off all the stickers again, which he probably doesn't want to do.

Or at least that's what I read from it, since I return GBA games after removing stickers all the time.
 
[quote name='The Punisher']Wasn't zelda 4 swords a gamecube game? I never play this, may have to pick up.[/QUOTE]


Oh, yeah. My bad. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords is what I meant. That's the full title. Thanks for catching me on that!
 
[quote name='Squarehard']I think he meant he's worried that if he returns it, then rebuys it again when they go on sale, he will have to get off all the stickers again, which he probably doesn't want to do.

Or at least that's what I read from it, since I return GBA games after removing stickers all the time.[/QUOTE]

No, removing them again isn't a big deal to me since they're easy to clean off on carts. I just didn't know that it was possible to return games without the stickers.
 
[quote name='Vinny']No, removing them again isn't a big deal to me since they're easy to clean off on carts. I just didn't know that it was possible to return games without the stickers.[/QUOTE]

You definitely can return them without the stickers. They just have to type in the product number directly from the receipt, which they hate to do, but they can :D

But yeah, you could technically even peel off the label sticker on the cart theoretically and return it, lol, but I don't recommend it :p
 
[quote name='LottaGames']This would be better if they had the manuals with the games.[/QUOTE]

It's hard to find anywhere that sells used GBA games that come with the box and manuals.

A lot of their prices are cheap enough though, so it's worth a pick up, especially with a sale.

But yeah, it would be way more awesome if they came complete, but a man can dream...a man can dream... :bouncy:
 
Huh. My GS still has XBox games fU:
I never knew they held all their GB games in the back. I'll definitely be checking this out!
 
If the games go cheap enough I will definitely be buying some, however most GBA games are pretty cheap on ebay and the few good ones that people actually want (Pokemon games) are horridly overpriced at Gamestop especially for cart only so the sale would have to be pretty good to get me to buy some.
 
There are some GBA games I would pick up, the only thing stopping me is that I remember hearing that a lot of GBA games at GS are bootlegs (at least for the more popular games).
 
[quote name='YoshiFan1']There are some GBA games I would pick up, the only thing stopping me is that I remember hearing that a lot of GBA games at GS are bootlegs (at least for the more popular games).[/QUOTE]

That's only because most employees don't know what to look out for as far as bootlegs goes.

I think I only see 1 or 2 bootleg carts every couple of months, but it totally depends on the people in your area who are trading them as bootlegs.

But most of the games that are usually bootlegs are pokemon games, FF games, and Castlevania games.

Outside of those, it's actually quite rare, but you just have to know how to tell the difference between a real one and a bootleg one, which isn't too hard when you can actually inspect it there.
 
I love when I spot crappy looking Pokemon bootlegs in the Gamestop cases. They'll be black carts with fuzzy, cheap-looking labels. Those shouldn't be hard for the employees to spot since all of the main GBA Pokemon games come on color coded carts, but that's GS for ya....
 
[quote name='Squarehard']That's only because most employees don't know what to look out for as far as bootlegs goes.

I think I only see 1 or 2 bootleg carts every couple of months, but it totally depends on the people in your area who are trading them as bootlegs.

But most of the games that are usually bootlegs are pokemon games, FF games, and Castlevania games.

Outside of those, it's actually quite rare, but you just have to know how to tell the difference between a real one and a bootleg one, which isn't too hard when you can actually inspect it there.[/QUOTE]

how can you tell the difference??
 
[quote name='AJVtony831']how can you tell the difference??[/QUOTE]

The dead giveaway normally is to look at the circuit board, and check for the Nintendo logo imprint on there. It will either be Nintendo letters, or the Nintendo letters with the round border on the outside. Either one of those will be your benchmark to look for.

Other not so obvious ways to tell them apart are the ratings, the quality of the cartridge (although this doesn't always apply) when you look at where the game plugs in, there is normally a really big hole, and also the print quality of the label (sometimes the label is just a really enlarged picture of the box, and completely overtakes the entire label), and also fake circuit boards normally have no labeling on them at all.

The other alternative is to open up the games themselves by unscrewing and taking a look at the battery on the inside. Fake ones will have a large, badly soldered on battery.
 
Nephilim wrote a FAQ about spotting bootleg GBA games right here on CAG.Click here and scroll down towards the bottom of the page as it's quite informative.

For example:

Authentic:
kirby_nightmare_auth.jpg


Bootleg:
not_auth_kirbys_dreamland_us.jpg


And here's one of the POS Pokemon bootlegs I was talking about:

Counterfeit_Pokemon_Fire_Red_1.jpg

 
[quote name='Squarehard']It's hard to find anywhere that sells used GBA games that come with the box and manuals.

A lot of their prices are cheap enough though, so it's worth a pick up, especially with a sale.

But yeah, it would be way more awesome if they came complete, but a man can dream...a man can dream... :bouncy:[/QUOTE]

I realize that, my hopes weren't going up or anything. I have all the best stuff anyway and as a collector it would bother me to not have at least the manual. Ha. Boxes aren't that big a deal except for modern games with plastic cases and inserts.
 
Hoping to finally score minish cap.
I hope they clearance them out like they did with the xbox games. I got jet set radio future/sega gt disc for .25 cents!
 
You know what the bad part about this is, I've notice more and more stores carry only carts of DS games and less cases.
 
[quote name='ROB64']Source?[/QUOTE]

2 Managers and 3 employees at 3 different Gamestops around me.

And a couple of them are my friends.

Will that do sir?
 
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