The (old) GameRush/Blockbuster Thread

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Welcome to the Official CAG Gamerush/Blockbuster video game deal thread.

First and foremost, please check out the
GameRush Trade-In Prices Wiki.

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What is this thread for?
The primary function of this thread is to discuss current trade-in and sale promos and to post any trade-in values you have obtained. Please post trade-in values with the date of the trade (or quote) and system. One of the CAG Wiki editors will then add them to the Wiki.

It is also permissible to discuss system availability, credit issues, etc. As long as it is related to game trades or sales at Blockbuster it is generally OK to discuss it here.

Unlike more tightly focused clearance threads, it is OK to discuss more general Gamerush/Blockbuster issues here as well as trade requests as long as they are kept to a minimum (and usually just during specific deals, of which there are none currently).

Due to the questionable stability of the Gamerush brand, it is also permissible to discuss ways of converting credit from Blockbuster to other stores (ie, which games may be used for trading in to other stores such as Gamecrazy or EB/GS). As of right now, we have no indication of Gamerush's imminent demise, but given Blockbuster's ongoing financial difficulties we need to be aware of the possibility.

What is this thread NOT for?
There will be absolutely NO DISCUSSION of the recent doctored coupon. Do not discuss what you bought, what you traded it for, or anything else - all such posts will be deleted. Any discussion of that should be done here.

Also, it is bad form to discuss the flipping of games from one Gamerush store to another should another such opportunity arrive (through trade-in deals which we haven't had recently anyway). It is one thing to "play the market" with trade-in values from one chain to another (GR to GC to EB) - free market buy low/sell high and all that. But taking advantage of loopholes in a single store's policies/promos is frowned upon and has, in the past, led to trade-in bans from GR.

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General Info
- Trade-in credit can be placed onto your store account or onto a "Value" card
- Credit on store accounts can only be used at that one store
- However, credit can be transferred from the store account to a card at any time
- Value cards can be used at any location
- Gamerush stores often do not get new game stock until the Friday of the release week, thus a few days later than most retailers

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Gamerush vs. regular Blockbusters
All Blockbuster game-related discussion belongs here. Most threads created in the Deals forum will be merged in to here. There seems to be the impression by many CAGs that if they don't have a Gamerush store near them then this thread does not apply to them. However, regular (non-GR) Blockbuster stores often run the same promos and generally have the same trade-in values.

The key differences:
- Only Gamerush stores sell new and used video game hardware, with the exception of the occasional new controller/memory card spotted at regular stores. (Edit - Some recent exceptions have cropped up: many regular BB stores had a PS3 bundle available over Christmas and a few stores have been reported to sell DS Lites).

- Only Gamerush stores allow for preorders of new games (though, it seems, many of those have even stopped taking preorders).

- While many Gamerush stores have cut back on their new game stock, some regular (non-GR) Blockbusters have started selling new games. They usually have a very limited selection of top-selling new 360, PS3, and Wii games. I will be maintaining a list below here for those with Blockbuster credit but no access to a GR store.

- Trade-in values are controlled centrally and are uniform across all Gamerush and Blockbuster locations EXCEPT if the Blockbuster is a franchise location. You can tell from the receipt if your store is a franchise store. All Gamerush stores are corporate-owned so they will have uniform pricing.

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New games that may be available for purchase at select non-GR Blockbusters
For those with access to only regular Blockbuster stores but wanting to take advantage of the decent trade-in values Blockbuster offers, this is the list of new games being sold by some regular Blockbuster locations. Note that they will generally not get new games on the release date. They will most likely have them a few days to weeks later.

:ds:
Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass

:360:
Bioshock
Blue Dragon
Call of Duty 4
Guitar Hero III
Halo 3
Lego Star Wars TCS
Mass Effect
NBA Live 08
The Orange Box

:ps2:
Guitar Hero III
Spiderman Friend or Foe

:ps3:
80GB PS3 bundle for $600 (PS3, Surf's Up Blu-Ray, HDMI cable, 20-week rental card)
Assassin's Creed
Lego Star Wars TCS
NBA Live 08
Ratchet & Clank Tools of Destruction
Rock Band bundle
Uncharted

:wii:
Guitar Hero III
NBA Live 08
Mario Party 8
Mario Strikers Charged
Super Mario Galaxy

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Current Trade-In Deals

There are no trade-in deals at this time. The trade 3 get an extra $5 per game is still in affect at some (very select) locations.

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Reported Trade-In Prices

Trade-In Price Wiki
 
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Anybody know what Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged for the 360 trades in for? I looked for it in the Wiki under X, L, A and U. . .
 
Just a heads up for anyone moving credit from GR/BB to EB/GS. Halo 3 is worth $45 after the bonus 30% if you trade 5 games. I doubt they'll let you trade in 5 copies of Halo 3, so you may want to find some filler items to go with them.
 
Taking 5 copies of Halo is YMMV. The best idea is to call the GS, ask if they will, if they say yes, ask for their name.

I may try this.
 
[quote name='djkunai']360 Madden 08 $4.99 at GS, $3.24 after edge and coupon. Gets $8 at GR.[/QUOTE]
Wait, Madden '08 is only five bucks?
 
YAY!!! After all the drama yesterday when I tried to buy a Wii using a Value Card and was denied, I spoke to the store manager and I convinced her to let me use the VC to buy the Wii. The same supervisor was there from last night and I couldn't help but have a huge :D on my face when I told him the store manager had ok'ed it. Of course he called her on the spot and asked if it was ok to sell the Wii to "the guy" and he had no choice but to do so :)
 
What's the difference between the Value Card and a gift card. I traded in a few copies of Disaega 2 to them and they put the trade-in credit on gift cards.
 
[quote name='sasukekun']What's the difference between the Value Card and a gift card. I traded in a few copies of Disaega 2 to them and they put the trade-in credit on gift cards.[/QUOTE]

honestly i think nothing, although a gcard might expire and a value card might not.
 
[quote name='SGT Killjoy']honestly i think nothing, although a gcard might expire and a value card might not.[/QUOTE]
Nice thing about California is that gift cards have no expiration date :)
 
Got my Wii! They got three in yesterday, had two at 5:15, only one after I left. :bouncy:

Now to hide it in the attic for Christmas! I'm sure I will have a ton of stuff for it by then.

I pre-ordered a copy of Mario Galaxy at TRU tonight.

Am I supposed to fill something out online to get some Wii gloves or something? I remember reading about it a while back, but I didn't own a Wii yet.

Also, do I need more robust wrist straps? I don't want my 42" LCD getting jacked up.

One last Wii question, what do I need in the way of controllers? I don't want to get a bunch of controllers that just sit in a drawer.
 
[quote name='Warner1281']Re: CoD4...

All stores that will be carrying the game should be getting them Friday in the early afternoon (around 1-2ish). Add the amount of time it takes most of the incompetent managers to figure out what to do with them and you're looking at it being on the shelf no later than 6PM.[/QUOTE]


I assume you're referring to CoD4 for rental. The "1-2"ish for game shipments since I had contacted my GR a few weeks ago in hoped of getting their 1 retail copy of Jericho (....because I found the premise intriguing and am a bit of a Hellraiser fan) and was told their shipment was expected about that time (of course, Jericho wasn't in it!). I haven't rented anything since COD3 for the original xbox a number of days following it's release, so I have no idea how they schedule games for rental (apparantly not the same way they do movies!). So is the typical Gamerush process to get their shipments in the afternoon on friday, and then have an employee sometime during business hours of that day organize everything on the shelves for rental?
 
Ran into shit today, not sure if anyone else did...

I tried to trade in a few games, then they told me my accounts, and everyone else with the same last name would be BANNED from trading... Why? Due to the 5 for $25 coupon. Anyone else run into this problem? I traded in on Tuesday with no hiccups... Well, except for them "having too many copies" of that game so they wouldn't take it.

This occurred in Temple City, CA at approximately 8:05pm PST.
 
[quote name='AzN_BaLLeR']Ran into shit today, not sure if anyone else did...

I tried to trade in a few games, then they told me my accounts, and everyone else with the same last name would be BANNED from trading... Why? Due to the 5 for $25 coupon. Anyone else run into this problem? I traded in on Tuesday with no hiccups... Well, except for them "having too many copies" of that game so they wouldn't take it.

This occurred in Temple City, CA at approximately 8:05pm PST.[/QUOTE]

No, and the fact that they are banning everyone with the same last name as you shows the ineptness of the employees. It's careless and unnecessary profiling.

:360:
Madden 06 - $8

:xbox:
Ghost Recon Island Thunder - $1.25
LOTR FOTR - $1
LOTR TT - $1
 
Value cards are for store only. Gift cards can be used online.

Great find on Madden 06 Kunai. All of the stores in 20 miles have 4+.
 
[quote name='AzN_BaLLeR']Ran into shit today, not sure if anyone else did...

I tried to trade in a few games, then they told me my accounts, and everyone else with the same last name would be BANNED from trading... Why? Due to the 5 for $25 coupon. Anyone else run into this problem? I traded in on Tuesday with no hiccups... Well, except for them "having too many copies" of that game so they wouldn't take it.

This occurred in Temple City, CA at approximately 8:05pm PST.[/QUOTE]

Good thing trade accounts aren't linked between stores. Hope you didn't use that coupon anywhere else:shame:
 
[quote name='nietzsche74']Good thing trade accounts aren't linked between stores. Hope you didn't use that coupon anywhere else:shame:[/QUOTE]

Thats funny, to be perfectly honest, I did not use the coupon. My cousin, did. Who obviously has the same last name as me.

But if thats the case, I will give it a shot to trade in at my local store around campus and see what I get from there...
 
[quote name='AzN_BaLLeR']Thats funny, to be perfectly honest, I did not use the coupon. My cousin, did. Who obviously has the same last name as me.

But if thats the case, I will give it a shot to trade in at my local store around campus and see what I get from there...[/quote]If you didn't use the coupon - meaning your account wasn't used by your cousin - I'd just go bitch to the district manager. There's no way they can ban you for something someone did with, as far as they can say, no relation to you.
 
I hope to pick up CoD4 today...I was hoping at lunchtime here in MI, we'll see if they have it....if not, I will stop at another on my way home.

I'm still tempted to get a Wii...although, I may just use it for EBAY as it still sells well and it would be the best way to convert credit to cash. I actually want to TRY the Wii....but I'm not sure I would really enjoy it for more than 5 minutes.
 
So how many copies of the same game, would you say, is a safe bet to trade-in in one day? And would I be able to go to multiple stores on the same day? Like I said before I have 10 copies of both Fuzion Frenzy 2 and Forza 2, and I'm not really in the mood of getting banned.
 
I'll be calling my Blockbuster and GameRush today to check on some new games. But if they have neither Battalion Wars or Fire Emblem, it looks like it's time to start buying Christmas presents with my credit.
 
I have BIG Question , people say you can use the giftcards online. I see no site where you can. Please direct me to the site that giftcards can be used online
 
Wish that 25% coupon still worked at EB. I need just a little bit more credit at BB and 3 Madden '06 copies would have been perfect --
 
Two copies of The Darkness for $17.XX AC at Gamestop got turned in to BlockBuster for $80.XX, which bought me XenoSaga III (complete and perfect, $15), Wild Arms 3 (great shape, DVD case is cracked though, $9.99), and Metroid Prime 3 (new, $50). There are generally slim pickings at my BlockBuster stores, so I generally take what I can get. I missed a Guitar Hero for the Wii by like an hour, apparently.
 
[quote name='sasukekun']Still waiting for my local Gamerush/BB to get Naruto (360) in.[/quote]

They had that at mine last night. I picked up the Star Wars Lego Sage for wii, I'm a lightsaber waving fool :)
 
No CoD4 at my local GameRush at 11:15ish am....they said probably later today. They did hav erental copies.

No Wii's either. I was tempted to get one, as I have the credit and I may or may not keep it....I guess it COULD be fun for a little.
 
[quote name='doubledown']No CoD4 at my local GameRush at 11:15ish am....they said probably later today. They did hav erental copies.

No Wii's either. I was tempted to get one, as I have the credit and I may or may not keep it....I guess it COULD be fun for a little.[/QUOTE]


Its fun man don't even buy any games bring it home with wii sports and go in aimed at having fun. I am sure you might be surprised.
 
[quote name='hotwls13']Got my Wii! They got three in yesterday, had two at 5:15, only one after I left. :bouncy:

Now to hide it in the attic for Christmas! I'm sure I will have a ton of stuff for it by then.

I pre-ordered a copy of Mario Galaxy at TRU tonight.

Am I supposed to fill something out online to get some Wii gloves or something? I remember reading about it a while back, but I didn't own a Wii yet.

Also, do I need more robust wrist straps? I don't want my 42" LCD getting jacked up.

One last Wii question, what do I need in the way of controllers? I don't want to get a bunch of controllers that just sit in a drawer.[/quote]


Depending on how new the system is, it might have the gloves in the box. If not, you'll need the wii serial number to order them.

The wrist straps in your box should be the more robust ones; the skinny ones got switched out early in the Wii's life.

How many people are going to be playing it? I've used all four many times, but I think I've only used four nunchucks at the same time once. I'd say pick up a second one (go ahead and get Wii Play), and then see how much you need extras from there.
 
[quote name='Snake2715']Its fun man don't even buy any games bring it home with wii sports and go in aimed at having fun. I am sure you might be surprised.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that would be my idea with one....just play Wii Sports for a while. It may get a bit tiresome though....but, with credit to burn, it almost seems "free" to me.
 
[quote name='nietzsche74']I assume you're referring to CoD4 for rental. The "1-2"ish for game shipments since I had contacted my GR a few weeks ago in hoped of getting their 1 retail copy of Jericho (....because I found the premise intriguing and am a bit of a Hellraiser fan) and was told their shipment was expected about that time (of course, Jericho wasn't in it!). I haven't rented anything since COD3 for the original xbox a number of days following it's release, so I have no idea how they schedule games for rental (apparantly not the same way they do movies!). So is the typical Gamerush process to get their shipments in the afternoon on friday, and then have an employee sometime during business hours of that day organize everything on the shelves for rental?[/quote]

For non-gamerush blockbusters, the schedule of shipments goes as follows (for games). Anything that will be sold as new will be received on Tuesday sometime before noon. Since all they have to do is pull it out of the box and put the display box on the shelf, it should go out immediately. For rentals, they usually arrive on Friday around 1-2ish and those actually have to get prepped (empty rental boxes put on the shelf so they can be exchaned behind the counter, etc.). So depending on the abilities of the morning manager, they may or may not be available by shift change at 5PM. If the morning manager doesn't know how to do it, then the night manager usually has to do it as one of their first tasks, otherwise they lose out on a lot of rental revenue cause the product isn't out on the shelf during peak time (5:30-8:30PM). I almost always work as the Friday night manager and have to do this when I first walk in the door. :roll:
 
[quote name='Warner1281']For non-gamerush blockbusters, the schedule of shipments goes as follows (for games). Anything that will be sold as new will be received on Tuesday sometime before noon. Since all they have to do is pull it out of the box and put the display box on the shelf, it should go out immediately. For rentals, they usually arrive on Friday around 1-2ish and those actually have to get prepped (empty rental boxes put on the shelf so they can be exchaned behind the counter, etc.). So depending on the abilities of the morning manager, they may or may not be available by shift change at 5PM. If the morning manager doesn't know how to do it, then the night manager usually has to do it as one of their first tasks, otherwise they lose out on a lot of rental revenue cause the product isn't out on the shelf during peak time (5:30-8:30PM). I almost always work as the Friday night manager and have to do this when I first walk in the door. :roll:[/QUOTE]

West Coast gets their consoles on Thursday and new games on Friday.
 
So, Lego Star Wars, and Mario & Sonic so far... I'm guessing they're going to stock every Wii game other than the ones I want to buy there.

Oh dear Lord, bad time to call GameRush: "Hi, I wanted to check if you had a couple new games for sale." ".... we have some Xbox 360s." "No, I wanted to see if you had some Wii games in stock." "No, we don't have any Wiis right now." "No, I mean games, not the system." "Games?" And she said they don't have Fire Emblem. Which doesn't mean much, I think.

And my local BB doesn't either. fucking Blockbuster, why do I bother getting store credit there?
 
Well, I did it....I picked up a Wii. Now, do I keep it or Ebay it to turn my credit into about he same amount of cash?

I'm leaning towards keeping it, just something to have. I only have $120 in credit now....but I need another controller, so that is an issue. I passed on CoD4 for now, but Iwil eventually get it (none of my friends have it yet....but if they get it, Iwill).

So, what do I need for a Wii now?
 
[quote name='Warner1281']For non-gamerush blockbusters, the schedule of shipments goes as follows (for games). Anything that will be sold as new will be received on Tuesday sometime before noon. Since all they have to do is pull it out of the box and put the display box on the shelf, it should go out immediately.[/QUOTE]

The only Blockbuster that I know of that sells new games told me they get their new games in a shipment on Thursday.

Do we have any more reports of what the regular stores are getting? I'm sure they'll get Mario Galaxy but I already have multiple sources for that. I might be tempted on Lego Star Wars, though, with my BB credit.
 
[quote name='kevlar51']Depending on how new the system is, it might have the gloves in the box. If not, you'll need the wii serial number to order them.

The wrist straps in your box should be the more robust ones; the skinny ones got switched out early in the Wii's life.

How many people are going to be playing it? I've used all four many times, but I think I've only used four nunchucks at the same time once. I'd say pick up a second one (go ahead and get Wii Play), and then see how much you need extras from there.[/QUOTE]

It will most likely be just me and my son, though my wife may play the wii sometimes. So, i guess I will get the Wii Play (comes with controller right?). I will probably pick that up on Tuesday when I get the Mario Galaxy at TRU. That way i can use the $25 gift card towards Wii Play!

Thanks for the info, it will be a fun Christmas.

PS any awesome clearances on Wii games I should be aware of? I've been out of the loop since I didn't own one.
 
[quote name='doubledown']

No Wii's either. I was tempted to get one, as I have the credit and I may or may not keep it....I guess it COULD be fun for a little.[/QUOTE]

Metroid Prime 3 and Mario Galaxy ought to make it fun for more than a little ;). At THIS point, with Galaxy poised to come out and getting excellent reviews, I can't see the point of holding off any longer. All the "wait and see on the games" excuses are out the window now ;).

hotwls13 - Definitely get Wii Play. It gets put down a lot on CAG and on places like IGN but I really liked the game collection (and if you think of it as only being $10 it is a great deal). Yes, it comes with one Wii remote. You might want to get a second Nunchuk as well, but it probably isn't absolutely necessary. 2 Wii remotes + 1 Nunchuk will be enough for most of Wii Sports, Wii Play, Metroid (should you get that), and Mario Galaxy. The tanks game in Wii Play is better with the Nunchuk and if you play it 2-player then you might want 2. But it might not be worth getting a second one just for that. I have 4 Wii remotes and 3 nunchuks and I haven't even opened the 4th Wii remote. I thought my daughter would be playing Mario Party with us but she hasn't been interested.

You may also want to consider getting Link's Crossbow Training in a few weeks. For $20 you get the Wii Zapper accessory (a plastic gun shell for the Wii remote) and a variety of Zelda-themed shooting minigames to try it out. It seems like a pretty good deal to me.
 
[quote name='hotwls13']It will most likely be just me and my son, though my wife may play the wii sometimes. So, i guess I will get the Wii Play (comes with controller right?). I will probably pick that up on Tuesday when I get the Mario Galaxy at TRU. That way i can use the $25 gift card towards Wii Play!

Thanks for the info, it will be a fun Christmas.

PS any awesome clearances on Wii games I should be aware of? I've been out of the loop since I didn't own one.[/quote]

yeah, wii play comes with a remote

black friday at bestbuy has ssx blur for $15
circuit city will have mario galaxy for $35 ($10 more than TRU after GC but not too bad), red steel $10 and happy feet for $10

no real clearance deals besides the games based on movies
 
[quote name='botticus']So, Lego Star Wars, and Mario & Sonic so far... I'm guessing they're going to stock every Wii game other than the ones I want to buy there.

Oh dear Lord, bad time to call GameRush: "Hi, I wanted to check if you had a couple new games for sale." ".... we have some Xbox 360s." "No, I wanted to see if you had some Wii games in stock." "No, we don't have any Wiis right now." "No, I mean games, not the system." "Games?" And she said they don't have Fire Emblem. Which doesn't mean much, I think.

And my local BB doesn't either. fucking Blockbuster, why do I bother getting store credit there?[/quote]

ask them to order it for you. Better yet, ask them about 1.5 weeks ahead of the release date and preorder it. I have had 0 problems doing this.
 
[quote name='hotwls13']It will most likely be just me and my son, though my wife may play the wii sometimes. So, i guess I will get the Wii Play (comes with controller right?). I will probably pick that up on Tuesday when I get the Mario Galaxy at TRU. That way i can use the $25 gift card towards Wii Play!

Thanks for the info, it will be a fun Christmas.

PS any awesome clearances on Wii games I should be aware of? I've been out of the loop since I didn't own one.[/quote]

I generally ignore Wii stuff since I don't have one yet:bomb: , but Target just put a bunch of stuff on clearance this week. I remember seeing a Metal Slug game (Anthology maybe?), Far Cry, ExciteTruck, the first Wii MoH game. I think most are 30% off their starting price so FC is 14, ET is 30ish, MoH was on clearance before this week so it may be 50% off. There's more in the Target thread.

I haven't gotten a call about my Cod4 preorder being ready yet.
 
[quote name='nlyonssmith']ask them to order it for you. Better yet, ask them about 1.5 weeks ahead of the release date and preorder it. I have had 0 problems doing this.[/quote]Considering my experience with GR preorders months in advance, I've pretty well determined that they have no bearing on store shipments.
 
[quote name='botticus']Considering my experience with GR preorders months in advance, I've pretty well determined that they have no bearing on store shipments.[/QUOTE]

Just want to back up Botticus on this. In my experience, all a preorder meant is that they MIGHT put a single copy of a game on order (though not always). Whether said game ever came in or not was a completely different issue and seemed to be wholly unrelated to whether or not I preordered. And I'm talking preordering months in advance in some cases. This is the one aspect of GR I don't miss one bit. Without exception EB/GS gets preorders in and GC gets nearly all of them with some occasional delays (like with Disgaea for the PSP).
 
[quote name='botticus']Considering my experience with GR preorders months in advance, I've pretty well determined that they have no bearing on store shipments.[/QUOTE]

Just want to back up Botticus on this. In my experience, all a preorder meant is that they MIGHT put a single copy of a game on order (though not always). Whether said game ever came in or not was a completely different issue and seemed to be wholly unrelated to whether or not I preordered. And I'm talking preordering months in advance in some cases. This is the one aspect of GR I don't miss one bit. Without exception EB/GS gets preorders in and GC gets nearly all of them with some occasional delays (like with Disgaea for the PSP).
 
Hey guys, thanks for all the great advice on the Wii. I need to be careful. I usually end up going crazy when i get a new system and before ya know it I have like 20-30 games and no time to play them all. :roll:

I'm thinking of going with the following:

- Wii system (duh)
- extra nunchuck
- Wii Play (for the extra controller and $10 game)
- Mario Galaxy

And probably 2 or 3 of the following:

- Excite Truck
- Zack and Wiki
- Super Monkey Ball (though we already have a couple with our GC)
- Rayman
- Mario Strikers Charged
- MLB Power Pros

I will keep my eye out for any super cheap clearanced Wii games and grab them as they come up.
 
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