Xenoblade Chronicles

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IGN has a controversial article talking about this game being restocked by GS as well as Metroid Prime Trilogy.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/08/14/xenoblade-and-metroid-prime-being-restocked-at-gamestop

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Xenoblade Chronicles
 





Xenoblade and Metroid Prime Being Restocked at Gamestop

Despite controversial price points, “several vintage titles” will be sold both online and in stores.

by IGN Staff
August 13, 2013




 




 
GameStop issued the following statement to Joystiq today defending their $90 price point for used copies of Xenoblade Chronicles, a notoriously difficult to find game released only through the games retailer and Nintendo’s online store:

"Gamestop regularly receives feedback from our PowerUp members regarding old titles they would like us to bring back, such as vintage games like Xenoblade Chronicles. We were recently able to source a limited number of copies of this title to carry in our stores and online.

In fact, we have sourced several more vintage titles that will be hitting stores in the coming months, including Metroid Prime Trilogy.

As always, our pricing for these games is competitive and is based on current market value driven by supply and demand. PowerUp Pro members always receive a 10 percent discount and earn PUR points on pre-owned purchases.”

{C}


Xenoblade Chronicles -- which IGN Selected as the Best Game on Wii in 2012 -- reappeared in stock at Gamestop last week. The original released on Wii on April 6, 2012. Currently, a used copy of Metroid Prime Trilogy costs $84.99 and is listed as not available.

We have reached out to Gamestop for clarification on today’s statement.




 
Tarskidx said:
IGN has a controversial article talking about this game being restocked by GS as well as Metroid Prime Trilogy.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/08/14/xenoblade-and-metroid-prime-being-restocked-at-gamestop

a.gif











Xenoblade Chronicles







Xenoblade and Metroid Prime Being Restocked at Gamestop

Despite controversial price points, “several vintage titles” will be sold both online and in stores.



by IGN Staff
August 13, 2013












GameStop issued the following statement to Joystiq today defending their $90 price point for used copies of Xenoblade Chronicles, a notoriously difficult to find game released only through the games retailer and Nintendo’s online store:
"Gamestop regularly receives feedback from our PowerUp members regarding old titles they would like us to bring back, such as vintage games like Xenoblade Chronicles. We were recently able to source a limited number of copies of this title to carry in our stores and online.
In fact, we have sourced several more vintage titles that will be hitting stores in the coming months, including Metroid Prime Trilogy.
As always, our pricing for these games is competitive and is based on current market value driven by supply and demand. PowerUp Pro members always receive a 10 percent discount and earn PUR points on pre-owned purchases.”
{C}


Xenoblade Chronicles -- which IGN Selected as the Best Game on Wii in 2012 -- reappeared in stock at Gamestop last week. The original released on Wii on April 6, 2012. Currently, a used copy of Metroid Prime Trilogy costs $84.99 and is listed as not available.
We have reached out to Gamestop for clarification on today’s statement.
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Wow so it's true.
 
So, are there any CAGs here that would be up for trading and or selling this at a reasonable price?  I mean, I'm kicking myself for not getting it when it came out, but this is just absurd. 

 
When they're getting 'new' copies and selling them as 'used', if the rumors are true, then I see no reason to give them my money if they're going to manipulate the price to their benefit and not mine.  And I refuse to pay almost a hundred dollars for a 'used' game that Gamestop calls 'vintage'.

Since when was 2012 Vintage?

 
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Deader2818 said:
They could just sell them at $90 new which would be worse since its way easier to get discounts on used games.
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IIRC many times retailers are obligated to not charge over MSRP for new products because of agreements with the manufacturer. Thus GS selling them used. Also, restocking new copies would make the reprint even more obvious and used prices would plummet. The last thing GS wants is for used prices to come down.

The mentality of "don't like it? Don't buy it" is true but seems kind of like you're defending this. I don't see Amazon charging $1,000 for X1/ps4's. in fact, most "hot toys" sell out but if you find them you can get them for MSRP. Should all stores check the going eBay prices for hot items and just sell them for that? Don't like it? Don't buy it and tell your kid too fucking bad we aren't spending $500 on tickle me elmo.

edit:

I wonder what sweetheart deals Nintendo is cooking up for Wii U games?

http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/6/4497460/nintendo-wii-u-region-lock-iwata

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nintendo-Xenoblade-Chronicles-Wii/dp/B005CLPO9O/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376500910&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=xeoblade+chrnoicles

Don't worry, Nintendo is doing it IN YOUR BEST INTEREST.

Let me take a look at my Tales of Graces F Day 1 edition order from the UK site Zavvi....

Tales of Graces F [PS3] Despatched track order 13/11/2012 1 / 0 £0.00

£22.46

£22.46 = $34.90 today and IIRC was similarly prices back then.


Region locks are only there to hurt consumers. A lot of people don't realize it but many anime fans in Japan import from the US because they can pay significantly less.
http://anime.about.com/od/animeprimer/a/Anime-And-The-Reverse-Importing-Problem.htm
 
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Amazon sells things that are worth a lot in their warehouse deals that go above MSRP. A Tales of Xilla CE just popped up there a few days ago for over MSRP and from what it said, seemed like it was a dinger and not a trade in.

Toys R Us is a retailer that charges over MSRP for things. Granted not but a huge margin but they sell Wii Remotes for 41.99 and nunchucks for 21.99 when the MSRP is 39.99 and 19.99.

And yeah, I tell my kid tough shit if he wants something that is way over priced. Its a good life lesson for him.

Really though, they are a company in the business to make money. Its not like anything you or I can do will change what they are doing. Clearly its working out for them as people are going out and buying these. With the 20% off and other ways to bring the price down, at least they are paying much lower for it than the 90 price.

GameStop is also more considered a specialty store.

 
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TWH said:
So, are there any CAGs here that would be up for trading and or selling this at a reasonable price? I mean, I'm kicking myself for not getting it when it came out, but this is just absurd.
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Sorry, but no. I paid $50 for Xenoblade Chronicles brand new when it first came out. And I managed to snag a copy of Metroid Prime Trilogy brand new from the now defunct Game Crazy for $25 on sale. Both are extremely solid titles, and will remain in my collection indefinitely. I would never consider parting with such high-quality games without multiple copies in play.

Also, it shouldn't surprise anyone that GameStop is engaging in questionable pricing strategies. I don't condone their behavior, but at the same time I am neither shocked nor surprised. I'm just mildly disgusted.

At the same time, I can't honestly say I want GameStop to stop this particular practice. As shady as it is, they are still distributing brand-new copies of really good games. Even though the price-fixing is more than a little underhanded, as a collector I can appreciate having access to these particular titles in like-new condition. Metroid Prime Trilogy in particular is probably worth close to that amount for the quality of the packaging and exclusive features bundled in.

I also have to give GameStop a bit of a pass because they were instrumental in bringing Xenoblade Chronicles to the U.S. in the first place. We probably would have never seen this title localized if it weren't for GameStop's involvement.

 
Deader2818 said:
Amazon sells things that are worth a lot in their warehouse deals that go above MSRP. A Tales of Xilla CE just popped up there a few days ago for over MSRP and from what it said, seemed like it was a dinger and not a trade in.

Toys R Us is a retailer that charges over MSRP for things. Granted not but a huge margin but they sell Wii Remotes for 41.99 and nunchucks for 21.99 when the MSRP is 39.99 and 19.99.

And yeah, I tell my kid tough shit if he wants something that is way over priced. Its a good life lesson for him.

Really though, they are a company in the business to make money. Its not like anything you or I can do will change what they are doing. Clearly its working out for them as people are going out and buying these. With the 20% off and other ways to bring the price down, at least they are paying much lower for it than the 90 price.

GameStop is also more considered a specialty store.
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I think what makes this especially galling for many is the fact that unlike a WiiMote or whatever, GS has exclusive distribution rights to the title (and the console is region locked). I'm sure that if The Last Story had been a GS exlusive it would be $100 on eBay right now too.

 
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They even put a banner up on the website announcing it as "Vintage".  
970x66_vintagegames.jpg


 
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Blaster man said:
I think what makes this especially galling for many is the fact that unlike a WiiMote or whatever, GS has exclusive distribution rights to the title (and the console is region locked).
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That is the one sticking point for me on this whole fiasco. It almost feels as though GameStop were planning this sort of dick move from the beginning. Metroid Prime Trilogy at least got decently wide retail distribution before its limited run was cut. But thanks to the GameStop-specific retail distribution of Xenoblade Chronicles, there is no other brick-and-mortar store where you can acquire the game. I can't help but feel that they might have had a situation like this in mind all along. Sell the game at MSRP for a year, just to make sure they don't piss off Nintendo, then flip any remaining stock to used and order a reprint from the manufacturer. Jack the price up and enjoy a nice, fat markup on a "vintage" title that is no more than a year old.

 
It's weird that people have been bashing GameStop for selling gutted copies as new, but now that they're selling a gutted game as used people are still pissed off.

If you don't think it is worth $90, then don't pay for it. I'm not, I'm just hoping it will go down in value over time.

 
It's very shady. That can't be denied. If they didn't help bring the game here, someone else would have. That much is obvious. If you get new copies of games, just sell them to the consumers as new. Don't masquerade as a company that is trying to help the people and then jack up the price by almost double.

I feel for those who can't afford a great game like this.

 
So, if they are gutting new games and selling as used, does that mean that the games that are "NEW" but are gutted, does that mean they have to sell them as used? The games are open, so they have to be used right?

 
ShadowAssassin said:
It's very shady. That can't be denied. If they didn't help bring the game here, someone else would have. That much is obvious. If you get new copies of games, just sell them to the consumers as new. Don't masquerade as a company that is trying to help the people and then jack up the price by almost double.

I feel for those who can't afford a great game like this.
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So if they sold it under the new SKU and still sold it for $90, would that be cool? They're selling the game in better condition than the description. That's usually considered ok. Yes, they raised the price of the game, but they can do that if they want. They seem to have been given the right to set the price when they got the exclusive right to distribute the game.

Kidorangepanda said:
So, if they are gutting new games and selling as used, does that mean that the games that are "NEW" but are gutted, does that mean they have to sell them as used? The games are open, so they have to be used right?
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I usually refer to gutted games as GameStop new. The seal is broken so they can display them and the disk is behind the counter.

...We also don't know if they paid to have these games shrink wrapped. I'm guessing that they didn't, but who knows.

 
KillerRamen said:
So if they sold it under the new SKU and still sold it for $90, would that be cool? They're selling the game in better condition than the description. That's usually considered ok. Yes, they raised the price of the game, but they can do that if they want. They seem to have been given the right to set the price when they got the exclusive right to distribute the game.

I usually refer to gutted games as GameStop new. The seal is broken so they can display them and the disk is behind the counter.

...We also don't know if they paid to have these games shrink wrapped. I'm guessing that they didn't, but who knows.
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No, it wouldn't be cool. Not to me anyway. I don't care that they can do it if they want. I don't need a lecture on the realities of Gamestop's rights. That doesn't mean I have to like it though. Regardless of the legal obligations or rights they have. Shady is shady and I've never been a fan of shady business practices.

 
ShadowAssassin said:
No, it wouldn't be cool. Not to me anyway. I don't care that they can do it if they want. I don't need a lecture on the realities of Gamestop's rights. That doesn't mean I have to like it though. Regardless of the legal obligations or rights they have. Shady is shady and I've never been a fan of shady business practices.
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Yeah I don't know why so many people are defending GS because they're "allowed" to do this. I don't think anyone is saying this is illegal. I think everyone is saying they're assholes.
 
KillerRamen said:
It's weird that people have been bashing GameStop for selling gutted copies as new, but now that they're selling a gutted game as used people are still pissed off.

If you don't think it is worth $90, then don't pay for it. I'm not, I'm just hoping it will go down in value over time.
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People bash Gamestop for selling gutted copies period, among other things. They have no business opening them whether new or used.

 
twztid13 said:
People bash Gamestop for selling gutted copies period, among other things. They have no business opening them whether new or used.
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LOL nope no buissness opening it to check if there is a used disc in there or a copy of a porno. They should just take all of my game cases that I wanted to put Wham albums in and give me money.

 
Dormin said:
LOL nope no buissness opening it to check if there is a used disc in there or a copy of a porno. They should just take all of my game cases that I wanted to put Wham albums in and give me money.
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Yeah, I forgot they don't accept used games that are sealed anymore. They have no business opening any seals. Refuse to buy them, or sell them as new.

 
Back to the topic of the actual game (hopefully this GS business has died down...), I finally think I'm ready to press forward with the story.  I spent the last few play sessions quest grinding to unlock 6 out of the 7 character's 4th skill tree, and it was definitely my least favorite part of the game so far.  I don't mind the quests, I actually find them fun even if they are nothing more than bounty hunting and fetching tasks, but when you feel forced to do them just so your SP points don't go to waste, makes them much less enjoyable.
 
Worst part is that I broke my rule on this one and had to check Gamefaqs and wikis to make sure I was going on the right track.  When you only have an hour or so at most to play, you don't want to waste that time running around aimlessly looking for X item or Y NPC at Z time.  Thank goodness for the "!" marks they put on the mini-map, certainly streamlines these tasks.  I felt like all I've done for the past few hours was hang out around Frontier Village, probably one of my least favorite RPG towns (layout wise) ever made and a pain to find the wandering NPCs.
 
Not going to bother with the fifth skill trees (hopefully), so I think I'll just press on until the end from here.  Right now I'm at
Mechonis Field at 80 hours or so in.
 I feel like if I ignore the side stuff I'll be done in another 15-20 hours.

 
Billytwoshoes said:
Back to the topic of the actual game
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Sweet jesus, thank you.

I ended up missing out on a bunch of the extra skill trees, myself. They're definitely amazing, but I was so in the dark while playing that I didn't even know they existed until I was well into the endgame. Going back for them after beating the game just wasn't working out. I imagine when I give it another go in the future, I'll try to do a more complete run. My Colony 6 ain't lookin' so hot either.

 
Action! said:
My Colony 6 ain't lookin' so hot either.
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That's probably the only thing left on my radar in terms of side quests that I may still do, finish rebuilding Colony 6. It's nice seeing the improvements to the town after you collect all the items for an upgrade, sometimes a better incentive than an actual quest reward.

 
I am kinda upset with myself for passing on this gem while it was still readily available to me. I kept pushing off buying a copy waiting for a deal that never really came.

Fortunately before this fiasco where GS jacked the price
way up I was able to call around and get a used copy sent to my local store. I wound up paying about $50 for it anyway even after coupons but at least I own a copy and free from this bs.

I don't like the tactic myself but gamestop is a business. As a businessman I've manipulated prices to what degree I can and I would do it for xenoblade too if I could. Do I condone it? No, but I certainly can't condemn it. People are full of shit if they say they wouldn't. Congratulations if you actually wouldn't, enjoy your moral high ground where such practices are easily black and white.
 
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2DMention said:
Finally started playing this and am stuck on the first boss. Any pointers?
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First boss? Is it a Mechon? In that case, better get used to the Break > Topple combo, essentially a pink art followed by a green art. Shulk will break (Stream Edge) and Reyn will topple (Wild Down) afterwards with the AI (most of the time). Bosses will resist this combo if you are at a similar level, but if you use a chain attack, it will have a much higher chance of success. You can get a chain attack by filling up the Party Gauge (the blue bars in the upper left hand corner) up to the full three bars, and then pressing down on the art selection until the chain attack is visible (a white triangle on a blue background).

Hope that isn't too cryptic, you'll be using this often in battles, so good to get familiar with it.

 
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I figured it would be, but there are in-game tutorials under the help menu to go over the details.  Watching a good Youtube video would do wonders as well to learn the basics.

Don't give up on it yet, the game really doesn't get any more difficult in terms of combat, just gives you plenty of options that makes even basic encounters engaging.  You can even switch the main lead character you control if you want more variety without more complexity (save for the 5th character when you get up to it, plays a bit differently).

 
2DMention said:
That was kinda confusing, but I'll either figure it out, or give up on this game.
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That's the spirit!

I echo the sentiment above though. It's worth sticking with. Took me a bit to figure out party gauges and chain attacks and everything, but the game's worth it. I ended up really getting into the combat too.

 
I'll pick this game up once again when the semester comes to a close, I started it and Last Story and ended up REALLY liking Last Story and setting this game to the side, perhaps it deserves another chance

 
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I've been meaning to wrap up my play through, I'm still pretty close to the end.  It's definitely worth another shot, just go into it expecting to sink at least 70-80 hours into it.

For those that didn't know, GS is having it on sale for $39.99 (eligible for the B2G1 free promotion as well) for Black Friday, a good time to buy it for sure.

It's funny to look back at all the complaining and bickering earlier in this thread when they reprinted and listed the "used" copies for $90.  Now because of their decision, there are plenty of copies to go around for this sale (the cheapest it's ever been).  I feel bad for those people who bought it at the high mark earlier in the year, but other than that, it goes to show that any extra supply of a valuable game is welcome, no matter what the means (just have to be patient enough to ride out the scalping practices).

 
Xenoblade is worth the $40 for BF. I mean yes the game will look not so good because of Wii's graphics but goddamn the game is excellent. Easily one of the best RPG's in the past few years.

 
I still have to finish my first playthrough of Xenoblade, about 90ish hours in and I'm at
Agniratha about to battle Egil
, I always told myself I should stop slacking and finish it off.

If this listing isn't the new X game and is actually an HD rerelease, I should probably beat it sooner than later...

 
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Billytwoshoes said:
I still have to finish my first playthrough of Xenoblade, about 90ish hours in and I'm at
Agniratha about to battle Egil
, I always told myself I should stop slacking and finish it off.

If this listing isn't the new X game and is actually an HD rerelease, I should probably beat it sooner than later...
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Walmart has it also, they call it "X" (working title) in the description. Also they have Xenoblade Chronicles used now.

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_query=xenoblade&Find=Find&search_constraint=0

 
I decided to give Xenoblade another shot even though it has shitty graphics.  I asked for one with a Club Nintendo code and the GS employee told me that "oh yeah management asked us to take all of those out."  I don't know if it's just my store or universal but it's way too late for that to work.

 
I re-bought Xenoblade and will give it another shot when I get around to it.  I noticed it's sold out online so I guess by the end of the year it might start to be hard to find again (not that they couldn't do yet another reprint obviously).

 
[quote name="nasum" post="11846891" timestamp="1402944024"]Is there any way to play this other than wiimote and nunchuck on a wii u?[/quote]

I believe CC and CC Pro are options.
 
Yeah, CC Pro is the best way to play it IMO, I never bothered with the Wii Remote + Nunchuck combo.  Europe was even offered a bundle that included a red CC Pro.

 
Yes, the red one is awesome! I have the complete set of original CC, wii-mote, nunchuck, and wheel in black, white, gold and red! (only non-original is knock-off red wheel from China... soon to be replaced with Mario wheel from Hori).

 
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