gamestop posts

GameStop and Amazon reveal Star Trek Online pre-order bonuses

by John Callaham Oct 30th 2009 @ 1:00PM

Cryptic Studios' next MMO game, Star Trek Online, is due for release in the first quarter of 2010 but retailers like Amazon and GameStop are already breaking out pre-order offers for people who want to beat the rush. GameStop's pre-order gives their customers an especially cool in-game treat; a Constitution-class starship just like the Enterprise in the original TV series. GameStop is also listing a Collector's Edition of the game that will come in a collectible box, include an art book and Starfleet comm badge (non-working, we presume) along with a way to give a free a free trial version of the game. The Collector's Edition will cost $79.99

Amazon.com's pre-order bonus for their version of Star Trek Online includes entry into the game's beta test and exclusive Borg Bridge Officer. Not quite as cool as GameStop's deal but we could be wrong.

Gallery: Star Trek Online

Filed under: MMO, Star Trek Online

GameStop still looking to expand digital download business

by John Callaham Oct 22nd 2009 @ 10:00AM

Last August, the game-themed retailer Gamestop announced it had hired a person to fill the new executive role of their Digital Media division. The idea that a brick-and-mortar themed retail company is getting more and more into the digital download industry is certainly interesting.

Now IndustryGamers is reporting that GameStop wants to move more into that space. In a recent analyst meeting, company execs said that not only do they plan to expand their current digital download stores for PC games they also plan to "make a strategic investment or acquire an aggregator of online games." Does this mean we could see GameStop buy an already existing PC game download service like Steam or Direct2Drive? That seems unlikely but if GameStop wants to become a player in this market it needs to make a bigger push than what have they have in the past.

Filed under: Biz, Downloads

January 26 release date for Mass Effect 2; pre-order specials revealed

by John Callaham Oct 16th 2009 @ 1:00PM

Gamers won't have to wait for much longer to finally head back to space, BioWare style. The developer has just announced that their sci-fi RPG sequel Mass Effect 2 will ship to stores on January 26 in the US. Europeans will have to wait a few extra days; the game shows up in that part of the world on January 29.

In addition to revealing the release date, BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts announced some special in-game items that will be available via pre-orders. GameStop will offer two items, the Terminus Armor (increases run speeds and personal shields) and the M-90 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon (fires off a local gravity well). You can see both items in the screenshot to the right. Other retailers will offer the Inferno Armor for pre-order offers.

[Via email press release]

Gallery: Mass Effect 2

Filed under: RPG, Mass Effect Series

Borderlands dev members showing up at Texas-based GameStop stores

by John Callaham Oct 16th 2009 @ 12:00PM

Earlier this week we alerted folks in the Dallas-based area for a launch party for Borderlands that will be held on Saturday night. But let's say you can't make it that day because of some prior arrangement. Well, you still have some time to meet up with some of the development team at Gearbox Software on the occasion of the launch of their FPS-RPG hybrid.

The night of the game's launch on October 19 for consoles you can go to one of two Texas-based GameStop locations to meet up with Gearbox team members. The locations are at 2201 Preston Road in Plano (where they will have a Borderlands four player LAN set-up at 9 pm) and 6245 Rufe Snow Drive in Fort Worth. Lines to buy the game at midnight on that day will begin at 10 pm

Gallery: Borderlands

Filed under: Culture, FPS, RPG, Borderlands

PC owners can get Modern Warfare 2 with game character statue

by John Callaham Oct 7th 2009 @ 10:00AM

While PC players may not be able to purchase Modern Warfare 2 in its Hardened or Prestige editions like their Xbox 360 or PS3 they can get one that includes a statue of one of the first person shooter's characters, "Captain Soap MacTavish" via the GameStop retail web site.

The 1/6 scale statue depicts MacTavish in the snowy Cliffhanger level in the game that was first seen during the game's first public showing at E3 last June. There's also three interchangeable weapons for the item; the ice picks as you can see in the picture along with dual pistols and an M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle. You can get both the PC game and the statue from GameStop for a "mere" $139.98.

Gallery: Modern Warfare 2

Filed under: FPS, Multiplayer, Modern Warfare 2

Capcom reveals "Gold4JetPack" for Gamestop Dark Void pre-order

by John Callaham Sep 1st 2009 @ 8:00AM

On Monday, we got to see the Serious Sam HD web site take some shots at TV commercials selling "As Seen On TV" Products. Now it's apparently Capcom's turn. The publisher has launched a new pre-order for their upcoming action game Dark Void via GameStop with a . . . unique . . .promo web site.

The pre-order itself is apparently very real; if you put your money down at GameStop ahead of time for the Airtight Games-developed title you will gain access to a "gold" jetpack in the game that gives the player unlimited boosts. The kicker is the the above YouTube video which lets people know that they will also become cool, get hot chicks, become awesome and get hot chicks (did we mention the hot chicks you will be getting?). The game itself is due out in January 2010.

Gallery: Dark Void

Filed under: Culture, Action, Video

Indie Game Challenge extends entry deadline

by John Callaham Aug 28th 2009 @ 7:00PM

Last month game retailer GameStop announced their sponsorship of new Indie Game Challenge with $100,000 each going to the professional and non-professional indie game teams for the grand prize. If you and/or your team have been thinking about entering your game in the contest, we have some good news.

Today the organizers of the contest announced that the deadline for entry has been extended from October 1 to October 31. According to the organizers, they decided to extend the deadline to give dev teams more time to get their entries ready. Finalist will still be announced on Jan. 15, 2010 and the winners will be announced during the annual DICE Summit on Feb. 19, 2010.

Filed under: Contests, Indie

GameStop reveals disappointing financial results

by John Callaham Aug 20th 2009 @ 9:00PM

The gravy train is over at game retailer GameStop. After a number of quarters with massive growth, even in the face of the current recession, reality has hit the company with its latest number for its quarter that ended on August 1. Profits were $38.7 million for the time period, a 32 percent drop from the same period a year ago and missing expectations from financial analysts.

In addition the delays of a number of games originally slated for the fall of 2009 have caused GameStop to cut its future outlook. It now says to expect that the fiscal year will bring in earnings of between $2.40 to $2.64 a share, down from its previous predictions of between $2.83 to $2.93 a share.

Filed under: Biz

Modern Warfare 2 PC pricing going up for some retailers but not all

by John Callaham Aug 18th 2009 @ 12:00PM

If you are a PC gamer, you know that for the most part a title that comes out for multiple platforms is usually cheaper on the PC side. Now there's evidence that for at least some retailers, the PC price of Modern Warfare 2 is being raised up to console levels.

Pricing for the Infinity Ward-Activision FPS is listed at $59.99 for retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and GameStop. However that is not the case across the board. Walmart's web site shows that the PC version of the game is $49.82 and that it also comes with a $10 eGift card for online purchases online, effectively making the game $39.82. The lesson is pretty obvious; there's always a bargain somewhere. You just have to know where to look.

[Via Blue's News]

Filed under: Biz, FPS, Modern Warfare 2

BioShock 2 pre-order offers new multiplayer characters?

by John Callaham Aug 10th 2009 @ 9:00AM

We may have to wait several more months before the release of BioShock 2 but once again the marketing of the first person shooter sequel seems to be going in full swing. On Saturday, 2K Games launched their viral marketing campaign on several beaches around the world. Now comes word on yet another pre-order bonus.

According to ads that have been spotted by folks on the game's official message boards, Gamestop will offer folks two multiplayer characters if they put down their money early on BioShock 2. It's not much of a pre-order bonus but we suspect that we may get even more before the game itself is released.

Gallery: BioShock 2