27 August 07 - 19:44DVD's, Commodore 64, & DS Supercards

We got in some new stuff...

- Lots of DVD's (lots).
- Commodore 64 unit + games (come and make me an offer as I have no idea what's here)
- DS Supercards are now back in stock (although quantities are limited). $80 each, no memory sticks at the moment.

A few new things here & there, but those were the big ones.

Gamedeals Video Games - default - / No trackbacks - § ¶

26 August 07 - 14:14PSP Un-brick / downgrade + PAX + New Stuff

First off, we ARE now set-up for PSP un-bricking and downgrading for ALL firmwares, cost is $20 for the entire service (which includes custom firmware & tweaking).

So, PAX was awesome this year. Wil Wheaton gave the keynote speech and I highly recommend you watch it (it will be online in a few days if it's not already) as it's without a doubt the best speech I've heard in years. The Penny Arcade panels were great, Uwe Boll made an appearance (that man has balls), and I got some nice swag. I got to check out some new games that won't be released for a while, touched base with Amanda & Jeremy over at "Gametrailers.com", and found a way to contribute to the PSP "scene" by testing Pandora on a Slim PSP while the "booth babe" it was tethered to was oblivious. Met Wil Wheaton, attended a hotel party (briefly), drank some Bawls, met up with "friends of Gamedeals", saw "Freezepop" perform, and listened to publishers talk about how they're trying to push everything digital and cut retailers out of the loop completely (thanks guys). I also did some shopping.

New stuff today:
Lots of Gameboy / Gameboy Colour / Gameboy Advance games.
... not much else that I know of yet as I haven't been to the store in a couple days.

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23 August 07 - 17:48NEW: PSP Downgrades for ANY firmware +++ Un-bricking service.

I will be at PAX this weekend, but starting next week we should be able to offer PSP downgrades for ALL FIRMWARES, as well, we will be able to un-brick PSP's. Cost will most likely still be $20. Call me at the store next week if you want this done to confirm that I'm set-up and ready to go.

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21 August 07 - 16:10New games & plushies

Lots of new Wii games including: Mario Strikers, Zelda, Rayman, Super Paper Mario, Madden 08 & more...
Lots of new Xbox games (random $10 titles).
Gamecube consoles are in stock.
Some new games for most other consoles.
Some new DVD's.

Also, we now have plushie keychains (Red & Green Mushrooms / Fire Flower / Boo / Star / Bullet Bill)

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19 August 07 - 00:47Closed on Sunday (Aug. 19th) *Anime Evolution 2007*

Due to staffing issues we unfortunately have to be closed on Sunday. Most of our good stuff is at the Anime show this weekend anyway. We will be open again on Monday, and will be looking to re-stock as soon as possible... so if you've got games to trade/sell, come & see us from Monday - Thursday (as I'll be away Fri./Sat.).

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13 August 07 - 19:58A depressing story about EB Games. - UPDATE

I had an experience at EB Games last week that bothered me... so much so that I sent the district manager an email to which (now 3 days later) he has not yet replied. Anyway, I thought I'd post it here for you guys to read as it's something that all classic gamers should be aware of.

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Hi *NAME REMOVED*,

Recently I had an interesting visit with an EB Games location that has me concerned and frustrated, and I was hoping that as the district manager, you could shed some light on the situation and/or help to change it in the future.

I witnessed a man trading in a pile of old Nintendo 64 games, and while most of them scanned in and he was given credit for them, some of them had a $0 value (or lack of SKU). The man told the employee to keep them as "he just wanted them all gone" and the employee obliged. After the man left, when asked about the $0 games, the employee informed me that they were to be thrown into the garbage & destroyed. If these were Genesis sports games I probably wouldn't care, but some of the games were rare & somewhat valuable. The employee informed me that under no circumstances could I buy these games, nor could I "pick them out of the trash" and that this was EB Corporate policy. He then informed me that this happens ALL THE TIME and even recounted a time when a boxed/complete Chrono Trigger (arguably one of the most collectible SNES games) was disposed of in the same way. As a collector of old games, and a re-seller that deals with collectors, frankly I'm appalled. I honestly can't get the image of a mint Chrono Trigger next to a half-eaten sandwich in the trash compactor out of my head. Everyone that I've mentioned this too has also returned feelings of disgust & anger.

While I understand that these rules are set in place to avoid employee theft & other issues that must have occurred to have prompted such rules, I have to ask... isn't there something that can be done? Could the games be SKU'd in at $0.10 and sold for $0.50 just for the sake of not throwing them out (or would that be too much work and/or require too much space)? Could they be donated to Charity? The guys at Penny Arcade run a great charity called "Child's Play" that buys video games for sick children in hospitals around the world ( http://www.childsplaycharity.org/). While they don't accept used games directly, EB Games could work out a deal with local game stores who could pick up the games & donate money to charity on behalf of EB Games. Surely helping sick children is better than adding to our nations landfills.

In closing, please let me know if there is anything that can be done to fix this situation, or if the people at corporate head office are open to suggestions and/or willing to make a change. For the sake of old-school gamers everywhere, something needs to be done.

Thank you,
Brian
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UPDATE:

Weeks have now passed, and I have received no response. I no longer expect one. If anyone reads this and works at EB, please do whatever you can to change the policy, and or actively disobey it for the greater good.

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13 August 07 - 12:40Heap of new stuff in...

We got a heap of new stuff in yesterday, including games for NES/SNES/GBC/GBA/N64/PS1/Gamecube/DS/PSP/Wii/Xbox 360, as well as a pile of NES consoles & an SNES Console. Notable titles include Final Fantasy 7, Armored Core, DDR Universe w/pad, Super Mario Bros. 2, Diddy Kong Racing, Metal Gear Solid (various), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Zelda 1&2, Metroid, Mario All-stars, Zelda: Link To The Past, Gunstar Super Heroes, TMNT, Power Stone Collection, & many many more.

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10 August 07 - 04:54Website changes

You probably already noticed the changes on the frontpage, but I just wanted to make a note here about it. I'm trying to streamline the site to be a bit more "user-friendly" and make it easier to access the important parts, as well as make room for new additions (like the "Gamedeals" show). As well, I updated the console modding page with current information, and will still be tweaking a few things over the next few weeks (including adding the buttons that are still missing in the list).

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09 August 07 - 18:53Loads of new games in today...

New games for Playstation 2, PS3, Gamecube, Xbox, Gameboy Advance, N64, Nintendo DS, PSP, Xbox 360 & more. Also some new consoles (Gamecube / N64 / PS1), new DVD's, etc. etc. Lots of new stuff came in... too much to list... mostly random, some good some bad.

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06 August 07 - 17:48New PSX games & looking to buy

We got in a nice pile of Playstation 1 games including some RPG's, some Street Fighters, and other sweet titles. Also, we're looking to do some buying, so if you've got a pile of games you want to unload now is the time to bring them by the store... especially Super Nintendo & Gamecube games as we're running low on those.

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03 August 07 - 21:13New Gameboy / Gamegear games + Xbox 360

I got in a lot of new Gameboy & Game Gear games today... as well as a used Xbox 360. It's a Premium unit with 1 Wireless Controller & Hard Drive for $249.95. Also got in a few new games for Xbox & PSP, and will be getting in a lot of new stuff as the weekend goes on.

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02 August 07 - 05:11PRESS: The kind of stuff only a google search would find.

I did a google search and came up with some media coverage that I had no idea existed and/or never posted to the blog... so here it is.

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From playboy.com

Justice, YouTube-Style

Videogame store Gamedeals Video Games of New Westminster, British Columbia was robbed last Tuesday. Its none-too bright attackers, however, saw fit to stare into the store’s security cameras for a while before committing the heinous act. The store’s owners have subsequently released the tape on YouTube, hopefully meaning it’s only a matter of time before someone recognizes them. This amuses us to no end.
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http://kotaku.com/gaming/dpad/the-girl-and-the-giant-dpad-247248.php

The Girl And The Giant DPad

Let's bust out the controller's measurements: 100cm by 43cm. This elephant-sized NES control pad was created from balsa wood, styrene plastic and foam by deviant artist Eyes5. The artist explains:

There's a nifty used games store that just opened up near me called Gamedeals. I got to know the proprieter pretty well and he asked me to make a big NES controller for his window display. I say, sure no problem, and two weeks later this is the result. And no, it doesn't actually work to play NES games.

Bummer! Make a jumbo NES Zapper, and you'll be forgiven.

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http://kotaku.com/gaming/crime/hey-kotaku-help-find-these-thieving-bastards-250162.php

Hey Kotaku, Help Find These Thieving Bastards!

Remember that girl with the giant, non-working D-pad? It was used in a British Columbia-based store display. That store, Gamedeals Video Games, was robbed on April 3rd. According to the shop's blog:

Overall we are only out a couple thousand, but with the insurance company having a $1000 deductible, it's going to hurt us. Please spread this video around and if you have any extra games you're not playing anymore, trade/sell them to us as we need to re-fill our stock (mostly of newer stuff) soon.

Gamedeals' Brian Hughes sent us the YouTube clip above asking for our help in finding the men who did this. The suspects are believed to be locals. Any information regarding this crime should be passed along to Hughes or the New Westminster BC police department. Let's catch these bastards!

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http://digg.com/videos/people/Video_Robbers_trash_local_video_game_store_on_tape

(Still makes me laugh that all the details are wrong, yet this is what started the media circus).

Video: Robbers trash local video game store on tape!

Thieves broke into a small business in Coquitlam, BC earlier this week. Guess they missed all the cameras, because their faces are plainly visible. While they took a few thousand dollars worth of stuff, they missed all of the PS3 gear and the LCD projector. They even took the PC instead of the mac.

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http://videogame2play.com/2007/04/06/videogame-store-robbed-caught-on-camera/

Gamedeals.ca was robbed April 3rd and the thieves were recorded by security cameras.

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01 August 07 - 17:26Penny Arcade Expo + Sale today

2 Things. 1st off, I'm doing 25% off today (Wed.) on most of the stuff in the store... need to free up some cash asap.

The other thing... regarding PAX (Penny Arcade Expo http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/ )...

I have gone for the last 2 years and generally had a good time. This year though... many of our friends have decided not to go for various reasons (most of them financial - as the move to downtown Seattle made the Hotel situation a lot pricier). Erin & I are now in debate as to whether we should go. We have not pre-registered so as to keep our options open... but what I'm wondering is... are you going? Anyone going to PAX (other than Kerry & Eyes5 that I already know), please let me know as it may impact our decision. Thanks.

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