Topic: Best place to buy games

Join Club Nintendo. Every game you buy on a Nintendo console gets recorded to your account and adds points that you can use to buy a downloadable game that they offer every month! That's how I get most of my Virtual Console games.

@theblackdragon I've checked out Walmarts in a couple state radius (NC up to Pennsylvania) and they've all had that pricing, so I typically avoid 'em. Maybe it's just the east coast though.

I won't give Gamestop my business (they shouldn't ever be selling opened copies as new, even if the cartridge/disc hasn't been played), but here are places I've purchased games from in the recent past (I am also located in the U.S.):

Amazon — I have free 2 day shipping via Amazon Prime (if anyone is a student at a college/university, they can sign up for Amazon Student and get six months of Amazon Prime free and afterwards are able to get a year of Amazon Prime for $39 dollars instead of $79 for a total of four years). Sometimes they will have release day delivery (for DKCR3D they did), but I think it depends on what day of the week the release day is. I doubt they will have it for Animal Crossing since it comes out on a Sunday (DKCR3D came out on a Friday).

Target/Walmart — Lumped together because I've had the same experience with each. I haven't ever preordered from either but I have gone to get games from them on release day, and at least the first employee I've talked to each time has been clueless that game X has been released that day. But in each case, I have ended up walking out of the store with a copy. Target does have something where you spend $1 to preorder a game, then get a $5 Target gift card when you purchase the game on release day (in essence a $4 dollar gift card) but I'm not sure of the details as to what games are eligible, etc.

I'm not super fond of the eShop system of only being able to load certain amounts, so I'm also considering, for retail games I'd rather have as a digital copy, purchasing a download code from Best Buy. That way I'd only pay the cost of the game plus sales tax. If only buying download codes were available for eShop exclusives.

I stick with Amazon but lately I have been getting games through Game Fly. If you have a membership with them you can get some crazy deals from them. And if you buy a game used from them you always get the actual case and instruction booklet from them, not some cheesy paper sleeve like Gamestop.

Oddly enough, my local Fred Meyer always has the best selection of games. It was the only place I found LoZ:OoT 3D, and they had NSMB2 on launch day (speaking of which, K-Mart is always the worst as far as selection goes. They didn't have NSMB2 at launch). I get a lot from Amazon, Gamestop, and Target too. Sometimes Toys-R-Us, but they don't always have the game(s) I'm looking for. They're great for accessories, though!

So how do you prove the amazon price at target and best buy? I've got amazon prime but there are times that I would like to have the game same day but get the amazon price.

I'm thinking you could use your phone's browser to go to Amazon.com and show the salesperson the prices.

@SkywardLink98: lol, I'm in NC right now and I'm telling you, I can usually get a first-party game for a few bucks cheaper there than at a Gamestop in my area provided they have it in stock and i can find an employee to unlock the case for me. If you want an example, they've got Pokemon Black v2 listed on their website as being $31-ish, while gamestop has it used for $32-ish. Same deal for PMD: Gates to Infinity, Wal-Mart has it listed for $29-some new and Gamestop still wants $34.99 for a new copy.

The most important thing i guess is to just do your homework in your area if you're looking for a 'best' place to buy games in town. There are plenty of Super Wal-Mart complexes/strip-mall areas set up with Gamestops alongside or nearby, so if there's a new first-party game you want and those are your options, be sure to check both places before making your purchase.

Best Buy and Amazon

When I went to buy donkey kong country returns on launch day, I went to the closest walmart to me and it wasn't in the case. There were no employees anywhere near me and when I walked by the counter, they were too damn busy talking to even acknowledge me. I actually ended up going to the other walmart in town which was a few miles away where someone helped me within 2 minutes and I was able to get the game immediately. The game was in the case but it was on an incorrect price marker (the price on the shelf said 39.99 but it rang up for 34.99 as it should have).

hey, at least they sold it to you without a problem at the other store — when I went to get my copy of Black v2, I actually had to point out to the employee that yes, the game's official release date was that day (thank goodness they had a huge sticker on the case door with the date on it, haha). like i said, it's dependent on whether or not they actually have it in stock and whether you can find an employee to help you, but if wal-mart has a first-party title in stock, in my experience it's usually going to be a slightly lesser price than hitting up a nearby Gamestop.

heck, even now GS has DKCR3D listed as 34.99 with '39.99' in red crossed out below... not sure what that's all about or if the price'll go up later.