Circuit City: Super Paper Mario guaranteed in-store or $20

by Alexander Sliwinski { Apr 10th 2007 at 2:00AM }

Circuit City in their most recent flyer guarantees Super Paper Mario to be in-store April 10 by 2 PM or the bamboozled customer receives a $20 gift card. Those addendums you see there represented by "3" and "**" are that the offer is only good this week and the $20 needs to be used on a future purchase, which means if the game isn't "in-store" tomorrow that's an insta-twenty bucks off -- that's a free greatest hits title on any system.

We really are having a hard time seeing the downside to this deal. If the product isn't there, that's an automatic $20 gift card. Or the product is there and we get a new game -- and not Gamestop's definition of "new." Then again, we could check Gamestop today and maybe they'll have a video of the Super Paper Mario ending and save us $50 right from the start. Definitely worth the trip to Circuit City if you were looking to pick up Super Paper Mario, the newest Gamecube title for the Wii.

[Via WiiFanboy]

Tags: circuit city, guarantee, super paper mario, SuperPaperMario, twenty dollars

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Raynre @ Apr 10th 2007 2:08AM

"...that's a free greatest hits title on any system."

Except, you know, any of the current-gen consoles.

Rubang B @ Apr 10th 2007 2:21AM

I'd like to thank Joystiq for the constant flow of bad press for GameStop/EB. I've always hated them, but I've always gone there just for used Game Boy games. When they have their rare Buy 2 Used Games Get 1 Used Game Free sale I'll pick up about 21 GB/GBC/GBA games for my Game Boy fetish, I mean collection. But with them ruining endings of fairly new games and selling used games as new, I'm fucking through with them. Circuit City we love you!

ShortFuse @ Apr 10th 2007 3:08AM

$20 = Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door

for those of you who want to try it.

Will @ Apr 10th 2007 2:58AM

Yeah, I hate GameStope... I bought Fight Night for 360 USED for $55... I usually go new but this once I was like, 'hell might as well save $5 and buy some taco bell' :) Boy did I fucking regret it... i had a 7 day return or whatever, fucking disc stopped working on the 8th day so they wouldn't take it back. I spent $55 to play the game for a week! I've started going to CompUSA just because the people who work there aren't assholes.
Anyone else know a GOOD retailer I could buy games from without hating myself for it?

OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Apr 10th 2007 3:13AM

Will:

You can always go with Best Buy. At least their "service plan" speech is optional, and if given it generally only 5-10 seconds long with no followup upsell attempts.

If you have a Costco membership, go there, because they have the best return policies of any single retail store on the planet.

Jim @ Apr 10th 2007 5:22AM

Doesn't this mean, they'll have the game there on time, but if it is sold out ... you won't get 20 bucks?

CNash @ Apr 10th 2007 6:29PM

"Definitely worth the trip to Circuit City if you were looking to pick up Super Paper Mario, the newest Gamecube title for the Wii."

Me-ow... someone's bitter. For me, any new release for the Wii is welcome, GC port or no.

Quaddw @ Apr 10th 2007 7:35AM

Ebgames / Gamestop also has a trade in two Wii games get one free. Simply go in and buy two copies of Disny's Open Season for 19.99 each, then trade them both in and save 10$ off of Super Paper Mario.

Jerrod @ Apr 10th 2007 7:10AM

Or if you dont want a $20 greatest hits game, you can go with a DVD movie. That's what I'd do.

Luigi193 @ Apr 10th 2007 7:26AM

I like EB, the people are normally nice, i know you get next to nothing for trade ins, but if you are in a pinch they can be a life saver (trade ins)

I shop there, havent had any bad experences yet!

Luigi193 @ Apr 10th 2007 7:27AM

One more thing, enough of the SPM gamecube jabs, youve done it a thousand times, enough!!!!!

scaught @ Apr 10th 2007 8:20AM

Gamespot Trade-ins can be good if you have a membership card. I traded in a bunch of shit over the weekend and actually got good trades. The manager was scanning over every deal she had in order to get me the highest trade-ins possible. I think their "evil corporate" ways are off set by their often incredibly nice hardcore gamer employees.

Though playing the ending of Zelda in the store, pushing strategy guides and protection plans and selling shrink wrapped returns as "new" are very much dick moves.

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 8:15AM

Gamestop/EB both suck. I wish I had stock in them.

Kizzle @ Apr 10th 2007 8:25AM

"One more thing, enough of the SPM gamecube jabs, youve done it a thousand times, enough!!!!!"

Why? it's not inaccurate. What, Nintendo fans can dish it out to every console, but can't take it?

Yoshi Likes Boys @ Apr 10th 2007 8:28AM

GAMECUBE WII TITLE....bahhahahahaha...you guys never get tired of the same idiotic jokes, huh?

scott @ Apr 10th 2007 8:32AM

Pretty pathetic you have nothing good to report except about how much you dislike Gamestop. This website is slowly going down the drain. Why don't you make a jab at the ps3 or 360 in the article too, since the entire Gamestop portion is completely off topic.

Yoshi Likes Boys @ Apr 10th 2007 8:35AM

"Why? it's not inaccurate. What, Nintendo fans can dish it out to every console, but can't take it?"

Actually the game was significantly redesigned from the Cube version, so unless every game that ever began life on one system and was eventually put out for another is "just a port" or "not really a game" then it's just retarded.

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 8:36AM

What a bunch of crybabies this morning.

"GAMECUBE WII TITLE....bahhahahahaha...you guys never get tired of the same idiotic jokes, huh?"

We will when the ports stop comming.

daniel @ Apr 10th 2007 8:41AM

13 and 17 so what about the xbox 360 games that started on n64 and gamecube kameo, too human, perfect dark zero are the ones i can think of off the top of my head

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 8:41AM

"Actually the game was significantly redesigned from the Cube version, so unless every game that ever began life on one system and was eventually put out for another is "just a port" or "not really a game" then it's just retarded."

They only added feature was wiimote controls. It is a port if the game was more than 2/3 finished when the Wii was released.

Yoshi Likes Boys @ Apr 10th 2007 8:42AM

What part of laughing at retards makes me a crybaby, Jacques?

Guess what? That XBox you have is riddled with "ports," that is, software dependent on libraries and resources that were originally written for another platform. That's one of the advantages to XNA in the first place, and also one of the key advantages to the Wii sharing an architecture with the Cube. Reusable resources make things easier on developers.

Yoshi Likes Boys @ Apr 10th 2007 8:43AM

@19: Source, please? Let's see screens and movies that are indistinguishable from the current version from the Cube version.

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 8:45AM

"gamecube kameo, too human, perfect dark zero are the ones i can think of off the top of my head"

Those games were still premature on the development time scale. These games were still in the idea phase when they came to the 360.

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 8:50AM

Everything you see on Paper Mario Wii would look the same on Cube. The only added feature was wiimote. I have a PS3 and 360.
Yes the 360 had ports at the beginning but not now. Gears, Dead Rising, Lost Planet & Crackdown are not a ports. You can tell when a game is designed from the ground up on a specific console.

Yoshi Likes Boys @ Apr 10th 2007 8:51AM

Too Human still is premature.

Anyway, source on Kameo + PDZ?

jadenguy @ Apr 10th 2007 9:37AM

4. $20 = Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door

for those of you who want to try it.

Posted at 3:08AM on Apr 10th 2007 by ShortFuse

dude, i just picked up pm:tyd for 15 at target. but this was last week, so i don't know if it's still available on sale. somebody may wish to check. i personally can't wait for pm to hit vc. as well as kirby.

Yoshi Likes Boys @ Apr 10th 2007 8:56AM

You can? How can you tell? Do you use MAGIC? Because Gears was built on UE3 which was designed specifically for DX9/10 PCs, 360, and PS3. But you can tell it was designed ground up for 360? Amazing.

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 8:57AM

"Kameo was originally slated for the Nintendo Gamecube and was set to be one of Rare's flagship titles for the system, along with Star Fox Adventures and Donkey Kong Racing. However, when Microsoft announced its purchase of Rare in late 2002, Kameo's future was put in question. It was decided that work would continue on the Xbox, and a planned release date of 2003 was given. After several revamps, causing repeated delays, Kameo was put on indefinite hold in late 2004. Following this, rumours began that the game was once again undergoing a platform change, this time from the Xbox to the Xbox 360, where it was finally released as a launch title. The launch of the game brought with it the sale of an official soundtrack featuring 27 musical tracks from the game. [1]"-wikipedia

"Rare's two N64 first-person shooters, GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, received strong acclaim from critics and players, and demand for another title in the Perfect Dark franchise was high. Development of Perfect Dark Zero began on the Nintendo GameCube. At the time, Nintendo had a 49% stake in Rare, making Rare a Nintendo second-party developer. The game made a small appearance at Spaceworld 2000, an event exclusive to Nintendo. But apart from the confirmation that it was in development[1], few official announcements were made. Perfect Dark Zero, along with several other Rare games, was intended to be finished in time for the Gamecube's launch, but for unknown reasons did not.

In September 2002, after losing a steady trickle of staff for two years (including many of their Goldeneye 007 team members, who went on to found Free Radical), Rare Ltd was purchased by Microsoft.[2] Around the same time, Rare released several images of Joanna Dark, the protagonist of the Perfect Dark games. The "cartoony" style of these pictures incited speculation that the final game — then intended for the original Xbox — would employ a less realistic graphical style than the original game; possibly an anime like cel-shading technique, (RARE had hired UK Manga artist Wil Overton to work with them, after seeing an anime-like image of the Original Perfect Dark game he had created for the cover of N64 Magazine.)

Development of the title was later transferred to the Xbox 360. Perfect Dark Zero's senior designer Chris Tilston (also one of the project leads for the game) later revealed that the Xbox version was "about twelve months away" from completion when the switch occurred.[3]

In 2005, one of the rewards in the OurColony viral marketing campaign for Microsoft's next Xbox video game console was an image of Joanna Dark.[4] At the official unveiling of the Xbox 360 on May 12, 2005, it was revealed that Perfect Dark Zero would be a launch title for the new system in the fall of 2005.[5] The game's development has therefore spanned three platforms: the Nintendo GameCube, the Microsoft Xbox and the Xbox 360."

Yoshi Likes Boys @ Apr 10th 2007 9:03AM

The Kameo blurb is a complete waste of space and only proves that development started on the Cube and went to the 360, which we all knew.

The PDZ blurb proves that it was relatively early when it transitioned to the ORIGINAL XBox, but not the 360. All you know is that it transitioned to the 360 "later." I hope whatever you do for a job doesn't involve argument or facts.

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 10th 2007 9:09AM

You can't argue that Paper Mario was improved 2X better than the Cube version. It looks just like Thousand Year Door with Wiimote controls. The way the game is designed it doesn't need more polygons to improve the gameplay. Thus there is no need to spend more time pushing more horsepower when its not needed. It is a easy port to the Wii.

32_Footsteps @ Apr 10th 2007 9:21AM

Okay, so the post is about how Circuit City is doing something very cool - promising you that if you can't get a hot game that just came out, they'll give you a gift card worth twenty bucks. And everyone here wants to either a) trash Gamestop as much as possible or b) the usual Wii fanboy flamewar.

... Yeah, I'm feeling the rage.

Joseph Villalobos @ Apr 10th 2007 9:27AM

OMG, "the newest Gamecube title for the Wii!"

LMAO!!!!!

Seriously, that line really got me laughing! Thanks! It's so true how Nintendo screwed Gamecube owners out of another title. Do you think they will release the Gamecube version later like they did with The Legendo of Zelda?

ncxcstud @ Apr 10th 2007 9:36AM

28 -

Isn't it an easy port because the Wii is just two Gamecube's duct-taped together?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Also, about the CC deal - Does it apply ONLY if the store DOES NOT receive a shipment in before 2PM, or does it also apply if they DO NOT have any left after 2PM.

Because if it only applies to stock they haven't received I can see a lot of stores just saying "Oh, we sold out, that deal doesn't work, no $20 gift card for you." whether they actually received the game or not.

Seedy @ Apr 10th 2007 9:43AM

uh.. guys this isn't a Gamecube game. It's a Wii one.

mforgione @ Apr 10th 2007 9:51AM

"In-store" sounds specifically and deliberately different from "in-stock". I think they're just guaranteeing that they'll have the shipment in by 2 PM, not that you're actually going to *get* one.

Seedy @ Apr 10th 2007 9:59AM

SUPER PAPER MARIO IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR GAMECUBE. It's a blatant LIE to imply that it is.

(01) @ Apr 10th 2007 10:10AM

(Laughs) "the newest gamecube title or the wii" I like it.
I guess I'm a little confused about launch dates. True, Super Paper Mariow WAS released on the 9th, but normal consumers (if I'm not mistaken) can't purchase it until the 10th, wouldn't that actually be the day the games "launches"?

Slaziman @ Apr 10th 2007 11:23AM

The Thousand Year Joke rears it's ugly head again! :)

Shadow El @ Apr 10th 2007 11:49AM

Yes, this game is essentially a port of a GCN game with tacked-on Wii controls. Then again, so was Twilight Princess. Then again, so will be Kirby (still working title).

That doesn't mean they're bad games, though.

*goes to Circuit City*

Seedy @ Apr 10th 2007 11:57AM

It was never a GCN game you retard. It's not a port either since it has gameplay not found in any other Paper Mario games. Go back to playing your RehashboX360.

mr mobius @ Apr 10th 2007 12:31PM

"Yes the 360 had ports at the beginning but not now. Gears, Dead Rising, Lost Planet & Crackdown are not a ports. You can tell when a game is designed from the ground up on a specific console."

Seriously, if the 360 still had ports over a year later, i'd be laughing very hard. Think you've forgot jack is, the wii is still in the beginning. 360 has a full year start where it could release games intended for late in the xbox life.

Blazur @ Apr 10th 2007 12:40PM

Just got my copy at Best Buy. Now I have to get through work before I can play it!

samfish @ Apr 10th 2007 1:26PM

Jack, you're sounding like a bigger retard than usual today.

Kameo and PDZ=Gamecube ports. It's as simple as that.

Aerostratos @ Apr 10th 2007 3:07PM

To Wii or not to Wii? That is the nagging, fan-angering question provoked by Nintendo's dithering back and forth as to just how we'll be playing Super Paper Mario. One second it's a GameCube exclusive, the next it might be on the Wii as well, and now there's speculation that it's a Wii exclusive. Nintendo doesn't seem to know what's going on; leading us to make plans to hijack the next Ask Iwata session to squeeze answers from the head honchos.

Just how much uncertainty has Nintendo's waffling produced in the gaming community? Well, their media site lists SPM as a GameCube title, release date "TBA." EB Games and allgame.com agree with them on the platform, but report a June 2007 release. GameFAQs.com asserts the same release date as those two sites, but claims that it's a Wii game.

Our favorite entrant in this orgy of obfuscation is Nintendo's own official site, which, though agreeing with the GameCube majority, lists the release date as "Announced." Announced?! If it's announced, but not listed, then where, exactly, does this information lie? Near as we can reckon, it resides somewhere between being and unbeing, floating in some paranormal ether, accessible only through arcane divinatory methods performed 'neath the light of the Blood Moon.

Regardless of how murky the info on Super Paper Mario is, our desire to play it burns undiminished. The game adopts the charming 2D stylings of the Paper Mario titles, and adds a dollop of retro tastiness. It's a side-scrolling platformer for the most part, but with a level "deepifying" mechanic that pushes the flat world into 3D, revealing hidden depths.
---------------------------------------------
http://www.gamesradar.com/us/gc/game/news/article.jsp?articleId=20070118105637608075§ionId=1006&releaseId=2006051712455503075

So yes it was a GC title. Nintendos promotional media listed it as such.

Rubang B @ Apr 10th 2007 4:18PM

I love Jack's attempts to draw this magical thin line, on one side of which you get to call Super Paper Mario a GameCube port, and on the other side of which you get to call Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero new games for the XBox 360. Pick a side Jack.

Ryuukuro @ Apr 10th 2007 4:19PM

Raynre posted: "...that's a free greatest hits title on any system."

Except, you know, any of the current-gen consoles.

Not quite so. Where I work we now have a tiny selection of 360 games and one Wii title available for less than $20. No PS3 games are near that mark but there is a frighteningly good chance that this will change soon.

I try to keep where I work out of my net postings but all I'll say is that sometimes it pays to look into stores that aren't well known for video games.

MaroX @ Apr 10th 2007 4:26PM

Or.. it's a great marketing campaign. If they already have the game in-stock, then it is a great way to bring buyers to their stores and spend their money at Circuit City, instead of some other retailer.

I just spent my money there.

Ian @ Apr 10th 2007 4:46PM

For those asking about the specifics to this deal, I can tell ya, as I work at Circuit City (yes I survived Black Wednesday):

Each week now, CC has 3 games that are guaranteed to be available in stores after a specific time on a specific date. If you come into the store on that day after that time, and there are no copies to be sold to you when you ask for it, you get a $20 Giftcard right there right then.

So for the example here of "Super Paper Mario" the ad says after 2PM on Wednesday, April 10. So if you go into a CC anytime on that day after 2PM and there is not a copy there for you you get $20. This DOES include even if they just sold out already. Doesn't matter. You still get a giftcard because they don't have a copy available for you. But this offer only applies for THAT DAY, meaning you can't come in on Thursday April 11th and get a $20 giftcard if they don't have the game in stock.

Really, I've been very disappointed by CC in the last few weeks, but this is an offer that I really can't find a downside to.

gst @ Apr 10th 2007 8:26PM

So wait, we are trashing Gamestop because:

a) none of us have ever bought or sold a used game, and, if given the chance, we totally would not sell our own used games for profit

b) they have an inferior business model that has not brought them success

c) we have irrefutable evidence that it is their corporate policy to completely rip people off

d) they conspired to kill all of our respective families for no good reason

e) they are a successful corporation; therefore, they must be evil

And the answer is secret answer f!

f) those of us who trash Gamestop are just whiny bitches

Welcome to America folks! Gamestop is a company; their goal is to make profit. They make a large part of their profit by buying and selling used games. If you feel that you are not getting a good deal, the appropriate response is to search for a better deal and stop whining.

Whining and complaining are not valid economic alternatives; they are annoyances ( to put it in economic terms, they are negative externalities associated with you being both alive and a complete moron with an over-inflated sense of personal entitlement)

STFU Bitches