Overheard @ the line for Grand Theft Auto IV
by Justin McElroy 
{ Apr 29th 2008 at 6:00PM }
"Well, you know Jack Thompson or whatever the f*** his name is, he's already on the warpath. He said that everyone who sells the game should go to jail and that it's the biggest threat to kids since polio. ... Back, you know, when polio was a problem."
-Some really loud dude in line
"Spish."
-A water balloon cast from a passing truck, which landed just inches from our feet
"It's really too cold for shorts out here, but it's OK because I have a really nice drunk going."
-Justin McElroy
"What are you guys all in line for?"
-A cute girl in a passing car
*utter silence*
-The line
But enough of our recollections! Did any of you have any midnight adventures?
Check out all our coverage of Grand Theft Auto IV!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Kujel @ Apr 29th 2008 6:05PM
What was the point of this article?
THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Apr 29th 2008 6:15PM
thats one gta article too many. for reals...(though chris hasnt posted what mtv's steven totilo thinks of the game yet, get right on that chris!)
Matt H. @ Apr 29th 2008 6:19PM
Huntington, eh? I live about 2 hours from there! (I'm in southern Ohio).
Goblin @ Apr 29th 2008 6:30PM
To make us think of Justin in shorts.
tmacairjordan87 @ Apr 29th 2008 6:30PM
What was the point of your comment?
ThePremierAssassin @ Apr 29th 2008 9:01PM
Wow that well should pretty much be empty by now right Joystiq?
PojoMofo @ Apr 29th 2008 6:08PM
here is what I heard at 12:00am this morning.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
LaughingTarget @ Apr 29th 2008 7:05PM
Poke your woman and tell her to stop snoring then.
Doom3killer @ Apr 29th 2008 6:09PM
lol
jasonp @ Apr 29th 2008 6:13PM
Some guy was dumped by his girlfriend I think. About three spots ahead of me I heard this girl saying, "It's our anniversary tomorrow, why the hell are you waiting for this damned game?" "Baby, this is once every few years...just deal with it. We'll celebrate this weekend!" She runs off and his buddy, who was left standing as the guy ran after her, explained that they'd been fighting about two weeks prior about this. He was pretty sure it was about over, anyways. Also, some guy behind me bragged about his chronic waiting at home for him, getting excited about getting drunk in the game, and going on and on about being a former Gamestop employee and getting all games two days early.
Top notch folks.
PojoMofo @ Apr 29th 2008 6:15PM
wait, wait, wait, the dude ran after her and lost his spot in line?? dudes priorities are screwed up
Bucket @ Apr 29th 2008 6:22PM
For serious. You don't go chasing after the girl if you guys are about to break up. Just sit back, let it happen, and make a mental list of all the girls you should've banged while you were taken.
PojoMofo @ Apr 29th 2008 6:25PM
Bucket, truer words have never been spoken
Dan Bugglin @ Apr 29th 2008 8:02PM
Wait, if the guy behind you got all his games two days early, why was he in line then?
Tim @ Apr 29th 2008 6:16PM
A guy in line picks up his copy looks at the box and says "cool, time to go kill some hookers"
bigmac375 @ Apr 29th 2008 8:09PM
so awesome
GamerChick @ Apr 29th 2008 8:42PM
Are you in LA? Cause my friend said the exact same thing when he got his copy!
BlaqueBeird @ Apr 30th 2008 2:57AM
He wasn't talking about the game ...
Forest @ Apr 29th 2008 6:31PM
Some guy in a black SUV drove by the line in Hollywood and told us we didn't have to wait until midnight – he would sell us a copy of "Hard Candy" for only 40 bucks …
After that, when people drove by and asked what we were waiting for, all of us shouted, "The new Madonna."
colin @ Apr 29th 2008 8:14PM
hard candy ... like the movie? or a drug euphemism? or he just didn't know what he was talking about?
eric Strunk @ Apr 29th 2008 6:26PM
@Justin, "Spish" = best typed sound effect.
evar.
and that last bit was very lol . . . we all know there are no cute girls in WV . . .
Goblin @ Apr 29th 2008 6:28PM
The word you're looking for is onomatopoeia - a word that suggests sound. HTH
Kujel @ Apr 29th 2008 6:35PM
Goblin are you an English teacher?
PojoMofo @ Apr 29th 2008 6:35PM
I think "splish" would have been better. not the same without the "l"
Korova @ Apr 29th 2008 6:54PM
Goblin, you made my day! Onomatopoeia!
Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ Apr 29th 2008 6:30PM
Didn't do the midnight launch thing. Last time I did a midnight launch at EBgames was Halo 2. I didn't get my copy until 2:30am. Since I worked this morning, I thought, fuck it, I'll snag it at lunch and take the afternoon off (I have over three weeks of vacation time built up and my personal time is maxed so I figured I'duse some today, use some tomorrow).
So as I go in to Gamestop, as expected, there is a slight line, Certainly the worst was there at 10. While waiting, some poor fellow kept bringing up Wii games he was going to trade in asking questions like "What games have good online multiplayer" and "when is anyone going to make some GOOD cinematic Wii games?"
I was amused as an aggitated stoner being denied his lifeblood by such questions finally snapped and said, "worry about your damn minigames somewhere else! We gamers are waiting for our REAL game to play." Seeing these outbusts between nerds amuses me greatly.
Eventually my turn came around, I present my receipt, and exclaim "I'll have what he's having" while pointing to the stoner. He grabs my copy and goes "Actually, you'll be having the extra portions" as he hands me my collectors edition. He reminded me in a sarcastic tone, "Now remember, Gamestop doesn't advocate the use of this game as a weapon, unless it's against a hooker."
Kujel @ Apr 29th 2008 6:33PM
Great story man, great story.
Johnny Lasley @ Apr 29th 2008 8:19PM
It was quick for me...
I walked into Gamestop on my lunchbreak at 11:16. No one else was in the store but me and this pretty little girl behind the counter. I gave her my ID and phone number, and I was quickly handed my game. By 11:18 or so I was starting my car.
ThePaintedCow @ Apr 29th 2008 6:36PM
http://www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6416441&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1
PojoMofo @ Apr 29th 2008 6:44PM
OMFG, this is the single best video I have seen in a LONG time. what is up with the 12 year old kids with the lightsabers? and dude with the bandana??
If this is indicidive of Utah, I am glad I didnt move to Salt Lake City (which I almost did)
Benny @ Apr 29th 2008 7:40PM
Love the fact that the underage kiddies are "stoked".
Dio @ Apr 29th 2008 10:46PM
This is my favorite part of the video:
http://i30.tinypic.com/w2eh6h.png
Grant @ Apr 30th 2008 11:39AM
"People out here,in character, who are you?"
"hellllloooooo"
lol. priceless.
eric Strunk @ Apr 29th 2008 6:45PM
@Pojo . . . i think i'm drawn to it BECAUSE of the lack of the "l" . . . We were all expecting "Splish" . . . but McElroy threw a curve . . . and it hit me right in the funny bone!
Erik Novak @ Apr 29th 2008 6:48PM
fellow gamer: "are you getting it for 360 or ps3?"
me:"360"
fellow gamer: "oh..."
gamer's friend: "y'see?"
Double J @ Apr 29th 2008 6:50PM
I heard the whizzing bullets of an AK being fired at me while I battled Nazi's in an underwater bunker built in the ruins of Atlantis where they were developing a new nuclear weapon that couldn't be detected on modern day radars, could fit in a backpack, and could wipe out a landmass the size of Alaska.
It may have been a dream, but I'm really uncertain at this point.
Johndude @ Apr 29th 2008 6:53PM
I possibly did
I was very high standing in that line
lmao
Korova @ Apr 29th 2008 7:00PM
I didnt hear anything.
I strolled into Walmart at 12:30pm this afternoon and acquired said game without seeing hearing or talking to anyone except the clerk.
I know, shopping at Wlamart isnt cool. But it is less disturbing than Gamestop.
Although, this morning at 6am, I took my credit card on the morning run and ran by GameStop to see if it was open; said hello to the nasty metal gate and ran back home.
And they say gamers dont exercise!
Raikage (LDF CRAB BATTLE!!!) @ Apr 29th 2008 9:01PM
Wii Fit doesn't count! :D
Eddie @ Apr 29th 2008 7:07PM
i'm so happy gamestop doesn't open at 6am.
Ben! @ Apr 29th 2008 7:13PM
After I bought my game, I walked outside and towards my car. Nobody's near me at first, and then suddenly this guy is RIGHT IN MY EAR yelling "RUN, don't walk!" He had ran at warp speed and caught up to me because he was so excited to play the game. He startled me so badly I nearly jumped out of my skin. Then he got in his car and basically peeled out and sped down the road. Psychopath.
Double J @ Apr 30th 2008 12:25AM
When I got to the "RUN Don't Walk" part, I thought for sure it was because he found the golden ticket in his copy. Now I'm sad.
BrokenAbacus @ Apr 29th 2008 7:16PM
I heard some moron behind me tell his friend that the 360 version is smaller and doesn't have as many weapons.
Which I proceded to tell his friend that the guy has "a brain with the consistency of a Jellyfish"
Which he then proceeded to laugh like a 6 year old girl.
his friend didn't seem so happy for some reason....still not quite sure why though....hm...odd
Shagittarius @ Apr 29th 2008 7:17PM
"What are you guys all in line for?"
-A cute girl in a passing car
"Guiness Book of Records is doing measurings for the biggest and smallest penis in the world records...I'm here to defend my record for biggest."
- Shagittarius
BrokenAbacus @ Apr 29th 2008 7:21PM
Nice! you sure showed those other idiots that were too shy to talk to her. you should have encouraged her to flash though. that way it's a win for everyone.
The True Gamer @ Apr 29th 2008 11:28PM
Come, come now. We all know you only have the balls to say that to your mother, not some cutey pie in line.
PeterBeck @ Apr 29th 2008 7:22PM
At a point a cop car pulled along the line, with the officer asking what was going on. When we said GTA he just shook his head and drove off.
The first guy who got his copy gave one of the EBGames clerks a big, long hug.
Since I was around #8 or 10 in line I was the first to walk out with the special edition, flashing the remaining people in line a massive grin. The very last guy in line got a salute out of me, god speed you crazy diamond!
kvp1192 @ Apr 29th 2008 7:35PM
went to gamestop round noon, picked it up, conversed with clerk (friend), traded in 3 ds and 2 psp games to pay it off, got 10 bucks extra, left, annd thats it...:)
LameDuck @ Apr 29th 2008 7:32PM
I walked into a Walmart today that is about 15 mins outside Newport News. There was two boxs full of GTA. One was for PS3, the other for 360. Why was everyone waiting in line, other than for the fun of it like I did with Halo3.
P.S. They must if sold out the Wii version. I couldn't find it anywhere.
Malfoy Roark @ Apr 29th 2008 7:56PM
There's a walmart 15 mins outside of Newport News? We talking the one by the Super K or the one in Hampton? Or some other one in a location im not familiar with?