Pre-order Modern Warfare 2, trade it in by Dec. 13, get $40 from GameStop

I'd rather feed the beast that bites me once than the one whos going to bite me multiple times.

Oh sure. I do it one time, and you just can't let it go, can you?

It's not really their fault. They're acting in compliance with the regulations for being Evil Monopolistic Corporate Bastards(TM)

True.

Haha as if I would ever trade in modern warfare 2!!
That is until Modern warfar 3 comes out in 2011

Sadly however 99% of consumers don't realize how ridiculous they are.

People go into their stores in droves, spending money and feeding the monopoly.

I was overjoyed when I found out my local Blockbuster (lol) was doing a midnight release for MW2. Not only because it's ~40miles closer than gamestop, but I didn't have to give them my money anymore.

As a rental this almost makes sense.

Blockbuster is like $8 a week for games, the rental "period" with this deal from gamestop is 33 days or 4 weeks and a day. Round off the day and with Blockbuster you'll pay $32 plus tax. Assuming you're getting the regular edition, you'll pay $60 and get $40 back so you pay $20 + tax (on $60), so you save between $8-7 depending on sales tax in you area.

The question is if that's $40 cash or just trade. If trade then it's really pointless.

@drumwiz

But you can also get their game pass for a month. You still save utilizing the gamestop thing, but you also are guaranteed to play it from gamestop. I am not sure what is up with blockbuster but it seems like they don't get new releases for at least a week from release, then finding a copy in stock is a pain. So your point is extremely valid.

Actually it was $8 for a blockbuster rental 2 years ago, it's higher now, like 9, or 10, so it may be even better than a rental than I first thought.

Also in my first example, I didn't account for the tax on the rental in my savings estimate, so you would save between $11-10.

If we give BB the benefit of the doubt and say they are $9 a week now (and not higher as I think it might be), then you pay $36 + tax (about $39 at 8.25%), and with game stop you pay $60 + tax (about $65) - $40 then you pay $25 dollars and save $14 over BB.

For that matter, are BB game rentals 7 days or 5 days now? It's been so long since I've been in one.

forgot about gamepass...well my point is moot now

I call bullshit to 99% of the "don't buy at gamestop" comments here, simply because they're still in business. Mom and Dad don't shop at gamestop, the casuals don't shop at Gamestop, it's the people that are serious about games and know about preorders...pretty much the same people that read sites like Joystiq. So enough with the "oh gamestop they're so evil I NEVER GO THERE PROMISE" comments.

@drumwiz

No your point is very much right. The games are only 5 day rentals, even with a game pass the idea of using gamestop deal as a rental period is more affordable than BB. Not only that but you are required to put down a credit/debit card on file, and if for some reason you could not return it you're charged nearly full price, plus the entire fee for rentals! Sure you can get the charge back but that is just more hassle to the scenario. So kudos to your calculations.

Doug,

Thank you for a voice of reason in a sea of clowns. I've bought from EB, then Gamestop for =ever=. Are some employees idiots? Sure, but no higher percentage then the number of my own employees who are idiots. I enjoy talking with the folks at gamestop, I do my pre-orders at Gamestop, and I buy all my games at gamestop.

While I don't rent games, I also don't see any evil plot from that business model. FFS; AVIS, Heartz, Enterprise do well with renting automobiles, and they aren't attributed machiavellian attributes. Libararies are an even greater "sin" as they don't even "charge" for loaning their books out. We don't see an outcry from authors or automobile manufactures.

Again, well said. Gamestop, as this great evil corporate empire, is nothing less then a poplular internet meme.

To all the Joystiq readers, if you hate being fucked in the ass by the gaming industry, DON'T BUY THIS from retail stores. Buy it second hand from someone at craigslist.org. This is your chance to give Activision and Infinity Ward a really big FUCK YOU. I don't care if I have to wait a long time until a used copy is for sale on craigslist, but I won't be feeding these greedy bastards anything from my wallet, and that's the damn truth

This is great news for me. More incentive for people to trade it in means I'll be able to get my game sooner as I'll be buying it used.



Screw Activision.

Just a shame they'll sell it for 60 bucks give you 40 back and then resale that same game again for Christmas as new for another 60 bucks. So they make about 80 bucks off one game.

I prefer to buy and trade games at gamestop than having to leave these games picking up dust somewhere in my house. Of course I'll never depart from my favorites, but it's good to know that there's someone out there that can buy your games.

@drdre74

you're forgetting that retailers get like $1 of profit on new game sales so gamestop doesn't actually make that much off this deal

actually they make about $5-7 per game, depending on the developer

I'd be up for it if I didn't already have gamefly. I just want to play through the single player campaign.

I'd do this if I got 50 bucks back. I don't have much interest in COD 6.

"Wow, who'd return this after only a month?"

You'd be surprised. I know someone that buys a game, trades it in after he finishes it within a week.

Quite a few people either don't play the MP or don't play it very long.

I think there is an owl loose in here.

Then why don't you just gamefly it? The internet astounds me sometimes.

...and to think that Blockbuster was bad enough as it was.

Ya or bullsh!t store credit. I can't stand Gamestop or their gimmicks!!

It is store credit only for sure. I just wonder if you'd be able to trade it in, get credit, and hold onto the credit. Or if it's like their power trades where you get 25% extra trade-in credit but only if you use that credit to buy a specific new game that same transaction. I just think gamestop should give at least half of what they are selling it for. I get sad hearing my game is only worth $10-15 when they will slap a $55 used sticker on it.

Yeah, but who actually pays $55 for a used game?

@Prox

So true. The $5 extra is entirely worth purchasing it new. I suppose if someone is entirely desperate and can't snag a new copy but that's a rare moment. They should lower those prices some to give people a better reason to buy it used. Honestly it still blows my mind that MW1 is still $50 used when WAW has already come out and MW2 is just around the corner. Talk about milking!

Normally I would disagree with downloading illegally. But you know what... Go for it.

I never normally download anything illegally. I believe in supporting the creators of music, games etc. The only games I download illegaly are emulators (are they illegal? lol).

But for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, I'm going to torrent the shit out of it.
*Holds up middle finger to Activision and Infinity Ward*

why punish infinity ward? the dedicated server decision was more likely tied to the business end (which would be activision). all you're doing is cheating a bunch of hard working devs out of part of a paycheck.

Infinity Ward hasn't exactly been a little angel either. They had a chance to leave Activision and didn't (should tell you something), they were responsible for a lot of the unpopular decisions, etc.

@ Sly

You may well be right. However, Infinity Ward claimed that it was their decision in interviews etc, and they must accept the consequences.

*Sigh*

I can't stand people that justify pirating by blaming the dev's or the publisher. If you disagree with what they're doing, don't buy it. That's it. Don't play the game. If you want to play it, then give them money for entertaining you.

You're not making a statement when you pirate software. You're just a thief.

I don't completely blame you for torrenting the game (I assume you mean the PC version).

And yet if everyone torrents the game and refuses to pay for it, Activision and IW don't give a flying fuck, the PC isn't where they will get the money and fame. Hell, they probably want us to pirate the game just so they have the excuse not to develop games for the PC in the future, cut it off completely.

PC gamers have no way of rebelling because their numbers are so small and what a bad rep it has for piracy.

If most console gamers pirated the game, THEN they would take notice. But they aren't affected negatively, they are the target market and will be treated decently if IW and Activision want what is good for them.

They can fuck the PC market and nothing bad will happen to them, no consequences, they can get away with taking away dedicated servers on the PC and PC gamers can do little if anything about it. : (

@ RKN

Unfortunately, I have to agree with everything you say. As much as I hate to admit it, PC gaming has become the bitch of this industry, most of the publishers are moving to the consoles.

So really, it's a Catch-22 situation. I know I'm being screwed over and there's absolutely nothing I can do to change that. Therefore I have two choices (sort of symbolic, in a way), I can buy the game and tell them it's ok to screw us over completely and downgrade the PC games. Or, I can download the game and tell developers that there's no point in developing for the PC anymore because people will just pirate.
Either way, it's bad.

I agree with RiccochetJ, your not making much of a statement by stealing it... Makes as much sense as me stealing a Volkswagen because Hitler was the one who ordered them to be developed. Sure we all hate Hitler (Activision) but id still pay to use his Autobahn(MW2).

Have some morals man, this article was about a decent deal for people who support the game and devs. If you have a bone to pick with the publishers, create a petition, write a letter to them, or give them a call.

This is ridiculous. You are either against pirating, or are for. By pirating the game you are just giving them even more reasons to have a more closed, and tight system. The hypocrisy is amazing.

RiccochetJ, pibs, and Dreaded Fear:

Well said. I can't believe people are justifying pirating solely because they don't like the developer/publisher, yet they like the game. These people are the definition of pathetic and a scary view into the problem with society as a whole. No ethics/morals, and no, I'm not talking about 'thou shall not steal', but the simple principle that if you don't like a company, don't buy from them, and don't use their products.

If these people really wanted to 'stick' it to Actvision, Infinity Ward, et al. then they would not buy or play their games. Simply playing the game either pirated or purchased, gives not only the publisher/developer the opinion that 'what they do' is right, but it gives other people in the community (you and me) the same opinion that the game is good and 'worth buying'

And let's not forget the impact that *any* piracy has on the PC community. If you pirate games, you have zero right to complain about any anti-spyware software that is included with games.

You want to make a difference? Stand against what will probably be a pretty good game and not buy it, or play it out of principles. You do it, and there will be people that will respect that and follow suit. And if no one follows suit, then at least you know you stand by your principles and not whore out your values because "well, it's a good game..."

I'll get off my soap box now, agree or disagree with me, I'm simply stating what I view is going on. And FWIW, I won't be buying this game.

Go back to G4 or Kotaku wherever you came from. Seriously.