Can't wait to get your hands on Frodo? Wait, that came out bad. Um, ready to start your journey to Mount Doom as soon as possible? Gamestop/EB Games is holding midnight launches in select cities for Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Those waiting in line will have a chance to win t-shirts, signed posters, game subscription codes and various bits of other phat lootz swag. Here's where the cosplayers should start getting giddy: Three fans wearing the best Lord of the Rings-themed costume will win a special prize. Also, various members of the development team will be at the locations answering questions about the game.

All events are from 11 PM to Midnight on Monday, April 23 at:

• Boston - Prudential Mall
• Chicago - 920 Church Street, Evanston, IL
• Los Angeles - Store TBD
• New York - Broadway and 33rd, 1282 Broadway
• Seattle - 248 Bellevue Square, Bellevue, WA

If you don't know if you're ready to start the quest to get rid of that precious ring, the open beta for LotRO is still going on until next Monday. The game has received decent early buzz and has been a top-seller in the PC category on Gamestop.com for a while. We'll find out in a week if LotRo has what it takes to put a dent in the unstoppable megahit World of Warcraft.

Gamestop isn't new to weird shenanigans in their business tactics. In late January, James Munn, over at Aeropause, told the story of a Gamestop employee selling him a "new" game by opening a display box and putting the game disc into it. He was even asked if he wanted it shrink-wrapped, essentially discrediting any item in the store from being truly "new." Now we have a similar tale.

After hearing about the awesomeness of God of War II all week from colleagues, a lazy Sunday drive to go pick it up seemed in order. We even called ahead to make sure they had copies and were informed they did. Arriving at the Gamestop store, we went straight to the counter and asked for God of War II. The gentlemen proceeded to ask if there was a reservation, we said there wasn't, and he walked over to the display wall and grabbed the empty box for God of War II. He then walks back behind the counter and takes some discs and the manual from the security case, we immediately realized we were experiencing the Aeropause article.

Wait, you didn't know? The future is where all the fun is. It's where children laugh in unceasing delight, merrily skipping through the radioactive wastelands with their DS Lites held tightly in at least one of their seven hands. Indeed, a copy of Hotel Dusk is just the thing to idle the day away and distract from the impending threat of multi-headed toaster beasts roaming the world.

Thus is the picture painted by a recent EB Games flyer posted in the NeoGAF forums, urging consumers to trade in the past and embrace a more touchy-feely sort of future. As if hurling the PSP into "the past" wasn't confusing enough, the original version of the DS also finds itself traveling through time. Doesn't that create some sort of inconceivable time paradox?

San Antonio Police are investigating the tragic murder of an EB Games employee. The unidentified woman was found dead inside an EB Games store along San Pedro Ave around 2 p.m. today. Two store managers made the gruesome discovery upon arriving at the store, following failed attempts to contact the victim by phone.

Police believe the slaying occurred during a robbery, despite no obvious signs of a break-in. Sgt. Edward Wise confirmed that the front door was locked and that the store never opened this morning. Wise declined to detail the woman's injuries or give insight into why police believe a robbery took place. It's unclear how long the body had been inside the store.

[Thanks, Super-Jesse-Mario]

Gamestop and EB Games is offering $100 off the purchase of a PS3 by handing over your PS2. The PS3 does play PS2 games, albeit a little jagged, so getting $100 off for trading it in could be construed as a good deal -- especially if you're part of the PS2 sporadic "disc read error" crew. This advertisement and deal is one the first true signs that retailers have stock and want those systems out the door.

We now wait to see if any other retailers begin offering deals to move PS3s. Stores aren't making very much money off of the systems, so moving those puppies out is top priority. The real profit exists in getting customers to buy games and accessories.

So, while the retailer gets rid of their stacks of immovable PS3 consoles with this deal, they also get your old friend who certainly will sell. This deal means Gamestop gets your $400 - $500 from the PS3 purchase, plus whatever accessories and games go with the sale, and then they will sell the traded-in PS2 for another $100 to someone not ready to upgrade. Ding, they break even or profit, and everyone walks away happy.

Over on the Cheap Ass Gamer forums panic has begun to take hold. Poster 'FSUEagles' claims that in no less than ten days Rhino Video Games will be officially converted to a GameStop property. While it's hard to imagine the transition would occur that quickly (especially when store managers are allegedly being told today), the acquisition would not be unprecedented.

Aside from the GameStop brand, the corporate umbrella encompasses EB Games, FuncoLand, and Software Etc., and governs 4,592 retail stores throughout the U.S. Adding Rhino, which has fewer than 100 locations, is small potatoes -- the move would be similar to GameStop's 2002 Gamesworld buyout in Ireland -- but still an important step in controlling the used game market. Rhino currently promotes a popular 2-for-1 deal, whereby patrons can trade two qualifying used titles for any one game priced under $50 (a difference must be paid on games that exceed the price restriction). If GameStop does acquire Rhino from Blockbuster then expect trade-in values to diminish overnight.

According to a memo obtained by GameDaily BIZ from smaller video game chain Rhino Video Games, Sony has "decided to limit the supply of hardware (systems and accessories) to its top five volume retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)" on the November 17 launch day.

However, we know of at least seven major retailers receiving PlayStation 3 units on launch day. In addition to Target and Wal-Mart, we know GameStop / EB Games, Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Toys 'R' Us are having PS3s on launch day. We know supplies will be very limited and GameStop won't be fulfilling all of its PS3 pre-orders (already conservative figures).

That smaller retail chains will not have PS3s on launch day is not that surprising, but only the "top five retailers" is wrong and makes the memo a bit suspect. Rhino Video Games will not be getting PS3s on launch day -- a fact reaffirmed on its website -- the rest is not true. Rest assured, there will be PS3s for sale at all retailers by the end of 2007. We hope.

The rumor -- PlayStation 3 pre-orders sold on eBay will be cancelled by EB-Gamestop -- was a stretch when it first surfaced two days ago, and now EB-Gamestop's director of public & media relations Chris Olivera has officially debunked it. "Are we canceling pre-orders that appear on eBay? The answer to that is no," Olivera confirmed.

eBay will continue to moderate PlayStation 3 (and Wii) pre-order auctions using these guidelines:

• Only one of each console can be listed per eBay account prior to the launch of the console
  
• The seller must only accept payment through PayPal, and have at least 50 feedback with a 98% or greater positive rating so that they qualify for PayPal Buyer Protection
• The pre-sale item must be listed in the 3, 5, 7 or 10-day formats, and cannot use Buy It Now
• The listing must include a photo of your pre-order receipt in the description

EB-Gamestop has launched an aggressive campaign to secure your Halo 3 pre-order, today -- well, technically, yesterday. Chances are if you're on file, the company spammed you yesterday, via phone, to let you know that pre-orders for three different Halo 3 editions are now being accepted.

First, the details (or lack thereof): EB-Gamestop is collecting $5 for the standard edition, $10 for a collector's edition, and $25 for Legendary Edition (a.k.a. Master Chief's bust). The company cannot confirm the final retail price for any of these items*, nor does it know when it will stop accepting your free money. "We stop taking pre-orders the day they call and tell us to," a Gamestop employee in the New York area told us today.

Certainly there's a pre-order cap, but what is it? Collectively, retailers sold more than 1.5 million Halo 2 pre-orders. Let's assume each of those pre-orders cost $5 -- knowing that many were sold for more. That's $7,500,000. Say, EB-Gamestop secured 30% of those pre-orders; then the company alone pulled in $2.25 million, plus interest.

Accepting Halo 3 pre-orders now is taking advantage of us, the consumers. The game isn't due until at least next year, but for fear of pre-orders suddenly ceasing, for fear of not owning Halo 3 on day one, we go out there and hand over our security deposits; and the retailers sit on it, making money off of our money -- the money that bought us nothing more than a promise.

It's fine to offer pre-orders a few months in advance. In fact, it's a good idea -- but only once the release date is known; the retail prices confirmed; and shipment numbers allocated. But asking for our Halo 3 money now? Today? C'mon, you really gonna play us like that?

*Legendary Edition is rumored to be priced at $100.

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]

One of our moles reports that EB/Gamestop corporate overlords are tracking eBay PS3 and Wii sales, with the promise of termination if an employee-bought system is listed. Our own digging corroborated the story, but we think this plan is a threat at best.

Retailers scan game hardware serial numbers into their databases when making a sale; the receipt may even list the ever-so-unique number. But you shouldn't need to list the serial number on eBay to make a sale, so why do it? The EB/Gamestop bosses could buy specific listings and hope to catch employees, but that seems like a lot of costly work. Even then, the odds will be in favor of the EB/Gamestop worker-turned-profiteer.

People will make money reselling scarce launch hardware; that's a fact of gaming. We like the idea of EB/Gamestop trying to get consoles into the hands of gamers, but this plan may have little impact.

See also: eBay's PS3/Wii auction cancellations are a good move

After confirming yesterday there would be 32 units available at two downtown Boston locations -- the GameStop at the Prudential Mall and the EB Games at the Copley Mall (which are right across the street from each other) -- it seemed like a good place to tell two different stories. And they certainly were two different experiences. There was no corporate directive on how to handle this day.

Continuing our Joystiq World Team PS3 Launch Pre-order Coverage, I headed to San Francisco's Mission district and its EB Games. I usually think of suburban malls as game-store habitat, but this EB Games is nestled in a busy neighborhood of taquerias, thrift stores, clubs, and bars.

The line of about thirty passed a few shops, including a boot store, terminating in front of a seafood market. (My favorite part of this fish store is the laminated dive-cards in the window, identifying how the fish would look if encountered underwater.) As I was shooting photos, a man in a white jumpsuit -- maybe on his way to repair a refrigerator -- stopped next to me. He asked, "What are they waiting for?"

"PlayStation 3," I said.

"Why?" he replied and kept walking.

EB Games and Gamestop have launched a download service, staking claim in the growing industry trend to distribute content digitally. If you're familiar with the conglomerate retailer's websites, the setup is straightforward, giving browsers near-instant access to over 1,000 PC titles; though it's a collection that has been criticized by 1UP as being "largely garbage."

We're also concerned about prices. The games range from $9.99 to $49.99, but, for example, Texas Hold 'Em and Zuma, which are featured on the Gamestop (pictured) and EB pages, both retail for $19.99, whereas XBLA versions of the same games retail for just $10. Still, as 1UP points out, there are a few gems to be unearthed from the trash heap (e.g., 1942, Civilization III, Deus Ex, & Heroes of Might and Magic). Unfortunately, the sites lack a satisfying interface for sorting out these favorites from the rubbish.

Looks like an act of desperation to us. This service needs a makeover and more reasons for us to check it out. Anyone cashed in on a game yet? How are the download speeds?

[Via 1UP]

Shop - Gamestop
Shop - EB Games

And they'll likely close 10 seconds after. In what is sure to result in a pulsating mass of pushy gamers waving their hundred dollar bills in the air, PS3 pre-orders are opening at Gamestop and EB Games stores tomorrow. According to an e-mail sent to online customers, Tuesday, October 10 will be the supply and demand doomsday that has been anticipated and dreaded by countless gamers across the world -- Europe excluded, of course (not that they mind).

The message goes to great lengths (it has bolded text) to point out that supplies are "extremely limited" and that you'll have to part with $100 in cash, credit or trade in order to secure your PS3. And by "secure," we mean "a reservation deposit does not guarantee receipt of a system available to purchase at launch." The full e-mail text:

"GameStop and EB Games will begin accepting limited pre-orders for the PlayStation 3 console on Tuesday, October 10, on a first come, first served basis. Due to extremely limited supply, we expect to deplete this allocation very quickly, most likely in minutes. We will not accept additional pre-orders at this time. To avoid an unnecessary trip we strongly recommend you call your local store to determine availability. A $100 reservation deposit is required, which can be funded with cash, credit or trade. As we cannot control production and shipping issues by the manufacturer, a reservation deposit does not guarantee receipt of a system available to purchase at launch. Reservations/Purchases are limited to 1 per household.

Our limited online pre-order program will be announced at a later date, after software and accessory availability dates are confirmed. Online product pricing and availability will vary and will be fulfilled independent of store reservations."

Good luck.

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]

NeoGAF points us to a clearer version of a blurry poster floating around the net regarding pre-orders at GameStop/EBGames for the Wii and PlayStation 3 purportedly starting this Monday, September 18. The catch? Well, the catch is that "cash and store credit will not be accepted." The only way to make the reservation is to trade in $50 worth of used games -- which inevitably ends up being a real life version of Deal or No Deal at the register -- and will actually end up costing you $150 to $250 worth of games.

After calling six different GameStop stores in six different states, nobody knew or could confirm the poster. The best information we got was from a Manhattan store which said, "We can't release that information."

The super fine print at the bottom allegedly says: "All trades must be in working condition and are subject to manager approval. As GameStop cannot control production and shipping issues by the manufacturer, the reservation deposit will only guarantee a spot in line when the PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii becomes available. The reservation deposit does not guarantee receipt of a system available to purchase by Christmas."

We've contacted GameStop corporate and will let you know what we hear.

[Update 1: According to reports from Go Nintendo and Gamers Reports, the program is indeed true for stores in Hawaii and Guam. The program is purportedly being tested before a possible expansion into other territories. We're still awaiting an official response from GameStop corporate.]

See Also:
Circuit City offers to set-up Xbox 360 backward compatibility

[Thank you to all those that sent this in]