Prices in Game!

TwoShedsJackson · 18-10-2002 12:07pm #1

Just a warning to anyone buying anything in Game Grafton or Dawson St. - check HMV or even Amazon first! The prices in Game are totally ridiculous now e.g. UT2k3 59.99, it's 49.99 in HMV.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 is 59.99 in there while it's $30 in the States - on amazon.co.uk it's 24.99 sterling plus 2.50 p&p which works out at about €41.00, nearly €20 less.

I'm buying nothing more in Game if I can possible avoid it.

OSiriS · 18-10-2002 12:18pm

It's been like that for agaes, I think most ppl with any sense have started buying from Smyths these days, I think they are still alot cheap aren't they?

Mr. Fancypants · 18-10-2002 12:19pm

I havent bought a game or cd from a shop for months. I honestly didnt think that would happen but it has. I now buy all my cds and games over the net and save a silly amount of money (and probably spend the savings on more cds/games).

Check out www.play.com for good prices for games. As an example UT2003 is 26.99 sterling inc delivery which works out at €42. GAME in particular do seem to have ridiculously expensive prices tho'. Doesnt seem to hurt them tho', i read somewhere that they are opening up another few shops for the run up to Christmas....

Retr0gamer · 18-10-2002 1:04pm

Game is crap now. The best places to go are definitely smyths or HMV. Symths gives 10% off all games in the first week with a loyalty card and HMV have 10% off with a student card. Also their prices are lower to begin with. Smyths deserves a mention for ignoring the rrp of mario sunshine (€60) and selling it for a fiver cheaper. Also smyths brings the prices of it's older games down. So there's no more Quake 2 for €50 at the back of the shelf.

bugler · 18-10-2002 1:48pm

I made a post on the quake board a while back relating to Game. Their limerick store had q3 still for sale at 40 euro, and with a lowest price promise sticker on too. That was maybe two months ago, as of three weeks ago they had quake 3 gold edition for I think 35 euro, and still with a lowest price promise sticker on it. Smyths don't seem to stock it here... for a game thats how old now (?), this worries me.

meglome · 18-10-2002 2:56pm

We (gamire.com) spoke to Game PR people in the UK recently and we brought up the whole pricing (or overpricing) issue. It's seems to be related to the fact they buy all their games in sterling for the UK and Ireland and then ship the games to Ireland. Believe me I'm not trying to justify this situation because I think we are being screwed. Thankfully I live very close to Smyths in Dublin city.

RasTa · 18-10-2002 3:12pm

they had ssx tricky for sale on the ps2 for a whooping 70 euros
walked across the street into virgin and picked it up for 40 euros
big difference there

Mr. Fancypants · 18-10-2002 3:30pm

It really important to shop around. Unfortunatly, with Christmas on the horizan, a lot of parents will be buying a lot of overpriced stuff from places like GAME....

Bluehair · 18-10-2002 4:51pm

Used to shop in EB on Henry street all the time and got loads of vouchers though their loyalty card which made it seem like value for money.

Sadly since they've rebranded under GAME (they were owned by them for some years anyway) things have def gone downhill pricewise.

I was in the shop on Henry street yesterday for the first time in months buying Call To Power II (only place I found it) and the manager recognised me since I used to be in there quite a bit.

In the course of the conversation I admited not shopping there anymore since Smyths primarely have much better offers and their card allows 10% off at point of purchase so no waiting for vouchers etc.. I've probably spend the best part of 1500 euros this year with them which he was a little annoyed at.

No ill feeling or anything I explained it's a simple question of value for money. GAME are riding the back of the gaming boom these days with revenues from the 3 next-gen console sales making it seem everythings rosy. However as the tide turns (as it always does this is a very cyclical industry) they'll find the casual gamer lose interest and the hardcore gamer shopping elsewhere.

SantaHoe · 18-10-2002 8:10pm

Gick I know, I shelled out a whopping €35 for a playstation2 joypad a few weeks ago... rip off.
But it's always been like that, paying 50 pounds for SNES games etc...

Ryo Hazuki · 18-10-2002 10:28pm

Project Zero 49.99 in GAME, 1 floor down 39.99 in virgin and 2 for 60 offer. Got mine at the same time as a friend so saved 20euro

Great game.

Also while im at it I saw a voodoo5 for like 150euro

Did my eyes decieve me? im sure I saw a HALO screenshot on the back of the box (guys in halo outfit on 4x4 with mounted gun?)

Whats that all about?

Kyro4500 on the shelf beside it for 140.

Project Zero, Great Game, Great Price

Balfa · 18-10-2002 10:36pm

I bought Super Streetfighter 2 for the SNES in GAME on Grafton St. for the awe inspiring sum of 75 PUNTS the day it was released

May i now take the biscuit please?

spooky donkey · 18-10-2002 11:07pm

i used to buy everything in game, not any more!

They want down hill about 2 years ago.

It would be nice if some of the senior managment of game read boards like these and realise people are staying from them now!

We are all copping on, they arent!

obewan · 19-10-2002 5:35pm

Well I just checked in "Compupac" here in Sligo and MOHAA is priced at €60.00 and Mafia is €55.00, they have a monopoly here, no competition at all. Mind you I get my games from the UK.

Mick.

mystik · 19-10-2002 6:42pm

i got my gc in game for 199.99 which is around €20 cheaper than all the other places.The games there were expensive tho....

Well just saying

spooky donkey · 19-10-2002 7:27pm

they are great for hardware though
a gf4 4200 64mrg for 244 eur, not as cheap as online prices but great for a walk in shop!

CombatCow · 19-10-2002 8:45pm

Id like to make a few point's in regards to GAME prices.First of all i worked in ( then ) electronics botique this time last year and they get most of their deliverys flown over from the uk whitch cant be cheap considering some of them weigh a tonne ( not litrelly ).were talking 4-6 boxes every few days.not to mention the magazines again usually 6 boxes,evan heaver.Their transport costs must be amazingly high,( their gonna have to tack it on to the price tag ).They dont actually make a LOT of money from the games,its the consols+acessories that bring in the cash,witch is hard to believe considering how much they buy the games in for.Dont get me wrong i dont agree with their high prices,although i probably am a bit bias considering i bought a crapload of games when i worked there with 1/3 off.:D

As meglome said they buy the games in the uk and fly them over,now the exchange rate from pound to euro is dire + transport,+ the change in vat from 17.5-to-21%( correct me if im wrong )makes games v.expensive

Having said all that i still buy all me games in smyths.

COMBATCOW

chernobyl · 19-10-2002 9:01pm

Originally posted by Combatcow
GAME are silly business people

If GAME want to go via that route then fine, but when the purse strings start to tighten [maybe for another 2/4 years] if they dont find a keener strategy then they will be out of Ireland.

I assumed [because it made sense] that most retailers in Ireland would import their software directly from France but i was totally wrong..they all import from the UK..fcuking idiots..why?

CombatCow · 19-10-2002 9:19pm

Emmmm chernobyl,Where the hell did u pull that quote from?????

COMBATCOW

oneweb · 19-10-2002 9:33pm

There's a planned "no-buy" strike for consumers planned in the UK for a week in December (i think) in protest of the outrageous prices. I can't find the link

CORRECTION!

Look at this
and
This too
and maybe
This

el feckin reg's own search engine is shootin blanks - google site specific search came up trumps

So there!

Doodah7 · 22-10-2002 4:51pm

I must say that going into Smyths was a revelation recently as I never realised how competitive they were for PC games (being new to the genre since the sad demise of the DC which they never really supported). They had Mafia for €45 compared to €60 in game and many of the budget releases for a couple of euro cheaper than Game.

Incidentally, spooky donkey, PC World in Liffey Valley had a GF4 Ti4200 for €200 compared to €245 in Game. More savings to be had in shopping around!!!

Dcully · 22-10-2002 7:32pm

Game are just one big rip-off.
UT 2003 is 10 euros more than everywhere else.
The so-called assistants havent got a clue,FFS one particular security guard in Tallaght outlet seems to double up as a salesman pretending he knows all to unsuspecting customers.
Very funny to hear him ****e-talk.
He tried to tell me that he plays counter-strike on his xbox and regularly has CS xbox lan parties

LOL LOL

Q_Ball · 23-10-2002 9:31am

Originally posted by Bluehair
Sadly since they've rebranded under GAME (they were owned by them for some years anyway) things have def gone downhill pricewise.

Just a point here, it was EB that owned GAME and not the other way round. The rebranding cost them stg£6 million and was rebranded GAME cos they figure that it'd be easier for consumers to relate with the name.

I do find them expensive but i still shop there. I'll just go to HMV or smyths or virgin and get the prices of the game i want. If it's cheaper anywhere else i go back to GAME and buy it there with they're price promise. Therefore i get the points and the game at a (relatively) cheap price.

Plus double points when you prebook a title. what i don't like is that they are starting to charge for demo's, like the PES2 demo is a fiver but you get it off the price of the game.

As soon as i can afford a credt card i'm shopping online tho

CombatCow · 23-10-2002 2:26pm

Q_Ball,The rebranding cost them stg£6 million and was rebranded GAME cos they figure that it'd be easier for consumers to relate with the name.

Thats defanatly true, a lady came into the shop when it was called electronics botique and asked me where the toasters were. :rolleyes:

Rofl. COMBATCOW

the_corpo · 23-10-2002 2:38pm

i used to be a manager in game. favourite customer was this confused little old man at christmas, who waited patiently in the queue to finally ask where we kept the sausage rolls...

meglome · 23-10-2002 6:17pm

Originally posted by Q_Ball
I do find them expensive but i still shop there. I'll just go to HMV or smyths or virgin and get the prices of the game i want. If it's cheaper anywhere else i go back to GAME and buy it there with they're price promise. Therefore i get the points and the game at a (relatively) cheap price.

Plus double points when you prebook a title. what i don't like is that they are starting to charge for demo's, like the PES2 demo is a fiver but you get it off the price of the game.

As soon as i can afford a credt card i'm shopping online tho

I thought about doing this myself but it really doesn't help anyone. I'm fully sure they know games prices are lower elsewhere so they are as good as conning people with this lowest price guarantee. I for one will have no part of it.

Jorinn · 23-10-2002 10:14pm

Originally posted by spooky donkey
they are great for hardware though
a gf4 4200 64mrg for 244 eur, not as cheap as online prices but great for a walk in shop!

199euro in beyond 2000 just around the cornor from the green shopping centre.

Jorinn · 23-10-2002 10:23pm

Originally posted by Balfa
I bought Super Streetfighter 2 for the SNES in GAME on Grafton St. for the awe inspiring sum of 75 PUNTS the day it was released

May i now take the biscuit please?

Incidently I picked it up for 60 punts I think in EB. Someone also mentioned Call to Power II, I picked it up recently in France in the orginal big cardboard box with the official stratedgy manual for 8euro, cheapest I could get it here was 16euro in one of those replay things with no manual etc. Only downside is it's in french, but I can get language files off someone completely legally

Also while on the subject
Unreal 4euro
Unreal Tournament 8euro
Railroad Tycoon 2 5euro
Oni 4euro and the list goes on.
All those for those prices while I was in france in fnac or Virgin Megastore, of the above only RT2 was in french.

Q_Ball · 24-10-2002 12:35am

Yes they're deliberately ripping off people who dont know better. but i managed to get resident evil on GC for €17 off them so i'm happy

You should always check virgin. Sometimes, especially in the first few days of a game being released, they charge the stg price in euro. thats how i got resi for €17. It was €44.99 because they hadn't converted the stg to euro and i had a €27.99 loyalty voucher

Davexirl · 24-10-2002 12:42am

I have noticed that in Virgin recently too,that they sell Newly released Games at the Sterling prices they also have some Magazines at the sterling prices!!!!!

It's better to shop around!!!!

DapperGent · 24-10-2002 1:40pm

I am also an ex-Game employee, beginning to wonder who corpo and combatcow are.

Game actually used to be very competively priced before it was bought out by EB especially for graphics cards and whatnot. Then we got this whole bull**** second hand games and loyalty card wánk. Hateful crap.

To be honest I thing it's all rubbish about the transport from England being a factor in price. Before they were bought out GAME with a smaller operation managed to undercut just about everyone. It's simply that EB/GAME have the highstreet stores and are recognisable so they think they can get away with profiteering because they're the easiest option.

They're probably right.

Prices in Game!

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