Save a child this Chrimbo!

Retr0gamer

Do you remember years ago when you really wanted Street Fighter 2, Rocket Knight Adventures, Axelay or Doom for christmas. And remember the utter disappointment when your parents bought utter tosh like hot wheels racing or jurassic park. Or remember the time you wanted a snes and instead got a C64 or an atari 2600.

Well lets stop the suicidal tendencies of children this Christmas. I have a plan. I am forming a band of 6 santas little helpers this christmas eve. If you want volunteer just post on this thread. 5 of the helpers will stay in Software Zone Smyths in Dublin until closing day advising stupid parents on what games to buy. Extreme force is authorised especially against the oppressive security gaurds. Remember a childs life could be at risk. Elf no. 6 will sit outside Game. His job will be to turn people away from these rip off merchants and direct them towards Software Zone.

This thread was written because an event in Software Zone a week ago when a mother bought her son Simpsons Road Rage and Simpsons Skateboarding for Christmas. Pray for his soul.

Lex_Diamonds

Hate to piss on your parade, but 90% of the Kids want this dross.

Retr0gamer

Yeah! Well I killed my parents because they got me a C64 instead of a Snes and Jurassic Park instead of Gunstar Heroes.
I would be a normal person if only my parents had listened to my requests.

Castor Troy

Like when bart wanted Bonestorm and he got
"golfers name here" putting challange.

A bad game can destroy christmas you know.

DiscoStu

Lee Trevino aka Lee Carvelo

Woden

your idea has merit but then i got the snes with street fighter 2 for christmas when i was young

Praetorian

My parents would not get me a console...it seemingly was "too enpensive" and "consoles have no educational value"

They got me a PC instead. MuHAHAHAHHA!

Maybe parents buy woeful games deliberately to stop there children becoming freaky like Retr0gamer (The ultimate nerd)

Scratch that

Parents are just plain stupid

Pugsley

Originally posted by Praetorian
My parents would not get me a console...it seemingly was "too enpensive" and "consoles have no educational value"

They got me a PC instead. MuHAHAHAHHA!

BASTARD!!! They got me a master system when the megadrive was out
But it kept me occupied until next chrimbo when they got me a megadrive and 10games

Wook

bah ! all you young kids, i had to be happy with a 'ZX81'
traumatised for life !

sceptre

Pah, I never got a console (or anything games-related) in all my years at home. Didn't buy my own PC until I was 25 (yes, read it, it says "25") and playstation the same year (though I did get that one as a present from a yummy woman)

You lot were spoilt:)
(bitching just because I never got nuthin)

btw my parents managed to buy both "James Pond olympics" (or whatever it was called) and "Toe Jam and Earl" for my younger brother one year. Both still deserve a kicking for that one.

amp

We got an Amiga 500. God that was a good chrimbo.

Retr0gamer

Praetorian you forgot one thing. I nkow were you live. I'd be over to kill you but coop Halo and DOA 3 in your house would be more tempting.

Praetorian

Originally posted by Pugsley
BASTARD!!! They got me a master system when the megadrive was out
But it kept me occupied until next chrimbo when they got me a megadrive and 10games

My first pc was a 286 with 4MB ram and a EGA Screen...No sound cards back then...No CD-Roms either...I feel really old now...lol and im only 21!

The consoles at the time were superior...I think the master system was out!

I'd be over to kill you

heheh......Bring it on! Ill kick your ass like i normally do!

TheDuke

kids nowadays are all spoilt brats... everyone...

I got a stop watch for Christmas... now that was cool... back then... you wouldn't believe what could be timed... walk to school, mass...

Now I've got a 1.7MHz, 256MB, GeForce 2 64MB machine, shortly to be upgraded to a 512 + GF3... because I got my own money... WHHUUAAAAA !!!! GO WEEP KIDS and ... ISDN.... WHUAAHAHHAHHA

The Duke : ))

byte

Ah the joy one Christmas of getting a Sinclair Speccy 128k+2A! It even had a built in "datacorder"! The amount of time I wasted watching wavey lines and squeals while games loaded (to be told at the end there was an error).:rolleyes: Chase HQ was worth the 15min loadtime though!

Woden

i also recall the xmas of the commadore 64 (check spelling) with the cartridge which has flimbo's quest, a class game, then i got the tape deck your comment on the squealy lines irishbyte brings back memories, that and buying commadore games which where real cheap, and if you found somebody who actually could afford the cartridges it was amazing.

TheDuke

that bgins back the days... ZX +2 with REAL keyboard... nice to see some seasoned players in this thread.

The Duke : ))

Snowball

Originally posted by Retr0gamer
6 will sit outside Game. His job will be to turn people away from these rip off merchants and direct them towards Software Zone.

lol, I like the line of thinking. If I had the time I would actually help you out but I am in Carlow and will only be in Dublin for a day and a half, then it's off to london for Xmas @ the anties....

Big Chief

hmm seems i got a bit off topic, maybe i shoulda started a new topic for it :rolleyes:

infact i think i will :cool:


[edit] above post deleted as it was a bit off topic as i say, moved it to --> http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74257 though

super_furry

I did my part today. Standing in Dixons, waiting for an assitant to get Metroid Fusion from the back, an elderly lady wandered up to the counter with Warriors of Might and Magic for the PS2. She asked the assistant if it was any good and, lying to her face he said it was "very good, with good graphics". I couldn't let her buy it and told her it was crap, so she asked what should she get - and that her grandson likes football, but she didn't want to spend more than €30.

So thanks to me, some little kid will wake up to Pro Evolution Soccer on Christmas morning and will be spared the horrors of Might and Magic.

Mr E

You should have told her that there is a good chance its cheaper in Smyths.

- Dave.

TheDuke

a saint is born

The Duke : ))

Up the town yesterday I happened to go into smashing hits in Ballina,Co. Mayo. If your in town avoid it like the plague. I wouldnt go near the place usually but someone had bought me a game from there for my birthday.


They guy behind the counter was serving these people so I waited. Any way the woman asks him if Nightfire and Sega Soccer are any good. His reply two of the best games of the year.So she says what other good games are there. He then goes on to name some of the worst games of all time. **** like Frogger 3D.
Imagine what his Christmas is going to be like.

I was laughing so much at this stage that tears were flowing from my eyes.

When it was my turn to be served I gave him the game I wanted to return and the receipt. He then said he had to check it in his records. I told him I had the receipt and by law I should get the money for the game back. He then started acting like a real prick so I just walked out.

Now you are going on about bad Christmasses. Imagine how I feel. Im 17 and my aunt gives me CASPER for my birthday.

Woden

regardless of whether you have the receipt or not unless that game is faulty that shop doesnt have to give you jack schitt by law. consumers are not covered under the law by mistaken purchases of size, colour item etc. retailers individual return policies in this area are in addition to your statutory rights.

Nietzschean

someone paid attention in business class, but you could argue the need of a cooling off peroid if he is pushing certain games and such i'd say...........

Woden

wouldn't wash strictly speaking caveat emptor, but if the retailer is anyway decent they would do something in the interest of customer service

TheDuke

I have given up on game shops... I was in town a few days back and again joined the never ending cue - just to be told that "No we do not have that game and we couldn't be bothered our arce ordering it for you- keep comming in over the entire year and ask and if you are really lucky we may have a copy"....

Crap !!!!! :mad:

From here on I will never go to a game shop again - everything online.

Also, I actively discourage people from buying me games without consulting me first... unfortunately no one ever does and it's socks again

The Duke : ))

Ping Chow Chi

I got a ZX81, complete with wobbly 16 ram pack for Xmas once when the 'rubber speccys' where in

To make it worse it was my uncle who had sold it to my parents, they thought it was the spectrum that I had been going on about all year

Could never get a game to load and even one that I had typed in wouldnt work

the bloodly crook !!!

Epitaph

Was in Gamesworld on Liffey St. yesterday, trying to spend an Xmas vouchers on Timesplitters 2 for the Gamecube.

No sign of it on the racks, so I asked one of the counter laddies if there were any copies of it anywhere in the shop. There wasn't, but he went Round The Back and got it put on an outgoing order. Said it should be in by Thursday.

I must say, he was really helpful. Not at all like some of the peons I've exploited/had to deal with in the past. He even warned yound lad in front of me off a Bruce Lee game for the PS2 (succinctly labeling it "****e").

A Golden Mallet of Justice is winging its way to him right now.

hope he ducks, mind...

Sangre

In the consumer association of Ireland there should be a gaming section where clueless parents could ring up for advice so no more shop assistants would lie to their faces.

I'll 'volunteer' if I can test play every game first at home

Absolam

Indeed...eveyone who got sent to Smyths got stuck with their choice....but those who made it past Elf number 6 to Game, they got to bring 'em back for a game of their choice...terrible rip off merchants they are indeed!

Retr0gamer

Yes. But it's still 15 yoyos more for a game that won't be played and a game that they wanted. Also the game that was sent back gets taken out of the publishers pocket and not Games.

Woden

nah game would resell them, game can't return disc's to the publisher just coz a customer changed there mind about it

Absolam

In fairness, Game are sometimes more expensive, unless you get them to price match wherever you see stuff cheaper, and yeah, I doubt there is a publisher in the world that will take back stuff because someone doesn't like it, so I reckon Game do have to re sell it..or take the hit themselves.

Shinji

nah game would resell them, game can't return disc's to the publisher just coz a customer changed there mind about it

Yes they can. That's the whole problem with this scheme - Game is the only retailer with enough market share to force terms like that out of publishers.

Woden

i remain skeptical and will look into it, i for one however love there lax policy, theres no reason for them to do it

monument

Some how I think you should just trust Shinji on this one

Absolam

Don't think so Shinji...no matter how big a retailer is the publishers know that without them retailers make no money...can u really see Microsoft and Sony saying..'oh, you bought it, but you don't want it? Sure we'll take it back, here's your cash!' Game either resell or take the hit.

Retr0gamer

Well it is a sad but true fact that Game do this. They also charge the companies for shelf space. Nintendo won't pay them thats why their games and consoles are on a small shelf at the back of all their shops.

monument

I noticed you have “Games Retail” in occupation on your profile page, if you don’t mind me asking, who do you work for?

Absolam

Never said I wasn't biaised Monument But I do know what I'm talking about....

monument

Shinji is a games industry trade/business journalist and I think he knows what he is talking about also

Woden

"Some how I think you should just trust Shinji on this one"

well i looked into it, spoke to someone who worked in game that i know, if theres nothing wrong with the game i.e not faulty, just returned for the craic, it goes back out for sale.