Lately it seems that more and more people are kicking up dust outside the doors of Gamestop, complaining about how they conduct business. Maybe it's just the recent bump of the latest Gamestop bashing thread on GAF, but I feel that a few things should be address if the complaining is to continue:

1. Floor Copies/Employees Checking Games Out/"Newsed"
   This is the one thing I can usually get behind as far as shady business goes, at least as far as selling games that employees have checked out as new copies. If you weren't aware, employees are allowed to check games out (at managers discression) for a total of four days, counting the day they checked the game out as day one. As long as it's not the first day of the release, and the store has enough extra copies (aside from used games), employees can check out games to play, and may continue to re-check them out if there are still enough copies on the fourth day. Personally, I do think selling these used games as new is completely shady, and upon checking the game out for the first time, I assumed the game would immediately be restickered as "used". Alas, it was not, and I was somewhat shocked. But the managers reasoning was "I think the employees keep good enough care of their games to let us continue doing that". Now, while myself and another employee at the store seem to be two of the most anal people when it comes to keeping our games in good condition, sometimes I doubt the abilities of some of my fellow employees. But still, I do agree that selling those games as new is shady, but is that my decision? No. Is it my managers? While he does have the power to say "No" to us checking out new games, he didn't write the policy. This is a corporate decision, and that's going to echo to a lot of my other points in this blog.
   Although I admit, one time I checked out a new copy of Professor Layton, with the intention of checking it out again. But when I came into work, I was told we needed to put the game back out on the floor, since we didn't have enough copies left. I put the game back, forgetting that I had left my save file on the cart. So to whomever recieved a copy of Prof. Layton with a half-finished save file on it, I sincerely appologize. It hasn't happened since.
   Now as far as floor copies go, this is where I can go either way. While I personally try to purchase my games while they're still wrapped in plastic, the discs from the floor copies make the very short trip from the disc to the sleeve, and then back to the case. No one has "used the game", and most of the time, the game doesn't even have any fingerprints on it. It's never been scratched and has never been put into a console. If you're that picky about your game being new, there are plenty of other places you can go purchase new games. In order to advertise what we have in stock, Gamestop needs to keep copies out on the floor for those that browse rather than simply asking for a game. Replacing the actual game with sleeves only creates problems, as people come up looking for games that we may/may not have in stock. With the gutted copy, the game is assured to be in stock. You have no idea how many times we get people asking about Wii Fit and the like just because we have a stock box out on the floor. It eliminates a lof of questions for the employee, and looking around becomes a lot easier.
2. Trade-Ins
   Yes, I know that a month ago you paid $60 for your copy of Gears of War 2. Yes, I know that you have the manual and the game is in near-mint condition. But to Gamestop, Gears 2 is simply a SKU. There's no extra data assosciated with it, and as an employee, there's nothing I can do to raise your trade in value. Yes, I know $25 may be a complete rip-off, but you're paying for the convenience. You could get $40+ for that game online, but we're the brick and mortar, right-now alternative. Whenever a customer complains that I can only give them $.25 for their copy of Madden 2003 for PS2, I'd love to point out that they don't have to sell it to us. Sell it to a friend. Sell it online. Sell it at a pawn shop. Gamestop isn't the only place you can sell used games. Yes, $12 for a Gamecube is low, but once again, it's just a SKU in the system for Gamestop, and seeing as how most stores have stacks of Gamecubes that no one wants, they have to make the price low (I believe they now sell at $30). And seeing as how they're sold for cheap, they need to be taken in for cheaper. Giving you $40 for something that's sold for $30 doesn't make sense, and at the end of the day, Gamestop is a retail store and their ultimate goal is to make money, as is the same with every other retail store in the country. Just because they sell games and you enjoy those games doesn't make it any different.
3. Pushing Reservations/Game Informer
   Seeing as how Gamestop doesn't give out many hours (the company enjoyes screwing over it's employees as well as it's customers, don't worry), I have a second job at Target. At Target, I'm told to push the Target credit card, along with store satisfaction surveys with each transaction. It's something the store gets rated on, so the managers make sure the employees are pushing the cards hard. Now, over at Gamestop, another retail store, you replace card with reservation and survey with a subscription to Game Informer. It's retail, that's how it goes. Do I want to push these things on you? No. Why would I? I know you don't want to reserve these games, even though I'd love it if you did. Yes, I know you can get it new on day one if you want to, but let me just say two things. 1) There's no HARM in reserving your copy. You don't lose any money, and most of the time you get some sort of bonus, at least with popular titles and 2) Gamestop is a company. They make money off of the subscriptions, and reservations are game sales to be had. Gamestop isn't your buddy trying to be a doucebag. You may be a regular, and the employees there may know you, but that doesn't change the fact that they're paid to do what Gamestop tells them to do, and that's push those two things. Jobs can be kept or lost depending on those numbers, and you can be damn sure that if that's the case, people are going to talk them up.
4. Employees are dicks/Don't know anything
   Really depends on the store. Once again, welcome to retail; people hate their jobs. It may seem like all rainbows and sunshine working with video games, but especially now with the Wii as popular as it is, you deal with some dumb people, a lot of smelly nerds, and a lot of crackheads. People are constantly coming in with multiple copies of brand new games they want to always trade for cash. Are we allowed to call them out? No. After a while we can say they've reached their limit, but then they just go to another Gamestop and do the same thing. You constantly get people who come in trying to one-up you on game knowledge. Look, I get paid to know general stuff about a lot of product, but I'm not a fucking encyclopedia. I can't play every game that comes out, and I'm sorry that I can't answer all of your obscure questions. Calling us up on the phone because you can't get your controller to sync or you're stuck on a level won't get you anywhere; we're not tech support. Most of the time, I just tell people to Google these things, and for some reason that wasn't the first thought that went through their mind.
   Getting back on the point, it really varries by store. Some employees are really nice, and really know their stuff, but other stores are full of people who are simply trying to pay the bills and to them, it's just a job. Would it be nice to ask for more? Yes. But once again, Gamestop is a company, not your friend.

TL,DR: Yeah, Gamestop has some shady policies, but that's not the employees decision. Sell your games online, and welcome to retail, it's a bitch.

1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
   
   I'll admit, I have a bit of a bias when it comes to MGS4. The Metal Gear series is quite possibly my favorite game series of all time, for a number of different reasons. The convoluted story created so many loose ends that I, like many others, assumed the conclusion would be a near impossible feat. While the actual storyline could be found in any b-grade war movie, the presentation is fantastic (possibly the best looking game I've ever seen [Crysis, lol!]), and Kojima's blend between game and movie was a huge breath of fresh air, one that I wouldn't mind breathing over and over. Not since Ocarina of Time have I felt this feeling of utter perfection. Each act (there are five total) plays differently than the one before it, and some of the sections in the game, especially the ending, are things you've never experienced before, and most likely, never again. Playing the game in small spurts is a crime, and I couldn't seem to pull myself away, playing for hours on end. It's a fantastic conclusion to an amazing series, and hand down my favorite game of all time.
   
2. Fallout 3
   
   I'll admit that I missed the Fallout series as a kid; then again, I didn't play a lot of good games as a kid for one reason or another. I did, however, play The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and probably enjoyed it a bit too much (120 hours too much). And while some may have used the phrase "Oblivion with guns" against Fallout, I was more than happy to embrace the new mechanics. While the beginning was frustratingly difficult (I played the good route), as time went on, I really began to enjoy Fallout 3, in a number of ways, more than Oblivion. While the V.A.T.S. system took a little while to get used to, and traveling any way other than fast travel was occasionally a confusing pain-in-the-ass, the overall sense of style and vast number of things to do made up for everything. Well, except for the ending that is; that was total garbage.
   
3. Braid
   
   As "emo" and "artsy" as Braid may have been, I still remember the feeling of finally finishing the epilogue and sitting back, thinking about what I had just played. The time travel mechanic was brilliant, and every time you finished one of those puzzles you felt like the smartest person in the world. Braid is an old fashion challenge, very simple, yet very, very complex at the exact same time. Yet due to it's price and somewhat elitist mantra, it seemed like Braid never got the attention it rightly deserved (despite a glowing review from Soulja Boy Tell 'em). If I could recommend one game out of the three that I've mentioned to go out and play, Braid would definitely be the one. It's easy to pick up and play, and enough of a challenge to keep you coming back. While the Time Trial mode didn't really make me want to come back for more, just playing through the main game once and finishing the story is enough to warrant a purchase. Then you can let it sit, forget all the puzzles, and come back to it a few months later.

Honorable Mentions
Grand Theft Auto IV - Good game, no doubt, but I didn't seem to click with experience everyone else seemed to be having. Maybe I just didn't connect with the whole mafia/vengence story. Whoduthunkit?
Dead Space - A great new IP with a lot of potential. Not exactly in the top five, but definitely top ten. I'll definitely pick up the sequel.
Left 4 Dead - Valve keeps cranking out one great multiplayer experience after another, but I just think the replay value isn't enough to keep you coming back for more than two or three times.
Gears of War 2 - Eh. It's more Gears.

Probably going to be a light month. My stuff from amazon.com (new headphones and Enter the Dragon on Blu-Ray) doesn't ship until late December (wtf?), so I'll post those in January, but I'll just post this weeks pick-ups for now.




And then last, but certainly not least...


Only one game this week. What has this world come to? Oh, and would you guys like a video of my shit? I've seen some of those things floating around, and I think they're pretty cool, but I'll only do it if people want to see it. Drop me a comment if you think it's a good idea.

I guess I'm just a sap for this kind of stuff. Came across this on YouTube and decided to share. Definitely worth your time if you love Mario Kart (who doesn't?) and acoustic music.