your experience with midnight launches?
- Thread starter Lkr
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JustAnotherOtaku said:
I *went* to the midnight launch for GTAIV as well... but by saying *went* I mean I just happened to be up at midnight, went for a drive with flatmate to get some food as well, walked in, picked up copy, walked out, <2 minutes...
it doesn't really count, does it?
JustAnotherOtaku said:Got the game though so it was worth it
Ummm... not for me it wasn't. Maybe I should give it another go.
My real life cousins never call me to go look at american titties :~
JustAnotherOtaku said:Not the best group of people though. If you can imagine what the average person in Belfast that is into GTA looks like then you'll know what I mean
:lol
Went for Halo 2 and 3.
I remember one guy with a huge ratty beard came by the line up on one of those lame peddle bikes that look like choppers, and I guess my mom (she wanted to come) spoke with him when she was buying a coffee and she told me he had already got the asian version of the game. He was just there checking it out watching all the suckers line up :lol
I remember one guy with a huge ratty beard came by the line up on one of those lame peddle bikes that look like choppers, and I guess my mom (she wanted to come) spoke with him when she was buying a coffee and she told me he had already got the asian version of the game. He was just there checking it out watching all the suckers line up :lol
Been to a bunch myself. All of the World of Warcraft expansions, was pretty fun TBH. 300 WoW nerds talking about our favorite game for 4 hours before we bumrush the door to get our prize.
Also worked a few when I was assistant manager at gamestop, not nearly as fun, but what can you expect talking to people about the new blah shooter thats about to come out?
Also worked a few when I was assistant manager at gamestop, not nearly as fun, but what can you expect talking to people about the new blah shooter thats about to come out?
First and only one I remember was Gamucbe, 'cause I was still living with my folks right around then, and they bought it as a gift (can't remember why, might have released around my birthday... I'm drunk now, I don't know). Since then, I haven't waited for anything. It's just so fucking nice to sleep. SLEEP. Get the game the next day, or on the weekend. That way you don't fool yourself into staying up until 3am doing something that's going to cause you to drag your feet at work the next day. Pretty sure GC was the only thingd I've gotten at midnight. I've briefly joined a friend twice this gen for a midnight release (mgs, gta) to play an hour or so before going home, but I have no interest in waiting in line extensively.
3DS, if it releases on the right day of the week... I might do that
3DS, if it releases on the right day of the week... I might do that
crisdecuba
Member
Here's my launch experience, all based around the Wii and the PS3:
- Went to Gamestop at 5:30am on the day pre-orders began for the PS3 and Wii. Had to wait until 9:00am and I got 3 of my friends to come with me, so I ended up with 4 PS3 pre-orders and 2 Wii pre-orders.
- A couple of days later I walked into Toys R Us and pre-ordered another PS3 there. I think people weren't clued into the whole pre-order thing.
- I sold one of the PS3 pre-orders on eBay for $1900 (eBay was only allowing one pre-order sale per member).
- Went to Walmart at 3pm on November 16th, found out they weren't starting the PS3 line until 7pm. So I hung around and quickly noticed other people who seemed to be perpetually, but aimlessly, shopping in or around the electronics area. I made it a point to speak to the manager several times in order to ensure he'd remember my face. That way, when 7pm came around a 6 guys showed up, I ended up getting the #1 spot. They weren't giving out the systems until 5am, so it was a bit of a wait, but it was fun. They gave us nice lawn chairs to sit in and I still have the "#1 PS3" sign they put on the back on my chair. As midnight passed and people started actually getting their systems, we saw systems going on eBay for as much as 6 or 7k - it was nuts. When 5am came, everyone took their system and ran to their car out of fear that someone was waiting outside to rob us. :lol
- I came home, posted the system on eBay (this one sold for $1200).
- I went to Gamestop with my friends, picked up the 4 PS3s, and posted them on eBay. On average they sold for $900 each, but the end amount I got on the 3 day auction was less than the 1 day auctions. Prices dropped quickly.
- The same day, I saw people lining up at Toys R Us (for the Wii) so I ran home, got a lawn chair, and ended up 4th in line at Toys R Us. This was almost a 48 hour wait and it was kinda difficult to make it through. The nighttime was the hardest part, since I wasn't in the greatest neighborhood and didn't feel safe going to sleep for long periods of time. Still, the people I met were pretty cool. The weird one was this uber Republican / Mormon lady that tried to take control of how we were lining up and whether we would allow people to leave for brief periods, even though she was 12th in line. She ended up getting the final system at this location. I picked up the Wii and the PS3 I'd pre-ordered, then went to Gamestop to get the Wiis I'd pre-ordered there, and finally went home.
- All in all I made about 3k over the weekend. Not too bad.
- But I wouldn't do it again.
crisdecuba said:Here's my launch experience, all based around the Wii and the PS3:
- Went to Gamestop at 5:30am on the day pre-orders began for the PS3 and Wii. Had to wait until 9:00am and I got 3 of my friends to come with me, so I ended up with 4 PS3 pre-orders and 2 Wii pre-orders.
- A couple of days later I walked into Toys R Us and pre-ordered another PS3 there. I think people weren't clued into the whole pre-order thing.
- I sold one of the PS3 pre-orders on eBay for $1900 (eBay was only allowing one pre-order sale per member).
- Went to Walmart at 3pm on November 16th, found out they weren't starting the PS3 line until 7pm. So I hung around and quickly noticed other people who seemed to be perpetually, but aimlessly, shopping in or around the electronics area. I made it a point to speak to the manager several times in order to ensure he'd remember my face. That way, when 7pm came around a 6 guys showed up, I ended up getting the #1 spot. They weren't giving out the systems until 5am, so it was a bit of a wait, but it was fun. They gave us nice lawn chairs to sit in and I still have the "#1 PS3" sign they put on the back on my chair. As midnight passed and people started actually getting their systems, we saw systems going on eBay for as much as 6 or 7k - it was nuts. When 5am came, everyone took their system and ran to their car out of fear that someone was waiting outside to rob us. :lol
- I came home, posted the system on eBay (this one sold for $1200).
- I went to Gamestop with my friends, picked up the 4 PS3s, and posted them on eBay. On average they sold for $900 each, but the end amount I got on the 3 day auction was less than the 1 day auctions. Prices dropped quickly.
- The same day, I saw people lining up at Toys R Us (for the Wii) so I ran home, got a lawn chair, and ended up 4th in line at Toys R Us. This was almost a 48 hour wait and it was kinda difficult to make it through. The nighttime was the hardest part, since I wasn't in the greatest neighborhood and didn't feel safe going to sleep for long periods of time. Still, the people I met were pretty cool. The weird one was this uber Republican / Mormon lady that tried to take control of how we were lining up and whether we would allow people to leave for brief periods, even though she was 12th in line. She ended up getting the final system at this location. I picked up the Wii and the PS3 I'd pre-ordered, then went to Gamestop to get the Wiis I'd pre-ordered there, and finally went home.
- All in all I made about 3k over the weekend. Not too bad.
- But I wouldn't do it again.
People like you are why it's so fucking hard to find a console at launch for most honest consumers. Fucking ridiculous.
Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!
Member
I went to the Halo 3 midnight launch just to see what it was liked (not even a huge fan of Halo) and it actually ended up being pretty fun. I made friends in line with some guys cooking hamburgers and we talked Halo and ate for a few hours. Everyone seemed pretty normal too.
Wouldn't do it for every game though.
Wouldn't do it for every game though.
T.M. MacReady
NO ONE DENIES MEMBER
Went to the Halo 3 one with a friend. not impressed.
Will do it for GT5 though.
Will do it for GT5 though.
Anasui Kishibe
Banned
I'll be there for the 3DS for sure. First in line, absolutely, I don't care if I have to punch someone to death, I MUST.HAVE.IT.DAY.ZERO.
richisawesome said:
Can't believe somebody would join neogaf, post on gaming side, and then not know to pre-order a console they want on launch day. Jus' business. I've always thought about doing this, but I don't have the endurance or need to really. But if I want a console day one.. it's pre-ordered...
((((richisawesome said:
That's a part of the industry, though. Launches could be delayed so more units could be produced. Either way, day one adopters just need to pre-order. There are so many people who want to sit out and see how the games do that the second-hand market for the gaming industry is a great, great place to be during the first several weeks. Never done it myself, but that's mostly because I'd rather invest in something more sound and long term
I always have a fear in the back of my mind that I won't be able to turn them around with out some mega-high ebay score.Anasui Kishibe
Banned
richisawesome said:
erm where's your shop at brotha?
The Take Out Bandit
Member
No games I play get midnight launches. That's how painfully awesome I am.
Although Shantae deserves a midnight launch!
Although Shantae deserves a midnight launch!
crisdecuba
Member
It's not as bad as all that. The limits placed on pre-orders and number of systems sold to each person mitigate the issue a bit because in it lessens the impact that individuals like me are feasibly able to cause. Second, no is "forcing" them. No one forced people to pay 7k for a PS3 - they chose to. Less than a week or two after launch, the prices on eBay were more than reasonable for a sold out system, in demand, $600 system.richisawesome said:
Anasui Kishibe said:
Blockbuster.
Just realised, I would need another employee there to actually serve me (can't serve myself), but that's easily sorted. It won't be a big enough thing in our area to actually open properly at midnight for (360 and ps3 games are absolutely huge compared to wii/ds at my store).
I was a big fan of midnight launches but I'm getting tired of and see no advantages on them anymore.
All midnight releases here in US are on Monday nights and as I have to wake up at 7 A.M. next day and be mentally sharp at work for 8-10 hours there's not much for me there.
Only midnight launch I did this year was Halo:Reach and that's only 'cause I didn't pre-ordered (another thing that I loathe in the US game industry: the push for the pre-order) on time was afraid that the limited edition I wanted to get was going to sell out.
It happens that there was way more offer than demand at my local Walmart: there are still some Halo: Reach limited edition at shelves as we speak.
I dream that the industry changes the release date in US from Tuesdays to Saturdays so midnight launches happen on Fridays. But I know that this dream would never EVER become reality, so no more midnight launches for me.
All midnight releases here in US are on Monday nights and as I have to wake up at 7 A.M. next day and be mentally sharp at work for 8-10 hours there's not much for me there.
Only midnight launch I did this year was Halo:Reach and that's only 'cause I didn't pre-ordered (another thing that I loathe in the US game industry: the push for the pre-order) on time was afraid that the limited edition I wanted to get was going to sell out.
It happens that there was way more offer than demand at my local Walmart: there are still some Halo: Reach limited edition at shelves as we speak.
I dream that the industry changes the release date in US from Tuesdays to Saturdays so midnight launches happen on Fridays. But I know that this dream would never EVER become reality, so no more midnight launches for me.
Devin Olsen
Member
Console Midnight Launches
Game Midnight Launches
I've never done a midnight launch alone, except for the PS3... And one thing I have learned is that mom & pop shops are the way to go.
For Reach I went into this place at 11:30, reserved it (was 'second in line') and paid in full so when it was midnight there would be no messing around with paying for the game. Came back at 11:50 and walked out at 11:55 with the game... We drove past EB Games on the way home and let everyone know they should have gone somewhere else :lol... I have a video of us driving by that I should upload.
One quick point I want to make.
EB Games, Gamespot, Etc. They all need to realize that midnight launches are so slow and clunky because kids NEVER have their pre-orders paid off... Rather then just handing the game to customers who have bought it, they have to do transactions for each person... Makes the whole thing painfully slow.
- Xbox 360
- PS3
- Wii
Game Midnight Launches
- Halo 3
- Halo: ODST
- Halo: Reach
- GTA IV
I've never done a midnight launch alone, except for the PS3... And one thing I have learned is that mom & pop shops are the way to go.
For Reach I went into this place at 11:30, reserved it (was 'second in line') and paid in full so when it was midnight there would be no messing around with paying for the game. Came back at 11:50 and walked out at 11:55 with the game... We drove past EB Games on the way home and let everyone know they should have gone somewhere else :lol... I have a video of us driving by that I should upload.
One quick point I want to make.
EB Games, Gamespot, Etc. They all need to realize that midnight launches are so slow and clunky because kids NEVER have their pre-orders paid off... Rather then just handing the game to customers who have bought it, they have to do transactions for each person... Makes the whole thing painfully slow.
The only one I remember was Brawl, which I think was probably the reason I got a Wii. I didn't even have a TV at that point. I went to the store, played badly as kirby in the tournament thing, got the game, and played it back at the university with friends until like 4 in the morning. Fun times.
zero margin
Member
Only ever did one and that was for red dead redemption. Great game but I did it mostly just to say I did it once. Probably wont again, ever. :lol
I camped out in front of a Best Buy for the Wii launch and it was pretty awesome. There wasn't really a line, we all just hung out and generally remembered who got there before who.
Then we found out pretty late that they weren't in fact going to do a midnight launch, but were instead just gonna open at 8. So we spent the whole night there. And it got cold. But it was a great night and I'd do it again.
One guy was the manage of the Mellow Mushroom in the same strip mall, so he went over there, made a few pizzas, and handed out slices for free. So I walked over to the nearby gas station and bought a couple 12 packs of Coke to share with everyone, and we had a sorta impromptu pizza party.
Then this other guy came in on his Segway and showed it off. I'd never seen one in person before, so I found it particularly fascinating.
A few times later at night and earlier in the morning, people drove by and asked what we were camped out for, sometimes specifically asking if we were camped out for the PS3. None of them had even heard of the Wii, so we had to explain that it was Nintendo's new console. How the times have changed.
Rest of the night was just chillin' out, talking about stuff (mostly video games), and trying to stay warm.
God, the feeling when they finally opened those doors... I've never been as excited in my life. Bringing the Wii home and booting up Zelda... fuckin' magical, man.
Can't believe that was four years ago. I'm getting nostalgic just thinking about it.
Then we found out pretty late that they weren't in fact going to do a midnight launch, but were instead just gonna open at 8. So we spent the whole night there. And it got cold. But it was a great night and I'd do it again.
One guy was the manage of the Mellow Mushroom in the same strip mall, so he went over there, made a few pizzas, and handed out slices for free. So I walked over to the nearby gas station and bought a couple 12 packs of Coke to share with everyone, and we had a sorta impromptu pizza party.
Then this other guy came in on his Segway and showed it off. I'd never seen one in person before, so I found it particularly fascinating.
A few times later at night and earlier in the morning, people drove by and asked what we were camped out for, sometimes specifically asking if we were camped out for the PS3. None of them had even heard of the Wii, so we had to explain that it was Nintendo's new console. How the times have changed.
Rest of the night was just chillin' out, talking about stuff (mostly video games), and trying to stay warm.
God, the feeling when they finally opened those doors... I've never been as excited in my life. Bringing the Wii home and booting up Zelda... fuckin' magical, man.
Can't believe that was four years ago. I'm getting nostalgic just thinking about it.
olimpia84
Member
I camped for the Wii launch at a Target, it was pretty awesome although it was a cold night and I wasn't quite prepared.
Game wise, I only went to the midnight launch of SSB Brawl for the Wii and it was crazy because it happened in a college town all these kids were in there because Gamestop had a tourney.
Game wise, I only went to the midnight launch of SSB Brawl for the Wii and it was crazy because it happened in a college town all these kids were in there because Gamestop had a tourney.
BladeoftheImmortal
Member
I waited at a target for a PS3 (which i didn't get because i was number 8 out of 6 units delivered). I had a blast though, met some great peeps. Someone ordered pizza for everyone in line, someone brought a tent and i used it for a quick nap, and it was cold as shit and someone lent me some gloves.
All in all, nice night even though i didn't get my 599 60GB PS3...I did get a 499 60 GB PS3 one year later, though.
All in all, nice night even though i didn't get my 599 60GB PS3...I did get a 499 60 GB PS3 one year later, though.
MidnightScott
Banned
If they do one at GameStop I'll be there to pick up the 3DS. I'll just make sure I preorder as soon as it's available. Are preorders open yet?
Blockbuster? Isn't that going out of business or something?
richisawesome said:
Blockbuster? Isn't that going out of business or something?
disappeared
Banned
Halo 2's launch. Drove 2 hours to an EB in another city (I lived in a small town), got to the parking lot about 8, nobody there. Drank coffee sitting in my car for a bit. Later some guys in a car pull up and rig up an Xbox and a TV to the car lighter adapter or something. We sat in the lot playing multiplayer Halo CE until a line started to actually form. It was November and cold as shit that evening, thanks to these canadian prairies. Talked with some cool guys. I vaguely remember someone bringing us coffees too out of nowhere. Good shit. If only the game itself had been as memorable.
I got few family members to station at different Bestbuy/Target to camp for hardware launches like Xbox, Gamecube, Wii, PSP etc.
Man I miss hardware launches... the last one was PS3 back in 2006. Why are they so far apart?? Can't wait for 3DS. Wonder if there will be a line for that as it is a handheld.
Never did for Games launch though. I don't know why people would do that as there is rarely shortage.
Man I miss hardware launches... the last one was PS3 back in 2006. Why are they so far apart?? Can't wait for 3DS. Wonder if there will be a line for that as it is a handheld.
Never did for Games launch though. I don't know why people would do that as there is rarely shortage.
Only midnight launch I ever went to was way back for Brawl at a smaller Gamestop. I think they had done one of those official tournaments but I arrived too late to take part; they had left it out for people to play afterwards but I didn't bother. In around 11:30, out with the game by 12:20 or so, stayed awake playing until about 2.
I went to the MGS4 launch to get the limited edition PS3+MGS4 combo, since I was in the market for the system. Wasn't really that interesting, only 3 or so other people there waiting on line. One of them had a FOX-HOUND tattoo and was like a hardcore fan of the game, so we were talking about the series and such.
Also went to the Brawl launch, that was much more crowded. All I remember were some dorks complaining about Lost Odyssey sucking, I told them they were full of shit :lol
Also went to the Brawl launch, that was much more crowded. All I remember were some dorks complaining about Lost Odyssey sucking, I told them they were full of shit :lol
I've been to a few midnight launches because I was close to a GameCrazy (R.I.P.), so it was like a 2 minute drive, so why not. For Halo 3, it was PACKED by 11pm. GTA IV was considerably less, and Gears 2 was a ghost town. All three games sold very well, which makes me wonder why no one showed up for Gears 2 and GTA IV, especially since they are both sequels to popular franchises.
Nowadays, I don't bother with midnight launches. I find that when I get home, I play the game for an hour or so, then go to sleep. On top of that, I don't buy nearly as many games at launch anymore.
Nowadays, I don't bother with midnight launches. I find that when I get home, I play the game for an hour or so, then go to sleep. On top of that, I don't buy nearly as many games at launch anymore.
I'm not really a fan of it honestly. I arrived a little early to pre-order my Wii and picked up a variety of games at midnight and it always equates to a boring wait with a variety of people, many of which annoy the shit out of me.
The night before the 360 came out, I considered camping out. Unfortunately by the time I arrived all the Pro systems were spoken for, said fuck it, and went home after five minutes.
I've stopped picking up games at midnight, especially considering I have a full-time job now.
I'll still probably scoop up new consoles at midnight (I'm talking with a pre-order, not camping out), however.
The night before the 360 came out, I considered camping out. Unfortunately by the time I arrived all the Pro systems were spoken for, said fuck it, and went home after five minutes.
I've stopped picking up games at midnight, especially considering I have a full-time job now.
I'll still probably scoop up new consoles at midnight (I'm talking with a pre-order, not camping out), however.
I've been to a few:
When the 360 was launched I met with a few friends and stopped outside a local supermarket. It hadn't been widely advertised that they would have them in stock so we were the only people there about 11pm. We were told to wait outside as the store was closing and would re-open at midnight. Then at midnight... nothing..
So we waited until about 1 when some till-boy came out and said that they had about 5 consoles, which was alright as that meant that we had 1 each for our group, plus some other random guy had turned up by himself and was chatting to us, so 1 for him. The bad news: store wouldn't open until 7am...
So we just hung out in the car park having a smoke and chatting all night. Other random people turned up at various points, but we told them that we had the tickets for the only ones they had in stock. Then at 7am we finally got inside the store and got our consoles. I drove home, put it to one side and went to work.
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Another was GTA4. Me and my mate drove round at 11:50 to a store our friend worked at, there must have been about 100 people already queuing outside with more turning up by the minute. At 12:01 our friend sent out one of the other workers to our car and handed us the games, we handed him the cash for them and drove home.
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The last one I have been to was COD:WAW which again was in a supermarket, turned up about 11 and were the 1st ones there. Got the game about mightnight and went home.
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All in all, every midnight launch I've been to has been pretty un-eventful. but I know several people who work in games retail and have heard some horror stories about people having fights in the queue, people turning up drunk / high and people robbing others as soon as they leave the stores.
When the 360 was launched I met with a few friends and stopped outside a local supermarket. It hadn't been widely advertised that they would have them in stock so we were the only people there about 11pm. We were told to wait outside as the store was closing and would re-open at midnight. Then at midnight... nothing..
So we waited until about 1 when some till-boy came out and said that they had about 5 consoles, which was alright as that meant that we had 1 each for our group, plus some other random guy had turned up by himself and was chatting to us, so 1 for him. The bad news: store wouldn't open until 7am...
So we just hung out in the car park having a smoke and chatting all night. Other random people turned up at various points, but we told them that we had the tickets for the only ones they had in stock. Then at 7am we finally got inside the store and got our consoles. I drove home, put it to one side and went to work.
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Another was GTA4. Me and my mate drove round at 11:50 to a store our friend worked at, there must have been about 100 people already queuing outside with more turning up by the minute. At 12:01 our friend sent out one of the other workers to our car and handed us the games, we handed him the cash for them and drove home.
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The last one I have been to was COD:WAW which again was in a supermarket, turned up about 11 and were the 1st ones there. Got the game about mightnight and went home.
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All in all, every midnight launch I've been to has been pretty un-eventful. but I know several people who work in games retail and have heard some horror stories about people having fights in the queue, people turning up drunk / high and people robbing others as soon as they leave the stores.
I preordered Halo 2 online and went to pick it up in store for a midnight launch. The store was basically on my college campus, so a bunch of people showed up of course. Red bull was there giving out red bulls. Me and three friends went even though I was the only one picking it up. We were about middle of the line, we get to the front, I try to go in to pick my copy up (they had a private security guard out front only letting in like 4 people at a time). He asks me "where's your pre-order form?" or something, I can't remember what they called it. I said I don't know what you're talking about, I printed off what the website told me to print off, pointed out on the receipt "Bring a copy of this receipt in store", and he wouldn't let me in. So I leave one of my friends in line and run over to one of our campus' 24 hour computer lab (so that he could keep letting people in but when I get back I wouldn't have to go to the end of the line again), print out like 12 pages of gamestop nonsense, and come back and rejoin my friend in line. The private security guard sees this and is really bothered by it, threatens to call the police on me if I don't go back to the end of the line. I do, wait another half hour, finally get in the store (I'm the last person in), and while picking up the game the manager then goes crazy on me saying how dare I imperil his employees security by arguing with the security guard, and he threatened to call the police and have me arrested and press charges against me, etc. It's like 1:30 in the morning and I just want my game. He eventually gives me my game, rings me up, we go home, play for the next 4 hours or so and then go to bed to go to classes the next morning.
The next morning I get a call from gamestop, same manager, saying he didn't ring me up and I stole someone else's copy and he wants me to come back in so that he charge me for it. Haha.
Edit: Rereading this, it really seems like I must have given them a lot more attitude than I think I did. I did argue with the security guard about whether I needed more documents or not (once I got into the store they only asked for the receipt I had initially). But after that I really don't think I argued once, when the security guard told me to go to the back of the line or when the manager chewed me out.
The next morning I get a call from gamestop, same manager, saying he didn't ring me up and I stole someone else's copy and he wants me to come back in so that he charge me for it. Haha.
Edit: Rereading this, it really seems like I must have given them a lot more attitude than I think I did. I did argue with the security guard about whether I needed more documents or not (once I got into the store they only asked for the receipt I had initially). But after that I really don't think I argued once, when the security guard told me to go to the back of the line or when the manager chewed me out.