... The secondhand section matches sister brand GameStation for range but suffers when it comes down to the offers - the titles that appear in GAME's "3 for £10" tend to appear in GameStation's "4 for £10", and similarly with GAME's "2 for £15" and GameStation's "4 for £20". (The booklet of trade-in ... Read review
Advantages: Deals of the week, good customer service Disadvantages: Prices not that competitive, price checks not too tight
...I'm sure to visit the GAME stores - all 4 of them!
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Console games rarely come in their original sealed packages, with cases being for display and content packed inside drawers for convenience. Stickers come off easy.
I've always found the customer service to be good - whilst their staff might not be best-equipped for answering game-related queries (some see them as the "PC World of video-games"), ... ...online subscription fee for a game I was going to buy. (As I was confident of there being offline content I bought the game.)
REWARD CARD
With the GAME Reward Card there used to be a 10% discount off purchases amounting to at least a tenner (I think). I'm pretty sure of this because, the card costs £3 - the day I signed up for it was when I bought the PlayStation title 'Suikoden 2' for £30 (so it was as if there was no extra ... more
If GAME's slogan is "The next level", then I'm the type who prefers to play (or replay) a past level. Still, that's not to say there's not something for me at GAME, and when I'm in the Glasgow city centre I'm sure to visit the GAME stores - all 4 of them!
CUSTOMER SERVICE Console games rarely come in their original sealed packages, with cases being for display and content packed inside drawers for convenience. Stickers come off easy.
I've always found the customer service to be good - whilst their staff might not be best-equipped for answering game-related queries (some see them as the "PC World of video-games"), they give a fast and friendly service. Recently, a member of staff was being helpful by making sure that I was aware of the online subscription fee for a game I was going to buy. (As I was confident of there being offline content I bought the game.)
REWARD CARD With the GAME Reward Card there used to be a 10% discount off purchases amounting to at least a tenner (I think). I'm pretty sure of this because, the card costs £3 - the day I signed up for it was when I bought the PlayStation title 'Suikoden 2' for £30 (so it was as if there was no extra charge). =)
Now there is a points scheme in place which equates to a 2.5% cashback on all purchases - the £2.50 minimum cannot be discounted on downloads as well as gift items. If you're into the newest games and consoles (which I'm not) and do not shop online I don't see why you shouldn't sign up, especially if you're going to pre-order since there are rewarded double reward points. If you like, you can then create an online account just to check your points balance and enter exclusive competitions.
PRICES Never mind competing with online stores, shopping at GAME does not guarantee cheaper prices than non-specialist games stores. The price checking is not tight enough. On the odd occasion I've seen pre-owned - and in some cases disc only - games going for a higher price than their new equivalents!
The prices given for trading in has always been poor as far as I can remember - back in the PlayStation days I could never fathom their "trade-in 2 (fairly new) games and pay £25 on top of that for new game" deal. The secondhand section matches sister brand GameStation for range but suffers when it comes down to the offers - the titles that appear in GAME's "3 for £10" tend to appear in GameStation's "4 for £10", and similarly with GAME's "2 for £15" and GameStation's "4 for £20". (The booklet of trade-in prices that can be picked up for free seems a waste - what happened to their lovely purple catalogue of old?)
Where GAME scores strongly is in it's sales items - I've picked up several new PS2 and GBA games (which I've found to be quality titles) for no greater than 3 quid each - bargain!
OWN BRAND ACCESSORIES Because of Sony and Nintendo, I've had to seek a multitap for the slim PS2 and a headphone adaptor for the GBA. Thankfully, those by GAME's own brand, GAMEWare came cheap and did their job. As did the coloured cases for GBA games, though these were a tight fit.
CONCLUSION Given GameStation do not stock a great deal of retro games in their stores, this has allowed GAME to close the gap between the two on the high-streets. As their prices generally are not that competitive it doesn't gain the advantage. The money saved with the Reward Card may or may not work out cheaper in the long run than when shopping online, but for £3 it helps to have an option. Still, it's well worth popping into GAME if only to see what their Deals of the Week are.
Advantages: Excellent range, helpful staff Disadvantages: Often cramped shops
Game (or GAME, as it likes to be known) is one of the most easily recognised shops on the High Street, thanks to their bright - many would say garish, some would even call it revolting - pink logo. The chain have been expanding their network recently, and it is the opening of a Kidderminster branch (on the site of the old Tandy - RIP) that prompts me to write this review.
By far Game's most impressive feature is its range. Games of all sorts, and ... ...Originals label. Without exception, ever Game I've visited has had it - nowhere else (among the big chains, in any case) could match this.
The layout of the shop is not particularly inspired, but it serves its purpose: newish games in vaguely related chunks (driving, strategy etc) on wall displays; budget titles (of which there seem to be more every day) packed into racks in the middle of the floor. Kidderminster is a small shop even by Game standards, ...
davidbuttery 13.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Game (Shop)
Advantages: Fantastic sale prices. Disadvantages: Average store, average layout, generally average prices.
GAME is generally a shop that I love to hate. Indeed I'm often heard claiming that 'they will be out of business if they don't lower their prices to compete with online retailers'. If you add a few random curse words to that sentence then you will have, in a nutshell, a short summary of what I think of this store.
I would give this store 3 stars because it is generally nothing more or less than average or run-of-the-mill. But wait...I have given ... ...recognize that you'd walked into GAME if it wasn't for the twenty foot high logo outside.
The layout is average. Games are organized into console order, but not alphabetically, nor are they organized by genre. New and second hand games are usually kept separate but not always. Check the labeling carefully because it's not always easy to tell whether the item your buying is new or second hand.
In my experience of buying from them, it seems to be ...
LegalEagle247 12.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Game (Shop)
Advantages: Wide selection, good customer service Disadvantages: Games are still quite expensive
...little experience with yesterday.
GAME is a large chain of high street stores, for some reason Bristol has 4 stores within 5 minutes walk of each other. Admittedly two of them were Electronics Boutiques, but GAME took them over last year.
And what do they sell? Well, in the world of video games, everything! Playstation, Playstation 2 , PC, Game Boy advanced, Dreamcast and X-Box. Both the new top titles and older games, they also have preowned games ... ...want to trade in a game you've finished with (as long as they work!). You can also get preowned games, Playstation games can start at about £6 and up to £20 for PC games.
The new games are, unfortunately as expensive as anywhere else, i.e. £44 for a PS2 game, £30-£40 for a PC game. They do great offers though, the re-released 'platinum' games on the PC are usually 3 for a tenner, instead of £4.99 each, 2 for £30 instead of £19.99. Another tip I ...
Emma1973 18.09.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Game (Shop)
Game is a great shop for any gaming fan, when it comes to getting the games that you want.If it is a console im afraid you are not so lucky, i spent ages trying to get a Nintendo Wii and they always seemed out of stock.
They stock consoles, games and accessories for th Nintendo DS, Gameboy Advance, Gamecube, PC Games, Sony Playstation 2, Sony Playstation 3, Sony Playstation Portable, Nintendo Wii, Xbox and Xbox 360.
Game offer special deal when ... ...and accessories. Game is a shop that is well worth visiting if you are passing as they have special offers on a weekly basis on certain games, so worth a visit to try and bag bargain.
I have noticed that you can get better offers if you look around online using the comparison sites as the game market is a very competitive market.
Game is also great as it allows you to trade you games and consoles in to get some cash for them. Which in turn they ...
jo_field26 22.10.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Game (Shop)
Advantages: Reletively helpful staff, excellent console bundles and special offers Disadvantages: Some overpriced products and overpriced second hand software
Originally known as Electronic Boutique, GAME stores and EB stores were completely separate companies in direct competition but Electronic Boutique had a continuously growing market share and GAME stores turn-over and market share were consequently decreasing as a result and it was at this time when EB bought out GAME stores all over the country. Although at first EB decided to keep the name of their stores, they eventually decided to change their ... ...was EB that took over GAME in the first place, but it seemed to work in their favour given the fact that they really do have the high street monopoly of videogame retail…
So, are GAME stores any good? Well yes, although I’ve heard a lot of bad things about GAME stores from people on videogame message boards, my personal experience with GAME is very good, they offer a huge range of videogame related products over all formats and if your ...
vectrex001 06.06.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Game (Shop)
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Advantages: Excellent variety of games in stock, great trade in prices, still sells retro games Disadvantages: The only con is they don't give you much for trading PC games
When I saw this open about 2 years ago in my area, I was pleased that another gamingshop is there to rival once known as Electronics Boutique (now known as GAME).
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Advantages: Gaming, allows people to play before you buy Disadvantages: too narrow a product range, exploitative
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You also get products like Warhammer: Warhammer 40,000, LOTR Warhammer and paints, brushes, scenery and books. So basically it sells ?Army/LOTR Collectables.? All those items which I have listed are little miniatures of many different kinds of species armies. You buy, paint, display then battle.
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