Good tracking function, I know what is happening at any time
Customer service support
Good
Advantages:
Delivery and reward card
Disadvantages:
Price and arrogance
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
=== INTRODUCTION ===
Picture this, a prepubescent boy receiving the latest installment of a hugely popular franchise and rushing upstairs to rip the cellophane off the case and slam the disc into his Xbox. Promptly, as the game begins to load the boy swipes his curtains closed to cover up the vision impairing sunlight of a glorious summers day and sits there wide-eyed with the reflection of his television screen in his eyes, that is until he realises the time is approaching midnight. A toilet break, and then another heavy session of roleplaying until 3am. Computer games, or 'video games', whichever you want to refer to them as have always been a somewhat specialist market and that is why single highstreet retailers have managed to become such a huge success. GAME being the most successful and well-known to the UK market, also offers an online service that plays into the hands of gamers that do not want to 'allow the light to touch them' means the postman can now do their dirty work.
Whilst is difficult to discover exact figures, projections show that the video game industry is one worth multipul billions, and that is only going to continue to rise. This is reflected in Microsoft's eagerness to attempt to conquer the market by being the latest to join in a war that was previously only fronted by Nintendo and Sony, not to mention Sony expanding their sights of domination by joining in an ever-growing handheld market. GAME represents all three strands of the generation of video games as it happens, as it hopes to not only be somewhere for you to purchase your latest games but also one that can offer you the latest accurate information on releases. Previously a shop such as GAME had only been associated with the demographic I described in my opening to this review, with the odd mother in their discussing what would be the best birthday present for her son as she doesn't have a clue, although with Nintendo's recent focus on the more adult gamer and the female market, you are likely to find a broader range of people using GAME for the likes of the brain exercise video games or the fitness related ones.
GAME.net was previously the address of the official website, however the website has been operating under the new GAME.co.uk for quite some time now, representative of the growth of the brand. As far as specialist franchises go, there is absolutely no competition, as Blockbuster Inc. sold the Gamestation retail chain to GAME in 2007 for a reported £75 million. Whilst Gamestation still operates under its name, including having its own website, you must remember that where ever you go your money is still going to the same place. You may still be able to find the two shops within two doors of one another in your local town, with Gamestation having a more tacky look about the presentation of it, whilst GAME have moved on to create bigger and better stores for themselves with glass walls. The brand has held on to its pinky purple colour scheme and all capitals logo, and is now attempting to find a place in the Australian market after being predominant in the UK. Oxford Street, London is the location of the franchises flagship store and all their best stores are dubbed as 'centres of excellence'.
WEBSITE
Much has changed about the front page of the site over the years, and this is likely to happen further in the future as the brand attempts to move with the times. There is actually an incredible amount happening on the page as you first enter the site, and if you try and get caught up on where to start it could be a daunting experience, but luckily most people going to the website will just be looking for the cheapest price on whatever game they want. Everything about the front page is simple, with big text, feeling as though they have made it idiot proof on purpose to accomodate for any younger audience who have found their parents credit card lying around the place and want to go crazy. Whilst there are links all over the place, the main navigation you will need is found down the left-hand side with everything broken up into catagoreys of whichever video game system you may have. If you are a member, the other navigation of note will be the one across the top that allows you to access your account, meaning you can check how many award points you have accumulated online.
I remember when I was younger I used to receive a lot of mail shots through the post, including brochures advertising the latest games coming out, although now the focus is more on sending you online newsletters to save money - and in this day and age it is just as effective. On most occassions when I receive a newsletter from GAME it is about something I am really not interested in, but a couple of weeks back they surprised me by actually being the first place to break the news to me of Mario Kart Wii's release date. Whilst you can't always trust release dates you hear from retailers, a little bit of research showed they were spot on. Sadly, on other occassions they can be slightly slower, like they broke the news of Wii Fit's release date and expensive price days after I had heard about it. This is a clue towards the brands idea of bringing you the latest video game news though, and the site has its own 'GAME News' feature - that I have never used, but appears to be updated daily.
Returning to the home page of the site is easy, by simply clicking the GAME logo carrying 'The next level' slogan in the top left hand corner. What catches my eye immediately is not the banner showing the latest game they are trying to sell you, but the top sellers area that with the click of an arrow shows you the top ten best sellers recently. A simple scroll down can also show you the top pre-orders and all the recommendations and offers the website has for you. I wouldn't say the pre-order section makes you want to order games immediately, although features such as a countdown to how many days are left til the release on the games page gives you an indication of just how much time you have left to wait out. Product pages also give you screenshots of the game to wet your appetite, as well as a summary of what you can expect from the game. If the product has already been released as well you can expect reader submitted reviews, similar to what Amazon has been offering for years, and these reviews are usually just as unhelpful. Should you be in the market for buying more than one product, you are suggested other games, although unfortunately this feature isn't as appealing as a clothes website recommending what goes with what.
PURCHASES
Before shopping around it is easy to automatically go to GAME, and I know before I learnt about all the other various outlets on the net I ordered off the website without a second thought. I have always found the staff of GAME to be useful, whether it be instore where they took Mario Party out of an N64 bundle to sell it to me, or when I contacted them online to see if I could expect a game to reach me on release day they contacted me back quickly. Of course there is also the people that do not agree with the service of GAME, these normally come down to fanboys who get annoyed when they over hear someone having a conversation about the 360 being better than the PS3. This service is unlike HMV's, when I contacted them asking if I would receive a game on release day they said they didn't really know, but expected the game would be dispatched on the release day rather than reaching me that day. If you're really looking forward to a game and you have to wait, you know how frustrating it can be, so whilst with HMV and Play I have received games three days late - GAME.co.uk has got games to me one day early. I also pre-ordered my Nintendo Wii through GAME and received it about 7am on release day.
Unfortunately this quick service does come at a price, and you are likely to play very close to RRP, even though in this day and age RRP is constantly changing - I can't work out if I'm getting ripped off if I pay £30 for a Wii game or £50 for a 360 game.. £39.99 for Mario Olympics seems pretty steep, and makes £34.99 for Mario Kart sound cheap, however you are likely to find it cheaper on the internet but perhaps have to wait longer. As far as consoles go, they mostly stay the same price everywhere, although I do remember in the chaos for a Wii, GAME were only selling them as part as bundles, meaning you were going to have to pay around £300 for a Wii and games you might not even want. With the benefit of the reward card system I am starting to think that ordering online from GAME may be worth the money, that is until I find a website that will guarentee me delivery on time. The prices are very similar to instore, and are unlikely to be beaten on the highstreet, and ordering online means you are less likely to be sold a walkthrough guide for a tenner.
Being the most popular chain in the UK does mean that if something is selling out everywhere, it will be sold out in GAME. This is not to say that they do not receive good volumes of stock, but more they are one of the first places people go. These specialist stores for not just video games, but for products such as DVD's and CD's, are beginning to get beaten out by supermarket chains however that can tempt shoppers in with ridiculously low prices on new, popular, products, and know they will probably make their money back when the shoppers family do their weekly grocery shop. GAME also offers a selection of it's own brand accessories that are always cheaper than the big-name brands, and these are also avaliable online and in-store. You will find that as you look around the site more for products you want, finding them is made easier by being able to customise further what catagoreys you are looking at (genres, etc.) as well as how your search results are presented (price, etc.), hopefully this means you don't get lost in the whole experience.
CONCLUSION
Delving into the website once again has made me realise that I do want to use GAME, not to say that I'm not hoping someone won't leave a comment with a great, cheap reliable site. If you are someone that is going to get very aggrivated by having to wait for a late delivery, then this is the site you should be using, because having it pop through your letterbox early is a great feeling. FYI, the Wii I had to sign for - obviously. A quick look at the sister-website, Gamestation, as well shows the prices as being eerily similar, although their focus is more on pre-ordered games, something I'm not particulary interested in.
very helpful
very helpful
