Game.co.uk

Since I did a GameStation Store review, I thought it would be only fair that I do a Game Store review, since they are the UK’s two biggest retailers specialising in console and computer games. To start off I’ve got to say that I don’t feel as ‘close’ with Game as I do with GameStation because I didn’t really warm to Game’s Style and pricing, which I will discuss a little further in. I will also be doing a bit of Game vs. GameStation in this review because I like to compare the two as they are basically in competition with each other. Also just like in GameStation’s Review, I’ve gathered by experienced from the local Game Store and the few other Game Stores I’ve been too.

Variety

Game like GameStation offers a large variety of new and old PlayStation 2 & 3 games as well as Xbox and Xbox 360 games, not forgetting the all important PC games and portable console games like PSP and Nintendo DS. There are also gadgets for the consoles and the PC, such as controllers and other add-ons. Game have their own brand or an exclusive brand to Game called GameWare, which gives you “discount” accessories for consoles like the Wii, which is helpful as some things can be difficult to find in our average high street store, however if you want a specific part like a Xbox360 Hard Drive, which is sold retail in GameStation, there isn’t one to be found, which is a massive disappointment, and if you’re looking at something more “scarce”, don’t bother looking in Game. Also just like GameStation, Game offers a trade in system and therefore it stocks some pre-owned games, which are of course cheaper, however I found that Game doesn’t have as big of a selection for pre-owned games and Ps2 and Xbox pre-owns are almost non -existent and can typically be found in a bargain bin style basket or corner of the store, they may as well cover it with cobwebs and be done with it. Game seems to lack pre-gen variety in all, as I have never seen a console from the more than 2 generations away, so it seems Game seems to stick with the modern times, which is a little disappointing. Overall the variety of what Game sells is in a whole, very limited to the current generation, you won’t find any old games, consoles or specific parts, even from this generation.

Pricing

When shopping for a game, price is a deal maker for me, if a game is cheaper than anywhere else, its mine and this has never been the case in Game, similarly to GameStation, they seem to price everything RRP (Recommended Retail Price), and this is a real bummer on new releases because Tesco, Asda and other big name supermarkets typically do a great deal on new release games, which makes me rush over to them. I’ve also noticed that even Game’s pre-owned games are priced significantly more than GameStation and unlike GameStation, Game doesn’t do good off deals, only selling games that no one want to play anymore at a low price so they just sit there until their thrown out. They also don’t do any significantly special deals on console bundles. All in all, the pricing in Game is strictly RRP and it is really hard to find a special deal in there.

Staff

Now this varies from store to store and of course to whom you speak too, but I found the staff to be, like in GameStation, around 16 – 30. I find that on average the staff are very friendly and will help you with pretty much anything. I was looking in a store at one time, when I couldn’t find a game, I asked an employee who was stacking games if he knew they had the game, the person basically dropped what he was doing to check “in the back” if they had the game, which I found to very friendly and caring, I don’t think this would happen in GameStation. However unlike GameStation, the employees aren’t as “game smart” as GameStation, I once asked when a very popular game was coming out, the employee had to ask a different employee, who asked someone else, when none of them knew, they looked on the computer and it happened to be next week, I found this strange as the game was highly anticipated and well known (Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2), I suspect that a GameStation employee would have said it straight away. On the other hand I find that Game employees seem to be more friendly and always on hand to help, and will ask if you need help, unlike GameStation, where you have to wait for them to finish their conversation until you can ask them. Overall Game employees friendly people who do their job well, however are slightly game illiterate (from my experience).

Trading in Games

As I said before, Game sells pre-owned games just like GameStation and offers either cash or store credit for your games, of course crediting being worth slightly bit more. However compared to GameStation, Game is much pickier about what games they want and not, if you come in with a Ps2 game that has a slight scratch on it, there is a good chance they refuse the game, and there is somewhat strict accordance on what they except, like they outright refuse Xbox games and Ps1 games and no chance of trading in a NES or PS1 and even a Ps2 or Xbox are not excepted, like I mentioned above, they are only stock “modern” consoles and games. However by some magic turmoil, your game or console is accepted, Game will offer you a ridiculously low price for it, even if it is a brand new game only a week old with no damage or a hint of a scratch. So Game is by far the worst stores to go for a trade in, even second hand retailers offer you a better deal and they are usually trying to offer a price as low as possible.

Loyalty Card

Unlike GameStation, Game offers you a loyally card, for every £1 you spend, you get 10 points, seems good? 1000 points is worth £2.50, so you have to spend £100 to get a £2.50 discount or credit worth. I suppose it’s something and if you shop their quite a bit, you could accumulate a fair amount of points, but don’t expect to buy a Xbox 360 or Ps3 anytime soon.

Overall, Game is a store that provides you with a limited selection of games, which are mostly new at RRP prices with a very few rare deals in store. If you’re looking at getting a good deal or finding a rare game or an accessory, you won’t be in any luck here, nor will you get a good trade in on your games or consoles, however if you need some good customer service and advice and price isn’t really an issue, you should consider Game.