GameStop

While I love nothing more than to curl up with an epic game and play for hours, days, weeks on end… the cheap bastard in me REFUSES to pay full price for new games. Oh, the brand new latest game in that series I am obsessively in love with just came out for 59.99? Great! Can’t wait to play that in 2 years when its 19.99! Enter GameStop…
It’s pretty simple, you trade in your old games for credit towards new (used) games. Of course, I’ve traded in 6 games for a whooping total of just under 5 bones for credit, but that $ 5 more than I’d have letting it sit around collecting dust. They have games for all systems here, old and new, as well as hardware, accessories, mags, network cards etc. They do have new merchandise too, if that’s your thing. I’m all about the used stuff.
The staff here are pretty cool. They will totally engage you in geeky conversation about your game choices while they competently ring you up. I was in here recently the day Gears of War 3 was released, and what a HOT MESS. But they handled it fast and with a smile.
On the down side, its always as hot as an oven in here. And, it smells like a mens locker room, don’t ask me why.

Amidst the line of gamers in wait are the disorganized shelves of tossed and dropped games. In and out of the store they go — video games on sale, for monthly promotions, or simply just for the brain consuming satisfaction that they exude when placed in a console … in which, this place also happens to sell new or used.
Prices range from five dollars to the high end one hundred dollars, but the price tags are straight forward and are based upon what exactly you are buying. An indie game developed by a non existent third party developer? three dollars. A hot game that just came out and is projected to sell like hotcakes? 60 clams. A collector’s edition? Up to 120 greenbacks out of your pocket. Sometimes this place has a selection of goodies (like bags, statues, and infrared goggles) for sale, probably taken out of those collector’s edition boxes. That selection is pretty limited in comparison to the hundreds of gamers that flock here every week.
The staff can be helpful, as long as you speak geekly and know what you’re looking for.