I did not pre-order. I just waited for today and went to the store.

First, at one store I missed getting Skyrim (PC) by less than ten minutes. They had copies for PC, and the store opened at 12:00. I was there just before 12:10. All copies gone. But oddly, there was nobody still in line, there was hardly anyone in the entire store. All the software was fully stocked, except for this hole, five or six jewel cases deep, where Skyrim had been, 9 or 10 minutes before. But I'd expect a line to still be there. So I thought well maybe it's also at an endcap or something, and I found 4 copies of Skyrim for XBoX360 just on the shelf, not reserved, and 3 just on the shelf for PS3. This was at a Target

I go to one GameStop, literally in the same mall. I can't get in the door at 12:15. I had another errand to run, and there's a Best Buy near that errand. I'm at BB at 12:30. No chance! Another GameStop is almost next door, about a mile and ahalf away

The guy at this GameStop didn't have one for me- all reserved. But he refused to accept that he couldn't find one for me, and nearby. He made some calls. Around 12:45 he tells me that a GameStop about 15 minutes away has one copy that the manager found mixed in with other titles in the boxes out in the stock room. He says that some of his stores are reporting that they were supposed to get say 12 copies and they have 10, or 9, and other stores are finding extra copies of Skyrim for various platforms in other shipments that they didn't open up yet, and they found them when they heard some were mis-routed. He tells me that they'll hold that copy for me.

So I drive to the third GameStop, and wait in line 15 minutes just to talk to them. I tell them my story, and the manager says "Did..." and I finish his sentence: "Brian send me? Yeah." And they ring me up and out I go. I have to say, they really had good service at GameStop.

But although I get it with the titles being mixed up in other shipments, it was really odd to me that at Target of all places, they had multiple copies of the game just on the shelves waiting for anyone to buy, and a five minute walk away, people were piled three deep in line at GameStop. Couldn't all be pre-order people waiting

I would have bet money that at Target, the XboX and PS3 copies would be gone like a cool breeze minutes after opening on release day, but I was 100% backwards on that guess. I find it strange.

And now, my test of self-control is over, and I'll load the game and play it now. I got home, opened it up, looked at the map, and then purposefully tortured myself with the box open, disk staring at me while I logged in and typed this up

later