Midnight Release Veterans : V

» Tue May 08, 2012 3:21 pm

This will be my first midnight release. I live in a city with a pop of 180k and there are at least 4 midnight releases (all EB Games). What time do you think I should get there at?

» Tue May 08, 2012 5:56 pm

They start at 10:00pm. So if it's a large city of that size I suggest anytime after 9:00pm.

Best of luck!

» Tue May 08, 2012 9:12 pm

I work at a Gamestop and how we do it is, is you come in during evening and we give you a finalized receipt and depending on if the company sends us merchandise, we give out raffle tickets and start giving people merchandise. At 12am the doors are open and you just stand in line and trade out your receipt for your game. As for what time you should go, I would just call the store and ask them what kind of a line they are expecting. They usually have a pretty good idea of how many copies they have paid off.

» Tue May 08, 2012 7:30 pm

I work at a Gamestop and how we do it is, is you come in during evening and we give you a finalized receipt and depending on if the company sends us merchandise, we give out raffle tickets and start giving people merchandise. At 12am the doors are open and you just stand in line and trade out your receipt for your game. As for what time you should go, I would just call the store and ask them what kind of a line they are expecting. They usually have a pretty good idea of how many copies they have paid off.

Do you mean go in before store hours close and get the finalized receipt?

» Tue May 08, 2012 1:45 pm

Do you mean go in before store hours close and get the finalized receipt?

If we are closed then we let people in in groups to get their finalized receipts.

*edit* The whole thing is just to minimize us using a register to give you your game so the line flows fast. Just one simple and quick exchange and you are going to be running your happy ass home to play Skyrim!

» Tue May 08, 2012 10:36 pm

If you go at 10pm for a 12pm release, I think you'll be wasting your time. I live in a town of 500k, and the last, and I do mean last, midnight release I went to was for Red Dead Redemption. I waited in line for 5 minutes with hardly any line. I also went to the MW2 release (the last MW game I've played) and the people at the end of the line were waiting for maybe one hour. It's just hard to tell. I don't even bother with midnight releases anymore. I'm too tired to really enjoy the game that late anyway. I'd rather pick it up the next morning after drinking some coffee and have a leisurely and not so tired day of playing. That's just me though...

» Wed May 09, 2012 1:18 am

If we are closed then we let people in in groups to get their finalized receipts.

So what time do you recommend going at?

» Tue May 08, 2012 1:07 pm

Actually you can go in at 10 PM and finalize it. I got a text message from them today saying that. I'd be there around 9-9:30 to pay it off and get the guide (if you pre-ordered it) and people will slowly start lining up. I met some pretty cool people at the MW3 release. Had a blast.

» Tue May 08, 2012 3:39 pm

^ I wondered about this as well

» Tue May 08, 2012 3:05 pm

I think I'm just going to phone them tomorrow and see what's up.

» Tue May 08, 2012 3:35 pm

So what time do you recommend going at?

It varies. Here where I am, there is a small game population. Even for a large game like Starcraft 2, there weren't more than 20 people at the midnight release, so there isn't much reason to go before 11. If you lived in a city or a big town, I would say get there at 10ish, it's fun to talk to all the people there and get hyped up.

» Tue May 08, 2012 3:34 pm

I would say an hour or so beforehand. They can be a lot of fun depending on the crowd.

I went with a friend for Halo Wars (he was buying, I was company) and I bought a giant cookie tray from a dollar store down the street and got 5 or 6 people to play Frisbee with us in the parking lot while we waited. :disguise:

» Tue May 08, 2012 1:51 pm

Really the only benefit to a midnight release (besides getting the game just that little bit earlier, of course) is for the people. If you get a really chill group of dedicated gamers with you, it can be a great experience. I've only ever been to one other midnight release and, for the most part, it was a really nice time (despite it being about -5).

» Tue May 08, 2012 1:44 pm

I work at a Gamestop and how we do it is, is you come in during evening and we give you a finalized receipt and depending on if the company sends us merchandise, we give out raffle tickets and start giving people merchandise. At 12am the doors are open and you just stand in line and trade out your receipt for your game. As for what time you should go, I would just call the store and ask them what kind of a line they are expecting. They usually have a pretty good idea of how many copies they have paid off.

I have a question, I already paid mine off, will I still need to get a finalized receipt? I didn't know how it worked so I WAS gonna show up ten or fifteen minutes before Midnight. Will I not be able to do the latter? I live in a small town, population anywhere from 30.000 to 50.000 and my gamestop has around 200 pre-orders. Thanks

Edit I meant small county of 30.000-50.000

» Tue May 08, 2012 11:13 am

Really the only benefit to a midnight release (besides getting the game just that little bit earlier, of course) is for the people. If you get a really chill group of dedicated gamers with you, it can be a great experience. I've only ever been to one other midnight release and, for the most part, it was a really nice time (despite it being about -5).

Well I've got 4 of my friends going with me so it will be pretty chill no matter what. And literally (-6 degrees Celcius is the prediction). That's really not very bad for where I live, but I'm not quite in the swing of winter yet.

» Tue May 08, 2012 3:19 pm

I'm going to walk into Walmart at 11:50, wait in line for 10 minutes and get the game...be playing it at my house by 12:30 8)

» Wed May 09, 2012 12:05 am

I have a question, I already paid mine off, will I still need to get a finalized receipt? I didn't know how it worked so I WAS gonna show up ten or fifteen minutes before Midnight. Will I not be able to do the latter? I live in a small town, population anywhere from 30.000 to 50.000 and my gamestop has around 200 pre-orders. Thanks

Edit I meant small county of 30.000-50.000

Yes, you will still need to get a finalized receipt.

» Tue May 08, 2012 11:13 am

As a GameStop employee... get there at 10 if you don't care when you are in line. If you care about being one of the first few, get there earlier.

» Tue May 08, 2012 3:00 pm

Yes, you will still need to get a finalized receipt.

Ok thanks

.

» Wed May 09, 2012 2:59 am

As a GameStop employee... get there at 10 if you don't care when you are in line. If you care about being one of the first few, get there earlier.

As a non-GameStop employee... If you don't mind me saying you're very pretty! Anyways.... Here is my only question, can I or can I not show up at 11:30 11:45?

» Tue May 08, 2012 11:25 pm

I don't understand how they work because I've never been to one. You have to have pre-ordered the game? I just reserved a copy at the store.

» Tue May 08, 2012 3:46 pm

You can, if you want to annoy us poor retail workers

Plus you'll have to wait for everyone else that has finalized receipts and will be at the back of the line.

» Tue May 08, 2012 2:23 pm

I go about 11:30. GameStop has it worked out, so it's pretty quick even if you get there close to midnight. I'm going to do Best Buy at 11 ish this time. I did the Arkham city release a couple weeks ago, and got there at 11:30, maybe 10th in line. By the time we were buying the game, there were about 60 people. It was fine.

» Tue May 08, 2012 1:50 pm

You can, if you want to annoy us poor retail workers

Plus you'll have to wait for everyone else that has finalized receipts and will be at the back of the line.

The manager at my GameStop can be a jerk anyways

I can't go until at least 11:30 when my sister gets home because I need to watch my dog, who will be getting fixed in the morning... Poor boy

» Tue May 08, 2012 8:56 pm

Yes, you will still need to get a finalized receipt.

i dont get it. i paid in full this afternoon and ive got a receipt and phone number to prove it. whats the extra fuss about?