Mendon

I haven't shopped at GameStop in years so I'm pretty unaware of what they have been doing regarding trade-in's and selling used items. But my son was over last night and showed me their web page for a special trade-in program they are currently running on systems. The deal: double the usual trade-in value on any system. The values are listed on this page: http://www.gamestop.com/trade-values In looking over the list, I was amazed at what GS usually offers you for your old system without this sale. Examples: a $250 PS Vita usually gets you a $50 trade-in value... that's less than the price of one new PS3 or Xbox360 game! A $350 Wii U usually gives you a $110 trade-in value. An Xbox360 Slim or PS3 Slim usually gives you an $80 trade-in value. A $199 3DS XL nets you $60. And these prices are if you take in-store credit; if you were looking for cash because you needed money, you'd receive even less. I'm not posting this to rant about GS, but I'm simply amazed that anyone would accept these values for their systems. I cannot imagine paying $250 or $300 for a system and trading in at GS for $50 or $60.

I've been wondering lately: with all the stores dropping the basic model from their shelves, and with the low sales figures of the basic model compared to the deluxe model, and with Nintendo hinting they might go with just one SKU in the future, whether or not the white basic model might become a sort of collectors item in the not too distant future. Whomever buys this system might be sitting on a bit of profit, especially at $230. Good luck with your sale!

Now that PSN is running the "Japanese Developed Game Sale", I'm picking up 5 games I've been wanting: Atelier Totori, New Little Kings Story, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ragnarok Odyssey, and Gravity Rush. I was going to wait on buying these until my "To Play" and "To Finish" stacks got a little smaller but at these prices I'm getting them now. Thanks for the link, Cimerians!! Plus more soon to be released games I'll be getting: Walking Dead (which includes the 400 Days DLC), Valhalla Knights 3, and Y's: Memories of Celceta. And it was also just announced that Duke Nukem 3D is being released for the Vita. Might be a dated game but having a portable version in all its OLED glory will be too good to pass up. Its been a great time for me to pick up a Vita!

Moycon must has gotten the last one as it now shows up as "Unavailable Online".

Rumor has it that next week MS is backtracking on the name Xbox One and changing it to PS4.

I'll never be able to play a Super Mario game with the same look of enjoyment after watching this video...... LOL http://youtu.be/Qo4LckNc-mo

I have the Mario Kart channel installed and used to get regular updates on new challenges and trials but I haven't had a MK Channel update in several months now. I believe the online mode is still working for MK (I played online about 3 weeks ago) but it seems that the channel itself isn't supported any more.

Amazon has both pink & blue nunchuks. They are generic but for about $6 each they might be worth a try. Pink: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NT9WU8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=atariage&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004NT9WU8&linkCode=as2 Blue: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042VV5DY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=atariage&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0042VV5DY&linkCode=as2

I'm of the belief that if the Wii U launched alongside the PS4 & Xbox One then price point wouldn't be a major issue since its the cheapest of the three consoles. And with the list of games I provided in my original post (I forgot to include Sonic & Splinter Cell & Deus Ex and probably a couple others) alongside the console launch, lack of games wouldn't be a major point either. As far as defining what the Wii U is, I don't see any more clarification by Sony & MS on reasons to buy their PS4 or Xbox One. Being able to yell at my TV rather than use a remote? Doesn't seem to be a reason to me. The new systems play better games? With the lineup of games upcoming for PS3 and Xbox360... Saints Row, Grand Theft Auto, Diablo, Call of Duty, Madden 25, Batman, Beyond Two Souls, Payday 2, Battlefield 4, etc etc etc... both MS & Sony will have to do a lot better than their respective launch lineups to entice me to spend $500 and $400 respectively. More online features? I already have online multiplayer and app's up the wazoo so I don't see that as a reason. I've said it before and I'll say it again... I think the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One are going to be very, very interesting as we may find out that it isn't just the Wii U but that ALL console gaming isn't the money make it was a few years ago.

There is a demo of Zombie U on the eShop that you should check out. It will give you a good feel for gameplay, atmosphere, graphic's, and more.

Did you, or anyone else who bought the game, get the free ArtWorks book that was available? While I don't have the game yet, I have a copy of the book and its really, really nice.

I have never heard of this game; was it a physical release or downloadable?

When Nintendo released the 3DS, everyone was saying it was a failure, that no one would buy the system and $40 games when they had a cell phone or tablet and 99cent games. A quick price cut and a steady stream of quality 3DS titles made the experts wrong as sales improved each & every month, with the 3DS being the highest selling system for each of the last three months. Cell phones and tablets do have an effect but are not the deciding factor when it comes to sales of dedicated gaming systems. As with the "Build it and they will come" refrain from Field of Dreams, put out high quality games that people WANT on a regular basis and they will buy. With more big titles coming out this holiday season and with the approach of Smash Bros. and Mario Kart early next year along with, I'm sure, the announcement of a Zelda and Metroid for later 2014, the Wii U may be ready to pull a repeat of the 3DS.

... the Wii U launched THIS November instead of last November. And on the shelves along with the console would be games currently out and out this holiday season, making the launch lineup look something like this: Pikmin 3 Wonderful 101 Donkey Kong Tropical Super Mario Bros. U Zelda Wind Waker Lego City Resident Evil Revelations Super Luigi U Rayman Legends Assassins Creed IV Watch Dog's Zombie U Call of Duty Ghosts And suppose that 3rd party companies, instead of releasing ports of Batman, Mass Effect, Batman 2, Spiderman, etc like they did last November, released Madden 25, FIFA 14 and other titles that are currently skipping the Wii U because of low sales. Given all the above, do you still think the Wii U would be having a sales problem like they currently are experiencing? Would having a solid lineup of games, like the ones listed above, make consumers stop and consider which console they purchased?

Yeah, I was really upset when my original launch 60gb went YLOD. I had it repaired at a shop and babied it when I got it back but it failed again about 8months later. The other PS3 that YLOD was my Limited Edition Gun Metal Gray Metal Gear 40gb system. That one didn't even have many hours on it as it was just a backup system, but the 40gb up and went YLOD on me one day. (In fact, my Valkyria Chronicles disk is still in there and I can't get it out unless I open the system up) I didn't do much PS3 gaming for quite some time after the 40gb died but finally bought the Uncharted 3 bundle when it was released and so far haven't had any problems. I have a dedicated Blu-ray player (cost much less than a PS3) for movies to also avoid additional wear & tear on the PS3.

ACK... I did it again, in that I posted the wrong game title. I meant Totori Plus. But I didn't know that Meruru was releasing or that Rorona might be in development. Thanks for the info!!!

Nah, just a guy who has gone thru the YLOD on two PS3's.

While browsing Amazon this morning, I gave my first actual look at what will be included in the soon to be released Disney game Infinity. I was surprised not only at pricing but at how many different items will be available: Starter Set: $75 Figures: $13 ea Power Disks: $5 per 2 pack Add on Sets $30 - $40 ea Portal Protectors, Disk Protectors, Extension Cords for the Portal, and much, much more. The first Skylanders was extremely successful, but I don't believe Skylanders Giants was anywhere near as popular. And with Skylanders Swap Force releasing close to the same time as Infinity, along with the upcoming Pokemon Rumble U with a starting set of 18 collectable figures, there is going to be some major competition. Just curious what you think... Will Infinity (or Swap Force or Pokemon, for that matter) be successful this holiday season or has this genre of gaming wore out its popularity? Edit: just looked at the Amazon listing for Skylanders Swap Force and learned that even if you own the original Skylanders or Giants games, you still have to buy the Swap Force Starter Pack for $75 as "its a new portal with new technology".

Thanks for the suggestions! From the reviews, videos, and comments by Cimerians, Dragons Crown appears to be a must buy for me, but now I have to decide on the Vita or PS3 version....sigh, decisions, decisions. I think my son has Digaea 3 and also Soul Sacrifice and I'll have to check and see if I can borrow them after I've finished Persona. I'm also going to download New Little King's Story and Atelier Meruru Plus: The Alchemist of Arland 3 as soon as I buy a bigger memory stick. If anyone here has already played either, I'd appreciate any comments.

I didn't think of it until your post.... I have a PSP speaker stand by Logic that allows you to sit the PSP in it, charge it, and the stereo speakers produce pretty good sound. I'll have to check and see if the Vita will work with it. Thanks for the info!!

I'm going to eventually get this but have too many games in my "To Play" pile to add another title at this time. But I have to say Thank God for Atlus & Xseed , who both keep me addicted to gaming and out of bars.

Thanks much, everyone, for the info; much appreciated. And I mis-posted the title of the game... it wasn't Battlefield 3 but Hitman Absolution, which clocks in at 16.2gb. Not sure if I'm going to download it or not as I got to thinking that I'd prefer any wear & tear hours on my PS3 be spent on actual gaming rather than downloading. Since the game has fallen to $20, I think I can wait a bit more to play it and buy it when it falls even farther in price.

On the Xbox360, once I've selected a game to download from the store, I can then turn my Xbox system off and the game will continue to download and be ready for me the next time I turn on the system. Since I own a PS3 I should know this but I don't.... does the PS3 also do this or do I have to leave the system on until the download is finished??? Only reason I ask is because I'm thinking of downloading Battlefield 3 for free using PS Plus but its a huge file and I hate to leave the system running that long. Thanks in advance for any info!!

Thanks to everyone for your game suggestions, especially the mini's. I did a screen print of your posts and will keep the list at hand for future purchases. Right now, my time is being eaten up totally with Persona 4 Gold and PJM Ultimate but a couple of your suggestions sound really, really good. Thanks again!!

As a update, the guy with the Playstation 3D display sent me an Email that he would drop his price to $100 and I grabbed it. Monitor itself is in excellent condition with no scratches and no burnt out pixels. Came complete with HDMI cord, 1 pair of glasses with charging cable,Titanic 3D movie, box, & paperwork. I quickly hooked up my PS3 to it and found that the display is very, very nice and much better than either our Vizio or Samsung HD TV's. I find it to be very crisp and clear, though I'll probably play with settings for awhile looking for the best display possible. Sound is also much better than our other TV's but its still TV speakers that will need to be replaced with a good sound bar or amp. After getting it set up, it was time to try some 3D so I fired up Super Stardust HD... whoa, I was immediately impressed with how great the game looked and the 3D effect when pieces of the asteroids flew off the screen into my face when I blew them up. An impressive first start. After playing Stardust for a bit, I threw in Uncharted 3 and again, the 3D looked excellent to me, though the display appeared a bit darker than playing it in 2D (again, I'll have to play with settings). Finally, it was time to try a movie and I threw in Titanic. Maybe not a good selection to achieve a "WOW" reaction to the 3D, but the movie did look very nice and the 3D effect was well done. The wife tried it out and an hour later she was still sitting there watching it. So far, I'm very, very impressed with the unit and I'm not sure if its because this is my first time playing around with & experiencing 3D in the home or whether the 3D is just that good. But for now, I don't regret my purchase and I am enjoying it. Even if I never use the 3D feature again, its still a nice monitor with a very, very good display.