When I'm on my computer with nothing to do I usually end up browsing the Gamefaqs.com forums. (Yeah, crucify me why don't you) Yesterday I was looking to bitch about those god damn ninja dogs in chapter 3 of Ninja Gaiden II (GAH! I hate them so much!) and went to the Ninja Gaiden II forum, obviously. On the front page I saw one topic called Screw your bull****, Gamestop!. I thought to myself "Oh christ, I know what this is going to be." Wouldn't you know it, I was right, it was someone bitching about how their Gamestop didn't have Ninja Gaiden II on the 3rd. Here is what "OmegaMage187" had to say on the topic:

So yesterday (June 3), I go to Gamestop to pick up my copy of NG2, because June 3 is the release date. They tell me that they don't have it because they say the release date is just the shipping date for it. While I call bs on that (when Halo 3's release date came around, did anyone not get it because it was just getting shipped? No... in fact they had them a day before so you could pick it up on midnight!), I can kind of see where they are coming from.

Was about to leave today to go grab it, but something in my head said to call. Well, just got off the phone and guess what? They tell me that they won't get it until late tonight at the earliest, and Friday at the latest!

**** you, Gamestop.

First off, lets look at something. This is a screen shot from the Gamestop site that clearly should resolve any issues that people bitch about in topics like this.



Lets click on it just for shits and giggles



Oh, would you look at that, a completely legit explanation of the difference between a ship date and street date. Imagine that, all answers can be had right there with a single click. Too bad Mr. OmegaMage187 and many other forum creepers don't get this.

Later on in the topic I believe people start bitching about the same shit and how Gamestop had Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV on the days listed on their site. (It could of been a separate topic about the same thing, I can't remember) At this point I just had to but in and point out the obvious reasons why that happened, mainly because Halo and Grand Theft Auto are household names and are both recognized in most forms of media. Both Halo 3 and GTA IV were media events when they launched, Ninja Gaiden II, not so much it's just a game. So with phenomenons in video games, of course stores are going to have the game THE DAY that its listed first available, this is because the game is shipped weeks in advance. I remember walking into my Gamestop and seeing them unload their GTA IV copies a week before launch. Other games like Ninja Gaiden II and pretty much 99% of everything else is shipped on the day where it says first available. Yes, some Gamestops get them that day, and that doesn't help people on the internet who are bitching and fail to realize that the people who got the game's Gamstop is probably near a shipping warehouse.



In the end, I think that Gamestop/EB and any other store that has been a "victim" to this kind of bullshit gets way too much crap. Yeah some of their employees here and their can be condescending dickheads, but thats not the store's fault. The fact is they're always going to get the game you want a day later (except the high profile releases) than it says on the website, and you'd think people would fucking learn from this. The only problem I have EVER had with Gamestop was the Gears of War release not getting there on the street date, but that was a whole eastern thing due to FedEx literally not picking up half the east coast's shipment, so Gamestop was not at fault.

This shit happens every single time a new game comes out, there is ALWAYS someone bitching about how their gamestop didn't get it in and how they're a bunch of assholes. No they're not keeping the game for themselves, but they can't sell it to you because THEY DON'T FUCKING HAVE IT.

When will people learn?