Be Excellent To Each Other

After about 30 failed attempts, I got through to my local ASDA.

"Hi, I'm hoping to get GTA IV at midnight, are you opening for any sales then? I haven't pre-ordered, I'm just hoping."
"We do have a limited stock available, which will be made available as a first-come, first-served availability."
"Oh, cool. Okay. Could you maybe tell me how many *inexplicable small laugh*, like a dozen, two dozen, fifty...?"
"We do have a limited stock available, which will be made available as a first-come, first-served availability."
"Ah. *sympathetically* Have you had a lot of calls about this today then?"
"You're the second so far. So, we do have a limited stock avail..."
"Okay, thanks very..."
"...first-served availability."
"Great, thanks."
*click*

I've highlighted what bothers me about that call (that I made not ten minutes ago).

Are there any actual playable demos for this yet? I might get it if it's as good as the bbc hype article makes out but not right away - it'll come down in price quickly as Halo 3 has done (on Ebay at least).

I've not completed any of them, but that's because I'd rather have my eyes impaled on rusty nails* than have to play** through the awful, and usually infuriating missions any more than I have to.

I'd play through exactly the number of missions they force you to do to get all the islands unlocked and then I was off doing my own thing which is what I wanted to do in the first place.

Yet despite all this I absolutely love GTA games, purely for the do-whatever-you-want aspect. I only wish there was a cheat so I didn't have to touch the missions at all.

* Not actually true, but close

** and play again and again, usually due to the auto-aim locking on to pacifist old ladies when surrounded by several dozen armed police trying to kill me.

III, Vice City and San Andreas a couple of times each (once alone and then once with my other half, taking it in turns to do missions). Currently on the third island of Liberty City Stories and yet to start Vice City Stories, despite having planned to finish both before starting GTA IV. (That is not going to happen.)

I've tried going back to GTA I and II, but they just don't do it for me.

I'm going to go out and buy this at midnight. What the hell, I've never been to a midnight launch before, plus I have to go to Asda and do a food shop anyway. I've put the food shop off a couple of hours, I'll head down at 11, grab the stuff, get GTA IV on the way out.

Is that the non-geek way to buy a game the minute it's launched? Pass it off as a whimsical "oh I might as well get it whilst I'm out"?

I SEE THROUGH YOU

Haven't you left yet? You might have underestimated the number of sweating, podgy men who live in Crossy and might try and beat you to the punch. And buy several copies, and leave all but one still wrapped.

Hah. I can't claim that I didn't rearrange shopping, and I'd certainly normally be in bed at midnight on a weeknight, so I certainly going to some lengths. I didn't really want the game much until all the 10/10s started popping up over the weekend and I realised my entire freaking friends list is going to be whooping it up in 15 player multiplayer giggles for weeks to come. I'd resolved to go get it in the morning, but there's the small chance that Asda will have sold out by the time I get there, and as I had to go shopping tonight anyway just going a bit later than normal seemed like a good plan. Plus, as I've said, I've literally never been to a midnight launch; I nearly got a Wii on launch day, but didn't, and regretted it afterward. It's kinda something I'd like to do once.

Good god man, I know you're American and all, but you've been in Wales long enough! The first words you ever said to me were in Welsh FFS! "Croesy" as in "Croesyceiliog". Bah.

Also, it's the chavs from Coed Eva and suchlike that'll be buying it, but they probably favour the PeeEssTriple over the Xbox anyway.

You git, I deliberated for ages on whether to write it 'properly' Croesy or just 'Crossy'.

Live update! From Asda Cwmbran!

Just joined the queue, having done my shopping. I reckon there's 50ish people in front of me - busier than I expected. They're handing out tickets, though, so my copy is safe, though it might take a while to get served!

50 people queuing... in Cwmbran?

Good job I pre-ordered then, I dread to think what it's like in Shrewsbury.

Easily 150 people in my Tesco. Luckily I arrived on time

fucks sake

Asda = 20 copies each system, ticketed, sold out

Tesco = unknown, but around 200 in queue, sold out with still a massive queue ahead

I quit, I didnt want it anyway...and I have other stuff to be doing*




*like rushing to town at 7am

You like bananas?

How do you like THEM bananas? My Asda had 40 copies on each system, 50 or so people infront of me in the queue, 30 or so behind. Most sales were 360 and they are likely to be sold out tonight or have a very few left tomorrow.

Lost shee...




I'M SORRY. I had no choice, they made me. THEY MADE ME!

I'm gonna pick up my copy at my leisure in a week or so's time. Let's hope the gameplay doesn't magically wash away between now and then, eh?

OOOOOOH it's good!

Just so everyone knows:

I haven't read this thread, BUT, anyone who does/did the following:

* got excited about a game
* done a midnight launch line-up thingy

I now officially hate.

That is all.

I didn't pre-order. I'm reviewing the game and Jolt weren't given a copy. I HAD NO CHOICE. Was fun, though.

Got mine! Got to my local ASDA for about 11, didn't realise a ticket was required. Fortunately almost nobody had, and one mad bout of everyone shouting 'WAIT HERE AND I WILL GET US BOTH ONE' rose up all around when the news went around. Followed a minute or two later by 'YOU HAVE TO GO TOO YOU CAN'T GET MORE THAN ONE '. It was quite fun. I'm fucking glad that I picked up Total Film on the way to the queue. Reading about Indy IV & Ironman is good. Spending most of the queue by the loos, is bad. Now I'm er, going to bed!

Pansy! Get on and give it a go. Then, play multi with me!

I dunno man, I'm wiped. I might be along tonight, but I doubt it. I'm not a young man like you.

What is the point? Seriously. I don't understand it. You've got the game....

but a) when are you first actually going to play it, properly like
b) does it really matter if x amount of people play it before you?

or do games dimish over time? After all, as I overheard someone say today:
"It's a map from Call of Duty 2, so of course it's going to be shit. Map making techniques were as advanced back then".

Yeah, so that's why noone constantly remakes Goldeneye levels?
Anyway: I hate you all.

Erm. I've got the game yes, because I wouldn't get it for another week otherwise. And I'm at home tomorrow, have the day off on Thursday, but next week will be shite for work. So that's why I went and did what I had to do so as to have it available for tomorrow morning and the rest of the week

I'm taking my copy back today, it offers little in the way of improvement or innovation over San Andreas and has become quite boring, quite quickly.

3/10

if its 360 ill buy it off you

At risk of Pod hating me forever I went down Blockbusters to pick up my copy last night and then played until my eyes blurred. It is very good.

9.72582582/10

Yes, confirmation is in. I do indeed hate you all.

how soon will the shops get new stock do you reckon?

I'll pop out at lunch, but don't hold much hope of getting it, which isn't a problem, as I'm flat out working at the moment, but I'd like to play it over the weekend. Will the shops have it back in stock by Friday?

I would sell it on but I had a nagging feeling that I'd be underwhelmed by it, so I kept my receipt, shrink wrap and bag and plan to swap it for a nice iMac I've had my name attached to since yesterday afternoon, 45 pounds and I can relish in the fast and reliable world of OS 9 and if I'm not going to be playing Doom 3 anytime soon, OS X.

A bargain really, they're going on eBay for 75 to 90 pounds.

Mine's just arrived!

Ooooooh! That bodes well for HMV-related orderage.

Come ON, Mr. Postman!

Proof!

Are you all responsible for live spazzing out last night?

I kept getting 'couldn't retrieve game data' messages trying to play live arcade stuff.

Said Dimrill after much cunning cardboard, scissors and paste mock-up malarky.

I just had to collar my postman at the bottom of my street and quiz him on the contents of his sack.

But I now have it in my greasy mitts.

However, because doing so would make me look like a twunt, I'm not going to take a photo of myself holding the game box for proof. I mean, what's the point in that, huh? I can't actually play it until tonight anyway (damn work) but never mind, eh chums?

Demand photo!

I noticed you weren't on, I was going to send you lots of messages about how great GTA4 is too, just so you didn't feel left out.

I'd like to see a photo of it.

Can anyone take a photo of themselves with the Ltd Ed versh?

x

You'd have to ask them. I'm sure I read somewhere (GamesIndustry.biz perhaps) that it could be a week -- and when I asked the bloke in Game yesterday, he said that their entire first shipment was allocated to pre-orders and they didn't know when they would be getting more.

I gave up, after trying to finish a level of Doom. It froze 4 times on the mission complete screen.

Ended up sloping off to finish all the 50cc Mario Kart GPs, and had a crack at the time trials.

Last night was bitter sweet for me, the highlight being the addition of 2 bottles of Morgans Spiced in the shopping (2 for £20!).

We were going to drive past Blockbusters last night to egg you and the geeks.

Websites I perused yesterday, suggested it might be next Monday before there's more stock available to most retailers.

I very nearly took a trip out to Tesco last night at about midnight to take photos of the crowds there. I'm assuming they were pretty big. I really just don't get queuing for anything except life-saving surgery

STOP ABUSING THE COMMA.

Also - GTA4 looks very good. I may now have to buy a 360. Deffo. Unless it's available on PC? *checks* No. Boo.

I agree by and large. I made an exception this time because I've never done a midnight launch and thought it might be fun to get swept along in the mob. I won't be hurry to do it again, it wasn't that much fun. On the other hand if I hadn't got it last night it looks like I wouldn't be getting it until next week, and it would be a scramble then, so it wasn't a waste of time. I queued for about 35 minutes all told, but I did spend it on the phone to a mate walking him through jailbreaking his iPhone so it didn't feel like wasted time.

If you had then you would probably have been hunted down by fifty PS3 owning chavs on mopeds. It was quite odd, there wasn't a typical gaming nerd in sight.

I bet it's rubbish.

Don't worry Paul, so far it looks fucking rubbish *sniggers* And it controls like a dog *suppressed giggle* The voice acting is terrible *hngnngngnhg* and the lip sync is awful