Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

Stuff. Not good. Not bad. Just...stuff.


Cristobal

Recommended Posts

5 hours ago, AxB said:

See Black Friday, that's supposed to be the day after Thanksgiving, right? And Thanksgiving is the last Thursday in November, yeah? Like a week today. So why in the bloody hell am I seeing adverts in the paper saying Black Friday sale starts November 16th?

Stupid imported holidays, there's no need for it. Did anyone in America set off Fireworks on Bonfire night? Did they bollocks like.

Correct you are, "Black Friday" is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving. However, merchants being merchants, the only thing that I find surprising in your post is that you haven't seen any earlier "Black Friday" sale notices. Trust me on this one, it's not at all unusual to see sale notices for the first Thursday in November.  I don't know what the scene is like on your side of the pond, but there isn't enough money in the world to induce me to go shopping on Black Friday. It's a fucking madhouse out there and I'll have no part of it. My nephew and his wife are total zombies for this shit, staying up all night so they hit the stores as soon as they open (that's another factor that hopefully hasn't made its way across the Atlantic, stores opening at ridiculous hours for Black Friday.) It used to be the crack of dawn, now the trend is to open at one minute past midnight. Fuck that shit, conspicuous consumption at its level worst makes lighting fires to celebrate the failure of Guy Fawkes and his pals blowing up the House of Lords seem quite practical.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Mike Campbell said:

I wish whoever had the power to make such decisions would just make Halloween the last Saturday of October and make Thanksgiving the last Thursday of November.

I absolutely agree with this.  It bums me out when  Halloween is in the middle of the week.  Doubly so considering late September/early October is when they go hardcore with the Christmas advertising.  Between that and stores opening on Thanksgiving it's made me largely sour on Christmas.   The only thing that helps bring any kind of Christmas spirit is seeing my nephews take part in all the fun which is nice.

I will admit to taking a perverse pleasure out of seeing people kill themselves on Black Friday.  Before they changed it years ago Best Buy would open at 4am.  For no good reason my wife and I got up early just to see the chaos.  And holy crap was it delightfully chaotic.  Not only that but as we're chilling out watching it all go down somebody comes up who was crazy/dumb enough to check it out like we were.  While we didn't need any fancy gadgets we did end up getting a few games.  Nowadays with it opening on Thanksgiving that takes the fun out it all because no way am I ditching Thanksgiving just for that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since 10 minutes in a grocery store is enough to make me extremely unpleasant to be around, I can't imagine going anywhere on black Friday.  A few years ago some of my wife's cousins were here over Thanksgiving, so they borrowed my truck to head out at 3 AM for that stupidity.  Damn thing came back full of necessities like tupperware.  Then they had to ship all that junk back to California.

Also, the source of my knowledge of Guy Fawkes:

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mean ... if you're not way too stuffed and half asleep on a couch watching football by 6pm, you're doing Thanksgiving wrong.

The thought of actually getting up and dealing with those crazy Black Friday crowds on top of that is insane to me.

(edit) that being said, I'll sure as hell sit at work Friday afternoon refreshing deals looking for crap to buy that I don't need. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How to do Black Friday shopping if you are sane:

1) Pre-Black Friday deals are nearly as good as the ones actually on the day. A couple years ago, I got a 40" 1080p TV for $200. On Black Friday, if I'd wanted it for 12 bucks cheaper, I could have subjected myself to massive crowds and lines. Instead, I showed up to Best Buy a couple weeks before, found a clerk, said "I'll take one of those" and got out of there in about 10 minutes.

2) Cyber Monday, aka Black Friday for the internet. Buy shit there, then go make a sandwich.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Black Friday is one of those things that is distinctly Not For Me, but some people enjoy it so whatever.

Starting Black Friday on Thursday so people have to work Thanksgiving is the hottest of bullshit.

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The wife and I almost always go out and run around in the middle of the night to hit the Black Friday sales.  Sometimes, we meet up with other couples.  Honestly, I kinda enjoy it.

Walked into the local Barnes and Noble today for the first time in a while and wanted to pitch a fit.  In my absence, the store decided to reorganize.  The record and DVD section which made up the back third of the store got moved forward.  CD and DVD selection seems to have been gutted.  Vinyl section is now much larger.  I can live with that.  Back of the store is now "puzzles and games" which means a wall of those Funko Pop things, Harry Potter collectibles, Dr. Who, pop culture t-shirts, etc.  Ugh.  I also noticed more bric-a-brac on tables in the aisles and the Young Adult section - which was sizable anyway - has gotten even larger.

Ehhh.... I'm of two minds about this.   I mean, on the one hand stores do what they need to get people in the doors and push merch out the doors, so can't fault them for that.  And it's not like B&N was only selling books anyways.  Their CD/DVD section and coffee shop say hi.  Still, as someone who has a valuable book collection (about 1,000 titles - mostly on running/swimming/triathlon/etc, lots of imports, lots of rare first edition, lots of signed books) and thinks e-readers are the work of the devil.... I WAS NOT PLEASED!

Next, some one will tell me EB Games has shoved their game sections to the corners so they can pile Funko Pop dolls and Hot Topic tees in the middle of the store.  Wait... wha....

(Actually, I can understand why book stores can't make a go of it just selling books these days,  I'm a lot more mystified as to why a video game store can't make a go of it these days.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Player One said:

(Actually, I can understand why book stores can't make a go of it just selling books these days,  I'm a lot more mystified as to why a video game store can't make a go of it these days.)

The same reason that book stores are having trouble. It's easier and more convenient to download.  I don't know about the PS4 or Switch, since I have the Xbox One. But, I can buy a disc and still have to wait for an installation process. And, even after doing it, the disc still needs to be inserted to pay the game. Why deal with all of that, when I can just download the whole game onto the console?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Mike Campbell said:

The same reason that book stores are having trouble. It's easier and more convenient to download.  I don't know about the PS4 or Switch, since I have the Xbox One. But, I can buy a disc and still have to wait for an installation process. And, even after doing it, the disc still needs to be inserted to pay the game. Why deal with all of that, when I can just download the whole game onto the console?

So, for current gen games, you can bypass the physical copy altogether and just pay for a digital download?  I had no idea the marketplace had gone three, though I'm not surprised.  I kinda thought that digital downloads were basically only a thing for re-releases of older games where the publisher probably didn't want to spend a lot of money on the physical discs and packaging (I can't imagine a reissue of Conker's Bad Fur Day would sell well compared to, say, Fortnite.).

As I've mentioned in the Games forum, I'm strictly a retro gamer.  The original Xbox is the most recent console i've bought and I'm currently mostly buying/playing/collecting the PlayStation/Saturn generation.  Not really up on current gaming trends. 

But, yeah, if the games market is following the movie/tv market into digital downloads, I can understand why a chain store like EB is starting to struggle. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Player One said:

The wife and I almost always go out and run around in the middle of the night to hit the Black Friday sales.  Sometimes, we meet up with other couples.  Honestly, I kinda enjoy it.

Walked into the local Barnes and Noble today for the first time in a while and wanted to pitch a fit.  In my absence, the store decided to reorganize.  The record and DVD section which made up the back third of the store got moved forward.  CD and DVD selection seems to have been gutted.  Vinyl section is now much larger.  I can live with that.  Back of the store is now "puzzles and games" which means a wall of those Funko Pop things, Harry Potter collectibles, Dr. Who, pop culture t-shirts, etc.  Ugh.  I also noticed more bric-a-brac on tables in the aisles and the Young Adult section - which was sizable anyway - has gotten even larger.

Ehhh.... I'm of two minds about this.   I mean, on the one hand stores do what they need to get people in the doors and push merch out the doors, so can't fault them for that.  And it's not like B&N was only selling books anyways.  Their CD/DVD section and coffee shop say hi.  Still, as someone who has a valuable book collection (about 1,000 titles - mostly on running/swimming/triathlon/etc, lots of imports, lots of rare first edition, lots of signed books) and thinks e-readers are the work of the devil.... I WAS NOT PLEASED!

Next, some one will tell me EB Games has shoved their game sections to the corners so they can pile Funko Pop dolls and Hot Topic tees in the middle of the store.  Wait... wha....

(Actually, I can understand why book stores can't make a go of it just selling books these days,  I'm a lot more mystified as to why a video game store can't make a go of it these days.)

That is why I patronize used book stores. Especially if I want to make those rare discoveries that put smiles on faces. I use Amazon for newer books and to shop used book dealers who sell there for anything that I'm specifically seeking, like Shakespeare Quarterly's.  I also download games, but I'm still using an xbox 360 with a 500gb hd and it doesn't take long to fill it up. I still buy discs for it and my playstation 1.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, Player One said:

 (I can't imagine a reissue of Conker's Bad Fur Day would sell well compared to, say, Fortnite.).

Fortnite has never existed in disc form. It's only ever been a downloadable game. Oh, and it's free (the Battle Royal version anyway).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Player One said:

So, for current gen games, you can bypass the physical copy altogether and just pay for a digital download?  I had no idea the marketplace had gone three, though I'm not surprised.  I kinda thought that digital downloads were basically only a thing for re-releases of older games where the publisher probably didn't want to spend a lot of money on the physical discs and packaging (I can't imagine a reissue of Conker's Bad Fur Day would sell well compared to, say, Fortnite.).

As I've mentioned in the Games forum, I'm strictly a retro gamer.  The original Xbox is the most recent console i've bought and I'm currently mostly buying/playing/collecting the PlayStation/Saturn generation.  Not really up on current gaming trends. 

But, yeah, if the games market is following the movie/tv market into digital downloads, I can understand why a chain store like EB is starting to struggle. 

Yeah, man. I only found out because I was telling my friend I was thinking about getting an Xbox One and he warned me that it's no longer 'insert disc and play game'.  Now it's 'insert disc, wait for the installation to complete and then play the game.'  But even though you spend however long waiting, you can't play the game without the disc.  When he told me that, I quoted CM Punk - "What kind of witch-doctory bullshit is that?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, AxB said:

Fortnite has never existed in disc form. It's only ever been a downloadable game. Oh, and it's free (the Battle Royal version anyway).

Physical copies of Fortnite don't exist?  I legit did not know that.  In fact, it never crossed my mind that something as big as Fortnite wasn't lining the shelves at Wal-Mart and EB Games.

In related news, Holy F***, do I feel old right now.  Stay where you are.  I'm going to go get a cloud so I can shake my fist and mumble at both you and it at the same time.

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm pretty sure there were physical copies of the game when it first launched. Otherwise someone is really making a killing selling them on eBay for 80-100 bucks.

IIRC, they discontinued pressing it fairly quickly since it was free to download.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/19/2018 at 8:17 AM, Player One said:

I remember when gamers had to walk five miles uphill - both ways - to buy a game on a CD-ROM.  

And we were glad to do it too, sonny, lemmetellyou.

 

That's bullshit and you know it. 

It was always 3+ CD-ROMs.

EDIT: And then I installed RDR2 from disc. FML we're back there. 

  • Like 1
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Brian Fowler said:

I'm pretty sure there were physical copies of the game when it first launched. Otherwise someone is really making a killing selling them on eBay for 80-100 bucks.

Possibly there were pre-release review copies of Fortnite Save the World sent out on disc. But even though it's been the most popular game in the world for a year now, it's still, to this day, in Early Access. The millions who play Fortnite Battle Royal every day are officially just beta testers helping Epic games get it ready for when it's actually finished.

nb: Fortnite is actually two games. A horde mode shooter with customisable defences, and a 1vs 99 shooting game that's distinguished from all the other generic ones by the kid-friendly aesthetic, and the building mechanics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, AxB said:

Possibly there were pre-release review copies of Fortnite Save the World sent out on disc. But even though it's been the most popular game in the world for a year now, it's still, to this day, in Early Access. The millions who play Fortnite Battle Royal every day are officially just beta testers helping Epic games get it ready for when it's actually finished.

nb: Fortnite is actually two games. A horde mode shooter with customisable defences, and a 1vs 99 shooting game that's distinguished from all the other generic ones by the kid-friendly aesthetic, and the building mechanics.

So I actually looked it up. Epic Games partnered with a company called Gearbox for a limited deluxe edition physical version. PS4 and Xbox One (PC was apparently European only)

It sold out virtually instantly, and now sells for anywhere from $80 to $450 dollars. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...