Downtown Montreal Gamestop FINALLY has Xenoblade advertising up
I was going to ask them today if they had any plans to put up posters, standees, stickers in the window, ANY kind of marketing for Xenoblade Chronicles today. Then I saw the poster in the store, so I didn’t have to. Right on.
Also, I’ve spoken with some of the nice folks who work there (in spite of all of the terrible and downright fraudulent corporate business practices, Robert and his team are great people) and they’ve confirmed that the store WILL be open on April 6th, Good Friday. You probably knew this already, but I was paranoid, so I asked anyway.
Nothing will get between Xenoblade and I, not a holiday, not even DOOM music.
I just hugged Rick Mercer.
Apparently, McGill University won this year’s Spread the Net challenge, so Rick Mercer was here for a segment of his Mercer Report, which will air on April 3rd. Needless to say, I was in the crowd, flailing my arms and busting the Caramelldansen.
I got to hug him, twice for the camera. I told him, “Let me love you.” Afterwards, some CBC dudes interviewed me about why I wanted to hug him. Who wouldn’t, right?
I don’t have any kind of digital video recorder, so I’ll have to VHS the episode when it airs. I’ll let you know how stupid I look if I made it onto the show.
>friend’s birthday is coming up
>decide to buy him a game
>due to overstock and low demand, prices on new, sealed copies are lower at Gamestop
>grudgingly go to Gamestop
>ask clerk for a new copy
>”Sure, let me check the back.”
>”Only one left is the store copy.”
>clerk picks up case from shelf with “New” sticker on it and pops a disc into it
>tries to sell me “new” game that’s not new, sealed, or wrapped
>refuse to buy “NEW” game that’s opened
>”but no one’s played it; this is the store copy”
>implying that’s the point
>go to nearest other Gamestop, about an hour away across a bridge
>get there, ask clerk dude for a new copy
>”it’s cheaper used”
>ask for a new, sealed copy SPECIFICALLY mentioning it’s a birthday gift for a friend
>”I can shrinkwrap a used copy”
>SPECIFICALLY ASK FOR A NEW, SEALED COPY
>dude tries to push “protection plan”
>say “no”
>dude continues his “protection plan” spiel
>say “no” again
>dude won’t shut up about the “protection plan”
>SAY “NO” ONE MORE GODDAMN TIME
>dude slips flyer into the bag about trade-in bullshit
>take bag and leave before he can ask me about preorder crap
>go to Future Shop
>find a game I’m looking for on the shelf
>game’s priced higher than the store’s website says it is
>ask a clerk about it
>she looks it up and tells me that yes, I’m right
>tells me that it’s actually supposed to be on liquidation, so she’ll give me 25% off the lower price
>smile and thank her
>continue browsing while she goes to speak to the cashier
>proceed to checkout
>tell cashier that the clerk told me it’s 25% off
>cashier says, “I can make that 50% if you’d like”
>gladly pay up
>thank her
>be glad I went to Future Shop
>would — make that WILL — gladly return to Future Shop later
>will keep giving Future Shop my business
FUCKING GAMESTOP
Seriously. I mean, I enjoy fraudulent business practices as much as the next guy, but this is completely ridiculous. I’m irritated beyond reason right about now. It annoys me to no end that, here in Canada, Xenoblade Chronicles will ONLY be available at Gamestop. I would really rather not give them my business, but damn, I need those Chronicles. Their pre-order artbook’d better be good.
Five buddies bailed on me, so it looks like I’m up for some singleplayer tonight. If anyone’s going tonight, I’ll be the guy dressed as a Creeper from Minecraft.
The PIXELSFEST starts tonight from 6 PM until 3 AM at La Vitrine, at the heart of Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles, right at the corner of Ste. Catherine and St. Laurent.
Get more details here and here. If you go, give me a shout when you see me. Did I mention that there’s a bar?
Just another snowy night in downtown Montreal.
Marie-Reine-du-Monde in the snow, downtown Montreal, December 28, 2011.
Because I have too much to do right now and don’t have time for a decent con report, here’s a page that has all kinds of coverage of the mini-convention on December 4th. There’s a photo of me in my Vault Suit, too, if you’re into that sorta thing.
magifox:
crunchingnumbers:
Yep, the 14 to the 16 of September, 2012, at the Palais de Congrès, which probably means it’ll be a bigger room than last time. No December or spring mini-cons this year, either. I think I’ll bust out the Creeper costume again for this one.
See you there!
BOOYEAH! 3 days, less crowding and more space! Palais de Congress is an amazing spot for a con, so hopefully things will go a lot smoother than this year!
Sounds like it! They’ve also recently announced a mini-con in December, but I forgot when it is, exactly. And where it is, for that matter. I’ll get my facts straight and make a proper post.
“PROBLEM, GOZER?”
On Halloween, I went to the screening of Ghostbusters at The Cineplex Formerly Known As The Paramount in downtown Montreal. Because it was Halloween, I brought a mask with me. Here’s a photo I got with my buddy Jessy, with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man photobombing in the background.
Yep, the 14 to the 16 of September, 2012, at the Palais de Congrès, which probably means it’ll be a bigger room than last time. No December or spring mini-cons this year, either. I think I’ll bust out the Creeper costume again for this one.
See you there!
I saw a “Free Buffet” ad outside of a strip club
“YES, THOSE ARE QUITE NICE, MA’AM, BUT WOULD YOU KINDLY PUT THEM AWAY? CAN’T YOU SEE I AM TRYING TO ENJOY A NICE AND COMPLETELY LEGITIMATE MEAL?”
Well, that didn’t go as planned.
My lower body is tired after all the walking, trying to find a white smoking jacket for a decent price for my Manny Calavera costume for the Montreal Comicon. No dice. The white blazer I bought yesterday sucks moose balls and is way too big. No hope for salvaging it.
But Village des Valeurs doesn’t do returns; only exchanges. So I now have a functional, albeit it beat-up Gamecube, which is the most recent console I own since the 360 I got as a gift is dead.
As for Manny, I think I’ll just wear a blue suit instead and make some DOD flyers.
Spent the day at the Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology exhibit at the Montreal Science Centre. Fortune and glory, kid.
Bonaventure métro station on a nondescript Saturday morning, downtown Montréal.
