Gamestop/Wii Zelda Bundle

[staxx]

Earlier this week, GameStop and its subsidiary EB Games announced their online Wii preorder program. The console would only be available beginning Thursday night as part of an expensive bundle--around $699--the details of which were not made public. Given the fact the Wii costs only $249.99 on its own, many potential buyers balked at forking out close to $449 for an unknown assortment of "games and accessories."

Now, GameStop.com has revealed the contents of its Wii preorder bundle, which has a final price tag of $694.88 before tax and shipping. Besides the $250 console package--the Wiimote, Nunchuk controller, power and AV cords, sensor bar, stands, and the game Wii Sports--the bundle will contain six games: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Red Steel, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, and Madden NFL 2007.

Normally, each Wii game costs $49.99--meaning that the value of the console and six games is roughly $549.93. However, the bundle's inclusion of Twilight Princess could be an irresistible draw for those who have not yet preordered the game. According to a GameStop.com rep, the online store has "sold out of their allocation of Twilight Princess," and is no longer selling it a la carte. The rep could only speak for GameStop.com and EBgames.com, and said that gamers should contact their local retail GameStop and EB outlets to see if they had any preorder allocations of Twilight Princess remaining.

Besides the sextet of games, the GameStop Wii bundle will also include an extra Wiimote controller ($39.99) and 1.0GB Wii Memory SD Card ($59.99). The addition of the duo brings the bundle's value to $649.91--$44.97 less than its pre-tax-and-shipping price tag.

What do purchasers get for that extra cost? Two items--a 12-month product replacement plan and a 12-month "gift" subscription to Game Informer magazine. GameStop.com sells the latter for $19.98, leaving the cost of the 12-month product replacement plan--which is normally optional--at $24.99.

While the Wii bundles can be preordered on Thursday, November 9, they will not ship until Sunday, November 19.



From Gamespot:

Again don't we all LOVE Gamestop/EB

[Frica89]

whoever buys this shound get kicked in the nuts REALLY hard

[c0ldb33r]

Screw that, I plan on heading to my nearest Walmart.

Are there going to be Wii exclusive SD cards? Or will any normal SD card do the trick?

[business]

Bundles make my penis soft.

[studvicious]

That is the stupidest thing I've ever read. Do they really think people are going to buy that? And do they seriously think that people are going to have a hard time finding a copy of TP??? I'm sure you won't be able to walk into ANY store without tripping over a billion copies.

[Frica89]

Screw that, I plan on heading to my nearest Walmart.

Are there going to be Wii exclusive SD cards? Or will any normal SD card do the trick?
I think you can use any SD card, like one from a camera, for example

[Half Japanese]

Bundles make my penis soft.

Mine too.

I usually don't like to beat on dead horses anymore but it almost seems like Gamestop/EB are just trying their hardest to see how much hate they can muster from the hardcore gaming crowd. We understand that bundles make you lotsa money with minimal effort, but what's in it for us? Just the usual lies and excuses. Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart and any number of other retailers are getting the same shit they are, so what's the real incentive to buy a Wii there?

[kai123]

I am sure someone out there will buy this. If you are going to get all the stuff listed why not just get the bundle? Hardcore gamers hate bundles, I need to put that on my list. I think most people who hate on EB and Gamestop are just pissed because they can't get a job there. You don't like the bundle then don't buy it. Quit caring about how other people spend their money.

[Niku-Sama]

get your SD cards here!

http://www.pricewatch.com/flash_card_memory/secure_digital_2gb.htm

[Griking]

If you got a break by buying a bundle then I can see it being worthwile if you're going to eventually buy it all anyways. But it seems like you're paying the same for the bundle as you would if you just bought everything separately so why bother?