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Thread: Bought a $50 Game from GameStop, Didn't Try It until Two Months Later, Game Doesn't Work, What Now?

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    Angry Bought a $50 Game from GameStop, Didn't Try It until Two Months Later, Game Doesn't Work, What Now?

    I bought Super Smash Bros. Melee for GameCube from GameStop Online in November for my video game convention. When SSBM arrived in the mail, I was aghast: though the game cost $50, it was disc-only (*sigh*) and scratched so badly on both the top and the bottom of the disc that both sides looked like a pile of spider webs. This condition was even after a disc-resurfacing which I could tell happened due to the paint in the middle of the top of the disc being worn off from the resurfacer that GameStop used. However the convention got delayed from November until January, and the Wii hardware which we were going to use for the convention was stored away with all the other convention materials in storage tubs in a shed surrounded by snow and ice, so I had no practical way to try the game to make sure it worked. Furthermore I figured that since GameStop guarantees its merchandise that it would hopefully work despite its poor appearance.

    During the day of the convention the fighting tournament starts. Our Wii runs Sonic Gems Collection (GameCube) just fine and people are able to play Sonic The Fighters. Later it is time for another tournament and so I go to start SSBM. The Wii won't recognize it. Oh no. I try it again and get the same story. I try cleaning the disc with a lens cleaning cloth and try again. Still nothing. I try changing the orientation of the Wii to sideways. It recognizes the game. I try booting it. The game fails to boot with the console giving a "couldn't read it" error message. We try again a few more times, trying different orientations and cleanings from the Wii's drive to the disc itself, but all to no avail. Sometimes the console recognizes the game and will try to boot it; other times it won't recognize the game as a GameCube disc at all.

    A year or two ago I had also bought Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up from a local seller. TMNT: Smash Up was also scratched up but not nearly as badly. So I tried to boot that game as a substitution. However, while it would sometimes boot, it would also fail back to the Wii's menu either during the splash logos, the opening video, or during the game's main menu. We eventually surrendered and played a different SSB game for a different console.

    But if my copy of Sonic Gems Collection for GameCube was in nearly perfect condition and booted just fine, it wouldn't have been the Wii's laser or drive, right? All of the other games we ran on there from the Wii's SD card and a USB drive worked perfectly too, so it isn't the core Wii hardware that is at fault either, right?

    So what should I do? GameStop only guarantees its games for return for cash / credit / refund for seven days and for exchange for thirty days and it is well past those time-frames now.

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    It might be possible that the Wii is more sensitive to scratches than the GameCube, and it's also possible that the Wii isn't reading discs as well as it used to. It's hard to say. But given the appearance of the disc and the fact that the Wii can play other games, I'd say it fair grounds for a return/exchange. But if you're outside of their time frames, you may be out of luck. I suppose it's worth contacting customer support and explaining the situation. Maybe they'll make an exception.

    Buying used games from GameStop is really a crapshoot. It's safer to assume you'll get loose copies and just be happily surprised if you receive any packaging. Assume the worse with condition too. eBay isn't without its own frustrations, but unless GameStop offers a great deal, I'd always recommend eBay for buying used games over GameStop.com.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Aussie2B View Post
    It might be possible that the Wii is more sensitive to scratches than the GameCube
    I know my Wii will play very scratched up gamecube games just fine but has trouble reading slightly scratched Wii games. I've had good luck in the past taking them to a local video rental store with a nice machine that polishes them back to looking as good as new.
    "Game programmers are generally lazy individuals. That's right. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Since the dawn of computer games, game programmers have looked for shortcuts to coolness." Kurt Arnlund - Game programmer for Activision, Accolade...

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    Peach (Level 3) Koa Zo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nz17 View Post
    So what should I do?
    Take this as a $50 mistake and lesson to never shop from GameStop again.

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    Strawberry (Level 2) sfchakan's Avatar
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    Always.

    Always. Always. Always check packages when they come in. You can crack it open, test it, and then let it sit aside for two months.

    It's too late now for this one.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nz17 View Post
    So what should I do? GameStop only guarantees its games for return for cash / credit / refund for seven days and for exchange for thirty days and it is well past those time-frames now.
    Buy another copy from Gamestop and return the defective one. Really you should have tested it out right away as you saw it looked like garbage, either find someone else with a Wii/Gamecube or bring it to a game store as a trade in and ask to try it first because you're not sure if it still works, and just don't trade it in after testing it.

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    got any pics? i'd like to see this.

    still need a copy?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gameguy View Post
    Buy another copy from Gamestop and return the defective one. Really you should have tested it out right away as you saw it looked like garbage, either find someone else with a Wii/Gamecube or bring it to a game store as a trade in and ask to try it first because you're not sure if it still works, and just don't trade it in after testing it.
    This is what I'd suggest.

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