I adore my local Blockbusters. It allows me to indulge my insatiable appetite for games without leaving me destitute. As the lucrative run up to Christmas approaches, publishers are releasing a slew of must-play titles. November 2011 has been heralded as the greatest month in videogame history. Hardly surprising when you consider the mind blowing line-up: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Saints Row: The Third, The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
As these games slowly trickle into retail stores I become acutely aware of my lack of funds. Thankfully, Blockbuster helps take the fiscal sting out of my gaming needs. And that’s because I can rent them - £5 for 5 nights. And here’s a tip: when the guy behind the counter asks if you’d prefer £7 for 7 nights, politely decline. Always opt for the £5 deal. Why? Because of Blockbuster’s brilliant ‘no more late fees’ policy. If, upon returning your overdue game, you purchase another rental, your late fee will be wiped. I’ve returned games after ten days and incurred no penalty whatsoever. It’s fantastic value for money.
Better yet, should you decide you want to purchase the game, Blockbuster will knock off the rental price you’ve already spent. The only downside comes with titles like Battlefield 3, which requires a code to access the multiplayer. These special passes only come bundled with games that are purchased, not rented. Still, if like me you only want to sample the single player campaign (which incidentally is total garbage) it’s a cheap way to do so.
There are some pretty sweet pre-order deals to take advantage of too. American patrons were offered a free month of movie and game rentals for pre-ordering Batman Arkham City. I decided to pre-order Halo Anniversary from Blockbusters because of the £25 voucher that comes bundled with the game.
In 1987, Blockbuster won a court case against Nintendo of America, which paved the way for the rental of videogames. Ever since that day the lives of hard-up gamers around the world have improved. Cheers Blockbuster.
Realted article: Blockbuster: Publishers giving “an awful lot of support” to boost rental over pre-owned.
I'm in the U.S. (Florida). There aren't any Blockbusters in my town anymore. In fact, every video game rental store in the area has shut down. It sucks because the only option for rentals is Redbox which has a VERY limited selection of games.
ReplyDeleteI'd give anything to be able to rent games again.
@Jamie
ReplyDeleteMan, that sucks. I'd be lost without the ability to rent games. It's such a shame that the number of Blockbuster stores is dwindling. I guess it's just an inevtable part of the digital download era. I feel your pain Jamie, I really do.
Just returned from my local Blockbuster with Goldeneye and my pre-order for Modern Warfare 3 down (for review purposes).
ReplyDeleteThat's a great offer! I'm guessing 5 nights is the shortest you can hire for? I need to move to England!
ReplyDeleteI live in Australia by the way :)
@Jacob
ReplyDeleteYup, it's a 5 night minimum. Let me know when you visit, I'll hook you up ; )
Isn't Blockbuster going out my business? The ones in North America are at least. In Canada I rent from Rogers Video instead and their prices are far more competitive.
ReplyDeleteBack when I tried this, their late fee was applied the day after the title was due for return. And the said late fee was the ENTIRE retail price of the game. Basically on the 8th day of rental you'd have a $60 charge on your credit/debit card.
ReplyDeleteSure, you could keep the game for 23 extra days, but you're effectively buying it as it took a couple of weeks for the charge to be removed. I don't know if they've remedied this, and I have never been back. I was a teenager then, and I rented 4 games, so I got a nasty surprise when I had a $240 charge to BB pending for being a day late.
@Phaethon
ReplyDeleteDude, that's messed up. No wonder you've never been back. I can assure you that things have changed, at least in England. I purposefully return games late, safe in the knowledge that any incurred penalties will be wiped if I purchase another rental. It's a great system that benefits both parties.
If you don't want to purchase another rental, you pay £1 for every day over the return date, which I think is pretty darn fair.
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ReplyDeleteI noticed today too that on some bus tickets there is the offer for a rent-one-get-another-free.
ReplyDeleteNice article on renting games. I've been enjoying game rentals for several years in Florida :)
ReplyDelete