So you want Call of Duty Black Ops but you skipped the midnight madness and you’re hoping to scare up a copy before the well runs dry.
First, rest easy, because the well won’t. Activision knows how big this is, and they’ve probably pressed and wrapped bazillions. If Black Ops sells out today, expect more copies to follow in quantity tomorrow, the day after, and so forth. Analysts expect the game to break sales records, and that doesn’t happen without widespread availability.
And second, forget shopping around for deals, because stores would have to be nuts (though nuts in a pleasant, consumer-friendly way) to discount a game with this much pent-up franchise demand and media hype. As it turns out, no surprise, they’re not (nuts in a pleasant, consumer-friendly way).
As of this posting, Amazon has Black Ops without discount for $59.99 (all copies in stock) with one sub-vendor selling it new for $58.90. Walmart has it ridiculously discounted four pennies for $59.96, all copies available to order online save the Xbox 360 version. Kmart’s also selling it for $59.99 (all copies in stock), as are Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Toys “R” Us.
Note that the Wii version alone sells for $10 less, or $49.99.
Less well-stocked but also available are the diehard-fans-only “hardened edition” with a few extra maps, avatars, and a collector’s medal for $79.99, or the “prestige edition” with a remote control vehicle (modeled after an in-game one) toting a wireless video camera for $149.99. What do you use the wireless video camera for? I don’t want to know.
I’m pretty sure GameStop has a policy where you get 10% off the strategy guide if you buy it simultaneous with the game, so there’s that. And if you’re short on funds but flush with used games, you can always cash in a few at stores that buy them back.
Otherwise it’s a day for sales but not for deals. You want those, you’ll probably have to wait for the end of the month madness–Black Friday and the like–to ensue.
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