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Posted on 12.27.05 by A 47 Danger @ 8:37 am
Friday afternoon, shortly after finishing a lunch with Maxim and ClackyJ, GameStop made the cell phone in my pocket vibrate. While in some situations this might be an exciting prospect in itself, the cell phone was quickly answered in this case. “I have good news for you,” said the voice on the other end of the phone. Well aware that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints does not have my phone number, I knew exactly what this sentence meant. My long awaited Xbox 360 had finally found its way into my local GameStop. Arriving at GameStop, I was greeted by a fun scene. The store was packed with last minute shoppers. The GameStop clerks knew exactly which GBA game would make the children of these procrastinators love them more. That wasn’t the point of my trip though. And I didn’t have any children…that I knew of! Hahaha, funny. The Xbox 360 corner of GameStop was my first stop. Stop at GameStop. Hmmm, I don’t like that sentence at all. Anyway, I wandered over to see which, if any, Xbox 360 games GameStop had used. Sitting there on the shelf was a used copy of Perfect Dark Zero. Well hell, I pre-ordered this. Might as well pick up a used copy for cheaper. What else was on the shelf? Oooo, Condemned: Criminal Origins was used too. I was interested in that game. Yowza, but not for $54.99 used. I don’t cotton to these $60 price tags on Xbox 360 games. And $54.99 for a used game is stupid. I’ll leave you on the shelf for some parent looking to buy the love of their spawn. It was now time to make my way to the counter and redeem my much anticipated Xbox 360. I wanted to play it really smoothly though, like I wasn’t falling over myself excited about picking up the Xbox 360. So I walked up to the counter, flashed the used copy of Perfect Dark Zero, and said “I need something to go with this.” After utterly confusing the clerk for two minutes as he looked through the game reservation list, it was cleared up that I was there to pick up my Xbox 360. Yeah, smooth. “Oh, that’s all done by the manager,” said the clerk. So off I went to the next line, to wait for the manager as he talked to someone who’s Xbox 360 order had also arrived. From what I heard, the person on the phone wasn’t sure what games to get. They must not have been obsessively checking every website for information over the past 33 days like me. Soon enough, I was at the head of the line. After quickly explaining why I had come, without trying to be cute this time, the manager went into the locked cage in the GameStop back room and retrieved my Xbox 360. There it was, as simple as that. After waiting for 4 months, I now had a heavier than expected box that contained an Xbox 360. Following the pickup, I went back to my workplace. Would I explode from anticipation before the workday was over? Stay tuned for the continuing saga. Filed under: A 47 Danger and General and Xbox 360 Comments: None |
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Posted on 12.23.05 by A 47 Danger @ 12:48 pm
And on the 32nd day, the phone call came. Not from a robot, but from a human being with a heart and soul. The inhabitants of the brick and mortar structure had drawn straws to see who would work the phone machine. They picked up the machine which had, up until this point, been used only for incoming calls. The inhabitants reached outside life. With their words, they invited the outsider to join them. The outsider did not have to think of his answer. He knew he must go. And…damn, this is boring. Long story short, I’m picking up my Xbox 360 from GameStop today. The long wait is over. The future of a month ago is finally here today. A 47 Danger is stepping through the…there I go again. I’m going to stop writing like that. Impressions and photos will come soon. Very soon. See you online. Filed under: A 47 Danger and General and Xbox 360 Comments: 6 Comments |
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Posted on 12.21.05 by A 47 Danger @ 12:54 pm
Avindair has written a long and awesome article about his wait for an Xbox 360 in the cold Minnesota weather this past Sunday. It starts as such:
It entire article is interesting and very well written. You can read the entire article here. Filed under: A 47 Danger and General and Xbox 360 Comments: 1 Comment |
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Posted on 12.21.05 by A 47 Danger @ 9:36 am
Like a heavy weight boxer lying unconscious on the canvas…wait. I hate sports analogies. Ahem. Like a butterfly who has stopped their futile struggle against the spider’s web…yes, that’s better. Like that, I have given up hope of getting an Xbox 360 before xmas. It has been 30 sexy days since the launch of the Xbox 360, and the delightful obelisk of plastic and metal is nowhere to be seen. The Xbox 360 is like the hot girl at the dance who is perpetually waiting for her boyfriend. She’s right there, but she won’t dance with anybody. We all the that Xbox 360 is out there, but where is it’s boyfriend? I don’t see them anywhere. I think they’re lying. Why would they show up at the dance just to tease us? Maybe Microsoft is putting on an interactive Morality Play. Perhaps they are trying to teach us the follies of greed and desire. The evils of consumerism. And you thought their I Love Bees campaign was interactive. We don’t even know we’re playing into Microsoft’s hands this time. Bravo, Bill Gates. Kudos to you and your staff. Okay, maybe Microsoft isn’t trying to teach us a biblical lesson. After all, why would the devil try to push morality on anyone. Hahaha, zing! See what I did there? I called Microsoft the devil. What a well thought out jab! Just the thing to put on a t-shirt for idiots to buy. I’m fed up and tired of waiting. Microsoft and GameStop have both worn me out. In a never ending marathon, I’m crawling into gutter and waiting for the finish line to come to me. I’m staying put. Take your time in getting me my Xbox 360, as I no longer have any hopes of getting it by xmas. You never know, my downtrodden attitude may lead to a holiday miracle. Damn it, I’m still hopeful! Where did that come from? I can’t even lie to myself. I’m a mouse who has jumped into your open mouth, Microsoft. Do with me what you will. Filed under: A 47 Danger and Rant and Xbox 360 Comments: 1 Comment |
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Posted on 12.19.05 by A 47 Danger @ 9:06 am
In a well publicized leak, Best Buy had been holding their shipments of Xbox 360 units for sale on the morning of December 18th. Each Best Buy had about 30 to 50 units in stock. This limited number of units led to a second launch of sorts for the Xbox 360. Being well aware of the situation, I decided to see what kind of idiots would camp out in the frigid Minnesota air on the night of December 17th to be first in line at Best Buy. At around 10:30 pm on Saturday night I jumped into my car and headed north to the town of Coon Rapids. There were cops at every major intersection, watching for the inevitable DWIs the come from the season’s holiday parties. I drove past the Yummy Buffet in the Champlin strip mall. I crossed the mighty Mississippi river and sped past the seedy motel where you could pay by the hour. Arriving at Best Buy just after 11 pm, the scene I found was suprising.  I admit that I knew there would be a few folks dumb enough to risk frostbite for a Xbox 360, but there were a good 30 chairs set up outside. The owners of the chairs were huddled in the Best Buy entry way, soaking in the last bit of heat they could before the store closed. If this was happening in the far northern suburbs of Minneapolis, I has curious as to what was happening in the not so far northern suburbs. I jumped back into my 2002 Mirage and drove under the speed limit to the Maple Grove Best Buy. Here is the scene that I found.  Now that is camping. While some foolhardy persons were sitting cross armed in chairs, others had pitched actual tents. With a sleeping pad and down sleeping bag, they could actually be in for a comfortable night. Seeing all of this made me mad. Not at the poor souls dumb enough to brave the weather, but at Microsoft. Here were people forced to extremes to get their hands around a product that should be readily available on store shelves. Fathers and children sleeping out in the cold together, in the hopes of a merry xmas. It has been just about a month since the Xbox 360 was released. My hands are empty, just like those of many around the nation. Now number 7 on the Xbox 360 list at my local GameStop, I still have no idea when I will get to enjoy what these campers have earned. Filed under: A 47 Danger and General and Rant and Xbox 360 Comments: 1 Comment |
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