With that in mind, the retailer makes a lot of extra cash on traded/used games. It’s cost very little for them to buy them into stock, and they charge a good whack of cash to sell them on to you and me.

An extension of that is a new trial program that will allow customers to pre-order used games. So, for example, when Mass Effect 3 comes out you can pre-order the used version, so when someone finishes with it and trade it in, you’ll get a call from your local store who will let you come in and get the traded game.

It’s a nifty idea but again, the question raised is whether or not the developer/publisher should get a cut of the cash, particularly if schemes like this dampen initial release sales. e.g. If ME3 sells 1 million rather then 2 million copies because half of all potential consumers decided to wait a week or two with this kind of system, BioWare and EA make half of the revenue.

At the moment this system is in trial phase in some stores, but it’ll be interesting to see if they release such a system in Ireland and throughout their stores.

Sales figures are in decline for retail outlets. Gamestop announced earlier in the year that they would be closing a plethora of stores in the UK after dismal sales. This could be counted as recessionary movement within the company, but is it a sign of things coming down the pipe for all retailers who deal with gaming? On my last visit to a GAME outlet it was evident that software disks themselves don’t necessarily bring in the hard cash, but selling toys, t-shirts and memorabilia with high margins is the way to go. Pick up Mario Kart on the Wii, and then get a Mario plushy toy, too! The toy probably provides far more money to the store then the game does, too.

No one stands out in the retail space. Gamestop have very pretty stores, but are their staff better trained then GAME or Xtra-Vision? I would doubt it. The experience is the same for the most part. Go in, pick up an empty box and go to the counter. When GAME tried to get out of this space and go for the “active sales floor” approach it drove me away from ever going back. Being in a small, cramped shopping centre store while 3 staff wander aimlessly around asking if “I’m ok” is not the solution to providing a better (and more profitable) retail experience. This serves only to annoy customers, especially when the staff are never going to be able to answer my burning questions. “Are you ok?” is usually met with “yes, thanks” in a faux-pleasantry kind of way. If you respond with “well, no actually… why have they not released Deus Ex yet?! And do you have the old one I can play on my PS3?” You know damn well that the staffer won’t know the answer and will hurridly run to someone more knowledgable behind the till to ask, because that person is too good to be an active sales guy. Thus, by responding in any way other then “yes, may I buy this?” before being pointed to the till, you’ve wasted 5 or 10 minutes of your life justifying the sales staffs existence.

Xtra-Vision have tried this too, with dedicated ‘Xtra-Game’ staff who’s job it is to dedicate themselves to selling to gamer customers. They’ll look after the merchandising of the game area, wear a slightly different (and clearly cheaper) t-shirt and try their best to get you trade in your old games where they’ll mark them up for, at least, 30% more. The idea is nice, as it means you don’t have to jump into a mile long queue of people asking about the latest Fockers movie, when all you want is a new copy of Gran Turismo to rent. However, most of those sales guys are too into gaming. Yes, too into it. Therefore, all customers are automatically wrong when they pose a thought, question or even a rant about something.

Gamestop have stuck to the passive mode of retail. Stick some sales staff behind the till and one or two merchandising the floor. It’s a tried and trusted formula, but with the company is dodgy financial territory they’re likely to follow suit behind GAME and Xtra-Vision. Their stores are very nice, but often laid out horrifically, with it being hard to find where the charts are, and what the difference between a blu-ray is and an actual PS3 game. Their other issue is that, since their inception (in Europe anyway) they’ve only ever hired dismissive & abrasive staff. I get that 60% of their customers are “game trading guy” who brings 13 copies of the same game he bought cheaper in Xtra-Vision to earn €4 extra so they can eventually save enough to buy one new release – but that’s an occupational hazard in retail.

YEAHHH, BUY INSURANCE FOR A DISK AT 10% OF THE COST EXTRA!

And so with all of my annoyances I come to my retailing experience in 2010; Bliss. Thanks to the app store, Steam, PSN and XBL I’ve rarely had to venture into unknown territory. If I’m not reviewing a title and buying it myself, I would have bought it online.

And this is the crux of the retailing problem. They’re all kind of the same experience, and the experience isn’t nice for anyone. They have such high turn over of staff that it’s hard for these companies to retain good people, so they’re kind of stuck with what they have, without the ability to properly train them. It’s also true that most people wandering into stores don’t know where they are. I was once a retail-y type manager (in a different area) and we were told to get our staff to greet customers with “Hi, welcome to …” to remind customers of where they were. Buying online might not necessarily get you the best deal all the time, because companies with huge buying power like Gamestop can do 2-for-1 deals and what not, but for the extra few euro, buying online is much nicer experience.

I’m also well aware of the fact that this piece sounds a little like I’m a prudish old man who hates people and only plays WoW in a dark, damp basement without any real world friends. The point is more that I would love to support jobs in the Irish market, but the companies running the show don’t have a clue how to run a store effectively to cater to my needs. I don’t want to be served by an ultra nerd who keeps chatting to me about his achievements list on the 360. Nor do I want some recluse who doesn’t know the answer to simple questions like “do you have this…?”. Why have someone available to take questions when all they’re going to do is clog up the till searching for the answer? I would love interaction on a one-to-one level with smart people who are able to gage my mood and react to it appropriately. If I’m in a miserable mood, I don’t want some tosser bouncing over to me to sell me insurance on a game (seriously Gamestop, what the hell is that?). Equally if I’m in a good mood, I don’t want some muppet trying to out-smart me before I even say anything. Wearing a Half Life 2 t-shirt into a game store was literally one of my biggest regrets this year. And it’s my only game-related t-shirt, because it was free.

To conclude, the retail experience is broken. This is why digital is flourishing. Sure, right now with the snow and winter weather pounding us back into our homes digital is king – but I would wager that most of us, being human, would enjoy a nice jovial conversation with game store employees while picking up something we want at a decent price. It’s all I ask – but I somehow doubt we’ll get that anytime soon.

GT5 was delayed, but you can still play it. Not got PS+ to get into the KZ3 beta? Who cares, you can play it with us? Intrigued by Move? Try it out before you buy it!

Friday 22nd October, 2010 at 7PM, we’ll be exclusively taking over the Playstation Hub on South William Street, Dublin 2 (map below). For two hours you can meet and greet fellow nerds gamers humans people while enjoying Sony’s future lineup in a swish centrally located pad. Furthermore, there’ll be a few drinks to be had too. All of this is completely free, but places are seriously limited, so by way of keeping the peace RSVP yourself by emailing hub@shoryuken.ie. If you want to RSVP+1 (i.e. bring a friend), tell us. Otherwise it could be messy if we book out the room and everyone brings extra people.

As I say, places are limited and we’ll do our best to cater to everyone… so email us. You’ve a week to get in touch!

Remember it’s Friday 22nd of October at 7PM until 9PM. Places are limited, so email hub@shoryuken.ie if you want to go! If your email isn’t working, or you’re on a mobile browser that’s being finicky, leave a comment and I’ll do my best.

See you on Friday!

View Larger Map

CEO Peter Lewis reckons the chain won’t suffer as a new advertising campaign has moved shoppers from closed stores to other ones. He also outlined plans to save money in the long run by only taking out property leases for 5 years, instead of their traditional 7.

There is no word on how this will impact Irish shoppers, as there are nowhere near as many stores in Ireland, but there is more stiff competition with Gamestop having their EU HQ here and with stiff competition from Xtra-Vision and HMV hurting their traded-in game sections.

DVD.co.uk are offering select titles on all consoles for 2 for £25 and 2 for £30, while handheld games are 2 for £18 and 2 for £30. They are also offering  up to 70% off select titles on all platforms. The gmaes most worth of mention are Left 4 Dead 2 for £12, The Witcher Enhanced Edition for £12 and Bad Company 2 for  £14.

PS3 2 for £25 list can be found here. PS3 2 for £30 can be found here. PS3 deals can befound here.

XBox 2 for £25 can be found here. XBox 2 for £30 can be found here. XBox  deals can be found here.

Wii 2 for £25 can be found here. Wii 2 for £30 can be found here. Wii deals can be found here.

DS 2 for £18 can be found here. DS 2 for £30 can be found here. DS deals can be found here.

PSP 2 for £18 can be found here. PSP deals can be found here.

PC deals can be found here.

Gamestop.ie are offering the Multi-Threat armour and a Halo Reach hoodie when you purchase the Halo Reach Standard Edition, online only. Get a free Mario Wii Skin with any Wii Mario game you purchase or you can get a free Gamestop NDS bundle pack if you purchase any Mario game for the DS. Get a free copy of Sports Champions when you purchase the Playstation Move, online only. Preorder FIFA 11 for €25 if you buy a 3PAY mobile phone.

CD WOW currently have a sale of up to 85% off select titles. List can be found here. They also have games for sale on clearance, list can be found here.

GAME.co.uk’s weekly sale can be found here.

Smyths.ie are having a weekly sale. Sale can be found here. Enter this competition while on their site to win a voucher for €250 to spend on your gaming goodies. (ROI only)

Argos.ie are having a clearance sale on some games and older models of current gen consoles. List available here.

Xtravision are offering a free copy of Scarface on dvd and the Vegas DLC when you purchase Mafia II (PS3 & 360 only). Also if you preorder Halo: Reach, you get 800 MS Points, downloadable Spartan Recon Helment, Variant and UA Multi-Threat Mjolnir Mark VI Armour. Deals only available instores and not online.

Game.ie are offering free one month dvd rental with any purchase.

Mighty Ape’s New Zealand store are having a large sale on 336 games. List of games can be found here.

Mighty Ape Australia are also having a large sale on 500 games. List can be found here.

Play.com are offering up to 20% off all console bundles and up to 15% off of all preorders. Up to 50% off their Hot Picks of the week.

Gamesnash.ie are currently having a sale on select titles. List can be found here.

HMV are having a sale on over 200 games. List can be found here.

Rollercoaster Tycoon  3 Deluxe is currently 30% off at gamesload.ie.

Direct 2 Drive are offering 75% off 2 different games every day until the end of the month.

Steams mid-week sale can be found here.

Youda Safari is currently 50% off at Boonty.

Impulse are having a sale of up to 50% off  select titles. List of available games can be found here.

GamersGate are having a sale of up to 60% off  select titles. List of games available can be found here.

Purchase an Intel Solid-State Drive and get a free Ubisoft PC game worth up to $49.99.

Game available here.

Mighty Ape are having a large sale on over 300 games. List of games can be found here. Loki for $19.99 is an absolute bargain. The New Zealand $ is worth roughly half that of the €, so you’ll get some good bargains there.

Mighty Ape Australia are also having a large sale on over 400 games. List can be found here.

CD WOW currently have a sale of up to 85% off select titles. List can be found here. They also have games for sale on clearance, list can be found here.

GAME.co.uk’s weekly sale can be found here. Some excellent deals to be found on all platforms.

Smyths.ie are having a weekly sale. Sale can be found here. A Nintendo DS Lite + Nintendogs for €99.99.

Argos.ie are having a clearance sale on some games and older models of current gen consoles. List available here.

Xtravision are offering a free copy of Scarface on dvd and the Vegas DLC when you purchase Mafia II (PS3 & 360 only). Also if you preorder Halo: Reach, you get 800 MS Points, downloadable Spartan Recon Helment, Variant and UA Multi-Threat Mjolnir Mark VI Armour. Deals only available instores and not online.

GamersGate are having a sale of up to 75% off of 22 select titles. List of games available can be found here.

Impulse are having a 50% off sale on select titles. List of available games can be found here.

Go-Go Gourmet is currently 50% off at Boonty.

Steams mid-week sale can be found here.

Preorder RUSE at Direct2Drive US Store and you get 2 free Challenge Maps and 10% off your next Ubisoft purchase (at D2D).

Preorder Civilization V at Direct2Drive UK Store and you get the 1st DLC for free and a free copy of Civilization III.

Preorder Red Faction Armageddon to get a free glow in the dark Red Faction Armageddon t-shirt. Preorder WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 to get a free Smackdown vs RAW t-shirt. Applies only to the Xbox 360 versions of the game. Available through THQ’s online store. (North America only I believe)

Game.ie are offering free one month dvd rental with any purchase.

Play.com are offering up to 15% off of all preorders. Up to 50% off their Hot Picks of the week. List can be found here.

Napoleon Total War is currently 20% off at gamesload.ie.

DVD.co.uk are offering select titles on all platforms for 2 for £25 and 2 for £30. They are also offering  up to 70% off select titles on all platforms.

PS3 2 for £25 list can be found here. PS3 2 for £30 can be found here. PS3 deals can befound here.

XBox 2 for £25 can be found here. XBox 2 for £30 can be found here. XBox  deals can be found here.

Wii 2 for £25 can be found here. Wii 2 for £30 can be found here. Wii deals can be found here.

DS 2 for £18 can be found here. DS 2 for £30 can be found here. DS deals can be found here.

PSP 2 for £18 can be found here. PSP deals can be found here.

PC deals can be found here.

HMV are having a sale on over 200 games. List can be found here.

Gamesnash.ie are currently having a sale on select titles. List can be found here.

GamersGate are having a sale of up to 80% off select titles. List of games available can be found here.

Steams weekend sale can be found here.

Settlement Colossus is 50% off until Tuesday 31st at Boonty.

Apogee Pack is available for 50% off until Monday 30th at Gog.

Mass Effect 1 and 2 are currently 75% and 40% off  respectively from the EA Store.

The best deals of the week are Braid and World of Goo on GamersGate. Mount & Blade and Warband expansion can be bought for less than €18 for both on Steam. All three are fantastic titles and worthy of picking up.

Other deals worthy of notice include a free copy of Titan Quest Gold when you pre-purchase Darksiders on Steam and a $10 off coupon when you purchase a game for $49.95 or more on Direct2Drive. Coupon is ‘SchoolSucks’.

Sales end midnight Sunday 29th unless otherwise stated.

If you know of any other sales then please leave a comment and I shall add them to the list.

There are two factions and six classes. Both factions have three different classes to choose from, with each class having their own unique weapons and style of play. The SGC’s three classes are Soldier, Commando and Scientist. The Soldier acts as the main combat class, armed with a P90, Grenade Launcher and Smoke Grenades. The P90 is very accurate at close range and has a 50-round magazine and a high rate of fire but runs out very fast. The Grenade Launcher is powerful but requires a reload after every shot. Smoke Grenades are used to uncover cloaked Ashraks. The Commando acts as the sniper. Equipped with a a Sniper Rifle, .50 Handgun and claymores. He can detect cloaked Ashraks and is very effective at long range kills, however he is very ineffective at close range due to the handguns limited ammo and poor accuracy. The Scientist acts as the support class, armed with a 9mm pistol. Her secondary weapon can be used to heal teammates or poison opposing players, a very good weapon for decloaking Ashraks. She also has a deployable turret and healing dispenser which heals all nearby teammates.

The System Lords three classes are Jaffa, Ashrak and Goa’uld. Jaffa are the System Lords counter to the soldier. Armed with a Staff and Shock Grenades. The Staff is an effective but slow firing weapon that’s good at range and does not require reloading. The Staff can also be used as a melee weapon in close combat where it’s slow rate of fire is ineffective. The Shock Grenades can be used to blind your opponents before attacking. Ashraks are assassins, equipped with an A’tar Blade and Hara’Kesh. The A’tar Blade is the Ashraks main weapon and can instantly kill an opponent when hit in the back. The Hara’Kesh can be used to drain your opponents stamina to stop them from running away from you. Ashraks also posess a device called Reetou Karesh, a cloaking device that grants her the ability to become invisible. The Goa’uld are equipped with the Go’Wye Ribbon Device, which fries his opponents brain and distorts their vision, it can also be used to push back your opponents. Goa’uld are also equipped with a healing device known as a Maaynd Gem. It can be used to heal allies and yourself. Goa’ulds also possess a personal shield, while the shield is activated, only poison and exploses may hurt the Goa’uld.

Developed using the Unreal engine, the game looks visually impressive as you would expect. Particularly impressive is the effect of stepping through the gate, no matter how many times I’ve done it, I’ve yet to tire of seeing it. The lighting and textures look great. The artwork and enviroments look good. Character models are the only let down here, while they do look good, they are not nearly as impressive as the rest of the game.

The sound effects in the game are really good. From the Stargate dialing, to the Jaffa Staff blasts, tt feels as if many of the sound effects have been taken directly from the show itself. The Stargate theme music at the login screen is also a nice touch. The voice acting is minimal at best and what little of it there is, was done poorly.

There is no single player or tutorial of any kind in this game. This is strictly an online only game. However, thanks to the simplistic controls and limited class choices, the game has a very easy learning curve.

The gameplay is the strongest feature of the game. You’ll always be in the thick of the action due to the objectives drawing players from both sides to certain points of the map. The game however quickly becomes repetitive due to the lack of maps and game modes. There are only four maps, Stargate Command, an ice planet called Piramess, an Egyptian temple called Armana and an arena on the planet Leonops. There are also only 5 different game modes to play, Team Death Match(TDM), Capture the Tech(CtT), King of the Hill(KotH), Conquest and Arena. With only two different game modes available on three of the maps, while one map contains only one game mode. Stargate Command has Conquest and TDM, Armana Temple has TDM and KotH, Leonops has TDM and Arena, while Piramess has only CtT. It simply baffles me as to why all game modes are not available on all maps, especially when there are so little maps and game modes to begin with.

Lack of both game modes and maps isn’t my only issue with the game. There is no dedicated server support. In a fast paced shooter, the lack of in-game voice chat made communicating with teammates troublesome, having to constantly stop and type messages leaving yourself vulnerable to attack. Extremely limited character customization I also found to be a problem. Jaffa and Soldier can both unlock an extra outfit, however there is nothing for the remaining four classes. Although an extra outfit for all of the six classes can be purchased. Galactic Domination, which grants buffs to the faction dominating the planets, while it’s a nice feature, I can’t help but feel that the last thing the dominating faction needs is a buff which makes them stronger.

For €15 you could do much worse with your money. The game is fun and addictive, but it just feels incomplete. It feels like you are only getting half a game, with only four maps, restricted game modes and customization options. That being said however, I find myself constantly drawn back for more. The developers are frequently patching the game and with much more content promised, along with a growing player base, I highly recommend this game to Stargate fans. As for those of you that are not Stargate fans, I find it hard to recommend the game to you with the current level of content. I suggest you either hold out for a sale or wait until all the promised content is added.

Stargate Resistance is a PC exclusive, and is available from Steam, Direct2Drive and Firesky.

Advanced Combat Packs are available at Firesky and Direct2Drive.