War. War never changes...
So last night was the main event so to speak. The midnight release of Fallout 3 at Best Buy. There was only 12 Best Buys across the whole nation that were having this, and luckily the one where I pre-ordered the game in Downer's Grove was one of the locations. I read some new on the Bethesda forums that the Chicago location actually canceled their midnight launch...
I actually got off work and got there around 6:00, just to check on the status of any line because the press release said people could start lining up at 3pm. No one in sight. So I went home, waited for Leyann, we had an AMAZING dinner (her mom makes the best mac and cheese ever) and we watched HEROES. After changing into jeans and 3 layers (t-shirt, long sleeve, and my ACEN hoodie) we went at around 9:40pm and got there at 10pm.
The parking lot was no too full and we pulled up in front of two other people waiting in their car. About 5 people actually were waiting near the door playing cards. Q101 was supposed to be there from 10pm to midnight, but we never saw them, they never showed up. Which to me is pretty douchey since they advertised it as an event on their site and were promising prizes. Maybe they heard about the Chicago one being canceled and decided not to show up. ::shrug::
Admittedly I was pretty anxious because I like to be ahead of the line for these things, especially when there is the possibility for cool swag. But Leyann was the voice of reason as always, and we waited in the car until 11:20. It was so cold, anyone else who drove up also waited in their cars around us.
We were the first to get out of our car and in line after the five people who were already outside (playing Magic or some other card game with dice). Then EVERYONE ELSE seemed to rush to get into line. Those forty minutes were pretty cold, one of the guys in front of us looked into the front of the store and I thought I heard him say "puppets". My ears perked up and I turned to Leyann. I said, "If you see one of those puppets GRAB THEM." Not just for the fact that I wanted one, but because they are so limited they go on eBay for a TON of money. Some over $100.
Midnight struck and the Best Buy guys let the first 5 guys in (they only let 5 in at a time). Which meant Leyann and I were first of the next wave of five. They had everything blocked so you were guided where to go. I saw the swag table but I almost walked by it. Leyann was like, "Um, honey...." and I saw the puppets and other swag. There were only three puppets left and Leyann grabbed one, I grabbed the other and the guy behind Leyann grabbed the last one. The Best Buy guys weren't policing ANY of this stuff. Especially since Leyann wasn't even buying anything. When we were at the Halo 3 midnight launch at this same Best Buy last year, they were so organized and giving people only one t-shirt or hat.
Anyways after grabbing the Vault-Boy puppets (and Leyann stuffing both of them into her purse), mini pins, some extra survival guides ($20+ on eBay), I went to the table and got both my limited edition game guide and the collector's edition of the game. While I was paying at the 3 service registers they had set up, there was more swag on the counter next to me which Leyann grabbed more of. On our way out I noticed some posters just sitting there and wouldn't you know they were the exclusive Penny Arcade fallout 3 posters. I grabbed one and noticed how heavy card stock this was on.
Then we got the hell out of there. When we got home Leyann already set to taking pictures and throwing up an auction on eBay. Here is the Fallout 3 swag that Leyann is selling. I expect it to go over $150 possibly up to $250.
Whew.
As for the game, I played until 3:30 last night. Customizing my character's looks alone took 20 minutes... my guy (Vance) looks really cool. And by the end of that play time I had encountered a "worker ant" the size of a dog that almost bit my leg off, a ghoul bartender who just needed to be shown respect, disarmed a nuclear bomb, and got my own house in the town of Megaton, complete with a kitchen, bedroom, Vault-Boy bobble head display, and my own robot butler.
And I have only scratched the surface. This is a must buy. Pics of my loot later!
Berry
I actually got off work and got there around 6:00, just to check on the status of any line because the press release said people could start lining up at 3pm. No one in sight. So I went home, waited for Leyann, we had an AMAZING dinner (her mom makes the best mac and cheese ever) and we watched HEROES. After changing into jeans and 3 layers (t-shirt, long sleeve, and my ACEN hoodie) we went at around 9:40pm and got there at 10pm.
The parking lot was no too full and we pulled up in front of two other people waiting in their car. About 5 people actually were waiting near the door playing cards. Q101 was supposed to be there from 10pm to midnight, but we never saw them, they never showed up. Which to me is pretty douchey since they advertised it as an event on their site and were promising prizes. Maybe they heard about the Chicago one being canceled and decided not to show up. ::shrug::
Admittedly I was pretty anxious because I like to be ahead of the line for these things, especially when there is the possibility for cool swag. But Leyann was the voice of reason as always, and we waited in the car until 11:20. It was so cold, anyone else who drove up also waited in their cars around us.
We were the first to get out of our car and in line after the five people who were already outside (playing Magic or some other card game with dice). Then EVERYONE ELSE seemed to rush to get into line. Those forty minutes were pretty cold, one of the guys in front of us looked into the front of the store and I thought I heard him say "puppets". My ears perked up and I turned to Leyann. I said, "If you see one of those puppets GRAB THEM." Not just for the fact that I wanted one, but because they are so limited they go on eBay for a TON of money. Some over $100.
Midnight struck and the Best Buy guys let the first 5 guys in (they only let 5 in at a time). Which meant Leyann and I were first of the next wave of five. They had everything blocked so you were guided where to go. I saw the swag table but I almost walked by it. Leyann was like, "Um, honey...." and I saw the puppets and other swag. There were only three puppets left and Leyann grabbed one, I grabbed the other and the guy behind Leyann grabbed the last one. The Best Buy guys weren't policing ANY of this stuff. Especially since Leyann wasn't even buying anything. When we were at the Halo 3 midnight launch at this same Best Buy last year, they were so organized and giving people only one t-shirt or hat.
Anyways after grabbing the Vault-Boy puppets (and Leyann stuffing both of them into her purse), mini pins, some extra survival guides ($20+ on eBay), I went to the table and got both my limited edition game guide and the collector's edition of the game. While I was paying at the 3 service registers they had set up, there was more swag on the counter next to me which Leyann grabbed more of. On our way out I noticed some posters just sitting there and wouldn't you know they were the exclusive Penny Arcade fallout 3 posters. I grabbed one and noticed how heavy card stock this was on.
Then we got the hell out of there. When we got home Leyann already set to taking pictures and throwing up an auction on eBay. Here is the Fallout 3 swag that Leyann is selling. I expect it to go over $150 possibly up to $250.
Whew.
As for the game, I played until 3:30 last night. Customizing my character's looks alone took 20 minutes... my guy (Vance) looks really cool. And by the end of that play time I had encountered a "worker ant" the size of a dog that almost bit my leg off, a ghoul bartender who just needed to be shown respect, disarmed a nuclear bomb, and got my own house in the town of Megaton, complete with a kitchen, bedroom, Vault-Boy bobble head display, and my own robot butler.
And I have only scratched the surface. This is a must buy. Pics of my loot later!
Berry