Last night, I picked up my copy of GTA IV. I live in downtown Toronto so I took my wife for protection and my camera to capture the circus. Here’s what I learned…
- A lot of gamers do not bathe
- A line up for GTA IV is not a good place to meet girls
- Crack addicts see line ups as an economic opportunity
I picked up the special edition, which comes with a safety deposit lock box, tote bag, music cd, hard cover art book, one month subscription to xbox live, Liberty City Subway map, and GTA IV video game for the 360. Nice package and very impressive!
The line ups had an average of 100 to 200 people in them.
Futureshop was the most fun with free hats and a live DJ. One kid in line at the Futureshop won a Playstation 3! The wait, however, was considerably longer than Game Shack.
Game Shack had one of the shortest and most efficient lines. Game Shack patrons were coming out of the mall three minutes after twelve with their special edition GTA IV packages, and posters held high while performing a victory dance.
The Best Buy line up had the most media coverage but appeared the most tepid in mood and creativity. A mock Liberty City squad car with two uniformed gum-smacking models swinging night sticks? LAME! … and they gave away fuzzy dice. ???
EB Gamestop had the most orderly lineup. Situated inside the quiet, climate controlled Eaton Centre, I spotted over 100 GTA faithful sitting in a lotus position, quietly playing their Nintendo DS with ipod buds stuffed in their ears.
I found the over reaction of the local Po’ Po’ to be quite humorous. I’ve never seen so many squad cars sitting two abreast, waiting for a bunch of nerds to start simulating their favorite M rated video game by car jacking someone, and driving off with a 4 star wanted level. It’s a video game people! Relax!
GREG MORTON 