Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Best Buy Ripoff Alert & Monster Hunter Tri's Game-Play Hours

Coffee Beans:
     As for the "Best Buy Ripoff Alert" in the title, I stopped by Best Buy on my way home today(Monday), and I thought it was interesting to see what they had the Monster Hunter Tri - Classic Controller Pro Bundle listed for.  Take a look:

     When Capcom announced the Monster Hunter Tri bundle was back at retail, this is what they said in the announcement, "So for $49.99(and if you look around, a few retailers are being even more aggressive than that), you can get your hands on one of the best/most addicting games for Wii and the perfect controller for it and any other pad appropriate games."
     That's right, Best Buy isn't living up to its name!  So, if you or somebody you know is looking to pick up the Monster Hunter Tri bundle, you may want to make sure you(or them) price-match if you go to Best Buy, and get the Monster Hunter Tri bundle for $49.99.

     Anyway, it has been a while since we looked at Monster Hunter Tri's game-play data in back-to-back weeks, so to see how it appears to be performing on a weekly basis again, we are taking another look at it this week.
     If you don't know, Monster Hunter Tri became the Wii's most played game according to the Nintendo Channel data, in the "per person" category, a few weeks back.

     How many hours have Wii owners monster hunted in the last week?  Let's take a look!

Click image to enlarge
Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
     Monster Hunter Tri now has 44,086 players reporting game-play data, through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Player Increase Since Last Week:
     Monster Hunter 3 has seen an increase of 795 more monster hunters reporting their play-time data, since last week.

Average Hours & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     Monster Hunter Tri now has 3,633,528 Total Hours reported, an increase of 107,116 monster hunting hours since last week.
     Monster Hunter Tri's average play-time per person has increased by 57 minutes, now sitting at 82 Hours 26 Minutes per person.
     The average Monster Hunter Tri play session is still just over 3 hours 37 minutes, like last week.

Sales Rank & Advertised Prices:
     Monster Hunter Tri's, the software only, Amazon.com sale rank is #827, and the current selling price is $39.96.
     Monster Hunter Tri - Classic Controller Pro Bundle's Amazon.com sale rank is #1,065, and the current sale price is $49.96.

Thoughts:
     I think the increase, of over 100,000 game-play hours since last week, is extremely well for Monster Hunter Tri.  The game is seeing game-play hours being reported on a weekly basis, that many third party games won't see reported during the Wii's life cycle.
     I haven't monster hunted any in the last week, as we had family in visiting; but that did result in me drinking lots of coffee!
     Here's a video from another monster hunt I went on with Apoc, Maxi, and Seph.  You may remember from last week, Maxi and Seph run their own gaming site, NinTemple.com.  Here's the hunt:

Questions:
     Do any of you think Best Buy is ripping consumers off with the list price on the Monster Hunter Tri bundle being at $59.99, when Capcom specifically mentioned its new price was going to be $49.99?  As for monster hunting specifically, have any of you been monster hunting since last week?
     I think it's Best Buy being Best Buy, but hopefully consumers and Wii owners will be made aware of the price they can get the MH Tri bundle for other places.

If you are interested in Monster Hunter Tri, you can see both versions on Amazon.com linked below:
  

8 comments:

  1. I really don't go out to Best Buy that much as I can usually get any games nearby me at Target,Walmart or Gamestop.I just think Best Buy is pricing it high because it sells so well.

    As for hunting this past week I was playing the 9 egg quest alot to get zenny.Made the Vangus armor and Helios armor as well as the Jho Hammer.
    Working on a status set that I thought of 2 days ago that works with the majority of status weapons.Won't work with the Para hammer or sleep lance since they don't have a weapon slot.Only need Agnaktor Vambraces+ to finish and a very specific tali.

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  2. People who shop in stores are suckers. Game prices online are cheaper and usually come with incentives like money towards the next order. The only time I go to stores is for pre-orders that I must have at midnight or the benefits are the best compared to online. That is very rare. Best Buy I avoid like the plague since the prices are ridiculous. I know a few people who work there and they pay more normal rates for everything using their discount. They totally "f" the consumers.

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  3. LOL that's best buy for you. I read somewhere that they also have a "Geek Squad" service for your new PS3 owners. They've got this thing all figured out man, these guys.

    They'll charge you I think 40 or 50 bucks to get you the latest firmware for your PS3, and they'll install it for you! OMG what a service!

    I think Amazon should probably have it for the right price.

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  4. Yea, I only shop at Best Buy if someone has given me a gift card.

    However, I do like BROWSING in stores like Best Buy because I find their mainstream-price-gouging eliminates some of the clutter.

    In other words, their shelf-space is very limited compared to a GameStop or ... the internet.

    So sometimes it's just a quick/easy way to see what's new and/or successful .... and then go purchase it elsewhere.

    For any musicians, this formula works equally well for GuitarCenter ^_^

    Thanks again for the shout-outs, Coffee! I look forward to our next game!

    ~NinSage ("Seph")

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  5. HA! Best Buy is never the "best buy", I've always though their name was either extremely ironic or that they should be sued for false advertising. Plus I always seem to know more than their employees whenever I ask for help.

    *I'm a idiot who can't spell, so I re-posted

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  6. @Maxi:
    Best Buy actually prices many items in their stores above MSRPs.

    The Wireless department was always famous for having items $2-5 above the MSRP, and most of the customers would never say anything...which I guess is why they keep on doing it.

    I need to hunt again...maybe tonight!

    @David:
    The Best Buy employee discount is only really good on certain items...like cell phone cases or computer wires. Everything else doesn't even really matter.

    @Amado(Den)Bustos:
    Amazon does have it for the right price, which Best Buy will price match...

    @NinSage:
    Yea, I "browse" stores often. I usually go into GameStops, to see the selection, and to listen to the conversations between employees and shoppers...always amazed at how much people don't know, employees and shoppers.

    I haven't been in a GuitarCenter in years! Used to play bass, and went there back in 2002 I think looking around.

    @Brad Jerger(The Butcher):
    Yea, the name is definitely ironic, and I guess just shows marketing works for some stores.
    As for, "...I always seem to know more than the employees..."
    I would say that's true for 90%+ of retail associates. Most "work" for a paycheck, not because they enjoy what they do.

    Thank you all for the comments and feedback...how about we get some monster hunting done!

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