by SalmonPink » Thu Jul 25, 2013 9:41 am
^ Not in the UK, unfortunately. I've seen prices range from £49.99 to £64.99 (around $77 to $100) and we don't get a free figure. So we've all been shopping around for the best deal, since prices aren't as uniform as the US. (A lot of us have pre-ordered from Toys R Us, using a voucher code to get the starter pack for £44.99, thanks to an awesome thread from MKP. With the exchange rate, that makes the starter pack around $70, without a free figure.)
When it comes to preordering, it depends on your priorities. If you want to get as much bang for your buck as possible, preordering seems the best bet in the US because you get that free figure. You also guarantee yourself that you'll get the game for the system you want - remember that these packs are much bulkier than a normal game, so that will effect how much stock shops can order in, since they need to have space to store the games. However, if your priority is getting your hands on the game the instant it's released (which I'm getting the impression is your biggest priority) then collecting the game at midnight from Walmart would probably be better for you. I'd recommend going into Walmart and talking to a supervisor in the Electronics Department to find out if the game will definitely be put out on the shelves at midnight (some stores might be doing this, others it might be a 'we'll get to it with the rest of the morning stock' kind of deal). Also, let them know what system you're going to use the game with and ask if they know what kind of stock levels they'll be getting - there's a chance they won't be able to tell you this, for security reasons or because they don't yet know, but it doesn't hurt to ask and let them know you're just trying to make sure you can get the right copy. It also might be worth going back again a few days before release, just to double-check that plans haven't changed.
I genuinely don't think the starter packs will sell out on the first day, but nobody has any guarantees. I've started seeing publicity here in the UK, but I don't know how hard it's being advertised in the US. If the advertising has been hitting kids in the face all through their summer break, this might be a popular last-hurrah-of-summer present. As I mentioned, the starter packs are bulky and smaller game-specific stores will only have so much room for stock. Bigger box-stores like Walmart will have more room but may not prioritise ordering large amounts of the game when there's such a variety of other stock to deal with. But with the popularity of Skylanders using a similar physical-toys-in-game system and the known Disney brand, I imagine stores are anticipating good sales and their initial orders of stock will reflect that. I should stress that this is all guesswork though.