Where to Find The Best Deal on Madden 2012

Most readers are probably fans of the Madden video game series. Well most of the writing staff here at SH is too. August 30th is about a month a way. And We would like to offer you readers a little bit of a heads up of where to purchase your copy, and if the HoF edition is right for you.

Pre-ordering a game is a great way to make sure you have a copy of the game you want the day it comes out. At some places you can just put 5 dollars down and just put money on it here and there. All stores offer different discounts and perks if you preorder your game through them. So here at SH we want to take this time and put all the information in front of you when deciding what store to pick your copy up at.

First off there’s 2 versions of the game coming out, one with Browns Running Back, Peyton Hillis on the cover (he deserved it) which is the regular version. Then the “Hall of Fame Edition” with a bronze version of Marshall Faulk on the cover. What separates  these editions is the HoF Edition contains the following:

• Only 125,000 copies were made, so it is “collectible”.
• Hand signed Marshall Faulk Card: One solid, 18k gold autographed card has been randomly inserted into 1 360 and 1 PS3 copy of the HoF Edition.
•  Platinum Ultimate Team Pack, featuring” 13 NFL Hall of Famers & former Madden NFL cover athletes such as Marshall Faulk, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, Rod Woodson, Eddie George & Michael Vick etc. All cards feature ratings from each player’s most productive season in the NFL and are renewable with contract extensions.

My Verdict on buying the HoF edition. You need to be a serious gamer or sports fan. If your the type that trades the games every year rather then holding onto them, It may be in the price range considering you’re dealing in Madden ’11 as a down payment. And if you’re big into the Ultimate team feature it’s definitely understandable why you’d be tempted to grab this version with HoF’ers and Cover athletes. But remember you can only play so many QB’s at a time, considering most of the cover athletes were QB’s and RB’s it’s going to be hard to get much use from it all. Bottom Line: You must be a serious Madden fan if you want to shell out $90.00 for this game that’s made every year. The casual gamer has no need for it.

Now to break down the different stores and what they offer:

• Toys “R” Us: Price: $44.99 (Free Shipping) Extras: None
• Best Buy:  Price $59.99 Extras: Exclusive All Heart and Hustle & All Speed Teams.
• Walmart: Price: $59.96 (Free Shipping & $20.00 E-Gift Card) Extras: None
• Target: Price: $59.99 ($1.00 Down, $5.00 Target Gift Card/ In Store Only) Extra: None
• Amazon.com: Price: $59.99 ($20.00 Amazon Gift Card, $0.99 S/H) Extras: Exclusive All-Rookie and All-Sophomore Team
• GameStop:  Price: $59.99  Extras: Exclusive AFC & NFC All-Star teams. “Power-Up” Members Receiver Aaron Rogers Ultimate Team Card.

*Note: All physical stores do an in store pick-up.*

If you are wanting a straight front end value, the Toys “R” Us copy is the cheapest. If you’re interested in being able to put a few dollars down now and slowly pay it off between now and August 30th, then Target and GameStop are your best choices. If you are an avid internet shopper then you’ll find use in $20.00 E-Gift cards to Walmart or Amazon.com. And if you like having “extras” in Downloadable content when you pre-order games, Best Buy, Amazon.com and Gamestop are your best choices.

When deciding on which store I would purchase from, I consider all of these factors. My first goal is to be thrifty and stretch my money. So for me I’m not looking at any of these unless I receive a discount or gift card. Leaving me with :

• Toys “R” Us: Price: $44.99 (Free Shipping) Extras: None
• Walmart: Price: $59.96 (Free Shipping & $20.00 E-Gift Card) Extras: None
• Target: Price: $59.99 ($1.00 Down, $5.00 Target Gift Card/ In Store Only) Extra: None
• Amazon.com: Price: $59.99 ($20.00 Amazon Gift Card, $0.99 S/H) Extras: Exclusive All-Rookie and All-Sophomore Team

This short list makes it easy to decide. I want to stretch my dollar, but I also don’t want to miss out on fun content. So for me Amazon.com with the All-Rookie and All-Sophomore team makes this an easy choice.  And as a Bengals fan, remember we’re a young team. It’s very likely we’ll be seeing Shipley, Gresham, Green and Dunlap on those young All-Star teams.

Everyone’s financial and  gaming situations are different. And what works for me or members of the Stripe Hype crew may not work for every reader. Feel free to post up in the comments who you’re getting your copy of Madden from, and what made you decide to go with them.