With preorders ;p. I'm NOT being a smart ass with the title, I'm being silly. History has taught us though that people usually have a better chance getting the game at the store than those who preorder it. Like for example I didn't get Fatal Frame III til 6 days after it was released, where as someone elsewhere was able to walk in and get it at release. This being a highly anticipated game I can imagine the long line and riots that will ensue when EB hits everyone with thier famous "we don't have it today" slogans.

Lovely, perfect post ruined by 1 whole letter -.-.

Lol, I pre-ordered it myself. But even if I get it quite a while later than those who just get it from a store, that won't really mean anything to me, becauuuse... I'll still be getting it sooner than the European release (if there even will be one) by importing the game. So basically I can't get it from a store anyway (unless I would fly over to the US to buy the game... uhm, yeah right! xD ).

And of course, with my pre-order from Gamestop I'll be getting the pre-order bonus; a (hopefully) nice artbook. =)

I was considering pre-ordering but it's going to have a pretty wide release compared to some of the lesser known RPG titles... That and the EB games that's right next to where I live is always empty, so I don't see them selling out of the title anytime soon after it's released. Failing that there's a Wal-Mart right next to the EB Games... Failing that we have 3 best buys... About 6 other EB games, about 5 or so gamestops ( They keep opening GS's and EB's everywhere ) and then 4 local gamestores around here.

Needless to say I'm not terribly concerned about it, I did put Disgaea 2 on hold though for some odd reason even though I doubt it's going to be hard to get a hold of on the first day.

Stupid question... But what's the release date? Some ad I saw online said the end of this month, but my friends latest Game Informer says November.

It's been said it would be released on August 29th, and the official English site now confirms this:

"Xenosaga III ships on August 29th, so be sure to pre-order your copy and score a great bonus gift (while supplies last)."

So that's next week Tuesday, but since I need to wait for my order to reach Belgium that'll be a few days later for me... pffft! =p

Heh. I normally get screwed over with the pre-order bonuses, not them not having my pre-ordered copy in. But I will pitch the worlds biggest freakin' fit if it happens this time, as I marched into one of the local stores THE DAY it was able to be pre-oredered. You know, before any bonuses were announced, and reserved my copy. Not that I'm all too worried about them not having it....there's like 4 GameStops, 7 EB Games, 8 Wal-Marts, 2 Targets, and 3 Best Buys within 20 minutes of me. But I just wanted to make sure....I mean, Tales of Symphonia was hard to come by when it was released.

You may have to wait for it to reach your country, but at least you'll have it.

haha i remember in games before that i wanted, i never got them when they first came out. usually it was a month before i could get it. haha i learned this time with xenosaga 3. i reserved it i think two days ago at gamestop. haha. i learned!

August 29th? I could have sworn it was today, oh well the 29th is close so yea lol. Guess I'll be getting mine in september.

I wanted to order from Gamestop so I get a bonus photo book, but I decided to just buy it up front at the store because I figured, I could get it faster than some people who pre-orders and I can play it at the same time after buying it. I hate waiting.

haha i did pre-order it from gamestop. i just want to know how you ^^^ can get it faster than a person that already pre-ordered it. cause if it does work im going to do it too. =)

I don't know what I was talking about but I went and pre-order too at Gameatop two days ago? just wondering? does that mean we get the game right on the 29th? or earlier?

XD wait...how the hell can you pre-order and not get your copy when you go the day of release? They're supposed to put your aside FIRST when the initial shipment comes in. At least that's how they do it around here, and it's how I do it for the pre-orders I get at the Toys R Us I work at. Are the GS and EBG's around you guys retarded or somthing? The main reason I reserve my stuff at GS is because I can have the stuff paid for months in advanced and not have to worry about shelling out the money on days like Tuesday when both XSIII and Disgaea 2 come out. And if all else fails, I just get it from work and use my credit on some other games or somthing. But i've NEVER had any problems. I go in, get my games and go on my way.

By pre-ordering online and have the game delivered at home, maybe? =p It's not the same as going into your local store and pre-order it there to pick it up on the day of release. In that case, you should indeed get it on the day of release (unless you don't go over to collect your order... duh! xP ). But otherwise, deliverance at home might take a day or more depending on where you ordered from (if it's from a different country it will obviously take a few days).

Just thought I'd mention I'll be picking this up Wednesday along with Disgaea 2. I highly doubt I'll be playing XS3 anytime soon as I just started Shadow Hearts a couple days ago, but once I finish that I'll be moving on to either XS2 or Shadow Hearts 2.

I'll be making my way to XS3 eventually, and I might as well pick it up while I can.

I hope the game isn't half cutscenes like the first one ( And from what I've heard, the second ) because that'd drive me nuts. So far I'm enjoying Shadow Hearts a lot more because I haven't been bogged down by a cutscene every minute.

Ah well I guess the thing about Xenosaga that most people miss is that those cutscenes completely replaced all the textbox dialogue scenes (that have been in RPG's since the very beginning) in the game. I think there's only two or three in the entire game.
So basically, in Shadow Hearts when you are at the campfire with Alice early on, or talk about the scary villagers from the first village, those type of scenes are the same one as in XS. Except they chose to add voice acting and make them FMV, which for me was a plus. But everyone have their own taste.

Oh and I pre ordered my XS 3 a while ago so I'll get the bonus artbook, it's just that I STILL haven't finished XS 2 since.... when was it I started? Some time in early 05 I think. It's not that I don't like the game, just a number of circumstances and... excuses. I'll get to it soon though, because I'm looking forward to XS 3.

From what I've read, those kind of textbox convos will return in large numbers in XSIII. As a matter of fact, the majority of the cutscenes are said to be textbox convos (though this time all of those convos are voice acted as well). It seems there aren't that many real FMV's in this game, they opted to go with the textbox setup quite often.

Though it was also said to fit better with the game's pace, since there will be several huge convos (and they decided "using textbox dialogue would work as a better medium this time" <-- semi-quoted from the representative xP ). I just hope you can skip phrases without having to wait for the voice acting to finish during those textbox convos (so I can skip stuff like: "This is the XY-TripleZ Blaster, it uses circular shockwave energy-cells blah blah blah~!" xD ).

Do they (Gamestop, EB Games, and ect....) receive it a day earlier than the release date? Or do they actually recieve it on the 29th when it is released? Because I want to go pick mine up when the store opens. XD I just can't wait!!!!

Could be, it can happen some stores get a game in a day earlier (would that also mean they'd send my order to Belgium a day earlier, hm? xP ). But the only way to know for sure is to check it yourself; go over or just phone them. ;p

YESSSS!!! now I just have to wait till tomorrow!!!!

9:00 can not come soon enough......HURRY UP TIME! I gotta go pick up my game! And if my artbook isn't there, things are going to get VERY ugly.

*checks order status* Pffft, still unshipped xD . But oh! They added the artbook to my order display, that wasn't there last time. So now I'm sure I'll be getting the artbook too. =)

Yes I completely agree! thats the only reason I reserved a copy ahead of time.
And I got SCREWED today, 8/29/06
I went to gamestop and they said...... "Oh the release date you see on the computer is actually the date that they ship, so we SHOULD, get it tomorrow" I was like
I woke up all excited, even had a dream that I didn't get the game. that even got me !!!!!!
Dreams do come true. T_T

Yea Tid that sounds about right. I took a gamble today like what I did with Suikoden V(and got lucky) and went to Best Buy hoping they'd have it. No luck so I will try them again tommorow and hope for the best.

You know what I always wanted to experience when going to a game shop? Being in those long lines with people camping outside waiting for the store to open just so they can be the first ones to get thier hands on that anticipated console/game. It's never happened, as a gamer I'd love to experience that just once XD.

Yes I completely agree! thats the only reason I reserved a copy ahead of time.
And I got SCREWED today, 8/29/06
I went to gamestop and they said...... "Oh the release date you see on the computer is actually the date that they ship, so we SHOULD, get it tomorrow" I was like
I woke up all excited, even had a dream that I didn't get the game. that even got me !!!!!!
Dreams do come true. T_T
[/quote]

Yeah, same thing happened to me. "We'll have it tommorrow." And I'm like People that pre-order should get their games shipped express so they are there on the day of release.

No SHYT!
They better have it tomorrow or I'm throwing punches! XD not really,

The same thing happened to me and probably everyone that reserved it, and im pissed because the next two days are my busiest days, so im not going to have enough time to pick it up and one of my parents is going to end up having to pick it up while im not home. Also, if I dont get the art book, Im going to be so pissed, someones going down.

All of us insatiable fans will have to get together and form an angry mob.

YES!!! FORM A MOB!!!!!!
but I did get a phone call from gamestop that my game will arrive at noon tomorrow.

All right, I got screwed BAD. I went in, yea they got the game, but no Artbooks? I was like WTF!!!! I am NEVER EVER EVER going to reserve games in this place EVER agian. I reserved it to get the book and they said they are out? B****!

Well, those artbooks were only available as long as supplies lasted. Those who ordered early on had the most chance of getting one (I'm getting one, it's on my order display =p ).

OMG! my PS2 won't even read the DISC!!! I'm SUPER PISSED OFF NOW!!! I'm gonna break #####!!!!!

Yeah, they were on a first come, first serve basis. I'm going to be scanning the pages, so I'll be more than happy to send them to a zip file for download.

Won't read it? The driver on your PS2 may be going out. Or you just need to clean it.

Wait, first to reserve first serve, or first to go pick it up first serve, because I pre ordered it over a month and a half ago, and Im going to be pissed if I dont get the art book (and extremely pissed if it doesnt work, but it should)

Awe, sorry. First to reserve it, first ones to get it. then on down the line.

And my copy works just fine.

Well I should get it then, because I reserved it around July 15th, and I dont know anyone in my area who has even played any of the other Xenosaga games, also, do you need a receipt to get the game from when you reserved it?

Yeah, you should be ok there.
Not to my knowledge. I've picked up games before without one. So long as it's in their system, you should be ok.

I picked it up today with no hold on the title... However the EB games next to me only had 4 copies available outside of what was already on hold. I thought that was really amazing because this EB is in a really bad location and I never see anyone in the store when I visit ( Which I why I go, they usually have every game I want because they never sell anything ) so I guess get your copy while you can.

As for keeping your receipt... EB told me to hang on to mine for Disgaea, but when I went to pick it up they just asked for my name and had my payment down in their system already. You shouldn't need your receipt to pick up your copy.

OK everything went fine for me now..... Since my PS2 is stupid. I went to Gamestop to buy one, and the dude there was like... ummm nevermind I found your Xenosaga Artbook. I was like OOOOOOOOO and so I've been playing it nonstop until now. and looking at MY ARTBOOK!!!!!
By the way shadow_ocelot, I didn't need my reciet. I brought it but he only asked for my name and stuff.

hahaha i got xenosaga III today!! yay!! i cant wait to play it. but i have hw first so thats a bummer. bleh! >.< and the art book looks great too btw.

I was not able to get this game, I'll try tommorow although chances of anyone having it are still slim. The guides are out and I was tempted to buy it, but I didn't cause I know I'd spoil the game for myself even more. Infact, this maybe the first time in years that I don't use a guide just for the sake of suspense. I didn't bother asking any of the store clerks did they have the game..cause if you don't see the box on display, they don't have it.

There's probably more gamers in our towns than we actually know. I didn't expect XSIII to be sold out so fast and full of pre-orders.

Well I've ordered my copy over ebay... The only problem I may have no now (apart from it not being sent for whatever reason) is that it is a Dual Layered DVD... those are the only types of games I can't play... if it is I WILL cry... because that will be £30 wasted... which is a lot for someone unemployed...

you may want to go ahead and ask them, even if it's not on display. Sometimes they DO have copies. I've learned that myself.

But yeah, in a way I was surprised how many people were rushing out to get it. But then again, not really. I know people that have never played Xenosaga who got into the series because of seeing trailers and such of Episode 3.

Oh, and it's a two disk game, so there's a good chance you won't have any trouble playing it.

Huh? The guides finally out? I want to get it although I'm on Disc two. I just want to see pics.

It's one of the most beautiful guides I've seen. From the way everything is broken down, to the layout, to the rich colors. Just gorgeous. I just had to get it.

I'm jealous, I haven't gotten the time to go get it yet.
Is the book cheaper at Walmart? on the site it says $12.21 and on gamestop and ebgame sites they say $19.99

Hmmm.....at the Wal-mart's here, they're still the cost that they are at the game stores; $19.99

^thats stupid? maybe it's only reduced if you order, but I'm not gonnas do that.

Yeah, it's a bit on the dumb side. but alot of stuff tends to be cheaper online. *shrugs* In any case, it's worth $20. It even has a T-elos poster in it.

I hope you're sure about that. I've had it happen more than once they didn't have the box on display, so I asked the store clerk and he just grabbed the game from behind the counter (reason being they still had to put it on the shelves). xP

But I guess I can now answer the original question: who got screwed over with pre-orders? Me! xD

I didn't get screwed up with pre-orders... I just got screwed over...

Guitar Hero wasn't on display but they had plenty of them... then gain guitar hero is a big thing to put on display so I think it's a little different. Which reminds me I'm going to play a bit of that to vent my lack-of-xenosaga-episode-III anger.

I'm beginning to wonder....

Today I found out that my disc 1 is badly scratched for a new game. And so far it's froze at all the "want to see" scenes.