Target and Best Buy both announced expanded used game trade-in services this week, just in time for major developers to start making a profit off pre-owned games with online codes and subscription models. But I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.

Best Buy will officially launch used game trade-ins in 600 stores this week, with the promise of more to follow soon. Games can be traded for Best Buy gift cards, which can be used instantly in the store. There is no mention of a cash trade-in option – it looks like Best Buy is following in the footsteps of great aristocrats worldwide and keeping it in the family.

Target’s new Electronics Trade-In service packages cell phone and iPod trades with video games, and should be in over 850 stores nationwide by 2011. Trade-ins receive Target credit of up to $200, but that amount would probably only be for a 4G iPhone at this point.

Best Buy will sell back used games “soon,” while Target does not specifically mention direct sale of any used games.

Both stores will offer online options for trade-ins, Target through a partnership with electronics recycling site NextWorth, and Best Buy through their own online system that will appraise games, accept them through the mail and send out gift cards 7-14 days later.

What does the mainstream trade-in service mean for our used game consumer future, or that of gaming in general? Leave us your thoughts in the comments!

Finally, Blockbuster has made it possible to play Modern Warfare 2 and watch Runaway Bride in the same night from one all-encompassing subscription package. Stop panicking; your Friday nights are saved.

Blockbuster has added video games to its By Mail movie service, and starting today you can pick from 3,000 titles to rent via snail mail for Xbox 360, PS2, PS3 and Wii. There is no additional charge for renting games, which count against the total “disc out” limit just as movies do.

Blockbuster has been a slight ballbuster within the recent Netflix and Gamefly advancements, and it seems they’ve taken a while to catch up with consumers’ fast-paced, technologically-dependent needs. Is this Blockbuster’s saving grace, or another desperate plea for relevance? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Around here at the ‘Axe we enjoy cleaving the fat from the gaming news of the day and we also enjoy cleaving some cost from your gaming budget when the opportunity arises. Well, we’ve teamed up with GoGamer.com to ensure you’re “in the know” about some serious deals taking place during the online retailers “48-Hour Madness” sales. What is “48-Hour Madness” you ask? Well, aside from the phrase often used to describe my wedding, it’s a two day period where gamers logging on to GoGamer.com can score some serious savings on existing or forthcoming games.

This week, folks looking forward to Mafia II can pre-order the game on the PS3 for $49.90 while those that missed out on Alan Wake can snag the Xbox 360 thriller for only $29 bucks. Also, PC gamers can pick up BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 for the ridiculous low price of $16.90 while wanna-be spies can sneak into the world of Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell: Conviction for $27.90. Lastly, Madden fans will soon get their chance to square off on the virtual gridiron and GoGamer.com’s punching your sideline seat for Madden NFL 11 with about a $7 savings off the regular retails price.

So, check out all of this week’s 48-Hour Madness sales and pre-order pricing specials right here and see if there’s anything you like.

Happy shopping!

Meet Wheatley, a personality sphere with a few character flaws in the first of the gameplay series from Valve’s E3 2010 gameplay demo from the highly-anticipated Portal 2. The vid demonstrates not only the witty nature of Wheatley, but delivers a glimpse of the game’s rather gorgeous graphics and unique atmosphere as well. Good stuff!

So, check out this vid and then sound off on all things Portal 2 in the comments section below!

In an interview with Destructoid.com, Motoshide Eshiro talked about his upcoming Nintendo DS game Ōkamiden. The producer of the game wanted to clarify the game’s position relative to its PlayStation 2 predecessor, Ōkami.

According to Destructoid, Mr. Eshiro explained that there’s Ōkami, which was on the PlayStation 2 and the Wii, and then there’s the upcoming Ōkamiden — he’d like to keep the “brands” separate. Ōkamiden, however, maintains the feel of the original, existing alongside that game’s universe. Eshiro says this is mostly due to the fact that the Ōkamiden team has a deep understanding and respect for the original material.

Ōkamiden is scheduled to be released on the Nintendo DS in North America in 2011.

Source

Here at EpicBattleAxe our mission is rather simple…We aim to empower and inform the gaming masses as we seek to create THE BEST PLACE to passionately and productively discuss the gaming issues of the day. We love gaming, we CARE about gaming, and as hardcore gamers ourselves, we think we got a pretty good feel about what you boys and girls want out of a cool-ass website.

Well, one thing WE LOVE and APPRECIATE is gaming music…While each project is different, we at the ‘Axe feel that game music is a UNIQUE, WONDERFUL, and EXTREMELY IMPORTANT aspect of the interactive entertainment experience. As a result, you’re gonna be seeing A LOT more about game music and the folks that make it over the coming weeks, months, and years here on the ‘Axe!

To kick things off, we’re really proud to launch the EpicBattleTRAX game music player! Basically, this is a web-based audio player that allows you to listen to a continually growing library of game music while finding out more about its creators and gaining access to purchase/support the music/artists you love. We’re teaming up with industry insiders to deliver exclusive access to certain tracks and will even DEBUT new game music from within the player down the line!!! Best of all, you can listen to all of the tracks for FREE and enjoy them as many times as you want by simply booting up the player here on EpicBattleAxe.com so be on the lookout for those up top near the EBA logo, within the nav bar, and over in the left nav.

So, we hope you enjoy listening to and exploring the game music scene while making EpicBattleTRAX a part of your overall EBA experience! Hell, you can just keep it on all day as you surf the web! Whatever you do, just have fun and enjoy some of gaming’s finest tunes! We’ll soon be posting links to the player on the main page so you can quickly and easily launch it each time you visit EpicBattleAxe.com!

Alright gang, if you have any comments, suggestions or questions regarding the EpicBattleTRAX game music player, feel free to use the comments section below this post to submit them and we’ll do our best to check out each and every one! Now, add some atmosphere to your day and go enjoy some EpicBattleTRAX!!!

While it’s in no way official, several sites, including IndustryGamers and Joystiq, are reporting that our friends at GameStop might soon be acquired by a private equity firm, making us wonder what it would be like if we had the $3.27 billion that the retailer is valued at to purchase them for ourselves and transform them into GameSTARTS, “home of the not-completely-asinine trade-in value!”.

From our boy James Brightman on IndustryGamers:

“…according to a report on TheStreet.com. GameStop is currently valued at about $3.27 billion, but an unnamed private equity firm is apparently considering offering the company a buyout for $4.94 billion, which would represent a 33% premium.”

Damn, James is good at math! But seriously, do you have to offer a 33% PREMIUM when the company is already worth more than the entirety of Croatia? (I LOVE Croatia BTW, so I’m not knockin’ it…). That seems like a crazy high profit margin, but hey, isn’t “crazy high profit margin” official company policy for GameStop??? I dunno, but the company’s stock is apparently climbing ever since the rumor surfaced, making me wonder if I should start rumors of EpicBattleAxe selling to some private equity firm for somewhere around $5 Billion!?!?!?! Yeah, that sounds about right.

We’ll keep you posted on any new info if/when it comes our way.

The internet was all a-buzz today when the new cover of GamePro magazine surfaced. On the cover, neatly tucked near the top, floated the words Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.

Now, it is not news that there is a new Spider-Man title coming down the pike (reportedly sometime in 2010), but the appearance of the name has caused quite a stir. Why is this news? Because no one thought Batman: Arkham Asylum would be able to achieve the level of quality it did, and therefore we have all been given hope. Hope, you say? Yes hope – hope that a Spider-Man title can do the same. So can it?

What do you think? Can Spidey do what Bruce did? Are you excited for a new Spider-Man title? What do you think of the name? Sound off below!!!

via IGN

Oh, and it’s worth noting that the art pictured above is random and not associated with the new game;)

Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest has been delayed once more. Publisher Warner Bros has revealed the release date is now projected to be fall 2010. Its not all bad news though. The PlayStation 3 version of the title will now support the recently announced PlayStation Move giving the Wii a little competition in the motion-control department. Both the Wiimote and Move will allow players to accurately control weapon strikes in the game as well as in co-op gameplay exclusive to the PS3 and Wii.

Source

After Viacom President and CEO Philippe Dauman let the cat out of the bag, Rock Band developer Harmonix updated its Facebook page to reveal that the third, “revolutionary” installment in the mega-popular franchise will be heading our way this holiday season.

From the post:

Harmonix is developing Rock Band 3 for worldwide release this holiday season! The game, which will be published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts, will innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again, just as Harmonix did with the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and The Beatles: Rock Band. Stay tuned for more details!

Also, as IndustryGamers points out, Dhani Harrison, son of the late Beatles great George Harrison who also helped sell the idea of The Beatles: Rock Band to rights holders Apple Corps, said that he was working to make the instruments for Rock Band 3 “more real so people can actually learn how to play music while playing the game.”

Hmmm…Interesting.

Of course, we’ll keep you posted on any new Rock Band 3 details as they emerge.