i know this topic isnt as exciting as knowing hwen we can play CE head start and SE headt start. BUT none the less im curious.

it seems that how AoC was handled with the beta/headstart might be the same way its done with WAR. for MMOs a street date doesnt really matter anymore. the "ship" date on all sites says the 16th so does that mean they will already have them in stores by then? or on the 17th because it really isnt shipping until the 16th?

or, is it ALREADY in store and they will let us pick up even earlier than the 16th like they did with conan? i grabbed my copy of conan the day BEFORE the ship/street date.

anyone working at a gamestop/bestbuy that can confrim or deny?

now i know how things work at stores like best buy, circuit city and gamestop, ive worked at 2 of those stores. and as of late with best buy they have the date on their website that the game WILL be in store for pickup. and gamestops site has the date it is "shipping" which is also the street date.

its actually wierd how non-uniformed video game releases are and theres much more money in them than CDs/movies...lol

so ANY speculation is welcome. i wont be playing my head start till tuesday and would love nothing more than to BS about WAR till then...

i do have spore and although its a swell game it just cant patch the hole in my heart that is a gaping wound for WAR to fill... oops, that was... um... yeah...

so please post any sightings within, cheers.

Non pre-order opens on the 18th, but I noticed the Brick and Mortar stores advertising box sales for 2pm on Wednesday the 17th (with the disclaimer that access starts on the 18th).

So, they will be available at least a day earlier than the retail start.

As far as Tuesday or Monday, I guess it depends on how tightly EA controls the wholesale shipments. Also, EA seems more likely than other companies to persue action againsts those that break the boycott date.

If they physically ship to stores on Monday or Tuesday, there is a chance some stores will screw up and release early. Most new DVD and Game releases are on Tuesdays, so out of habit some stores might put them out Tuesday if they don't know better.

Of course, Gamestop and EB Games are notoriously bad about releasing boxes early, so those should be on the top of your list if you are looking to hunt for an early copy.

Remember, though, with out an early access code, you will need to wait until Thursday to play, no matter when you grab the box!