GTAIV in the GTA: Midnight Launch recap (Mississauga, ON)

by Xav de Matos { Apr 29th 2008 at 11:30AM }

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Unlike what Richard faced at Wal-Mart while picking up his copy of Grand Theft Auto IV at midnight, I saw me some crazy lines! Every gamer in Mississauga (near Toronto aka the Greater Toronto Area) must have turned up for the title because lines were huge! The shot you see above was the scene for the epic GTAIV Elite Console giveaway, which I wasn't able to snag a picture of, and after the jump is a picture of the line at my local EB Games.

Hundreds of people turned out in total at both locations but that isn't even the crazy part. The crazy thing is both stores are in the same plaza! Within a five minute walk customers can hit-up EB Games, Best Buy and FutureShop and all were opened for the midnight event (I didn't personally see FutureShop opened but someone told me they were).

Arriving on the scene at around 11:30 PM EST I jumped out of my car and snapped a few pictures of the Best Buy launch and then made my way down the plaza to the EB Games that I had pre-ordered the Special Edition. After waiting in line for about an hour, fueled by coffee and water, I had to make a tough decision. Sacrifice my bladder for the rest of my existence or get myself to the closest Tim Horton's on the ASAP!

I left. When I came back the line wasn't nearly as bad but I still waited for a while noticing the people who were behind me leaving as I arrived back on the scene! I pondered hitting the Best Buy, which was empty come 1:00 AM anyway, but I already paid for the title in full. According to my receipt I purchased the game at 1:53 AM.

Yes, I've been awake ever since.

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Tags: grand-theft-auto, grand-theft-auto-iv, gtaiv, rockstar, take-two

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

TORO @ Apr 29th 2008 11:36AM

Dang dude that's crazy! What the hell are you running on lol...

TORO @ Apr 29th 2008 11:40AM

Yesterday someone was posting how PS3 was the uber better "version"...but they're having problems already.

http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/gta-iv-freezes-sometimes-but-theres-a-fix/

Tony @ Apr 29th 2008 12:09PM

The things that are "better" about it are so minor that I don't even know why anyone would run around on a 360 site claiming the PS3 one was better or vice versa. People are so weird lol.

Adam H @ Apr 29th 2008 11:41AM

Xav is from the Toronto area? That's pretty cool actually...I'm in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) as well.

xenocidic @ Apr 30th 2008 8:37AM

wow, i was kicking myself for not going to BB/FutureShop because of how long it took me at Square One EB, but from the looks of this, maybe I made the right choice. I have some pics and my midnight madness story here:

http://xenocidic.com/2008/04/29/gta-iv-midnight-madnessand-first-impressions.aspx

Phil J W @ Apr 29th 2008 11:44AM

adam H me and you both buddy! that actualyl my ,local bestbuy.although mines reserved adn wiaiting near my office at the eb games at yonge adn eglinton...

doug @ Apr 29th 2008 11:45AM

I hope the Iron Man launch line isn't as crazy long as these.

ZEBRA NINER @ Apr 29th 2008 11:53AM

Wow, now THAT'S a line. Kind of like the line that Xav snorted before he went out last night... that's why he is still awake.

TORO @ Apr 29th 2008 11:56AM

lol for real man

MAXIMUS VI @ Apr 29th 2008 12:10PM

So glad I didn't bother with the midnight launch. I walked into EB this morning when they opened and picked up my copy. Waited in line for about 5 minutes and that is all. Easy as pie, no hassle.

refinedsugar @ Apr 29th 2008 12:27PM

Don't be doing hot rails off the dash of your car guys. Winners don't do drugs. :P

Xav do those pixs represent the largest the line at BB got? Did it thin out after the giveaway and pre-midnight festivities? I wonder how the nearby FS compared.

mike @ Apr 29th 2008 12:29PM

In the GTA, there are lines like this for every game at every store on every midnight launch. I dont really get it as there is around 5 million people in the GTA yet theres always like 1 million who line up all over it every time theres something like this.

I think our region is just populated by tons of gamers?

8complex @ Apr 29th 2008 12:44PM

Same type of line in Schaumburg, IL (suburb of Chicago) at the GameStop at Schaumburg/Barrington last night.

I was only about 50 feet from the door (showed up 15 minutes early), but it still took me 15 minutes to get into the store and get my copy. Supposedly the line was another 100 feet long by the time they opened the doors, but I could see it because it went around the corner and almost to the Jewel.

Also, true to the GTA heritage, the guys in front of me were standing in line drinking from a flask (scotch/crowl royal, from what I overheard) and smoking (cigarettes) like fiends.