Surviving the Surprise 3DS Artillery from Best Buy.

Well, If you weren't prepared for the BOGO (buy one get one) promotion at Best Buy then you must have been away from the internet for the week leading up to it. Most likely you are screwed.

However, I will try to piece together a guide for both Noob and Veteran 3DS owners to be able to finish up their catalog. This is the BOGO Wasteland Survival Guide!

Chapter 1: Finding Food at the Super Duper Mart

Finding 3DS Games at Best Buy!

There is a basic rule to getting your way as a retail employee. You are never wrong. Complain intelligently enough and loud enough and you will win. This may be your tactic at a Wal-Mart or Target, but let's save it for later. Best Buy for the most part is better to deal with than these stores. Besides, if you waited until after 2a.m. Sunday morning to order your games, it's your own fault. Nintendo fanboys are a rabid beast.

BestBuy.com updates every minute. Be persistent and check in any spare time you have. Pro Tip 1: Already have the 2 (or 4 or 6 or 8) games you want in your cart awaiting checkout so when their stock is updated it is a quick and easy process. Also don't trust the internet....

except me, you can trust me. The Big Blue website often lies about stock a store has so don't get your hopes up, call them. Also, even if the store does have it available for purchase, the website may tell you it's unavailable as to allow the crazy people who go outside to shop a fighting chance of stumbling on the deal.

Now, on from the dotcom. In store they of course may have offered to order you products or get a transfer before. This doesn't apply here. It won't be possible for them to order it the normal way. You must request something else. Much like the hidden menu of Starbucks, this other way of ordering isn't commonly known to customers. A few Best Buy stores have posted it on their websites which is the only reason why I am going to share. It is called Express Lane.

Not AN express lane, but The Express Lane. It's a 3rd option for ordering and much like the Alaskan Pipelines it is a valuable resource that, if harnessed properly, can help everyone greatly. Protip 2: You can even call the store and have them expresslane the games for you if you don't mind giving out debit card info over the phone.

Chapter 2: Contract Radiation Sickness

Price Matching the Best Buy Ad with Target!

There are 2 types of Targets (No, not regular and super) There is the Target who are glad they are not Wal-Mart and appreciate all who think so as well. There's also the Target who thinks the name should be pronounced with a French twist and that built in Starbucks makes them a superior and high class alternative to their competition (the same hated competition who doesn't lose customer data)

If you go to Target #1 then congratulations! They probably won't grill you about the stock of the item at Best Buy and why you didn't go there instead and finally finish up their verbal annoyances with some b.s. about not needing to price match a BOGO deal. I just described Target #2 if you didn't catch that. You probably already know which Target you have. Feel free to avoid them if you know you have a Target where the last T is silent.

Chapter 3: Traversing a Mine Field

Wal-Mart Thinks Ad is Spelled "P-R-I-C-E"!

I you are reading this on your phone. First off, I'm sorry. I'm a poor writer and Gifs are the makeup I use to doll up this horrible blog. Second, you WIN! Because here is a link to Wal-Marts COPORATE Ad Match Policy: http://corporate.walmart.com/ad-match-guarantee which states that they specifically match BOGOs! Anyone who misses out on the BOGO can just bug their local Wal-Mart. Do not take NO for an Answer! Pro Tip3: I gave you the intelligence needed, now you bring the loudness! Customer is Always Right! Without YOU they wouldn't be here!

BOOK ONE COMPLETE!

 Thank you to the vault dweller who gathered the information. That was for the Veterans who got lazy or were unaware because their internet broke. Now for the Noobs. This BOGO sale may have pushed you into buying a 3DS for the first time (or again for those of you broke, lost or *gulp* traded one in during a time of financial troubles)  New purchasers can read the rest if they would like. If you already know what games you want....

Book 2 The Sequel: Deciding What to Purchase

So you haven't owned a 3DS before? You're purchasing a gift? You've been out of the game for a while and are trying to get back in? We are here to help. We are the internet. Don't fear us, just because we are many. Look around the internet. Do you see what I see? Friendliness?

NO.

Opinions. Lots of them. About everything. On Twitter. Reddit. Facebook. Best Buy's Own Website. Nintendo's website. Here. If you are purchasing a 3DS and need a guiding light, it's easy to find one, and a million more just like it until you're going in circles.

Let's look at it slowly. First. Buy the Mario & Luigi special edition 3DS XL at Best Buy which is on sale. It's $169.99 and comes with a fantastic first party title which sells for $39.99 and has atleast 40 hours of content. That's just a good deal. Don't skip on it, even if you don't like the silver color. You can always just buy a case.

Second. Utilize the BOGO now to build a library at great price. Pro Tip 4: IF a Best Buy location has the games in stock and they DO NOT have to be ordered then you can use price matching as well as the BOGO deal. Price Match Amazon for most games and save almost $10 on some titles. It does work, as long as the games are bought physically in the store. I have a few formulas if you are willing to get 4 games. These will help with gift giving or just making up your mind depending on play style.

Well Rounded: Mario Golf World Tour (Amazon match 27.13) + Disney Magical World (Amazon match 26.15) + Bravely Default (Amazon Match 33.63) + Zelda LBW (Amazon match 33.88) =

$67.51

Nintendo Lover: Zelda LBW (Amazon match 33.88) + Kirby Triple Deluxe (Amazon Match 29.80) + Yoshi's New Island (Amazon Match 34.06) + Pokémon X or Y (Amazon Match 33.58 or 31.83) =

$67.94

Share With A Friend: 2 copies of Tomodachi Life (Amazon Match 33.19 each) + Mario Party Island Tour (Amazon Match 29.45) + Kirby Triple Deluxe (Amazon Match 29.80) = $66.38

(Pro Tip 5: this grouping is intended for both parties to experience the crazy that is Tomodachi, while the other two games have AWESOME multiplayer modes which feature download play. Download play means there only needs to be ONE copy of the game for all 4 players to play. That's Right, one person has the game and their 3 friends who don't have it can still play.)

Time Suckers: Tomodachi Life (Amazon Match 33.19) + Bravely Default (Amazon match 33.63) + Pokémon X or Y (Amazon match 33.58 or 31.83) + Zelda LBW (Amazon match 33.88) = $67.51

Now these are all suggested groupings of games to give you a total of 4 (or 5 if you bought a 3DSXL Mario/Luigi bundle) Feel free to ignore the suggestions. I did. These are just for the lost people. My list would be Tomodachi Life, Kirby, Yoshi, and Bravely Default.

That's all I can really offer for anyone who needs help buying their new system. If you read this whole mess, congratulations. You win the knowledge of one person's opinion. and only his opinion. Good Luck this week. May the force be with you, always

and as always.....

......p.s. Take This Studios is about to start Twitching, Reviewing, and Debating. First will come the reviews. If you know of a game you would like to see and read about then let us know! Indie Games, Obscure games, AAA games. We would rather it be on Nintendo platforms or PC but any suggestions are welcome! We are a company built of fans and built from the internet. We need your help to succeed in anything, thank you.