f.y.e is somehwat (in)famous for carrying lots of out-of-print titles, long after many big box retails have clearanced them out. I love f.y.e. for this very reason. Where else are you going to find a sealed copy of Digital Devil Saga 2 or Metal Gear Acid?

Unfortunately, some stores are rather lazy about updating prices on items. Sure, you can bug an employee to price check stuff for you, but there’s a way to do it yoursef:

You can use the music preview kiosks (the little stands with headphones and an LCD screen, pictured) to price check any item at f.y.e. (Lots of shoppers don’t know this.) You usually have to wait ~20 seconds to watch a commercial, but after that an info screen will load with the current price and screenshots of games.

This trick will work at any Transworld Entertainment store: f.y.e., Wherehouse, Coconuts, Sam Goody, Suncoast (though they usually don’t have the screens), etc.

This is especially helpful on hunting sealed older titles. I’ve discovered good buys like Gradius V (PS2) for $19.99 using this trick.

On a related note, it seems that prices at f.y.e. stores are not quite universal. I’ve seen Xenosaga II for PS2 anywhere from $7.99 to $49.99 depending on the store.

Image: Microsoft

Here’s a Consumerist-style one for you.

Dick’s Pawn is one of my favorite places to visit in Myrtle Beach… just be sure to remember your elementary math. 5 DVDs for $12 or 10 for $25… hmm, I wonder how much 20 DVDs would cost. $60 maybe? Sounds like a deal to me!

I shouldn’t complain too much, because here’s what I got for my $12:

• Vampire Hunter D Special Edition
• Peter Pan (Disney)
• Castle in the Sky (Ghibli/Disney)
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Disney, out of print)
• Microsoft Office Student and Teacher Edition 2003 ($100-$200 on eBay)

Pikmin 2 prices are hitting an all-time high on eBay, with used copies hitting the $60-$70 without breaking a sweat. Sets of Pikmin 1 and 2 are easily topping the $100 mark. Over at Amazon, the lowest price is currently $69.77 and goes all the way up to $199 for a new copy.

Why now? Well, Pikmin hero Captain Olimar was included a main character in Smash Bros. Brawl. Given that said game has been selling gobloads of copies, no doubt many Wii gamers are being introduced for the first time to Miyamoto’s greenthumb niche title.

Oh, how I regret selling the sealed non-PC Pikmin 2 I had a year ago.

Is Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 destined to follow in the footsteps of series predecessors Digital Devil Saga and Nocturne as among the hardest to find PS2 RPGs? Appears so, as new copies of the title are evaporating both online and in stores.

Amazon has been out of stock of Persona 3 since at least early November. Currently, a new copy will set you back at least $81 from a 3rd party seller. Meanwhile, the official Atlus site, which had copies available at the end of November, has now pulled it from their online store.

Alternatively, a new copy of Persona 3 on eBay will run you about $70. Considering DDS and Nocturne’s legacy, that may be a bargain in just a few months.

I ran into this problem myself last month, since Persona 3 is on my Christmas list. My family, apparently unable to find a decently priced copy at Amazon, asked me for a URL where they could pick one up at retail price. I gave them the Atlus store, since they were still in stock shortly after Thanksgiving.

If you’re hunting a new copy at retail price ($49.99), check your local Sears (if you have one). My local Sears still had 2 copies last I checked. Ah, thank God for forgotten game retailers.

Or perhaps you’ll be like some lucky forumers over at CheapAssGamer, who found Persona 3 inexplicably clearanced for $12.49 at K Mart (YMMV!).