High quality local geek shops are hard to find in Seattle. I have been accustomed in the past to running out to the local hardcore lair to pick up some OEM hardware, but that’s just not happening here any longer.

My theory is that Amazon has destroyed all margins for local geek dens and so they’re not around anymore. We’re left with the horror of Best Buy, Gamespot, Frys (in Renton) and Target.

I had some hopes that Pink Godzilla Gorilla (they were forced to change their name recently) would be able to handle pre-ordered games in a reasonable way, but it doesn’t look like they’re going to have their act together any time soon. It took them a solid week and a half to get their hands on Assassin’s Creed 2 for me. Waiting a week and change in anticipation to play it may have been the best thing about this game. The state of affairs with big conglomerate game companies putting out horrible games has really become endemic. EA and Ubisoft are prime examples of companies that buy up properties that were fun and creative and suck the life from them to marginalize the art into a sufficient-quality-to-ship model.

It honestly makes me sad.

After determining that there were no options in local fun businesses that I could have that sense of gamer community with here in town, I went back to Amazon and discovered something.

They can drop it off at my door on launch day for no additional charge. Not a bad consolation prize, though I think it is dependent on being an Amazon Prime subscriber.

I’ll give it a try with Bayonetta and Darksiders and see how it goes. They were some of my favorites of E3 and, like many projects lately, have been delayed into next year.