Back in 2009 Blockbuster Video was facing serious financial challenges (some would say they still are) which they decided to address, in part, by adding video games to their online rental program. After a slow start the company seemed to catch up somewhat with sites like GameFly. But several years later where do they stand? Is it still a service worth utilizing, or should consumers look elsewhere?

In order to make this determination we'll look at pricing structure, titles, and how the rental process actually works. After reading all the information you should be able to make an informed choice on your own. Keep in mind that all of this information was taken directly from Blockbuster's own promotional materials and may or may not be accurate at this time.

Pricing Structure

When the Blockbuster announced the addition of games to their online platform in 2009 they were adding them at no extra charge. Back then the monthly rate was $8.99; certainly not a bad deal for an unlimited number of movie and game rentals. In 2011 prices have increased somewhat. Not only that, Blockbuster offers a three-tiered pricing structure depending on how much renting you plan to do.

For $11.99/month you can get unlimited rentals - but only one disc at a time. $16.99/month gets you two discs at a time; three discs will cost you $19.99/month. All three tiers include no due dates and five in-store exchanges per month. For the more prolific gamers among us, the one disc plan hardly seems worth the cost; especially if you like to order movies along with your games. The three disc price seems much more reasonable.

Titles

Blockbuster advertises the fact that many of their new releases come a full 28 days before they reach Netflix or Redbox. How much this applies to games really can't be known, but a brief look through their menu reveals a sparse supply of titles for the major platforms.

For the Wii console, for example, Blockbuster carries on 12 titles including Tiger Woods Golf 2012, Mario's Sports Mix, and Cars. PS3 and Xbox have titles have a few more selections like Red Faction, Mortal Combat, and Homefront. If you're looking for new games, Blockbuster says NCAA Football 12, Madden 12, and Assassins Creed are on the way.

Rental Process

Like most online video game rental services, you order your games and wait for them to be delivered in the mail. Blockbuster doesn't provide any rental games on demand like some of their competitors do. Once you receive your games in the mail you can keep them as long as you like, but you're not allowed to get any new ones until the old ones are returned.

It's unclear whether or not you can return video games to a local store; we've read comments both ways. But if it turns out that you can't, you'll mail the games back in a postage-paid envelope so you can order new ones.

Perhaps the service will improve in future month's and we will be updating this as it does. We welcome your comments and feedback.



Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Filed under: Video Game Sites Reviewed

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