Games take center stage at Square One Mall today

SAUGUS – Gamers unite!The Square One Mall on Route 1 will be transformed into video game central today, as the Simon GamePlay Tour stops in Saugus to give gamers a full day of head-to-head competition and giveaways and previews of upcoming titles.The tour will features 10 gaming pods set up throughout the mall with Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo sytems, two “mature zones” for more violent games and a Nintendo 3DS lounge complete with couches, snacks and games.”It’s going on throughout the mall all day on Saturday and people can come in and try out the newest and hottest games for free,” said Lauren Higginson, Director of Mall Marketing. “It’s going to be spread out so everybody will have a chance to participate.”Participants can also expect free game codes and insider information, chances to meet one-on-one with developers and product giveaways from top game companies including 2K Play, Capcom, SEGA and Namco-Bandai.GameStop Assistant Manager Erica Bettencourt said staff from her store, which is both a tenant in the mall and a sponsor of the event, will be out in full force throughout the mall to help customers with all their gaming needs.”We’re out there and have a bunch of different employees setting up demos of new games and people can see what’s reservable,” said Bettencourt. “We’ll have customers inside the store and out.”Bettencourt said one of the biggest attractions should be the upcoming game previews, especially with the latest incarnation of Call of Duty set to hit shelves in November.”Call of Duty is the biggest game of the year,” said Bettencourt. “Right now we have 500 reserves just in this store alone. The first week in general there were over 500,000 reserves for this game.”Today’s event marks the third year of the Simon GamePlay Tour at Square One, and while she’s expecting a big crowd, Higginson said it won’t be just for hardcore gamers.”It’s almost always held at back-to-school season,” said Higginson. “It’s great for moms and kids who are coming in to get their last-minute supplies. It’s kind of like a pleasant surprise for them. A little break from the back-to-school shopping.”The Simon GamePlay Tour gets under way today at 10 a.m. and goes all day until 9 p.m.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter at @MattTempesta.