It seems that every time there is a highly anticipated game being released, forum-goers always ask these inevitable questions: “Who got it? Where did you get it? What did you have to do for it?” These questions are a necessary part of our Internet lives, since we are all trying to one up strangers who are clearly not as cool as us. After all, if they were as cool as us they would have the game too.

With NBA 2K9 and FIFA 09 on the horizon -- two of the more anticipated sports titles being released in the coming weeks -- I am here to help those folks who want to be just that much more awesome. The theory being that if everyone gets the game early, then everyone must be equally as awesome. With that bit of communism out of the way, I present to you the Official Guide to Being Awesome and Breakin’ Street Dates.

First, though, I feel I should take a second to explain why I get to be the author of this guide. For the last three years I have been able to get NCAA Football and Madden up to a week early -- not to mention all of the other highly-anticipated titles that have come out (see: Halo 3 and Rock Band). I should also mention that I am a former employee of an EB Games, so I do know how the corporate stores handle big releases.

Know which titles should come out early: The only real reason that games are sent out early is if the publishers deem the demand high enough due to either pre-orders or buzz. Seeing a “Where did you get it” thread for lesser sought after titles, such as FaceBreaker or Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm, is just wishful thinking to say the least -- and outright laughable to say slightly more.

Get a phone book: You are looking in the wrong place if you are checking any major stores for dumb employees; the most anticipated games come in boxes that say DO NOT OPEN UNTIL THIS DATE! You should scour the phone book (or yellowbook.com, because David Carradine has never steered me wrong) for video-game retailers. Avoid all of the bigger stores and look instead for places like Andy’s House of Games. Indie shops that could use the business more than huge retailer X are more likely to break a street date. You should know that the process of finding your store can be a bit of a hassle, but once you do, it is worth all of the trouble.

Location, location, location: Some people are not going to like this next part, but it does connect to checking the phone book. You have to be in the right kind of city. There are some towns that simply do not have the Mom and Pop stores that I mentioned in the above paragraph. I am not the sentimental type, so I am not going to be shedding a tear for the indie stores that die out due to the Walmarts of the world. However, if you are one of those unfortunate people, it may be necessary to start picketing. It won’t solve your problem, but it can be fun.

Timing is everything: If you are looking to get a game early, you should start calling your store about a week before the game's release. I am not saying you will get it early, but checking in is harmless. Just make sure you don’t come across as harassing the employees, because if they have caller ID they may not answer your calls in the future. This could be the neurotic in me, but I am always sure to apologize in advance if I am coming across as a needy gamer.

Be memorable: If you are lucky enough to find a store that will help you in this endeavor, be sure you let the employees know just how much you appreciate their efforts. They are much more likely to help you in the future if they know you. You would be surprised how far a little courtesy goes in the long run. I will use an example from my life to demonstrate this point.

I received a phone call from the store I go to for all of my street date breaking needs on the Thursday before Madden was to be released. The manager on the other end of the phone told me that he remembered I wanted the Collector’s Edition of Madden -- I told him this a month earlier when I was picking up NCAA. He then went on to tell me he would hold on to a final copy until I came into the store to pick it up. This would not have happened had I not built up a rapport with the man over the last three years.

Don’t ruin a good thing: Of course being one of the fortunate ones means that you have a great deal of power, and as we all know from Uncle Ben the rice maker, “With great power comes great responsibility.” In each of the aforementioned commonly-titled threads, the rule is you never announce publicly where you got your game. Doing this could jeopardize any chance of you getting any games early ever again.

If a store is caught breaking a street date they can be fined, given a 90-day suspension of early shipment privileges, and eventually have early shipment rights revoked permanently. A lot of people are known to send private messages to others with their store's information. I would advise against that unless you are sure the other person won’t ruin it for you and everyone else. Besides, if someone does ask you to send him a PM, just send him a link to this article and tell him to do the work himself.