The Gamestop by my house always hosts tournaments for game releases, normally held on launch day, but on rare occasion are held up to a week in advance. I've entered tournaments for Halo Reach, Halo 4, and Madden 12 and they were a ton of fun. The winners get their game for free, but they also have the option to go double or nothing against an employee for a free edition upgrade for the game or store credit, and if they win again, they can play the manager for $100 store credit plus a free preorder.