HEY GUYS! It's November, which means the most glorious holiday for gamers in the nation is about to come around: BLACK FRIDAY! This holiday season looks like it's going to be jam packed with some phat ass deals to stack under the tree as presents this year. Here's the official lookout thread for everything to do with Black Friday!!! I will be going through ONLY VIDEO GAME RELATED ITEMS, and I will keep this blog updated as much as possible with every video game deal I can find as the ads become available. I'll also update with times that the stores open when I know that information as well.

AAFES (opening @ 4:00AM)

GAMES

• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - $49.95
• Assassin's Creed Revelations - $39.95
• Batman: Arkham City - $39.95
• Battlefield 3 - $39.95
• Forza Motorsports 4 - $39.95
• Gears of War 3 - $39.95
• Madden 12 - $39.95
• NCAA Football 12 - $39.95
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - $29.95
• Dance Central 2 - $29.95
• Just Dance 3 - $29.95
• Kinect Sports Season Two - $29.95
• Need For Speed: The Run (PC) - $29.95
• Rage - $29.95
• Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty - $29.95
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - $19.95
• World of Warcraft: Lich King - $19.95
• World of Warcraft: Cataclysm - $19.95
• World of Warcraft Battle Chest - $9.99

B1G1 DEAL

• Buy any Sims 3 (PC/Mac) game and get one of equal of lesser value (expansions and such) free

Best Buy (opening @ 12:00AM)

GAMES

• Skylanders Mega Pack (basic game pack + 3 character pack + Pirate Seas adventure) - $79.99
• Assassin's Creed Revelations - $34.99
• FIFA 12 - $34.99
• Forza Motorsports 4 - $34.99
• NBA 2K12 - $34.99
• Batman: Arkham City - $29.99
• Battlefield 3 - $29.99
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - $29.99
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution - $29.99
• Madden 12 - $29.99
• Need for Speed: The Run - $29.99
• Rage - $29.99
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - $29.99
• X-Men Destiny - $29.99
• Kinect Sports Season Two - $24.99
• Dirt 3 - $14.99
• Final Fantasy XIII - $14.99
• Homefront - $14.99
• Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions - $14.99

Turtle Beach Headphones - $39.99

Gamestop (opening @ 12:00AM)

Ah, fuck it...I'm just linking this one, as it's a lot to try to type out.

Hastings (opening @ 8:00AM)

250GB Xbox 360 Holiday Bundle (includes Halo Reach and Fable III) + 1 Used Games - $299.99 ***EARLY BIRD ITEM***

160GB Playstation 3 Holiday Bundle (includes Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and LittleBigPlanet 2) + 2 Used Games - $199.99 ***EARLY BIRD ITEM***

All Used Videogames - 33% off

GAMES

• Skylanders - $49.99
• Battlefield 3 - $39.99
• FIFA Soccer 12 - $39.99
• Forza Motorsports 4 - $39.99
• Madden 12 - $39.99
• Need For Speed: The Run - $39.99
• Sims 3 Pets - $39.99
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - $29.99
• Kinect Sports Season Two - $29.99
• Dance Central - $29.99
• Spider-Man: Edge of Time - $29.99
• Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty - $29.99
• NASCAR Unleashed - $24.99
• L.A. Noire - $19.99
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - $19.99
• World of Warcraft: Lich King - $19.99
• World of Warcraft: Cataclysm - $19.99
• Duke Nukem Forever - $14.99
• World of Warcraft Battle Chest - $9.99

B1G1 DEAL

• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• Left 4 Dead
• Dante's Inferno
• Medal of Honor
• Army of Two: The 40th Day
• Mass Effect 2
• Dead Space
• The Orange Box

K-Mart (opening @ 5:00AM)

4GB Xbox 360 Console - $149.99

GAMES

• Skylanders Starter Pack - $49.99
• FIFA 12 - $39.99
• Madden 12 - $39.99
• Need for Speed: The Run - $39.99
• NCAA 12 - $39.99
• Forza 4 - $39.99
• Gears of War 3 - $39.99
• Battlefield 3 - $34.99
• Metal Gear Solid HD Collection - $34.99
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - $29.99
• Dance Central 2 - $29.99
• God of War: Origins - $29.99
• Killzone 3 - $29.99
• Kinect Sports Season Two - $29.99
• RAGE - $29.99
• ICO/Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection - $29.99
• Driver: San Francisco - $19.99
• WWE All-Stars - $19.99
• God of War III - $14.99
• Heavy Rain - $14.99
• Gears of War Triple Pack - $14.99
• Transformers: War for Cybertron - $14.99
• Uncharted 2 - $14.99
• Enslaved - $9.99
• Medal of Honor - $9.99

Target (opening @ 12:00AM)

GAMES

• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - $59.99 w/ $10.00 gift card
• Rayman Origins - $59.99 w/ $10.00 gift card
• Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - $39.99 w/$10.00 gift card
• Battlefield 3 - $37.00
• Gears of Wars 3 - $37.00
• Madden 12 - $37.00
• Need for Speed: The Run - $37.00
• Resistance 3 - $37.00
• Forza Motorsports 4 - $27.00
• Disney Universe - $27.00
• Cars 2 - $15.00
• Epic Mickey - $15.00

Wal-Mart (starting @ 12:00AM, some sales starting earlier)

4GB Xbox 360 w/ Kinect and $50 Wal-Mart eGift card - $199.98 (item will begin selling at 10:00pm Thanksgiving night)

4GB Xbox 360 w/ Gears of War 3, 3-month Xbox Live Gold Subscription, and $50 Wal-Mart eGift Card - $199.98 (item will begin selling at 10:00pm Thanksgiving Night)

3-month Xbox Live Gold Subscription cards - $12.00

GAMES

• Skylanders Starter Pack - $49.96
• Call of Duty: Black Ops - $28.00
• Batman: Arkham City - $28.00
• Battlefield 3 - $28.00
• Gears of War 3 - $28.00
• Forza Motorsports 4 - $28.00
• NASCAR The Game - $28.00
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon - $28.00
• FIFA Soccer 12 - $28.00
• Madden 12 - $28.00
• Infamous 2 - $28.00
• Killzone 3 - $28.00
• Just Dance 3 - $28.00
• Kinect Sports Season Two - $15.00
• MX vs ATV Alive - $15.00
• Dance Central 2 - $15.00
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - $15.00
• Heavy Rain - $15.00
• Uncharted 2 - $15.00
• Epic Mickey - $15.00
• Toy Story 3 - $15.00
• God of War 3 - $15.00
• LittleBigPlanet 2 - $15.00
• Pure - $10.00
• Kane & Lynch 2 - $10.00
• Yakuza 4 - $10.00
• Bioshock 2 - $10.00
• Quantum of Solace - $10.00
• UFC Undisputed 2010 - $10.00

damn, that's right, Black Friday is coming.... Amazon is usually the crown jewel on these, right? (Besides Steam)

@TurboMan: The biggest problem with their Black Friday deals is they usually do the Lightning Deals, so you can't usually find out what they are until the day of. Personally, I've always found that AAFES, Hasting's, and Best Buy are the three kings when it comes to video games. However, I am curious what Gamestop will do this year.

Personally, I just want to try and grab Assassin's Creed Revelations and Skyrim for under $100 together. If I can get my military buddy to go to AAFES for me, I can actually accomplish that.

Going out on black friday is a thing of the past, stay inside and shop online.

@Unknown_Pleasures: Personally, I enjoy going to the store for Black Friday. My friends and I like going out and just acting the fool, but it's also because we are all usually awake until 8:00am anyways on a regular basis, so it's something for us to actually go out and do in this boring ass town. Also, I don't like waiting to play my games.

@jakob187: I did it last year and it was a nightmare so I'll stay inside, at least until the afternoon....most of the time they will still have copies as long of the deal wasn't insanely good.....I have a military ID but AAFES doesn't have anything that sparks my interest (Rage for $30 is a pretty good deal, but I don't think I'll bite on it).

@Unknown_Pleasures said:

@jakob187: I did it last year and it was a nightmare so I'll stay inside, at least until the afternoon....most of the time they will still have copies as long of the deal wasn't insanely good.....I have a military ID but AAFES doesn't have anything that sparks my interest (Rage for $30 is a pretty good deal, but I don't think I'll bite on it).

40 on Steam at the moment.

@Unknown_Pleasures: Understandable. Agree to disagree, I guess.

Also, just a general comment: the fact that this Black Friday deal makes WoW a $50 initial investment (as the Battle Chest comes with some free time on the game) is fucking insane, especially if someone would be interested in Mists of Pandaria when it releases.

Good ol' tax free AAFES.

@Axxol said:

Good ol' tax free AAFES.

Its especially good if your buying collector editions, you can save $10+.

I've never participated on a black friday or its subsequent derivatives.  I have yet to learn that joy. I'm working on it.

@Claude said:

I've never participated on a black friday or its subsequent derivatives. I have yet to learn that joy. I'm working on it.

I forgot to post Wii deals, but then I realized that there aren't really any deals on it at all anyways because most of the games this year have been...well, were games released for it this year?

@Claude said:

I've never participated on a black friday or its subsequent derivatives. I have yet to learn that joy. I'm working on it.

I forgot to post Wii deals, but then I realized that there aren't really any deals on it at all anyways because most of the games this year have been...well, were games released for it this year?

@Claude: Ever since my Wii died after the second year, I just kind of gave up on it. I hear Skyward Sword is supposed to be pretty goddamn beasty, but beyond that, it's all Wii U, right?

@Claude: Ever since my Wii died after the second year, I just kind of gave up on it. I hear Skyward Sword is supposed to be pretty goddamn beasty, but beyond that, it's all Wii U, right?

Fuck you guys.
 
Sincerely, 
Canada

@Xeiphyer: Canada doesn't have a shopping day? Really?

@Unknown_Pleasures: Is your aafes relatively well stocked when it comes to electronics? Mine, seems to be ridiculously small and rarely has good deals. They seem to keep the full price of games, regardless of age unless no one is buying them. Not to mention our electronic zone is basically an area that sells phones and dvds.

I've never participated on a black friday or its subsequent derivatives.  I have yet to learn that joy. I'm working on it.

OOOOOOOOOO shit steam sales! Fuck, i don't know if im gonna buy skyrim now. . . .

...they really shouldn't be selling that battle chest anymore. What's gonna happen when some unsuspecting noob reads about mana management on his hunter and finds himself totally confused?

@Rawrnosaurous: Yeah my AAFES has a decent stock, not nearly as good as places like Best Buy but still decent.....yeah they do have a problem with not lowering prices, but they eventually get there and they can occasionally have really good deals....I remember my AAFES had a video game blowout sale like 5 years ago and I got a ton of Xbox games for dirt cheap.

I have any games I want pre-ordered.

I do not wish to be crushed by savage shoppers.

Supposedly, Wal-Mart is releasing their ad sometime tonight. I'll be keeping an eye on that, especially given the pre-BF sales they've been having. They have a Westinghouse 42" 1080p LED for $340 the other day, which I wish I had known about at that time. Not the GREATEST, but still good and I don't have an HDTV still. lol

Wal-Mart is saying it'll be a "sneak peek" at the ads, but from what I've read, it's gonna be the full listing. Their gaming stuff usually isn't incredible, but they've talked for the past few months about wanting to be super competitive this year for BF. I'll update once info is available.

You just convinced me to wait on any other games other than Skyrim. Thanks.

Ughhhhhhhhh Black Friday. Fuck retail jobs.

Before my friend and I got in line for a 40" TV I was going to purchase we stopped by Wal-Mart to see the videogame deals. I was shoved, bumped into and stepped on. I'm not going back there without a taser.

OH GODDAMN!!!

Wal-Mart posted their ad, and the video game section is fucking RIDICULOUS!!!

Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, and Forza 4 for $28 a pop?!

Moreover, they have two 4GB Xbox 360 bundles...one with a KINECT...for $199. That shit is goddamn INSANE!

Alright. Target and Best Buy have released their ads, and it looks like I'm going to be in line at Best Buy this year. Assassin's Creed, Deus Ex, and Rage all on sale...all at midnight. Also, for anyone looking to start up on Skylanders, they've got the Mega Pack on sale. Damn good deal.

Target's is...alright. They've got better sales in all the other departments, though.

Damn there are some great deals at Best Buy & Wal-Mart this year. I really hope that a deal on Skyrim pops up at some point but it looks I shoudn't hold my breath. There aren't any more major video game retailers left to announce anything, right?

It's great that you started this thread, but all these deals and more can be found at cheapassgamer.com. Jus sayin. The Walmart deal on Forza is nice. I will be going to my 24 hour one to pick it up.

I saw the Wal-Mart ad a couple days a go and it has some pretty good deals, Wal-Mart and Best Buy are obvious competitors here.....I might pick up Homefront and Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions for $15 each.

EDIT: Also, Gamestop just released there ad, its underwhelming though compared to Best Buy and Wal-Mart. (Sonic Generations for $30 is the only deal that sparks my interest)

@dudeglove said:

(...can someone explain to me what's so "black" about Black Friday?)

Black Friday as a term has been used in multiple contexts, going back to the nineteenth century, where it was associated with a financial crisis in 1869 in the United States. The earliest known reference to "Black Friday" to refer to the day after Thanksgiving was made in a 1966 publication on the day's significance in Philadelphia:

JANUARY 1966 -- "Black Friday" is the name which the Philadelphia Police Department has given to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. It is not a term of endearment to them. "Black Friday" officially opens the Christmas shopping season in center city, and it usually brings massive traffic jams and over-crowded sidewalks as the downtown stores are mobbed from opening to closing.

The term Black Friday began to get wider exposure around 1975, as shown by two newspaper articles from November 29, 1975, both datelined Philadelphia. The first reference is in an article entitled "Army vs. Navy: A Dimming Splendor," in The New York Times:

Philadelphia police and bus drivers call it "Black Friday" - that day each year between Thanksgiving Day and the Army–Navy Game. It is the busiest shopping and traffic day of the year in the Bicentennial City as the Christmas list is checked off and the Eastern college football season nears conclusion.

The derivation is also clear in an Associated Press article entitled "Folks on Buying Spree Despite Down Economy," which ran in the Titusville Herald on the same day:

Store aisles were jammed. Escalators were nonstop people. It was the first day of the Christmas shopping season and despite the economy, folks here went on a buying spree. ... "That's why the bus drivers and cab drivers call today 'Black Friday,'" a sales manager at Gimbels said as she watched a traffic cop trying to control a crowd of jaywalkers. "They think in terms of headaches it gives them."

The term's spread was gradual, however, and in 1985 the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that retailers in Cincinnati and Los Angeles were still unaware of the term."

That makes a lot of sense when you think about Black Friday lol! :P

It's a dark day when normal people turn into cannibalistic maniacs...like zombies! They trample their fellow man/woman/child in hopes of getting a better deal than their fellow shopper! It's a dark day every year for humanity, and every year a little bit of humanity dies on the inside.

@elsuperdonut: I would actually suggest hitting up Toys R Us for Forza 4, as they are doing a B1G1 for $5 deal on Battlefield 3, Gears 3, Forza 4, and quite a few other games.

Also, I'm aware that this can be found on Cheap Ass Gamer. I do this blog every year, however. Not everyone goes to BF ad sites or CAG, so this is somewhere that they can find ONLY the gaming deals on their favorite forums.

Well, I guess I'll be waiting in line at a Best Buy after Thanksgiving dinner.

@elsuperdonut: I would actually suggest hitting up Toys R Us for Forza 4, as they are doing a B1G1 for $5 deal on Battlefield 3, Gears 3, Forza 4, and quite a few other games.

Also, I'm aware that this can be found on Cheap Ass Gamer. I do this blog every year, however. Not everyone goes to BF ad sites or CAG, so this is somewhere that they can find ONLY the gaming deals on their favorite forums.

Certain deals are crazy like Gears 3, Assassin's Creed, and Forza 4 but others seem ridiculous like fucking Blops for 30 bones. What?

Although 15 bucks for Ratchet and Clack: A Crack in Time is cutting it close to my no question buy limit. Although the problem is I don't have a formula for console game prices quite like I do for PC gaming. I guess this black friday is the perfect time to make one. Granted we haven't seen the granddaddy Amazon and won't until the black day itself.

@elsuperdonut: K-Mart just released theirs. They've got a pretty good list of stuff outside of the usual EA/MS stuff we've seen going on sale.

I still think Best Buy has one of the strongest game selection lists this year...but that's because they have AC on that list while no one else does besides AAFES.