Joystiq's Big Ol' Black Friday and Cyber Monday Bargain Roundup
It's dangerous to shop alone, so take this – our regularly updated mega-post on the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals:
Contained within the hallowed walls of this post are links to every Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday deal we've written about since this year's madness started, and you can rest assured that we'll be updating this list as new deals/sales/bartering agreements are announced. Additionally, the deal summaries may not include every aspect of an outlet's sale(s), so be sure and click thoroughly as you construct your battle plan.
We're going to assume you've already rented enough riot gear for you and your loved ones to wear while shopping, so we're going to skip that part and get right to the four shops you'd planned on visiting anyway:
Best Buy: $30 doorbusters and console combo packs
GameStop: $40 Forza Horizon, $250 360 with Skyrim, Black Ops 2
Target: $20 Target gift cards with select games, more bundles
Walmart: $15 Dance Central 3, $90 Wii, dignity on back-order
OTHER NATIONAL AND REGIONAL RETAILERS
Gaming deals can be found in retail environments beyond the confines of the usual fair, though we don't expect any of these locations to serve as a bastion from insanity:
Toys 'R' Us: BOGO for $1 on many games, BOGO 40-percent off Wii U games
Old Navy: Yup, Old Navy. Weird! Free New Super Mario Bros. U with $40 purchase
Starbucks: Free Sonic 4: Episode 2 for iOS at participating locations
ONLINE RETAILERS
Generally speaking, we prefer to shop from home whenever possible, regardless of whether it's tramplin' season down at the local mall:
Amazon.com: Console bundles, a full week of gaming Lightning Deals and more discounted downloadable PC games than you can shake a stick at
Microsoft Store: Dance Central 3 and Forza Horizon for $15, Borderlands 2, Dishonored and NFS: Most Wanted for $25
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION PLATFORMS
Pretty much the only thing more convenient than ordering a game online is ordering it directly on the thing you're going to play it with:
Steam's Autumn Sale: Huge discounts on XCOM: Enemy Unknown, The Walking Dead and others major titles, indie darlings and various flash sales
GOG: Pick five games for $10, including Torchlight, Trine and Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Xbox Live: $10 off certain Games on Demand jams and half-off select XBLA games and expansions
PlayStation Network: Ultimate Bundles up to 66 percent off for regular PSN users, 72 percent off for PlayStation Plus members
HARDWARE-SPECIFIC BREAKDOWNS
Maybe you don't care where you buy something. Maybe you'd just like to know what's going to be officially available from the world's console manufacturers. In that case, take a look at the hardware bundles available at various retailers from The Big Three:
Microsoft: Discounted bundles for both 4GB and 250GB 360s, as well as deals on Halo 4, Forza Horizon and others
MISCELLANEOUS SUNDRIES
If a developer, peripheral manufacturer or purveyor of assorted gaming accoutrement has designated discounts for their own wares, you'll find it here:
X-Arcade: Two-player joystick configurations of varying complexity up to $40 off
Capcom: Store-wide discounts, up to 75 percent off Asura's Wrath, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record and non-gaming goodies like the 25th Anniversary Street Fighter chess set. Also, Street Fighter X Tekken Mobile for $0.99
Sega: $7 Jet Set Radio on PSN, select XBLA titles for 400 MS Points, discounted mobile titles