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Get your Black Friday MMO deals here!
If our gift ideas for MMO gamers wasn't enough to get you started with your holiday shopping, then how about a full-fledged roundup of the many, many great deals floating around on Black Friday? That's right: Without putting on your pants, you'll be able to get in on some incredible promotions for this busy shopping day. Even if you're just buying for the most special person in your life (yourself), we still give you permission to splurge. All of the big deals are past the cut, so what are you waiting for?
WRUP: Joystiq Staff and Community Thanksgiving Edition
It's the time of year in the United States where we give thanks for all that we have in our life – not the stuff, really, but the family and friends.Here at Joystiq, we're all family and our friends are you, the people we work so hard to inform and entertain. So thanks for being a loyal reader to our site, listener to our podcast, and viewer of our other shenanigans. We appreciate it and we appreciate you.Now that the mushy stuff is out of the way, here are the games the Joystiq staff and some of the members of our community are playing during this extended time off. When we're not in a coma from all dem turkey legs!For this week's extended "What Are You Playing," the staff have collected two games they plan to play during the holidays: a retail game and a downloadable title. WRUP, friends?
Amazon Lightning Deals thunder through Thanksgiving Day
Remember when we said Amazon would have a bunch of awesome lightning deals on Black Friday? Turns out that starts now, making this an action-packed Turkey Day in the states.Some highlights throughout the day include Sims 3 Plus Supernatural at 9:10 a.m. PST, Darksiders 2 at 1:10 p.m. PST, Borderlands 2 and Madden 13 at 5:10 p.m. EST, Lego Batman and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes at 9:10 p.m. PST and Xbox 360 4GB with Kinect and 250GB holiday bundles at 9:15 p.m. PST.Check out the complete schedule below, as compiled by Thrifty Nerd, and start planning how you're going to sneak away from the family (and the pumpkin pie).
US kids want an iPad more than a Wii U for the holidays, Nielsen finds
It's worthwhile to note that this Nielsen graph showing the most-wanted tech gadgets for kids age 6 - 12 in the US is titled "Interest in Buying in the Next 6 Months." That's probably an incorrect assertion, since we haven't seen any 8-year-olds working the late shift at McDonald's recently. It should be titled, "Interest in Having Someone Buy This For Me in the Next 6 Months."Kids' holiday wishlists are dominated by the iPad, snagging the top spot from 48 percent of respondents age 6 - 12. Right behind that is the Wii U, with 39 percent. More iDevices complete the top five, though Kinect has 31 percent, and 3DS/3DS XL and other DS models grab 29 and 28 percent, respectively. PS3 comes in with 26 percent, followed by the Xbox 360 with 25 percent. Strangely enough, 18 percent of kids want a PSP, while just 14 percent would take the Vita.In a separate study of people 13 and older, the iPad remains king with 21 percent, making the split more even across all devices. Wii U is fourth in this group with 17 percent, while the PS3 gets 8 percent and the Xbox 360 7 percent. The Vita surpasses the PSP, 4 percent compared with 3 percent.Check out the complete graphs below.
GameFly offers 20% off Black Friday discounted digital PC titles this weekend
GameFly has posted its sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday on digital PC games, and there are quite a few healthy discounts in there, on big PC titles from this year and last. And even beyond the prices on the website, you can use the code NOV20OFF for an extra 20 percent off these already discounted titles. We've got deals on deals here, people!You can look through the whole list of prices on GamerDeals, but the standouts are probably XCOM: Enemy Unknown for just $37.49, Dishonored for $29.99, Torchlight 2 for just $14.99, and Spec Ops: The Line and The Darkness 2 for $7.49 each.Only on Black Friday, you can grab Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning also for $7.49, and Hotline Miami is that same price on Saturday. And on Friday and Monday only, Need for Speed: Most Wanted is $24.99. All those prices are before the code discount, too, so if you need to stock up on PC titles, GameFly seems like one of the best ways to do so.
Sega's Thanksgiving Day sale is a digital feast
Sega's Thanksgiving Day sale features games discounted across XBLM, PSN, Android and iOS devices, with an extra-special discount on some titles for PS Plus members. It's kind of like getting the plate with extra gravy.PSN highlights include Jet Set Radio ($7 standard, $4.90 PS Plus), a bundle of Sonic 1 and 2 ($5, free), a Hell Yeah! bundle with two DLC packs ($15, $10.50) and Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Complete Edition ($20, $15).We covered the Sega offers in the XBLA Black Friday sales post, but it's nice to see that still includes a handful of Sega Vintage Collections, Space Channel 5: Part 2 and Daytona USA, all for half off at 400 MS Points.iOS gets a smattering of games, such as Crazy Taxi and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, both for $3. Android gets two games, Sonic 4: Episode 2 for $3 and Virtua Tennis Challenge for $2.Take a peek at the entire list below.
GOG sale invites you to pick five games for $10
GOG.com's "Pick 5 & Pay $10" sale is a Black Friday deal which breaks the conventions of linear time theory and is available right now. Pick from games such as Torchlight, Trine or Alan Wake's American Nightmare for $2 apiece.Some of the games are both PC and Mac compatible, like Darwinia, Defcon, Mutant Mudds and Anomaly Warzone Earth. Tis the beginning of the season for sales, and we've got them all in one handy post.
Steam Autumn Sale is live: Walking Dead, XCOM, Terraria, indies and flashes
Steam's Autumn Sale kicks off today with major discounts on XCOM: Enemy Unknown ($33.50), Magic 2013 ($5), The Walking Dead complete season ($12.50), Darksiders 2 ($17), Terraria ($3.40) and Age of Empires 3 Complete ($10). The Autumn Sale ends November 26.The Autumn Sale also includes an indie offering, today with World of Goo ($2.50), Lucid ($2.50), QUBE ($3.75), Audiosurf ($2.50), Cave Story ($2.50), Krater ($5) and tons more on sale. Hit up the indie tab, under the "Specials" section, for more deals.Current flash sales highlight Limbo ($2.50), The Amazing Spider-Man ($25) and Payday: The Heist ($5), among others, all on sale for just a matter of hours and with more to fill in their expired spots (hurry!).Yesterday a little birdie told us the Steam Autumn Sale would begin today and run through November 27 (which is now confirmed as November 26), with the Winter Sale scheduled for December 20 - January 4.
Blizzard celebrates Black Friday with Diablo 3, StarCraft 2 deals
Blizzard's Black Friday offer is sweet and simple: StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty and Diablo 3 are each $20 off, now through Monday, November 26. StarCraft 2 is $20, while Diablo 3 turns out to be $40. These deals are blowing directly through the Blizzard Store.Other Blizzard wares, specifically in the World of Warcraft realm, can be found on the cheap at various retailers, including GameStop, Target, Best Buy and Amazon.
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
Nine PS3 Ultimate Edition deals take a seat at the Thanksgiving table
PS3 Ultimate Editions bundle major games with all of their DLC packs and throw them up on PSN for hungry consumers to... consume. Nine more of these bundles are on sale now through Monday, November 26, up to 66 percent off for standard PS3 players and up to 73 percent off for PS Plus members.Current Ultimate Editions on sale are Alice: Madness Returns ($20 for standard players, $16 for Plus), Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood ($28, $22) and Revelations ($50, $40), Deus Ex: Human Revolution ($35, $28), Homefront ($20, $16), Mass Effect 2 ($35, $28), Red Faction Armageddon ($25, $20), Saints Row 2 ($25, $20), and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine ($30, $24).Additionally, all purchases made on PSN through November 26 that collectively reach $60 or more will get a $10 PSN Wallet voucher on December 6, valid through January 6. Check out the PlayStation Blog for complete bundle and sale details.
3DS holiday bundle includes red 3DS, pre-loaded Mario 3D Land
Nintendo isn't making too big a deal out of Black Friday. Its special holiday 3DS bundle, out Nov. 23, is almost exactly identical to the Mario 3DS bundle from last year! It comes with the same Flame Red 3DS, and the same game (the truly worthwhile Super Mario 3D Land).The only differences are that Mario is now pre-installed rather than bundled as a cartridge, and the MSRP is $170 instead of $200. Those are both good changes. However, it seems incredibly, conspicuously odd to put this 3DS bundle forward as the holiday deal now that the 3DS XL is out – as is a newer Mario game.
X-Arcade sticks it to Black Friday with two discounted arcade platforms
X-Arcade, maker of American-style arcade cabinet control arrays, has discounted its Dual Joystick and Tankstick + Trackball platforms by $30 and $40 respectively, bringing the price of in-home 80's arcade realism down to $100/$160. That is, so long as you insert coin (get it?) before midnight on Sunday, November 25.Each platform comes equipped with two bat-top style joysticks, 16 regular buttons and two first/second-player buttons. The Tankstick + Trackball configuration, as you may have guessed, also comes with a Missile Command-esque trackball installed in the middle. Both sticks connect to PC/Mac/Linux boxes through USB and to game consoles via optional adapters.
RuneScape's oracle predicts through 2013
With the clock running down on 2012, one might be forgiven for overlooking the rest of the year in favor of what the next will bring. That's a mistake with RuneScape, as the devs have promised that they've saved the best for last with a couple of sizable updates to the game. On tap for the remainder of the year is the addition of a super-tough Grandmaster-level quest, player-owned ports, and a very lonely dog that will need help come Christmas-time. Looking ahead to 2013, Jagex revealed its ambitious plans for a variety of content as well as something called RuneScape Next Gen. The description of the latter is quite intriguing: "Featuring our innovative new browser-based technology and with big investments in graphics and gameplay, RuneScape is set to take a monumental leap forward in 2013. Higher visual and audio fidelity, improved camera mechanics and a much more customizable interface system are but a taste of what you can expect."
Report: GameStop Black Friday sale has 360, PS3, Vita bundles, more
GameStop's Black Friday deals haven't officially hit its website or print ads, but an anonymous employee sent the sales over to Cheap Ass Gamer, and boy are they as juicy as grandma's holiday turkey.GameStop's lead deal is an Xbox 360 250GB bundle that includes Skyrim, Forza 4 and Black Ops 2 – yes, the new one that we're pretty fond of – for $250. The PS3 250GB bundle runs $200 and includes five free games: Infamous, Infamous 2, Infamous: Festival of Blood, Uncharted, and Uncharted 2. The PS Vita White gets its own deal, bundled with Assassin's Creed: Liberation for $200. These three hardware deals are for Friday, November 23, only.Also only on sale Friday is a range of games, including Battlefield 3 Premium Edition for $30, Forza Horizon for $40, Ratchet and Clank Collection for $20, Little Big Planet Karting for $30, Mortal Kombat on Vita for $15, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale for $40 with the purchase of a new PS3.Not labeled as "Friday only" is a Limited Edition 3DS bundle with Super Mario 3D Land pre-installed and one of three Nintendogs games for $170. Used Kinect sensors with Kinect Adventures are $40 and used DSi XLs are $80.GameStop also has a hefty software sale for the weekend, including Dishonored for $30, Assassin's Creed 3 for $50, Max Payne 3 for $20, Borderlands 2 for $40, and more, all for PS3 and Xbox 360. For Wii U (assuming you can get a Wii U console), Scribblenauts Unlimited, FIFA 13 and Batman Arkham City Armored Edition are $50 each, and Game Party is $30. 3DS gets Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance for $20, among other games. For PC, Diablo 3 and StarCraft 2 are $30, Cataclysm is $10 and some Sims 3 expansions are $20.GameStop's "pick-up in store" system will work on Black Friday, and any item not in-store but available online can be ordered and paid for at the store, then shipped directly to the customer, which takes five business days. Check out Cheap Ass Gamer for the complete lineup.
Best Buy kicks off holiday shopping season with Black Friday deals
Halloween may be over, but the most terrifying season of all has truly just begun – holiday shopping season. The horror. Black Friday deals are already popping up for a few retailers, but most notably for Best Buy.Best Buy's doors open at midnight on Black Friday. Doorbuster sales start right then and there, and there is no end time listed on the site as to when those may end. Available as a doorbuster for $30 each is Disney Epic Mickey 2, Darksiders 2, Medal of Honor Warfighter, Battlefield 3 Premium Edition, The Amazing Spider-Man and Need for Speed Most Wanted.Outside of the doorbusters, Best Buy has a Vita (wi-fi system) and Black Ops Declassified bundle for $200, Xbox 360 250GB bundle with Forza Motorsport 4 and Skyrim for $200, and the Flame Red Nintendo 3DS with Super Mario Land 3D for $150. For $35 grab Assassin's Creed 3, Borderlands 2, Diablo 3, Madden NFL 13, Forza Horizon and FIFA 13; a smattering of Kinect games are $25 each, including Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth and Just Dance 4. For $15 is Grand Theft Auto 4: The Complete Edition, Halo Reach and Mortal Kombat Vita, among others; for $8 is Dead Island Game of the Year, Assassin's Creed: Revelations for Xbox 360 and The Sims 3.Cheap Ass Gamer lists sales so far from Radio Shack, Kmart, Shopko and Old Navy, the last of which has a deal for free copy of New Super Mario Bros Wii U with a $40 purchase.
Just Dance 4, Skylanders Giants Wii bundles available in November
If you're buying a Wii this November, what are you doing? But if, for some reason, you do end up buying the last-generation console as the new one arrives, you could do worse than the two new bundles revealed today, which will be in North American stores on Nov. 4.A $129.99 bundle replaces the Wii Sports pack-ins with Just Dance 4. For $20 more, there's the blue Wii with a copy of Skylanders Giants, the Portal of Power peripheral, two figures and an exclusive Giant Skylander. Oh ... no. Someone's going to spend $150 on that Wii bundle just for the exclusive figure. That's going to happen.%Gallery-169194%
