Wallet Busters: Where to Shop for Games on Black Friday 2011

With the hundreds to thousands of deals available on Black Friday 2011, its hard to know what is a good deal and what is just flashy pictures and numbers on a sale ad. Here’s a look at the best deals you’ll find on games at your big 4 outlets. (these are not all inclusive, I’m highlighting the games I think game buyers would be interested in)

Best Buy

 

 

 

 

$8 Scribblenauts, Call of Duty: World at War, Gears of War Triple Pack
$15 Final Fantasy XIII, Dirt 3, Homefront, Spiderman Shattered Dimensions
$25 Just Dance 3, Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports 2
$30 Call of Duty Black Ops, Batman Arkham City, Rage, Madden 12, Battlefield 3, Need for Speed: The Run, Uncharted 3 Drake’s Deception, Deux Ex Human Revolution, Xmen Destiny, Gears of War 3
$35 Assassin’s Creed Revelations, Forza 4, NBA 2K12
$179.99 3DS Super Mario 3D Land Bundle
$179.99 3DS Zelda Ocarina of Time Bundle
$199.99 Xbox 360 250GB Bundle w/ Fable 3 and Halo Reach

Best Buy has a strong presence in games with some top shelf new releases being discounted significantly. While their prices may not be the lowest, it maybe worth the extra few bucks to not have to brave the foot traffic that every Walmart is inevitably going to see. There’s some games that are exclusively cheap like Deus Ex, and Homefront, but Best Buy is not the home of the best deals possible on Black Friday. Those 3DS bundles, however, are pretty temping.

Target

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$39 PS3 and Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers
$27 Forza 4, Kinect Sports 2, Dance Central 2
$37 Gears of War 3, Battlefield 3, Resistance 3, Madden 12, Need for Speed: The Run
$179.99 3DS Super Mario 3D Land Bundle
$199.99 PS3 160 GB Bundle W/Ratchet and Clank All 4 One and Littlebigplanet 2

Target is pretty light on Video Game deals but theirs hit where it counts, new releases. Resistance 3 highlights a respectable list of $37 games. They have the same Mario 3DS bundle that Best Buy has and that PS3 bundle is popular, but overall Target could’ve done alot better.

Walmart

$10 Bioshock 2, Quantum of Solace, Yakuza 4, Kane and Lynch 2
$15 Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports 2, Heavy Rain, God of War 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
$28 Call of Duty: Black Ops, Batman Arkham City Madden 12, Battlefield 3, Gears of War 3, Forza 4, Infamous 2, Killzone 3, Just Dance 3
$99.99 Limited Edition Blue Wii Console
$199.96 Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle W/ Kinect Adventures and $50 Gift Card
$199.99 PS3 160 GB Bundle W/Ratchet and Clank All 4 One and Littlebigplanet 2

Here’s where things get interesting. Walmart clearly has the best ad. An unrivaled list of $28 top tier titles, the cheapest 250GB Xbox 360 bundle period and a blue Wii for $100. As always, Walmart is King of the Black Friday on new games. I highly recommend you grab Bioshock 2, Infamous 2, Uncharted 2, and Killzone 3.

Gamestop

 

 

 

 

$10 Duke Nukem Forever, Splitsecond, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Medal of Honor
$15 God of War 3, Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, MAG, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Heavy Rain
$20 Okamiden, Driver San Francisco
$25 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
$30 Portal 2, Crysis 2, Sonic Generations, Dance Central, Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports, Kinect Sports 2, Rage
$35 Call of Duty Black Ops
$40 Battlefield 3, Need for Speed: The Run, Gears of War 3, Forza 4, Madden 12, Rayman Origins ($30 on Wii)
$50 Rocksmith
$299.99 PS3 320GB Uncharted 3 Bundle
$299.99 Xbox 360 250GB Bundle w/ Fable 3 and Halo Reach
$149.99 Xbox 360 4GB Console
$199.99 PS3 160 GB Bundle W/Ratchet and Clank All 4 One and Littlebigplanet 2
Buy 2 Get 1 Free on all used Games and Accessories

One look at Gamestop’s Selection, and its clear that they cannot not hang with the big boys’ prices. All of their head to head game prices are either the same price or more expensive. As always, the best deal of the day is Gamestop’s buy 2 get 1 free on all used games. That’s what will get me in the store on Black Friday, the used prices can’t be beaten and if you buy correctly you can really grab some sweet deals.

So, where should you shop? Here’s your rundown.
Best Buy – They have decent prices but they don’t have a ton of deals. Walmart beats them in price, but the civility of the customer base will probably create a better shopping experience, especially on such a busy day.

Target – I don’t suggest going to Target to buy games. If you happen to be there buying something else in their ad, picking a game or two wouldn’t hurt. Both of their system bundles are available elsewhere but that controller deal is a pleasant surprise.

Walmart – We have a winner! If you can stand to be stuck in Walmart for upwards of 6 hours shopping and (mostly) waiting in line to check out, then Walmart is the place to be. While I would have liked to see more “good” titles on the $10 list, Walmart clearly has the best hardware bundles. they open their doors to shoppers first and if you can get your mitts on a Sunday paper, and find the right cashier, Walmart will ad-match anything the other stores have to offer. If you can take the classic “sift through the socks bin” walmart attitude, you will pick up all of your Christmas games pretty cheap.

Gamestop – The biggest used game dealer on our list is also the home of the biggest and most deceptive ad. Yes there are plenty of legit deals to be had, but just as many items in their ad aren’t on sale at all. Any other week, it would be fine to put regular priced merch in the ad, but to do it on Black Friday is a bit shady. If you see something in the ad you want, do yourself a favor and check the retail price first. If its not on sale come back in a week and buy it when the crowds aren’t pushing you out the door. Otherwise, at Gamestop, buy used.

Black Friday 2011 Facts

• All four stores have deals on Forza 4, Gears of War 3, Battlefield 3, Madden 12, Dance Central 2 and Kinect Sports 2 and Walmart has the lowest price in every instance except Forza 4.
• Gamestop has a bunch of trade in deals for both hardware and software. Think your old systems are worth real money. Think again, trade in value is typically way less than you would expect.
• None of the stores have deals on the Playstation Move
• Mathematically you cannot beat Gamestop’s buy 2 get 1 free deal.

Happy Holidays everyone, be safe and try not to get hurt.