We’ve seen this trend creeping in for several years now, but this Thanksgiving marks the first time we’ve actually been confused about all the sales happening. It’s Black November! Pre-Black Friday Week! Black Wednesday! Black Thanksgiving! Black Black Friday! Oh, and in case that wasn’t enough, PRE–CYBER MONDAY SALES ARE HAPPENING NOW!
With the word “sale” and “Black Friday” having lost all valid meaning by this point, we’ve done our best to extract the most notable offers from the early scans of Black Friday ads. (If you’re looking for something in particular, we recommend you still look at the real ads yourself, when they arrive Thursday morning — we haven’t listed everything. Also, scans are not guarateed to be 100% accurate.) This year appears to offer the best bang for your buck when it comes to buying games — Dance Central 3 and Forza Horizon, for example, will be $15 during Walmart’s doorbuster sale. If you need to replace an aging or broken system, though, you’ll still find some nice discounts on various 360 packages.
Key note about this year, though: Pay close attention to when sales begin. More retailers are starting them on Thanksgiving, and their hours vary. (And they are sometimes in-store only.) We’ve done our best to add sale times and windows to this round-up, but it’s best to verify by looking at the actual circular ads that’ll come in your local paper.
Best Buy:
In-Store/Online Deals [11/22-11/24]
$8 — Dead Island Game of the Year Edition, Assassin's Creed Revelations [BEST DEAL]
$15 — Halo: Reach, Sniper Elite V2, UFC Undisputed 3 [BEST DEAL]
$25 — Dance Central 3 (with two bonus tracks)
$30 — Darksiders II, Need for Speed Most Wanted
$35 — Assassin's Creed III, Forza Horizon, Borderlands 2
$200 — Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle (250GB Console, 1 wireless controller, Forza Motorsport 4, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) [BEST DEAL]
GameStop:
Doorbuster Deals [11/23] — Starts 12am in-store
$30 — Dance Central 3, Dishonored, Need for Speed Most Wanted
$250 — Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Bundle (250GB console, 1 wireless controller, Forza Motorsport 4, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim), with Call of Duty: Black Ops II added on
Kmart:
Thanksgiving Deals [11/22] — From 6am until 4pm in-store
$9 — L.A. Noire, Max Payne 3 [BEST DEAL]
$35 — Borderlands 2
Meijer:
Black Friday Deals [11/23] — From 6am until store close
$30 — Dance Central 3, Dishonored, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Sleeping Dogs
Microsoft Store:
In-Store Deals [11/22-11/24]
$200 — Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Holiday Bundle (4GB Console, Kinect, Wireless Controller, Disneyland Adventures, Kinect Adventures) [BEST DEAL - AVAILABLE AT MULTIPLE RETAILERS]
In-Store Deals [11/22-11/26]
$15 — Dance Central 3, Forza Horizon [BEST DEAL]
$25 — Assassin’s Creed III [BEST DEAL]
Radio Shack:
Doorbuster Deal [11/23] — Starts at 6am in-store
$170 — Xbox 360 4GB system (4GB Console, 1 wireless controller)
(And, supposedly, you get $10 back for every $50 you spend.)
Sam's Club:
Doorbuster Deal [11/23] — Starts at 7am in-store
$200 — Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Holiday Bundle (4GB Console, Kinect, Wireless Controller, Disneyland Adventures, Kinect Adventures) [BEST DEAL - AVAILABLE AT MULTIPLE RETAILERS]
Target:
Doorbuster Deals [11/22] — Starts at 9pm in-store
$10 — 1600 Microsoft Points card [BEST DEAL]
$25 — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
$35 — Borderlands 2, Need for Speed Most Wanted
$60 — Halo 4 w/ $20 Target Gift Card
$200 — Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Holiday Bundle (4GB Console, Kinect, Wireless Controller, Disneyland Adventures, Kinect Adventures) [BEST DEAL - AVAILABLE AT MULTIPLE RETAILERS]
Walmart:
Doorbuster Deals [11/22] — Starts at 8pm in-store
$10 — L.A. Noire, Dead Island, Batman: Arkham City, and more
$15 — Max Payne 3, Red Dead Redemption
$15 — Dance Central 3, Forza Horizon, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Spec Ops the Line, Fable the Journey, and more [BEST DEAL]
$25 — Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3–branded Bluetooth Wireless Headset for Xbox 360
$25 — Dishonored, XCOM, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, and more
$150 — Xbox 360 4GB Skylanders bundle (White 4GB console, 1 wireless controller & Skylanders toy set) [BEST DEAL]
Online Deal [11/22-??]
$230 Xbox 360 4GB w/ Kinect & 2 games (“Xbox 360 Dance Bundle” — image shows 2 wireless controllers, 2 games, Kinect)
