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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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The Badger Herald’s 2014 Black Friday video game roundup

The best deals on video games, accessories and consoles on every consumer’s favorite holiday
Assassins+Creed+Unity.
Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed Unity.

It’s that time of year again. Black Friday is this week, and that means great deals on all sorts of video games, accessories and console bundles. The best deals aren’t all at one store, however (though one store does come quite close), so I’ve taken it upon myself to find the best bang for gamer buck. Here’s The Badger Herald’s 2014 Black Friday Video Game Roundup.

Controllers and accessories

The best deals you’re likely to find this Black Friday in this category are at GameStop, Best Buy and Target, where the Playstation 4 Camera will be sold for $39.99. If you’re looking for controllers for either PS4 or Xbox One, GameStop has each for $44.99. Though if you’re looking to save $5, Best Buy and Target have got you covered with both at $39.99, with Target also offering the Wii U Pro Controller at the same price. Be sure to pick those up if you ever plan on playing a game with local multiplayer or co-op, especially if you own a PS4 or Wii U.

Games

Many stores haven’t advertised their discounts on particular games, so you may  happen upon deals just passing through. But of what has been advertised, Target and Best Buy lead the charge, with other stores such as Toys “R” Us holding “buy one, get one for 40 percent off” deals on all video games and “buy one, get one for $2” on a wide variety of older games.

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Target is giving out $15 gift cards with the purchase of “Halo: Master Chief Collection,” “WWE 2K15,” “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare,” “Mario Kart 8,” “Destiny,” “Far Cry 4” or “Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.” Alongside that, you can pick up “Wolfenstein: The New Order,” “Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor,” “The Lego Movie Video Game,” “The Evil Within,” “Dead Rising 3,” “Titanfall,” “Forza Motorsports 5” or “Metro: Redux” each for $24.99.

Best Buy has discounts all over the place. Some of the best games from last gen, including “Dishonored,” “Metal Gear Rising: Revengence” and “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,” will be going for $7.99. Other more recent titles include “Dark Souls II” and “Killer Instinct” for $14.99, and “Killzone Shadowfall,” “Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition,” “Infamous: Second Son” and “The Last of Us” (PS3 version) for $19.99. To top it all off, a whole host of recently-released PS4 and Xbox One games will be $29.99, most notably “NBA 2K15,”  “Madden NFL 15,” “FIFA 15,” “Watch Dogs,” “Alien: Isolation,” “Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition” and “Fantasia: Music Evolved.”

Also important to note: Walmart has a lot of those same games at $35, which, while not as enticing as Best Buy’s deals, also includes “Mario Kart 8,” which is a great deal considering how Nintendo games don’t lower in price very often.

Console bundles

Each of the three major console manufacturers are rolling out the stops to finish strong at the end of the first full year of the next-gen console war. The most common bundle available are for PS4 and for Xbox One.

Best Buy, Dell (online only), GameStop, Toys “R” Us, Walmart and Target will all be offering the best deal on a PS4, with two game-of-the-year contenders from last year (“Grand Theft Auto V” and “The Last of Us: Remastered”) packed in for $399.99. If you’re looking for a more family-oriented bundle, Toys “R” Us is also selling a PS4 with the recently-released games “LittleBigPlanet 3” and “Lego Batman 3” for the same price.

Xbox One’s Assassin’s Creed Bundle comes in a wide variety depending on where you buy it. Normally packed with “Assassin’s Creed Unity” and “Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag” for $329.99 at basically anywhere you can think of, the deal comes with an extra game for the same price if you shop at the Microsoft Store or a $50 Target gift card if you shop at Target. You can get an extra controller and Kinect for $429.99 if you shop at Best Buy. Walmart also has a bundle with “Halo: Master Chief Collection” and a $30 Walmart Gift Card for $329.99, but only in the very first hour it’s available. Finally, if you buy any Xbox One at GameStop, you will get $30 off a 12-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold.

Nintendo’s handhelds don’t have much to show for themselves in the sales department as, unlike its console, the 3DS’s competition is floundering. There are a bunch of deals on a 3DS XL bundled with “Mario Party: Island Tour” for $179.99 at places like GameStop or Toys “R” Us. But if you really want to get that bundle, check in at Kohl’s, where the bundle will be $30 less at $149.99, or Walmart, where the bundle is the same price as at Kohl’s but comes with “New Super Mario Bros. 2” instead. The Nintendo 2DS is only $99 at a few retailers, with Target and Best Buy packaging the system with “Yoshi’s New Island” and “Mario Kart 7,” respectively.

Finally, the best deal of the day comes from Best Buy in its Wii U bundle. Most stores will be selling the Wii U with “Nintendo Land” and “Super Mario 3D World” (arguably the best game released last year) for $399.99, but Best Buy will be adding, for only $60 more, “Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze” and “Super Smash Bros. for Wii U,” which are two of the best games released this year. Best of all is that the deal can be purchased online Thursday and Friday, in case you don’t want to brave the crowds or supply.

Spend wisely and happy shopping!

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