The holiday season is right around the corner and while you’re looking for something for the gamer in your life, New Gamer Nation is here to help you filter through the chaotic mess and help you focus to find your gamer something they want. I’ve done a ton of research and came away with some of the best deals on games, systems, and bundles from the major retailers. All three major companies, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony will be represented, however since most people will be going to different places, this article isn’t meant to sway that decision, but help you focus on the best deals to the specific retailer you’re going to.
Nintendo
With two major systems on the market in the Wii and the 3DS deals are to be had everywhere. Many major retailers such as Target and Best Buy have 3DS bundles ready for the taking. Let’s run through the retailers and the deals being offered:
Red 3DS with Super Mario 3D Land
$179.99 at Target and Best Buy
$199.99 at Kmart with a $25 gaming coupon or at Sears with a $10 gift card
The Black 3DS with Ocarina of Time is available at Best Buy for $179.99 as well.
If you or the person you’re shopping for is in the market for a Wii, a special blue console is available at Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club for $99.96.
Also available at major retailers are the Nintendo Selects (Red cased games that are the “greatest hits” of the console) will go for $19.96 each.
X-Box 360
If you had your sights on an Xbox 360 then there are plenty of deals available to you. Note that the 4 GB console will play all Xbox 360 games but 4 GB does not hold a lot of data for saved games and downloadable content. Sure the price is attractive but if you use it frequently, you’ll need a new hard drive quickly eliminating any initial savings. Saying that, here are the deals:
4 GB Base Console
$139.99 at Target
$149.99 at GameStop and Kmart
$199.99 at Amazon with a $50 gift card
4 GB Base Console with Kinect
$199.99 at Radio Shack and Toys R Us but at TRU you get a $10 gift card with purchase
$209.99 at Sears
250 GB Base Holiday Bundle (Includes: Fable III, Halo: Reach, and 3 Months of Live Gold Access)
$199.99 at Best Buy and Sam’s Club
Playstation
Playstation 3 bundles are all over just like the Xbox has. Let’s just jump right into the fray with what we’ve seen on the Playstation side of things.
320 GB Move Bundle (includes the PS Move, PS Eye and Sports Champions)
$349.99 at GameStop
Just keep in mind that is the largest amount of storage for the console, and if you’re not in the market for the move, GameStop is offering a 320 GB console with Uncharted 3 for $299.99. Also Gamestop has their PS3 six axis controllers marked down to $34.99.
160 GB Holiday Bundle (Includes LittleBigPlanet 2 SE, Ratchet & Clank All 4 One + 30 days PS+)
$199.99 at Best Buy, Walmart, Radio Shack, Kmart, Sam’s Club, Sears, GameStop, Toys R Us and Target
The PSP is up there in age but the price just hit an all time low so the timing has never been better to get this system, here is what you can expect:
$99.99 at Walmart, Toys R Us and Kmart
Games
Okay bundles are nice but if the person you’re shopping for already has a console they’re happy with, they’re probably going to want some games to play. I got you covered. All the games I mention are multi-console, unless indicated. At Toys R Us, select games are buy one, get one for $5. So it’s about two games for roughly $70. They are selling newer titles such as F1 2011, Gears of War 3 (360), Need for Speed: The Run, Battlefield 3, Rage, and Madden NFL Football 2012. They do have some older titles with them too, and those games should be marked down from the regular price, so keep your eye on the gems you may have missed.
At Target, Gears of War 3 (360), Resistance 3 (PS3), Madden NFL Football 2012, Battlefield 3, and Need For Speed: The Run will cost $37.99, and a couple games worth mentioning such as Forza Motorsport 4 (360) and Kinect Sports: Season 2 (360) cost $27.99. And I mention Kinect Sports: Season 2, just in case you want to add to the Kinect bundle.
Best Buy has a few games on sale of their own including F1 2011, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, NBA 2K12, and Fifa Soccer 2012 will sell for $34.99 each. Other games such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Gears of War 3 (360), and even Cabella’s Big Game Hunter are $29.99 each.
WalMart might have the better deals as far as selection and price combined. They’re selling Batman: Arkham City, Fifa Soccer 2012, Madden NFL Football 2012, Battlefield 3, F1 2011, Dance Central 3 (because I might feel like dancing one day), Gears of War 3, and Killzone 3 for $28 each.
Keep in mind I just gave you the prices that I seen research on, so be prepared if a certain game or bundle is sold out. There were some games that I didn’t mention. I only mentioned the bigger triple A titles that have been released this year. It’s no offense to the other games out there, but if you have a core gamer your shopping for (yourself included) you might want to look into some of these deals if you don’t have any of these games and/or consoles. And now you’re armed with information, your next step is preparation, then it’s time for execution. This Black Friday 2011, make your gamer happy and make New Gamer Nation proud.