November has finally arrived!

The gateway month that leads us from the picturesque harvesting of fall, into the holiday warmth of early winter fills our minds with thoughts of Thanksgiving: turkey, stuffing, family, and later, Christmas.

However, with the arrival of the holiday season comes an annual darkness.

An ritual sacrificing of the better angels of our nature upon the altar of soulless consumerism:

Black Friday.

The largest shopping day of the year used to be a low-key, fun tradition; however, as time marched on and the money on the table for retailers became larger and larger, the event has metastasized into a monster. One that feasts upon our time as it seeks to feast upon our wallets.

First it was earlier and earlier store openings. 8am gave way to 7am. Soon the chill of the pre-dawn air wasn’t good enough, and Black Friday pushed the boundary even further. Midnight openings began to yield to late-night Thanksgiving openings, which have been pushed further and further back into the actual Thanksgiving day itself.

Today, Black Friday openings take place as early as 5 PM on Thanksgiving day: a practice that was unthinkable less than a decade ago. It’s not unfathomable to imagine that in a few years time, stores will be open all day on Thanksgiving; leaving little time for families to gather and contemplate spirit of the holiday itself. Sure, they could always try to take a stand and boycott retailers on that day. The act of voting with one’s dollar often speaks the loudest; however, America is a competitive society, and frankly, getting the best deal possible on an item can almost be considered a sport, who’s ultimate prize is bragging rights and a bit of extra junk that will get thrown in the closet in a couple years. (Or in the case of we game fans – extra titles to add to our backlogs.)

The true victim of Black Friday’s invasion into Thanksgiving is the poor retail worker. That person just trying to eek out a living the best that they can, now forced to cram a bit of mashed potatoes down their throats as they dash away from family – slaves to the general public’s demand for bigger and better deals, as we allow ourselves to be manipulated by the hype sold to us by retailers.

It’s a damn sick game.

But it is a game – and as such, we aim to help you win.

So bookmark this page. We will be posting a rundown of all the best deals from the major retailers so you can get the best gaming bang for your dollar.

I implore you though – if at all possible, do your shopping online. Don’t go venture out into the stupidity of jerks wandering the shopping centers of America.

And also, take some time off to enjoy the day.

Be thankful for family.

Be thankful that despite its issues, America is still the best place in the world to live.

Be thankful that there are so many great games to play this year.

But most of all, be thankful for NerdBacon. We’re pretty great. 🙂

Here it is – the big kahuna.

GameStop!

Love ’em or hate ’em, no Black Friday would be complete without a little look-see at what sales GameStop has on gaming goodness.

While finding a good deal at the largest gaming specialty retailer might be a little tough throughout the year, but there are usually some good bargains to be had on Black Friday, and this year is no exception. In fact, this year, GameStop takes the crown for the best gaming deals of Black Friday 2017!

The downside is that GameStop is also being the crappiest retailer around – Opening their stores at 4PM on Thanksgiving Day. It’s absolutely obscene to force employees to practically skip the holiday in order to get to the store early in order to get it into shape for the early opening.

So what’s on sale?

PlayStation 4’s and Xbox One’s for $199 and $189 naturally, but the real headliner is that they are the only retailer that will have a discount on the PlayStation 4 Pro! That’s right – PS4 Pro’s will be $350 at GameStop on Black Friday!

Regular PS4’s will yield you a $50 gift card, while those looking for a ridiculously amazing value can grab a 500GB Xbox One S for $90!!! Let me just repeat that – You can get an Xbox One S for $90 bloody dollars!  While 500GB is pretty paltry for a modern console, (and trust me, that sucker will fill up fast!) you almost can’t afford to NOT get one at that price.

As for games:

I’m kind of excited about Injustice 2 only being $15! It’s a really nice fighting game and has some awesome DLC on the way in the form of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Otherwise, Evil Within 2, Wolfenstein 2, and Middle-Earth: Shadow of War are on sale for $25.

Destiny 2 and all the newest sports games are $27.

Overwatch, Persona 5, Project Cars 2, Yakuza 0, and more are only $30.

For those looking t get into the streaming scene, GameStop will have a nifty Blue Yeti bundle that includes the PC version of Assassin’s Creed: Origins for $100! The Blue Yeti is about the finest mic you can get, and $100 for the mic alone is a steal – let alone the fact that you’re also getting the full version of AC: Origins along with it! If you’ve been on the fence on getting the Yeti for streaming, then make sure you take advantage of this deal.

Two of this year’s finest PlayStation 4 titles, Tekken 7 and Nier: Automata are only $25.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole, and Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite are on sale for $40.

There are about 50 billion titles that were reduced to $20, as well as deals on toys, accessories, and collectibles.

Finally, GameStop will be running their world famous Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale on all used games.

There is a lot to love about GameStop’s Black Friday ad this year, even if they are being jerks for making their employees skip Thanksgiving.

Hopefully the overwhelming sales from the day will come from online purchases.

Here’s the ad scans for your enjoyment. (Ad originally scanned and posted by bfads.net)

For those of us lucky enough to have grown up during its hey day of the early ’90’s, Toys R Us was a veritable wonderland of video game delights. Who didn’t relish the thought of examining what seemed like endless rows of NES games, as well as exotic, lesser known oddities like the Master System – all in the hopes of being able to take a coveted slip of paper to the checkout, to exchange for money and a new game.

Toys R Us isn’t as magical now.

Maybe it’s because we’re older.

Maybe time and competitors have passed it by.

But even though the magical veneer is tarnished amidst the instant gratification afforded to us by the internet age, that doesn’t mean that Toys R Us is lacking in the Black Friday goodness.

This year, Toys R us will be engaging in the ridiculous: by opening their doors at 5PM on Thanksgiving, and remaining open all the way until 11PM on Black Friday.

Black Friday deals will start popping up on their website at 9PM on Wednesday.

It’s a little much in my opinion, but I guess that’s what they have to do to survive.

Let’s talk gaming deals.

Your standard PS4 and Xbox One deals are in play: $199 for the PS4 and $189 for the Xbox One S.

Some of the better game deals are Tekken 7, Persona 5, Middle Earth: Shadow of War, and Overwatch for $29.99.

Destiny 2 for $35

Assassin’s Creed: Origins, South Park: the Fractured But Whole, Forza 7, and more for $39.99.

Call of Duty: WWII is $45.

And that’s about it..

Check out the ad scans below so you can plan your strategy.

No one really likes going to Walmart, but when it comes to getting the greatest Black Friday deals possible, we sometimes have to hold our noses and brave the unknown.

So what do we know about Walmart’s Black Friday bonanza?

We know that they will start the discount madness at 6PM on Thanksgiving, with online deals arriving at 12:01AM on Black Friday. Since most Walmart’s are open 24 hours, there will be no stopping the price-slashing once it commences on turkey day.

Let’s get to the deals, shall we?

Of course they will have PlayStation 4’s at $199 and Xbox One S’s for $189. They wouldn’t let you miss out on that. PlayStation VR bundles (Which include Gran Turismo Sport, as well as a PlayStation camera) will be available here, and everywhere else, for $299. Not a bad way to get into the VR craze.

Walmart is also advertising that they will have Nintendo Switch consoles in stock. Hopefully it will be a healthy amount, as Nintendo’s hybrid console is absolutely worth the investment.

Speaking of the Switch – if you recently became a proud owner, or have it on your Christmas list, the absolutely essential Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is on sale for $49.99. It’s not much of a discount, but considering games made by Nintendo (especially one as important as this one) rarely go on sale, it’s definitely worth noting. It’s also worth noting that this is the “special edition” of the game. So it includes a starter guide and a poster.

They also have some third-party wired Switch controllers available for $17.99. It’s an intriguing solution if you need some 4-player Mario Kart 8: Deluxe in your life.

Walmart will have so many big games on sale for Black Friday, that it’s almost sickening.

Call of Duty: WWII is only $43.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Grand Theft Auto V, Forza 7, The Evil Within 2, Middle Earth: Shadow of War, Battlefield 1, and so much more are all on sale for $29.99.

That’s not all…

Tekken 7, Injustice 2, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Knack II, Forza Horizon 3, Final Fantasy XV, and the Switch version of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 are all going to be $19.99, along with a plethora of other games. (A ridiculously low price for so many amazing titles!)

Walmart also says that over 21 games, including Dishonored 2, Watchdogs 2, Mortal Kombat XL, and Mafia III will be at the rock-bottom – you can’t afford NOT to buy them – price of $12!

Finally, if you need some of the new sports games like FIFA 18, Madden 18, or NBA 2K18 – along with new titles like Destiny 2 and Assassins Creed: Origins will be on sale for $29.99.

You know Black Friday is getting serious when the Best Buy ad releases. After all, their supposed to have the “best buy” on all the electronic gadgets we want, right?

This year the national electronics giant will be opening their doors at friggin 5PM on Thanksgiving, closing at 1AM, and then re-opening at 8am on Black Friday.

I feel bad for the poor employees who have to come in even earlier than 5 to set up the store.

In any event, are tons of great gaming deals in the 2017 Best Buy Black Friday ad, but keep in mind one thing. The vaunted Best Buy Gamer’s Club (a discount service that gets you 20% off of any new game you buy during a two-year period) is not valid on Black Friday. So don’t go in thinking you’re going to get 20% off of the already stellar Black Friday deals.

So with that in mind, let’s get down to the deals!

PS4’s and Xbox One S will be $199 and $189 respectively. This confirms the trend we saw in the Kohl’s ad, and is the official Sony and Microsoft price-point for the season. Subsequently, both companies are also cutting the price of extra controllers down to $39.99 at every retailer as well.

On the games front – Are you interested in Nier: Automata, Wolfenstein II, Grand Theft Auto V, Evil Within 2, Tekken 7, or Crash Bandicoot: N’ Sane Trilogy? They’re all on sale for a measly $24.99! (That’s a really excellent deal!)

Assassin’s Creed: Origins, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, and Forza 7 are at the rock-bottom price of $34.99.

Persona 5, WWE 2K18, and the continued excellence of Overwatch are among the games available for $29.99.

A few Switch games are getting sales – 1 2 Switch, Super Bomberman, and the just-released Sonic Forces are all $24.99.

For Honor, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Halo 5 are only $14.99, as well as a number of other great value PlayStation 4 hits.

Knack II, Final Fantasy XV, and Horizon: Zero Dawn are the highlights of games available for $19.99.

Pretty much every game that’s been out over the past year is available for a ridiculous price, so go get ’em!

Your turkey will still be sitting warm inside your belly when Target begins their Black Friday 2017 sales onslaught.

The department store of finer things will open their doors on 6 PM on on Thanksgiving day, closing at Midnight, and then reopening on Black Friday proper at 6 AM. If you happen to have a Target REDcard, then you can get access to select deals early on November 22.

As far as deals go, you can get your shinny PS4 for $199 and the snazzy Legend of Zelda edition of the Nintendo 2DS for $79.99. Presumably, they will have Xbox One S available for $189, however, it isn’t advertised.

Target will have some great deals on new releases, as well as games released earlier in the year for those looking to add to their collection.

If you have been thinking of grabbing Call of Duty: WWII, then hold off till Black Friday! Target will have it for $45!

Need for Speed: Payback hasn’t even been released yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be on sale. You can grab it for $35, along with Forza 7, WWE 2K18, NHL 18, Assassins Creed: Origins, and more.

$30 will get you South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Destiny 2, Wolfenstein 2, Evil Within 2, and more.

Only want to spend $25? No worries! Tekken 7, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Injustice 2, and the Nintendo Switch version of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 will all be available at that price point.

For $15, you could pick up Watch Dogs 2, Forza Horizon 3, Final Fantasy XV, For Honor, Resident Evil VII, and a plethora of additional titles.

Here are the game-related pages from the Target Black Friday 2017 ad.

Yes, Kohl’s sells a few gaming-related items on Black Friday.

As with previous years, Kohl’s is the first major retailer to have their Black Friday ad leaked. They don’t sell a lot in the way of actual games, however, they do sell consoles – and that’s why it’s worth paying attention to them: the Kohl’s ad gives us the first big indication of what kind of discounts most retailers will be offering on systems.

2017’s Kohl’s ad doesn’t disappoint. Starting on Thanksgiving morning at 12:01 AM CT online, and 5PM in-store, shoppers will be able to grab a 1tb PlayStation 4 for a paltry $199, or a 500GB Xbox One S for $189. Buyers will even get Kohl’s Cash for their new console purchases! $60 if you buy the PS4 and $45 if you nab the Xbox One S.

That will get a few free pairs of pants!

Extra controllers will also be available for both systems for $39.99, which is a steal considering that they normally go for over $60 a pop.

Here are the pertinent pages of the 2017 Kohl’s Black Friday ad:

If you live somewhere on the east coast, or in the state of Ohio, you may be familiar with BJ’s Wholesale Club.

I don’t live anywhere near one of those locations, however, I do see that they are selling a few new releases for $44.99 starting at 7 AM local time on Black Friday.

Advertised are gems like Destiny 2 and the new Call of Duty: WWII, so if you’re in the market for either one of those, and happen to live nearby, you should check it out.

Are you ready for Black Friday 2017? Anything in particular that you hope goes on sale on the big day? Let us know in the comments section below.

Written by The Watchman

The Watchman is a journeyman gamer who has seen and played a good chunk of gaming history.
He’s also an actor, a reporter, a pro wrestling connoisseur, and some say he’s a cat whisperer.
If you have any questions or just want to drop me a line, hit me up at thewatchman@nerdbacon.com
Or follow me on Twitter @DavetheWatchman
You can also game with me!
Look me up on Xbox Live @ DJKhadoken
Or on PlayStation Network @ Eaglevision_dl