Best Black Friday 2014 Gaming Deals

Black Friday no longer means sales the day after Thanksgiving in the US. Instead, it's expanded into a week-long series of sales and discounts. But the best holiday deals tend to be focused on the upcoming weekend. Online retailers especially have made the in-store only deals almost obsolete, but we've lined up what we feel are some of the best deals to meet your gaming needs.

If you're looking to bulk up your last-gen library you'll be able to find much better deals than if you want the latest games, but there's a discount on pretty much everything this holiday. (Note that GameSpot does receive some commission on Amazon affiliate links, however those links are not included in this story. GameSpot does not receive a commission for any other retailer.)

Console Deals

Wii U: While the $300 32GB bundled with Super Mario 3D World isn't bad, report indicate that you'll be able to buy the unit tax free on Friday for just under $270.

However, if you're willing to spend a little more in exchange for a free game, this Best Buy bundle includes the regular pack-ins (Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo Land) as well as Super Smash Bros. and Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze for $360 -- about $50 in savings.

Xbox One: Microsoft already discounted their system to $350 for the holidays, but you can knock off a few more dollars with the following deals:

The Microsoft Store is selling the Xbox One for $330, plus a free game (note that these deals go in and out of stock quickly on their online store, so you may have to check back later if it's not currently available).

Target is selling the Assassin's Creed Unity bundle for $330 plus you get a $50 gift card.

And don't forget that the Microsoft store is also giving $100 credit for your used PS3/Xbox 360. This may or may not work with the specific holiday bundles, but you should still be able to get a $250 Xbox One bundle, at the least.

PlayStation 4: We haven't found any crazy deep discounts, but most retailers have a $400 bundle available that includes the essential titles Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us Remastered.

Gaming Deals

Now through Monday December 1, Sony is throwing an online sale of co-op games on the PlayStation store. As always, the discounts are bigger if you're a PS Plus subscriber, and if you spend over $100, you'll earn $15 back.

The Microsoft store has a lot of games on sale you can check out here with most deals kicking off today, on Thursday 11/27.

Blizzard is having a sale on all of their games on the Battle.net store. These deals are available now through December 2 at midnight PST.

Origin is offering over 200 PC games for sale through their own portal, but the best deals are on EA developed/published games like Titanfall, Mass Effect, and Dead Space. Now through December 1 at midnight PST

The regular brick-and-mortar retailers run the gamut on hardware, peripheral, and game discounts as well, and some of the discounts are available through their online stores as well

• Wal-mart
• GameStop -- keep in mind that the retailer is not open during Thankgsiving itself, but some stores will open starting at midnight on Black Friday.
• Target

As always, Amazon has an ongoing series of Lightning Deals on gaming and technology. You'll have to keep an eye on the site itself to see what's upcoming and whether it's a big enough discount to make it worth buying.

UK Black Friday Deals

Looking for retail deals that go beyond just the US? We've rounded up the best UK Black Friday deals right here.

Other

It's not specifically gaming related, but it's worth pointing out that Amazon is offering a 30% discount on their printed books when you use the code HOLIDAY30 -- only good with one book per account. But you could get the Super Smash Bros. collector's guide on the cheap.

One of my favorite stores for videogame related t-shirts, apparel, and collectibles, Fangamer.com, is currently offering free shipping for the US and 50% for international shipping. They're running a Bundle Up sale this weekend, and they've just started offering a new Legend of Zelda fan-made art book that I'm 100% buying for myself.