Black Friday 2012: the best gaming and toy deals so far

Black Friday is a great time to get amazing deals on the best new video games and toys. Check out the lastest in gaming and toy deals for Black Friday 2012.

No holiday shopping list is complete without the season's hottest toys and video games. And while Black Friday doesn't always offer the best prices on toys (you'll see more and lower-priced toys in the weeks leading up to Christmas), there are still a handful of Editors' Choice deals to be had. Below we've rounded up the highlights from the gaming and toys Black Friday ads thus far.

Gaming Consoles & Games

Whether you're buying your first console or upgrading to a newer model, your best strategy is to hunt for console bundles. Below we've rounded up the best bundles we've seen to date, along with a few choice deals on select games. 

• Nintendo 3DS Handheld Game System Bundle with $30 Credit for $170 at Meijer
  If you factor in the $30 credit, this is the least-expensive 3DS bundle we've seen by $39. While we've seen the handheld alone for much lower (it hit an all-time low of $130 last Black Friday), but as far as bundled are concerned, this is your deal. It also tops goHasting's price for the console alone.

• Dance Central 3 for Xbox 360 for $30 at Meijer
  Released in October for the Kinect, this game is barely two months old and already at an all-time low by $19. Of note, Kmart is also offering this price.
• Medal of Honor: Warfighter for PS3 for $30 at Meijer
  Like the above-mentioned title, Medal of Honor: Warfighter made its debut in late October. At $30, it's 50% off its full retail price (which many stores are still charging for this title).
• Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Bundle with 2 Games for $200 at goHastings
  Although we've seen the console for as low as $140 (last Black Friday), this is the best deal we've seen for the console/Kinect bundle by $50. It also beats Toys "R" Us' offer by $50.
• Halo 4 for Xbox 360 bundled with a $20 Gift Card for $60 at Target
  This deal gets an honorable mention for being the second-best bundle deal we've seen for Halo 4. (It loses out to a deal we saw at the start of the month which included a $25 gift card via the Microsoft Store.)
• Wii U Games, Buy One, Get 2nd 40% off at Toys "R" Us
  If you're one of the lucky few who scored a Wii U, Toys "R" Us is having a BOGO 40% off sale on its selection of Wii U games. The first such sale we've seen this month for Wii U games.
• Microsoft Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Bundle for $200 at Target
  Target's Xbox 360 deal is the lowest total price we've seen for an Xbox Kinect bundle by $50. (We've only ever seen a refurb of this bundle for this low, before.) Even better, this price confirms our 30% to 40% off Black Friday prediction for gaming consoles.
• Sony PlayStation 3 250GB Console Bundle bundled with an Air Flo Controller for $200 at Toys "R" Us
  Just announced by Sony in September, this new PS3 console — which houses a bigger hard drive than the traditional 160GB console — retails for about $299. At $200, it's $99 off and the lowest price we've seen for this particular model. It also beats RadioShack's and Target's offers (which don't include the Air Flo controller) by $20.
• Borderlands 2 for Xbox 360 for $35 at Best Buy
  Though we've seen plenty of deals on this game for PC, we've only seen one notable deal for the Xbox 360 version of this game: $60 with two $10 gift cards back in September. At $35, this Best Buy deal crushes our September mention, with or without the gift cards.
• Microsoft Xbox 360 4GB Console bundled with Skylanders for $149 at Walmart
  Even if you're not a fan of the Skylanders game, we haven't seen the Xbox 360 4GB Console this inexpensive since last Black Friday. (Although we listed it for $200 with a $75 gift card in December 2011.) That said, this is a great deal if you're looking for a secondary Xbox or simply want to upgrade your existing one. Plus, it's within $10 of our Black Friday prediction for an Xbox 360 console.
• Nintendo Wii Console for $89 at Walmart
  After years of seeing little or no price drops on Nintendo's highly sought-after Wii, Walmart is finally discounting the console to $89. (It's on page 5 of their circular.) However, keep in mind that the Nintendo Wii U is the console everyone will want under the tree this year and this deal is on Nintendo's now outdated console. That said, your kids may resent you when they unwrap this last-gen system, but rest assured, your wallet won't.

Children's Toys

Although we generally recommend shopping for toys two weeks before Christmas, below are a few hand-picked toy deals and sales that caught our eye.

• Power Wheels Kawasaki Sport Quads for $50 at Toys "R" Us
  Not only is this the cheapest price we've seen for any Power Wheels truck, but it's also $9 under last year's best holiday price.
• Power Wheels Barbie Sport for $50 at Toys "R" Us
  Like the above-mentioned Power Wheels truck, this deal is an all-time low by $9.
• 50% off Beywheelz Toys at Kmart
  Aside from a BOGO sale we listed this week, discounts on Beywheelz toys have been very scarce. This 50% off sale is the first such discount we've seen on these toys.
• Leap Frog LeapPad Explorer for $65 at Walmart
  Perennially in-demand as a holiday gift, the best deal we've ever seen for this child's learning tool is $89. At $69 (see page 12), Walmart's price blows that historic low out of the water. And if you can't get to Walmart, Target will offer it at the same price.
• Thomas the Tank BOGO Sale at Kmart
  A buy one, get one free sale on Thomas the Tank toys is an ingenious way to keep siblings from fighting for the same toy. It's also the first such sale we've seen on Fisher-Price's popular series of toys.
• 60% off Hasbro, Playskool, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, and Mattel Toys at Bealls
  Not since Christmas 2011 have we seen such a significant percent-off sale on these brands. While we don't expect this discount to apply to all categories of toys, it's still among the biggest discounts we've seen for many of these brands, and a 10% greater savings than our Black Friday toys predictions.
• 50% off Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Toys at Kohl's
  Like the above-mentioned promotion, this Kohl's sale on Fisher-Price toys is the biggest percent-off discount we've seen on these toys since last Christmas.
• $50 iTunes Gift Card bundled with a $15 iTunes Gift Card for $50 at Toys "R" Us
  Although this deal obviously isn't a toy, we're including it since anyone shopping at Toys "R" Us this Black Friday will encounter it. If you purchase a $50 iTunes gift card, it will come bundled with an additional free $15 iTunes card. That translates to roughly 23% off a $65 iTunes gift card, easily beating last week's Editors' Choice deal (which only discounted 20% off).
• 40% off LeapFrog Tag Books at Toys "R" Us
  It's not often we see discounts on LeapFrog Tag Books. In fact, we've only seen two sales, both in January 2012: a BOGO 50% off sale, and a 15% off discount. Needless to say, a 40% off discount is the second-best we've seen on these books.
• LeapFrog Tag Reading Learning System with Tag Book for $20 at Toys "R" Us
  At $20, this bundle is $16 under the best deal we've seen this year for the LeapFrog Learning System.

There are still more ads trickling in as we speak, so be sure to keep an eye on the Black Friday gaming and toys ads page for additional deals.

Louis Ramirez is the senior feature writer at dealnews.com, a website devoted to finding the best deals on consumer goods. The site pledges to list the best deal, whether or not it's from an advertiser, although it does work with advertisers to craft deals for readers. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. This feature first appeared in dealnews.com.