Target’s Black Friday Ad Gaming Deals

Target has released its Black Friday sales ad to the public, showing its hand regarding what will be discounted this Thanksgiving. There are some good deals to be had, and some of the lowest prices we’ve ever seen on Nintendo hardware.

Hardware

The Wii U Deluxe 32GB system will finally be on sale for $249.99. This is a savings of $50 over the normal retail price. To sweeten the deal, two of the most popular games available for the console are included via digital download: Super Smash Bros. and Splatoon – a $120 value. This is the best deal we’ve seen for the Wii U thus far, so if you’ve been on the fence now might be the best time to finally get on board.

The New Nintendo 3DS XL released this past February and hasn’t seen much discounting. For Black Friday, Target has it $20 off for $179.99, the lowest they’ve ever sold it for. While $20 off may not seem like a major sale, it’s enough to get you a 3DS game that’s on sale (more on that below). The improved 3D, the second control nub, and built-in amiibo reader make it a tempting purchase for those who have yet to upgrade.

Target has controllers on sale too. Unfortunately it only shows the Wii U Pro Controller and it’s listed at $44.99, a meager $5 off the normal price. I’ve seen these cheaper throughout normal sales, so I’d pass on this one unless you absolutely are in need of one.

Software

For $15 you can snag a copy of Animal Crossing New Leaf, New Super Mario Bros. 2, or Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS. All of these are excellent games and perfect stocking stuffers. Lego Batman 3 can be had for the same price on the Wii U, another fun 2-player co-op game for the system.

At $20 you can get a copy of Codename S.T.E.A.M. for the 3DS. This tactical game is created by Intelligent Systems, the same folks behind Fire Emblem and Advance Wars and is a bit zany in the story department. The gameplay holds up, but there are a few minor quirks that stand in the way of it being amazing. Update the game via the Internet for faster enemy turns. You’ll be glad you did.

$25 buys you either Pokémon Alpha Sapphire or Omega Ruby. This is $15 off the normal price and both games come highly rated. If you’re still rocking the original Wii, Just Dance 2016 is available at this price point as well.

$59 will land you a brand new copy of Guitar Hero Live with guitar. This bundle is $41 off and a fantastic deal if you’re looking for a music game.

Although listed at the normal $59.99 price, Super Mario Maker, Splatoon, and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U all come with a $15 Target gift card. I’m not sure if that’s a good enough incentive to buy these games, but if you still don’t own them it’s better than paying the full price. I’d probably check out other retailers’ ads first before biting on this deal to see if something better is being offered. One note is that Target this week is currently holding a Buy 2 Get 1 deal, so if you wanted all 3 games you could get them for $120. The Black Friday deal would cost you $180, but you’d have $45 coming back in gift cards, which is not nearly as good of a deal.

Toys To Life

For $34.99 you can buy Disney Infinity 3.0 or Skylanders Superchargers for the Wii U. These are normally $64.99 and $74.99 respectively. This has become sort of an annual tradition with these series, and very rarely do we see them go for any cheaper, so if they interest you, this is probably the best pricing you’ll ever find.

In addition, the interactive figures for both games are on sale for $11 each. This is pretty good pricing to build up your collection. However, we’ve seen deals in the past for buy 2 get 1 free or even buy 1 get 1 50% off, which could be a better deal. I’d suggest waiting until closer to Black Friday to see if other retailers have a better deal on the figures.

The new kid on the block this year is Lego Dimensions. Normally retailing for $99.99, Target will have it for $79.99. It’s not seeing quite the extreme discount as the other games in this category, but it does have the Lego name attached to it and that may garner a higher price tag. This game plays like the prior ones, but does an amazing job of mashing a bunch of different properties together to create a really exciting and fun universe. While the price may still seem a bit steep, the quality of the game and its figures is second to none.

Notably missing from Target’s ad are amiibos. As a Nintendo fan it’s a bit disappointing that there aren’t any sales for this category. Perhaps other retailers will fill in the gap?

Final Thoughts

Overall, there are some nice deals in here for Nintendo fans. The biggest story is probably the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 dropping to $299 for the sale, putting them at the same price the Wii U has been stuck at for the past two years, which is probably why Target insisted on dropping it to $249.99 to stand out. Also, the Xbox One comes with Gears of War Ultimate Edition and a $60 Target gift card on top of that. Not a bad deal if you haven’t jumped into the next generation yet. It’s a bit disappointing to see that most of the Nintendo games on sale have been out for a long time, but there will always be new owners that can take advantage of some of the savings. Is there anything on the list that you’ll be picking up this Black Friday?

Craig Majaski

Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.