Collectibles

ThePlatformer 2015 Holiday Buying Guide

Some of the Black Friday sales may still be under wraps, but the following items are sure to please any gamer this Holiday season.

The second week of November is here, along with the initial flood of new releases. Some of the most-anticipated titles are launching within the upcoming weeks- many of which are just days away. The current chapter of the Call of Duty franchise is already upon gamers, with Call of Duty: Black Ops III on shelves for various platforms. Blizzard’s revolutionary PC-exclusive RTS saga returns today with the presumably final chapter of the StarCraft II saga, StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. For the post-apocalyptic explorers, Fallout 4 officially launches in just a few hours- Nov. 10. While PS4 and PC gamers must wait until early 2016, Xbox One owners can get their hands on Rise of the Tomb Raider starting tomorrow.

Nintendo is coming out swinging this holiday season, with Mario Tennis Ultra Smash and the December release of Xenoblade Chronicles X for the Wii U. The holiday game catalog for handhelds may not pack the same punch as for the consoles, but 3DS and PS Vita/PS TV owners can look forward to the likes of Rodea the Sky Soldier, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, SAO: Lost Song and EDF2: Invaders From Planet Space.

A more robust list follows below, highlighting some of this season’s more popular titles and their standard retail prices:

Multi-Platform:

  • Now Available: Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, $59.99 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • Now Available: Divinity: Original Sin, $59.99 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • Now Available: Minecraft: Story Mode, $29.99 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • Now Available: WWE 2K16, $59.99 (Xbox One, PS4)
  • Now Available: Darksiders 2 Death Edition, $29.99 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • Now Available: Need For Speed, $59.99 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • Now Available: Shovel Knight, $24.99 (PS4, Wii U)
  • Now Available: Call of Duty: Black Ops III, $59.99 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • 11/10: Fallout 4, $59.99 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • 11/10: Rodea the Sky Soldier, $59.99 (Wii U, $39.99 3DS)
  • 11/17: Deadpool, $49.99 (Xbox One, PS4)
  • 11/17: Game of Thrones, $29.99 (Xbox One, PS4)
  • 11/17: Star Wars Battlefront, $59.99 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • 11/17: Sword Art Online: Lost Song, $59.99 (PS4, $39.99 PS Vita)
  • 12/1: Just Cause 3, $59.99 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • 12/1: Rainbow Six Siege, $59.99 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
  • 12/1: TrackMania Turbo, $39.99 (Xbox One, PS4)

Xbox One Exclusives:

  • Now Available: Halo 5: Guardians, $59.99
  • 11/10: Rise of the Tomb Raider, $59.99 (Coming to PS4/PC Q1 2016)

PS4 Exclusives:

  • Now Available: MX vs ATV Supercross Encore, $29.99
  • 11/10: Let’s Sing, $39.99 (w/mic, $49.99)
  • 12/8: Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair, $49.99

Wii U Exclusives:

  • 11/13: Animal Crossing amiibo Festival, $59.99
  • 11/20: Mario Tennis Ultra Smash, $49.99
  • 12/4: Xenoblade Chronicles X, $59.99

3DS Exclusives:

  • Now Available: YO-KAI Watch, $39.99
  • 11/17: Stella Glow, $49.99
  • 11/20: Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, $39.99

PS Vita/PS TV Exclusives:

  • 11/10: Superbeat Xonic, $39.99
  • 11/24: Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders From Planet Space, $29.99

 

Special Edition Darth Vader PS4

Shoppers with an abundance of luck may happen to find special edition consoles and bundles, including the likes of the Darth Vader PS4 bundled with Disney Infinity 3.0 or Star Wars Battlefront, or the currently available custom COD: Black Ops III and Destiny: The Taken King PS4 bundles; Microsoft fans also have an opportunity to get their hands on a white Gears of War Xbox One console, or the more elusive blue Forza 6 custom console. Wii U bundles can be found for roughly $300 this holiday, featuring Super Mario Maker and Mario Kart 8.

Not all of the Black Friday specials have surfaced online- Toys R’ Us and Amazon are among the few still under wraps- however several chains have begun posting their ads online. Wal-Mart is among the few larger stores that have yet to post their Black Friday deals, however several video games- and the aforementioned bundles- are currently discounted through their online store.

Target’s 2015 Black Friday ad is currently available for viewing on their website. Some of the highlighted gaming-specific deals include a free $60 Target gift card with purchase of an Xbox One marked at $300, Skylanders Superchargers and Disney Infinity Starter Packs at half-price ($34.99), $40 off the Guitar Hero Live Guitar Bundle ($59.99) and $50-off the Rock Band 4 Band-In-A-Box Bundle ($199).

It may not be officially available, however GameStop’s 2015 Black Friday ad has surfaced early through BlackFriday.fm. For obvious reasons, GameStop has the most robust list of sales and weekend-exclusive items ranging from standard games to collectibles:

The earliest of shoppers can get their hands on a $20 “GameStop Funk Mystery Box”, containing five random Funko Pop! Vinyl collectible figures- one of which will be exclusive to GameStop; the board game that teaches players the frustrations of economy, GameStop will carry Fallout 4 and Halo 5 Collector’s Edition Monopoly games, each for $39.99, along with a Claptrap-themed Borderlands Yahtzee collector’s edition for $29.99.

New purchases of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate ($59.99) include a free copy of Assassin’s Creed Unity; subject to store quantity, copies of The Witcher III: Wild Hunt will include an additional Steelbook collector case, while WWE 2K16 features a Stone Cold Steve Austin Funko Pop! figure; various Triton, Astro and first-party Sony headsets will be marked down $30-50 off through the weekend.

With GameStop’s recent shift towards selling collectibles in-store, lucky Black Friday shoppers have their pick of numerous exclusive Pop! Vinyl figures, McFarlane collectible action figures ($9.99 each), Pokemon plushies ($12.99) and various statues. Statues that can only be found in stores on Black Friday- and in very limited quantity- include a Borderlands Mad Moxxi statue from Chronicle Collectibles ($119.99), The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Link ($79.99) and Captain Scervo ($124.99) statues, and a Darth Vader bust for $79.99.

 

Chronicle Collectibles Mad Moxxi Statue GameStop Exclusive

Figures and statues typically appeal to a smaller audience, however several new collectibles are expected to begin shipping between now and early 2016. Many of the following items will not be on sale for Black Friday, however the likes of Amazon, Play-Asia and AmiAmi are notorious for having surprise, unannounced flash-sales.

The following collectibles are either scheduled or expected to release before the end of 2015:

  • Pre-Orders Opening Soon: Figma Silent Hill 2 Bubble Head Nurse, n/a (Max Factory)
  • 11/10: Hyperdimension Neptunia Black Heart Figure, $146.99 (Alter)
  • 11/30 (Tentative): Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- Ky Kiske, $109.99 (Embrace Japan)
  • 11/30 (Tentative): Play Arts Kai MGSV: TPP Tretij Rebenok, $74.99 (Square Enix)
  • 11/30 (Tentative): MGS2: Sons of Liberty Metal Gear Ray Half Size Edition, $246.99 (Three A)
  • 11/30 (Tentative): ArtFX+ Batman: Arkham Knight Arkham Knight Diorama, $74.99 (Kotobukiya)
  • 11/30 (Tentative): Nendoroid MGS2: Sons of Liberty Raiden, $44.99 (Good Smile Company)
  • 11/30 (Tentative): Hyperdimension Neptunia Purple Heart, $149.99 (Wing)
  • Dec. 2015: Play Arts Kai MGSV: TPP D-Dog, $89.99 (Square Enix)
  • 12/25: Martial Arts Collection Tekken 7 Mishima Kazuya, $99.99 (Studio-Ren)
  • 12/25: Bloodborne 1/6th Scale Hunter Statue, $344.99 (Gecco)
  • 12/30: Fighters Legendary SFIII: 3rd Strike Chun-Li Statue, $81.99 (Embrace Japan)
  • 12/31 (Tentative): Kotobukiya Bishoujo Ultra Street Fighter IV Poison, $69.99 (Kotobukiya)
  • Q4 2015 (Tentative): Borderlands Deluxe Statue Collection: Moxxi, $225.00 (Gearbox Software)
  • Q4 2015 (Tentative): Classic Mega Man – Proto Man Statue, $209.99 (First 4 Figures)
  • Q4 2015 (Tentative): God of War Kratos on Throne Statue, $479.99 (Gaming Heads)
  • Q4 2015 (Tentative): Street Fighter 1/6th Scale Oni Akuma Diorama, $374.99 (Kinetiquettes)

Black Friday falls on Nov. 27, with some locations opening as early as 11am Thanksgiving Day, though the pandemonium may not start until later that evening.

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