Gamers, give thanks – Lots of videogame deals for holiday season

Just because the videogame industry is on a pace to top $23 billion for the first time in the U.S. this year doesn’t mean retailers are doing well.

Circuit City has filed for bankruptcy, and even big box retailers like Best Buy and Target are being hurt by the current recession. As a result, this is going to be a very good year for videogame deals both online and at retail. And Thanksgiving week is just the beginning for those shoppers who are looking for new game consoles, accessories, games and even HD TVs and surround sound systems.

Many sales have traditionally started online on Thanksgiving Day to attract shoppers surfing the Web. Because of the bad economy, many online and retail stores are already offering deals online now.

One thing to point out is that many retailers are promising they’ll have enough Nintendo Wiis in stock for this Christmas. The $250 console has started appearing on store shelves in recent months after being sold out for almost two straight years since its launch. While Wii games will be on sale, however, there won’t be any hardware price cuts for Wii this holiday.

Those looking for some deals right now can check , where "Guitar Hero III" PS2 bundles with wired controllers are selling for $30. A wireless bundle is available for $40.

Other deals include a PS3 bundle of "Guitar Hero III" for $40, and a $70 two-pack of "Guitar Hero On Tour" for Nintendo DS. (Type in code BF2008 for the wired bundles and BF2K* for everything else.)

has put up some great deals, which are chosen at random from voters through its annual Customers Vote promotion. Some of the deals customers can vote on include a PS3 console with a Firefly Blu-ray Disc, a remote control and the Star Wars “The Force Unleashed” game for $200.

Starting Friday, Gamestop is offering a wide selection of PSP UMD movies for just $4, which is worth picking up for any portable library. A 4GB SanDisc memory stick is $25. Any used game or accessory at the store is "Buy 2, Get 1 Free."

Gamestop is also selling refurbished consoles – GameCubes are $30, Xboxes are $30, PS2s are $50, and Xbox 360s are $150. Keep in mind that these used consoles void any warranty from the manufacturer, which means that if your Xbox 360 gets the ring of death, you’re out of luck.

Assorted new games are also on sale, including "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" (Wii or PS2), "Samba de Amiga" (Wii) and "Crysis" (PC) for $20.

Best Buy is offering the 80GB PlayStation 3 with the "Ratchet & Clank Future" game and "Casino Royale" Blu-ray Disc for $400.

For the best buy on a 60GB Xbox 360 Pro, gamers can get the console and four games for $300. In addition to the standard freebies (LEGO "Indiana Jones" and "Kung Fu Panda"), Best Buy is tossing in "NBA 2K9" and "Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground."

"Guitar Hero Aerosmith" for Wii is $25 and an assortment of good games are just $20, including "Top Spin 3" (Wii), "Rainbow Six Vegas 2" (PS3) and "Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway" (PS3). "The Simpsons Game" (Xbox 360), "Saints Row" (Xbox 360) and "Transformers" (PS2) are only $10 and for $15 consumers can pick up "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09" (PS2), "Kung Fu Panda" (PS2) and "Turok" (Xbox 360). "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" (Xbox 360) with two guitars is only $80.

Target is offering a 60GB Xbox 360 Pro bundle with two games (LEGO "Indiana Jones" and "Kung Fu Panda") for $300 – and they’re throwing in a $60 Target gift card. The new PSP 3000 with a "Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters" game and "National Treasure 2" UMD movie is $200 and includes a $20 gift card, and the new limited edition Nintendo DS bundles, which come with either "New Super Mario Bros." or "Brain Age" are $150 plus a $10 gift card.

Those gift cards can be used to pick up some pretty good games for cheap. Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2 games start at $7. But even good games like "Boom Blox" for Wii and LEGO "Batman," "Burnout Paradise," "Guitar Hero III" and "Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway" for PlayStation 3 are only $20 each. PS3 versions of the October horror hit "Dead Space" and "Halo 3" are $30 each. And the recent "NBA 2K9" and "NCAA Football 09" are $39 each.

Circuit City has some good deals on the new Nintendo DS bundles, which are selling for $140 (essentially the same price as Target without the gift card). The Xbox 360 Arcade bundle with refurbished 20gb hard drive, wireless controller and Sega "Superstars Tennis" is $200. A PlayStation 2 system with extra controller is $130.

Videogames start at just $5 with assorted Game Boy Advance titles like "Disney Princess" and "Hot Wheels: All Out" and PC games like "The Sims 2 Deluxe" and "Enemy Territory: Quake Wars." If you haven’t tried "World of Warcraft" yet, pick it up for $10. PSP games like "Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories" and "Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition" are also $10, along with "Conan" and "Dead Rising" for Xbox 360 and "Super Monkey Ball" and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" for Wii.

And the deals won’t stop any time soon. There are more Cyber Monday deals planned for Dec. 1 to keep shoppers busy all weekend and into next week, both online and in stores.