Best Buy Black Friday discounts Assassin's Creed III, console bundles

There's darkness on the horizon as the Blackest of Fridays approaches, and Best Buy has already laid its cards (including a slew of video game deals) on the table. The Thanksgiving weekend (November 22 to 24) discounts include cut prices on several console bundles as well as recent games.

Leading the console charge are a $200 PlayStation Vita Black Ops Declassified bundle, $50 off just over a week after the game's November 13 release, and a $200 Xbox 360 250 GB holiday bundle with download codes for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Forza Motorsport 4. Keep in mind that Xbox 360 bundle is already $50 off its normal $300 price on the Microsoft Store and many other retailers, so it's really a $50 discount.

Best Buy is also offering PlayStation 3 DualShock and Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers for $35, and the Skylanders Giants Starter Pack for $50, a $25 discount.

If you haven't caught up on Desmond Miles' historical adventures yet you may want to wait, as notable game discounts include Assassin's Creed III, Borderlands 2, Madden NFL 13, Forza Horizon, FIFA 13, and Diablo III, all for $35. Dance Central 3 and Just Dance 4 boogie down to $25, and other games limbo their way to $15 or $8 price points.

Expect a flurry of discount news to drop in the next few weeks as retailers return fire in the war for holiday shoppers.