That means if you have the dough now, you can save yourself $15 later. I'd say this is a run-go-get it deal. No telling when it expires, or when they run out of stock at this price.

Xbox 360 Live Subscription Gold Card [Amazon, seen via Blast]

Only one game stood between Nintendo and perfect top ten ownership, Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which was #9 on Amazon's list of bestsellers, which includes both hardware and software.

Amazon.com's bestseller in the video game department was the Wii console itself, with the Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus taking second and third, followed by the Wii Nunchuk. And, impressively, New Super Mario Bros. Wii landed at fifth, the retailer's bestselling game of the year.

Granted, Amazon.com does not represent the market as a whole, but the following list should be a decent indicator of what's selling well across all platforms, including non-Nintendo games like Assassin's Creed II, Halo 3 ODST, Left 4 Dead 2 and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Marvel at the top twenty below.

01. Wii
02. Wii Remote controller
03. Wii MotionPlus
04. Wii Nunchuk controller
05. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
06. Wii Fit Plus (Wii)
07. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
08. Wii Fit (Wii)
09. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360)
10. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

11. PlayStation 3 Dualshock 3 controller
12. Wii Play (Wii)
13. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)
14. Wii Wheel
15. Assassin's Creed II (Xbox 360)
16. Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)
17. PlayStation 3 120 GB
18. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
19. EA Sports Active (Wii)
20. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360)

Bestsellers in Video Games for 2009 [Amazon via NeoGAF]

Amazon.com's Deal of the Day puts L4D2 at just $29.99 USD for the PC version, $39.99 USD for the Xbox 360 version, which may help you get over any qualms about the game being Left 4 Dead 1.5 or a glorified expansion pack and help offset whatever price Valve may put on the recently announced "The Passing" downloadable content.

Of course, if exploding zombie corpses aren't your thing—and portable role-playing games are—there are a few other Amazon.com deals you may want to pounce on.

Catch up on your Nintendo DS backlog with The World Ends With You or Final Fantasy IV, each less than ten bucks today. Or, if you want something fresher, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days can also be had for less than previously asked.

10. DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY
9. Ryu Ga Gotoku 3
8. Resident Evil 5
7. Wii Fit Plus (software only)
6. Wii Sports Resort
5. Hatsune Miku PROJECT DIVA
4. Tales of Vesperia (PS3)
3. Monster Hunter 3
2. Tomodachi Collection
1. Dragon Quest IX

There are also breakdowns by platform. The top selling games in Japan per platform in 2009 were: Monster Hunter 3 (Wii), Dragon Quest IX (DS), Tales of Vesperia (PS3), Fate/Unlimited Codes (PS2), Hatsune Miku PROJECT DIVA (PSP) and Star Ocean 4 (Xbox 360). It's worth noting that Gears of War 2 was the second biggest selling Xbox 360 title on Amazon Japan in 2009.

総合 [Amazon Japan] [Pic]

The Rocksteady Studios title is going for a mere $34.98 USD for the standard edition on either Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. The more deluxe, batarang-filled edition now goes for the asking price of $59.98. I mean, you were going to buy it anyway, just so you can be caught up for the sequel, right?

Bargain hunters would also be advised to pay attention to what Amazon's offering up for the PlayStation 3 owner this Tuesday. The online retailer is promising a day full of "Gold Box" deals on Sony's current generation console, typically the stuff of respectable mark downs.

Amazon.com's Video Game Deal of the Day [Amazon]

Joining the ECA is easy. All you need to do is fill out an online form, pay your $20, and you're in. Canceling Not so much. While a check box to turn off and on membership auto-renewal was once present in the account section of the website, the ECA now reports that this was a mistake, and it never should have been available. Earlier this month, ECA community manager Gypsyfly explained the mysteriously disappearing feature.

What I've been told is that the feature was never suppose to be there as you can tell by the terms which have been the same since the beginning. The design firm who made the site used a module that had it in and they were unaware until an actual users on these forums posted about it. They'll most likely look into an automated system at some point in the future.

Okay, fair enough. Having worked in web development for several years prior to my stint at Kotaku, I can see how this sort of mix up could happen. So why can't members simply cancel via email? Gypsyfly addressed this question two days ago.

Because the org has grown too large to handle the volume and requiring a mailed piece separates those who are serious from those who are lazy or finicky – joining and leaving repeatedly – and it gives us written documentation, a paper trail to reconcile against

Lazy or finicky? Really? One would think that 'finicky' members who constantly canceled and rejoined could be turned into more collected fees. Instead, the organization is too busy to handle a quick computer request, instead relying on regular old snail mail instead. Mail that can be lost, or in some current ECA members' opinions, purposefully misplaced.

Worse, members who flocked to to the organization's website in March for the promise of 10% off game purchases at Amazon now find that benefit to being an ECA member has been discontinued due to exploiters stacking the discount, removing one of the most attractive reasons to join the ECA, aside from the whole consumer advocacy thing.

It all seems rather shady, but in all fairness, there is only one method of cancellation noted in the ECA membership terms and conditions.

A Member may cancel this Agreement and membership in the ECA Service sending such request to Attn: Accounting, ECA, 64 Danbury Road, Suite 700, Wilton, CT 06897-4406. If Member cancels before the end of a Membership Term for which Member has paid the Service Fee, the Member cannot receive a refund of such Service Fee nor any portion thereof. Due to the nature of the services provided by ECA (many of which are accessible immediately upon acceptance) it is understood that refunds cannot be issued.

In order to join the ECA you would have had to have read this, so everyone who is now complaining should have at one point known what they were getting into. I probably wouldn't have read the whole thing either, and in doing so would have missed lovely bits like this:

If the credit card provided by Member to ECA has expired during an attempt to bill fees per section 4, ECA will revise the expiration date and proceed with billing using the same credit card account.

Outrageous, right? It definitely stresses the importance of knowing what you are signing up for.

If you are a current ECA member and would like to cancel, our only suggestion would be to make sure you do so with a traceable mail carrier, to ensure that the organization receives your request.

As for those who thought they had halted the auto-renewal of memberships via the web page, I'd agree that the ECA should, if possible, refund any memberships that have gone through after the box had been checked off. Unfortunately, with the feature turned off, chances of them having records of the option are slim.

Kotaku has contacted the ECA for comment on the situation, but has yet to receive a response as of this writing.

Thanks to everyone who brought this situation to our attention.

ECA Tries To Prevent Members From Canceling [The Consumerist]
"FREE" 1 Year ECA membership... for the price of YOUR SOUL. Read if you applied. [NeoGAF]
ECA: if you canceled your membership online, ECA's stance is you actually did not [CheapAssGamer]

First Black Friday, then Cyber Monday, and now's it's Wii Wednesday over at Amazon.com. They've got Wii game deals all day long, and despite the rather crappy Deal of the Day (Active Life: Extreme Challenge Bundle with Mat? The hell?), there's still plenty of bargains to be had in the Gold Box section, if you're quick.

Spore Hero, the first deal, went live at 6AM Pacific, and as of this writing (around 6:50AM) they are completely sold out. Makes you wonder how fast games people actually want will sell out, doesn't it? Looking at the clues we've got a Star Wars game at 9, Guitar Hero World Tour at 11, Little King's Story at 1, Wii Sports Resort at 3, and what I am assuming is Drawn to Life for the Wii at 6.

Be vigilant, Wii owners and Christmas shoppers. Be strong.

Amazon Gold Box Deals [Amazon.com]

Amazon.com: The Black Friday video game deals are in full swing, with more game discounts being revealed all day long. Right now you can get bargain prices on Forza 3 and Halo 3: O.D.S.T.

On the console side of things, Amazon has a 120GB PlayStation 3 bundle that comes with inFamous and Killzone 2, with a $10 Amazon promotional credit included.

Best Buy: While most of Best Buy's Black Friday goodness is sold out online, there are several great deals in stores, including a $299 120GB PlayStation 3 bundle with LittleBigPlanet and Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time; an Xbox 360 Elite bundle for $399 that includes Pure, LEGO Batman, and a bundle of Wall-E, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Sonic the Hedgehog and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2; and the two limited-edition Nintendo DSi systems, each with bundled software and a $20 gift card.

Brutal Legend: The Brutal Legend blog has posted a deal tracker so you can find the best possible price on Brutal Legend on Black Friday. Check it out here.

Capcom: The Capcom store is dicounting PC titles from 20-75% off for Black Friday, with free shipping on $25 worth of toys, books, and other fine Capcom-related products.

Dell Direct: Dell Direct is selling a Nintendo Wii bundled with New Super Mario Bros. Wii and an additional Wii remote for $249.99, which saves you the price of that additional remote.

EA: The EA Store has downloadable PC titles on sale for 30% off, including the latest releases like Dragon Age: Origins.

EA Mobile: More than 30 EA iPhone and iPod Touch titles have been discounted by up to 50% for the holiday weekend. From casual titles like Littlest Pet Shop and Sudoku to big-name games like Command & Conquer: Red Alert and Rock Band, now would be a great time to download some EA to your Apple device.

Futureshop: Canadians can have Black Friday deals too! Futureshop has popular EA console games on sale for $39.99 apiece, including Dragon Age: Origins, Brutal Legend, and Left 4 Dead 2.

Gameloft: Gameloft has reduced prices on a bunch of iPhone games to $.99 for the day. Terminator Salvation, Shrek Kart, Blades of Fury, Real Tennis 2009, Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes, Castle of Magic, and Hero of Sparta for less than a buck could certainly help you pass the time waiting in line today.

GameStop: For those of you living where it's not hit 11AM yet, you've still got time to partake of GameStop's doorbuster bundles, which include a $299 PlayStation 3 with LittleBigPlanet Game of the Year Edition and God of War I & II and an Xbox 360 Elite with Pure, LEGO Batman, and your choice of either Call of Duty: World at War or Bakugan.

Steam Sale: The Steam 5-Day 1-Day Sale continues today, with Left 4 Dead 2 at $37.49, Mini-Ninjas at $14.99, Dead Space for $14.99, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for a measly $2.49. Plus, keep in mind that Steam also has LucasArts and THQ bundles on sale for $49.99, so if you've got a fan of either developer in your family, you've got them covered.

Be sure to check out our Black Friday tag page for all of the deals we've been posting over the past couple of months.

Remember, this is by no means a complete list. This is a starting point. A place for our friends in the comment section to share their own deals with each other, giving their fellow gamers a hand in finding the best deals going on during the busiest shopping day of the year. Sharing is caring!

Amazon.com has already struck a handful of video games with deep "Lightning Deal" cuts. If you're just waking up, you've already missed a chance to save on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Game of the Year edition for PlayStation 3, but you can still have these fine products for a song.

• New Play Control! Pikmin (Wii) - $14.98
• Rock Band 2 Special Edition (Xbox 360, PS3) - $70.00
• UFC 2009 Undisputed (Xbox 360) - $25.00
• EA Sports Active (Wii) - $39.99

Upcoming deals include savings on a title teased as "World War II on the Wii"—which we'll assume is Call of Duty: World at War on Nintendo's console—and a "Gaming for people on the go" product, which could mean savings on a PSPgo.

Update: Yes, Call of Duty: World at War for Wii is now available for a measly $27.00 USD. But the "on the go" hardware savings applies to the Nintendo DS (crimson/black), which Amazon is selling for $97.98.

Black Friday Video Game Deals [Amazon.com]

The latest Call of Duty kill-fest has overtaken Amazon's previous pre-order record holder, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Activision Blizzard and its shareholders must be so pleased.

In other Modern Warfare 2-is-selling-well news, Amazon tosses us another figure, saying that "Release-Date Delivery pre-orders" for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 surpassed the total orders for Wrath of the Lich King at the company. Which must mean this "release-date delivery" thing at Amazon is working out for them.

The only downside to this consumer love-in is the PC version of Modern Warfare 2's customer rating at Amazon.com, currently suffering from a revenge score of one-and-a-half stars. Hey, you can't win 'em all.

It continues: "It ok to play n shoot bad dude n i get game n tell u to get game to kil rat an bad dudes in ur guns u kill rat. Ok great good but no ok good great just ok good great good. Get."

This is a user review, of course. A glowing one based on the star rating.

Can you guess the game it's about?

The answer.

Via game designer Martin Hollis' Twitter feed.

PIC

Unlike today's smart phones and mobile 3G cards, which require monthly fees to access the network, Amazon's Kindle eBook reader figures in the price of 3G into the initial hardware cost, so the customer effectively pays one fee for the device and a lifetime of 3G access. Speaking at a analyst briefing following last week's lowered financial outlook, Nintendo's president called the Kindle's price plan an "option for the future."

"Only people who can pay thousands of yen a month [in mobile phone subscriptions] can be iPhone customers. That doesn't fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products," Mr Iwata said. The Kindle's one-off cost would better suit Nintendo's customer base, he said. "In reality, if we did this it would increase the cost of the hardware, and customers would complain about Nintendo putting prices up, but it is one option for the future."

I don't see any problem with the handheld's current Wi-Fi access, but then again I rarely go anywhere that doesn't have an access point these days. I suppose if you want to be able to download new games nearly anywhere, 3G is certainly one way to go. Would you pay more for a 3G-enabled Nintendo DS?

Nintendo considers Kindle tactics for consoles [Financial Times]

The criteria: Amazon's cutoff are towns and cities with a population over 5,000 (according to the most current census data), and they have to order "enough copies for two squads (18 people) using Release-Date Delivery." The ranking is based on per capita orders, not whole numbers. Winning city gets a $5,000 Amazon gift card donated to a charitable organization serving that area.

Lots of college towns dot this board, no surprise there. As of its most recent update, the most noticeable military city I could spot is Twentynine Palms, Calif., although admittedly I don't know where every Army installation is. The city, home to a big Marine Corps base, is in 11th place.

My pick for the town most answering duty's call? Bedford, Va.

The Call of Duty-est Town in America [Amazon, thanks reader Blain D.]

First off, most new console games are $59.99, right?. So while Uncharted 2 and Borderlands are eligible on this deal, unless you're poaching MSRP-reduced titles, to collect this offer with two new games you'd need to spend $120 to get $40. Which is "Buy two, get two-thirds free."

That said, banking $40 in store credit might be valuable for you down the line. So if you're thinking of picking up Batman: Arkham Asylum, Brütal Legend, and/or NBA 2K10, as I did the past two months, this offer can help you with Left 4 Dead 2 or Assassin's Creed 2 down the line.

Full list of eligible titles here. The offer ends Oct. 31.

Spend $80 on Select Titles, Get $40 Video Games Credit at Amazon [Cheap Ass Gamer]

THQ announced the 2010 game this morning, posting this trailer on the game's official site to introduce prospective players to the setting. The game is based on Dmitry Glukhovsky's popular Eastern European novel, the synopsis for which gives you a pretty good idea of where the game is going.

The book is currently available in Russian and German, though Amazon has a listing for an English language version being released in February of next year, which should give you plenty of time to bone up before diving into post-apocalyptic Moscow.

Amazon's offer is simple. Buy two games—whether they be for the Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PSP or PlayStation 2—and get a third for free. The full list of eligible games may be missing some newer releases, such as Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend, but there are fine entertainment software titles to be had at essentially two-third the cost.

Video Games 3-For-2 Promotion [Amazon - thanks, Marc!]

All of this stuff below is now inoperable.

Of course, the offer to get Guitar Hero: Van Halen free with GH 5 has by now expired, but I don't think this is some discount off a drop in MSRP. Other retailers are still selling it for full price. But I don't know how long the deal is good for; it does not appear to be a lightning or Gold Box deal.

Again, this is for Guitar Hero 5 on Xbox 360 only and, just because someone will ask, it's the game only. That means no instruments.

Guitar Hero 5 is $30 on Amazon [Blast Magazine]

The exclusive S.V.E.R. character is yours if you lay your $5 down at GameStop. If your allegiance is to Game Crazy, you'll get the tuned-up RAVEN fighter. The VALOR character (pictured) is still TBD. For those not initiated, these are the three mercenary factions with which you may align in this 256-combatant shooter/MMO, once it releases Jan. 26.

The descriptions of all three are at the link below.

Anyway, if all Amazon gets is a PlayStation Home space for its preorder trouble, then wow. Someone cut a bad deal there.

MAG Pre-Order Bonuses: Choose Your PMC [PlayStation.blog via EvilAvatar]

In late July, Amazon Germany leaked listed a "PlayStation 3 Konsole slim". We got a PS3 Slim. Maybe this was a lucky guess, but Amazon Germany was correct.

This time on the Fatherland's Amazon site, there is a 250 GB Xbox 360 Elite bundled with 2 wireless controllers and Forza Motorsport 3. All yours for €279.99 (US$400). The biggest HDD Microsoft is currently selling for the Xbox 360 is 120GB.

There has been no official announcement of such a bundle from Microsoft. Maybe this is another lucky guess. Maybe Amazon Germany is correct. Again.

We are following up with Microsoft.

Xbox 360 - Konsole Elite 250 GB inkl. 2 Wireless Controller + Forza Motorsport 3 [Amazon.de]

Evidence of an impending PlayStation 3 price drop? Not necessarily. But the availability of some PS3 models is on the decline, while incentives to clear out older stock increase. At the very least, its a better deal on a PlayStation 3 bundle that's due to become a bit less valued, as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is just a few months out.

PlayStation 3 [Amazon - thanks, xxnike629xx!]