At this point, Microsoft is on course to dominate the holiday season through sheer force of will. At the beginning of November, the Xbox One took an early lead with a discount across all of the different versions, and Microsoft is now selling its Xbox 360 games for cheaper than they've ever been. Compared to its competition, Microsoft has the best deals on the widest variety of products; there's a good chance that the Xbox One will completely dominate the holiday season.
Then again, the Xbox One isn't much without its selection of games, and Microsoft has made it clear that the console's library would be getting some love on Black Friday, too. Earlier today, Microsoft's Black Friday update went live...but it's probably not what people were expecting.
The store is full of discounts, but anyone who was hoping that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare or Halo: The Master Chief Collection would be on sale will be sorely disappointed. There are some great games on display, but Microsoft's biggest titles of the year simply aren't included. Even a small discount would have been appreciated, but it's clear that Microsoft wants to make the most from those two titles.
What has been discounted is actually pretty great. Rayman Legends is a fantastic old-school platformer, and now that it's half-off, it's definitely worth the $20 price tag. Diablo III is another great game, especially for $35 (instead of the usual $60). Killer Instinct and Peggle 2 are good picks too, especially since both games are 50% off or more.
Other than that...there's not much. There are discounts on crafting materials in Warframe, a few sports titles, and a sale on Angry Birds: Star Wars. It's understandable that games like Halo and Call of Duty aren't on sale, but what about games from earlier in the year, like Titanfall or Metal Gear Solid?
Keep in mind, this only applies to games bought directly from Microsoft's Xbox Store. If you're looking for other deals on games, it might be best to try something like Wal-Mart or Gamestop instead.
The Microsoft Black Friday Sale begins today (Nov. 25) and ends on Dec. 1.
