The PlayStation Holiday Recap

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Jeff Rubenstein Sr. Social Media Manager
13 Author Replies

How many of you are dreading having to go back to school/work on Monday?

While I’ve definitely enjoyed the past 12 days or so away from the office (and the comparatively massive amount of gaming time it afforded me), I’m looking forward to heading out to CES next week to share what we’ll have at the positively massive Sony booth.

We hope you enjoyed Kristin’s How-To series; I know that for many of you power users, it’s old news, but hopefully the hundreds of thousands of news PS3 owners found that they got more than just an awesome Blu-ray and game-playing system.

Personally, I accomplished *most* of my holiday gaming goals, completing Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space, and clambering my way through most of the enjoyable Prince of Persia.

And apparently I did a fair amount of reading. Despite the Holidays being a slower than normal time, some interesting stuff was written over the past couple of weeks:

The PS Blog weekly reading list (Holiday Edition)

What did you read/play over the break?

holidays08inside playstationrecap

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72 Comments

13 Author Replies

  • Hershy999
    January 3, 2009 at 12:23 pm PST

    Despite the Holidays being a slower than normal time

    (typo)

  • severeon
    January 3, 2009 at 12:24 pm PST

    Twas a good holiday. The MGS pack for LBP has kept me very busy these past few days; not to mention that I finally got the Play trophy.

    Played a lot of Jeanne d’arc and Megaman X Maverick hunter on my PSP; and, I just started Monster Hunter Freedom 2.

    As for the read side, it has mostly been technical documents and other boring programmer stuff.

  • ExcelKnight
    January 3, 2009 at 12:25 pm PST

    Got to play some Valkyria Chronicles (your favorite, I gather), MGS4, LBP, Warhawk, Suikoden, Suikoden 5, Mega Man 9, and some Uncharted.

    It’s been a great week. Got a ton of new games on sale as well, like Resistance 2 and a few other PS2 games.

  • digplans
    January 3, 2009 at 12:28 pm PST

    What up Jeff, good to see you’re back. I got quite a bit of reading done as well, surprisingly!

    It has been slow for gaming news this holiday, I haven’t got my fix every day. Been playing LBP a lot, glad they added some options for searching community levels (it absolutely sucked before), but now it’s a joy to look for wicked levels. Quite frankly a beautiful, original game. The best in a long, long time, IMHO. Anyway, looking forward to some more blog posts this week.

    peace

  • Shim
    January 3, 2009 at 12:29 pm PST

    I have just finished Call Of Duty 5: World At War on Veteran. God, that was insane! :~~: Now i want do play something relaxing… Any ideas?:)

  • Stoffinator
    January 3, 2009 at 12:33 pm PST

    Hey Jeff!

    Good to hear you cought up on some of your gaming. I think one thing you should get Sony to do is include a card inside new PS3 with the url to this blog. Letting new people know this is where they can keep up to date on “How to” and up coming events. Just an idea.

    Can you give us an idea on what to expect (if anything?) about the PS3 at CES? Usually not a whole lot of gaming news comes from CES. Will this year be different?

  • Stoffinator
    January 3, 2009 at 12:33 pm PST

    @ Shim

    Yes, for something relaxing, try Flow. Its also addictive.

  • Voozi
    January 3, 2009 at 12:34 pm PST

    I played…John’s blog game for free stuff (that counts right!? haha)

    I’m still trying to juggle time to beat…Valkyria Chronicles, Prince of Persia, & x-mas present Eternal Sonata….good news is…I’m at the final battle >:3 bad news is…I need to go back and level up my characters a bit more D:

    Oh yea I also played a little Uncharted too, trying to get all treasures for that (I need like 7 more lol)

    —————

    PS: Is there a way how to sort my PSN Games by name instead of by date created or last played. If not then this request you must pass along lol (Oh and also be able to make folders and throw diff stuff in there, like lets say I want a folder for all my Qore episodes, I put them all there, then for all my PS Eye games, I put them all there, then everything else I leave out lol, would make organizing a lot cleaner & nicer :D

  • C-los
    January 3, 2009 at 12:37 pm PST

    Welcome back Jeff!
    Well my vacation was great and I had lots of fun, especially that one day on the blog with John trying to get the winner post! lol
    ( and I did! :] )
    I also tried getting R2 since Christmas and its been sold out everywhere..
    Now it’s time to go back to school and work… =/I also played a lot of LBP, some Warhawk, and AoB.
    Gonna head out later and see if I find Resistance 2 before school

  • ftwrthtx
    January 3, 2009 at 12:42 pm PST

    Why not link the how-to posts to helpful boards on the forums?

    I have a useful guide for remote play that I couldn’t even link to in the comments section of the how-to blog post.

    boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=pspnet&thread.id=157377

    It still seems that the forums are shunned and deemed unhelpful by the posters of the blog.

  • Maverick_fox
    January 3, 2009 at 12:50 pm PST

    Welcome back Jeff

    sill playin LbP and got Ratchet & Clank: ToD, so far awesome game.

    got 1 question/request about that Killzone Home skins, will there ever be another way to get’em? ’cause you know, there’s some people (like me) that can´t acces this for country restrictions.(same question to the Nariko and Kratos LBP costumes).

  • buckster
    January 3, 2009 at 12:50 pm PST

    been playing persona 4 and disgaea 3

  • JoE 15
    January 3, 2009 at 12:56 pm PST

    For PS3, I played a TON of Motorstorm Pacific Rift. Some of those last events are very difficult, but I just had to beat them, or at least get third. :P

    School doesn’t open back up for me until the 20th, so I still got plenty of time to get my game on. Hope everyone had a great holiday season!

  • Jayceon_Kidd
    January 3, 2009 at 12:56 pm PST

    lol wasn’t it microsoft who bashed home, calling it dated, now their holding meeting using it

  • easyaspie00
    January 3, 2009 at 12:58 pm PST

    I’ve had a blast over the break. The main game I was playing was Prince or Persia. Great game, and I’m about to go play it in a bit. Aside from that, I spent $21.97 at the Playstation Store, and got Crash Commando, Rayman, and Rayman 2: The Great Escape. Money well spent if you ask me! I love the Rayman games, they were one of my favorites on the Playstation.

    But alas, break comes to an end on Monday. And then next week I have mid-terms. :(

  • linebeginstoblur
    January 3, 2009 at 1:00 pm PST

    There was a nice Store update on the 23th, but why was there no update this past week? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember anyone saying that it would be skipped. Sure, it was a holiday, but still, what about Tuesday again?

  • jazzyrider
    January 3, 2009 at 1:02 pm PST

    yeah i think i’m about ready to head back to the office. finished almost all my gaming goals – LBP, DeadSpace, and a little bit of Prince of Persia. Now if I can only decide what to get and play next. ;-)

  • Exlonox
    January 3, 2009 at 1:05 pm PST

    Cool articles. I’ll be buying Prince of Persia soon.

  • grashopper
    January 3, 2009 at 1:06 pm PST

    Didn’t play a thing…my PS3 died :'(
    Will you fix it for me Jeff? :)

  • Makasu
    January 3, 2009 at 1:17 pm PST

    Hey Jeff, can you check if there is any announcements soon about Everybody’s Golf 6?

    • Jeff Rubenstein
      January 3, 2009 at 1:22 pm PST

      Bit soon, don\’t ya think? Heck, we just recently issued an outfit upgrade for HSG: OoB, which is less than a year old.

  • stlthriot
    January 3, 2009 at 1:21 pm PST

    Why no update this week of New Years? :)

  • p-s-3
    January 3, 2009 at 1:27 pm PST

    12 days off??? I wouldn’t take a day off if i had your Job!!! :D (JOKE) ;)

  • grashopper
    January 3, 2009 at 1:29 pm PST

    Aww and I was hoping you would bust out your hammer and screwdriver and attempt it yourself :)
    Thanks man…looking forward to getting back into Fallout

  • TheInfectedBy590
    January 3, 2009 at 1:33 pm PST

    Any news on when White Knight is coming stateside? I can’t wait to get my hands on it! :(

  • PirateThom
    January 3, 2009 at 1:34 pm PST

    Still need to finish Dead Space and I’ve just ordered Valkyria Chronicles.

    This has been a great year for gaming!

  • erico316
    January 3, 2009 at 1:43 pm PST

    hey jeff good to see u still around!now that the holiday had past what next for sony?
    jeff why dont you guys put the how to video on the psn store so that people who dont know about the blog can download them from there.

  • erico316
    January 3, 2009 at 1:50 pm PST

    one last thing is its true that Sony is set to unveil 5 rpg?

  • dag25
    January 3, 2009 at 2:00 pm PST

    The PS3’s New Year’s Resolutions
    http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/4376.html

  • C-h-a-o-s
    January 3, 2009 at 2:03 pm PST

    “What did you read/play over the break?”

    I didn’t get anything game related for Christmas but I did buy and beat World At War a week or two before Christmas, I didn’t play or buy Modern Warfare so it was quite unique and fun for me.

    Besides the two destructoid comments (will read them now) i’ve read all of the stories you posted overall not a bad week news wise and for me in the blog, I got to participate in the giving away of 15 games thanks to John Diamonon of Capcom (recieved one as well) and was part of the awesome achievement of 20k in comments. Kind of sad I missed out on the press kits but eh what can you do.

    I am currently waiting for the Age of Booty update to play it so I can enjoy the trophies at the same time. There was an early release of a trophy patch that was quickly yanked that had a platinum trophy, I hope they don’t remove the platinum :-).

  • Aaron
    January 3, 2009 at 2:09 pm PST

    Hello Jeff,

    Hope you had a great Christmas/New Years! :)

    I was wondering if there is any news on a new firmware update for the PS3 or PSP. Also I have some ideas for some new features for a firmware update and I was wondering would could I post/send then so the firmware team can take a look at them.

    Thanks Jeff! Oh I have been playing R2 co-op non-stop through out the holidays fun stuff!

    Aaron

  • lakaihigh
    January 3, 2009 at 2:11 pm PST

    welcome back Jeff.

    twas an awesome year filled with tons of games! my library of titles tripled this year and from the looks of it, it will again in 09. keep em coming.

    do you have an eta for when the blog will be updated with those new features you were telling us about?

    peace,
    Lh

    • Jeff Rubenstein
      January 3, 2009 at 9:31 pm PST

      When we get in on Monday I\’ll speak with the dev team. Fingers crossed for next week, but if not, definitely the week of the 12th.

  • verybadbeetle
    January 3, 2009 at 2:22 pm PST

    Hi Jeff, Glad to hear your holiday was a good one. I have been enjoying the How-To videos on the blog. Any chance of getting those videos incorporated into the XMB under help so that everyone has it for themselves instead of trying to look for it online? I think that would help out many people.

  • sneakattack28
    January 3, 2009 at 2:22 pm PST

    Something that would be way more interesting is sony announcing an ultimate ps3 killzone 2 bunddle. you’ve done it with 3 big exclusives might as well make one for the most anticipated game of 2009, killzone 2

  • Mana Knight
    January 3, 2009 at 2:39 pm PST

    Glad to see you back Jeff. :)

    On PS3, I played various games over the Holiday break. I played R2 co-op online, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift got a lot of time, played a little BioShock on PS3, and played just a little Valkyria Chronicles (game is very good). I also played a lot of SingStar thanks to the song “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley appearing. :D

    Yes, Jeanne D’Arc on PSP really rocks.

  • EvoAnub1s
    January 3, 2009 at 2:50 pm PST

    ¼

  • EvoAnub1s
    January 3, 2009 at 2:51 pm PST

    Read the following linx before someone decides it’s too much truth for you to handle.

    THeSIXTHAXIS gives its perspective on the PS3 vs 360 in 2009. Interesting points made when comparing user interfaces.
    http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2009/01/01/ps3-vs-360-in-2009/

    Wall Street Journal looks at the book “The Race For A New Game Machine”. It reveals how Sony inadvertently helped Microsoft and lost its position in the videogame market.
    http://www.tinyurl.com/89sgs7

    According to iSuppli, the PS3 is only losing $48.74 now for Sony.
    http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2008/tc20081222_257990.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_technology

  • EvoAnub1s
    January 3, 2009 at 2:52 pm PST

    Read the following linx before someone decides it’s too much truth for you to handle.

    Jack Buser, director of Home, says HOME could remain in Beta forever. So for those of you looking for fixes or improvements, you now know that the HOME overseers will always have the excuse, “It’s a beta.” Garnett Lee at 1up in the 12.26.2008 podcast at the 1.05.44 time stamp had an interesting thought on the indefinite beta. Its indefinite beta status is the perfect way for Sony to cancel HOME, in case its goals are far from being reached, without being disgraced by all that went into it.
    http://www.kotaku.com/5119579/home-could-remain-in-beta-indefinitely

    Wall Street Journal says hope fades for PS3 as a comeback player. Good point made that stand alone blu-ray players are now less expensive than the PS3 too.
    http://www.tinyurl.com/7tg3jm

    San Francisco Chronicle explores Sony’s struggles with HOME. I gotta agree that these issues should have been ironed out in the closed beta that went on for the 11 months of 2008.
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/27/BU1T14RGRV.DTL&type=tech

  • starblinky01
    January 3, 2009 at 2:54 pm PST

    Yeah I beat Mirrors Edge too, I am still playing through Dead Space, and I thought Prince of Persia was very very boring. Although they had some really good ideas, they left out too much of the stuff that made Sand of Time so great.

  • zookey
    January 3, 2009 at 2:59 pm PST

    Beat Bioshock again…..been trying to get into Fallout 3 but keep gravitating toward other stuff…I can’t wait for SF4….

  • TristanMike
    January 3, 2009 at 3:13 pm PST

    Happy New Year.

    Quick, off topic question about Premium Themes from the store.

    I was thinking about getting a couple, but I wanted to know if they updated the theme when new icons are added ?

    What I mean is, let’s say today I purchased a theme that was created before the update that added the Power Saver Features, will the theme contain a themed icon for that new addition ? Or do those themes not get updated either ?

    Does my question make sense ?

  • Makasu
    January 3, 2009 at 3:14 pm PST

    Jeff Rubenstein replied:
    Bit soon, don’t ya think?

    —

    Hmm not really :) Everybody’s Golf 5 was released in Japan on 26 July 2007. So this july it will be 2 years :) Just really looking forward to the next one, hopefully feature complete with trophies and perhaps an updated graphics engine :)

  • Neil_young2k5
    January 3, 2009 at 3:42 pm PST

    My holiday i completing Midnight Club LA, the best racer game of the PS3 beside Pure.

    Rockstar has become established as the best currently developer.

    But sad for not possible the play GTA4 DLC in 2009……

  • outkast32
    January 3, 2009 at 4:13 pm PST

    Hey jeff,

    the new PSBlog features will be comming…. now!… wait… NOW!…

    hmmm. jeff where are they? i really cant wait to see whats in store -BUT i have a feeling they will come around the same time as a new Firmware update. hmm.. lol

  • ExcelKnight
    January 3, 2009 at 4:16 pm PST

    @Jeff

    Valkyria Chronicles is the best SRPG and is one of the best JRPGs I’ve played this generation, counting portables as well.
    I saw you (or was it someone else?) comment on getting the SEGA rep to talk about the expansions. Any word on that? I also heard about VC reaching PS3 The Best in Japan and getting a budget re-release. Care to comment on that too?

    As for the Jeanne D’Arc post, I can agree 100% that it’s one of the best games Level-5 has made, soon to be outdone (I hope) by White Knight Chronicles. Here’s hoping they have Dark Cloud 3 in the cards, too.

  • lifeRPGs
    January 3, 2009 at 4:25 pm PST

    Hello Jeff, happy new year.

    To answer your question, I completed Prince of Persia, Mirror’s Edge, and LBP respectively during the holidays. I loved PoP although i am disappointed by the ending. No spoilers here, but if you did play it, you would unquestionably know what i am talking about. ME is the most intense game i have ever played. Played it twice (normal then hard), and i am now talking on the speedruns and time trials. Last but not least, LBP was great, although i really disliked the fact that we have to restart a level all over again if we lose all our ‘checkpoint lives’ . Especially after playing PoP.

    I started DMC4 few hours ago, and reached Chapter3. Work starts on monday, so i gotta hurry and complete DMC4 before then. Cheers

  • mysongska
    January 3, 2009 at 4:28 pm PST

    Hey Jeff… I spent alot of time last week trying to win something on John D’s crazy blog…haha…and I finally did, Age of Booty…strategy isn’t really my type of game, but it is really fun! Other than that Guitar Hero World Tour and Buzz Quiz TV with my family…HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!

  • IIIKAGEIII
    January 3, 2009 at 4:44 pm PST

    i was talking to the scea ceo yesterday and he said skype was comming to ps3 and that it will work in game. have you been told anything about this yet?

  • BStreakX
    January 3, 2009 at 4:55 pm PST

    I’ve been loving Valkyria Chronicles so much that I haven’t played LittleBigPlanet in a week! I just wish there were more games like Valkyria Chronicles. The PS3 has so few Japanese RPGs, it’s heartbreaking for us RPG fans.

  • Clinton514
    January 3, 2009 at 5:13 pm PST

    Killzone 2 Recording Sessions:
    http://www.killzoneunit.com/kz/?p=1897

    Researchers use PS3s to Discover Internet Security Flaw:
    http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3172112

    First Look at the Story of Demon’s Souls:
    http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3172100

  • Jeigh
    January 3, 2009 at 5:30 pm PST

    I want Valkyria Chronicles SO BAD, but if I couldn’t afford it before the holidays, what’re the chances I can now? And Sega really deserves to see some high sales on this one if it’s as good as so many are saying. I need to see who I can extort, what I can sell, and what body parts I REALLY need. :P

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