I deliberately shut myself off from virtually all news sources from Friday afternoon until this morning. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started this column. Would the long weekend have been filled with crazy gaming news and I’m now desperately behind? Did everyone else take the time off with me? Turns out everyone had a great holiday and very few newsworthy items have come to light in the last few days.
I actually wish I had caught my first item before my media blackout to report that Rockstar is hosting a Double XP event for Red Dead Redemption for the winter break time. The event started Christmas Eve and runs through January 2nd. As a further bonus, if you played on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day over the weekend it was actually Triple XP. This Saturday and Sunday, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, respectively, will also be Triple XP. If you’ve been looking to max out your Gamerscore or earn the platinum trophy for this title you should definitely take advantage of this event. I’m sure it will hold you back from Skyrim, Uncharted 3, or whatever other major title you scored as a gift, but it’s still a damn fun game even after all this time.
If you scored a PS3 for Christmas, or are just looking to expand your peripheral library for the system, Sony has made the next few eeks the perfect time to get yourself some accessories. Happening now through January 21st at most major retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, Fred Meyer’s, Fry’s, GameStop, KMart, Sears, Sony Stores, Target, and Toys R Us – interesting to not see WalMart on the list) is Sony Play Days. With varying discounts on various items, the event will get you up to 50% off some peripherals and accessories. You should check the Playstation Blog for the full list of items and discounts. Some of the highlights, especially if you’re new to or want to get the Move, are an extra Move or Navigation controller for $10 off, the LittleBigPlanet Move bundle for only $80, $5 off the bluetooth blu-ray remote, and 3D glasses for only $50. I think the only thing actually 50% off is the Sharpshooter, but even at 20-30% you’re still saving dough.
In what appears to be the only non-promotional news drop today, the third DLC character for King of Fighters XIII has been announced. He of the absurdly large nose, Mr. Karate, will be available January 10th. For PS3 users, that’s the same day the NESTS Kyo DLC will drop after its recent delay.
Somehow that’s the end of the news for this week’s early edition. It’s a little sparse, but it’s no surprise. The real question is whether Friday’s edition will be just as sparse while eveyone takes the entire week off (like me), or if the devs and publishers will want to end this year with a bang of big announcements. Personally, I’m expecting this column to be relatively short until the end of January.