holiday-2009
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Aion announces Solorius Video Contest winners
Part of the Solorius celebration in Aion included the Solorius Video Contest, an opportunity for fans to show off how they were celebrating Solorius, and compete for some extremely generous prize packages. The contest deadline was January 5th, and from then on it was up to the Aion staff to sift through and pick a winner: "On Wednesday, 12 members of the Aion team were locked in a conference room to view the videos that made it to the finals. It wasn't easy, but we're happy to announce that we've chosen our winners. Drum roll, please!" The three winners displayed not only nice editing skills, but some pretty impressive vocal talent as well. The winning videos can be seen on the Aion site. (Aion staff members also treated us to a few of their favorites that didn't make it into the top three, so make sure to take a peek at those as well.) Our congratulations to the winners!
Sony PlayStation 3 sales 'exceed 3.8 million' worldwide over the holidays
On the heels of its CES 2010 keynote speech, Sony released a chest-pounding press release declaring worldwide sales "exceeding 3.8 million" of the PlayStation 3 during the 2009 holiday season. According to the company, "during the five weeks following the last week of November 2009" (ending on January 3, 2010), the console sold more than during any previous holiday season -- a 76 percent increase over last year's numbers. Alas, the PSP and the PSP Go were neglected a mention in the presser, though Sony did reiterate the 38 million PSN user number we'd heard a bit earlier. We'll have a clearer picture of what exactly the sales shook out to for North America when the latest NPD numbers arrive next week.
ArenaNet promises Guild Wars Wintersday redux
"OMG lag!" "Ugh, I got dc'ed." "Hey, why didn't I get the hat?" If you were logged into Guild Wars for more than five minutes on Friday, you most likely either saw people saying one (or all three) of those things, or said them yourself. As the Wintersday finale approached and district numbers soared in Lion's Arch and Kamadan, lag -- a typical festival issue -- became the most used word in the game, with Error 007 messages popping up all over the place. Most players are used to that around festival times and understand that the server load in some areas is much higher than usual. However, another little glitch showed up Friday that players weren't quite so forgiving of: a huge number of players weren't getting their Wintersday hats, and Guild Wars players do not love it when they don't get their hats. The outcry hit the forums pretty quickly, and community manager Regina Buenaobra logged an extra long workday communicating with the community and the ArenaNet team, trying to fix the bug. Eventually the bug was fixed, with a very welcome announcement from Regina: they will be re-running Wintersday. Dates are still to be announced, but it's welcome news for all players. Good luck on round two, and thanks to ArenaNet!
This '8-bit Xmas' NES cart makes your heart, NES glow
We apparently missed one release in our Now Playing list for this week: 8-bit Xmas 2009 for the NES. The cart was apparently constructed entirely from new parts and -- aside from incorporating the festive light display you see above -- is actually a fully functional NES game. The best part: you can totally buy it. RetroZone is selling the cart up until tomorrow for $43 and there's even a demo you can try out right in your browser. If you forgot someone on your gift-giving list, you can throw down $5 more and get a personalized title screen added along with a nice Christmas card. If there ever was a way to make up for being such a Procrastinating Pete, this is probably it. [Via Video Games Blogger]
iPod touch passes iPhone in holiday app downloads
Well, Merry Christmas to the iPod touch! According to mobile analytics firm Flurry, iPod touch downloads from the App Store saw a nice 1000% jump on Christmas Day, presumably due to all of those new iPods being unwrapped from under the tree. That surge sent iPod touch downloads up above iPhone downloads for the first time ever. Considering that teens and pre-teens are heavy on the app usage, Flurry speculates that a lot of those iPods went to younger users, who than ran to the App Store and started marathon downloads. Overall, the App Store saw download increases of 51% compared to November. There was good news for up and comer Android too: the Android market saw a healthy 20% bump in app sales, largely helped by sales of the Motorola Droid. A full 49% of Android app sales were for the Droid. But Motorola can't celebrate quite yet; App Store downloads are still running 13 times higher than the Android market. With all the publicity over the iPhone, it's good to remember that the other device behind a lot of the momentum driving the App Store is the iPod touch. Who knows, maybe an iPhone OS based tablet will make the numbers even more impressive. [Via MobileCrunch]
New screenshots from Pirates of the Caribbean Online
Disney's free-to-play MMO Pirates of the Caribbean Online isn't a game we hear much from, but it's got a fairly respectable following and is a fun departure from the standard-issue fantasy genre that marks so many free-to-play games. Never let it be said either that they don't know how to party in between all the privateering and swashbuckling and whatnot. Disney has released a handful of screenshots from their recent holiday events, and a great party was had by all. Festive streamers, bows, stockings, and greenery made an appearance in between the palm trees and sand. Characters were given a fun /noisemaker emote, and this year had a fun new addition: sandmen. No, not the kind that arrives to put you to sleep, these are the Caribbean version of snowmen. You see, the Caribbean has a distinct lack of anything resembling snow, and the locals have learned to compensate with cleverly designed pirates made of sand. Enjoy the screenshots provided, and maybe head over and check the game out if you haven't yet!
Atlantica Online offers a charitable donation
Admit it. At least once when you were shopping for this year's frenzied rush of consumerism, you took advantage of a "buy one get one free" deal or something similar for yourself. You got a present for the person you were shopping for and a little something extra on top of that, nothing wrong with it. Even though the holidays are thankfully receding into memory, though, you can still get a bit of that rush of something for you and something for others in Atlantica Online for a couple more days. Ndoors Interactive is offering a set of in-game stocking stuffers that also donate a portion of their profits straight to charity. The stocking stuffer randomly contains one of 30 rare item sets, all of them having various positive boosts on any Atlantica Online character. In addition, each one purchased also has a portion of the revenue from that sale donated to Child's Play, a well-known gamer-centered charity that has continue to skyrocket in donation volume over the years. The only catch for the stocking stuffer is that you have to move quickly -- the pack is disappearing from the store after December 30th, just in time for the new year. And, really, isn't it worth getting that one last rush of being kind to others while being kind to yourself?
The Daily Grind: Last chance at presents
The celebrations are over, the dinner is eaten, and the underside of the tree is cleared. It's the end of the holiday season, and if you want to be morbid it's also the furthest possible point until more Christmas. But the day after the event is usually all but an extension of the holiday -- we return unwanted gifts, meet up with more distant relations, and start using our various gift cards. In a way, the holiday doesn't end until the day after, and you've got one last shot at getting all the things you want. So what's your last-minute addition to your stash? Most holiday events in MMOs last for a little longer than the day itself, which gives us an extra chance at picking up any holiday rewards. Of course, you might have your eyes on a new game entirely, maybe with a gift certificate or two. Or you might just be working on crafting a difficult item and can justify the price of buying some of the materials, or perhaps you just want a new rig to explore your favorite games on. Whatever it is, what's your last-minute addition to your overall gift basket?
The Daily Grind: What was the best gift you received in-game?
It's Christmas day for those of you who celebrate it, and whatever your focus today is, presents are sure to be involved in some way, shape, or form. Real-life presents aren't the only things being exchanged -- the gifts are flying in MMO-land as well. You'll find packages with pretty wrapping in nearly every game: dropping from monsters, being offered as quest rewards, and offered by collectors (often in exchange for pieces of dead foes, but we try not to think about what they do with them after we hand them over.) The best gifts, though, are the ones received from your friends and guildmates in-game. The ones that were crafted or picked out just for you, because someone knew you wanted a special miniature, weapon, or piece of armor. We love those gifts because they came from a friend who cared enough to take some extra time and effort with you in mind. So today, we want to know what your favorite gift from an MMO friend was. It doesn't have to be the biggest and best epic weapon on the block, it could even be some version of a Christmas card, but it brought a smile to your face. So tell us about it, and happy holidays from Massively!
Free Realms hops on the TV commercial bandwagon
It looks like MapleStory isn't the only one seeking to draw in some new players over the holidays. Free Realms has released two eye-catching television commercials, set to air over the holidays. Both spots aim for a thirty second intro to all things Free Realms, with the first one focusing on holiday events and the second a more general view. All the bases are covered in these whirlwind tours of the game: cool costumes, houses to decorate, pets, monster fights, jobs, and more. There is a heavy emphasis on "free" and "with your friends", which should hold a hefty appeal to the tween and teen set as the holiday vacation from school starts to drag out a little bit next week. There is a brief text disclaimer about halfway through: "premium content and membership available for purchase," which offers a tempting suggestion for kids who haven't decided what to do with that Visa gift card they got from Aunt Judy in Oklahoma. Both commercials can be viewed at the official site.
Joyswag: 1 year of Xbox Live Gold & a pile of XBLA games [update]
Update: And we have a winner! Congratulations, Brian M! Buying games is always fun -- and we've made it easy with our Holiday Buyer's Guides -- but it's even better to receive them ... in one gigantic stack! In that spirit, Microsoft has generously donated download codes for many of the Xbox Live Arcade games featured in our Marketplace Buyer's Guide, including 'Splosion Man, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Castle Crashers, N+, Geometry Wars 2 and many, many more. Plus, we're tossing in a one-year subscription code for Xbox Live Gold! To enter for your chance to win: Leave a comment on this post telling us which downloadable games -- for any and all platforms -- you hope to buy with the cash and credit your receive over the holidays You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person This entry period ends at 12:00PM ET on Thursday, December 24 We'll randomly select one winner at that time to receive redemption codes for Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Carcassonne, Geometry Wars 2, Castle Crashers, N+, 'Splosion Man, Puzzle Quest, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Alien Hominid HD, Mega Man 9, Ikaruga, Galaga Legions, Pac-Man Championship Edition, UNO Rush, A Kingdom for Keflings, Rez HD, Assault Heroes 2, TMNT 1989 and Bomberman Live for Xbox Live Arcade [Total ARV: $190] and a redemption code for a 1-year Xbox Live Gold subscription [ARV: $50] -- please check your emails! For a list of complete rules, click here. Happy holidays and best of luck! What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. For more info on our policy, click here.
Buyer's Guide: DSiWare
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } The Nintendo DS remains an ever-popular holiday gift. The newest model, the DSi, features a virtual storefront, accessible directly from the device, with numerous downloadable games and apps. With a Nintendo Points card, you can sweeten your DSi gift or brighten an existing DSi owner's holiday. Here are our suggestions for how to spend your DSiWare points: The Casual Gamer | The Kids Corner | The Parent Trap
Buyer's Guide: PlayStation Network
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } It looks like someone got a PSN gift card for the holidays! So, what are you going to buy? Whether you've got a PS3 or a PSP, a $20 or $50 card, there are many options to choose from in the PlayStation Store. From the Trophy Hunter to the Movie Buff, we have recommendations for you: PS3 The Hipster | The Movie Buff The PixelJunkie | The Retrobutionist The Speed Demon | The Strategist The Trophy Hunter | DLC Essentials PSP Comic Collector | The Music Maker The Movie Buff | The PixelJunkie The Retrobutionist | PSP Essentials
Buyer's Guide: WiiWare & Virtual Console
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } That little white box of yours doesn't just play discs -- it's also home to a virtual treasure trove of downloadable games. In this guide, we recommend our favorite WiiWare and Virtual Console titles from 2009, fit together to appeal to Wii's eclectic audience. What kinds of gamers are in your home? iHeart Hudson | Kids Corner | Nouveau Retro Parent Trap | Sega Defense Force | Wannabe Plumber
Sega games & DLC discounted 40% on PSN today
Sega has unwrapped a special holiday treat for PlayStation Network users today. Until January 7, all Sega downloads for PS3 and PSP from the PlayStation Store will be marked down 40 percent. Yes! That Sonic Unleashed DLC is finally within reach! In all seriousness, this is a prime opportunity to stock up on some decent PSP games, like Crush ($9.59). Or, haven't nabbed the Valkyria Chronicles DLC yet? Now you have no excuse! The full list of discounted games and add-ons is posted after the break.
Buyer's Guide: Xbox Live Marketplace
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } So, what to spend your Microsoft Points on? The choice can be quite daunting. After all, there's a lot of content on Xbox Live Marketplace. With this handy guide, we give you some solid suggestions to spend your points on based on several categories and include everything from Xbox Live Arcade games to Indie Games to Avatar props. Just select from your favorite genres below. (Joytip: Click on a game title to see its Xbox.com listing; and check out our links to reviews and XBLA in Brief videos to help make crucial purchasing decisions.) Action | Braid | Family & Board Games | Hardcore Party | Puzzle | Retro | Shooters | Spare Change
Joyswag: 24 games from Direct2Drive [update]
Update: Giveaway has come to a close, folks. Keep an eye on your email's inbox to see if you won! Dear PC gamer, even though we couldn't get you in on the Naughty or Nice action, we've got something you should be just as excited about. Remember when we told you about Direct2Drive's 24 Days of Christmas sale? Well, the generous folks at Direct2Drive are gifting all 24 titles (full list after the break) from the sale to one lucky Joystiq reader. Want in? Here's how to enter for your change to win: Optional: Set up a Direct2Drive account in advance (it'll save time later) Leave a comment briefly telling us how you spend the holidays You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 12:00PM ET on Monday, December 28 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive all 24 PC titles (full list after the break) from Direct2Drive's 24 Days of Christmas sale [Total value: $398.50] For a list of complete rules, click here Happy holidays and best of luck to you!
Live in the Past, It's Cheaper (2009 Edition)
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } Money can buy you a lot of things, but it can't buy you patience. You can't really put a price on the ability to abandon that must-have, do-want and day-one impulse -- and if you could, it would probably cost quite a bit more than what you hope to save by simply taking a deep breath and waiting for the hottest game to cool down. If this holiday season has granted you a brand new console with an old and bloated backlog, you might find a good selection in 2008's best games, particularly in Joystiq's top ten favorites. Read on to find the industry's former best, now with a year's worth of price erosion. Mirror's Edge | Dead Space | Far Cry 2 | LittleBigPlanet | Gears of War 2 Braid | Fallout 3 | Left 4 Dead | Metal Gear Solid 4 | Fable II
Atlantica Online dev diary: Visiting Santa's Villa
It's time for this newest installment of NDoors Interactive's bi-weekly developer journal for Atlantica Online here at Massively. We've covered so much already, but now we're treated to some detailed info on their winter holiday event. Here's what they had to say: This Christmas season we are proud to bring back Santa's Villa to our players. During this holiday season, players who are over level 20 and have been playing for at least an hour will receive Mistletoe. This item, when exchanged for a Santa Villa Ticket, will give players access to all the treasures that lay inside.
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, December 14 - December 18, plus Joyswag!
Welcome to Joystiq's "Naughty or Nice" holiday giveaway extravaganza! It's simple: Just follow the instructions below to enter for your chance to win. Ah, but to win what? There's always a catch, isn't there? Each "Naughty or Nice" giveaway features two prizes: a totally sweet bundle of holiday cheer and, um, a lump of coal. Winners are selected randomly, we assure you. Of course, who's to say luck isn't dependent on virtue ... Have you been naughty? Or nice? With the holidays in mind, we're going to be giving away ... wait for it ... MOVIES with each Joystiq Box Office post on Friday from today through January 1! Simply leave a comment below telling us what you'll be watching on your Xbox, PS3, PC, PSP, DS, OMG or whatever (whether it be naughty or nice) and we'll pick winners at random each week to receive a nifty prize. This week we're joining the rest of Joyswag and going Naughty or Nice. Five "Nice" winners will win a copy of District 9 on Blu-ray, which includes the God of War III demo, and one "Naughty" winner will wind up with a copy of the American Godzilla on Blu-ray. [Update: The entry period has closed.] Recommendation of the Week: Inglourious Basterds (Blu-ray, $39.95 suggested retail) If you haven't already seen this film, then you owe it to yourself to check it out in high definition. This is definitely Tarantino's most mature film to date, and despite numerous trailers out there, it's not a gory, Nazi slaughter-fest. There is some violence, to be sure, but I've talked to people who avoided this in theaters because they thought it was going to be torture porn. There's an extremely good film in here, and what's really compelling is that it's nearly two movies in one. The story of the Basterds and the story of a woman who owns a theater run separate courses throughout the film until a head-on collision at the end, but they stand on their own very well. Extremely crisp and sharp in HD and filled with extras, including the bizarre but hilarious "Quentin Tarantino's Camera Angel," this is a must-see, must-own, must-covet title. Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and as usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.
