The office parties are done and the birds have flown the roost (well, James anyway). We hope you’ve all had a great Christmas, and that Santa has done the business for you and your loved ones. Since James is off on a well deserved break, he’s recruited some of the world’s top developers to keep the good times rolling right here on the blog. There’ll be more to come next week – in the meantime, here’s your recap.

PlayStation.Blog.Europe Weekly Content Recap

• A ‘Heads-Up’ Game Store Update Special – SCEE Festive Sale 2010 - Ross gets in earlier than usual to pre-announce the great offers coming to PlayStation Store.
• DC Universe Online: The Next Legend Is You! - Take a look at the Character Create feature – the next legend is you!
• Gran Turismo 5 Functionality Update – Keep on racing with the new events and features for the Real Driving Simulator.
• The Fancy Pants Adventures, Coming To PSN Spring 2011 - Creator Brad Borne proudly unveils a new game coming to PlayStation Network next year.
• VidZone Update: We Wish You A Merry Christmas… - Check out these musical treats from the team at VidZone.
• Top Darts Is Coming Tomorrow…Here’s Sid Waddell - The voice of darts explains why PlayStation Move and Top Darts are the perfect match.
• The Gran Turismo 5 Signature Edition Competition - Get in pole position for the chance to win the quite frankly gorgeous Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
• Eat Them! Launching Exclusively On PlayStation Network On 22 December – Stomp, smash and munch your way through the colourful world created by the team at FluffyLogic.
• MotorStorm Apocalypse Video Diary One: The Festival - The boys at Evolution spill the beans on the Wreckreation mode (see what they’ve done there?).
• DC Universe Online – Release Date And Subscription Pricing Confirmed - Put out the “Do Not Disturb” sign and prepare to lose yourself in the DC Universe come January.
• LittleBigPlanet 2 – European Release Date, And More! - Read the date, put it in your diary then settle back and enjoy two more videos.
• Digital Comics Store Update (22nd December 2010) - 82 new comics have been released this week – which ones will you get to keep you going once the turkey runs out?
• Lots Of Great News And Offers From EA This Week - The team at EA share the festive love with a bundle of goodies for fans of Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Dead Space 2, Mass Effect 2 and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit.
• The Final Festive Treats For PlayStation Plus Members - Keep your PS3 fully stocked with these seasonal treats from the PlayStation Plus team.
• ‘Heads-Up’ Game Store Update 22nd December - There’s bargains galore to be had in PlayStation Store this week – find out more here.
• PlayStation Official Magazine UK Issue 53 - Leon from OPSM chats LittleBigPlanet 2, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Def Jam Rapstar and more.
• DC Universe Online – Area 51 - Game director Chris Cao lifts the lid on a brand new multiplayer gameplay mode for DC Universe Online.
• PlayStation Home: Xi Museum Arrives! - In 2009, over 750,000 took part in Xi the epic PlayStation Home Alternate Reality Game. Find out what all the fuss was about here.
• Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath For PSN: Taking HD Remakes To The Next Level - Stewart Gilray from Just Add Water announces the arrival of Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath on PlayStation Network.
• Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël, Frohe Weihnachten - It’s farewell from James for 2010 – read on to find out his highlights of the year.
• Happy Holidays From Guerrilla! - Incoming – the team at Guerilla Games take over PlayStation.Blog for a day.
• Christmas In Amsterdam - If biking in the snow is your thing, then Guerilla Games is hiring.
• Farewell, Canal House - The team at Guerilla Games are on the move from their base at Canal House in Amsterdam, reinforced basement and all.
• David Jaffe Answers Your Twisted Metal PS3 Questions - Watch the Twisted Metal trailer to find out more on the multiplayer balance .

• Weekend Essentials 59 - The Festive Sale, stellar free game demos, incredible competitions and more – it’ll take more than a king size turkey to slow PlayStation down this Christmas!
• Demo Guide: LittleBigPlanet 2 - Master the grappling hook and bring your dreams to life in this guide to the LittleBigPlanet 2 demo now on PlayStation Store.
• Uncharted: The story so far - Take a look back at Nathan Drake’s globetrotting adventures on PS3 to date.
• The PlayStation Character Quiz - Test your knowledge of some of the most memorable PlayStation characters.
• Assassin’s Creed: The story so far - Travel back in time with Desmond Miles and discover how his ancestors changed history.

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Hi ya’ll! We’re all crunching like mad on the game while also trying to get ready for the holidays! But I did want to stop by, say hey, and answer some of the more frequent questions we’ve been getting about the new Twisted Metal. Watch the video below to get some info on things like multiplayer balance, my all-time favorite Twisted Metal weapon, and the huuuuge bosses you’ll encounter in the game. Thanks again for your great questions, and happy holidays! Oh, and stay tuned to the end of the video for info on how you can win a brand new Sweet Tooth action figure signed by the whole Twisted Metal team! Have a great holiday ya’ll! Be safe, have fun! Later!

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Early next year, Guerrilla will relocate to a new building. It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally outgrown the Canal House on the Herengracht. When we moved in here we had more space than we knew what to do with – two adjoined buildings, a monumental garden house, six stories of seventeenth century architecture and a reinforced basement which had doubled as a bank vault at one point. Now, every nook and cranny of the Canal House is filled with high-tech gadgetry, network cables, dev kits, monitors and action figures.

We knew the writing was on the wall when our power needs became so demanding that our neighbors started to experience brownouts. Adding an electrical transformer allowed us to at least finish Killzone 3 without bringing down the whole block, but the rising number of employees and the start of a new IP meant it was only going to be a temporary reprieve. (And we’re still hiring, by the way. You can check out http://www.guerrilla-games.com/jobs for a full overview of available positions.)

Anyway, we’ll miss the old Canal House – not just for its quaint atmosphere, but for its unique construction as well. Between the parallel-but-uneven stairwell columns and the mixed-height floors, it took new employees months to get a grasp of the layout. Many were the times an intern would get hopelessly lost, ending up in the wrong room or even on the wrong floor after returning from a meeting. The Canal House would’ve made a pretty good multiplayer level, but somehow we never got around to including it in a game.

As for the studio itself, Guerrilla isn’t going far: 700 meters to the east to be precise, to a lovely location overlooking Rembrandt Square. By sheer coincidence, the new building also used to be a bank – but unlike the Canal House, this one was constructed in the twentieth century. That means there will be plenty of space for high-tech gadgetry, network cables, dev kits, monitors, action figures and anything else we might choose to bring along.

See you in the New Year, everyone!

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Without a doubt, one of the biggest perks of working at Guerrilla is the fact that it’s located in Amsterdam. Unlike the Helghast, the people here are very welcoming to newcomers; “Amsterdammers” are world-famous for their open-mindedness and acceptance of different cultures and lifestyles. Most of them are fluent in English, and they relish any opportunity to speak it.

At the same time, Amsterdammers place a lot of value on traditions. They have their own version of Santa Claus called “Sinterklaas”, whose holiday in early December rivals Christmas in terms of importance. And they insist on using bicycles as their primary form of transportation, regardless of temperature or precipitation. At this time of year, it’s not uncommon to see someone chugging through 2 inches of snow on a bike, with one hand on the handlebars and the other clutching a bag Christmas shopping.

Above all else, the people of Amsterdam appreciate atmosphere – or, as they call it, “gezelligheid” – and nothing brings this out more than the holiday season. When the days grow short and the weather grows cold, the city takes on the nostalgic charms of a Dickens-inspired Christmas village display. The sight of so many cozily lit canal houses and decorated high streets is enough to warm the heart of even the coldest Helghast polar trooper.

If you’d like to experience Christmas in Amsterdam someday, you may be in luck – Guerrilla is hiring! Check out our website at http://www.guerrilla-games.com/jobs for the full list of job vacancies. Who knows, by this time next year you could be walking – or, if you’re brave enough, biking – around Amsterdam yourself.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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The holidays are here! After a busy but productive crunch period on Killzone 3, we’re finally able to catch up on our Z’s and spend some quality time with the family. For quite a few of us, there’s an additional family member waiting at home this year. In fact, since we began working on Killzone 3 over a dozen of our developers have become parents!

Here at Guerrilla, we observe a peculiar Dutch tradition to celebrate the birth of a baby: we eat “beschuit met muisjes”, which literally translates as “biscuits with little mice”. It’s a Dutch delicacy consisting of biscuits coated in butter and sprinkled with sugared anise seeds. We also give the parents these adorable little one-pieces to put on their newborns:

As to why there have been so many Guerrilla babies lately – perhaps it’s the constant exposure to militaristic Helghast propaganda, which has increased the virility of our developers. Or perhaps it’s simply a sign that Guerrilla has matured. After all, the young turks who stood at the studio’s metaphorical cradle ten years ago are professionals in their thirties today. They’re old and wise enough to stand at real cradles.

Being able to provide for your family by doing what you love is a rare fortune, and it’s during these days of celebration and reflection that we truly realize how blessed we are. We want to take this opportunity to thank you, the fans, for supporting us all these years; for showering us with your infectious enthusiasm and honest criticism, and for playing our games with endless dedication. We hope you’ll share a wonderful holiday with your loved ones, and we’ll see you in 2011.

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