Hello all and welcome to the final PSN ‘Heads-Up’date of the year. I don’t have much to say today and I won’t be around for comments this afternoon as I am currently laid up in bed with the flu. That said, leave your comments because I’ll hop on over the Christmas break and answer your questions once I’m better.

So as we wave a fond farewell to 2010 what do we have for you? The answer is absolutely masses of content, including five trial and unlocks, brand new full PSN titles like Top Darts, Eat Them! and the mighty Tetris, three new demos of three of the most highly anticipated games of early 2011 and this week sees the launch of NEOGEO Station – classic NEOGEO titles for PS3 and PSP (more PSP titles will be along in early January).

We’ve also got loads of DLC for top notch PSN titles like Costume Quest and Magic: The Gathering and loads of expansions for your favourite BD titles, including Battlefield Bad Company 2, RUSE and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.

And don’t forget the Festive Offers that will be available until 5th January! Grab ‘em while they’re hot.

I’ve been told that the publish will probably take place between 4pm and 5pm GMT this week. Check out the full list below and once again a very Merry Christmas from the PSN Store team.
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Hi guys, not long till Christmas now so hopefully you are at home and enjoying yourself, or at least winding down at work.

Here’s a final thank you for supporting PlayStation Plus before we start another year.

From today, you will see the first of many brand new minis coming to Plus. A Space Shooter for 2 Bucks is the first of a whole load of new minis that are coming to Plus in the coming year. During the year, at least one of the two minis each month will be brand new to PSN and two weeks early for you guys. So you are the first to play them!

A Space Shooter for 2 Bucks is an extra game for you this month though and is launching in Plus later today, at the same time as the rest of the Store. Enjoy!

Next on the list is the NEO GEO classic, brand new to PSN, Samurai Shodown. And you guys are getting it at a 100% discount from day one. This will also stay in the Plus section of the store until the 2nd of February so that any new Plus members in January can get it too.

I’ve been reading that you like day one discounts so here’s another one for you. When the great new PSN title ‘Eat Them’ launches today, Plus members will get an exclusive 20% discount.

And last but not least for your December treats, here are some more discounts for Plus members:

• Battlefield 1943 – 40% off
• Blokus – 25% off
• All NEO GEO Station launch titles 20% off, including:
• Alpha Mission II
• Art of Fighting
• Baseball Stars Professional
• Fatal Fury
• League Bowling
• Magician Lord (This title will be coming free to Plus in February 2011. We wanted to make sure those who just couldn’t wait that long still got a discount.)
• Metal Slug
• Super Sidekicks
• The King of Fighters ’94
• The King of Fighters ’94 (PSP)
• Metal Slug (PSP)

Well, I’m sure you’ve had enough of me on here this month, but I really hope there have been plenty of little extra treats, and not forgetting the regular monthly content, to keep you busy over the Christmas period.

Have a great holiday and Merry Christmas.

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Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam by Eduardo Vasconcellos

Tomorrow’s the day all our amazing PlayStation 3 fans can get their hands on Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam for the very first time. This expansion pack to Battlefield: Bad Company 2 adds new maps, weapons, vehicles and trophies, all set to some of the most iconic tunes of the Vietnam-era, making for one dynamic tour of duty.

Along with all of this great content comes a challenge to you, our PlayStation 3 audience, directly from Battlefield developer DICE called The Battle for Hastings. This challenge asks players to complete 69 million support actions within Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam, which will unlock the fifth map to be found in the expansion, Operation Hastings.

Get ready to do your part in The Battle for Hastings and download Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for the PlayStation 3 on 22 December! And while you’re at it, take advantage of our newly dropped prices on Onslaught (now €4.99), Shortcut Kit (€14.99), and, in case you haven’t picked up the variety of multiplayer maps through our VIP Pass, you can now pick that up for just €9.99.

Dead Space 2 demo by Jay Frechette

Hello Dead Space fans! Tomorrow the single player demo for Dead Space 2 is available from PlayStation Store. We can’t wait for you guys to play it and wanted to share a couple details of what to expect.

In the Dead Space 2 demo, you will take engineer Isaac Clarke on a terrifying adventure through the Church of Unitology; what appears to be a sanctuary quickly turns dangerous and deadly during the Necromorph outbreak on the Sprawl. You’ll have access to a variety of new tools, including the new Javelin gun that has an electrifying secondary attack, the updated stasis recharge mechanic and enhanced telekinesis ability. Don’t forget to stop at the Store to change into the advanced suit, equipped with jets that will allow Isaac full 360 control in zero-g space. We hope you enjoy it and pick up Dead Space 2 when it’s released on 28 January.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit: Super Sports Pack by Spenser Norrish

One of the fastest street legal race cars ever manufactured has joined the pursuit. The GUMPERT Apollo S—as well as the equally awesome Porsche 911 GT2 RS and Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport—is now available in Need For Speed Hot Pursuit via the Super Sports Pack.

This DLC (available for €6.99) introduces three new events and 11 new trophies into the fray.

Mass Effect 2 demo by Jarrett Lee

Tomorrow will be the first time PlayStation 3 gamers will be able to experience the Mass Effect universe. The demo for Mass Effect 2 has arrived, allowing players to experiment with character creation (which will you chose: play as the iconic John Shepard or your own customised Commander Shepard?), play through the opening levels of the game, and even jump to an area further into the game to try out some of the more intense combat areas and see the kinds of amazing locations that can be visited throughout the story.

Mass Effect 2 for PlayStation 3 is the most advanced Unreal Engine game shipped to date, and makes full use of the PlayStation 3′s hardware to bring this BioWare-created universe to life in spectacular detail. In fact, it was built on the same engine being used to build the recently announced Mass Effect 3. Here’s your chance to see it for yourself – and don’t forget that after the holiday the full game arrives on PS3 January 21st – including six hours of bonus missions and an interactive digital comic designed by BioWare and Dark Horse Comics to introduce new players to the franchise. The digital comic allows players to make key choices about their back-story that will be reflected during their game.

And that’s not all…

Starting tomorrow, EA is happy to offer you the following add-ons for some of your favorite games at a lower price!

• Dante’s Inferno – Trials of St. Lucia, €4.99
• Burnout Paradise
• Big Surf Island, €6.99
• Legendary Cars Collection, €4.99
• Cops & Robbers, €4.99
• Boost Specials Collection, €4.99
• Party Pack, €4.99
• Toy Collection, €6.99
• Toy Car Collection 1, €4.99
• Toy Car Collection 2, €4.99

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Welcome to the last comics store update of the year, and boy is it a big one! We have 82 new comics to keep you busy over the festive period. Plus we have some rather exciting news, we finally have a Manga publisher on board. You’ve probably heard of TOKYOPOP, they were apparently responsible for introducing the term manga to the English language. They have a catalogue of over 3,000 books and have worked on creating manga versions of major brands like Star Trek all the way through to SpongeBob SquarePants.

So without further ado, let’s look at this week’s highlights.

From TOKYOPOP, who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS, of course! Find out what’s been happening since the Ghostbusters last saved New York City as Peter, Ray, Egon, Winston and the rest of the gang make their first manga appearance!

Based on one of the most popular fantasy films of all time, Legends of The Dark Crystal is a manga prequel set hundreds of years before the events of the film, when the gentle Gelflings and wise Mystics are still thriving. And so, unfortunately, are the evil Skeksis…

Halloween has always been and always will be about one thing…getting the best CANDY. Some fiendish friends excel at tricks if they don’t get the right treats. Follow what happens in I Luv Halloween; when these gremlins receive a frickin’ apple at their first house of the night, they plan deadly revenge on the offending fruit-favouring old-timer.

Going where no manga has gone before, check out Star Trek: The Manga which is set in the original series.

The highlight from Marvel this week must be Tron: Original Movie Adaptation. A stunning new visualization of the original TRON film. Learn the secrets of the Tron Universe. Discover its cast of dynamic characters. Witness the events of the legendary film in an all-new comic event.

Finally, from BOOM! comes an adaption of one of my favourite books, Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I believe someone made a film about it too…

Anyway, have a lovely Christmas and a happy new year! Here’s the complete list:

• Bone #10 & #11 Cartoon Books
• Bone: The Great Cow Race (BUNDLE) Cartoon Books
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? #1-#8 BOOM! Studios
• The Dreaming #1-#8 Tokyopop
• Eternal Descent #5 IDW
• Ex Machina #23 DC Comics
• Fables #38 DC Comics
• The Flash: Rebirth #4 DC Comics
• Ghostbusters: The Manga #1-#6 Tokyopop
• Green Lantern #20 DC Comics
• Green Lantern Corps Vol.1 #2 DC Comics
• Hetalia: Axis Powers #1-#6 Tokyopop
• I Luv Halloween #1-#7 Tokyopop
• The Indifference Engine #2 Markosia
• JLA #27 & #28 DC Comics
• Justice League: Generation Lost #16 DC Comics
• Legends of the Dark Crystal Tokyopop
• Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom #3 IDW
• NYX (2003) #5-#7 Marvel
• Planetary #22 DC Comics
• Sandman #15 DC Comics
• Star Trek: The Manga #1-#7 Tokyopop
• Superman/Batman #42 DC Comics
• Supernatural: Origins #4 DC Comics
• Telara Chronicles #3 DC Comics
• Transformers: Sector 7 #3 IDW
• Tron: Original Movie Adaptation (2010) #1 & #2 Marvel
• True Blood #6 IDW
• Ultimate Fantastic Four (2003) #2-#6 Marvel
• Ultimates (2002) #2-#6 Marvel
• Wonder Woman Vol.3 #14 DC Comics
• World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen #2 DC Comics
• Y: The Last Man #21 DC Comics

View the entire catalogue at www.playstationcomics.com.

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The year is drawing to a close, here in the UK we’re recovering from “SNOW CHAOS!” – but soon the days will slowly start getting longer again, so let’s celebrate with some great LBP 2 news…

European Release Date!

Over at Media Molecule, everyone’s been working harder than Santa’s elves, and I’m pleased to confirm that LittleBigPlanet 2 has now ‘gone gold’. The new game is 100% finished, and will be released on Wednesday 19th January 2011 across Europe, Thursday 20th January in Australia and New Zealand, and Friday 21st January in the UK and Ireland. Just four weeks more to wait…

Check out Media Molecule’s own take on this great news here.

Reviews!

All the folk at Media Molecule have done a fantastic job of filling LittleBigPlanet 2 with even more fun, possibility, excitement, creativity and delicious cake. It’s an amazing combination, but don’t just take my word for it; you’ll begin to see reviews hitting over the next 2 weeks, and the first score is already in – a delightful 10 out of 10 from Official PlayStation Magazine UK!

“Full of simple-to-grasp tools, all with huge potential – and you could easily lose more time to LBP2 than any other game released in 2011.”

“Never going to build anything at all? This is still an indispensible package, rammed with creative potential and imaginative gameplay.”

Demo!

Even more excited now? Desperate to get even a small taste of that delicious cake? Then don’t forget that the LittleBigPlanet 2 Story Mode Demo will be available on PlayStation Store tomorrow, 22nd December. Here’s your chance to experience a few of the many cool gameplay additions, like the Grapple Hook and Sackbots, and meet some of the characters that will be joining you on your epic Sack-quest.

There’s lots more cool stuff to come in the new year, as we get closer and closer to release – so I’ll see you all in January with more news – in the meantime, Happy-Christmas-Holiday-Festive-New-Year-Seasonal Sack-Greetings to one and all!

Oops, one more thing – after all that, I couldn’t leave you guys without a little more trailer-y goodness, to keep you going until 2011…

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