Weekly Recap: How Hackers Ruined Christmas And 5 Other Holiday Tales

Twas few nights before the weekend and there was not a peep in the house. All the kids were fast asleep, quiet as a mouse. Little Timmy dreamed of Destiny while his sister Blanche couldn't wait for Just Dance. But behold, the next morning was nixed of fun when it turned out both Xbox Live and PSN were no longer on. It was the hackers who stole Christmas and all of the multiplayer fun.

However, there was a saint in the midst, jolly 'ole Kim Dotcom. He persuaded the naughty squad, his gifts too good for them to shun. Their wont for evil was put aside. For Timmy and Blanche it meant that they could go back to playing on PSN and Xbox Live. Against their best attempts, the hackers couldn't make the cheer of Christmas sapped. These stories and more in this December 27th, 2013 edition of the Gaming Blend Weekly Recap.

The 10 Best Games You Haven't Played In 2014

They're all right here and willing to be played... so why didn't you play these 2014 gems? This weird, crazy and kind of unique comic book could be turned into a game. A parody game of Kim Jong-Un has made its way onto the internet that pokes fun at the Sony censorship situation. The Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer has been recreated in GTA V... yeah, you'll have to see it to believe it. Hearthstone has given Gaming Blend's Ryan Winslett a lot of hope for the future of mobile games (my jaded and blackened heart is too far gone to share that sentiment). The Sims 4's Outdoor Retreat Game Pack has officially been announced. Halo 3: ODST will be free for Halo: The Master Chief Collection owners via a free update. And Nintendo is already planning for the next console.

7 Most Disappointing Games Of 2014

Here are the seven most disappointing games of 2014... you won't be surprised. The opening cinematic for Resident Evil Revelations 2 has made it out into the wild. You know how Elder Scrolls had horse armor DLC? Well Minecraft gets actual horse DLC. A smorgasbord of new games are on the way for PlayStation owners and you can see what's new right here. Here are the free Games For Gold releasing in January for Xbox owners. The Telltale collection has launched for the Xbox One, featuring a handful of Telltale's most critically acclaimed games. Battlefield Hardline could be the fastest Battlefield game yet. The release date for The Phantom Pain may have leaked early thanks to unreliable retailers, but take it with a grain of salt, senpai. Microsoft is unleashing a free campaign for owners of The Master Chief Collection and the PS4 is really cheap at Walmart.

Scientists Use PS3 To Study Black holes

Oh baby, the PS3 just got upgraded from Folding @ Home to studying the effects of theoretical black holes. Now that's how you use an old console! Fans question the exclusivity of Halo 5 following some odd messaging from the multiplayer beta's description page. New DLC has arrived for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy called Curtain Call. There are some new goodies that Valve has let loose for Team Fortress 2, including grappling hooks. The PSN holiday sale offered up some unique goodies for those looking to extend their collection. After waiting patiently, the official Heroes of the Storm release date has been set by Blizzard. Bandai Namco does a ridiculous thing by blocking the Durante patch for Dark Souls, which sends the gaming community into an absolute frenzy.

PlayStation Now Expands To New Devices

Sony isn't content leaving PlayStation Now on just PlayStation devices, the company is expanding to more smart TVs throughout 2015. EA has decided to take a page out of Steam's playbook and slash some prices on their PC games. A new event for Borderlands: The Presequel is underway called Mercenary Day. Microsoft is really making the most of their NPD win throughout November by continuing to slash prices and offer deals on Xbox 360 and Xbox One goods. Blizzard's chief creative officer has an interesting idea: maybe e-sports games should be part of the Olympics... what do you think? And pre-order details and cross-buy information has been made available for Resident Evil HD.

Xbox Live, PSN Taken Offline By Hackers

Christmas day and both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network are knocked offline by pesky hackers. All throughout Christmas day Sony and Microsoft could only update fans on how they wouldn't be able to play their favorite games online. A real bummer. Mod development for Dragon Age: Inquisition has gotten underway, and the first set of tools are making their way around the regular circles. Nintendo managed to come away as the winner of a lawsuit with a company who had a patent on a device similar to the Wii-mote. And given that this day was ruined by hackers – digital Grinches who tried to steal fun from the land of gaming – here at Gaming Blend we had a list of the 15 games in 2015 that we can't wait to play. Check it out.

Kim Dot Com Bribes The Lizard Squad

How do you stop a rampant terrorist group from making the lives of gamers miserable? You bribe them with free premium accounts to MegaUploadz. A 30th anniversary video details the rise and popularity of Naughty Dog, going from a two-man indie team into the renown AAA studio that they are today. The Interview is making serious waves and is now making the leap to the Xbox and PlayStation platforms. This Legend of Zelda map is recreated with Legos... check it out here. The Christmas gifts for Destiny end up getting delayed and you can find out why right here. A brand new mode for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has arrived called “One Shot Mode” and it did so during a double XP weekend. How nice of Activision.