The PlayStation Recap — Prelude to a CES Edition

Here we go again! A new year brings a new batch of gaming and tech events, starting with next week’s Consumer Electronics Show in sultry Las Vegas, NV. Jeff and Rey will be going to check in on PS Vita and few other assorted odds and ends, leaving me behind to run PlayStation.Blog affairs and catch up on a few game previews…including one game I’m very excited to share mid-week. Be sure to check back in before 2012 gets the best of you!

In other news this week: thatgamecompany released a beautiful new orchestral trailer for Journey, the sound designer for Shinobido 2 dropped by to share insights into game audio development, and a new batch of movies, TV shows, and music content hit Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited on PSN.

What was your favorite news this week? And what did you play over the long holiday break?

I’m playing: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Dovakin quest line completed, hurray!), Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City

I’m watching: Game of Thrones (fantastic), Saw 3D (urp), Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (meh)

I’m reading: Crossed by Garth Ennis, Bad Planet by Thomas Jane

I’m listening to: Official PlayStation Blogcast 006: PS Vita Goes Beyond (special thanks to Greg Miller!)

Most-Watched Video of the Week: The Tester Season 3 Cast Highlights

The 10 Most-Viewed Posts of the Week

PlayStation Store Update — NFL Blitz, TNT Racers, Darksiders full game, new Resistance 3 DLC, Metal Gear Solid PS3 themes, and new PS Plus content highlight this week’s new selections. What did you pick up?

PlayStation Plus January Sneak Peek: Free Back to the Future – Full Series, Discounts Galore — One of the biggest PS Plus updates yet! The entire season of Back to the Future, Swords and Soldiers, and three Syphon Filter games are FREE for Plus subscribers. And that’s just the beginning!

Silent Hill: Downpour Comes Full Circle on PS3 — Producer Devin Shatsky shares new details on this upcoming PS3 horror game, from its renewed emphasis on psychological tension to its realistic new user interface.

Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition Hits This Month for $39.99 — A good deal for GT5 latecomers, including the full Spec 2.0 updates and $20 of DLC content on one Blu-ray disc at an attractive price.

MLB 12 The Show Soundtrack Revealed — A star-studded soundtrack including The Black Keys, The Mars Volta, The Futureheads (woo!), Atmosphere and more. Not bad, not bad!

Meet the Complete Season 3 Cast of The Tester — PlayStation Network’s original reality series returns February 7th and you can meet the cast right now in a new video spotlight.

Red Bull House of Skate Comes to PlayStation Home + Weekly Update — Lots of moving and shaking in the PlayStation Home camp this week with new virtual items, new free movies via Crackle and LOOT, and new personal spaces.

Official PlayStation Blogcast Episode 006: PS Vita Goes Beyond — Woo-hoo! Official PlayStation Blogcast cracks the top 10 most-read posts of the week for the first time. Listen in to learn more about PS Vita, next week’s PSN releases, and more.

ModNation Racers: Year In Review — Read up on the ModNation team’s favorite user creations of the year and learn more about celebrated community creator Laidbackcat.

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD Available Now on PSN — Have you downloaded this remastered, enhanced version of the classic Oddworld first-person shooter? If so, let us know what you think in the comments!