Weekly Recap: Rockstar Teases Red Dead 2, GTA 5 Christmas Update Revealed

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(Some Of) The Big Stuff:

Rockstar Games made the biggest headlines this week with two pieces of news. First, the developer teased Red Dead Redemption 2, saying "we don't always rush to make sequels, but that does not mean we won't get to them eventually." The developer went on to say it has "so many" games it wants to make, including potentially sequels to Bully and L.A. Noire, but the issue is always "bandwidth and timing." It certainly sounds like Red Dead Redemption 2 is happening, so when might it be officially announced? Rockstar says "stay tuned" in 2015 for announcements of future Rockstar titles.
The other big Rockstar news this week was the announcement of Grand Theft Auto V's Christmas-themed update for Grand Theft Auto Online. To celebrate the holidays, Rockstar has put Christmas trees in your apartments, offered free gingerbread masks, and even--inexplicably--made it snow in Los Santos so that you can have snowball fights. Read this post here for everything you need to know about Christmas festivities in GTA V.
The Other Stuff (Stories We Like, But Didn't Cover With a Standalone Post):

This week's recap starts off with a bang as Kotaku has discovered that someone loves Nigel Thornberry so much that they created an eerily accurate Dragon Age: Inquisition character modeled after the loveable and meme-fueling Australian adventurer. My goodness, just look at this video and these images. It's damn near perfect. Well done!
Sony reached another PlayStation 4 sales milestone this week as the console crossed 1 million units sold in France. In reaching that mark, the PS4 becomes the fastest-selling video game console in France's history, surpassing previous record-holder, the PlayStation 2.
Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins has a new job. Mobile eSports company Skillz announced this week that Hawkins will work with the San Francisco-based startup as its "strategic advisor." In that role, he'll "help Skillz emerge as a leader in this promising sector of the gaming industry," Skillz said in a press release.
That's a beautiful image, right? Someone captured that in a video game; Grand Theft Auto V to be exact. It's one of the many new, user-submitted images Rockstar Games released this week in a post on its website. You should really check out the others, too.
Charitable video game company Humble Bundle announced this week that it's reached $50 million in donations since its inception in 2010. $50 million in four years. Right on, gamers! Donations have gone out to more than 50 different organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, Water, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, among others.
Fans of PC simulation-strategy game Tropico 5 received new DLC this week in the form of the Waterborne expansion, available now for $20. It's the first major expansion for the game, and challenges players to expand their rule into the uncharted waters. You can build floating apartments, construct eco-friendly power sources, or user the ocean as a means to wage war.
Activision's billion-dollar Skylanders series is doing something it's never done before. The publisher announced this week two brand-new elements: Light and Dark. The elements come to the game through new Trap Masters, Knight Mare and Knight Light--amazing names, huh? Those toys go on sale across the United States on December 22 through new Light and Dark elemental quest packs, which you can buy for $30 each.
Hazelight Studios, the new developer founded by Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons director Josef Fares (who is also a Swedish filmmaker), announced this week that its first game will run on Epic's Unreal Engine 4. In a statement, Fares said Unreal Engine 4 is a "natural fit" for Hazelight, going on to praise the engine's usability for small teams with big ambitions. We still don't know what Hazelight's first game is, but EA seems to like the concept, as the Battlefield company has signed on to publish it.
Strategy game Total War: Rome II this week introduced new content in the form of the Wrath of Spartan add-on, which publisher Sega calls a "massive expansion that lets you define the very destiny of ancient Greece." The expansion introduces new technology trees and lots more--check out the trailer above to see the content in action. You can buy the expansion today on Steam for $14.99 £9.99 / €14.99 on Steam.
Classic rock fans, rejoice, as a series of Jimi Hendrix tracks are now available in Rocksmith 2014. The songs below--definitely a "greatest hits" compilation--are available for free on Xbox One and PS4 through January 31, while Xbox 360, PS3, and PC players can buy them for $3 each, $8 for three, or $30 for all 12. Rock on! \m/

• Bold As Love
• Castles Made Of Sand
• Fire
• Foxey Lady
• Freedom
• If 6 Was 9
• Little Wing
• Manic Depression
• Purple Haze
• Red House
• The Wind Cries Mary
• Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

War Thunder, the World War II PC MMO from Russian developer Gaijin Entertainment, continues to expand. The developer announced this week that the game's latest update, 1.45 (codenamed Steel Generals) has been released. Among other things, it adds new maps, new armored vehicles and aircraft, an improved damage model, a tow cable system, and reworked artillery strikes. You can read more about the changes at the War Thunder website here.
For the second time this year, Pac-Man publisher Bandai Namco has changed its name. The Japanese company started 2014 as Namco Bandai, before changing to Bandai Namco in February. This week, the name changed again to Bandai Namco Entertainment. This change will be reflected in official company materials starting April 1, 2015--this is not an April Fool's joke.
Does someone on your Christmas shopping list enjoy the music of Devil May Cry? If so, here's something you may want to consider. Sumthing Else Music Works has announced a licensing arrangement with Capcom to release the Devil may Cry Sound Box, a collection of soundtracks for Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 2, Devil May Cry 3, and Devil May Cry 4. You can get it today on Amazon for $75.
Christmas and F.E.A.R. Online may go together like a grapefruit and a fork, but that's not keeping developer Aeria Games from launching a special, holiday-themed game mode for the free-to-play game. The new mode is called Armored Front, and it's a domination-style mode where players use mechs, turrets, and rocket launchers to kill kill their foes. What's that got to do with Christmas? Not much, but F.E.A.R. Online has also launched a Twelve Nights of Christmas in-game celebration that rewards players for logging in during the holidays with Christmas-themed skins and gear. Reindeer antlers and a Rudolph nose are two examples.
More DLC for 2K's Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was released this week in the form of the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack: The Holodome Onslaught. It's available now for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, and includes a new challenge area and more weapons, as well as band new heads and skins, among other things. Sound interesting? You buy it for $10, or it's yours "free" if you already own the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel DLC pass, which goes for $30.
Have you ever wondered what celebrities like Benedict Cumberbatch or Anne Hathaway would look like in a video game? Wonder no more, as Black Desert players have done just that. Check out the full gallery of famous celebrities remade in the game over at Kotaku.
Beatles bassist and singer Paul McCartney teamed up with Bungie for Destiny's music, and he even created the game's end-titles song, "Hope for the Future." Destiny, however, may not be the last game he works on. He said in a new interview with The Guardian that he's interested in making music for another video game, though nothing has been locked down yet. In the same interview, he said he's not very good at video games--yep, we already knew that.
Following the release of a new Haunted House horror game last month, publisher Atari this week announced its latest project, a "gamified" fitness app called Atari Fit. Due to launch in early 2015 for mobile devices, Atari Fit aims to motivate users to exercise by offering them a way to unlock classic games such as Pong and Centipede by taking part in various exercises. Atari worked with personal trainer Michael Porter on Atari Fit, and more than 150 exercises will be available. You can read more about Atari Fit at the game's website.
More DLC is available now for Warner Bros.' Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. Players can now download the "Batman Beyond Character Pack" on consoles and PC for $2. Buying the DLC lets you play as Terry McGinnis from the TV show, Batman Beyond. McGinnis has a range of super-abilities, including flight and invisibility, and he can also fire Batarang darts.
Do you want to build a snow man? Disney's Frozen is now one step closer to total world domination, as a range of Frozen costumes were released this week for LittleBigPlanet, including Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and more. They're available individually for $1.99. Alternatively, you buy can a $6 bundle that includes the three and the lovable, summer-loving snowman, Olaf.
Next week is Christmas, so Weekly Recap is taking a break. Enjoy the holidays!
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