News:: Log into Overwatch and get free loot boxes for the holidays

Even though it wasn't announced when the holiday event kicked off recently, Blizzard is giving people an extra incentive to play Overwatch on Christmas (my wife and I have been playing a bit!). Just yesterday the playerbase was met with a special Christmas message after logging in noting how great of a year it was thanks to fan support, alongside of five holiday loot boxes.

There doesn't seem to be an expiration date for this, but the Winter Wonderland event does expire January 2, so you may as well log in and collect your boxes.

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News:: You are all my special snowflakes

_{[Image by Panic Pagoda]}

A few days ago, one of our community members decided that he was calling it quits, in part because of a post I wrote a few months back asking our readers if they want Destructoid to be a "safe space". In short, I fucked up, and I responded to him accordingly, but it's not good enough to apologize and explain yourself. If you really want to learn from your mistakes and improve, you have to actively work to do better than you did before. 

So on this Christmas/Hanukkah day, I wanted to take a moment to let you know how much I respect and care for all of you. It's really hard to have a relationship with thousands of relative strangers on the internet, but thanks to Destructoid, I've been given the opportunity to do just that for about eight years now, and I couldn't be more grateful. 

 

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News:: What did you get for Christmas?

As is tradition, it's time to share your hauls! Whether it's video game related or not, feel free to show us what you've got.

As for me, my wife is once again on point with gift-giving. I got a Diablo bottle opener (which is much larger than I thought it would be) and a pack of Assassin's Creed boxers. An amazing secret Santa gifted me two amiibo dioramas (the Splatoon and Smash ones, pictured below), and a bunch of friends and family got together to ensure my amiibo figure collection was 100% complete!

However you celebrate your holidays, have a good one.

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News:: Gravity Rush's anime series is a cute little extra, will be free on YouTube

In a sort of last minute announcement, Sony has informed Destructoid that the Gravity Rush anime will be coming westward before the game's January launch.

How soon? Well, tomorrow, actually! Starting on December 26 at 8:00 AM PT, Sony will upload episodes on their official PlayStation YouTube channel. The series (which consists of seven to nine minute episodes) will attempt to flesh out a narrative that links the sequel with the original.

I had the chance to watch a screener for the first two 'sodes, and I'm happy to report that it's worth watching. Kat is her signature goofy, lovable self, and the presentation, from the voicework to the soundtrack is authentic. Seeing little slice of life type stuff like Kat and Raven hanging out in Kat's sewer crib is great, among several action scenes featuring the pesky Nevi.

Don't expect any Earth-shattering revelations or even much of a story (at least out of the two I watched), as most of it just seems like light exposition. Without spoiling anything, the duo notices that there's been more Navi intrusions than normal following the events of the original game, and are introduced to a pair of new antagonists. Half of each episode is fighting, which is impressively animated by Studio Khara, of Rebuild of Evangelion fame.

For those of you who are wondering, yes, it's sub-only at the moment, and will likely stay that way forever. If you're even remotely invested in the series and plan on picking up the second game it's worth a watch, even if it doesn't feel essential (which is probably a good thing for folks who don't like all these cross-media property initiatives like Final Fantasy XV and Yo-Kai Watch).

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