Happy Holidays from SCEA!

Merry Christmas and 5th night of Hanukkah!

It’s been a tremendous year for us here at on the SCEA Social Media team. For instance, I know that nearly 3 times as many of you will read this message than our last holiday wishes post. And like Tim Tebow after the Ole Miss game, I promise you that nobody will work harder for our fans than us in the next year. (Go Gators, btw)

Personally, I’m really excited to be rolling out new, fan-requested features for you blog readers in early January, and that’s just the start. We’ll be redoubling our Facebook and Twitter efforts, as well as introducing new ways for you to communicate with us.

But before we get to 09 – we rest. I hope that, like us, you’ll take the next week+ to relax, spend time with friends and family, and get caught up on the deluge of games that has washed over us in these past few months. I’ll consider it a success if I finish Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, Fallout 3, and Prince of Persia by January 5th. Hopefully I’ll have time to leave the house.

Over the next week, we’re turning over the reins to Kristin Neirinckx, who’ll be sharing some tips for you new PS3 and PSP owners, as well as some of our favorite PSBlog contributors. They’ll be sharing their own holiday best wishes and top PlayStation picks of 2008.

To get things started, here are my Top 5 PlayStation faves from the year (a nearly impossible task!):

Valkyria Chronicles – This game took up my entire month of November, which is why I’m way behind on games like Fallout 3 and Call of Duty: World at War. Not that I minded. I’m a huge tactical RPG fan, from Shining Force to Fire Emblem to Final Fantasy Tactics – and this is my favorite from the genre… ever. An absolute must-play. At least download the demo – you won’t be disappointed.

LittleBigPlanet – The game that keeps on giving (see MGS pack this week). I’ve been playing this since early code, and to see the game grow and polish over that time was an awesome experience. Also, I love slapping people.

Rock Band/Rock Band 2 – the official game of Roommate Relations, we’ve played this for, no kidding, hundreds of hours. The tally: we’re on our 4th guitar, 2nd set of drums, and have downloaded nearly $200 worth of DLC.

Metal Gear Solid 4 – reviewers seemed to be handing out “10s” like cheap candy this year – but MGS4 actually deserved it. Have any of you *not* played this?

Hot Shots Golf Out of Bounds/Open Tee 2 – I’ve been a huge fan of the series since Hot Shots Golf 2, and my love has not waned at all. No matter how many PSP games I bring on a plane, I still end up playing HSG the most.

I hate to leave anything out, because I was also in love with Patapon, Street Fighter II HD Remix, Burnout Paradise (still playing that one after all these months!), Devil May Cry 4, Resistance 2, MotorStorm Pacific Rift, and PixelJunk Monsters and Eden, but those are my Top 5. So what were your favorites?

See you in 2009!