If you celebrate today’s festivities, my season’s greetings to you. If you don’t, well, no probs, because we’re both just going to take advantage of the discounts aimed at people who do get into it. Everybody wins! Particularly if you want a free copy of Dredge or a cheap controller or a price slice on a game this connoisseur would buy himself.
In retro news, I’m celebrating the 28th birthday of Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, arguably gaming’s greatest goodwill limited edition freebie. Sega threw this in with my purchase of a select Sega Saturn game, and it was basically a little advent calendar whose content shifted in sync with my console’s internal clock. Beating a level (reskinned in a wintry and/or outright Christmas theme) earned you limited chances to solve a tile-matching puzzle to unlock 25 “Presents.” The best of the bunch—a mini-sandbox level starring Sonic the Hedgehog that ends with a satisfying Eggman scrambling. Honestly, I adore this demo disc and play it every year without fail.
This Day in Gaming 🎂
Aussie birthdays for notable games.
– Link: The Faces of Evil (CD-i) 1993. eBay
– Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (CD-i) 1993. eBay
– Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams (SAT) 1996. eBay
– Art Academy (DS) 2009. eBay
Table of Contents
Switch OLED + Mario Wonder
0
This looks and plays like the true next step for 2D Mario platformers. Wonder effects change each stage in both surprising and delightful ways, the Flower Kingdom makes for a vibrant and refreshing change of pace, and Elephant Mario steals the show. 9/10.
Expiring Recent Deals
Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.
Res Evil 4
0
Whether you’re a fan of the original or a newcomer with a hankering for some action-heavy horror of the highest quality, Resident Evil 4 is like a parasite-riddled Spaniard: a total no-brainer.
Expiring Recent Deals
Or just get a Steam Wallet Card
Cyberpunk 2077 Ult.
0
Now provides a more sophisticated level of storytelling with excellent performances, smarter insights on the cyberpunk genre and its dystopian themes, and landing on top of a much-improved gameplay experience. 9/10.
Expiring Recent Deals
Or just invest in an Xbox Card.
Gran Turismo 7
0
Frankly, I already loved this game at launch. Then, it got patched with PS VR2 and THEN a PS VR2 + PS5 Pro graphical enhancement patch. The end result has to be seen and felt in a headset to be believed. If you own PS VR2, you own this by default.
Expiring Recent Deals
Or purchase a PS Store Card.
Star Wars R2-D2
0
A universally loved character going for a reduced price that’ll astromech your day.
Expiring Recent Deals
Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.
