Happy Generic Celebration Everyone!

DCUO's winter holiday event started this week. Guess what it's called? Go on, guess! You won't get it. 

Give up?

It's called... 

Winter Holidays!

Well, that's what the wiki calls it. In game and on the official website it has another name. Guess what that is! Oh, go on. You know you want to.

Okay, okay, I'll tell you. Honestly, when you hear what it is you'll be proud of yourself for not guessing.

It's called...

Season's Greedings!

I don't know which is worse. Okay, yes I do. It looks as though whoever put the PR push together wasn't all that happy with it either because right beneath the jaunty banner there's a prim clarification: "Winter Seasonal Event".

Have fun. Just don't get silly about it.

I logged in, hoping for the usual flurry of freebies. It is Christmas Winter Holidays after all and that's the Gifting Season. (Isn't that from another game?)

I I must be on Santa's bad list. I didn't get anything.  Well, okay, I did, but only the regular login gifts. I was hoping for something for my lair. A tree, maybe. Some lights. A snowperson. 

Nope. Nothing. Nada.

Seems mean doesn't it? 

It's not, though. There's a very good reason. Holly leaves.

 

Holly leaves are the event currency. There are missions you can do to get them but you can also visit the Winter Vault to smash presents. Holly leaves pop out along with a bunch of other stuff. I got a Wonder Woman Wreath.

Then you can go to the House of Legends and buy whatever decorations, costumes and wintery wonders you want from the longest list of holiday items I have ever seen in any game. It was so long I came over a bit dizzy and had to stop looking at it. I think you need to know what you want before you start.

It seems weird I never did this event before. It's been around since 2011. I might have thought I'd just forgotten it , what with my memory, but I can't have done it or I'd have some of the seasonal decorations, surely? Oh well, I know about it now!

I bought myself a tree and a massive window that looks out into a grey, snow-filled night. I think Lobo occasionally flies past dressed as Santa but I might have imagined it.

As well as the Winter Holidays there's a new Episode, Legion of Doom, set in a new open world area, Washington DC. I have no idea whether it looks anything like the actual Washington DC but I can confirm it looks great, especially the roiling, cloud-filled sky and the massive monuments.

I took the missions there and flew around a bit but it wasn't much more than a fact-finding mission. There's so much going on right now I can't promise I'll find time to get even the basics done but as usual I came away with the feeling that I could happily spend a lot more time in DCUO than I do.

Can't really ask for a better review than that.