swag
Latest
The Daily Grind: Did you go to a game convention last year?
It is, in many ways, the ultimate gamer's pilgrimage -- to make the long trek to attend a gaming convention. Whether it be PAX, Dragon*Con, Fan Faire, BlizzCon, Leipzig or GamesCom, it's surprising the amount of money, time, effort and willingness to stand in line with sweaty people that we put up with just to see the latest games and talk to our favorite developers. It's hard to explain the allure of these conventions to outsiders, but there's something thrilling in seeing crowds of people who share your same hobby and get excited over all the same stuff you do. Plus, there's the swag. OH, the swag! Did you make your pilgrimage in 2010? Did you manage to get away to a fabulous retreat (from reality) and attend a game convention? And was it everything you'd hoped, or did it let you down? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Engadget giveaway: win a Computer Engineer Barbie!
You probably already know this, but here at Engadget, we love our readers. And, whenever we get the chance, we love to give a little back. Today, we're happy to have a brand new Computer Engineer Barbie to offer up to one random, lucky commenter. This Barbie has a new career and a new attitude to match it, and we think she's pretty cool. All you'll need to do to win her is to leave a comment below -- after reading the rules, of course. Thanks to Mattel for providing us with the doll. The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winners will be chosen randomly. Four winners will receive one Computer Engineer Barbie. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, December 22, 2010, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
How to celebrate Halloween with your local Global Agenda devs
Halloween is a special time of year -- a time of blood, gore, and amazing effects. It is, to many geeks, what Christmas is to your Grandmother. Instead of thick sweaters embroidered with stockings stuffed with kittens, however, we prefer belt clips loaded down with ammo. What better place to celebrate than in a favorite MMOFPS: Global Agenda. It warmed our hearts to coordinate with the developers from Hi-Rez Studios last night, and it thrilled us to hand out Halloween swag in exchange for trivia answers. Granted, some allowances had to be made (skipping questions when they were obviously not going to be answered), but overall the event ran smoothly. In fact, here are some good rules to follow when hosting your next Hi-Rez Global Agenda Trivia Contest (what? It could happen.). And raid -- let's not forget the Raid of DOOM!
BlizzCon 2010 goody bag packs miniature world-splitter
Click to see more goodies Sure, Deathwing might pose a huge threat to the World of Warcraft, but we don't see much harm in all the little Dethlings BlizzCon 2010 attendees will receive and evetually take home. What's the worst that could happen -- they crack the plumbing? As part of this year's goody bag, con questers will receive a miniature Deathwing (pictured), an in-game Murloc pet with Deathwing mask, an account-hack preventing Blizzard authenticator and other various trinkets. The in-game murloc pet for WoW appears to have become a goody bag standard for BlizzCon, with last year's attendees receiving the little gurgler wearing a StarCraft 2 marine uniform. %Gallery-70612% For all this weekend's BlizzCon 2010 coverage, keep it locked on WoW Insider.
BlizzCon store's 48-hour online pre-sale
If you've ever been to a convention and seen all of that wonderful swag, you've also seen the lines to procure that wonderful swag. It's annoying to wait in a line for an hour just to buy a T-shirt that you can only get at that venue. Blizzard is bypassing this issue by allowing anyone who has purchased a BlizzCon ticket to grab those unique merchandise items ahead of time and online. No fighting over the last murloc head can cozy or Raynor onesie for your child, just simple online transactions with the goods being shipped directly to your home. This is only for people who have actual tickets to the event. Anyone with a virtual ticket will have to wait until the 13th to get in on their own 48-hour sale. If you don't fall into either of those groups and still want to get in on the swag, then you need to go buy your virtual ticket before 11:50 p.m. Pacific on Oct. 10 to qualify for the sale or you're out of luck. Zarhym on the 48 hour sale Heading to BlizzCon 2010? Planning to purchase some souvenirs at the show? From October 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific time until October 11 at 9:59 a.m., BlizzCon 2010 ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase select BlizzCon 2010 store merchandise online (while supplies last). Items purchased through this sale will be shipped directly to your home, giving you more time to take in the panels, tournaments, and other events at the show. To participate, log in to the online Blizzard Store during the sale hours using the Battle.net account provided when you purchased your BlizzCon 2010 ticket (viewable in the buyer's Order History), and head to the More Products section. A second 48-hour sale for BlizzCon Virtual Ticket purchasers will be taking place beginning October 13 -- place your order by October 10 to participate. http://us.blizzard.com/store/ source
More iPad protection giveaways from TUAW and NewerTech
A while back we did a review and giveaway of some iPad protection products from our buddies at NewerTech. Just before I headed off to the high seas for three weeks, I received some additional swag from NewerTech that I thought would be perfect for our TUAW Independence Day holiday giveaways. While I won't review the products in this post, you can certainly either read the previous post or visit the NewerTech website for details. What we'll be giving away are three different products to three readers -- a NuVue screen protector, a NuGuard Carbon protection kit (seen at right, including a NuVue screen protector and a microfiber polishing cloth), and a NuGuard Leather protective casing. What do you need to do to enter the giveaway? Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite iPad app is. We'll randomly choose three winners who will get one of the three NewerTech products. Here are the contest rules: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, leave a comment naming your favorite iPad app. The comment must be left before midnight on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. Three winners will be selected. One will receive a NuVue Screen Protector (Value: US$9.99), one will receive a NuGuard Carbon protection kit (Value: $24.95), and one will receive a NuGuard Leather (Value: $24.99). Click Here for complete Official Rules. This is our last giveaway for the weekend, so if you're feeling lucky and want to protect your new iPad, be sure to enter!
Mafia 2's swag suitcase is full of brutal truths
Oh those crazy publishers, always sending us crazy stuff for their crazy games. Why, just today we received the suspicious looking red suitcase seen above for Mafia 2 -- one which we presumed to be full of human heads (that's what early 20th Century gangsters carry around, no?) until we crowbarred it open and looked inside. Lo and behold, it actually contained a dossier detailing some of the game's main characters, as well as a note for "Paulie," which we've catalogued for you in the gallery below. Now make with the clickin', wise guy!%Gallery-96480%
This book has 100 Classic Books in it
Perhaps fearing that we wouldn't understand the concept of reading books on a DS, Nintendo sent press copies of the game disguised in a form that readers would find comfortable: a large, "leather"-bound, hardcover book. Only upon opening the front cover did we learn its terrible secret: it's not full of paper at all, but rather a copy of 100 Classic Books, Nintendo and HarperCollins' DS collection of literary standards. 100 Classic Books will be in stores (in a regular DS case) June 14. To browse the books included in the collection, check Nintendo's official site. %Gallery-94728%
J!NX and Steelseries giving away loot on Facebook
Steelseries and J!NX have teamed up to give away some loot over the next three weeks -- hardware from Steelseries and some outer wear from J!NX, as well as other pretty cool stuff. The contest is open to Facebook users, who will be eligible to win one of six loot packs to be given away. Two loot packs will be given away each week, and each pack consists of the following: 1 SteelSeries World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse 1 SteelSeries March of the Scourge QcK Mouse Pad 1 SteelSeries Zboard Wrath of the Lich King Gaming Keyboard 1 J!NX Talking Murloc Plush Toy 1 J!NX Horde or Alliance Hoodie 1 J!NX Frost Resistance Hoodie 1 J!NX Green Linen Shirt 1 J!NX Horde or Alliance Shirt 1 J!NX Horde or Alliance Wallet 1 J!NX Horde or Alliance Cut out Sticker 1 J!NX Horde or Alliance Keychain The first week simply asks Facebook users to 'like' or become fans on both the Steelseries and J!NX Facebook pages, with two winners to be determined randomly on May 5, 2010. The second week will require Facebook users to flex their social networking muscles a little bit as contestants are asked to post a screenshot of their favorite person, place, or activity in Azeroth on the J!NX Facebook page and garner as many "likes" for their entry until May 12. The screenshot with the most "likes" will win one loot pack, while a panel of judges from J!NX and Steelseries will determine who wins the second pack. The third week is a similar exercise in social network popularity, but contestants are asked to submit a video of an in-game dance party on the Steelseries fan page. As with the week before it, the video that ends up with the most "likes" at the end of the period, May 19, will win one loot pack. J!NX and Steelseries will select the winner of the second loot bag. If you're not averse to the whole social network experience, this promotion seems like a relatively painless way to try and score some cool swag.
Halo: Reach marketing buzz takes a bald new step (this is about hair clippers)
The Halo Reach clippers, guaranteed to take you from Brute to Spartan™ Paired to go along with the beginning of the early access "friends and family" beta for Halo: Reach came the above tool, some seemingly military-grade Oster hair clippers, bundled in a heavy duty Pelican case that probably cost more than the clippers themselves. Inscribed with the WelcomeToNobleTeam.com URL – haven't you seen the short yet? – and delivered at the oh-so-welcome hour of 7am, the package contained another treat: a copy of Halo 3: ODST. Of course, that ODST disc won't gain you access to the beta until May 3rd, but luckily this morning's announcement of a partnership between Halo Reach developer Bungie and Activision – solidifying the dev's departure from Microsoft, Halo, and platform-exclusivity – will give you plenty to think about over the next four days. Check out the entire kit in the gallery below while we figure out the best way to give it to a reader. %Gallery-92034%
Swag Sunday: Age of Zombies eats your braaaaaaains (PSP Minis)
Why do zombies eat brains? There's usually perfectly available, good meat around, so what's with the brain-cravings? It's not like they do anything special with them. If they saved them for some kind of a stew or possibly pulled a Sylar, then you could understand it, but this willy-nilly shambling towards grey matter? Weird. Plus, do they have some sort of brain detector built-in? They always seem to know exactly which way to go. Whoops, pardon our tangent. You want to get right to the swag, don't you? We're giving away nine copies of Halfbrick's brand new Age of Zombies, the PSP minis game that combines cute and cuddly with brain-hungry and undead. Seriously, these little zombies are adorable, and they'll look super keen on your PSP or your PS3. Since we can't explain why zombies crave brains, all you have to do is follow the rules below and tell us what the perfect side dish would be. Leave a comment telling us what the perfect side dish would be for a serving of brains. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec -- it has to do with Pierre Duchesne and he knows why). Limit 1 entry per person per day. This entry period ends at 11:31AM ET on Monday, March 8. At that time, we'll randomly select nine winners to receive a code good for one copy of Age of Zombies for PSP or PS3 (ARV: $4.99). For a list of complete rules, click here. What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition. For more info on our policy, click here. %Gallery-84946%
Canon captures your coffee in a 70-200mm telephoto lens
OK, not really, but Canon was indeed giving out these novelty coffee mugs -- in the shape of an EF70-200mm f/4L USM lens -- at the Winter Olympic's press center, and here's Microsoft's Josh Weisberg (Director of Rich Media Group) showing off his swag to the whole world. Yes, we're just a bit envious. So anyone got a spare Canon L-Series lens that we can tamper with? Or maybe that big-daddy Sigma lens if you're game with sharing coffee?
Capcom handing out mysterious Mega Man items before VGAs
If you're in Los Angeles tomorrow and have an interest in either Mega Man collectibles or eBay profits, be sure to get to 1013 W. Olympic Blvd. in LA tomorrow between 2pm and 5pm -- actually, we're guessing you're going to need to get there early. And bring a printout of this coupon with you. Capcom and i am 8 Bit plan to hand out some kind of extremely limited Mega Man swag in enticing E-Tank boxes. It's likely related to the newly announced Mega Man 10, and with the Mega Man 10 "box art" done by i am 8 Bit's Gerald de Jesus, it's possible that the item will bear that image. If you get one, be sure to let us know what's in the box! We have to know what is in the box.
The real-life treasure of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Nintendo must have found a really cheap wholesaler for wooden boxes, because, much like it did for Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, the publisher shipped out press copies of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks in handsome wooden cases. No puzzles were required to get into this treasure chest, however. Along with the treasure chest, Nintendo sent a Link t-shirt. In a separate mailing, the company sent another wooden gewgaw: a train whistle, just like the one you got from any museum gift shop ever. In a truly superhuman display of discipline, we've managed to leave the whistle untooted so future Joyswag winners won't be subject to blogger cooties. %Gallery-79248%
Capcom launches multistage assault on TGS attendees' wallets
While we're sure there will be plenty of video games and stuff to cover, it's going to be difficult for us to spend our time at Tokyo Game Show doing anything but documenting Capcom's wonderful shop offerings. In addition to the tiny Chibiterasu paw screen cleaning straps seen here, Capcom is offering a shirt with Okamiden art.There's also the requisite pile of Monster Hunter and Sengoku Basara gear, as well as Resident Evil (the zombie shirt!) and Lost Planet 2 stuff. The real big-ticket item for us (in terms of both interest and, unfortunately, price) is the Ace Attorney jacket, featuring a Blue Badger graphic.[Via Andriasang]
EA marketers send Joystiq a $200 check and we save their souls
click to check out the gallery EA's been slowly ticking off the levels of Hell by way of marketing stunts for the upcoming God-of-War-em-up Dante's Inferno. The first circle of Hell is "Limbo" ... and though we're not sure, the E3 "staged protest" was an early Dante's Inferno marketing stunt, so maybe limbo? Next is circle two: "Lust." Cue the controversial Comic-Con "Sin to Win" stunt wherein one "lucky" winner received "a night with the hottest girl at Comic-Con." Yeah, that didn't go over so well. Next up is "Gluttony." To celebrate the third circle of Hell, they mailed our own Randy Nelson a severed limb cake. We didn't reward them with a post for that one. However, the latest stunt is a little more creative. They've mailed this editor, and presumably the editors at several other media outlets, a check for $200. The packaging says that "by cashing this check you succumb to avarice by hoarding filthy lucre but by not cashing it, you waste it, and thereby surrender to prodigality." If your SAT dictionary isn't at arm's length, that last one means wastefulness. So, we either cash it and "succumb to avarice" or burn it and be wasteful. What's an ethical gaming blog to do ... ... how about this? How about we cash it, and donate all $200 to The White House Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization "that aims to advance women's leadership in all communities and sectors – up to the U.S. presidency – by filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse, critical mass of women"? Of course, we'll make the donation in EA's name. It won't make up for Sin to Win, but the road to redemption's got to start somewhere, right?
What Sega is making now: lots of swag
Sega of Europe had a bunch of swag made up for its "Summer Sizzle" event and, knowing how much we enjoy looking at things with the Sega logo on them, posted some pictures of the bounty handed out to lucky attendees. We'll highlight each item while also highlighting a video game that Sega passed over in favor of inconsequential swag. Sega t-shirt (produced instead of the Wii Jet Set Radio game) Sega water bottle holder (just cut into the budget that would have gone into a new traditional Phantasy Star RPG) Sega fan (sorry, human Sega fans -- no Yakuza 3 localization!) Sega flash drive (the data for Panzer Dragoon Saga 2 might fit on here, if Sega made it) Sega flip-flops ("We're making Shenmue 3! No, no we're not.") To everyone who attended the event, and to future winners when the company gives this stuff away on Twitter: enjoy your t-shirt!
Swag Saturday: Smash hitting you with free stuff (360/Wii) [update]
Update: This giveaway is now closed. Winners are being selected and will be notified via email. So, check those inboxes!Another week goes by and another pile of free stuff goes to those dearest to our hearts -- that's you, wonderful readers. Activision brings you Swag Saturday this week, replete with two different versions of the latest from the Guitar Hero franchise, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits. And don't forget, game publishers of the world -- though we have a stockpile of swag to give away in the coming weeks, we're just an email away! Now, would you kindly follow the directions below for entry? Leave a comment telling us what the best song of these three track lists from Guitar Hero: Smash Hits. (Unfortunately, the whole list isn't all in one place. Sorry!) You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada, excluding Quebec. (In your face, Quebec residents! ... we're just kidding. We actually love you.) Limit 1 entry per person. This entry period ends at 7:00pm ET on Sunday, July 25. We'll randomly select two winners at that time to receive: one copy of Guitar Hero: Smash Hits for Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii (ARV $50.00/Xbox 360, ARV $40.00/Wii). For a list of complete rules, click here %Gallery-46942%
Announcing the third annual WoW.com BlizzCon Meetup
It's here! For months now, we've told you that we'll be having our third BlizzCon meetup on August 20th, the night before the big event in Anaheim, but we haven't yet told you exactly where. But now, we've finally confirmed our location and we can tell you where to go: We'll be meeting at the Tangerine Patio in the Anabella Hotel at 1030 W. Katella Avenue in Anaheim, CA. That's right behind the Convention Center (between it and Disneyland), and within easy walking distance from anywhere in the area. We'll begin the festivities at 7:30pm Pacific (local Anaheim time) on August 20th, and the Anabella will have the kitchen open and a cash bar ready for all of the eating and drinking you'd want. We're asking that attendees be 18+ or accompanied by parent, but other than that, just be a reader of WoW.com -- many of our writers and editors will be in attendance for you to meet and greet, and we'll be giving away some swag and speculating at just what we'll see later that weekend at BlizzCon.And if you aren't able to make it to Anaheim, don't worry: we'll have audio and video up and streaming to our Ustream page, so you'll be able to attend virtually and chat with everyone else there. And we're planning on having some Ustream-specific giveaways as well, so you won't be left out of the loot, either. All of our reader meetups in the past have been tremendous, and this one is set up to be our biggest and best event yet. We'll see you there!BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon, you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there are some great looking costumes.
Nintendo reveals American Club Nintendo bonuses [update]
Nintendo loyalists that have been diligently registering their games can now pick up a reward through the Club Nintendo loyalty program. Those who have earned 300 or more Coins (equivalent to 6 Wii game purchases) are granted Gold status, while those who have earned 600 or more Coins are granted Platinum status. These members are now entitled to an exclusive members-only bonus.Platinum members have the choice of two prizes: Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! -- this downloadable WiiWare game is available exclusively to Club Nintendo Platinum members. In this special download, you'll be able to fight one-on-one against your coach, Doc Louis. Update: Screenshots now added. Mario Hat -- a "true-to-life" replica of Mario's signature headpiece. Nintendo notes that the hat "may be big for small children." Gold members will receive a special 2010 calendar. See more images after the break.%Gallery-67921%
