Okay, one more giveaway over the holidays, then. I gave out a lot of shirts, and those giveaways seem to be very popular — but they are, of course, size-dependent. Solution? HATS!

A recent batch of goodies from The Hush Radar gave me enough headgear to pull this one off, so my thanks to them for the fun swag.  One winner gets all this:

Two nice MW3 caps from The Hush Radar. The khaki one has a camo underbrim.

That's a Return to Castle Wolfenstein hat in addition to a classic GH logo.

And a nice MW3 beanie with a brim, again courtesy of The Hush Radar.

Entering is easy — just fill out the form below before the end of Thursday, January 5 (just once, please — one entry per person) and I’ll pick a winner the following day. Thanks again to The Hush Radar for the gear, and good luck!

UPDATE 1/6: Hats off to Brock Ridder of Marysville, Ohio — your toppers are in the hopper.

What size does Santa Claus wear? I’m guessing 2XL. That’s all the excuse I need to do another shirt giveaway before the end of the year, this time with the double-XL gamer in mind. And I hope the winner likes Call of Duty games…

For the MW purist, here's two that should make perfect sense.

Courtesy of The Hush Radar (click the image to learn more), here's a keen MW3 shirt.

COD Zombie Labs, signed by Avenged Sevenfold singer M. Shadows (they recorded a track for Call of the Dead)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (that's the back), Guitar Hero World Tour, and Tony Hawk: Shred

For those chillier months, a lightweight punk-flavored GH zip hoodie.

Still not warm enough? Try a Prototype 2 military sweater.

Once person takes all nine 2XL shirts and has a happy holiday in the process. (This is not an option — as the winner, you must swear that you will have a happy holiday.). As always, the contest FAQ applies, and you get one entry per person, but get your entry in by the end of the day on Tuesday, December 20 and I’ll pick winners December 21 — and I’ll post the lucky person’s name right here. Good luck!

UPDATE 12/21: Congrats to Stephen Nettles of Romeoville, Illinois. (He promised to have a happy holiday, too.) Watch for your box shortly after Christmas, Stephen!

Twas the weeks before Christmas, and Dan had some shirts
And then he could not find a good rhyme for “shirts.”

Well, that didn’t last very long, but this prize package will. It’s time to make some space in my t-shirt closet, and I have an appropriate 12 shirts of Christmas (or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate, but this is one that has a song with the number 12 in it). Some of these shirts are the last of their kind – the only one left in the prize stash. But all of them are going to one lucky XL-wearing winner. Take a look: 

Clockwise: COD Black Ops Zombies, Transformers, Survival: Shadows of Katmai, DJ Hero 2

Black is the new black! Clockwise: Tony Hawk Shred, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Guitar Hero, GoldenEye 007

Feeling gray? DJ Hero 2 alternate design, plus a COD Zombie Labs shirt signed by M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold

Classy Black Ops golf shirt is classy.

And finally, a really keen military-style Prototype 2 sweater

Everything is size XL, though some of them are “athletic cut” (read: “skinny hipster”) so they may run a little smaller. Either way, one person’s getting a TON of shirts and I hope the winner thoroughly enjoys them. That winner could be you if you fill out the form below before the end of Tuesday, December 13 and I’ll pick a winner the following day. The usual questions are answered in the usual FAQ, but a reminder that it’s one entry per person, please. Good luck and happy holidays!

UPDATE 12/14: Chris Poirier of Greenfield, Massachusetts is getting seven pounds of shirts next week. If he asks you for help doing laundry, now you’ll know why.

No, wait, don’t go! I know there are a lot of websites out there, and they can offer you things I can’t. I’m just a humble community manager, and I do the best I can. But you mean the world to me — I want to keep you, baby. I keep trying to give you what I think will make you happy. Remember when I gave you six shirts? Then I gave you eight shirts. So now, if giving away ten shirts is what it takes, then ten shirts is what I will give away. Please, just give me a chance.

Look at what I’ve got for you. They’re all size Large, just the way you like them. There’s a a classic Guitar Hero III shirt, one of those cool Singularity shirts with the TMD blueprints on the back and the logo on the front, and two Transformers shirts — the Dark of the Moon one has Optimus Prime on the back and the logo on the front, and the Save Cybertron shirt doesn’t even say Transformers on it — nice and subtle, just the way you like your tees. See? I remember.

And here, I’ve got a mix of the old and the new — classic 2600 shirts based on Grand Prix and River Raid, plus two GoldenEye 007 shirts, which sort of span your love of 90s nostalgia with the modern reinventions of one of the greatest console shooters ever made. You appreciate the finer things, and I know that. This is all for you.

And to top it all off, I’ve got the biggest franchise in gaming for you — a Call of Duty Elite shirt and a Jinx Black Ops shirt. They’re sure to look good on you. I mean, look at you — how could they not?

Look, I’m begging — I’m on my knees here. Please, just take these ten shirts — all of them, just for you! — and give me another chance.

I don’t want to pressure you. I can give you time to think about it. Just let me know if you want them by the end of Thursday, September 15, and if luck smiles on both of us, I’ll send them out the next day and I’ll tell the world that they’re yours. I think you already know all about the Contest FAQ – but I just want to remind you that I mean every word.

I think we can make this work. You just have to let me know if this makes you happy. Write your thoughts below. I’ll be waiting.

WINNER: Jumay Hipolito of Salinas, California, decided to give me one more chance. So I decided to give her 10 t-shirts.

Oh Medium, my Medium, you are so maligned;
In gamer t-shirts, you’re harder to find.
For gamers, at least goes the stereotype,
Are huge — and this is the Medium’s gripe!
“Just because I play games doesn’t mean I’m 2X!
I’m a moderate person in many respects.
Yet all the good game shirts are often enormous –
You would think they’d make Medium, expressly for us!”
Well, never you fear, my average-sized friend
I’ve got six gaming t-shirts that I hope won’t offend:

Tony, Transformers, GH and James Bond -- just think what they'll look like when you put them on!

These two shirts have something the other four lack...

...both designs on the front AND designs on the back!

Each will fit you exactly, though your build may be slight
Not swimmy, but also not tight — they’re just right!
Just enter the drawing by Thursday of this week;
All six of these shirts go to one lucky geek.
If you’re heading to PAX or perhaps to XP
You’ll have these in time for the nerdfests. Trust me!
If you have any questions, please check out the FAQ
I’ll announce the big winner on Friday — check back.

UPDATE 8/19:
Hundreds of entrants all wanted the shirts
But if you’re not Jason Kulczycki, this update might hurt.
In Sterling Heights, Michigan, he’s a well-dressed geek
Or he will be, when his prizes arrive next week.

July 4th is coming up fast — the annual celebration of American independence. It’s time for flag-wavin’, burger-grillin’, and firework-splodin’. And in the spirit of ’76, I support your right to bared arms. That’s why I’m giving away a big melting pot of different Activision game t-shirts, all size Large.

Optimus Prime graces the back of the Transformers: Dark of the Moon shirt (the logo is on the front)...and he looks like he's got it in for Johnny Napalm.

The reverse side of the Singularity shirt (logo on front) features a cool breakdown of the TMD. The two GoldenEye shirts tell the world that you like gold but you don't play fair.

Old school meets new school. Grand Prix box art is on black, while that Activision rainbow logo is on a navy shirt. The Call of Duty: Black Ops logo is actually off to the lower right on that gray shirt.

Yes, that’s eight Large t-shirts, in honor of the eight original colonies. And just like the Revolutionary War itself, there can be only one winner. That winner will be chosen at random from all the people who fill out the form below and submit it before the end of Thursday, June 30. I’ll announce the lucky duck and ship a box full o’ shirts on Friday, July 1. The patriotic trivia quiz is just for fun, but you should read the Contest FAQ — it’s your civil duty. Good luck and [deity of your choice] bless America!

UPDATE 7/1: Jonathan Glidden of Ontario CA is a sharp-dressed man — or will be when he gets his box full of shirts. Thanks to all who entered!

If you needed an excuse to go to Las Vegas, here’s a nice perk: there’s going to be a big Guitar Hero event at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino next weekend. And yep, it’s free.

According to the official Guitar Hero Facebook page, Activision and Anheuser-Busch are teaming up to throw the “Be a Hero Weekend” — free gaming, free event, and a free two-night stay at the Hard Rock Hotel for a lucky raffle winner. It’s happening Saturday July 2 & Sunday July 3 from 4pm to 7pm each day.

I can think of worse ways to celebrate the July 4 weekend…!

The dark times are over. PlayStation Network has returned after a long and painful absence. The clouds are parting, the sun is finally peeking through. All suffering on Earth is coming to an end.

Well, maybe that’s a bit much. But it sure is good to have PSN back online, even if it will take a little longer to get to full strength. If ever there was a time for a celebratory PlayStation-related giveaway, it’s now! I’ve got a stack of Activision PS3 games to give away to four lucky winners, and that stack looks uncannily like this:

Four people will win all five games: COD: Black Ops, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Blur, Guitar Hero World Tour, and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

There’s a little something for everyone in there, whether you like your games rated E, T, or M. The phrase “fun for the whole family” applies here. Info on how to win is right after the jump.

To enter, fill out the form below before the end of Monday, May 23rd at 11:59 Pacific time. I will pick the four winners at random on Tuesday the 24th. Full details about how this works, who is eligible, and all that stuff are in my Contest FAQ, so please give it a look. Good luck!

UPDATE 5/24: Winners this time around are Mark Picirilli of Norristown PA; Donal Williams of Essex Junction, VT; Steven Good of Stockton, CA; and Chris Jackson of Norman, OK. Enjoy your games — I threw a few extra goodies in the box because I had some room, so share and enjoy.

Hey, 360 gamers — why so glum, chum? I know, I’ve been giving away a lot of PlayStation 3 loot lately, including that big-ass Time Capsule, not to mention all the PS3 DLC I’m giving out this weekend. (In case you’re wondering, I simply don’t have any 360 codes to give away — sorry.) But I haven’t forgotten about you. I would not have gotten to 10,000 followers on Twitter without the support of the 360 owners out there, and I am very grateful for that. So, this seems like a good time to give away something I have been saving for a special occasion. 10K followers on Twitter counts!

Last year I was able to get my hands on a bundle of Guitar Hero 5 signed by Alice Cooper. He did it in support of the DLC pack of his biggest hits. I never thought I would see more than the one that I was given for my contest, but…lo and behold, there is another.

No More Mr. Nice Guy...except this was nice of him to do, right?

In addition to the signed guitar, you’ll also get Guitar Hero 5 (it’s a guitar bundle), plus I’m adding in five more games just because I have them, and I can:

Superfast cars, superstar hits, and supernatural Nazis

Better still, I also have extra copies of those five bonus games to give out to five runner-up winners. So even if you don’t win the big autographed prize, you might win an instant 360 software library bump.

Again, I actually do feel bad when I can’t give something to everybody, or even every platform’s audience. But I also believe that what comes around goes around, and if one giveaway isn’t to your liking, another very well might be. Hopefully this giveaway is to your liking!

To enter, fill out the form below before the end of Monday, April 25th at 11:59 Pacific time. I will pick the six winners at random on Tuesday the 26th. Full details about how this works, who is eligible, and all that stuff are in my Contest FAQ, so please give it a look. Good luck!

UPDATE 4/26: “School’s Out” is the song Jose Contreras of Marysville, CA says most sums up his life. Now he’s got some extra games to enjoy over summer vacation, along with that lovely autographed guitar.

The five folks who get just the games are Anthony Cambria of Quincy, MA; Brian Villareal of San Diego, CA; Gray Ramirez of Las Vegas, NV; Marty Noblett of Wadsworth, OH; and Matt Langworthy of Pipestone, MN. Thanks for the support!

We’ve got fresh tracks — what are we waiting for? Let’s play Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock on Xbox 360 this week.

RAWK

I’ll be on this Friday April 15 at 6pm PST and I’ll play for about two hours. (Facebook reminder is here.) I’ll probably be on guitar or bass — I can do many guitar parts on Expert, but I actually have a lot more fun playing bass on Expert — and I like co-op or multi-instrument competitive modes. I want to play with as many people as I can in the time allotted, so I’m not really looking for one-on-one headcuttin’ duels. For the same reason, I’d also prefer one-song hit-and-runs rather than “Let’s make an epic 20-song playlist!” thing.

If you want to play, even if my friends list is full (which, despite my better efforts, it often is), just send me an invite — my Gamertag is OneOfSwords. And if you don’t get me right away, don’t panic — I’m playing for two hours.

Guitar Hero II co-op will always foster fond memories

The article is here if you’d like to read it.

T-shirt giveaways have been pretty popular here at OneOfSwords. I always get a lot of positive feedback and plenty of entries when I put together a bundle or geeky threads. Well, I’m back with some more XL shirts for three lucky winners — and thanks to a friend, I’ve got a shirt I’ve never seen before…and will likely never see again.

It’s a nice mix this time. I have some recent hits — Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, GoldenEye 007, DJ Hero 2 — as well as some earlier titles — Guitar Hero III, and the 2600 classic Grand Prix. And I found a stash of the white “Save Cybertron” Transformers shirts that I thought were all gone, so I’m happy to include those as well.

The wrinkles will fade. The designs will not.

The Grand Prix shirt is for when you want to kick it VERY old-school.

But the coup de grace is this shirt, which was donated by a friend who works in the Activision Minnesota office:

Front

Back

I feel pretty confident saying that you will be the only gamer on your block with one of those.

I have three collections of these XL shirts to give away, so if you want to skip laundry for a week or so, fill out the form below before the end of Wednesday, April 20th at 11:59 Pacific time. I will pick the winners at random on Thursday the 21st. Full details about how this works, who is eligible, and all that stuff are in my Contest FAQ, so please give it a look. Now drop and give me twenty.

UPDATE 4/20: Our winners are Justin Kelly of Merriam, KS; [name redacted] TX; and Derek Prim of Saint James, MO. I’ll do more giveaways soon so keep an eye out.

As you know, the final chunk of DLC for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock came out this week. As a franchise, Guitar Hero began on the PlayStation 2, so in honor of that lineage, I’ve got a great PlayStation GH giveaway for one very lucky winner.

Basically, this is like a Guitar Hero time capsule — everything future generations will need to enjoy this game for as long as they like. The prize package includes:

• Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock PS3 “super bundle” (comes with guitar, drums, mic, and GH: WoR)
• Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock PS3 guitar controller — with the battle axe wings and a gig bag
• Guitar Hero 5 guitar bundle (controller and software)
• PS3 copies of Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Guitar Hero: Van Halen, and Band Hero
• DLC codes for a whopping 32 DLC Track Packs (and three singles)
• A Guitar Hero World Tour drum throne
• Two sets of Zidjian Travis Barker drumsticks (black and white)
• A leather KISS Destroyer guitar strap
• PS3 GH controller faceplates for GH Metallica and GH Van Halen
• Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock 2GB USB flash drive
• A Guitar Hero baseball cap
• A Guitar Hero action figure by McFarlane toys (I’ve got an assortment, so you’ll get a random one)
• A Guitar Hero rechargable battery kit (with extra batteries)
• Guitar Hero II poster and strategy guide
• GH keychain

And to top it all off…

• A brand-new PlayStation 3 (160GB Slim) so you can play it all!

Here are photos of some but not all of the items in the giveaway:

A full GH Warriors of Rock band bundle, with software

Guitar Hero 5 guitar bundle

And one of the WoR controllers, plus a bag and the KISS strap

A new 160GB PS3, plus GHWT, GHSH, GHVH, and BH

Recharge kit, cap, and 2GB USB drive

GHWT drum throne, Travis Barker sticks, and toys!

VH and Metallica faceplates for the guitars

I’m not taking a picture of the DLC codes for obvious reasons — they will be for the winner’s eyes only.

And that might not be all. I am still finding things, and whatever I can put in this package to the winner, I will. For instance, whatever GH shirts I can find in your size (specify M, L, XL or XXL when you enter), I will throw in. So who knows what else will turn up before the deadline? All the stuff above is the minimum you’ll get. Think of any extra swag as a bonus.

But that’s not all! Ten runners-up will get:

• PlayStation 3 copies of GH5, GHWT, and GHVH
• A GH hat
• A McFarlane GH action figure (random)
• A set of Travis Barker drumsticks (black or white)
• Rechargable battery kit
• A WoR 2GB USB flash drive
• …and some of that random swag that is still turning up — keychains, wristbands, shirts, whatever I can find.

These are all the North American copies of the games, and due to shipping and customs issues (this is going to be a whopper) I’m calling this one for US-only. If you want to win, fill out the form below before the end of Monday, April 18th at 11:59 Pacific time. I will pick the winners at random on Tuesday the 19th. Full details about how this works, who is eligible, and all that stuff are in my Contest FAQ, so please give it a look.

Good luck — and thank you for years of supporting Guitar Hero!

UPDATE 1: Some people have asked if they can enter more than once. I’d ask that you not; it’s a random draw via random.org. Also, some folks have asked if this is the big 10,000-followers-on-Twitter giveaway — it’s not, I’m working on that now, and I hope it will be ready by the time I hit that milestone. If you want to speed it along, just follow twitter.com/oneofswords.

UPDATE 4/19: Over 3000 entries later, we have a winner — Jeremy Moran from Fort Worth, Texas. Yee haw! It will take a little while to get all this stuff to you, but expect multiple packages next week!

The runners-up will also get their packages next week, and they are:

• Mitch Matthews, Hanover Township PA
• Jesse Kellogg, Somonauk IL
• Nathan Foster, Hammond IN
• Justin LaFleche-Tomlin, Spencer MA
• Dan Pipiras, Germantown WI
• Rafael Pena, Lutz FL
• Joshua Visconti, Suffolk VA
• Joe Chambers, Bothell WA
• Ambronique Thomas, Brooklyn NY
• Michael Tolly, Oregon WI

Thanks to everyone who entered — watch for more giveaways, like, all the time.

Today the last of the announced Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock downloadable tracks go on sale for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii. There are ten tracks, but they’re organized into three different Track Packs.

The Emo Edge Track Pack includes tracks from two bands:

• Paramore – “Ignorance”
• Paramore – “That’s What You Get”
• Madina Lake – “Across 5 Oceans”
• Madina Lake – “Hey Superstar”

The Emo Edge Track Pack is 600 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360, $7.49 for PlayStation 3, or 750 Wii Points. You can buy the songs as singles for 160 MS Points/$1.99/200 Wii Points each.

The Middle Class Rut Track Pack includes three tracks from the Sacramento alt-rockers, Middle Class Rut:

• “Lifelong Dayshift”
• “New Low”
• “Sad to Know”

The Middle Class Rut Track Pack is 440 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360, $5.49 for PlayStation 3, or 550 Wii Points. You can buy the songs as singles for 160 MS Points/$1.99/200 Wii Points each.

The Darkest Hour Track Pack contains three tracks by the melodic death metal band Darkest Hour:

• “Beyond the Life You Know”
• “Doomsayer (The Beginning of the End)”
• “Savor the Kill”

The Darkest Hour Track Pack is 440 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360 or $5.49 for PlayStation 3. You can buy the songs as singles for 160 MS Points/$1.99 each. In other words, this one’s not on Wii.

Rock, as always, on.

We did XL. We did L. Now it’s time for M. If you wear a Medium t-shirt, this is the giveaway for you.

I’ve got six shirts: COD Black Ops, Singularity, Tony Hawk: Shred, and three variations on Guitar Hero. One Medium-sized winner gets ‘em all.

The TMD illustration is the back of the Singularity shirt

Lou from GHIII, the WoR logo, and the Dickies work shirt says "Event Staff" on the back

See? Told you.

Wanna win? Of course you do. Fill out the form before the end of Monday, April11th at 11:59 Pacific time, because I’m picking the winner at random on Tuesday the 12th. If you haven’t read my Contest FAQ, you might want to give it a look, since it has some useful info. Good luck!

UPDATE 4/12: Our winner — Brad Perry of Yukon, OK — admits that his mom still does his laundry. Doh! Sorry for giving you more work, mom!

I know if everybody could go to PAX East, they would, but you can’t for any number of reasons. That’s why, with some help from the staffers at PAX East, I was able to record the panel I moderated this morning. Here’s the audio straight off the sound board, and since there were no visual aids, you really are not missing anything — it was just a deep conversation with a great cross-section of leaders from three different studios. We talked about how Singularity was pitched to Activision, Star Wars geeks, how Activision works with the studios without cramping their style, a really bad fishing pun, zebras on fire, what Vicarious Visions is working on now, and the warm loving arms of Bobby Kotick. Here’s the official description of the panel:

Owned but Independent: Running a Studio at Activision

How do you make gamers happy, make your development team happy, AND make your corporate parent company happy all at the same time? Somehow, the people on this panel have found a way. Join our panelists as they explain what life is really like working with the world’s biggest gaming software publisher. Dan “One of Swords” Amrich moderates.

Panelists include: Peter Della Penna [Studio Head, High Moon Studios], Eric Biessman [Senior Project Lead, Raven Software], Jennifer O’Neal [Executive Producer, Vicarious Visions], Dan Amrich [Social Media Manager, Activision]

No music, nothin’ fancy on the production this time — this is just what was heard by the attendees. Hope you enjoy hearing it — wish you were here!

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Or use the links below to listen in the browser or download direct.

Last week I was able to confirm Guitar Hero DLC for March as well as April. Today, the March content has arrived. The Modern Rock Mega Pack features nine songs from some big-name artists you will probably recognize:

• “Sorrow” by Bad Religion
• “Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades” by Brand New
• “She’s A Genius” by Jet
• “Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse
• “Psycho” by Puddle Of Mudd
• “Little Sister” by Queens Of The Stone Age
• “Always” by Saliva
• “Hands Open” by Snow Patrol
• “Headstrong” by Trapt

If you want everything in one package, it’s 1320 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live, $16.49 in the PlayStation Store, or 1650 Wii Points. If you prefer to pick and choose, you can download just the tracks you want for 160 MS Points/$1.99/200 Wii Points each. As with all DLC released since late September, these tracks are only compatible with GH:WoR. And if you’re on Xbox 360, the Guitar Hero VIP Pass dashboard app is free and makes browsing for new music a heck of a lot easier.

In celebration of the new DLC, I’m giving away 200 copies of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, each with the new guitar controller. So if you like what you see here but don’t have the game…you might score a freebie if you enter. You only have until next week, though, ’cause then I’m giving them all away.

Rock, as always, on.

Change can be confusing. When Activision decided to give Guitar Hero a well-deserved vacation, people asked if there would still be DLC. Based on some comments from the executives, I thought there would be, then double checked and found there would not be. Then last week, the Twitter feeds and Facebook pages for both Guitar Hero and DJ Hero said there would be. Like I said, change can be confusing.

But now we have some clarity: I can confirm that there will be DLC for both Guitar Hero and DJ Hero in both March and April. As you might expect, there were some track packs already in the works, and rather than abandon them, they’re being finished up and will be issued over the next two months. Let’s call it an encore – and a thank-you to the fans for your support (Guitar Hero hit 3 million Likes on Facebook – and everybody involved in making GH really appreciates the love).

There’s still some info to be announced – exactly when this content will be released, which songs and artists will be included, prices, all that stuff – but right now, I’m happy to at least confirm the existence and a rough schedule.

I’ve also got a heck of a Guitar Hero giveaway to celebrate the news…just click through for the details.

If you’ve already picked up Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, you’ll be able to play the upcoming DLC. If not…I might be able to hook you up.

I have 100 PlayStation 3 GH: WoR guitar bundles and 100 Xbox 360 GH:WoR guitar bundles to give away. The bundle contains the full GH: Warriors of Rock game disc on PS3 or Xbox 360, and one of the new WoR wireless guitar controllers to go with it (like the one on the right). Since these are North American versions of the game, this particular giveaway is only open to gamers in the US, Canada, and Mexico. And I’m not even going to make you answer trivia questions (though I was sorely tempted) — all you have to do is ask for one below before March 15 at 11:59 Pacific time. After that, I start pickin’ winners.

Fill out the form completely (one entry per person please), check the contest FAQ if you’d like more info, and cross your fingers – if your entry is randomly selected, you’ll get a nice package after the contest ends. (If you are so inclined, I wouldn’t mind a little Twitter and Facebook love after you enter — I usually announce the latest giveaways there anyway.)

Good luck and thanks for supporting Guitar Hero.

UPDATE 3/16: Happy birthday to GH player/in-game star Wolfgang Van Halen…and congratulations to our 200 winners. I have sorted them by region, with Canada and Mexico after the US states.

Here are the Xbox 360 winners:

And here are the PlayStation 3 winners:

Thank you for entering and I hope you enjoy the game! I generally announce new contests on Twitter and Facebook so follow/Like/keep them in your bookmarks from now on.

This past week was unprecedented — a stunning amount of Activision news broke, and on this show, we pick up the pieces. Kat and I analyze Activision’s internal transformation, GH’s extended vacation, True Crime: Hong Kong’s cancellation, Spyro’s revitalization, Beachhead’s “in-game integration,” Bizarre’s evaporation, Black Ops’ British nomination, Bumblebee’s stealthy hybridization, and a release date for First Strike DLC on — wait for it — Sony PlayStation. Dan also reveals the worst 16-bit games he ever reviewed, while Kat tries to determine the difference between fantasy novels and pornography.

Get the podcast on iTunes
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Or use the links below to listen in the browser or download direct.

More info after the jump…

Co-host: Katrin Auch, light gun enthusiast, graphic designer, bassist, photographer, table refinisher, media maven, frame painter, videographer, and inventor of Headshotmas

Soundtrack: Yameen – available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and all online music stores

Relevant show links:

I have come to believe that every gamer loves three things: extra lives, saving princesses, and free t-shirts. (Maybe not even in that order.) So, in the spirit of the XL laundry-avoidance giveaway from a few months ago, I have a half-dozen promotional gaming shirts in the same size — Large — and they could be yours. They look amazingly like this: 

COD: Black Ops, GoldenEye, and Transformers

Singularity, Tony Hawk: Shred, and GH: Aerosmith

All shirts are size Large and all shirts are unworn…but if you want some of those, hey, I’m happy to clean out my dresser. By the way, the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith shirt is a 3/4 baseball jersey, the blue one is Singularity (I showed the back with the TMD illustrations because it was cool; the front is the logo in white across the chest), and I think that’s the last of the eco-friendly Cybertron t-shirts in my stash.

How easy is it to win all six shirts? Too easy. Send an email (one per person, please) to freestuff@oneofswords.com with the subject line “L Shirts” before Thursday, February 24th at 11:59 Pacific time and I will pick the winner at random on Friday the 25th. Please include your name, address, and phone number (just for FedEx if something gets lost). Full details about how this works, who is eligible, and all that stuff are in my Contest FAQ, so please give it a look.

Good luck!

UPDATE 2/25: Congratulations to Luis Roldan of Summerfield, Florida, who was just chosen by random.org as the lucky random winner. Judging from the amount of entries, this is a popular giveaway, so I will look to do more of these kinds of giveaways as I get more shirts in!

I browsed through the previous Playing With Swords events and realized I hadn’t done a PlayStation 3 Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock session. I really thought I had! So let’s make that happen this Friday night, especially with the February Mega Pack out today.

Guitar, drums, bass, vocals...the choice is yours, and in any combination

Let’s get rockin’ on the PlayStation Network Friday February 11 at 6pm PST and I’ll play for about two hours. (Facebook reminder is here.) I’ll probably be on guitar or bass — I can do many guitar parts on Expert, but I actually have a lot more fun playing bass on Expert — and I like co-op or multi-instrument competitive modes. I want to play with as many people as I can in the time allotted, so I’m not really looking for one-on-one headcuttin’ duels. For the same reason, I’d also prefer one-song hit-and-runs rather than “Let’s make an epic 20-song playlist!” thing.

If you want to play, even if my friends list is full (which, despite my better efforts, it often is), just send me an invite — my PSN ID is OneOfSwords.

Fantastic month for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock DLC if you’re into metal. A new track from Children of Bodom’s upcoming album, two of Ozzy’s guitarists, and some disturbing Marilyn Manson for good measure, all at once? That doesn’t suck.

• Children of Bodom – “Blooddrunk”
• Children of Bodom – “Living Dead Beat”
• Children of Bodom – “Was It Worth It”
• Black Label Society – “Black Sunday”
• Black Label Society – “Crazy Horse”
• Black Label Society – “Parade of the Dead”
• Firewind – “World on Fire”
• Marilyn Manson – “Coma White”
• Marilyn Manson – “Get Your Gunn”
• Marilyn Manson – ”Tourniquet”

For those who don’t follow the members of Ozzy Osbourne’s extended musical family: ex-Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde is in Black Label Society, and current Ozzy guitarist Gus G is in Firewind. Prepare your fingers now — they are both excellent players and I would expect the challenge on these tracks to be high. And “Was It Worth It” will appear on Children of Bodom’s next album, Relentless Reckless Forever, but that won’t hit stores until March 8.

If you want everything in one package, it’s 1440 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live, $17.99 in the PlayStation Store, or 1800 Wii Points. If you prefer to pick and choose, you can download just the tracks you want for 160 MS Points/$1.99/200 Wii Points each. As with all DLC released since late September, these tracks are only compatible with GH:WoR. And if you’re on Xbox 360, the Guitar Hero VIP Pass dashboard app is free and makes browsing for new music a heck of a lot easier.

UPDATE: Hey, a video!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Rock, as always, on.

The coolest thing you will see — or maybe have seen, the net moves pretty fast — this month is Fire Hero, which is kind of what it sounds like: Guitar Hero plus FIRE!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fire Hero is the brainchild of Chris Marion, who took the project from dream to reality in a week. As he describes it: “Simply interface a Guitar Hero controller to a microcontroller that would power some relays which would in turn fire off solenoid valves on five individual fire poofers!” Easy!

Naturally, this is not something you should do at home, but damn, it’s awesome to watch. And he’s talking about improvements for Fire Hero 2.0, including color flames and…Star Power!

There are more videos, photos, and a complete story of how Fire Hero came to be over at Chris’s site. Go, but keep a safe distance. (Thanks to @Toymasheensh and @GuitarHero for the tip.)

If you missed the news, there’s a huge honkin’ collection of new tracks for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock this month, offering many artists. Two of those artists — A Day to Remember and The Damned Things — sent some swag to the Guitar Hero team, and the GH team gave it to me…and I’m giving it to you, of course!

I have a signed poster from A Day To Remember, a copy of ADTR’s new CD What Separates Me From You, and a copy of The Damned Things’ new CD, Ironoclast.

If you see these band names and go “Who?” then maybe this giveaway isn’t for you, but here’s a little background: A Day to Remember is an up-and-coming rock band from Florida that blends pop-punk and hardcore. Meanwhile, The Damned Things is a collaboration between members of Fall Out Boy and Anthrax. Yes, that got my attention too. Both bands are in the January Mega Pack of GH DLC, and that’s how I got the goods.

To top it all off, I’ve got a pair of the rare GHWoR battle axe wings which you can swap with the stock wings on the WoR controller.  These were only available as a preorder through GameStop, and as such, there’s not a big pile of them lying around here at Activision. In fact, this is the first pair I’ve been given for a contest. I’m not giving away a full guitar, sorry — just the axe wings.

You supply the guitar -- I'm just sending you the axe wings.

Fans will really appreciate this stuff, so I hope a fan wins. And to win, just send me an email with an answer to this question:

On January 11, 2011, A Day to Remember made their television debut on whose late-night show?

Please do not post your answer in the comments below. Instead, send your answer in an email (one per person, please) to freestuff@oneofswords.com with the subject line “Damned ADTR” before Thursday, January 27th at 11:59 Pacific time and I will pick 10 winners at random on Friday, January 28. In addition to your trivia answer, please include your name, address, your choice of Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3 (for the faceplate), and your phone number (just for FedEx if something gets lost). Full details about how this works, who is eligible, and all that stuff are in my Contest FAQ, so please give it a look.

Good luck!

UPDATE 11/28: Our winner is Travis Balke of Festus MO, who knew the answer was Jimmy Kimmel. Congrats, the package goes out today!

Guitar Hero has not been nominated for a Grammy — but it does get a little reflected glory out of the awards this year. Megadeth’s “Sudden Death,” which was written and recorded for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, has been nominated for Best Metal Performance, and that song wouldn’t exist were it not for GH. Soundgarden’s “Black Rain” was also nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance; that song debuted in WoR and on Soundgarden’s Telephantasm simultaneously (and that album was included in copies of the game). So both songs legitimately share some DNA with Guitar Hero — it’s good news all around.

To celebrate the noms, any and all fans who join the official Guitar Hero Facebook page — cleverly located at http://facebook.com/guitarhero — will be able to download an MP3 of “Black Rain” for free this weekend. The giveaway will begin Friday, January 14, 2011, at 12:01 am EST (or very very late Thursday, if you’re a night owl) and end Sunday, January 16, 2011, at 11:59 pm EST. Full info will be on the Facebook page tomorrow.

Last week, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson teased that there would be a sizable sale on Activision content this week, “including Call of Duty Map Packs, Guitar Hero Add-ons, popular Arcade titles and more!” He has now made good on that tease. The sale starts today, and he was right — it’s a doozy. All of the following content is 50% off until Monday January 17th. The MS Points values listed are the sale prices, which are valid immediately:

XBLA & Games On Demand
Arkadian Warriors – 400 MS Points
Assault Heroes – 200 MS Points
Assault Heroes 2 – 400 MS Points
Carcassonne – 400 MS Points
Golf: Tee It Up! – 400 MS Points
Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex – 600 MS Points
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning – 600 MS Points

Call of Duty
Call of Duty 2 Invasion Map Pack – 400 MS Points
Call of Duty 2 Skirmish Map Pack – 200 MS Points
Call of Duty 3 Bravo Map Pack – 200 MS Points
Call of Duty 3 Valor Map Pack – 200 MS Points
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack – 400 MS Points
Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1 – 400 MS Points
Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 2 – 400 MS Points
Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 3 – 400 MS Points
Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack Bundle (all three WaW Map Packs) – 1000 Points

DJ Hero (also works with DJ Hero 2 with this free download)
David Guetta Mix Pack 1 – 320 MS Points
Jay-Z vs. Eminem Mix Pack – 320 MS Points

DJ Hero 2
Electro Hits Mix Pack – 320 MS Points
Hit Makers Mix Pack – 320 MS Points

Guitar Hero 5 (also works with Band Hero and GH: Warriors of Rock)
Avenged Sevenfold Track Pack – 220 MS Points
Disturbed Track Pack – 220 MS Points
Fall Out Boy Track Pack – 220 MS Points
Megadeth Track Pack – 220 MS Points
Rock 1 Track Pack – 440 MS Points

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Pack 1 – 800 MS Points
Linkin Park Track Pack – 480 MS Points
My Chemical Romance Track Pack – 300 MS Points
Rocky Horror Picture Show Track Pack – 220 MS Points
Soundgarden “Telephantasm” Album – 720 MS Points

Transformers: War for Cybertron
Map and Character Pack #1 – 400 MS Points
Map and Character Pack #2 – 400 MS Points

The half-off sale is just this week, January 11 through January 17 — so if you see something you like, well, they’re not going to run out of of stock, but you will eventually run out of time, so don’t ponder too long. The gaps in your collection aren’t going to fill themselves.

Ten songs at once? Yep. The January Mega Pack for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock features an assortment of songs from various artists, in luxurious alphabetical order:

• The Damned Things – “We’ve Got a Situation Here”
• A Day To Remember – “2nd Sucks”
• A Day To Remember – “All I Want”
• A Day To Remember – “The Downfall of Us All”
• Hawthorne Heights – “Rescue Me”
• HIM – “Wings of a Butterfly”
• Nine Inch Nails – “Closer”
• Nine Inch Nails – “The Hand That Feeds”
• Nine Inch Nails – “Head Like a Hole”
• The Used – “Buried Myself Alive”

If you want everything, it’s 1440 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live, $17.99 in the PlayStation Store, or 1800 Wii Points. If you prefer to pick and choose, you can download just the tracks you want for 160 MS Points/$1.99/200 Wii Points each. As with all DLC released since late September, these tracks are only compatible with GH:WoR. And if you’re on Xbox 360, the Guitar Hero VIP Pass dashboard app is free and makes browsing for new music a heck of a lot easier.

It’s my understanding that GH DLC will be on this schedule until further notice — a big chunk, once a month (hence the title “January Mega Pack”). So grab what looks good to you, work on those Star Challenges, and check back to see what’s new in February.

If you’ve got some holiday money burning a hole in your pocket, I’ve got some good news — the official prices on Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and DJ Hero 2 just went down.

As of today, GH: WoR is now $49.99 for the game alone (down $10), $79.99 for the guitar bundle (down $20) and $159.99 for the guitar/drums/mic super bundle (down $20). Likewise, DJ Hero 2 is $10 less at $49.99 for the standalone software and knocks $20 off the turntable bundle, which is now just $59.99. If you choose to look at it that way, is like buying the software at its original price and getting the turntable free. I choose to look at it that way. :)

Those prices are updated now, on all platforms, at all retailers. W00t.

Also on 360 and Wii, of course -- same nice price

You strike me as the kind of person who can handle responsibility. The kind of person who can be trusted with the well-being of others, the safety of your fellow man, maybe even entrusted with running…an event. You’re the person other people go to when they want things done and done right. You know it. I think you can handle being…Event Staff.

I have ten of these brand-new Dickies work shirts to give away in size XL, each embroidered with the Guitar Hero logo on the front and EVENT STAFF emblazoned on the back. And since I’m sending out boxes anyway, why not fill them with more stuff? I’ll include a Wii or 360/PS3 guitar faceplate (you tell me the console or it’s my choice/whatever I have more of) which fits on GHWT, GH5, or BH guitars. I’ll also throw in a flame-motif GH guitar strap so you can finally get rid of that nasty inch-wide thing they ship with the controller.

You wanna win? Of course you do — who wouldn’t want to be Event Staff? Just tell me where this quote is from:

“You know where loyalty gets you in a game like Guitar Hero? Nowheres.
Just listen to that video crowd. I haven’t heard a video crowd go that wild in a long time. You’ve got a chance to score a million points,
and I hate to see you throw it away because you’re worried about your friend’s feelings.”

Please do not post your answer in the comments below. Instead, send your answer in an email (one per person, please) to freestuff@oneofswords.com with the subject line “GH Event” before Thursday, January 13th at 11:59 Pacific time and I will pick 10 winners at random on Friday, January 14. In addition to your trivia answer, please include your name, address, your choice of Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3 (for the faceplate), and your phone number (just for FedEx if something gets lost). Full details about how this works, who is eligible, and all that stuff are in my Contest FAQ, so please give it a look.

Own your destiny of being Event Staff. The world is counting on you to shoulder that responsibility. Good luck.

UPDATE 1/14: We have winners! All the following people recognized that quote from the South Park episode, “Guitar Queer-O”:

Cameron Arruda, Bowling Green OH – 360
Bryan Ellis, Austin TX – 360
Erik Naville, Floyds Knobs IN – 360
Leo Storti, Miami FL – 360
Aaron Ofengender, Indianapolis IN – PS3
Joe Ayers, Wichita KS – 360
Charles Budde, Canton OH – PS3
Jon Borgetti, Dyer IN – 360
Dan Greco, Franklin Square NY – 360
Amy Nelson, Bismarck ND – PS3

No Wii winners — go figure. Oh well, we’ll save those faceplates for another giveaway.  :)

I am on vacation, but the giveaways are not! Thanks to the Guitar Hero team, I have set up a PS3 Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock DLC giveaway featuring some of the recent packs and imports. Follow my Twitter feed; between December 26 and December 31, I’ll be posting clues to DLC codes, and the first person who figures out the full code and enters it at the PlayStation Store wins. The structure of the clues and codes is the same that I used for the big Guitar Hero 400 giveaway earlier in the year. See that post for the format.

The codes are for the Soundgarden Telephantasm album, the Linkin Park Track Pack, the Rocky Horror Picture Show Track Pack, the Rock 1 Track Pack, and the GH Metallica import. I have between three and four of each code to give away. You can redeem these codes either by typing them in to the “Redeem Code” section of the PlayStation Store on your PS3 console, or via the web if you log in and access the Account Management screen at PlayStation.com.

The codes are only good in the US PlayStation Store and they will appear at various times starting at 10am Pacific on December 26; the last code will be released on December 31 at 5pm Pacific. I figure everybody has better things to do after that, myself included!

For any other questions, refer to the giveaway FAQ. Good luck and happy holidays!