If you guessed that I was alluding to the imminent Aliens vs. Predator user-generated event that is set to occur in PlayStation Home’s Central Plaza between the hours of 6:00pm and 8:00pm PT (9:00pm and 11:00pm EST) tonight (Wednesday, April 7) then that’s because you’ve likely been reading the official PlayStation Home forums and have witnessed firsthand the high level of anticipation building in our community about this momentous occasion. “Momentous” because it is Aliens vs. Predator. “Momentous” because this event is organized and run solely by our community members. So come out tonight and “Dance for Your Species.” In the meantime, you can use these forum sigs to show your support for whichever side you are on (please pass along to your family, friends, and co-workers –- we expect to see your Aunt, your middle school sweetheart, and that guy from Accounts Receivable in full on Alien or Predator regalia).

In terms of other huge events for the PlayStation Home community, we will be airing the Season Finale of The Tester in the PlayStation Home Theater come this Thursday, April 8 starting at 3:00pm PT/ 6:00pm EST. Come out and see who will be crowned the winner as the first season of the wildly-popular PlayStation Network exclusive reality show culminates (and pick up the special virtual items that commemorate this landmark event in PlayStation Network original programming history, like this wearable guitar for your avatar).

This week sees the Irem Festival Square getting another update, with a load of virtual items and a new mini-game called the Goldfish Vendor (complete with some excellent rewards). You’ll also find a grip of Ancient Greek virtual items in the Furniture store in the PlayStation Home Mall as well as some new footwear for the ladies courtesy of our friends over at Lockwood Publishing.

Last, but certainly not least, the PlayStation Store’s ongoing “Spring Fever” sale continues this week, with those of you that happen to purchase one of the many games listed on sale getting a voucher code good for pieces of the Spring Bumblebee and Spring Flower costumes. Be sure to take advantage of these great deals and complete your collection with these uber-limited costumes.

See you in Home!

This isn’t the premise of some as-of-yet unannounced Assassin’s Creed II DLC pack; this is what you can expect to encounter in the new Assassin’s Creed game space, launching this week in PlayStation Home. Packed with heaps of interactive content – including a multiplayer tower defense game that pits Assassins against Templars – the Assassin’s Creed space marks this highly-celebrated franchise’s next foray into the ever-evolving world of PlayStation Home. And it is coming at you this Thursday, complete with regularly-updating Developer’s Blogs, concept art, the Animus 2.0 database, the full Assassin’s Creed: Lineage short film, and all the other content that die-hard Assassin’s Creed fans simply can’t miss out on. Your friends here on the PlayStation Home Community Management team donned our own assassin’s threads over the weekend and managed to snag some images, which we’ve posted below for your convenience.

By popular demand, we will be releasing a load of Aliens vs. Predator items in PlayStation Home this week. We’re talking full Predator costumes, full Alien costumes, Facehuggers stuffed in stasis tubes, and more. But there’s a catch: These highly-coveted items will only be available for purchase for a limited time only in the PlayStation Home Exclusives store, after which they will be pulled off the shelves forever. So do yourself a favor and log in to PlayStation Home this Thursday and stock up on these super-sweet items while you still have a chance. Because ol’ Locust_Star ain’t going to be patting you on the head if you’re boohooing because you forgot to set your alarm clock and missed out on what he is pretty sure are some of the coolest items ever to be released on the PlayStation Home platform. Consider it a fair warning.

We’re opening the doors to the uber-exclusive SingStar VIP room tomorrow, March 25 and loading the music player up with tracks from the critically-acclaimed Welsh rock band Stereophonics (they of such hit songs as “Superman” and “The Bartender and the Thief”). Be sure to come out to the SingStar VIP Room to pick up exclusive Stereophonics virtual items, listen to a handful of Stereophonics tracks, and play the limited-time-only Stereophonics SingStar Quiz.

Also releasing this week in PlayStation Home are two new additions to our line of luxury personal spaces. Situated on the Nile River, the Pharaoh’s Tomb is a step back in time to when the rays of Ra shone upon the Egyptian sands and the age of Horus was a few millennia removed from the dynasties of Ramesses, which reigned supreme across the land. A must-have for history buffs and PlayStation Home completists alike, the Pharaoh’s Tomb releases this Thursday, March 25th, along with the Anime personal space (a penthouse headquarters perched atop a Tokyo high-rise circa 2050). Check out the pics below for a taste of what to expect from these awesome new personal spaces.

We’re placing bets on who gets the boot next on the upcoming episode of The Tester. In anticipation of what is sure to be a real fingernail-biter, we are once again bringing out two cast members – Big D and Nauseous – to chat with you, the PlayStation Home community. So come out to The Tester screen in the PlayStation Home Theater tonight from 6:00pm – 7:00pm PT (9:00pm – 10:00pm EST) to meet two of the most popular cast members of this hit PlayStation Network exclusive reality show. And be sure to check out Episode 6 of The Tester, which will air in the PlayStation Home Theater starting this Thursday. As always, we’ll be offering commemorative The Tester virtual items, such as this Big D Teddy Bear.

Last but certainly not least, Irem will be adding a ton of new content to the Irem Seaside of Memories space, at the request of you, the PlayStation Home community – from new rewards in the Deep Sea Treasure Hunt mini-game to a bunch of fashionable beachwear.

See you in Home!

*And literally as I’m typing this, we just received word that an AvP online multiplayer demo is hitting the PlayStation Store tomorrow! So at around the 6:00 mark in the video when Tim mentions the demo, add your own mental voiceover with Thursday, Feb. 4. The demo will feature Deathmatch mode in the Refinery map, and will allow all three species to battle it out online.

What you probably didn’t know is that earlier in the week, I sat down to a solid two hours of multiplayer inside SEGA HQ, taking a shot at each of three species: human and alien primarily, with a short stint as a Predator. Going in fresh (I hadn’t seen the game in action), I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of actual multiplayer gameplay, but I knew the competitive mode would most likely vary depending on what character I chose. My first instinct was to draw Marine (hard to turn down a gun), but instead I went alien. Feeling overwhelmed by a short controls brief, I quickly settled down and learned some alien-specific moves that turned out to be incredibly devastating, including a lightning-fast lock-on “pounce” maneuver and a deadly stealth attack. It seems you really get the most out of playing as an alien if you stick to the walls and ceilings, and virtually out of other species’ sight.

As a Marine, firepower is your main offense/defense, and a handy sprint helps keep you out of harm’s way. I really enjoyed Alien Infestation, a mode where every player starts as a Marine, and soon after, one randomly selected player becomes an Alien. From there it’s only a matter of time before another Marine is killed by an alien, thus re-spawning as alien. And this continues until there’s one Marine left standing…and then it’s only a matter of time.

I think Rebellion’s done a great job of balancing the multiplayer gameplay, and the sense of Marine claustrophobia is a nice nod to the films. Can’t wait to jump into the single-player campaign when AvP releases on February 16.