Meet Ezio, the dashing hero of the Italian Renaissance in Assassin’s Creed II as he embarks on a quest to avenge his fallen family members and uncover a despicable plot that threatens to plunge all of Italy into chaos! Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood picks up immediately following the events of AC2, and follows Ezio as he delves deep into the heart of corruption in Rome, and rises to a position of prominence and leadership in the Brotherhood. In Assassin’s Creed Revelations, Ezio has become an older, wiser leader of the Assassins… his path will lead him to exotic Constantinople in search of truth, but will he find it within the ancient homelands of the Assassins?

With Assassin’s Creed III primed to launch on October 30, follow up the biggest game of the season with a little background on another legendary Master Assassin: Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Where do you think Connor, our newest hero, learned all of his moves?

Starting tomorrow, head into the PlayStation Store to cast your vote for your favorite games in nine of the 10 categories and receive a free Gamers’ Choice Awards XMB theme for each vote cast. New this year, you can also cast your vote online in one special community category, Best PSN Indie, and you’ll receive a voucher code to be redeemed in the PlayStation Store for a free exclusive XMB theme. Your votes exclusively pick the winners in every category, and your award winners go on sale.

Don’t go too far because the winning games in each category will be announced right here on the PlayStation Blog in just one week–on March 6, 2012–and that same day, the winning game in each category will be discounted 30% in the PlayStation Store for one week, with a special 50% discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Drum roll, please! The 2012 nominees for PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards are:

Best PSN Exclusive:

• inFAMOUS Festival of Blood (PS3)
• PixelJunk Shooter 2 (PS3)
• TETRIS (PS3)

Best PSN Game:

• inFAMOUS Festival of Blood (PS3)
• Plants vs. Zombies (PS3)
• Resident Evil 4 (PS3)

Best PSN Game Playable Online:

• Hard Corps: Uprising (PS3)
• Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition (PS3)
• TETRIS (PS3)

Best PS3 Full Game:

• Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (PS3)
• Assassin’s Creed II: Deluxe Edition (PS3)
• Midnight Club LA Complete Edition (PS3)

Best PlayStation Move Game:

• 4Elements HD (PS3)
• Dungeon Defenders (PS3)
• Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (PS3)

Best 3D Game:

• Dungeon Defenders (PS3)
• God of War: Origins Collection (PS3)
• The Sly Collection (PS3)

Best PSone Classic:

• Chrono Trigger (PS3/PSP)
• Parasite Eve (PS3/PSP)
• Xenogears (PS3/PSP)

Best Mini Game:

• Angry Birds (PS3/PSP)
• The Impossible Game (PS3/PSP)
• PAC-MAN Championship Edition (PS3/PSP)

Best PSP Game:

• DISSIDIA 012 [duodecim] FINAL FANTASY (PSP)
• DISSIDIA 012 Prologus FINAL FANTASY (PSP)
• TACTICS OGRE: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)

PlayStation Community Award – Best Indie:

• Dungeon Defenders (PS3)
• LIMBO (PS3)
• PixelJunk Shooter 2 (PS3)

Don’t forget to head into PlayStation Store tomorrow to cast your vote. You decide the best of PSN, so make your voice heard!

By popular demand, Ubisoft will be releasing another installment in the long line of Assassin’s Creed content in PlayStation Home this week. Finally you’ll be able to add an Assassin’s Creed II personal space (along with an assortment of ornate furniture items) to your collection. This gorgeous personal space transports its inhabitants to the water-lined “streets” of 15th Century Venice, and will be available in the Estates store come this Thursday, April 29th.

Attn: Anime fans. We will be airing a full-length episode of Fullmetal Alchemist this week. Head to the PlayStation Home Theater this weekend and watch as Edward and Alphonse search for a rumored stone that could amplify their alchemy and restore their broken bodies.

In other news, when you visit the Central Plaza kiosk this Thursday to pick up some of the latest and greatest goods for sale in PlayStation Home, you’ll notice three new icons that denote the category of content available for purchase. First is the “New” tile, which contains new virtual items published in any given week. Second is the “Featured” tile, which includes a diverse array of some of our most popular items. Lastly, we’ve created a “Community” tile, which includes some of the items we’ve created for you based upon direct feedback from our users over at the official PlayStation Home forums. This “Community” tile will be populated over the course of the coming months with new and legacy content — we appreciate your patience as we wade through the thousands of items created over the course of the last 15 months at the best of our most loyal and vocal community members (there are a LOT of items to choose from, that’s for sure!)

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!

First up is VEEMEE’s London Pub personal space. This cozy watering hole is situated on the banks of the river Thames – not far from the Houses of Parliament – and is appropriately outfitted with a multi-player darts game that is sure to attract all the party animals on your friend’s list. Priced at $5.99 (less than a real-world round of beverages for your buddies), the London Pub has all the amenities to ensure that an appropriate party vibe flows freely at all time – from the humorous taps to the ever-kindling fireplace. Peep the pics below for a peek at this hot new personal space.

I don’t know about you all, but my calendar has been cleared for quite some time for the release of the Assassin’s Creed 2 “Battle of Forli” DLC, dropping this Thursday, January 28 on the PlayStation Network. In fact, the only thing that has me more stoked than the prospect of seeing the Caterina Sforza storyline play out is the new Ezio costume (available for both your in-game character and AND your in-world avatar), which will be released in PlayStation Home in tandem with the DLC launch this week. This super-limited costume will only be available for one month and then it will be pulled off the shelves forever. So check out the pics below and then head to the PlayStation Home Mall this Thursday to pick yours up before time runs out.

On that note, those of you that took advantage of the opportunity to pre-order BioShock 2 from Amazon.com will be able to unlock the Big Daddy costume in PlayStation Home. So rad. You all are going to be the envy of Central Plaza on February 9 when BioShock 2 releases and we start playing the game like mad during our Featured Game parties.

Speaking of Featured Games: As you all know, the next level in multi-player shooters – MAG – released on Tuesday, exclusively on the PlayStation 3. And to celebrate this momentous occasion, we are devoting a ridiculous amount of our Featured Game nights in the near future to blasting away on the battlefields of the MAG universe. In fact, this weekend – Friday the 29th through Sunday the 31st – we are inviting all of you MAG fanatics out the Central Plaza, between the hours of 6:00PM and 10:00PM PT (9:00PM and 1:00AM EST), to join a faction– be it the SVER (Friday), Raven (Saturday) or Valor (Sunday) forces. This is when you decide once and for all which side you are on. So get your butts into PlayStation Home, grab free MAG shirts that represent your soldier style from the Central Plaza, and then slam in a fresh clip and chamber a round, because this is going to be the battle to end all battles.

There’s at least one event going on in PlayStation Home literally every day, 365 days a year. And some days there are two, like this Thursday, January 28 and Sunday, January 31, when we continue the on-going Zombieland event in the PlayStation Home Theater. The gist of it is this: There is an exclusive film clip from Zombieland playing in Theater #1. Watch the video, and then check out the trivia questions placed on the marquees, posters, and billboards throughout PlayStation Home. The first 25 community members that send an email to HomeContests@playstation.sony.com with the right answers to all 17 questions will win a copy of Zombieland on Blu-ray. Be sure to read the official contest rules at the end of this post for all of the juicy details.

Last but certainly not least, we’ll be releasing a Gargoyle furniture bundle as well as Fantasy and Victorian clothing bundles to complement the Paris Clock Tower personal space. These bundles contain multiple items grouped together at a greatly reduced price. See the below video for an overview of these awesome new items and then grab the bundles from the PlayStation Home Mall this week.

Zombieland Blu-ray Trivia Contest

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void outside the 50 United States and D.C. and where prohibited. The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and D.C. only and shall only be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not proceed in this site if you are not a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or D.C. and are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry. To enter, you must have a PlayStation 3 system, a valid PlayStation Network account, internet access and a copy of PlayStation HOME installed on your system. Contest begins January 26, 2010 at 10:00AM PST and ends February 2, 2010 at 11:59PM PST.

• Log into your PlayStation Network account and launch PlayStation HOME application.
• Make your way to the Theater Space of HOME to view the first trivia question. Six (6) total questions will be available for viewing on January 26, 2010. The second set of six (6) questions will be available to view within HOME on January 28, 2010. The third and final set of five (5) questions will be available to view within HOME on January 31, 2010.
• There are 17 total questions. With the exception of the first question which will be displayed on the marquee next to the Zombieland screen, the remaining trivia questions can be located throughout the core Home Spaces during the promotion period.
• Some of the answers to the trivia questions can be found by watching the Zombieland movie, watching the Zombieland trailer currently playing the Bowling Alley space in Home, and exclusive Zombieland footage currently displayed on the Theater screen.
• To enter, send an e-mail to HomeContests@playstation.sony.com. Enter “ZOMBIELAND” in the subject line and in the body of the email include your PSN ID and all 17 correct answers to the trivia questions.
• The first 25 e-mails received by Sponsor with all 17 correct answers will be selected as the winners.

1. To be valid, entries must be received no later than February 2, 2010 at 11:59 PST. Limit one entry per person and e-mail address. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc (the “Sponsor”) is not responsible for lost, late, mutilated, illegible, incomplete or misdirected entries. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit an entrants’ ability to participate in the contest. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend this contest should virus, bugs or other causes corrupt the administration, security or proper play of this sweepstakes. Entries not satisfying these Official Rules will be automatically disqualified.

2. PRIZES: Each prize winner will receive one (1) Blu-ray copy of Zombieland (ARV $40.00). Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize of equal value if prize is unavailable. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitutions allowed.

3. WINNERS: Prize Winners will be determined by selecting the first 25 e-mail submissions received by Sponsor that include all correct answers to the 17 trivia questions. Selection will be held on or about February 15, 2010. Winners will be notified by PSN e-mail. If any winners do not respond to Sponsor’s notification email within 14 days of the date that it is sent by Sponsor, they will be disqualified and new winners will be selected based on the original selection criteria. Please allow four to six weeks for receipt of prizes.

4. ODDS OF WINNING: The odds of winning depend on number of valid entries received.

5. ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal U.S. residents only aged 18 or older. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected. Prize winners may be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release within fourteen (14) days of prize notification. By acceptance of prize, winners agree to the use of their name and/or likenesses for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Additionally, by acceptance of prize, prize winners agree to release Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries and affiliates from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may be sustained in connection with the receipt, ownership or use of the prize or while preparing for, participating, and /or traveling to any prize-related activity. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their immediate families are not eligible to participate in this contest. Neither the Sponsors nor its affiliates, subsidiaries, division or related companies are responsible for any damages, taxes, or expenses that winners might incur as result of this sweepstakes or receipt of prize.

6. WINNER LIST: To obtain names of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Zombieland Trivia Contest, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 2nd Floor Foster City, CA 94404. Prize winners’ name request will be fulfilled within four weeks. Requests for winner list must be received by March 15, 2010.

7. RESTRICTIONS: Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

8. SPONSOR: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc, Foster City, CA 94404

Producer Frederic Lefrancois (you remember him, right?) has some more details on the DLC:

The battle of Forli is an actual battle where the Orsi brothers attacked the city of Forli which was ruled at the time by Caterina Sforza. Ezio and Machiavelli – leader of the Florence mercenaries – make their way to the citadel of Forli with the apple of Eden to request protection from Caterina Sforza. As they approach, something goes wrong: Forli is under attack! Borgia guards are laying siege to the city. The attack seems to be lead by the two dreaded Orsi brothers. Players will have to protect the city alongside Sforza and the great Machiavelli who they have met towards the end of sequence 11. The flying machine will also be accessible in the city/region of Forli to players.

Oh wait, did I make you read about history? You can just watch this video instead :-)

The Battle of Forli DLC hits PSN tomorrow for $3.99. The second AC2 DLC, Bonfire of the Vanities is scheduled for late February, will run you $4.99, and will *not* feature an early-90s Tom Hanks.

All you rabid PlayStation Home collectors that have to grab the latest, greatest, coolest, and hottest content the second it hits the virtual shelves will be thrilled with the new line of Iron Fist virtual items, live this Thursday in the Mall. Iron Fist’s fusion of bold color and abstract action and sport-related designs result in cutting edge fashion apparel that has become popular among skaters, rockers, fighters, and others that insist on living on the edge. So if you’re bad, know it, and aren’t afraid to show it, be sure to come raid the racks this week.

We’re getting a head-start on our own festivities and releasing a heap of holiday goodies this week (and, yes, that was the sound of me not-so-subtly dropping the hint that there are some big things in store for all of my Home-boys and Home-girls this year).If you visit the Mall this Thursday, you’ll find a literal ton of festive items that will help you celebrate the holidays properly in PlayStation Home. And in the spirit of giving, we’ll be making many of these items available to you free-of-charge, so everyone can partake in the season in the style of their choice. This week’s content update is just the tip of the iceberg, so remember to stay tuned to this blog for more details regarding this year’s holiday celebrations in PlayStation Home.

Finally, if you visit the PlayStation Home 10-Screen Theater today and watch the clip from the upcoming season of A&E’s highly-anticipated new show Steven Seagal: Lawman, you will get a free commemorative Lawman vest. So come check out the clip, grab the free virtual item (it’s only available today), and then tune in to A&E on Wednesday, December 2nd to watch as one of the world’s foremost action movie stars takes to the mean streets of New Orleans with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in the Steven: Seagal Lawman series premiere.

Starting Monday, November 30th at 6:00pm PT (9:00pm EST), behind the scenes videos of the real-life Red Bull Flugtag events will be placed in the PlayStation Home 10-Screen Theater, along with various trivia questions. The first 5 users that email HomeContests@playstation.sony.com with the correct answers will win the aforementioned PSPgo or Rock Band PSP3000 bundles. Check out the official rules and regulations appended to this post for more details.

The Red Bull Flugtag event isn’t the only event going on in PlayStation Home this Thanksgiving week (and no, we’re not talking about chasing turkeys around Central Plaza – that would be preposterous!) EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 producers Mike Mahar and Brian Hayes will be in-world this Wednesday, November 25th, between the hours of 4:00pm and 5:00pm PT (7:00pm and 8:00pm EST), for a live chat with you, the PlayStation Home community. The focus of this chat will be on the next title update and all-new Fight Night downloadable content, to be released this December. Rabid boxing fans will not want to miss out on this unique opportunity to get the scoop from the men behind one of the biggest boxing titles of all time. Mahar and Hayes will be in one instance of the EA SPORTS Club Fight Night game space, so be sure to add the host PSN ID that will be announced in Wednesday’s Message of the Day if you want to participate. At the time of the event, simply use the “Go To” feature to travel to the event instance (you can find the “Go To” option in your Menu Pad; simply select the Friends List and the name of the host account).

We have a real treat in store for all of you music fans. Come Thursday, vignettes from Kyocera’s All Access documentary of the Virgin Mobile Freefest will be airing in the PlayStation Home 10-Screen Theater. This behind-the-scenes rock documentary was created by 14 high school and college students and features exclusive footage of some of the hottest acts of our time including Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, Public Enemy, Blink-182, Taking Back Sunday and more! Come backstage and witness how one of the summer’s most anticipated concert events came to be.

Last, but certainly not least, those full Ezio costumes that you all have been chomping at the bit for will appear in the PlayStation Home Mall this week. Be sure to pick these costumes up and show the world how much of an Assassin’s Creed fanboy/fangirl you are.

RED BULL FLUGTAG CONTEST – OFFICIAL RULES

1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void outside the 50 United States and D.C. and where prohibited. The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and D.C. only and shall only be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not proceed in this site if you are not a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or D.C. and are at least 13 years of age at the time of entry. To enter, you must have a PlayStation®3 system, a valid PlayStation®Network account, internet access and a copy of PlayStation®HOME installed on your system. Contest begins November 30, 2009 at 6:00pm PST and ends December 1, 2009 12:00 midnight PST.

*Log into your PlayStation Network account and launch PlayStation HOME application

*Make your way to the Theater Space of HOME to view a list of trivia questions

*Watch the Red Bull videos as well as explore the two (2) Red Bull HOME Spaces to find the answers to the trivia questions

*There are 10 questions ranging in difficulty

*Send an e-mail to HomeContests@playstation.sony.com with the subject line “REDBULL” with your answers, your PSN ID, Name and
mailing address.

*The first 5 e-mails received by Sponsor with the correct answers will be selected as the winners.

*First qualifying e-mail submission will be the Grand Prize winner. Subsequent qualifying e-mail submissions will be deemed 1st through 4th place winners.

To be valid, entries must be received no later than December 1, 2009 12:00 midnight PST. Limit one entry per person and e-mail address. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc (the “Sponsor”) is not responsible for lost, late, mutilated, illegible, incomplete or misdirected entries. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit an entrants ability to participate in the contest. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend this sweepstakes should virus, bugs or other causes corrupt the administration, security or proper play of this sweepstakes. Entries not satisfying these Official Rules will be automatically disqualified.

2. PRIZES: Grand Prize: One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a PSP®go system. First Place: One (1) first place prize winner will receive a Rock Band PSP®3000 bundle. Second Place: One (1) second place prize winner will receive a Rock Band PSP®3000 bundle. Third Place: One (1) third place prize winner will receive a Rock Band PSP®3000 bundle. Fourth Place: One (1) fourth place prize winner will receive a Rock Band PSP®3000 bundle. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize of equal value if prize is unavailable. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitutions allowed.

3. WINNERS: Grand Prize Winner will be determined by selecting the first qualifying e-mail submission received by Sponsor. Second qualifying entry will be selected as First Place, third qualifying entry will be selected as Second Place, fourth qualifying entry will be selected as Third Place and fifth qualifying entry will be selected as Fourth Place winners. Selection will be held on or about December 2, 2009. Winners will be notified by mail and/or telephone. Please allow four to six weeks for receipt of prizes.

4. ODDS OF WINNING: The odds of winning depend on number of valid entries received.

5. ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal U.S. residents only aged 13 or older. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected. Prize winners may be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release within fourteen (14) days of prize notification. If the prize winner is a minor, then prize will be awarded to winner’s parent or legal guardian. By acceptance of prize, winners agree to the use of their name and/or likenesses for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Additionally, by acceptance of prize, prize winners agree to release Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries and affiliates from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may be sustained in connection with the receipt, ownership or use of the prize or while preparing for, participating, and /or traveling to any prize-related activity. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their immediate families are not eligible to participate in this sweepstakes. Neither the Sponsors nor its affiliates, subsidiaries, division or related companies are responsible for any damages, taxes, or expenses that winners might incur as result of this sweepstakes or receipt of prize.

6. WINNER LIST: To obtain names of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Red Bull Flugtag Contest, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 2nd Floor Foster City, CA 94404. Prize winners’ name request will be fulfilled within four weeks. Requests for winner list must be received by January 15, 2010.

7. RESTRICTIONS: Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

8. SPONSOR: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc, Foster City, CA 94404

The premise is simple: in celebration of the impending Turkey Day, users will approach the giant stone turkey in Central Plaza and, of course, pledge their allegiance to the almighty Meleagris Gallopavo by stating “Gobble gobble” and/or other assorted turkey-isms. If your homage pleases your turkey overlord, you will be given a chance to chase a bunch of wily turkeys around Central Plaza (word to the wise: these turkeys are quite cunning and as such get progressively more difficult to catch as the game goes on, so you’d better bring appropriate footwear). If you can manage to catch them all, you will unlock some truly hilarious rewards that are sure to make you an object of envy amongst your peers. Sound borderline insane? Of course it does – which is exactly why we are doing it! Check the video below for a look at what we have in store for you.

Also, in celebration of the release of Assassin’s Creed 2, new AC2-themed virtual goods will be released this week. Hardcore fans of the franchise are sure to find these items to be true must-haves (and we bet they’ll geek out hard over the full Ezio costumes set to release in PlayStation Home come next week). Any way you cut it, if you “Live by the Creed” then PlayStation Home is the place to be (when you aren’t sneaking up behind enemies and performing other stealthy maneuvers in various Italian locales, of course).

In other PlayStation Home-related news: We’re pleased to announce another opportunity for you, the PlayStation Home community, to win a copy of the super-limited UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition. Here’s how this contest works: PlayStation Home community members should enter the new UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves game space in PlayStation Home between the hours of 8:00am PT on Friday, November 20th and 12:00pm PT on Saturday, November 21st to play the Fortunate Thieves mini-game. The user that secures the #1 slot of the game’s leaderboard will win a copy of the UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition. Included in this prize package is a Phurba Dagger ornamental replica (plus stand), a special “book case” with art book autographed by the Naughty Dog team, a ton of downloads, and the UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Strategy Guide. This is arguably the most sought-after prize we are giving away all year, so read the official rules and regulations below and then head into PlayStation Home right at 8:00am PT on Friday, November 20th (this is when we will wipe the leaderboards) and get that first place slot.

The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia only and will be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not enter this contest if you are not a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or District of Columbia at the time of entry.

PLAYSTATION HOME UNCHARTED 2 FORTUNATE THIEVES MINI GAME CONTEST
OFFICIAL RULES

Void outside the 50 United States and District of Columbia and where prohibited.

1. Eligibility. The UNCHARTED 2 FORTUNATE THIEVES MINI GAME Contest (the “Promotion”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and hold a PlayStation Network account in good standing as determined by Sponsor. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their immediate families are not eligible to participate in this Promotion.

2. Sponsor. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., 919 East Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City, CA 94404 (“Sponsor”).

3. Timing. The Promotion begins on November 20, 2009 at 8:00 A.M. PST and ends on November 21, 2009 at 12:00 P.M. PST (the “Promotion Period”).

4. How to Enter. No purchase necessary. Internet access, a PlayStation Network account, and a PlayStation3 computer entertainment system required. Using the PlayStation3 system, go to the PlayStation Network and access PlayStation Home. Users who wish to enter (the “Entrants”) shall use their avatars to enter the UNCHARTED 2 Among Thieves Nepalese Village Space (the “Event Space”) (accessible via the World Map on the Entrant’s Menu Pad), navigate their avatars to the “Fortunate Thieves” mini game, and select the “Fortunate Thieves” icon. Entrants will be directed to the Fortunate Thieves menu and will be presented with the four (4) following options:

• HOW TO PLAY:
  Entrants selecting this option will be presented with three (3) screens of instructions listing the details of gameplay, including the game purpose and game strategy.
• CREATE GAME (“HOST”):
  Entrants selecting this option will be the game “Hosts”. Hosts are in charge of setting the following variables in the game:
  • Maps – Hosts determine the map game will be played on. There are eight (8) maps total in game. The terrain and layout of each map varies. Some maps have more treasure winning potential than others.
  • Public v. Private – Hosts determine whether to make the game public (anyone in the space can participate) or private (only Entrants who are on the Host’s PSN friends list can participate).
  • Number of Turns – Hosts determine how many “turns” the game will consist of. (“turns” are defined as one round for each player in the game). The turn choices are 10, 15, 20, 25.
  • Number of Seconds – Hosts determine how many seconds a player will have to act once it is their “turn”. The seconds choices are 20, 40 or 60 seconds.

  Once the above parameters are set, a Lobby is created. A minimum of two (2) players are needed to start a game. The host can join the game as a player and must wait for a minimum of one (1) other player to enter the Lobby before a game session can begin. A maximum of four (4) players are permitted per game.

• JOIN GAME (“PARTICIPANT”):
  Entrants selecting this option join the game as Participants and are taken to a list of available games where they can see the Host options set for each game and determine which game they would like to join. Participants can then join any open game.
• SPECTATE GAME:
  Entrants selecting this option are taken to a choice of games that they can watch. Spectators cannot enter a game.
  Hosts are responsible for controlling the game, including setting and determining the game variables listed above in each game. To enter the Promotion, Entrants can either select the “Create a Game” icon as the Host or the “Join a Game” icon as a Participant. Once Entrants have selected a method of entry, they may join any open game. A minimum of two (2) players are required and a maximum of four (4) players are permitted per game. Players will receive a set of four (4) cards. Cards will be continually dealt to Players throughout the game so that Players will always have a set of four (4) cards to play with. To play, Players must use the cards to accumulate points. Instructions for playing the cards are presented to Players in pop-up format and are revealed to Players as they scroll over individual cards. Players should attempt to accumulate as many points as possible. Once the game ends, timing stops and Player’s score is recorded. Players can play an unlimited number of games within the promotion period to attempt to better their score. The 10 (ten) highest scores and the online IDs of the players who earned them in an individual game from all games played during the Promotion Period in all instances of the UNCHARTED Nepalese Village space will be posted on the Global Leaderboard located in the UNCHARTED Nepalese Village Space. (An instance is a new event space that is created when the number of users in the original space has reached its maximum capacity. Fortunate Thieves can support multiple instances of the same Event Space so that Players will be able to access the space.)

5. Entry Conditions and Release. Entrants may participate as many times as they like. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, malfunctions, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or unforeseen schedule changes that may limit an entrant’s ability to participate in the Promotion, even if caused by Sponsor’s negligence. Sponsor is not responsible for changes to Entrant’s contact information. Entries not satisfying these Official Rules are automatically disqualified. Sponsor has the sole discretion to modify, cancel or suspend this Promotion should virus, bugs or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control corrupt, change or adversely affect the Promotion’s administration, security or proper play and to award prizes from among all eligible entries received prior to Sponsor’s action. Automated entries are prohibited and any use of automated devices will cause disqualification. Sponsor has the sole discretion to disqualify any entrant who tampers with the entry process.

6. Winner Selection. One (1) Grand Prize winner will be selected during the Promotion Period. Winner will be determined as follows:

The player who accumulates the highest score in an individual game from all games played during the Promotion Period will be declared the Grand Prize winner. In the event of a tie in winning scores, Entrants with the highest tied winning scores will play a tiebreaker game in the Fortunate Thieves Event Space on November 23, 2009. Time and details of tiebreaker will be determined by Sponsor. Entrants will be notified at approximately 12:00 P.M.PST on November 18, 2009 via the email address associated with their PSN account with instructions regarding the time the tiebreaker will occur. The player with the highest score in the tiebreaker will be declared the Grand Prize winner. If the tiebreaker score is tied, additional tiebreaker games will be held from among the remaining highest scoring tied Players until the Player with the highest score remains, who will be declared the Grand Prize winner.

Winner’s PSN online IDs will be posted on the global leaderboard within the mini game located in the UNCHARTED Nepalese Village Space beginning on November 21, 2009 at approximately 12:00 P.M. PST. Winner will also be notified by Sponsor via the email address associated with Winner’s PSN account on or about November 23, 2009 at approximately 12:00 P.M. PST. Grand Prize winner must claim his or her prize within 48 hours from Sponsor’s notification. If Grand Prize winner does not respond within 48 hours from Sponsor’s outreach, an alternate winner will be selected by Sponsor based on the player who has the next highest score from all games played during the Promotion Period (or if a tie exists, the next highest score from the tiebreaker). This method will continue until a Grand Prize winner has responded.

7. Prize(s). One (1) Grand Prize for the Promotion Period. Grand Prize consists of one copy of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition which includes a copy of the video game UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves, a phurba dagger replica and an artbook. The approximate retail value (“ARV”) of Grand Prize is $300.00. Prize fulfillment is based on availability. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a prize is unavailable. Sponsor may disqualify a winner and select an alternate winner if any prize notification or prize is returned undeliverable. If the player with the highest score is under 18, the prize will be awarded to the Entrant with the next highest score from all games played during the Promotion Period (or if a tie exists the next highest score from the tiebreaker). Prizes are non-transferable and Sponsor need not substitute a prize based on winner’s request. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of the prize.

8. Odds of Winning. Odds of winning are determined by the number of eligible entries received.

9. Publicity. By accepting the prize, winner agrees to the use of his or her name and likeness for purposes of advertising, trade or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law, and agrees to sign and return a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability (the “Affidavit”) within Fourteen (14) business days of prize notification.

10. Limitations of Liability. By attempting to enter, entering a Promotion or accepting a Promotion prize, an entrant or prize winner agrees to release Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries, agencies, divisions and affiliates from liability, claims or actions or any kind for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property that may be sustained in connection with the receipt, ownership or use of the prize or while preparing for, participating in or traveling to or from the Promotion or any Promotion or prize-related activity. Sponsor’s employees, employees of Sponsor’s parent, subsidiaries, agencies, and affiliates and each of their related companies and their immediate families are not eligible. Neither the Sponsor nor its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, agencies, divisions or related companies are responsible for any damages, taxes or expenses that winners might incur as a result of this Promotion or receipt of prize.

11. Promotion Results. Sponsor will post winner’s name in the Message of the Day on November 23, 2009 at approximately 10:00 A.M. PST, and winner’s name will also be announced in the PlayStation Home forums until December 30, 2009. To obtain a winner’s list by mail, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to PlayStation Home UNCHARTED 2 Fortunate Thieves Mini Game Contest Promotion, Attn: Promotions, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 2nd Floor, Foster City, CA 94404. Sponsor will fulfill a winner’s list request within 4-6 weeks after it awards prizes. Requests for the winner’s list must be received by December 30, 2009.

12. Restrictions. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

Even if you’re not interested in hearing new details about Assassin’s Creed II, including Ezio’s Villa, customization, new features not present in the original, and PSP interoperability, you’ll want to stick around to find out your task for the Live By The Creed mission. Hint: it’s near the end of the video.