Continuing our Halloween celebration in Central Plaza, an updated version of the Lord Pumpkinhead game is being released this week. Be sure to log in to PlayStation Home on Thursday to play the Lord Pumpkinhead game and unlock tons of exclusive rewards.

After you are done playing the Lord Pumpkinhead game, head on over to the Central Plaza kiosk to pick up two special gifts that we are making available to you, the PlayStation Home community, as a sign of thanks for your ongoing support. Guys will be able to pick up the “Moonslayer Sword” while girls will be able to add the “Shadowpiercer Weapon” to their inventories free-of-charge through Halloween night. Take advantage of this special Halloween offer by logging into PlayStation Home and visiting the Central Plaza kiosk before Monday, November 1st.

In other Halloween-related news, Codeglue releases some super spooky clothing items this week (a fantastic Mummy costume and the gruesome “Bone shirt”) along with some truly horrific furniture items for your personal space (like the Skull Throne and Guillotine – pictured below).

The LucasArts store receives a massive update this week with four new costumes from the recently-released Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II – including the dual-lightsaber wielding Starkiller, Rahm Kota, Imperial Jump Trooper, and the all-new Terror Trooper (dual lightsabers are also available separately). Visit the PlayStation Home Mall this Thursday to pick up these items along with the veritable ton of other Star Wars items currently available from LucasArts.

Also releasing this week are the newest addition to the long line of PlayStation Home original costumes (such as the female “Red Dragon” outfit and the male “Mechanical Abomination” suit) along with three amazing new active items – “Johnny the Mysterious Doll”, the “Magic Cauldron” and the “Miniature Dragon” companion for your personal space. Check ‘em out!

You asked for it, so we’re bringing it to you: The mega-popular Hudson Gate and Dolphy Room are being updated this week with more items as well as some changes and optimizations to the Dolphy game!

Speaking of popular games, Lockwood Publishing are excited to announce that over a million gamers have played through Sodium! As a token of appreciation they’re offering a selection of fine gifts and offers to the whole PlayStation Home community. Whether you’re a battle-hardened tank pilot or expert bartender there’s something for you this week. Head to the Sodium Hub this week for a golden “Thank You” reward, additional earnings for Sodium bartenders, extended free-access to the Sodium Salt Shooter, and even discounted Pilots Jackets!

See you in Home!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is all about a personal journey, one where you attempt to unravel the mystery behind whether Starkiller’s a clone or not. The first game was all about redemption; the second is about identity and searching for the truth. It’s an epic story full of revelation; but it’s also a game full of intense action.

What made the first game so much fun to play was the unleashed nature of your Force powers–never in a game had we seen such a visceral, over-the-top imagining of the Force. Before I go any further, yes, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is still as over-the-top as the original in the portrayal of the Force, but it’s the improvements we’ve made to the gameplay that’s the real story here. For one, the team really concentrated making the targeting system more user-friendly as Force Gripping and throwing enemies at targets has never been more fun or more precise. The camera system has been reworked to show a better view of the action, opening up the battlefield for epic showdowns.

Speaking of epic showdowns, one our pillars for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II was to create insanely intense boss battles in spectacle, size, and scale—and that’s exactly what we did! Hopefully you’ve seen footage over the past few months showcasing the largest boss in a Star Wars game to date, the mighty Gorog! It’s clearly evident from the start that Starkiller can’t possibly go toe-to-toe, so it’s up to you to figure out what attacks are the most effective. To that end, the team also concentrated on making the Imperial NPCs smarter and tougher to defeat. What this means is that you can no longer blaze through the game using one form of attack. Like the boss battles, you will have to experiment to find out which attacks are the most effective per each enemy type. There is a lot to discover in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II; and we as the developers want you to get as much out of the game as we put into it.

As one would expect, the team also created new gameplay scenarios that weren’t possible while making the first game, and none that were more exciting than the massive freefall that opens the game. Again, when making a sequel, you want to infuse it with bigger and better things, and the freefall was one of the first new innovations we explored when making Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. Initially we planned on using this much later in the game, but when you’re trying to make an instant impression, why save the goodness for later? Oh, and we can’t overlook the new Challenge Mode feature that is new to the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed franchise. Here, you can jump in and play fun mini-games that will help improve your overall Jedi prowess, while unlocking cool extras like lightsaber crystals, costumes, and cinematics.

Gameplay enhancements aside, I would say the biggest strides we made while making Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 were to our graphics and rendering engine. As you can tell from gameplay footage, this game is simply gorgeous-looking! Having built the sequel with most of the people that helped create the original Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was a huge deal. What that meant when it came to making Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II was that our content creators were able to request refinements to the tools that would ultimately help them create a much more polished-looking and better playing game than the first.

Whew! That’s a lot to absorb in one sitting! Now all that’s left is to get out there, grab a copy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, and experience the adrenaline rush for yourself!

Week three of the Empire Strikes Back 30th anniversary celebration continues with even more Star Wars items releasing into the ever-evolving world of PlayStation Home. We’re talking AT-AT tables, a Probe Droid chandelier, and even a Wompa skin rug. And if you really want to show the world how much of a Star Wars fanboy (or fangirl) you are, you can pick up the “Everything” Empire Strikes Back 30th Anniversary bundle, available (along with a ton of other awesome Star Wars content) from the LucasArts store in the PlayStation Home Mall.

Visit the Costumes store in the PlayStation Home Mall and transform yourself into a bonafide PlayStation Home superhero or supervillain. Choose from the Red Raven and Epsilon Viper costumes (available for the guys) or the Nocturne and Wild Scarlet costumes (for the gals). Grab the bundles at a super-low price and then take to the streets of PlayStation Home where you can wow civilians with your newfound super-gear!

Speaking of rounding out your PlayStation Home collection — be sure to visit the PlayStation Home Mall to pick up Scott Pilgrim t-shirts (available in the Threads store) and the new Lockwood items (pictured below and available from the Sodium store).

While you are at it, head to Central Plaza, where you can get a free Subway Fiery Footlong t-shirt and watch a special video of the Los Angeles Clippers’ own Blake Griffin, airing in the PlayStation Home Theater. Join the Subway Fiery Footlong Frenzy and you could win PlayStation games and hardware before they appear on shelves. You heard me – you can be the first of all your friends to own LittleBigPlanet 2, LBP2 Collector’s Edition, Gran Turismo 5, GT5 Collector’s Edition, PlayStation Move hardware and software bundles, and the Invizimals PSP bundle. Simply collect game codes at Subway restaurants and enter on SubwayFreshBuzz.com. There’s literally a prize every minute!

Top Gun the video game has launched on the PlayStation Network. To celebrate, we’re offering you a chance to win the game, the movie and two exclusive Top Gun t-shirts for your PlayStation Home avatar. Join the Top Gun Scavenger Hunt, being held in Central Plaza starting tomorrow, August 19th. Check out the official Rules and Regulations at the end of this post, and be sure to download the Top Gun game from the PlayStation Store before August 24th in order to receive a free limited edition flight suit for your PlayStation Home avatar!

Before I head out of here, I’d like to bring your attention to a new game that VeeMee (makers of the London Pub personal space, Pool personal games, and other hit pieces of PlayStation Home content) will be releasing in the very near future. Think: Scrabble…but this time you wear your answers.

Here’s how it works: Pick up the AlphabeTees Game Pack (made up of the 26 words of the Alphabet including some punctuation) from the PlayStation Home Mall. Each day a new question will be shown on the Central Plaza Jumbotron. Get together with your friends to form the answer, take a photo, and then upload directly to the AlphabeTees competition entry portal (located under the Central Plaza Jumbotron).The winning entry will then be shown on the Central Plaza Jumbotron screen the following day so that everyone in PlayStation Home knows just how skilled you are!

To get everyone into the swing of things AlphabeTees will be giving away a free sample pack of 5 letters from the AlphabeTees game point in Central Plaza. We’ll update you with more details (including release dates) on this Blog, so keep your eyes peeled.

See you in Home!

PlayStation Home Top Gun Scavenger Hunt Contest

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void outside the 50 United States, Washington D.C. (“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 computer entertainment system, a valid PlayStation Network account, a valid PlayStation Network ID (“PSN ID”), internet access, a copy of PlayStation Home installed on your PlayStation 3 system and a valid registered PlayStation Network e-mail address.

1. ELIGIBILITY: The PlayStation Home Top Gun Scavenger Hunt Contest (the “Promotion”) is only open to legal United States residents 13 years of age or older on or prior to August 19, 2010. Prize winners or prize winners’ parent or guardian (if the winner is under the age of 18) may be required to sign a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability within 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. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable or failure to return the affidavit within the designated time frame will result in disqualification. Employees of the Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (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 LLC, 919 East Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City, CA 94404.

3. TIMING: The Promotion begins August 19, 2010 12:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (“PDT”) and ends August 25, 2010 12:00 p.m. PDT (“Promotion Period”).

4. PRIZES:

• a. First Place Prize: The Sponsor will award the First Place Prize to the entrants who send the first 30 emails, containing the correct answers to the 5 trivia questions that are received by the Sponsor during the Promotion Period. First Place Prize winners will each receive vouchers for a copy of Top Gun the video game, a copy of Top Gun the movie, and 2 PlayStation Home virtual Top Gun t-shirts (1 male blue t-shirt and 1 female grey-shirt) all downloadable from the PlayStation store (ARV $25.97).
• b. Second Place Prize: The Sponsor will award the Second Place Prize to the entrants who send the first 20 emails after the 30 First Place Prize winners containing the correct answers to the 5 trivia questions that are received by the Sponsor during the Promotion Period. Second Place Prize winners will receive vouchers for a copy of Top Gun the movie and 2 PlayStation Home virtual Top Gun t-shirts (1 male blue t-shirt and 1 female grey-shirt) all downloadable from the PlayStation store (ARV $10.98).
• c. Participation Prize: All other qualifying entrants who submit entries during the Promotional Period but have not won the First Place prize or Second Place prize will receive a voucher for 2 PlayStation Home virtual Top Gun t-shirts (1 male blue t-shirt and 1 female grey- t-shirt) downloadable from the PlayStation store (ARV $0.99).

  Vouchers will be delivered to winners 6-8 weeks after the conclusion of the Promotion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize of equal or greater value if prize is unavailable. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitutions allowed.

5. HOW TO ENTER:

• Log into your PlayStation Network account and launch PlayStation Home application.
• During the Promotion Period, make your way through PlayStation Home to view the Top Gun posters. There will be 5 Top Gun posters, each poster containing 1 trivia question.
• Answer the 5 trivia questions.
• Submit your answers to each of the 5 trivia questions by sending an e-mail to HomeContests@playstation.sony.com with “Top Gun” as the Subject line. Include your PSN ID in the body of the e-mail along with your answers to the trivia questions.
• The Sponsor will award the First Place Prize to the entrants who send the first 30 emails, containing the correct answers to the 5 trivia questions, that are received by the Sponsor during the Promotion Period.
• The Sponsor will award the Second Place Prize to the entrants who send the first 20 emails after the 30 First Place Prize winners containing the correct answers to the 5 trivia questions that are received by the Sponsor during the Promotion Period.
• All other qualifying entrants who submit entries during the Promotional Period but have not won the First Place prize or Second Place prize will receive the Participation Prize.
• Limit 1 entry per person and e-mail address. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. All winners will be notified via e-mail. 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 entrant’s ability to participate in the Promotion. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend this Promotion should virus, bugs or other causes corrupt the administration, security or proper play of this Promotion. Entries not satisfying these Official Rules will be automatically disqualified.

6. General: By acceptance of prize, winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor and its affiliate companies, subsidiaries, parent companies, advertising and promotion agencies, and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents 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/misuse of the prize. Winner agrees to the use of his/her name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Neither Sponsor nor its affiliates, subsidiaries, division or related companies are responsible for any damages, taxes (federal, state or local if any), or expenses that winner might incur as a result of entering or participating in this Promotion or upon receipt or use of prize.

7. WINNER LIST: To obtain names of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to PlayStation Home Top Gun Scavenger Hunt Contest, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 4th floor, Foster City, CA 94404. Prize winners’ name request will be fulfilled within four weeks. Requests for winner list must be received by September 8, 2010.

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

Kicking off first thing tomorrow morning, visitors to the PlayStation Move event space will automatically be granted a unique PlayStation Move controller outfit that will serve as your key to access the full event experience. Don your outfit, grab three of your friends, and commence the team challenge: Coordinate with your team to earn new versions of the controller outfit (denoted by the color variants) until you unlock the ultimate prize, a PlayStation Move outfit complete with the iconic fully animated multi-colored orb. Also available within the space is a limited-edition multi-color PlayStation Move controller outfit that is packed with all-new emotes for your avatar!

Week two of the Empire Strikes Back 30th anniversary celebration continues with more Star Wars costumes – including the Boba Fett Mandalorian outfit (along with Han Solo and Luke Skywalker costumes). While you are in-world eating up all that special Star Wars content, be sure to visit the Central Plaza kiosk and pick up the Yoda Ears (available for free for one week only) and, of course, head to the recently-released Star Wars Cantina and experience one of the franchise’s most famous scenes PlayStation Home-style.

And for those of you who are lucky enough to be attending Star Wars Celebration V this weekend in Orlando, FL, be sure to say “hi” to our friend GlassWalls, who will be hanging out at the PlayStation Home booth (he’s easy to identify – just look for the bright pink hair!)

Paramount Digital Entertainment has just announced that Top Gun – the video game based on the 80’s iconic hypersonic film – will be making its debut on PlayStation Network on Tuesday, August 17. It’s a free-flying combat shooter featuring Maverick, Iceman & the rest of the Top Gun fliers, scripted with new dialogue and combat scenarios by the film’s screenwriter, Jack Epps, Jr., and features two single player & five multiplayer modes (Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Top Gun, Bombing Run & Capture the Flag).

Those of you who purchase Top Gun before August 24 will receive a free limited-edition flight suit for your PlayStation Home avatar. And that’s not all – on Monday, August 16th, at 5:00pm PDT (8:00pm EST), Top Gun screenwriter Jack Epps Jr. will be on-hand in Central Plaza to celebrate and chat with you, the PlayStation Home community! To participate, simply wear your new Top Gun avatar t-shirt, available when you watch the exciting new game trailer in the PlayStation Home Theater this Thursday, August 12th.

Also releasing this week into the wide world of PlayStation Home is a brand-new game for your personal space (Solitaire), a host of art (Patient Zero, Vlad the Impaler, and Blackbeard artwork from our friends at LOOT! and Sideshow Collectibles), clothing and furniture items from the soon-to-be-released Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (download the demo now from the PlayStation Network), the new Ocean Bubble aquarium, clocks (courtesy of Mass Media), and the hilarious new “Sneak Attack” items (free “traps” that you can place in your personal space that can be used to trick your friends – upgrade these with sound banks that change the gags and also come with special virtual items).

See you in Home!

Plucked straight from the iconic planet of Tatooine, the Cantina — situated in the spaceport town of Mos Eisley — is a rough-and-tumble intergalactic watering hole that welcomes only the toughest and bravest of souls (no Droids allowed!) From the Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes house band to Wuher, the resident bartender, the Mos Eisley Cantina is an immersive environment that faithfully recreates one of the most memorable scenes from The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Releasing alongside a score of items — including Chewbacca, C-3PO, and Leia Organa costumes — the Mos Eisley Cantina is available this Thursday via the PlayStation Home navigator.

While you are expanding your Star Wars experience by visiting the Mos Eisley Cantina in PlayStation Home and picking up the special Star Wars items (available from the LucasArts store in the PlayStation Home Mall), be sure to keep an eye on the posters throughout PlayStation Home’s Central Plaza during the next few weeks for portions of a secret voucher code. The first 10,000 users that assemble and redeem this voucher will receive a highly limited The Empire Strikes Back furniture item for their personal space. This item will only be available to those of you that participate in this ongoing scavenger hunt and will never be made for sale. So be sure to get in-world this Thursday to collect the first portion of this secret code and stay glued to this blog as well as the official PlayStation Facebook and Twitter accounts for more details surrounding future Empire Strikes Back events and content!

We wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate the winners of the ModNation Racers “Snap a Trick” contest, which we announced on this blog a few months back. We were inundated with entries, but have finally whittled it down to the top contestants. So, without further adieu, I ask that you join us in congratulating the following racers: ADRSKYLINE14, DTC_2010, FerrariThugs, kidd94, Mangus_Lorcan, ManiK, QCVic, silentkillerrei, and tbt924. Visit the ModNation Racers space in PlayStation Home this Thursday and check out pics of these guys and gals’ awesome kart tricks (here’s two of our favorite shots, just to whet your appetites)!

Finally, we wanted to draw your attention to a site ran by one of our hardcore PlayStation Home community members, Bandit731, who hosts a truly gorgeous gallery of photos taken in-world at the following site: http://photographyhome.tumblr.com/. Give the link a click when you get a moment and check it out for yourself — this user is very talented.

See you in Home!

By popular demand, our friends at VEEMEE are delivering special versions of Darts and Pool that you can share with your friends in the personal location(s) of your choice. To sweeten the deal, those of you that have already added VEEMEE’s London Pub personal space to your collection will receive a discount on each of these games ($1.99 for Darts, $2.49 for the English and American Pool package), which will be available from the Exclusives store beginning this Thursday, July 15th. So take this as your “cue” to “dart” on over to the PlayStation Home Mall and prove once and for all that you are the King (or Queen) of two of PlayStation Home’s most popular games.

Fans of the recently-released Midway space will finally be able to add the Trigger Happy-in-a-Box game to their collection of personal games. This game will be available at a discounted price of $0.49 for players that have purchased the Midway Bar Key (similarly, if you purchase the Trigger Happy-in-the-Box game at its full price of $2.99 you will receive a discount on the Midway Bar Key). Be sure to add this game to your collection by visiting the Midway space or the Exclusives store in the PlayStation Home Mall starting this Thursday.

Last but not least, the long-awaited Killzone 2 Radec costume will be made available this week along with additional Monkey Island 2 items. You can pick up the former from the Threads store in the PlayStation Home Mall while the latter can be found in the LucasArts store come this Thursday.

See you in Home!

In other news, the PlayStation Home Mall will be updated this week with new items for your avatars and personal spaces, including additional Red Dead Redemption items (such as the John Marston outfit), new Irem cowboy and cowgirl items (are you sensing a loose theme to this week yet?), LucasArts items (including Mola Ram items from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom — how sweet is that?!), and even this Minotaur head, for all of you that are participating in the ongoing Top Avatar competition, which is focusing on the Fantasy genre this week (details can be found here).

See you in Home!

Tomorrow, April 15th, we take the next step in the evolution of the platform with the release of the SOCOM OPFOR game space, which will allow fans of the franchise to assemble an assault weapon in a PlayStation Home mini-game and then load out into SOCOM: Confrontation with a fully-playable Golden AK-47 – an exclusive weapon only available to the most skilled players who can successfully complete the aforementioned mini-game in 12 seconds or less. Associate Producer KC Coleman had this to say about this landmark event in PlayStation Home history:

The ability [for PlayStation Home users] to unlock the Golden AK-47 in SOCOM: Confrontation is a huge step forward for Home as a platform and for the fans of the PS3 in general. We’ve long prided ourselves on being able to expand the experience of favorite PS3 titles by creating complementary content in Home, but this is the first time we’ve brought that experience back around to the disc game.

It’s truly a win-win-win situation. It’s a win for Home because we have opened up a huge door that will allow developers to continue to blur the line between PlayStation Home and PS3 games. It’s a win for SOCOM: Confrontation as a title because it allows them to continue to offer great content to players. And, of course, it’s a win for the millions of fans of Home and SOCOM: Confrontation because they get exclusive, meaningful, and 100% free content that is unlocked not from merely downloading an expansion pack, but by playing a fun game.

In addition to the Golden AK-47 Assembly game, the SOCOM OPFOR space boasts the highly-addictive 5-Finger Fillet mini-game and leaderboards. Check out this video for a fly-through of this new space and some of the thrilling content that resides within.

Our friends over at LucasArts continue to bring tons of awesome content to their throngs of fans in PlayStation Home. This week will see the introduction of the hugely-popular Monkey Island franchise into the ever-growing world of PlayStation Home. Show your affinity for our hapless hero Guybrush Peepwood…err, I mean Threepwillow…err, I mean, Threepwood, by heading to the PlayStation Home Mall this Thursday and picking up the has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed Ghost Pirate Ship personal space (complete with rewards), the tons of associated furniture items (available in massive bundles at reduced prices), and the array of Monkey Island costumes (LeChuck, Elaine Marley, Stan the Salesman, and, of course, Mr. Fancy Pants himself).

Also releasing (or should I say, re-releasing) this week is the new and improved Gamer’s Lounge. Named by the PlayStation Home community, for the PlayStation Home community, the Gamer’s Lounge has been redesigned completely at the behest and request of our most loyal users. We’ve added music, a Liar’s Dice mini-game, a ticker that pulls directly from the official PlayStation Twitter account (so you can stay up to date with all of the official PlayStation news without having to log out of PlayStation Home), and a survey that rewards participants with a special virtual item.

The Gamer’s Lounge will now host our daily Featured Game parties, which have previously been held at the Listen@Home kiosk in Central Plaza. These daily events serve as a rallying point for the PlayStation Home community to meet up with friends new and old and launch into the latest and greatest PS3 and PSN titles. For the unveiling of the new and improved Gamer’s Lounge, we will be challenging one another to multiplayer matches of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves. Come out on launch night between the hours of 4:00pm and 8:00pm PT (7:00pm and 11:00pm EST) to take part in some UNCHARTED 2 action, and then come back over the weekend to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, MLB 10: The Show, and Aliens vs. Predator.

See you in Home!

You asked for more lightsabers – you got ‘em! You wanted more costumes, like the Dark Lord’s armor Star Wars: The Force Unleashed? Or maybe you want to dress up like a Clone Trooper? As a hardcore Indiana Jones fan, you might want Mutt Williams’ gear or a Crystal Skull for your personal space. That’s why our friends over at LucasArts are stocking the shelves with tons of hot new items this week (as well as dropping a Yoda Fountain in Central that answers all of your pressing questions). Here’s a taste of what to expect come Thursday morning.

We’re pleased to announce that the highly-requested Irem Seaside of Memories public space – with its resort-like atmosphere, complete with three huts (including one swimwear storefront), white sand beaches, and some totally rad rewards for all you guys and the gals – is launching this week. This serene oceanfront locale is the perfect place to catch some sun, take a swim, and just chill out with your friends. Check out the pics below for a sneak peek of what is in store for you this week.

In these short winter days it oftentimes feels like you can never have too much sun…or too much fun. And that’s precisely why we have decided to release two new additions to our luxury personal space line. These two spaces – a beautiful Santorini-based seaside mansion and a wave-faring Yacht – are the textbook definition of opulence and affluence. Since these dazzling new spaces complement one another perfectly, we’ll be bundling them together at a reduced price of $7.99 (they will also be available for $4.99 separately). Look at the pics to get a better look at these fantastic new personal spaces.

In terms of what is going down this week in the PlayStation Home Theater, you’ll find the newest episode of The Tester – the PlayStation Network exclusive reality series – playing come this Thursday (the previous week’s episode will be screening in the lobby for those of you who need to catch up). We’re also releasing a new The Tester commemorative item, pictured below. In addition to The Tester footage, you’ll find new footage from this here Blog, including videos relating to BioShock 2 and Final Fantasy XIII.

Finally, we’ll be offering you a chance to enter a raffle for a chance to win one of 50 free Warhawk personal spaces. All you’ll have to do is follow the instructions on the Warhawk posters plastered around PlayStation Home this week to enter. Oh, and you’ll also need to read the official Rules and Regulations, which are posted below for your convenience.

See you in Home!

Warhawk Personal Space Sweepstakes

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 computer entertainment system, a valid PlayStation Network account, internet access and a copy of PlayStation HOME installed on your system. All communications concerning the Warhawk Personal Space Sweepstakes (“Sweepstakes”) will be sent to your authorized PSN email address. The Sweepstakes begins March 4 at 12:00pm (noon) PST and ends March 10, 2010 at 11:59pm PST.

• To enter, send an e-mail to HomeContests@playstation.sony.com. Enter “WARHAWK” in the subject line and in the body of the email include your PSN ID.
• Sponsor will randomly select 50 eligible entries on or about March 17, 2010. These 50 eligible entries will be deemed winners.

To be valid, entries must be received no later than March 10, 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 Promotion. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend this Promotion 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 a voucher via email that entitles them to download the Warhawk Personal Space (ARV $4.99). Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize of equal value if prize is unavailable. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitutions allowed.

3. WINNERS: Winners will be determined by a single random drawing of all valid entries received by Sponsor. Selection will be held on or about March 17, 2010. Winners will be notified via their registered PSN e-mail address. 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 two to three 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. 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 Warhawk Personal Space Sweepstakes, 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 April 1, 2010.

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

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

When you pull up your World Map this Thursday, you’ll notice that the MotorStorm chip has reappeared, along with a brand new MotorStorm game space. The new MotorStorm Super Carrier is essentially a battleship turned full-on party boat, custom-crafted for all of you road warriors that are looking for the perfect environment to meet up with other racing addicts and launch into multiplayer matches of MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. Of course, this space houses a proverbial boatload (pun intended) of awesome content, including the interactive DJ booth wherein you can play house DJ, using some of your favorite tracks from Listen@Home. Check out the video below for a fly-through of what is sure to become one of the most popular party spaces in PlayStation Home.

You asked for it, so you got it: This Thursday, February 18th, we will be releasing the highly-anticipated LocoRoco Island personal space, along with some a bevy of special LocoRoco-themed furniture. But that’s not all: We’ll also be unveiling a brand new LocoRoco game space – the Mui Mui King Passenger Boat. Both of these mega-interactive spaces come packed with games and other content that is sure to please all you LocoRoco fanboys (and girls) out there, so watch this video to get a taste of the new LocoRoco Island personal space (available from the Estates Store in the PlayStation Home Mall) and then pull up your World Map on Thursday to take a ride on the new Mui Mui King Passenger Boat (we’ve snuck in a few pics to whet your appetite).

For those of you that are looking for a truly otherworldly PlayStation Home experience, we’re pleased to present the brand new PlanetLand personal space. This patently sci-fi hangout is a real feast for the eyes, boasting gorgeous vistas, a wide array of clothing and furniture options, and even a predatory plant, poised to devour any unwelcome guests before they can get close enough to crash your pad. Peep the below video for an overview of the new PlanetLand personal space (and associated clothing and furniture), available this week only in PlayStation Home.

You’ve been waiting with bated breath for the season premier of the PlayStation Network exclusive The Tester – the new reality series that focuses on the trials and tribulations of a group of hardcore gamers all vying for their dream job as a member of the SCEA QA team. And since you’ve been so vocal about wanting to watch this hot new series in PlayStation Home, we’ve decided to bring it to you. Starting this Thursday, February 18th, and returning every Thursday that follows until the culmination of Season One, we will be airing each new episode of The Tester in the PlayStation Home Mall. And we’re even offering free virtual items to all of you that come out each week. So come watch The Tester season premiere, grab your free item from the Theater or Central Plaza commerce points (additional The Tester items will also be made available in the coming weeks – some of which are positively hilarious), and be sure to return week after week until the winner is crowned.

This week will see a major update to the PlayStation Home Mall, with no small thanks to our new resident business guru, Mr. Magnus Keynes. To celebrate Mr. Keynes coming aboard to the PlayStation Home team, we’ll be launching four new stores in the Mall. Some of these stores will be devoted to items from long-time partners such as Lockwood Publishing (who are releasing a Sodium store), Loot (our friends over at Sony Pictures Entertainment, who brought us Ghostbusters items and the Loot Sound Stage personal space) and EA (who are sure to continue to pack their store with tons of great content). However, two of these stores are brand new, such as the Exclusives store, which is full of limited edition items. To celebrate the grand opening of the Exclusives store, my good buddy Magnus is dropping the price on over 200 items specifically as thanks to you, the loyal PlayStation Home community. Pick up these items for one month only in the Exclusives store before they are pulled off the shelves forever. And if you see Mr. Keynes wandering around in-world (you can identify him by his snazzy gold suit), take a moment to say “hi” and welcome him into the fold.

Also launching this week in the new Mall is a LucasArts store. That’s right, my friends – we’re talking Star Wars and Indiana Jones in PlayStation Home. From the Stormtrooper costumes to the Indy gear, lightsabers to Sith banners, the LucasArts store is chock full of some of the most highly-requested items from the PlayStation Home. Here’s what our friend Brooks Brown, Community Manager over at LucasArts, had to say about this momentous occasion:

“Over the last year, since the world of PlayStation Home got underway, one of the things that has been put in my ear is that we need to get involved. From the moment I saw what this exciting new platform could provide gamers, I couldn’t have agreed more. As a user, I really want to run around as a Stormtrooper, telling people that they aren’t the droids I’m looking for. So it is my pleasure to announce that, as of Thursday, February 18th, you can now find a LucasArts storefront in the PlayStation Home Mall, packed with all sorts of items with the promise of more to come. We even have Imperial Officer uniforms for those of you who wish to act out your Grand Moff Tarkin fantasies – you know who you are!”

You heard him – this week’s update is just the tip of the iceberg. Check out these pics for a taste of what to expect now that LucasArts has come to PlayStation Home, and keep your eyes on this Blog for more announcements as they come.

Our friends over at Loot are throwing quite the event in celebration of the launch of their new store. The Aliens vs. Androids Event, scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 20th at 8:00pm PT (11:00pm EST) in Central Plaza, will pit Aliens against Androids in a battle for the brains (err…minds) of the PlayStation Home community, with the winners receiving gold trophies for their personal spaces and the second place winners (read: losers) receiving a silver gold trophy for their personal spaces (these items will appear automatically in your inventory if you own the Loot Alien or Loot Android virtual items; please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery). Aliens and Android outfits are available from the new Loot store in the PlayStation Home Mall (Alien items are for sale; Android items are free). See the video below for more details regarding this special event.

Last but certainly not least, EA will be hosting a NHL 10 game launching party next week. Join the EA SPORTS NHL 10 Community on Monday, February 22nd from 4:00pm to 8:00pm PT (7:00pm – 11:00pm EST), in Central Plaza, and play with the development and community team in a special NHL 10 Featured Game Party. To participate, simply add one of the following host accounts: NHL10Dev1, NHL10Dev2, NHL10Dev3, NHL10Dev4, Yaw_DEV, and LBotteron. Then, use the “Go To” feature to travel to official “instances” of Central Plaza during the event times. Once at the event, insert the NHL 10 into your PlayStation 3 and then join a game. Make sure to add people you meet in PlayStation Home to your friend’s list so that you can find one another in the game lobby.

See you in Home!