Let’s start with Move – the Planet Minigolf game patch has been released, so break out those shiny new controllers and test out the new gameplay. Don’t have Move yet? Check out the trailer below to get a taste of what to expect.

The patch also includes a bunch of game updates, including new camera controls, a practice mode, 3-player multiplayer mode (both online and local), scoreboard viewing options, improved voice chat quality and more! The demo is also Move updated, so if you want to test it out before buying, download the demo and check that out.

We’ve also just released the first DLC course, Stronghold Island. Set in the Mediterranean Sea, this beautiful island course brings four new trophies, more customization options for building your own courses and some great minigolf challenges. The course is $2.49 and available now.

Now for the really good part, we’re giving away five Planet Minigolf & Stronghold Island code packs. To win, go to the Zen Studios Facebook page, like us, and post the code “PMG WINNER” to our wall. We will randomly select five winners and send you codes for both Planet Minigolf and Stronghold Island.

As always, we truly appreciate your feedback, so feel free to ask questions, leave comments and we will get back to you with answers and thoughts.

So, how does PlayStation Move make Planet Minigolf better? Well, think about how you play mini golf in real life on a course with a putter and you’ll get the idea. Hold the PlayStation Move controller like a putter and putt away. The guys in the studios have worked really hard on the putting gameplay mechanic and we’ve really nailed it. Depending on how hard you swing the club, you expect the ball to go a certain distance, so we took that concept and built around it so the physics of the ball and the force driving the ball are accurate. We can’t really think of a better way to experience the PlayStation Move controller!

If you are familiar with Zen Studios, then you know that we are committed to releasing content and updates even after we ship the initial game. With that said, we invite you to stay tuned for another soon-to-be-made Planet Minigolf announcement…any guesses out there? We will leave you to ponder while you check out the new screens and video.

ZEN Studios is revealing another trailer for our upcoming arcade golfing multiplayer game, Planet MiniGolf. This time we’re revealing the coolest tips, tricks and power-ups to help you become the best mini-golfer around! This Tips & Tricks trailer will show off all of the things that will help you get a hole in one. Check out an exclusive sneak peek of the Planet MiniGolf Tips & Tricks trailer below!

This is a small taste of what Planet MiniGolf will deliver. ZEN Studios is also offering a contest to all you MiniGolf fans! You only need to follow these two easy steps to win: head over to our Facebook page and “like” us, and then send an email to: planetminigolf@zenstudios.com telling us which power-up allows you to control the ball when you hit it. You will then be entered to win a customized Planet MiniGolf golf kit!

Be sure to check out Planet MiniGolf when it launches on PSN next month for $9.99. For more information you can always check out our previous posts on the PlayStation.Blog or visit the official ZEN Studios website!

The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia (“D.C.”) only and shall only be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not enter this sweepstakes 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®NETWORK PLANET MINIGOLF CONTEST OFFICIAL RULES
Void outside the 50 United States and D.C. and where prohibited.

Official Contest Rules

1. DESCRIPTION: The “Planet MiniGolf Giveaway Contest” begins at 12:01 AM [PST] on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 and ends at 11:59 PM [PST] on Tuesday, June 1, 2010. The Sponsor of this Contest is ZEN Studios. The administrator of this is ZEN Studios.

2. ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and Washington, D.C. who are at least 18 years of age at time of entry and who have internet access as of the Start Date. Any individuals (including but not limited to employees, consultants, independent contractors and interns) who have, within six months prior to the Start Date, held employment with or performed services for Sponsor, Contest Administrator, ZEN Studios, or any organizations affiliated with the sponsorship, fulfillment, administration, prize support, judging, advertisement or promotion of the Contest (collectively, “Contest Entities”) are not eligible to enter or win. Immediate family and household members of such individuals are also not eligible to enter or win. “Immediate Family” shall mean parents, step-parents, legal guardians, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, or spouses. “Household Members” shall mean those people who share the same residence at least three months a year. Void where prohibited.

3. HOW TO ENTER: Head to ZEN Studios Facebook page at www.facebook.com/zenstudios and “like” ZEN Studios, then send an email to: planetminigolf@zenstudios.com explaining what power-up allows you to control the ball when you hit it, this information can be found in the “Tips and Tricks Trailer.” To be valid, entries must be received no later than June 1, 2010 at 11:59pm PST.

All entries must be received by 11:59 PM [PST] on June 1, 2010. Limited to one entry per person. Entrants must provide all information requested by Sponsors to be eligible to win. Incomplete, unreadable, or unintelligible entries will be disqualified. All information provided by entrants becomes the property of Sponsor and will not be returned or acknowledged. Proof of email does not constitute proof of entry.

4. PRIZES: Each prize winner will receive one ZEN Studios Planet MiniGolf golf kit, including: a customized Planet MiniGolf Golf Towel, a custom three pack of balls, and a custom set of Planet MiniGolf tees.

5. WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION: 25 prize winners will be selected following the Promotion Period. Winners will be determined by a single random drawing of all valid entries received by Sponsor, whose decisions are final. Selection will be held on or about June 3, 2010. Sponsor will send a notification email to each winner’s e-mail address they use to enter the conest. If any winner does not respond to Sponsor’s notification email within 7 days of the date of the notification email, he/she will be disqualified and a new winner will be selected based on the original selection criteria.. Please allow four to six weeks for receipt of prizes.Prize winners cannot assign or transfer the prize to another person. No cash or prize substitution is allowed except at the discretion of Sponsor. Other restrictions may apply.

6. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION/RELEASES: Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these official rules and the decisions of the Judging Panel, Sponsor and the Contest Administrator, which shall be final in all respects. By participating in this Contest and/or by accepting any prize that they may be awarded, entrants agree to release the Sponsor, Judging Panel, and Contest Administrator; their parent, subsidiary and affiliated companies, units and divisions and advertising and promotional agencies and prize suppliers; each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees; and each of these companies and individuals’ respective successors, representatives and assigns (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from any and all actions, claims, injury, loss or damage arising in any manner, directly or indirectly, from participation in this Contest and/or acceptance or use of the prize. Entrants authorize the Released Parties to use their name, voice, likeness, biographical data, city and state of residence and entry materials in programming or promotional material, worldwide in perpetuity, or on a winner’s list, if applicable, without further compensation unless prohibited by law. Entrants also grant ZEN Studios a perpetual, fully-paid, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, display, exhibit, transmit, broadcast, televise, digitize, otherwise use, and permit others to use and perform throughout the world their entry materials in any manner, form, or format now or hereinafter created, including on the internet, and for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising or promotion of Sponsor and/or ZEN Studios and their respective services, all without further consent from or payment to you. Neither ZEN Studios nor Sponsor is obligated to use any of the above mentioned information or materials, but may do so and may edit such information or materials, at their sole discretion, without further obligation or compensation. The Released Parties shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, stolen, misdirected, incomplete unreadable, inaccurate, garbled or unintelligible entries, communications or affidavits, regardless of the method of transmission; (ii) telephone system, telephone or computer hardware, software or other technical or computer malfunctions, lost connections, disconnections, delays or transmission errors; (iii) data corruption, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to or alteration of entry or other materials; (iv) any injuries, losses or damages of any kind caused by the prize or resulting from acceptance, possession or use of a prize, or from participation in the Contest; or (v) any printing, typographical, administrative or technological errors in any materials associated with the Contest. Released Parties shall not have any liability for damage to any computer system resulting from participating in, or accessing or downloading information in connection with this Contest, and reserves the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend the Contest should a virus, bug, computer problem, unauthorized intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control, corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Contest. Released Parties may prohibit you from participating in the Contest or winning a prize if, in their sole discretion, they determine you are attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, hacking, deception, or any other unfair playing practices of intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other players or Released Parties’ representatives. This Contest will be governed by the internal laws of the State of California. Any and all legal actions or claims arising in connection with this Contest must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction within the United States. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, RELEASED PARTIES RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY FEES) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

7. PRIVACY POLICY: Any personal information supplied by you to ZEN Studios will be subject to ZEN Studios privacy policy posted at http://www.zenstudios.com/legal.html. By entering the Contest, you grant ZEN Studios permission to share your email address and any other personally identifiable information with the corresponding Contest Entities, and you are automatically registered as a member of ZEN Studios web site and subject to its privacy policy posted athttp://www.zenstudios.com/legal.html. As a result, you may receive additional email communication or promotions from the Sponsor as any of their members would. ZEN Studios will not sell, rent, transfer or otherwise disclose your personal data to any third party other than the Contest Entities.

8. SPONSOR: “ZEN Studios Planet Minigolf Giveaway” Winner’s List or Rules, 18711 Tiffeni Drive, Suite K, Twain Harte, CA 95383

9. PRIZE WINNER LIST: For the list of prize winners, available after June 5, 2010, or a copy of these official rules, mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: “ZEN Studios Planet Minigolf Giveaway” Winner’s List or Rules, 18711 Tiffeni Drive, Suite K, Twain Harte, CA 95383

That’s just a small taste of what Planet Minigolf will deliver. The trailer also shows tons of different options you’ll have when creating and customizing your course, the multiplayer modes, the replay feature where you can upload your replay of your best shots to YouTube, and also the scoreboards and country flags to show your pride of your own country. Planet Minigolf is coming to PSN this Spring for $9.99! For more information, you can always check out previous posts on this blog or visit the official ZEN Studios website.

Aspiring to be the best all-around golf experience, we’ve built in a deep single-player campaign that transports players to several exhilarating courses around the world and comes loaded with six customizable characters, remarkable cartoon-style visuals and a daunting 144 unique holes packed with a variety of hazards and interactive objects.

In addition to the single player campaign, we have also included a full suite of multiplayer options – from a local hotseat mode to regular weekly tournaments and worldwide competitions where players can battle it out to see whose nation reigns supreme.

That’s all for now, but we’ll have more exciting news hitting over the next couple of weeks – including a more in depth look at the games online and customizable features.