Update: A winner has been selected and contacted via e-mail. Congrats!

So this "Hideo Kojima" guy totally ruined our copy of Metal Gear Solid 4. He had the nerve to scribble all over it in permanent marker. It looks like he ... signed it? Yuck!

His signature has obviously tarnished our copy. It's worthless now, so we're giving it away in this latest edition of Joyswag: Garbage Edition. Go ahead, take it away from us. We don't want it! Bah!

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment expressing your earnest desire to collect our garbage. Comments must be left before 5PM EST on Monday, June 23rd. Only one comment per person per calendar day -- or else! One winner will be selected in a random drawing. Grand Prize Winner will receive a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (signed by Hideo Kojima and Yumi Kikuchi) for PS3 (MSRP: $60). Click here for complete Official Rules. Eligibility is restricted to the legal residents of the 50 United States (including DC) and Canada (excluding Quebec). You must be 18 years or older to enter.

For another chance to win an autographed copy, visit PS3 Fanboy.

[Update: Winners have been chosen, so make with the checking of the email. It could have been you!]

Remember when we wrote a post headlined, "The things we do to get you swag"? There was a whole manufactured spy thing, set up by Sierra to promote their Bourne Conspiracy game, all in the hope that it would nab them some press on a certain gaming blog you happen to be reading. Well, look at that! It worked. We're giving away the fruits of our clandestine efforts – namely, the above pictured briefcase, stocked with:

• A courier bag with Bourne branding
• A Bourne-branded wrist strap that turns into a 2GB USB disk
  
• An Olympus VN-4100PC voice recorder with Bourne branding
  
• A Maglite flashlight with Bourne branding
• A Sony NWX-B105F Digital Music Player with two versions of a Gnarls Barkley track

– along with a copy of The Bourne Conspiracy on Xbox 360 or PS3 signed by High Moon Studios, a black Bourne Conspiracy t-shirt (pick a size!); and a Bourne Conspiracy poster (total MSRP approx. $300). One runner-up will get a Bourne Conspiracy courier bag along with an unsigned copy of the game on the platform of their choice.

All you need to do to enter is:

• To enter this giveaway, leave a comment telling us the number of ways you know how to kill a man with your bare hands (we'll be honest, we can only think of one ... and it also involves our feet ...)
  
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
• Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day (comment more than once and you'll be disqualified, but enter again tomorrow)
  
• This entry period ends at 5:00pm ET on Friday, June 6th. We'll randomly select a winner at that time (please check your email!)
• For a list of complete rules, click here

Blockbuster wanted us to remind you of its plans to "significantly expand its games business," including the special $500 PS3 bundle comprising a 40GB console, a PS3 Bluetooth remote, an HDMI cable, Spiderman 3 on Blu-ray, the Transformers video game (for PS3, of course), and the opportunity to rent one free PS3 game or Blu-ray movie a week for twelve consecutive weeks.

To help you remember, we're giving away a 40GB PlayStation 3 without all the other stuff. All you've got to do to win (perfect timing for Metal Gear Solid 4, eh?) is follow these five easy steps:

• To enter this giveaway, leave a comment telling us where you buy your gaming gear from (we concentrate really hard and it just appears).
  
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec).
• Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day (comment more than once and you'll be disqualified, but try again tomorrow).
  
• This entry period ends at 6:00pm ET on Monday, June 16th. We'll randomly select a winner at that time (please check your email!).
• For a list of complete rules, click here.

Looking for some new wheels? How about two of 'em -- that's right, two Wii Wheels, and we'll even throw in a copy of Mario Kart Wii ($49.99 value) with each (and, if you're lucky, an "I Heart Kart" air freshener), as well as some miscellaneous swag from the NYC launch party (1 t-shirt, 1 sticker and one "driver's license," a $15 value). Just follow these five steps and a winner can be you!

• To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on any of the designated gallery pictures (one, two, three) with your favorite track from the Mario Kart series.
  
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec -- désolée!).
• Limit 1 entry per gallery picture, per person
  
• This entry period ends at 8:00pm ET on Friday, May 2nd. We'll randomly select the winners at that time (please check your email!).
• For a list of complete rules, click here.

What?! Joystiq's giving away the totally certified "Game of the Week," you ask? Don't ask questions! Just enter for your chance to win, right here. (You still have two opportunities left, if you leave a comment today and another tomorrow before 5pm ET!)

[Update: Entry period is over, folks. We're contacting the winners by email, so go check!]

If you missed out on Persona 3, last year's criminally under-printed and underplayed -- but not under-appreciated! -- high school sim-cum-dungeon crawler, here's your chance to take "The Journey." (And for those who didn't miss out, we know you've been dying to discover "The Answer!")

In conjunction with this week's release of Persona 3 FES, Joystiq and Atlus are giving away three copies of the game, each accompanied by an art book signed by lead artist Shigenori Soejima. This updated edition of the game features the original story ("The Journey") stuffed with new content, including quests, events, items and Personas, plus an additional 30-hour-plus episode, "The Answer," which promises to deliver the true ending. (Joytip: Game data from the original Persona 3 release can be imported into FES.)

Just follow these rules to enter:

• Leave a comment telling us what you think "FES" stands for. (We know, we know, it's short for "festival" -- but c'mon! Be creative.)
  
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec).
  
• Limit 1 entry (comment) per person per calendar day.
  
• This entry period ends at 5:00pm ET on Friday, April 25th. We'll randomly select three winners at that time (please check your email!).
  
• For a list of complete rules, click here. (Total retail value of prize is approximately $35.)

Are you so adamantly against the practice of video game reservation that you refused to drop the five dollars on a Metal Gear Solid 4 pre-order to secure a Metal Gear Online beta access code? Or, rather, did you place said pre-order, only to receive a hobbled, impartial code? Don't forget, there's still a chance that your kind uncle Joystiq can secure your ticket -- just drop a comment on our contest thread (don't forget to check out those legally airtight rules and regulations) by noon tomorrow, and you could be snapping, cracking, and popping stranger's necks before you know it.

Update: Locked comments in this thread. You can't win here, you'll have to go back to the old page.

[Update: Entry period is over, folks. We're contacting our winner by email, so go check!]

Sure, in Europe the Metal Gear Online "Premiere Beta" is open to any and all who wander into the PlayStation Store beginning, well, right now. But that's just not how we do things here in America! ( ... and Canada.) We prefer our beta testing to be ultra-exclusive. We prefer passing a crisp bill across the counter in exchange for an entry code (and a DVD of some old footage). But, if you've been feeling distinctly un-American (shame on you!) and have failed to pre-order Metal Gear Solid 4, here's your chance to sneak right into the Metal Gear Online beta. Joystiq wants to welcome you to Konami's swanky 14-day parté by giving away one, single, solitary entry code into the beta (just one). Follow these five, deceptively simple rules to enter:

• To enter this giveaway, leave a comment crying out for Snake. (You know, something like: Snake? SNAKE? SNAAAAAKEE??!!)
  
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec -- sorry folks, but Snake just can't hear you from there).
  
• Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day. (We can only take so much of your yelling.)
  
• This entry period ends at 12:00pm ET on Monday, April 21st. We'll randomly select the winner at that time (please check your email!).
  
• For a list of complete rules, click here.

"Are you Mr. Stern, by chance?" A built man in a black suit asked, standing in front of a black Cadillac. His black sunglasses evenly split M.I.B. and The Matrix.

I'd just stumbled into the daylight after an afternoon meeting near San Francisco's Union Square. I'd been standing on the sidewalk for a moment, shifting my attention between my notebook, phone, and this man. I'd stolen glances like I was meeting a blind date, wondering if this was my contact but not quite approaching him

I confirmed my identity, and he motioned me over to the sedan. "I'll be taking you to the drop zone," he said and then was silent.

A few weeks earlier, FedEx dropped off an unmarked, prepaid mobile phone. The carbon-copy shipping slip gave no origin address or FedEx account number. I called the delivery company and asked for more details, and all they could dig up was the location the phone was picked up. Some place called "Vivendi University" according to the agent. And so the marketing stunt began.

Update: Entries are closed. We'll be alerting the winners via e-mail soon, so please keep an eye on your inbox!

Treasure's Ikaruga holds a special place in our hearts. If you're like some of us on the Joystiq crew, today's Xbox Live Arcade release will be the third time you pick up this classic shooter. At only 800 Microsoft Points ($10), this HD re-release is quite a bargain -- but, thanks to Microsoft, we're able to give three Joystiq readers a free download of the game. Just follow these rules for your chance to win:

• To enter this giveaway, leave a comment with the name of your favorite Treasure-developed game
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
• Limit 1 entry per person
• This entry period ends at 12pm ET on Friday, April 11th. We'll randomly select 3 winners at that time (please check your email!)
• For a list of complete rules, click here

For another chance to win, be sure to visit Xbox 360 Fanboy.

If you've made it this deep into the weekend without purchasing the new Call of Duty 4 "Variety Map Pack," why not hold out a little longer? Leave a comment naming your favorite multiplayer map EVAR on our giveaway post for your chance to win the map pack -- for free! You've got until 1200 hours tomorrow, soldier.

[Update: Entry period is over, folks. We're selecting our winners and contacting them by email, so go check!]

What a lovely ravine ... to die in. Take the tour (of duty) on us! Joystiq is giving away five download codes for the brand-new Call of Duty 4 "Variety Map Pack" on Xbox 360 (valued at 800 Microsoft Points / $10). Just follow these 5 simple rules for your chance to win:

• To enter this giveaway, leave a comment naming your favorite multiplayer map of all time (any game)
  
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
  
• Limit 1 entry per person per day. If you enter this giveaway more than once each calendar day you'll be automatically disqualified and forced to, well, pay for the map pack!
  
• This entry period ends at 12:00pm ET on Monday, April 7th. We'll randomly select 5 winners at that time (please check your email!)
  
• For complete rules, click here

Psst, hey, one more thing: GameDaily is offering up five additional codes, right here.

Just a friendly reminder, you have until this Wednesday, March 26 at 12:00pm ET to enter for a chance to win a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Here is the link you're looking for, so go enter okay?

We never forget a face. That explains why we nearly overlooked the charming fellow above, as his disturbing assemblage of teeth, eyes and wrinkles really stretches our definition of "face" to its very hideous limit. Apparently, we were supposed to meet him for a round of Mass Effect today, foiling his and his fellow Batarians' plan to toss an asteroid at an unsuspecting planet.

If you feel like your galactic romp across BioWare's rich galaxy is in need of extension, the "Bring Down the Sky" Mass Effect add-on promises "approximately 90 minutes" of gameplay and 50 gamerscore points. It's available on the Xbox Live Marketplace now for $5, or 400 MS Points. Oh, and you can win a download code for it right now.

• To enter this giveaway, suggest a caption for the above image in the comments section.
  
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec).
  
• Limit 1 entry per person. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified and jettisoned into space!
• This entry period ends tomorrow at 5:45pm ET Tuesday 3/11/08. We'll randomly select 10 winners at that time.
  
• For complete rules capable of generating extensive dialogue trees, click here.

[Update: The contest is over. We'll be contacting the winners shortly, so please keep an eye on your inbox!]

So, we amassed quite a bit of swag from Game Developer's Conference. For those of you that didn't swindle some away from us at our Video Games Live meet-up in San Francisco, here's your chance to get in on the action. One winner will take it all!

• GDC swag bag (pictured above)
• PlayStation t-shirt collection (all size L, includes one In-Shirt XMB shirt)
• Nyko peripherals (secret, random selection!)

To enter, simply tell us what was the most important story of GDC (here's an overview). Gears of War 2? Xbox Live Community Games? Uh, pictures of our food? The comment must be left before Saturday, March 1st, 5PM EST. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected in a random drawing. Grand Prize Winner will receive this GDC swag collection (MSRP: approximately $100). Click here for complete Official Rules. Eligibility is restricted to the legal residents of the 50 United States (including DC). You must be 18 years or older to enter.