swag-saturday posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Look, alright, we'll level with you -- we've got a short supply of schweet schwag hanging around Joystiq Prizeland as of late. That should at least partially help to explain last week's absence of a contest. We also kind of felt like you might've been overloaded with games during our holiday giveaways at the end of 2009. What's that? No, you say? Well we suppose that the first few months of 2010 are unusually flush with quality content, so giving away a bit couldn't hurt, right?

We certainly hope a nine foot tall bullet witch will do it for you, because that's what we've got. One lucky winner (chosen at random) takes home Bayonetta on Xbox 360, chosen from the comments below (please leave one and only one) that are left in the next 24 hours. You tell us what you think is the most annoying song you've ever heard used in marketing a game and you may very well win yourself a vidjagame. How about that?!

• Leave a comment telling us what you think is the most annoying song you've ever heard used in marketing a game.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, due in part to our aversion to snowy owls).
• Limit 1 entry per person per day.
• This entry period ends at 11:31AM ET on Monday, February 8.
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Bayonetta for Xbox 360 ($59.99 ARV).
• For a list of complete rules, click here.

---

What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition. For more info on our policy, click here.

Update: Comments have been closed and a winner shall be emailed expediently! Check your inboxes, dearest readers.

Ahhh, nostalgia. It's quite a thing, isn't it? That old familiar feeling. We were just tots 20 years ago when the first Final Fantasy was mere months from its North American release, a game that went on to influence -- be it directly or incidentally -- many of the RPGs we've played since.

Like this week's Swag Sunday, the appropriately titled Nostalgia, for instance (appropriately titled for our theme, that is). Joystiq's own JC Fletcher said in his preview that, "The winsome attitude of Nostalgia makes it a nice counterpoint to the self-importance of, say, Final Fantasy games, and the no-frills combat (and ability to make a temporary save file if you need to quit and aren't near a save point) is perfect for short-session handheld play." You see that? He even names Final Fantasy! How's that for sticking with a theme!

Anyway, if you'll be so kind as to leave a comment below in the next 24 hours (once only, please) telling us about a nostalgic moment you've had while gaming, you'll be entered for a chance to win a copy of the game. Get to it!

• Leave a comment telling us about a nostalgic moment you've had while gaming.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, mostly because of the lack of sweet Fez footage as of late).
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 7:31PM ET on Monday, January 18.
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Nostalgia for Nintendo DS ($34.99 ARV).
• For a list of complete rules, click here

---

What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition. For more info on our policy, click here.

Update: We've closed the comments and will contact a winner this week. Check the email tied to your commenter name!

Do you like action figures, t-shirts, and books? Good, then we've got just the thing for you. Darksiders has been keeping us occupied ever since its somewhat bizarre release date of January 5, so we'd like to pass this newfound addiction straight on to you, the reader. You can outfit yourself with a War action figure (complete with his lovely, flowing, white locks and his megasword Chaoseater), a sweet Darksiders t-shirt (size large), and a hardbound Darksiders art book that'll tell you everything you need to know about the game.

Wait, what's this? You want the game, too? A toy, a garment, and some reading material won't do it for you? Fine. We'll also toss in a PS3 copy of the game, free from all of the glitchified bugs tearing up the Xbox 360 version. To enter, just tell us what you'd name your own ginormous, soul-devouring sword

• Leave a comment telling us what moniker you'd apply to your own giant sword.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, because of something Clint Hocking said -- at least that's what we heard).
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 11:31AM ET on Sunday, January 10.
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Darksiders for PS3 ($59.99 ARV), one Darksiders t-shirt, size large ($10 ARV), one Darksiders art book ($14.99 ARV), and one action figure featuring War from Darksiders ($19.99 ARV).
• For a list of complete rules, click here

---

What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. For more info on our policy, click here.

Update: We've closed the comments and will contact a winner this week. Check the email tied to your commenter name, folks!

For this week's not-quite-the-holidays-yet giveaway, we've got a Band Hero prize pack for the Nintendo Wii and DS lined up for one lucky winner. That's right! Not just Band Hero for your silly old home console, but also for your handheld (that is, unless you have a Nintendo DSi or XXL -- sorry!). Prepare to be embraced by friends and relatives as a genuine American (or Canadian, excluding Quebec) hero while playing along to your favorite Taylor Swift song.

In honor of last night's Video Game Awards (and the subsequent flood of news and trailers), we're asking you to tell us what your favorite trailer or news was from the World Premiere-stravaganza. We'll pick one winner at random this week, so as always, be sure to keep an eye on the inbox!

• Leave a comment telling us what your favorite trailer or news was from last night's World Premiere-stravaganza (the VGAs).
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec -- likely because of The Kids in the Hall).
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 7:31PM ET on Monday, December 13
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Band Hero for Nintendo DS ($50 ARV) and one copy of Band Hero for Nintendo Wii ($50 ARV).
• For a list of complete rules, click here

---

What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. For more info on our policy, click here.

Update: The comments have closed and the winner will be contacted shortly. Thanks to everyone for participating!

If you're anything like us, you'll be spending a decent part of your holiday stuck in the seat of a train, bus, automobile, or aeroplane, heading towards wherever "home" is for the upcoming holidays. We know how nice it can be to pick up a new game or two for the travels ahead, and in the spirit of that we're giving out a DS/PSP travel pack for this week's Swag Saturday including both Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Tell us your best (gaming or non-gaming) holiday travel story (keep it clean, folks! -- no "mile high club" stories!) and we'll pick one winner at random to receive the travel pack early this week. As always, keep an eye on the email address tied to your commenting name to find out if you've won!

• Leave a comment telling us your best (gaming or non-gaming) holiday travel story.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec -- which may have to do with the Ubisoft Petz franchise)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 9:31PM ET on Sunday, December 6
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for Nintendo DS ($35 ARV) and one copy of Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny for Sony PSP ($40 ARV).
• For a list of complete rules, click here

Update: Comments have been closed and winners will be contacted shortly. If you're not checking those inboxes yet, now would be a good time to start doing so!

We know we've been pushing nothing but family entertainment on you with our Swag Saturday posts for a few weeks now, and, well, this week isn't much different. We've got a prize pack full of two "2010 Edition" Nintendo Wii games that are sure to get the family together and, quite possibly, at each others throats (in a wholesome kinda way): Family Feud and The Price is Right! Hey, one of those even has the word "family" in the title!

To get your hands on the prize pack, all you have to do is leave a comment telling us what your favorite game show of all time is. We'll pick a winner at random from the entries sometime this week, so be sure to check those inboxes!

• Leave a comment telling us what your favorite game show of all time is.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec -- partially because of Céline Dion, mostly because of Alanis Morissette)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 10:31PM ET on Monday, November 30
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of The Price is Right for Nintendo Wii ($40 ARV) and one copy of Family Feud for Nintendo Wii ($40 ARV).
• For a list of complete rules, click here

Here it is, folks: your chance to beat up relatives all throughout the holiday season, albeit from the relative safeness of Tekken 6's confines! For this week's Swag Saturday, we're giving out a copy of Tekken 6 for the Xbox 360 to one lucky commenter who tells us which fictitious holiday character (think: Santa, the Easter Bunny) they'd like to beat up the most, and with which Tekken 6 character they'd like to do so with. Fancy a battle of Kuma vs The Tooth Fairy? Perhaps Jack-6 vs George Washington (wait, he was real?!)? We want to hear about it!

• Leave a comment telling us which fictitious holiday character (Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc.) you'd like to beat up most, and with which Tekken 6 character they'd like to do so with.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, mostly due to the gravitational quotient of poutine)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 6:01PM ET on Sunday, November 22
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Tekken 6 for Xbox 360 ($60 ARV).
• For a list of complete rules, click here

---

What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. For more info on our policy, click here.

Update: This contest is officially closed and the winners will be notified shortly. Please check your email inboxes, folks!

With the holiday game release season officially upon us, it's quite possible that you'll find yourself (like us) jammed on a couch next to relatives who – at least passingly – show interest in the video games we know and love. Sometimes, these folks even ask to play alongside us, eschewing their morals for entertainment (for shame!). It's during these times that we reach for our second or third controller. But what if you only have one controller for your PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360? WHAT THEN?! Then you can turn to Swag Saturday for the possibility of winning one!

We've got one silver PS3 DualShock 3 and two Halo 3: ODST limited edition controllers to give away to three lucky readers. All you have to do is tell us a story about gaming with family during past holidays in the comments below. We get your crazy stories, you get our fancy controllers – talk about a win-win! Prize winners will be alerted by email early this week, so keep your ear to the internet, folks.

• Leave a comment telling us a story about gaming with family during past holidays.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, based on the outcome of the War of 1812)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 6:31PM ET on Sunday, November 15
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select three winners to receive one PS3 DualShock 3 (estimated $55 ARV) or one of two Halo 3: ODST limited edition Xbox 360 controllers (estimated $50 ARV each).
• For a list of complete rules, click here

After getting beaten handily by the folks attending Capcom's NYC Fight Club this week, we were given the tagged black bag you see above, full of consolation prizes (for our bruised egos). Being the good sports we are though, we're giving away everything we got directly to you for this week's Swag Saturday prize. From the fancy event art to the always important Tatsunoko vs. Capcom towel, this goodie bag comes packed full of semi-exclusive swag. To get your hands on it, all you have to do is leave a comment below telling us who your favorite Street Fighter character of all time is. We'll pick one of you at random next week to receive the goods. In the meantime, we'll be over here, putting that bruised ego on ice.

• Leave a comment telling us who your favorite Street Fighter character of all time is.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, mostly because of the Moon's position in relation to the Earth)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 9:01PM ET on Sunday, October 25
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive a bag of Capcom Fight Club swag (estimated $30 ARV)
• For a list of complete rules, click here

In an effort to keep lowering our continuously growing stack of Swag Saturday giveaway prizes, this week we're offering a seemingly random combination of Katamari Forever and Warhawk. Our reasoning seemed sound at the time: give the Joystiq BioMass™ something old and something new, nothing borrowed, and no one will be blue.

...

Okay, so we just wanted to give away a couple of PS3 games and those were the first two that we picked up. Are you happy? Are you?! Tell us exactly how happy you are with this week's swag selection in the comments below (negativity and snark will get you nowhere!) and we'll pick one of you at random to receive both games.

• Leave a comment telling us exactly how happy you are with this week's swag selection.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, presumably due to an aberration in the Large Hadron Collider)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 9:01PM ET on Sunday, October 18
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Katamari Forever ($50 ARV) and Warhawk ($30 ARV)
• For a list of complete rules, click here

If you're like us, you're ready for The Future of Digital Entertainment™ and want to get rid of all that silly, antiquated physical media still laying around the house. We're using some for coasters (something's gotta hold our Zima!), some for Halloween treats later this month, and some for Swag Saturday giveaways.

We're hoping that you're not like us and are instead hungrily searching for your chance to win a copy of both Dissidia Final Fantasy and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (on UMD, of course). Leave a comment below letting us what you're going to do with your physical media when the future is upon us and there's no turning back. We'll choose one winner at random after the comments are closed 24 hours from now. See you in the future!

• Leave a comment letting us what you're going to do with your physical media when the future is upon us and there's no turning back.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, presumably based on the longstanding feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 7:01PM ET on Sunday, October 11
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Dissidia Final Fantasy ($40 ARV) and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII ($20 ARV)
• For a list of complete rules, click here

Ever dreamed of owning your very own ridiculously high-priced fake drum set? No no, silly goose, not that ridiculously high-priced fake drum set! The Logitech Wireless set, of course!

For Swag Saturday this week, we're giving you (and consequently ridding ourselves of) a mammoth wireless drum set care of Logitech (only for the PS3/PS2, folks!) and a complimentary copy of Guitar Hero 5. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling us how you're going to celebrate your Rocktober. When the contest runs out tomorrow, we'll pick one lucky winner to receive the whole schebang.

• Leave a comment telling us how you're going to celebrate your Rocktober.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, mostly because of the accent)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 8:31PM ET on Sunday, October 4
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Guitar Hero 5 ($60 ARV) and a Logitech Wireless Drum Kit ($230 ARV)
• For a list of complete rules, click here

It's time for Swag Saturday once again, and this week's prize is a doozy. Up for grabs we have not one, not two, but three Guitar Hero games. We've got Xbox 360 copies of Guitar Hero: Metallica, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits and Guitar Hero 5, all for the low, low price of nothing (and all released this year, if you can believe it). And, as if that weren't enough, we're throwing in an extra bass pedal (with splitter cable) too. For your chance to rock with the best of them, follow these simple directions:

• Leave a comment telling us about your favorite rock and roll moment.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, due to a domestic dispute)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 8:31PM ET on Monday, September 28
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Guitar Hero: Metallica ($60 ARV), Guitar Hero: Smash Hits ($60 ARV), Guitar Hero 5 ($60 ARV), and a bass pedal game peripheral ($35 ARV)
• For a list of complete rules, click here

Update: The comments have been closed and the winner will be contacted shortly. Check your email, folks! And thanks to everyone for entering!

How is it that every time we run a Swag Saturday/Sunday post for a Nintendo Wii game, it's something wonderful? Last time we offered you Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, and this week we're treating one lucky winner to a copy of Metroid Prime Trilogy! To get your hands on it, leave a comment below telling us your favorite moment in the Metroid series -- yes, you can go all the way back to NES. We'll pick one answer at random tomorrow evening to receive the fancy "Collector's Edition" you see above. One stipulation: Automatic disqualification should your answer include the Zero Suit in any way. You know why, ya scoundrels!

• Leave a comment telling us your favorite moment in the Metroid series, excluding those that involve the Zero Suit.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, for obvious reasons)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 8:31PM ET on Monday, September 21
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Metroid Prime Trilogy on Wii ($50 ARV)
• For a list of complete rules, click here

Can you believe it?! We're giving away two copies of Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 for Nintendo DS, just in time for its release on September 15. TOMY continues the Shippuden story arc in this brand new 3D fighter. In addition to a copy of the game, winners will also get a Naruto headband, so you can totally be the coolest and totally-most-original person at an anime convention ever. We swear.

• Leave a comment telling us who the best character in Naruto is. Try to choose someone not featured on the box art.
  
• 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 1:31 pm ET on Monday, September 14. We'll randomly select two winners at that time to receive: one copy of Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 and one Naruto headband (ARV $45).
• For a list of complete rules, click here