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Celebrate Halloween with Scribblenauts

by JC Fletcher { Oct 30th 2009 at 5:00PM }

If you're planning to visit the London Dungeon this Halloween, you may get a scare of some kind, but more importantly, you can also get an exclusive Scribblenauts level. An exclusive Halloween level will be distributed in line at the Dungeon from 12 to 3pm wirelessly.

If you're not planning to go to the London Dungeon, you can still enjoy some spooky Scribblenauts goodies in the form of this wallpaper (1024x768, 1280x1024, or 1600x1200). It's full of creatures that we haven't seen before, including the Candy Corn Man and whatever that adorable giant eyepatch-wearing cat is. If you know the word that summons the Candy Corn Man, please, please let us know.

Team Fortress 2 Pumpkin Patch update now live

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 30th 2009 at 3:20PM }

In our hurry to tell you about yesterday's two-hour-long Team Fortress 2 fire sale, we didn't really give you all the in-depth info about the accompanying Pumpkin Patch update which you so richly deserve. We'll rectify that now, but not before saying that a few short hours after the announcement was posted yesterday afternoon, the update went live! You can play it right now -- on PC, of course. Oh, you thought it might come to the 360? That's adorable.

The update will temporarily introduce a King of the Hill map called "Harvest" into the mix, complete with Halloween-themed elements like collectible candy, exploding pumpkins, and the ghost of Zepheniah Mann, who temporarily freezes passersby in a gripping, powerful spell of fear. Five Achivements are available during the festivities, as well as a number of "Mildly Disturbing Halloween Hats," or paper bags with scary faces painted on them. If you're lucky, you might just get the one emblazoned with Joan Rivers' visage. Aaaaah!

Uncharted 2 getting title update, Halloween festivities

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 30th 2009 at 2:30PM }

Okay, so our initial observation that Uncharted 2 would soon receive skeletal Helghast was a bit far from the truth. Naughty Dog's Arne Meyer recently announced on Playstation.Blog that the half-tucked title would receive an update which addresses a number of multiplayer issues today. On top of that, anyone who plays the game online during this Halloween weekend will receive a treat infinitely more sweet than a fistful of Necco Wafers: Loads and loads of (in-game) cash money.

Yes, the next few days will be a "Double Cash Weekend" for Uncharted 2 multiplayer matches. As you can probably suss out from the title, you'll earn double the rank-progressing moolah you would normally gain for playing the various online playlists. In addition, a bunch of Naughty Dog staffers will be playing this weekend -- presumably appearing as the crimson-eyed, skinless abominations seen above. We appreciate the work these folks have done, but following our strict undead infestation protocols, they must be purged.

Reminder: Champions Online is free to play this weekend

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 30th 2009 at 2:00PM }

We know you guys have the memory of a ... well, whatever the polar opposite of an elephant is in regards to memory. (A fruit fly?) So, we thought we'd remind you that Cryptic's made its superheroic MMO Champions Online free to play this Halloween weekend in an attempt to promote the game's spooky pseudo-expansion, Blood Moon.

You can download it for free at 1PM EST today, then play it to your heart's content -- or November 2. You know, whichever comes first.

[Via Big Download]

Stay indoors and visit PlayStation Home for Halloween celebrations

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 28th 2009 at 12:30PM }

Don't want to bother going outside with friends on Halloween? Good! PlayStation Home is hosting two different virtual events, one for Europe and one for America.

On Halloween Day, from 6-8PM GMT, SCEE will be hosting a virtual party in the Burn Zombie Burn space. Participants that purchase and wear appropriately undead attire will receive a special "treat" upon arriving. For more details, visit the EU PlayStation.blog.

SCEA is celebrating one day earlier, on Halloween Eve. At 11:59PM EST, the Central Plaza will feature a zombie rally that will put Hamsters vs Humans to shame (cough). Once again, virtual prizes will be handed out to all that participate -- and isn't that so much better than going outside, only to get tooth decay? For more details on America's festivities, visit the US PlayStation.blog.

Source - Halloween comes to PlayStation Home
Source - Celebrate Halloween PlayStation Home-Style at the Zombie Rally

You're bound to look sharp in these Earthbound duds

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 27th 2009 at 1:45PM }

We may raise our snobby noses as we pass by cosplayers at conventions, but once a year it becomes socially acceptable for us to embrace our inner theater student and don a disguise. Being people who spend quite a bit of time writing about or playing video games, we tend to err on the side of nerdery when it comes to Halloween outfits (shocking, we know). The folks at Fangamer coax this urge all the more when they release a full outfit of Earthbound's hero, Ness, on their site. Considering the striped "Shirtness," the accompanying "Earth Bounder" (the yo-yo) and the guarantee that it'll arrive before Halloween, the $54.99 asking price seems almost acceptable. Almost.

[Via Kotaku]

Pumpkin Head mask returning to LBP in time for Halloween

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 26th 2009 at 1:45PM }

If you missed your chance to grab the LittleBigPlanet Pumpkin Head mask, which was offered as a free Halloween promotion last year, don't fret -- Media Molecule is bringing the complimentary costume piece back to the game this Thursday. We're not certain how long the wearable gourd will be available to download, so make sure you act quickly, lest you be forced to wait another year before you get your Sleepy Hollow Sackboy on.

[Via VG247]

Champions Online going free-to-play on Halloween weekend

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 25th 2009 at 7:30PM }

If you've yet to acquire plans for this Halloween weekend to go along with your totally rad costume, Cryptic Studios has a pretty great diversion you may want to sign up for. Starting October 30, you'll be able to download Champions Online at no cost, and take on the mantle of the superhero of your own design until November 2.

The free-to-play weekend is being offered in an attempt to promote the title's first live update, Blood Moon. We expect that more than a handful of partially illiterate heroes will appear during the update's launch, and will be confused as to where all the sexy teenage vampires are located.

[Via Big Download]

(Castle) Crash Halloween with this Behemoth of a costume

by Xav de Matos { Oct 24th 2009 at 1:00PM }

The team at The Behemoth know you're having a hard time coming up with something original and awesome for Halloween, so the team has included an instructional guide to creating your very own Castle Crashers inspired costume on its blog.

Taking a simple 5-gallon bucket, some foam and a pocket full of hopes and dreams, you can rock one of the best costumes we've seen (all week, at least). As an added bonus, the guide is simple and includes plenty of pictures to guide would-be costume designers -- and future "Best Costume of the Night" award winners.

Animatronic Covenant Elite costume blows yours out of the water

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 19th 2009 at 2:30PM }

The night of All Hallows' Eve is swiftly approaching. We're sure that, by now, you've got a rough outline of what pop culture icon you'll attempt to disguise yourself as. We're also sure that it's not one-tenth as awesome nor as intricate as the Covenant Elite (of Halo fame) costume recently created by YouTube user petemander1. That is, unless your Optimus Prime costume has animatronic, remote-controlled eyes and mandibles. No? It doesn't? That's what we thought.

Check out the two videos posted after the jump to get an early look at Pete's humbling (and slightly terrifying) creation. We'd say we can't wait to see how the full costume turns out, but we've already got plenty of subjects on which to base our nightmares.

Continued →

Plants vs. Zombies to march in NYC Halloween parade

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 17th 2009 at 5:00AM }

This is a just a warning to any zombies considering joining the New York City Halloween parade. Pictured above are some of the plants that PopCap will be sending to march in said parade. As you -- the zombies -- well know, these plants will most certainly assure your demise. Well, except the wall-nuts. They'll pretty much just stand there and let you eat them, but we love 'em anyway. They're just so damned cute. Dumb, but cute.

Avatar Halloween costumes have scary prices

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 15th 2009 at 11:30AM }

In the spirit of the season, Microsoft has released some Halloween costumes for Avatars. There's quite a spooky selection to choose from, including ghosts, cowboys, werewolves, vampires, wizards, witches and Frankenstein's monster. For good measure, Microsoft even threw in a skeleton and a mummy. All of the outfits cost 240

($3), but you'll need to pay another 80

($1) if your outfit of choice features a hat.

Perhaps the most frightening of all is the male Sheriff's outfit. It's something about the combination of the incredibly tight fit, coupled with the standard, effeminate Avatar pose. It just don't look right.

Ratchet & Clank, Deadquarters spaces headed Home

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 14th 2009 at 7:45PM }

Sony has announced that two new spaces are coming to Playstation Home. The first is dedicated to the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, and features a handful of mini-games for Home dwellers to enjoy. Playstation Home director Jack Buser seems particularly excited by the tower defense game, which has three different levels, one for the past, present and future. The space also includes plenty of rewards, including a Ratchet costume.

The second Home space has been created in anticipation of Halloween. Called Deadquarters, the space turns all those who enter into a zombie. Sony has set up a website dedicated to the space -- undeadyourself.com -- which suggests there will be some zombie-related Home in the near future. Dare we hope for full-on zombie war? Deadquarters and the Ratchet & Clank space will be available this Thursday.

Silent Hill haunted house spooking Orange County this Halloween

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 10th 2009 at 11:00AM }

Sinister Pointe, an Orange County, Calif.-based haunted house attraction, has got something special in mind for gamers this Halloween -- their annual gore-filled maze will be Silent Hill themed this time around. There's a few details on the company's site -- including an endorsement from Konami, it seems -- but no early looks at the attraction are given. We're guessing Pyramid-headed gentlemen and bloody, faceless nurses will be incorporated.

We're not certain how much a production like this costs, but if they're aiming for capturing the true Silent Hill experience, they must be spending a freaking mint on fog machines.

[Via Kotaku]

Show and Tell: Post-Halloween wrap-up

by Alisha Karabinus { Nov 4th 2008 at 1:41PM }

We talked about Halloween last month, as people were first beginning to think about the holiday, but now that it's past, it's time for us to revisit the topic. Specifically, we have to look at costumes! Gamers always seem so enthusiastic about their costumes, and they're rarely something you can throw together at the last minute with handy items from around the house.

If you're feeling particularly rebellious, you can bounce right into the gallery and make your own way around. If not, we've got a guided tour prepared, just for you.