Sony Lets Taco Bell ‘Unlock The Box’ For The PS Vita

Sony has announced a new partnership with Taco Bell for the PS Vita. The “Unlock the Box” promotion will see them give away one PS Vita every 15 minutes to consumers starting January 26, 2012, before the console releases in the U.S., exclusively through Taco Bell.

“This partnership is the perfect way to deliver PS Vita’s game changing technology directly to our passionate fans in the weeks leading up to launch,” said Guy Longworth senior vice president of marketing and PlayStation Network at SCEA. “We know anticipation around PS Vita in the U.S. is reaching a fever pitch, and we’re happy to be working with Taco Bell to give away one PS Vita for every fifteen minutes, ensuring thousands of gamers get their hands on the revolutionary entertainment system before it becomes available in stores.”

Running until March 11, 2012, users can pick up codes found on Taco Bell’s specially marked $5 Buck Box that can be entered online for an instant chance to win a PS Vita prize pack. Fans can win through Taco Bell’s mobile app by battling their friends on Reality Fighters Dojo, an augmented reality game experience set on the $5 Buck Box and by entering an online contest that users boast about what they’d be willing to do for a PS Vita.

“Taco Bell has always been a brand of firsts and we wanted to kick off the year with an innovative combination — our great food, PlayStation’s cool new technology and multiple ways to play and win,” said Brian Niccol, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at Taco Bell Corp. “We have an incredibly engaged customer fan base and we are excited to leverage this partnership and help them become early adopters.”

Prize packs include one PS Vita 3G/Wi-Fi model, the Little Deviants game, one 4GB PS Vita Memory Card, and a choice of one of the following games: ModNation Racers: Road Trip, LittleBigPlanet or MLB 12 The Show.

MLB Perfect Game Challenge Returns For 2K12 Edition

2K Sports has announced that the $1 Million Perfect Game Challenge is returning for the third year in a row in Major League Baseball 2K12. This variation will see players attempting to place on a dynamic leaderboard that ranks the top perfect games thrown starting April 4 until the end of April and submit a unique code at www.2ksports.com/perfectgame upon completion of a perfect game; eight finalists will compete in a live tournament to crown the new $1 Million champion.

“Winning $1 Million for being the first to pitch a perfect game in Major League Baseball 2K11 was an unreal experience,” said Brian Kingrey, who won the contest in 2011 using Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies. “I can’t wait to watch the competition unfold and see who will join me and Major League Baseball 2K10 winner, Wade McGilberry, in what’s becoming the coolest fraternity in sports gaming. We like to call it ‘The Perfect Club.’”

“With the Perfect Game Challenge firmly entrenched in the culture of sports gaming, we’re thrilled to introduce several new twists that can only take the contest to the next level of competitive excitement and open it up to more people,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing at 2K Sports. “The contest has been incredibly popular the past two years, but there’s always room for improvement. We listened to user feedback and made participation more fun and accessible than ever before.”

Microsoft Xbox 360 TV Subscription In Limbo

While Microsoft just won an award for their Xbox 360 TV setup at CES, reports are now that the company has put the subscription service for TV shows and movies on hold, according to people familiar with the discussions. Licensing cost were apparently to high for the model Microsoft wanted.

“They built Microsoft TV, they demoed it for us, they asked for rate cards but then said ‘ooh ah, that’s expensive,'” said one anonymous senior media executive connected to the talks.

While Microsoft wanted to offer more current shows than services like Netflix does, it wasn’t completely feasible cost-wise and the company will simply continue to work directly with cable/satellite providers. “It doesn’t mean they won’t be back in another iteration,” said the senior media executive. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Source: Reuters

Skyrim PS3 Lag Will Be ‘Addressed’ In Patch 1.4

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on PS3 has had rather infamous lag issues that make the game nearly unplayable if the file size is big enough. While the previous three patches did only a little to alleviate the issue, it looks like it will finally be put to bed once and for all soon.

When asked the PS3 lag issue will be fixed, a post on the Bethesda Blog Twitter account said, “We’re addressing that in the 1.4 update planned for this month.”

Source: Twitter

Homefront Goes Ultimate By March

Reports are that THQ will publish a Homefront Ultimate Edition by the end of March. It is believed that it will contain the multiplayer map-packs ‘The Rock’ and ‘Fire Sale’ along with the DLC 870 Express shotgun.

Homefront managed over a million in sales in the U.S. within two weeks, despite mixed reviews. Developer Kaos Studios in New York was shut down soon after release, though Crytek UK is now working on a sequel, expected to release some time fiscal year 2014.

Source: Eurogamer

Sonic Searches For Progressive Insurance

In a rather odd crossover ad, Sonic has entered the world of Flo the Progressive Insurance woman to look for insurance. It’s actually pretty well done, however, and uses music from Sonic 3!

 

Betty White Is Still Hot

Sony Music and the Lifeline Foundation have sponsored a new video and song featuring Luciana and the always lovely Betty White. The video has break dancing, muscle boys and a boa constrictor while a portion of the net proceeds of the song will benefit the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.

 

Call Of Duty Elite Content ‘Dropping’ January 24

Activision has announced that those who have joined Call of Duty Elite will get early access to certain content first for Modern Warfare 3. There will be content ‘content drops’ in the form of new multiplayer maps, co-op missions and game modes over the next nine months season with tournaments, prizes and other perks with the first ‘drop’ planned for January 24 on Xbox Live.

“The mammoth launch of Modern Warfare 3 and the breakout success of Call of Duty Elite were just the beginning.  Call of Duty Elite provides an ‘always-on’ connection to our fanbase, and the MW3 Content Season is the ultimate way to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Call of Duty community and provide tremendous value to Call of Duty Elite premium members,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “With the Call of Duty: MW3 Content Season for Call of Duty Elite we are delivering on our promise of more new content, more often, and with more variety than ever. With three studios collaborating on the first season, the breadth and depth of material on tap is truly extraordinary. It’s rare you can successfully execute both quantity and quality, but thanks to the expertise of our developers, the reach of Call of Duty Elite and the passion of our fans, we intend to deliver.”

Help The Cartel, Win Cash Prizes

The coast guard is relentless in their crackdown on modern smugglers. It isn’t easy to make fast cash jacking boats these days, so register now on the official site for Contraband to help keep tabs on the authorities. Do a good job and you’ll be rewarded with real, cold hard cash. After registering, on Twitter follow the official Contraband account and answer trivia questions for a chance to win $100 per question. Stay alert as you never know when the questions will be asked. On the official site, log into the dashboard microsite to begin. Participate in missions to build up your points and earn additional points by following @ContrabandMovie, answering trivia questions and recruiting other members to join the game. The top point-earning smuggler each week will win $1,000

Additionally on Facebook, visit the Training Grounds app and tap into some of the biggest guys in the smuggling world to see if you’ve got what it takes. Your life and your reputation depends on it. There are five different jobs to choose from, smuggling goods into Los Angeles from across the border ranging from counterfeits, cars, fine art, exotic wildlife, narcotics and guns. A big job means big money and here’s your shot at the big time. Don’t blow it!