Dragon Age II releases on March 8, 2011.

Pinball FX2 - Free full game download.  Tables purchased seperately.  Free import of the original Pinball FX tables.

3D Ultra MinGolf Adventures 2 - 800 MS points

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Demo

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Pack Add On - 800 MS points

Majin and the Forsaken Freedom Demo

Eidos announced that gamers will also have 30 days to download the first DLC pack for free.  The DLC introduces a "new area to conquer and features a combination of puzzle, exploration and combat experiences".  No news on what the price will be after 30 days on the marketplace and if PS3 and PC users will have to pay for the content.

Toys R Us

All games that release today are available for free 2 day shipping.

Xbox 360 250 GB console - $15 gift card with purchase.

Xbox 360 Headset and Wireless Headset - Save 30% ($13.99 - $34.99 each)

Xbox 360 Turbo Fire Controller - Save $10 ($29.99)

The offers are good until October 27.

K-Mart

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 - $20 off game coupon for next gaming purchase

WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 - $20 off game coupon for next gaming purchase

The Sims 3 - $20 off game coupon for next gaming purchase

Rock Band 3 - $20 off game coupon for next gaming purchase.

All offers are good until October 30.

GameStop

25% off new copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops, Fallout: New Vegas, Fable III, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II with any game trade.

Trade 3 games and get an extra 20% off.

25% off Kinect with any game trade towards your purchase of Kinect.

Once you’ve installed ScribeFire, you can start using it to quickly

and easily update your blog. To open the ScribeFire window in your

browser, you can use any of the following methods:

• Press F8
• Click on the icon in the status bar:

  

• Select ScribeFire from the Tools menu:

  

• Right-click on the page and select “Blog this page” from the ScribeFire submenu.

  

• There is also a ScribeFire toolbar button you can use to open and close ScribeFire. Add it to your toolbar by selecting Customize from the View > Toolbars menu, and then drag the button to your chosen location.

The first time you open ScribeFire, an account wizard will appear to help you connect ScribeFire to your blog. (Here is a list

of the blogging services that are compatible with ScribeFire.) Simply

fill in the information it asks for, and when you finish, your blog will

be listed in the right-hand pane:

To post to your blog, simply type some text in the main editor panel of ScribeFire, give it a title…

…and click the Publish button:

That’s all there is to it! ScribeFire will post the entry to your

blog, and it will appear in the list of entries in the right sidebar so

that you can edit or delete it later if you want.

Other Features

Other features of ScribeFire allow you to categorize and tag your

blog posts, upload images, set the timestamp of your posts, save

works-in-progress as notes, post an entry as a draft, share your posts

on social websites, and upload files via FTP. For help with these

features, see the complete listing of ScribeFire Help topics.

If you’re a fan of ScribeFire and would like to promote it on your

website, you can embed the widget below on your blog by clicking on the

“Embed this Widget” link.

Double Fine's project lead, Tasha Harris created this humerous arcade game that will have gamers playing as a group of friends who go out on Halloween to rid their neighborhood of monsters. The characters must rely on their costumes as they transform into what they are wearing to take down the evil baddies. Each costume has it's own special set of powers that the character uses.

Double Fine's Founder/CEO Tim Schafer had the following to say about the release,

“We are extremely excited here at Double Fine to be releasing our first downloadable game...

 “Costume Quest is an awesome start and a great sign of things to come from Double Fine and THQ.”

If you are interested in sending some undead creatures back to their graves, Costume Quest is available for 1200 MS points and is $14.99 on PSN.

MMA is taking on a heavy contender in the world of all things mixed martial arts, UFC Undisputed.  With two games under it's belt and a developed fan base, can MMA overtake the somewhat laggy and cheater's paradise UFC Undisputed and be crowned the king of mixed martial arts games?

EA SPORTS MMA Hits North American Stores Today; Available Worldwide on October 22

Go Beyond the Cage with Global Fighting Experiences, MMA Superstars and Innovative Online Features

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), announced that EA SPORTS™ MMA is available in stores throughout North America starting today and will launch worldwide beginning October 22 and in Japan on November 11. EA SPORTS MMA, offering the most authentic, intense and broadest mixed martial arts experience to date, allows players to travel the world and learn a multitude of fighting techniques and skills. The game features a vast array of world-class fighters, and players can extend their gaming experience online through a first-of-its-kind feature - EA SPORTS Live Broadcast.

“EA SPORTS MMA is the most immersive and authentic mixed martial arts experience available, bringing together great fighters, opportunities to train and fight internationally and features that allow players to prove their skills online to a wide audience”

Fighters can further showcase their MMA skills to the world through EA SPORTS Live Broadcast in which players can create their own fighter and then produce a hype video to get noticed by an actual EA SPORTS promoter. Once selected by the EA SPORTS promoter, players will be able to have their fight broadcast online through EA SPORTS Live Broadcast, while a live commentator calls every move made during the fight. Moreover, each EA SPORTS Live Broadcast fight can be viewed on game consoles or online via the web.

EA SPORTS MMA provides the definitive mixed martial arts experience, featuring multiple disciplines, rule sets, locations and fighters from all over the world. Players can fight in a ring, hexagonal or circular cage, and the MMA environment comes to life with ring girls, corner men and referees. Ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. provides fighter introductions while Big John McCarthy officiates fights and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and commentator Mauro Ranallo call the action.

Through career mode, fighters will be able to train in locations around the world with legends of the sport such as Randy Couture, Pat Miletich, Rickson Gracie and Bas Rutten, visiting gyms in Japan, Brazil, Thailand and the U.S. While training internationally, players will teach their fighter new skills as they rise up the ranks to make it to one of the biggest stages in MMA – STRIKEFORCE.

Other key features within EA SPORTS MMA include:

Fighter Share – Players can put themselves into the world of MMA training and fighting and begin the quest to become a champion. They can upload photos of themselves and use Photo Game Face to create their own, personalized roster of fighters. Display and share these create-a-fighters via Fighter Share by uploading and browsing other created fighters. In addition, through Fighter Share players can download and try out any fighters created by the passionate EA SPORTS MMA community.

Customize Your Own Fight Card – Become a promoter and set up a night of fights with your friends. With the ability to host four fights per card with up to 10 people connected*, players can challenge each other to fights, and talk trash while friends provide commentary to the fight.

Total Strike Control – Through an intuitive control system for striking, elbow, knees and kicks, players can go on the offensive with Total Strike Control, providing the utmost flexibility for their fighters. EA SPORTS MMA also provides the flexibility for those who prefer fighting using face buttons with the Classic Control scheme.

Sherdog MMA Fighter Exchange Program brought to you by EA SPORTS MMA.

Announced on October 11, EA SPORTS will be sponsoring the Sherdog MMA Fighter Exchange program, which mirrors EA SPORTS MMA’s career mode where young fighters travel the globe to learn various martial arts disciplines.

The program gives four up-and-coming fighters the opportunity to learn new fighting techniques and disciplines while training with STRIKEFORCE MMA superstars that appear in EA SPORTS MMA. Two North American fighters will train in Japan and Brazil under the tutelage of Luke Rockhold and Jason “Mayhem” Miller, while two international fighters, will be mentored by Gegard Mousasi and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in the U.S.

Sherdog.com will provide a behind-the-scenes look throughout the fight camps with blog and video coverage of the fighters. After weeks of training, the four fighters will make their STRIKEFORCE debut, as an undercard, during the December 4 fight featuring Dan Henderson vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral, which will be streamed online by Sherdog.com.

EA SPORTS MMA will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the iPhone® and iPod® touch.

For more information about EA SPORTS MMA, visit www.easportsmma.com or follow the game on Twitter at www.twitter.com/easportsmma and Facebook at www.facebook.com/easportsmma.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA ELITE basketball, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

*Internet connection and EA account required

Most interestly in the interview, Keirsey notes the only people (soldiers and veterans) who have a right to complain about the game really do not care, while fans of the series seem to get outraged out of little things like the airport massacre in Modern Warfare 2.

"There are people that argue that we trivialize war with these games, but those that could be most offended by what we are doing are definitely fans..."

To read the full interview with Keirsey, follow the link below.

AOL News Interview with retired Lt. Col Hank Keirsey

Battlefield Bad Company 2's Onslaught mode has been reduced from 800 MS points to 400 MS points.  In Onslaught mode, gamers can now play co-op online with 4 players to defeat enemies in 4 enhanced multiplayer maps.  

Also the SPECACT Upgrade Bundle which gives gamers 4 new weapons and camo.  There are 12 new awards and 4 achievements that come with the bundle.  The bundle can be purchased at the discounted price of 320 MS points.

If you are interested in the deals, Gold members have until Monday, October 25 to download the items.

Farmville, Texas Hold 'Em Poker, and Frontierville are just 3 of the apps that have been mentioned in the privacy breech that is affecting millions of users across Facebook.  Several apps have already being made unavailable to Facebook users as Facebook tries to sort out another privacy breech mess.

Zynga, who is the company behind Farmville, Texas Hold 'Em Poker, and Frontierville had the following to say regarding the scandal.

"Zynga has a strict policy of not passing personally identifiable information to any third parties. We look forward to working with Facebook to refine how web technologies work to keep people in control of their information."

Unfortunately for millions of users who use these Facebook apps daily, that message might be to little too late.

The Wall Street Journal

vectordream!!!!!

Congratulations to vectordream for his winning photo caption and many thank yous to those of you who sent in your submissions to win Plants vs. Zombies for the PC!

Remember there are two contests left to win Dead Rising 2 with a t-shirt and Castlevania: Lord of Shadows.  For more details on those contests and how to enter, please check out Gamercide's Get Your Ghoul On Contest.

Deal of the Week - Mass Effect 2 (All deals are good for Gold members until October 18)

Overlord - 400 MS points

Kasumi Stolen Memory - 400 MS points

Suit - 160 MS points

Helmet - 80 MS points

Demo

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011

Game Add Ons

Alan Wake: The Writer -560 MS points

Dead Rising 2: The Psycho Skills Pack - 160 MS points

XBLA

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 - 1200 MS points

Dead Space Ignition - 400 MS points (If you preordered Dead Space 2 from certain retailers like amazon.com, you will receive a code to download this for free)

Games On Demand

Gears of War 2 - $29.99

(To celebrate Gears of War 2 being added to the Games on Demand Lineup, the All Fronts Map Collection is half priced for Gold and Silver members)

Video taken at the Firstlook gaming convention in Germany. Watch it and have a very very happy Monday.

OH! By the way, not safe for work or small ears language and some sexual content, but it's Duke, what do you expect?

According to Deseret News, military bases across the US reacted strongly to EA's announcement of having playable Taliban characters that can be used in the game to shoot at U.S. troops by banning the sale of the game on base.  Families also protested to show their dislike for being able to play as the Taliban.  One of the families that protested was Karen Meredith who lost her son in the current conflict.

""War is not a game, period, and the fact that they've already done games about World War II, that's far removed from our current history. And people aren't dying in World War II anymore, that's far removed. The families...it's not based on real people...."  Meredith stated in a video interview with Fox News.  She later states when asked why adults cannot make their own decision about playing video games like watching wrestling, "Well pro wrestling, nobody dies...."  (*Pro wrestler Owen Hart tragically passed away right before his match after a malfunction of equipment)

To make matters even worse, the US Army who has given EA it's full support on Medal of Honor did not know about it until the game was almost finished.

1up.com reported that Kenneth Hawes, the director of the U.S. Army's Public Affairs Office Western Region, stated that the Department of Defense was surprised and that after finding out about the playable Taliban characters the Army considered to pull out from supporting the military shooter.

"We immediately contacted Electronic Arts and asked them to give us a demonstration of the game's capabilities,

 You have to understand I'm not a gamer. We provide support on major motion pictures, television, and video games, but I didn't grow up with video games. So personally I was a little disappointed they included that scenario."

The United States Army is not the only form of military to show their dislike for the playable terrorists.  According to PlaystionLifeStyle.net, the British Defense Secretary is urging retailers not to sell the game stating that, "It’s shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban. At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands. I am disgusted and angry. It’s hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to buy such a thoroughly un-British game. I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product."

After the protests and public outcry, EA has decided to change the name of the terrorists in their game.  When you play the multiplayer, instead of playing as the Taliban, you will be playing as the "Opposing Force".  Greg Goodrich, the Executive Producer on Medal of Honor released the following statement regarding the name change.

"In the past few months, we have received feedback from all over the world regarding the multiplayer portion of Medal of Honor. We’ve received notes from gamers, active military, and friends and family of servicemen and women currently deployed overseas. The majority of this feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. For this, the Medal of Honor team is deeply appreciative.

However, we have also received feedback from friends and families of fallen soldiers who have expressed concern over the inclusion of the Taliban in the multiplayer portion of our game. This is a very important voice to the Medal of Honor team. This is a voice that has earned the right to be listened to. It is a voice that we care deeply about. Because of this, and because the heartbeat of Medal of Honor has always resided in the reverence for American and Allied soldiers, we have decided to rename the opposing team in Medal of Honor multiplayer from Taliban to Opposing Force.

While this change should not directly affect gamers, as it does not fundamentally alter the gameplay, we are making this change for the men and women serving in the military and for the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice - this franchise will never willfully disrespect, intentionally or otherwise, your memory and service.

To all who serve - we appreciate you, we thank you, and we do not take you for granted. And to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines currently serving overseas, stay safe and come home soon."

With the above announcement many gamers took to the websites to show their disapproval of the name change.  Many stating that EA should have stuck to their guns and kept the name Taliban in the multiplayer of the game.

Will the name change affect the sales of EA's highly anticipated Medal of Honor or has this controversy given the game more buyable publicity?  We will have to wait until October 12 to find out.

"First time I played Halo, I was actually watching my neighbor's kids.  They had an xbox and we played Halo all night lol, even though I did suck xD.

"I thought the X-Box was a joke.  I never thought I'd own one or want one.  It was Sony all the way for me. Halo CE changed everything the minute I saw it.  I HAD to have Halo and thus had to own an X-Box.  Thanks to Halo a whole new world in gaming was opened up to me and I never looked back." -towncryer

"A freshman at Montana State University, through knowing a blockbuster employee I was able to show up at 11:50 pm, walk to the counter, grab it, and leave. Got back to the dorms, and there was people all over, heading and returning from picking up their copy. Now at msu, the way they had their network set up, it was like one giant LAN for everybody staying in a dorm room, so all night, people were yelling, screaming, and just celebrating the release all night long, and campus was about half empty the next day." -sedington86

"I remember Halo first when I would head over to Mike's, my childhood friend, house afterschool to play the original Halo on his Xbox.  Normally, I would never go near that console.  I was a diehard playstation fanboy and my friend and I would get into constant arguments debating which console was better.  My argument would always be, xbox sucks and it's controllers are HUGE.  He would rebute this by saying Xbox was built like a computer and had better graphics.  Keep in mind we were in like 5th grade at the time.  Our petty fighting would get resolved overtime when Halo: Combat Evolved came out.  "You know I have to give it to you Mike, Halo is the only good thing Xbox has even though it has ginormous controllers".  Eventually after countless hours playing over my friend's house, I would buy my own Xbox to play Halo.  Then I went onto to play games like Fable and A Bard's Tale and I fell in love with the console." -JB410

It's standard practice these days for every major release to have store exclusive bonus content to lure you into preordering the game from that particular vendor.  Fallout New Vegas is no different, with 4 different offerings to choose from.

Best Buy - The Mercenary Pack

- Mercenary's Grenade Rifle

- Lightweight Metal Armor

- 3 Doctor's Bags

- 3 Super Stimpaks

Amazon - The Tribal Pack

-Broad Machete

-Tribal Raiding Armor

-10 Throwing Spears

- 5 Bleak Venom doses

Gamestop - The Classic Pack

- Weathered 10mm Pistol

- Armored Vault 13 Suit

- 5 Stimpaks

- Vault 13 Canteen

Walmart and Steam - The Caravan Pack

- Sturdy Caravan Shotgun

- Lightweight Leather Armor

- Binoculars

- 4 Repair Kits

What's nice about the New Vegas preorder items is that they all seem to be comprised of things that are either in game already, or will quickly become obsolete, like starter kits.   So in the end, you aren't missing out on some unique item or power.  Personally I'm leaning towards the Caravan Pack with the binoculars and the Mad Max style outfit.  Comment below and tell us which set you'll be getting.  Fallout:  New Vegas is set to release on October 19th.

The contest has ended and Dateranoth is our winner. Congratulations!

His entry

Other entries

Skylark

Vocals

Thank you to everyone who entered, and keep an eye open for future contests.

The lovely and extremely wonderful bs angel (follow her on the Twitters!), has given us another Noble Six avatar helmet code.

To win this one, you'll need to use some MSPaint skills. Nothing too hard. Just put a Halo character into a ballet tutu. That's it! Since I'll be using a random number generator, you can even just post two images. One of a character, and another of a tutu. Just add in a plus (+) sign or something.

Appropriate tutu

Doing it wrong

Contest ends Wednesday night.

Post your entries into the contest thread, on our forums, here.

Be sure to read our contest rules!

Would you be willing to pay between $150 and $200 for a game that releases for $59.99?  If you answered "no", chances are that you have already paid that price for just one of your games.  Let's take a look at one of the most popular series to ever grace an Xbox console. 

The Breakdown 

The Halo Series 

Halo: Combat Evolved (November 15 ,2001) 

- $49.99 

Halo: Combat Evolved (December 4, 2007 XBL original) – $15.00 

Total Money Spent by Gamers – $64.99 

Halo 2 (November 9, 2004) 

-$49.99 

Halo 2: Limited Collector’s Edition (November 9, 2004) 

-$54.99 

Halo 2 (Halo 2: Multiplayer Map Pack (July 5, 2005) 

-$19.99 

Total Money Spent By Gamers – $69.98 – $74.98 

Halo 3 (September 27, 2007) 

-$59.99 (regular) 

- $69.99 (limited) 

-$129.99 (legendary) 

-$399 (console) 

Halo Multiplayer Map Packs 

Heroic Map Pack (December 11, 2007) 

-$10.00 

Legendary Map Pack (April 15, 2008) 

-$10.00 

Cold Storage Map (July 7, 2008) 

-Free 

Mythic Map Pack (April 9, 2009) 

-$10.00 

Mythic Map Pack 2 (February 2, 2010) 

-$10.00 

Themes and Gamerpics (prices when released) 

Halo 3 Picture Pack 

-$1.00 

Halo 3 Theme 

-$1.75 

Halo 3 Trilogy Theme 

-$1.75 

Halo 3 Uprising Theme 

-$1.75 

Halo 3: First TV Spot Theme 

-$1.75 

Halo 3 Splatter Theme Premium 

-$3.00 

Halo 3 Mythic Theme Premium 

-$3.00 

Avatar Items 

-$7.00 (Female) 

-$10.00 (Male) 

Total Money Spent By Gamers 

$130.99 - (If regular was bought) 

$140.99 - (If limited was bought) 

$200.99 - (If legendary was bought) 

$470.99 – (If console edition was bought) 

Halo Wars (March 3, 2009) 

-$59.99 (regular) 

-$79.99 (limited) 

-$29.99 (Games on Demand) 

Multiplayer DLC 

Strategic Options 

-$10.00 

Historic Battles 

-$10.00 

Themes and Gamerpics 

You’re in Command Theme 

-$3.10 

Halo Wars E3 2007 Theme 

-$1.90 

Halo Wars E3 2007 Gamerpics 

-$1.00 

Total Money Spent By Gamers 

-$85.99 (If regular was bought) 

-$105.99 (If limited was bought) 

Halo 3: ODST (September 22, 2009) 

-$59.99 (regular) 

-$99.99 (collector’s) 

DLC 

Videos and Strategy Guides 

-$21.00 (altogether) 

-$1.00 (seperately) 

Themes and Gamerpics 

Prepare to Drop Premium Theme 

-$3.00

Avatar Items 

-$11.50 (female) 

-$14.50 (male) 

Total Money Spent By Gamers 

-$98.49 (If regular was bought) 

-$138.49 (If collector’s was bought) 

Total Amount One Gamer May Have Spent Since Halo’s release in 2001 

-$935.43 (The potential amount of money you have spent on the Halo series.  Not including taxes.) 

-$211.98 (The potential amount of money you have spent on the Halo series in the Xbox Live Marketplace.) 

That is just one example of how much gamer’s are actually spending on a game since the original release date.  Factor in other successful series like Call of Duty, Gears of War, Madden, etc…and of course those numbers will increase along with how much is spent on the marketplace per game.  

Siren Says: "Do we have a right to rant about the prices of DLC on the marketplace?  Yes and no.  Are most of the prices ridiculous, yes.  I mean seriously.  Who in their right mind is going to pay 80 MS points to watch a video for Halo 3: ODST when they can youtube it for free?   Also, is it a rip off when some of the developers have been outspoken about them wanting some of the DLC to be free, but Microsoft gives a big fat "no can do" and charges gamers?  Yes, but we are the dumb ones who will pay for it.  In the end we have nobody to blame but ourselves for the prices on the marketplace.  If we keep paying for it, they keep getting money, so why would they change the pricing?  Sure Microsoft sets the prices, but again they know gamers will pay for games that they love." 

*Stay tuned for the second part of Breaking Down the XBL Marketplace - Part Two, where the members of Gamercide let loose about their feelings on the marketplace and we break down the XBLA.

A spokesperson for the Washington State Police said that the driver of the Chevy Blazer, Jordyn B. Weichert was taking her sweater off as one of the passenger's, Samantha R. Bowling held the steering wheel.  Bowling lost control of the vehicle and hit Wood's Subaru.  Wood and two other male passengers in the Blazer were killed.  Police believe that Weichert, the driver of the Blazer was under the influence of drugs.

Weichert might be facing vehicular homicide and vehicular assualt, while Bowling could face vehicular homicide charges when she is released from the hospital.

Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Brian R. Wood and his co-workers at Relic Entertainment. 

Seatllepi.com

How can you participate?  It is this simple.  Send an email to siren@gamercide.org with the subject being, "Remember Halo".  You can talk about the first time you ever played Halo, your online experience, etc...  Make sure to include your gamertag in the message.

The deadline for Remember Halo is September 11, 2010.  Anything received after that day will not be included.  If you have already submitted your memories to the forum, you do not have to re-submit them.

*Quick note: Everybody that participates will be put into a drawing for a personalized "Remember Halo" prize.

No, I am not talking about a real life situation. I am referring to my four year old son playing the map “Storm” during a round of Modern Warfare 2 yesterday. He only managed to get two kills, one of those kills being a headshot.

Before anybody says, "why are you letting your four year old son play a game like that?" let me explain something.  I am not one of those parents who let's a game babysit their child.  When he plays a video game, either myself or my husband are in the room to supervise his gaming experience.  If either of us see him get angry or we feel like it is too much for him to handle, the game gets turned off and that is the end of it.

Now I understand that not all parents are like that.  Some parents turn a video game on and walk out of the room, not knowing what game their child is playing or what their child is saying back to someone during an online match.  They even let their youngsters have their game console in their bedrooms behind closed doors.  To these parents, I give you The Dumbass Award.

If you have ever visited the Parents and Family Gaming forum on xbox.com you know what I am about to say.  An angry gamer comes into the forum.  Makes a typical, "Why do you let your kids play" thread, never to reply again.  Those threads are the reason I tend to stay away from parent gamer forums, because there are only so many times I can call someone stupid before I sound like a broken record.

So where am I going with this?  It is this simple.  Speaking on behalf of gamer parents everywhere, if you let your kid play, know what they are playing, who they are playing with, and get the consoles out of their bedrooms.  We are tired of taking the blame for your dumbassness.  No matter what your kid says he or she is playing, chances are they not playing it.  Instead they are playing an M rated game online, (Gasp!) shouting a word that begins with an F and rhymes with duck, stuck, and buck.  They are talking about boobs, calling people homophobic terms, and spouting off racist words like they are pros.  This is the child who you are letting a game babysit while you go make dinner or bang the head boards against the wall in your bedroom.  This is the same child who you take into a video game store and begs you to buy them Gears of War or Halo.  The employee behinds the counter tries to warn you, but you don't listen, because you "know" what the game is about and you also "know" how the online experience is.  How about you buy the game, sit down and play it first or even read the ESRB rating that desribes what you are about to buy for your minor.

So for those reasons I am giving you, the "pretending to be knowledgeable non gaming parent", The Dumbass Award.  Enjoy the slow round of applause knowing that you truly worked hard to deserve this one.

*The opinions of Siren are not the opinions of Gamercide or the staff.  Siren is just a crazy, sarcastic blonde who needs to have duct tape over her mouth 24/7.  Seriously.....

Flo Rida, My Chemical Romance, Travie McCoy, 3oh!3, and More Partner with EA on the Uber Popular Life Simulator Series The Sims

More Than Three Dozen Global Artists Re-record Their Current Hits or Upcoming Singles in ‘Simlish’ for The Sims 3 for Consoles and The Sims 3 Late Night

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sul sul zeedab nas! The Sims fans will turn up the volume on their HD and PC hardware this fall and rock out while playing The Sims™ 3 game on their PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, and Wii™ or when firing up The Sims™ 3 Late Night Expansion Pack* for the PC or MAC. The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today the robust music line-up for The Sims 3 for console platforms and The Sims 3 Late Night PC/MAC that includes music from a variety of genres such as hip-hop, alternative, pop, rock, electronic, and more. Artists from around the world including Travie McCoy, 3oh!3, Flo Rida featuring Jovi, Kelly Rowland, Kelis, and more recorded current or upcoming hit singles from their latest albums in an entirely new language, ‘Simlish,’ which is the official language of The Sims franchise.

“I’ve always been a fan of The Sims games and could never figure out what the characters were saying in the game. I’m not sure if Simlish can be translated, but it’s darn fun to speak!”

“The Sims may be one of the biggest and best-known brands in popular culture today and for a major artist to be asked to re-record their music in ‘Simlish’ has become one of the most unique and exclusive opportunities in the world of entertainment,” explained Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive, Music and Music Marketing, EA. “Over the past decade, hundreds of artists – including superstars as diverse as Katy Perry, Lady Antebellum, Flaming Lips, Damien Marley, Depeche Mode, Nelly Furtado, Matt And Kim, and so many more – have all become a part of this global phenomenon. For more than a hundred million The Sims players and fans every day, we are truly providing the soundtrack to their lives.”

“I’m always trying to find new ways to reach different audiences with my music and The Sims 3 was a perfect way,” explained Flo Rida who laid down his lyrics from “Fresh I Stay” in Simlish with Jovi.

The experience is unlike any other for some of the artists and can even prove to be challenging. “We couldn’t stop laughing while re-recording `Double Vision' in Simlish because it just sounds super bizarre,” 3oh!3’s Sean Foreman commented during their recording session. “I’ve always been a fan of The Sims games and could never figure out what the characters were saying in the game. I’m not sure if Simlish can be translated, but it’s darn fun to speak!”
“Singing in Simlish was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it was a blast!” said Travie McCoy who sang his upcoming single “Need You” in the game’s one-of-a-kind language. Kelly Rowland added, “I have to say it was quite challenging to sing `Rose Colored Glasses' in Simlish, but also incredibly fun!”

Global artists and Simlish re-recorded songs featured in The Sims 3 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii include:

22-20’s – “Latest Heartbreak”
3oh!3 – “Double Vision”
Aceyalone and RJD2 – “Ever Seen This”
Aeroplane – “We Can’t Fly”
Alpha Rev – “Phoenix Burn”
Cody Simpson – “IY IY IY”
Crash Kings – “You Got Me”
deadmau5 – “Some Chords”
Flo Rida featuring Jovi – “Fresh I Stay”
Free Energy – “Free Energy”
Hot Chip – “We Have Love”
Innerpartysystem – “American Trash”
Jasmine V – “All of These Boys”
Jessica Mauboy – “Saturday Night”
John Butler Trio – “Gonna Be a Long Time”
Kidz in the Hall – “Flickin’”
Lazee featuring Apollo Drive – “Calling Out”
Mickey Factz – “Dreamland”
Ozomatli – “Are you Ready?”
School Of Seven Bells – “Dust Devil”
The Dirty Heads – “Stand Tall”

As the world’s greatest life simulation on console, The Sims 3 combines the freedom of open world life simulation where players can create Sims – the unique characters found in The Sims games - with distinct personalities, fulfill their desires…or not, and control their lives with the guided gameplay of an all-new achievement system. As players complete challenges and collect dozens of achievements they will earn Karma points – all the while deciding the destinies of their Sims. Karma points can be used to unlock and unleash all-new Karma Powers to the grand benefit or wicked detriment of their Sims making it easier than ever to play with life. Players can help their Sim “get lucky,” bless them with “instant beauty” or be deviant and curse them with an “epic fail.” But players should use these powers wisely—they may have unexpected results and karma may come back to bite. The game will also be connected to the worldwide community through a seamlessly integrated creation exchange on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360**. Players can design, build, and share creations, or download content from other players around the world – and for the first time ever – without ever leaving the game.

The Sims 3 Late Night includes:
3oh!3 – “Double Vision”
Bryan Rice – “There for You”
Chiddy Bang – “Here We Go”
Electrolightz – “Miss Outta Control”
Eliza Doolittle – “Rollerblades”
Foxy Shazam – “Unstoppable”
Hadag Nahash – “Lo Maspik”
Hadouken! – “M.A.D.”
Jessica Mauboy – “Saturday Night”
Junkie XL – “Live Wired”
Kelis – “Brave”
Kelly Rowland – “Rose Colored Glasses”
King Fantastic – “All Black Ying Yang (The Party Song)”
My Chemical Romance – “Na Na Na”
Nikki & Rich – “Next Best Thing”
The Ready Set – “More Than Alive”
Soulja Boy – “Speakers Going Hammer”
Travie McCoy – “Need You”

The Sims 3 Late Night gives players all-access and lets them loose on a vibrant, active downtown scene where they’ll rub elbows with celebrities at the hottest parties, hit the local bar after work, tour the scene with their Sims’ band, kick back in a plush hot tub, and discover what’s lurking in the thick of the night. Players will be able to take their Sims into the bustling urban setting where they’ll be able to become a celebrity, member of a music band, mixologist, director, and more. To gain entrance into the most elite clubs in town, players need to keep their attitude in check otherwise they’ll be given the cold shoulder by tough bouncers or find another way onto the list. If chilling is the player’s forte, their Sims can lounge at a chic club or dive bar. If they like to live on the edge, they can be initiated into the dark life of a vampire. Whether embarking on a new career, painting the town red, or throwing a party on the rooftop of a penthouse, it’s always up to the player to tell their unique stories with The Sims 3. What will happen when the lights go out and Sims get all-access?

For more information about The Sims 3 games or The Sims Late Night, please visit www.TheSims3.com. To download artwork, please visit www.info.ea.com.

*Requires The Sims 3 for PC/MAC to play.

**INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED, Conditions and restrictions apply. See back of pack for details.