In fact, only 500 of these figures were made (this is 129 of 500). How much would you pay for this bit of bloody gaming schwag?

Manhunt Piggsy Limited Edition Statue Figure RARE [eBay]

Just last summer Microsoft tried to jump start PC gaming with an ad-heavy, pr-pushed launch of Games for Windows Live. The PC-clone of the popular Xbox 360 online service was meant to bring the some respect, popularity and profitability that console games have been seeing of late.

But the thing is, it didn't really take.

First you had the problems with telling PC gamers they needed to pay for something they've always gotten for free. So Microsoft did away with that, then you had competing services that were, frankly, about a gajillionbillion times better. (cough)Steam(cough). So now, not daunted by facts, or figures, or reality, Microsoft is relaunching Games For Windows Live with another PR push, this one containing a free Sidewinder keyboard, mouse, a mouse pad, headphones and copies of James Bond Quantum of Solace and Fallout 3.

Why don't they just look into handing Valve the keys to the dwindling PC kingdom and get on with making some kick ass software, like Gears of War 3?

All perfect to add to the growing mountain of schwag I've been saving up for this year's Funde Razor in Denver.

Good news then for fans of the game, Sam’s Club just announced that they will be the only retailer in the U.S. offering one of these looming statues for auction on their site.

The statue current high big is a whopping $1, but I suspect that over the next 13 days or so it might jump a bit higher. Get in there and start bidding if you’re interesting in having the coolest lawn ornament in town.

Brotherhood of Steel 7-Foot Statue [Sam's Club]

The digital clock, which just arrived on my doorstep, is part of Bethesday Softworks fabulous Fallout 3 Survival Edition box set which also includes an art book, a making of DVD, a bobble head and a metal lunch box. Oh, also the game, it includes the game.

Hit the jump for some close ups of this must have special edition.

The thick leather(ish) seat pad has Guitar Hero World Tour stitched into the top and features three sturdy metal folding legs. Yep, it's just like any other drum throne but with fancy stitching. Pretty handy for long sessions of faux drumming though.

Among the freebies that we are giving away with our schwag bag are tons of t-shirts (including pretty sweet Fruit Fucker and The Maw shirts) , a Fallout 3 survival guide, a World of Warcraft pet card from this year's WWI in Paris (the Blizzard guys were kind enough to hand one over to us), a ping-pong gun and plenty of little do-dads.

OK, so how should we do this. Any suggestions?

A blue, black and grey PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 will go to the winner and runner-up of this year's Omegathon, with the winner also landing themselves a trip to the Tokyo Game Show.

If you're hitting the show and not one of the lucky few selected to compete in the Omegathon you can still get your hands on some PAX-themed goodies.

Among the stuff you can buy is a DeathAdder mouse from Razer with a PAX logo slapped on it. Only 400 of these were made and they'll set you back $60. A Collectors Edition copy of On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode One, which comes with a shirt, a keyring and a die, will also be on sale at the show.

Penny Arcade

As always we will be liveblogging the big press conferences, starting with Microsoft tomorrow morning, here on Kotaku. This year round we will be using our new liveblog software which should make for a steadier flow of information, more pics and tons more analysis. To celebrate we've decided to giveaway three batches of impressive swag at each conference. What are we giving away? I don't want to spill the beans quite yet, but I can say it includes some autographed things, some limited edition numbered items and even an original game-themed oil canvas.

To win you'll just need to hang out in our comments during the Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo Live blogs and participate. Consider it our other present to you.

The copy of the Venezuela Ahora, dated Aug. 31., announces the invasion of Venezuela by Mercenaries in a headline that stretches across the paper in two lines. Underneath is an explosive image of three of the, I don't know, anti-heroes? And a full story. The faux paper also includes a weather report clasificicado, ads and even an little Mercenaries-themed comic strip. You gotta love it... unless your in Venezuela and have a stick up your ass.

Hit the jump for an up-close scan of the the front and back pages.

Pursuit Force Extreme Justice hits tomorrow. What I played of the demo I quite liked, which is surprising because I hated the original game. My early copy, which arrived at my door today, came with this Pimp Glass, sunglasses and fingerless gloves. Hold on there guys, you're mixing your seventies references and it's about to blow my mind. Either throw in a pimp stick and robe or make with the fake Magnum stache.

From left to right, top to bottom: Zack & Wiki stickers, yellow Capcom bag, massive RE4 Wii edition guide with poster, Capcom Classics Collection for Xbox, Umbrella Corporation REVIVE drink, plushie pig dressed in a watermelon from Monster Hunter, stress squeeze treasure chest from Zack & Wiki, Xbox Live 1600 points card, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 for PSP, Phoenix Wright plushie keychain, Zack & Wiki 3D holographic jigsaw puzzle, Lost Planet limited edition matte laser print, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition for PC, and a Mega Man buster pen in the lower right. All of this is sitting on a Street Fighter "EVOLVE" T-shirt.

Not bad for a day's "work", is it?

This Eye of Judgment schwag isn't just neat, it actually is useful. Sony sent me a black faux leather sack and a metal card carrying case. You put your Eye of Judgment deck in the case and then slip the case into a tiny pocket sewn into the sack. I assume you put the head of your defeated enemy in the rest of the bag after the game... or maybe it's for carting around the camera, stand and playfield. Neah, its gotta be for the heads.

It's about time. Someone finally sent me that straitjacket that my frequent outbursts and bizarre behavior have been crying out for, for years. Granted, it's meant to be just a bit of Manhunt 2 schwag from Rockstar, but I think I can put it to good use... now to go convert our spare bedroom into a quiet room.

I just received a package today. Inside was a portable record player, a riddle and a red record from the "Riggs Records" label. The record is a single by Tainted Coil called Corpse of Hope.

Growing up in the 80s I knew immediatly there had to be a message hidden on the record if I played it backwards, I didn't even have to read the riddle. But while I've found the message I can't quite make it out. It seems to repeat three or four times something about Legends or Legend. And no, I don't think I hear the words Guitar Hero.

Hit the jump for the riddle and then help me figure it out.

Since the beginning of time 'twas written in stone, that the mystery to The Age of Metal would surface from the unknown. As the recipient of the ancient tools within, you have the power to unlock this riddle with a simple spin.

Rock must run through your veins, else solving this puzzle will be met with head pains. With primeval secrets at your fingertips, you possess the gift to propagate the fidelity from your mortal lips.

Escape the clutches of convention and let yourself travel to another dimension. Find your destiny and protect your soul, but for now it is time to Rock 'N Roll.

It's got to be Rock Band or Guitar Hero 3, maybe Jam Sessions, right? Or maybe that's too obvious. Oh, the record has the words "Tainted Coil" cut into on both sides. One side also has this number: 470-666. Curious.

We've got tons of Halo 3 schwag to give out. Instead of parceling it out over the next month or so, we decided to just dump it into one big box and give it away to one lucky fan of the series.

Here's a breakdown of what you win if you're the lucky gamer selected:
Halo 3-themed Xbox 360
Two Halo 3-themed McFarlane Xbox 360 controllers
A Halo 3-themed wireless headset
A Legendary Edition of Halo 3
A Master Chief duffel bag
Master Chief dog tags
3200 Microsoft points
Three unused Halo 3 Slurpee cups
A coupon for a free Slurpee
A limited edition bottle of Halo 3 Game Fuel
A Halo 3 Game Fuel T-Shirt
An Xbox 360 notepad
A first aid kit
Rations

To enter you need to email the answers to the ten questions listed below. They come from the coverage that Fahey provided during and straight after TGS while abandoned at Kotaku Tower by the staff. Send your answers to kotakucontestATgmail.com with the words "Halo Schwag" in the subject field. Only one entry per a gamer. You have until Oct. 5 to enter the contest. The winner will be selected randomly from the people who correctly answer all ten questions.

The Questions:
1. What was the nickname of the blond football player who was on hand at the launch to play Halo 3 against his teammates?
2. Who does Fahey's body take orders from?
3. What did the upper classmen in Fahey's high school use as an excuse to repeatedly kick the lower classmen "in the junk?"
4. Which of Snake's special moves in Super Smash Brothers Brawl is Fahey's favorite?
5. Whose phone number does Fahey ask for after hearing of a Wii remote mishap in Colorado?
6. What video game movie opened this past weekend and how much did it take in at the Box office?
7. What did Fahey ask us to bring him back from Japan after the night of the Kotaku Japan party?
8.What kind of fingers does Fahey have?
9. How many calculation a second would everyone in the world need to do to achieve the petaflop that the PS3's Folding@Home project hit.
10. What is the name of Fahey's cat?

Good luck and no cheating, else ye be banned.

The winner is: RDANEEL, which is awesome since he helped track down all of the finalists names. Ain't fate grand? RDANEEL please use the email you registered with Kotaku to tell us where to ship the fake guns. And thanks to everyone for participating. Next time, and there will be a next time, we'll make sure to require more than one bet to try and cut down on the multiple winners.

Just received my copy of Big Brain Academy Wii Degree in the mail. (I'm totally going to school my son in this.) It came with a really cool Rubik's cube that features Nintendo-themes on all six sides. Two of the sides show Wiis, one shows the Big Brain Academy logo, one shows the professor, the top has the Wii logo on each square and the bottom has a big picture of the Wii and a remote. The game also came with a personalizes diploma from the Big Brain Academy awarding me a Wii Degree on June 11. I'll have to add this to my schwag pile for some later give-away. Brian Crecente

While I was away in Texas Nintendo mailed me this nifty bit of schwag. It's a Wendy's Frosty Float cup filled with shredded paper, a press release and a little gift card for a free float. Looks pretty convincing from a distance, which probably explains my recent Frosty cravings. Brian Crecente

Back when I visited Sony's Ginza showroom, Sony gave me a big bag o' nuttin'. Japanese culture site Japundit blogs that Sony is now giving away schwag to entice customers. From Japundit:

Sony is giving away freebies to woo buyers to the new PlayStation 3 video game machine whose hefty price appears to be scaring away shoppers.

No word on what that schwag is. Unless it's money, not sure how it's gonna make a world of difference on the pricetag, though. Brian Ashcraft

Free PS3 Stuff [Japundit]

Rockstar Games doesn't know how to court controversy? Ha! With its upcoming snuff-stealth game Manhunt 2 hitting this summer, the company has already kicked its PR machine into gear. Ben Kuchera at Opposable Thumbs received a letter from the Dixmor Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Inside, were two bloody medical bracelets and a letter that read:

Enclosed are Danny Lamb and Leo Kasper's ID bracelets found discarded after last night's incident. This is the only potentially damning evidence we have found so far. I trust every possible precaution will be taken to ensure that any records relating to these patients are destroyed.

We are all too aware that both subjects pose a highly serious threat to society, let alone the very existence of "The Project." Both patients suffer sever psychotic episodes characterized by intense paranoia, involuntary psychotic reactions, delusional hallucinations and acute schizophrenic disorders...

We HAVE to track them down.

-Dr. Whyte

Rockstar knows how to promote titles? Definitely. Brian Ashcraft

[Opposable Thumbs, via PSP Updates, Thanks Jason!]

Minutes to spare, I dash to the press room—I always pass on these things—grabbing one of the amBX branded messenger bags and an Insomniac stamped camo bag. Very fannypack-ish. As I dig through my bag, I quickly realize we get the shaft. No Resistance for the press. Oh well.

So what goods were attendees at DICE 07 showered with? The bags, a DICE branded Xbox 360 face plate, a GameTap photo frame, a nice little notebook with a Target logo, a massive long sleeve polo with DICE embroidery plus various dry goods and over the counter drugs. Look for these items in a future Kotaku giveaway near you! Michael McWhertor

A special game like THE IDOLM@STER needs a special bundle. And that's what it got: 11 figurines, plastic stage, pamphlet, faceplate, special DVD and game software went for 20,790 yen (US $171). When word of insufficient stock and pre-order cancellations hit, demand for the package hit fever pitch and doubled auction prices soon followed. Regardless! Obsessive pics of the figurines have surfaced, complete with inevitable upskirt shots. Pantsu aside, the bundle actually includes a tastefully nice faceplate. Brian Ashcraft

Upskirted Pics Here [Kansaitei]

The game hits ships to stores on the 16th of this month, so head over the Gamestop or EB and get your stylish stylus before they're all gone! Michael McWhertor

Phoenix Wright: Justice For All with Bonus! [Gamestop]

Okay, so last week, we had a super short F.E.A.R. contest. And this week, we're gonna do the same! We love giving away free stuff that much. Here's how it works: To enter, just send an email kotakucontest@gmail.com with the subject line Fear 360 Contest before Monday, December 4th. Easy, right? An email will be picked at random to win. By emailing your entry, you agree to our swell Contest Rules. One, two, three, GO!

Sega stuff you can't get from a game you can't play. While Yakuza met a horrible dubbing fate, it's doubtful that Sega will give the game's PS2 sequel (called Ryu Ga Gotoku 2) the same drubbing for an US/Euro release. To get Japanese gamers ready for the title's December 7th domestic release, various stores retailers across the country are holding lottery type events to give away neat freebies like this jacket, which I'd actually wear anywhere except Japan. Brian Ashcraft

Ryu Ga Gotoku 2 Schwag [Insert Credit]

What better way to promote a game than by with a brain suspended in swirling white crap? Wired's Chris Kohler shows this Brain Age Nintendo sent him. Odd. But Cool. In an odd way. Brian Ashcraft

Brain Globe [Game|Life via GayGamer]

Here's another one of those milestones that makes thirty-somethings like your truly turn to the bottle to soothe the pain of wasting one's life on video gaming: this year is the 20th anniversary of Konami's venerable Castlevania series, soon to be marked with another Nintendo DS adventure. What have I been doing with my life?!

Fortunately Konami knows that one thing that quiets the nagging voice of gaming-induced sloth and the sound of Death ticking one more year off his wait for you—sexy Castlevania Portrait of Ruin pre-order goodies! There's nothin' that needless consumption can't solve.

For those of you looking to fill the void of time lost whipping and turkey leg eating, get your reservations in now. Specialty retailers EBgames and Gamestop are selling the Belmont booty now, which includes a soundtrack CD, a 48-page art book with slipcover, plus a Castlevania branded stylus and DS game card case. All for a mere $39.99! At that price, how can you complain that the stylus isn't stake shaped? Michael McWhertor

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Preview [IGN]

As a Wii Ambassador, Chicago's Endangered Gamer gets cool schwag like an Onyx DS Lite and a cardboard Wii controller signed by Nintendo honcho Reggie. And better yet, he's giving awat two invites for the big Wii Party in Chicago. The Endangered Gamer writes:

I'll be having a contest for the final 2 invites for the Wii Party here in chicago. It's not like i don't have friends to invite, but i've gotten so many emails and requests on this blog and elsewhere that i figure i might as well give the chance for a Hardcore Nintendo Fanboy in Chicago to attend, and the only thing he or she will need to do is..........Prove beyond a shadow of a doubt to myself and 2 other friends of mine that he/she deserves to go. Now, I'm not going to accept cash, or anything in exchange for this opportunity, all i want is a show of love for Nintendo.

Three words: Full body tattoo. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Endangered Gamer]

Here are the goodies the kind folks at SNK coughed up: a Mai Shiranui poster signed by Falcoon, a Fatal Fury Terry Bogard hat and three cell phone straps/screen cleaners (featuring Mai, Terry and Athena). The toy cars are my son's. Brian Ashcraft

SNK Feature [Kotaku]

We've seen the Mario furikake rice topping before, but Super Mario curry? And if that's not enough, this retro Japanese ad has Mario racing around, littering presents like a "Mario museum" of goodies, a Mario deskset and Mario telephone cards. Between the curry, the goofy animation and the school grade schwag, this commercial actually made my head hurt. Brian Ashcraft

Reader Matt rattled our rusty mailbox with the following email. Read on:

Dear Kotaku,

I recently wrote in to Capcom customer service with some gripes about their recent PSP release of Monster Hunter Freedom. A very nice customer service girl replied. (I will leave her name out in respect of her privacy) She explained why certain features turned out the way they were despite some advertising to the contrary and apologized on behalf of the company. She then offered to send me a small gift as a token of their sincerity. She was very respectful and professional. I was flattered and gave her the address where she could send my free gift.

I was surprised when I received a box from UPS the following week and opened it to view my new Capcom loot. I must admit I was expecting a t-shirt, psp screensaver, or some other leftover shwag from E3, but instead was greeted by a gift box containing...

The exciting conclusion after the jump!

...a barbeque utensil set. You might be wondering about the stuffed piglet that is also in the pics. That is an official Monster Hunter Freedom poogie doll that was given out with pre-orders at the gamestores. It is the mini-gift that was also included and ties the barbeque set to Capcom.

Now please don't think that I am in any way disappointed. Capcom has already surpassed the customer service norm by simply replying to my rant of disappointment, let alone sending free gifts. And I have more than enough leftover E3 shwaq so I really didn't need any more. This just caught me off guard coming from the company whose only relation to barbeques are cooking zombies with flamethrowers. Maybe if the barbecue tongs made zombie noises while I used them, it would be more relevant. Or even hearing Ken do his signature yell from his flaming uppercut whenever I flip a burger with the barbeque spatula? Then everyone would know I was using the coveted Capcom barbeque set. Of course then all I need now...is a barbeque.

Matt

Capcom, look forward to an increase in "unhappy customers", bitching about games and out to score tongs. Brian Ashcraft