We here at Killer Betties - thanks to Assault Heroes 2, Sierra Online, and fortyseven communications - are happy to announce a new contest called the 'Assault Heroes 2: "Duck and Cover" Hat Giveaway' where you can win one of five Assault Heroes 2 caps. To win all you have to do is answer the following question:

"Which fictional character would you most like to play Assault Heroes 2 Co-op mode with and why?"

The contest will last from May 14, 2008 until May 21, 2008 - only one entry per person.

In order to win, send an email to contests[at]killerbetties.com with your answer to the question, as well as your name, and shipping address. We will then pick the 5 best answers and those winners will then receive one of the five hats. We look forward to hearing who you'd like to play with!

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The Wii is probably the most accessible system out there for women looking to get into videogames for the first time. Wii Fit is going to be a huge draw in general, and when you have someone like Tina Yothers doing ads for the game during episodes of Celebrity Bootcamp on VH1 it should come as no surprise that Nintendo is heavily targeting women with the game. Peter Moore is looking at also using the Wii Board for EA's own fitness game, and women seem to be their main target.

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I like to think my reviews spot-on and I tell the truth how I see it when it comes to game reviews. I'm sure I could be more critical or sarcastic, but I'll leave that to Yahtzee - the writer for Zero Punctuation - who I think is absolutely the best videogame reviewer in the business. This week, changing things up a little, he's decided to answer some reader emails about his recent review of Super Smash Bros. Brawl...and boy is he rough on them. Ah, just the way I like it. Watch the hilarious video.

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Should we blame the government? Or blame society? Or should we blame the images on TV? No, blame videogames...blame videogames. It seems that no matter where you look there is always someone claiming videogames are the downfall of our civilization and are the reason behind all of the world's woes. The latest story coming out has one UK mom claiming about how the Nintendo DS is turning her kids into monsters and making them dysfunctional.

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Sigh, I'm feeling so depressed today. I woke up in a funk already this morning, went cruising around trying to find some interesting news, and the next thing I know I'm stumbling across someone calling me - and all videogame bloggers - a loser. That really hurts my feelings! Okay, not really, because truth be told I'd never heard of Glenn Beck before he started saying stupid stuff anyways. So what has got Mr. Beck so angry with videogame bloggers? Game Politics has the story.

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PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual games, announced that beginning today and continuing through May 11, 2008, the company will honor Mother’s Day by donating 30% of the price of each game sold on its website to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the global leader in the fight to end breast cancer forever. The monetary goal of the Mother’s Day fund-raising drive is $100,000 – and if that goal is met, all consumers who participated (by purchasing one or more games) will receive a free gift from PopCap. The promotion is site-wide, with the main informational page located at http://www.popcap.com/promos/mothersday/?cid=mom10019.

More After The Jump

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GREENVILLE, NC and SEATTLE, WA – April 28, 2008 — East Carolina University’s Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies today revealed the results of a six-month long, randomized, controlled study that measured the stress-relieving and other mood-lifting effects of so-called “casual” video games. The three puzzle and word games used in the study, Bejeweled® 2, Peggle™ and Bookworm™ Adventures, are all made by PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual video games. (PopCap underwrote the study and provided copies of the games for research purposes.) The hypotheses were tested using state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies to measure heart-rate variability (HRV), electroencephalography (EEG) and subjects’ mood states pre- and post-activity (POMS). The study yielded significant findings in several areas while identifying potential therapeutic applications of casual games as a means of addressing serious mental and physical disorders. Due to the significance of the findings and their implications in health promotion, disease prevention and treatment, East Carolina University’s Psychophysiology Lab is planning to start clinical trials in the fall to determine the efficacy of these games and their prescriptive parameters.

More After The Jump

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1up.com now has up an interesting article looking at whether people involved in the game industry actually listen to players on message boards and either their complaints or praise for a game. I'm inclined to believe the voice of the people actually matter for the most part when it comes to developers trying to please their demographic, but I've seen enough complaining on message boards too to know that not everything complained about always gets fixed or taken seriously.

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When looking at the proposals to be adopted by Afghanistan, you can't really argue against putting a ban on dog and bird fighting. However, when you look at a few of the other things they want to ban, it's hard to believe how serious they are regarding how they think things like videogames (all videogames and not just violent ones) and billiards are detrimental to their country. Game Politics has up the full-story.

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The Frag Dolls have up their latest edition of the Ask A Doll feature, this time letting Valkyrie answer the latest batch of questions. Valkyrie answers questions regarding such topics as the strangest request she's ever received, most embarrassing gaming moment, and wondering what she did before she became a Frag Doll.

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With a suggested retail price of $29.99, Arcana Heart delivers tremendous value to genre fans, featuring 121 fighter/arcana combinations, multiple play modes, and the innovative homing system. Don't miss out on the game IGN hails as "one magical fighter" and praises for its "charming cast, great fight mechanics, diverse play styles and tons of depth…a fighting game you don't want to miss."

Key Features
- An all-girl fighting spectacular - Battles heat up with 11 beautiful female fighters to choose from.
- Customize your fighter's skills - Arcana add new attack and defense skills. Build your combat strategy by selecting from 11 different Arcana to pair with your fighter.
- Supreme vertical action - Take your fighting skyward! Huge battle maps let you rain down punishment on your opponent with air dashes and homing techniques to create devastating aerial combos.
- Exceptional replay value - Includes the original Arcana Heart and the remixed Arcana Heart FULL, and offers four different modes: arcade, story, versus, and training, as well as a gallery mode filled with unlockable extras.

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Guitar Hero: Aerosmith features songs spanning their long chart-topping career as well as hits from their favorite groups like The Clash, Cheap Trick, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts and more . Pre-ordering will give you access to a special bundle which includes guitar, the exclusive Aerosmith faceplate, an Aerosmith tour book and of course, the game.

Find out about pricing and see pics after the jump

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After hearing about this scientific study that shows a link between the behaviors of videogame addicts with that of people suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome, I'm pretty much in agreement at the possibility of the link. I know I can certainly become addicted to a game, and after watching America's Next Top Model last season, I know the question was raised by a friend as to whether I might have something like Asperger's Syndrome.

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SAN DIEGO, April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Applications are now being accepted for the 2008 G.I.R.L. Game Design Competition scholarship of up to $10,000 designed to educate and recruit more women into the field of video game production and design. Sponsored by Sony Online Entertainment LLC. (SOE) a global leader in online gaming, applications and complete rules for entry are available online at http://www.girl.soe.com.

The SOE G.I.R.L. -- Gamers In Real Life -- competition is the first of its kind to encourage students toward career paths in the field of video game design and production, ultimately resulting in the development of games that are more interesting for women to play.

"The secret is out: Females game. We're just trying to encourage more women to make the games they obviously enjoy playing," said Torrie Dorrell, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. "With the application process starting today, we're taking a concrete step towards opening the door a little wider for women who want to go into game development, and that can only help expand our industry's audience."

More After The Jump

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We reported last week about a promotional event Best Buy was doing to get women involved with the Wii, but based on the way the event went, it seems as if it was a huge failure. So what exactly happened at the event? Were there more women there than men? What games were on hand and were they the stereotypical games you'd imagine the company trying to win women over with? 1up has the story.

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