• What is All Time Greatest Game Sidekick?

  The All Time Greatest Game Sidekick is an opportunity for our users, our editorial staff, game publishers, and every part of the gaming community to come together and settle the question: Who is the single greatest Sidekick ever to be featured in a video game? No, this isn't a quick poll that you vote in once and walk away from. This one's for all the marbles. The winning Sidekick will receive a GameSpot special honor and the winning voters who correctly pick the winning brackets and the greatest Sidekicks will win all the glory in the form of bragging rights and fabulous prizes, while the losers suffer the agony of defeat.

• What achievements can I earn for participating?

  Read about the fabulous achievements coming soon.

• How are the Sidekicks determined?

  The GameSpot editors have a list of 80 suggested characters seen here. From there, registered users will vote for the 64 Sidekicks that they believe should be included in the bracket portion of the contest.

• My favorite Sidekick wasn't included. Why not?

  GameSpot's editors chose the full list of Sidekicks in a series of long, but civilized, debates that may or may not have involved threats of physical violence and/or actual physical violence. The selection of Sidekicks is intended to reflect a good cross-section of characters that have appeared in video games from the very beginning--from arcades to early home consoles to handhelds to early computer games to the platforms of today. Want to debate who should be in and who shouldn't? Talk about it the All Time Great Game Sidekick forum.

• What happens next?

  Once we have defined all the characters in the running for the contest, you will have a chance to fill out a bracket, similar to the ones you fill out for the NCAA Basketball "March Madness" tournament. In this bracket you'll predict winners for each battle, eliminating characters each round until you pick an ultimate winner. Users who score the most points with their bracket will win prizes.

• What do the tiebreaker values mean?

  In the event of a tie between bracket scores, we'll look at two values as tiebreakers that apply to the final match-up. The first tiebreaker for '% of vote for winner' refers to the percentage of votes you believe your winning pick will earn in the final battle. This must be a value between 50 and 100. The second tiebreaker for '# of votes for winner' refers to the raw number of votes you believe your winning pick will earn in the final battle. For reference, last year the winner Kerrigan earned a total of 151,420 votes (60%) to Darth Vader?s 101,039 (40%).

• How will the voting work?

  Sidekicks will meet in head-to-head match-ups, and users will vote who is the better of the two. The winner of each round will progress to a new opponent in the next round.

• Will GameSpot's editors be participating, too?

  Yep, several GameSpot editors and staffers will pick their own brackets for all the world to see, and laugh at should they be wrong. You can follow their progress by checking their brackets, as well as through any updates they make in the All-Time Greatest Game Sidekick blog.

• Will GameSpot's editors be participating, too?

  Yep, several GameSpot editors and staffers will pick their own brackets for all the world to see, and laugh at should they be wrong. You can follow their progress by checking their brackets, as well as through any updates they make in the All-Time Greatest Game Villain blog.

• When will the winner be announced?

  The overall winner will be announced on September 27th after the final rounds of voting are tallied. If you know other fans who can vote in your favorite game Sidekicks, we strongly encourage you to get them involved so that your picks can take it all.

• I have other questions about All-Time Greatest Game Sidekick.

  Please post them in the All Time Great Game Sidekick forum.

• If I live outside the U.S. and Canada, can I win the bracket challenge contest?

  You can score the most points for your bracket and win bragging rights, but unfortunately, our non U.S./Canada users are not eligible for contest prizes. (We know that's a bummer - but hey, it takes enough time to get this through our legal department, if we had to get this approved by lawyers in every country, we'd be on the PS10 before this thing went up!) (Unfortunately, residents of Quebec are also not eligible for prizes.)

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• NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. THIS CONTEST IS OPEN TO PERSONS WHO ARE: (A) REGISTERED USERS; (B) LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ONE (1) OF THE FIFTY (50) UNITED STATES, WASHINGTON D.C., OR CANADA (EXCLUDING QUEBEC) (FOR PURPOSES OF CLARITY, PUERTO RICO IS EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED); AND (C) AT LEAST THIRTEEN (13) YEARS OLD OR OLDER IN THEIR STATE OF RESIDENCE AT THE DATE OF ENTRY IN THE CONTEST. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

  Sponsor, Prize Provider and Administrator: CBS Interactive Inc. ("CBSI"),1401 W, Cypress Creek Road, Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. CBSI, as the Administrator of the Contest and will be responsible for resolving any disputes that arise regarding violations of the rules.

  Contest Entities: CBSI and its parent companies, affiliates and subsidiaries.

  Eligibility: To be eligible to participate in the Contest, you must be: (a) a Registered User; (b) a legal resident of one (1) of the fifty (50) United States, Washington D.C., or Canada (excluding Quebec) (for purposes of clarity, Puerto Rico is expressly excluded); and (c) at least thirteen (13) years old or older at the date of entry in this Contest.

  For purposes of these Official Rules, "Registered User" means a person who has successfully completed the registration form and has obtained a User Identification ("ID") and associated password ("Password") on gamespot.com.

  If you are not a Registered User you may become a Registered User and obtain an ID and a Password by completing the registration form at www.gamespot.com (the "CBSI Service"). There is no fee or charge to you to become a Registered User.

  Employees of the Contest Entities and each of their parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion and fulfillment agencies and members of the immediate family or household of each are not eligible to win. Immediate family member is defined as a parent, sibling or any person residing in the same household as an employee of the Contest Entities. Void where prohibited by law. Such excluded employees and/or family members may play, but WILL NOT be eligible to receive any prizes.

  Contest Description: The All-time Greatest Game Sidekick Bracket Challenge (the "Contest") is a competition based on results of gamespot.com?s "All-time Greatest Video Game Sidekick Tournament" (the "Tournament"). On August 22, a list of 80 characters chosen by the site editors will be posted on the CBSI Service. Users will then vote for the 64 (of the 80 characters) characters they would like to see compete in the Tournament. The 64 characters that receive the most votes will participate in the Tournament and will be seeded according to editorial discretion. Participants in the Contest will attempt to select the winners (in a bracket style game) of all the match-ups (each match-up consists of 2 game characters competing against each other, winner decided by public vote) in the Tournament. Participants will earn points by correctly predicting the winning character in each match-up in the Tournament. The number of points awarded for each correct pick of a winning match-up of the Tournament will increase with each round of the Tournament. The exact number of points awarded in this Contest is set forth in the Making Picks section below. Participants will have the opportunity to fill in a Tournament bracket to participate in the Contest and compete for the Prizes. The grand prize (the "Grand Prize") will be awarded to the top point scorer in the Contest, as described in the Prize section of these Official Rules. The runner up prize(s) (the "Runner-up Prizes") will be awarded to the participants with the next highest point total(s).

  The Contest begins on Monday, August 22, 2011 and will run through the final match-up of the Tournament scheduled for September 26, 2011 (the "Contest Period"). Participants may create their brackets starting on August 29, 2011 and ending at 11:59:59 PM ET on September 7, 2011 (the "Entry Period").

  Signing Up: Registered Users can sign up to enter the Contest by visiting the CBSI Service during the Entry Period and following the onscreen instructions (the "Onscreen Instructions"). Onscreen Instructions are incorporated by reference in these Official Rules.

  Selection Deadline: rackets will be filled in during the Entry Period and posted on the CBSI Service. Picks must be submitted by 11:59:59 PM ET on September 7, 2011. The Administrator may send a reminder e-mail on September 6, 2011 to participants who have visited the Contest but haven't yet submitted picks.

  Making Picks: After you sign up, you will have access to an on-line brackets page listing the 64 sidekick characters that will participate in the Tournament and their round one match-ups.

  Participants must enter their projected winners of all 32 match-ups of the Tournament, round by round. Beginning with round two, the Administrator will weigh predictions for each successive round more heavily than the previous round in accordance with the table below. Points will be awarded by multiplying your number of correct predictions of winning match-ups in each round of the Contest by the weight assigned to each applicable round. For example, you could receive five (5) points for five correct predictions of winning teams in round one, and ten (10) points for five correct predictions of winning match-ups in round two. You will receive an individual score for each of the six (6) Tournament rounds and an overall score, which is the combined total of your individual round scores.

  In addition, participants will receive bonus points for picking upsets, equal to the difference between the seeding of the two characters in the round. Example: if a 10 seed defeats a 5 seed, anybody picking the 10 seed will receive five points in addition to the points earned for a correct selection outlined above. This bonus does not apply to differences of a single point (example: a 5 seed beats a 4 seed). Seeding will be determined by the CBSI editors.

  Tie-breakers: The first tie-breaker will be contestant?s prediction of the correct voting percentage of the character winner, closest to the correct percentage. If a tie still remains, the second tie-breaker will be guessing the total votes cast for the character winner in the final round, closest without going over. In the event a tie remains, winner(s) will be the participant(s) with the earliest time-stamp for their bracket submission.

  Full Bracket Scoring

  Round	Coliseum of 64	Arena of 32	Storied 16	Great 8	Fabled 4	Final Showdown
  Weight per each correct pick	1pt	2pts	4pts	6pts	10pts	15pts

  Prizes:

  One (1) Grand Prize that consists of:

  The Ultimate Home Gaming Setup which includes:

  • One (1) Sony 46" 3D HDTV
  • One (1) Xbox 360 w/ Kinect
  • One (1) Playstation 3 Slim w/ Move
  • One (1) Nintendo Wii
  • Two games for each console
    Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of Three Thousand Six Hundred Dollars ($3,600.00 US Dollars)

  Approximate retail value ("ARV") of Grand Prize is Two Thousand Three Hundred US Dollars (US$2,300.00)

  Three (3) First Runner-Up Prizes that each consist of one (1) Game Console. Each winner will receive one (1) of the following consoles at the discretion of the Contest Administrator:

  • Xbox 360 w/ Kinnect ( ARV of $300)
  • Playstation 3 Slim w/ Move (ARV of $300)
  • Nintendo Wii (ARV of $150)

  ARV of Maximum Runner-Up Prize is Three Hundred US Dollar (US$300) each.

  Total Maximum ARV of all prizes to be awarded in this promotion is Three Thousand Five Hundred US Dollars (US$3500)

  Certain Prize Restrictions:

  No substitution or transfer of a Prize is permitted except by CBSI. CBSI reserves the right to substitute a Prize for one of equal or greater value in the event that an advertised Prize is unavailable.

  Limit one prize per person, household and email address.

  Winner Notification: On or around October 1, 2011, Potential Prize Winner(s) will be notified by email and/or phone.

  Legal Disclaimers

  All participants agree to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and the Legal Disclaimers below, and by the decisions of CBSI, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to the game.

  General Conditions

  By entering, each entrant accepts and agrees to be bound by these rules and by the decisions of CBSI, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Further, each entrant also acknowledges and agrees to the CBS Interactive Inc. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, incorporated herein by reference. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the Prize Winners and/or their legal guardian. No substitution or transfer of a Prize is permitted except by CBSI.

  Potential Prize Winner may be required to sign and return, within ten (10) days of issuance, the Affidavit of Eligibility and Publicity/Liability Release, except where prohibited by law. If a Prize winner is a minor, parent or legal guardian must execute an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release and Publicity Release in the same time-frame and will be responsible for all taxes related to the Prize. Failure to return such documents within the specified time period, noncompliance with these Official Rules, the return of any prize or prize notification or if any potential winner declines a Prize for any reason, such person may be disqualified, with an alternate Prize Winner selected in accordance with these Official Rules (as applicable).

  Except where prohibited by law, a Prize Winner's acceptance of a Prize constitutes permission for the Contest Entities to use Prize Winner's name, photograph, likeness, statements, biographical information, voice, and address (city and state) worldwide and in all forms of media, in perpetuity, without further compensation. All federal, state, local, and provincial laws and regulations apply.

  CBSI is not responsible for lost, late or misdirected on-line entries or transactions, for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete entry information whether caused by a contestant, equipment, or technical malfunction or for any human error, technical error or malfunctions. CBSI reserves the right to halt or modify the Contest at any time during the Contest period if events beyond their control compromise the Contest fairness or integrity. CBSI is not responsible for typographical or other human or technical errors in the offer or administration of this Contest, including but not limited to errors in advertising, the Official Rules, the selection and announcement of a Prize Winner or the distribution of a Prize.

  CBSI, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participating in the Contest, refuse to award points or a Prize, and require the return of a Prize, if entrant engages in any conduct CBSI deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the Contest or detrimental to other entrants. Such improper conduct includes, but is not limited to, falsifying personal information required during Contest registration or Prize claim, violating any term or condition stated herein, accumulating points or a Prize through methods such as automated computer scripts or other programming techniques, allowing others to use the entrant's personal information for the purpose of accumulating points or a Prize, tampering with CBSI's administration of this promotion, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile or otherwise tamper with the computer programs on this Web site. Entrant further acknowledges that the forfeiture of the a Prize and/or return of a Prize shall in no way prevent CBSI from pursuing other avenues of recourse such as criminal or civil proceedings in connection with such conduct.

  CBSI reserves the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Contest. This Contest is not affiliated with or endorsed by Electronic Arts, PlayStation, or any Electronic Game Provider. This is a skill game designed to increase consumer awareness of and interest in the CBSI Service.

  This Contest may not be used for any form of gambling.

  Rules/Winner Information

  For the name of the Prize Winners send a self addressed stamped envelope for receipt by November 30, 2011 to "Winner's list: All-time Greatest Game Sidekick Bracket Challenge," c/o CBS Interactive Inc., 1401 W. Cypress Creek Rd., Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309.

  For a copy of the Official Rules send a self addressed stamped envelope to the above address marked "Official Rules: All-time Greatest Game Sidekick Bracket Challenge," for receipt by October 15, 2011. Residents from VT may omit postage on the self addressed envelope.

  Internet

  If for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of CBSI which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, CBSI reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. In such event, CBSII further reserves the right to award a prize to the eligible participant with the next highest score in accordance with these Official Rules.

  CBSI assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries or transactions. CBSI is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry or transaction to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this Contest.

  Lost or Corrupted Entries

  The Contest Entities, and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, lost, late, incomplete, corrupted, stolen, misdirected, illegible or postage due entries or mail if applicable; or for any computer, telephone, cable, network, satellite, electronic or Internet hardware or software malfunctions, unauthorized human intervention, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information, or the failure to capture any such information. The Contest Entities, and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, advertising and promotion agencies, are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by registration information submitted by end users or tampering, hacking, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Contest, and assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to the Contest.

  Damaged Property

  Contest Entities, and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, injury or damage to any entrants or to any other person's computer or property related to or resulting from participating in this Contest or downloading materials from this Contest.

  CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A CONTESTANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE GAME IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, CBSI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH CONTESTANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

  In the event of a dispute, entries made by Internet will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

  Any entry that is incomplete, late, or does not include a validly issued User ID will be disqualified.

  In the event that the Contest is challenged by any legal or regulatory authority, CBSI reserves the right to discontinue or modify the Contest, or to disqualify participants residing in the affected geographic areas. In such event, CBSI shall have no liability to any participants who are disqualified due to such an action.

  Contest Errors

  The Contest Entities, and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, errors and/or ambiguity: (a) in the Contest; (b) in any related advertising or promotions of this Contest; and/or (c) in these Official Rules including but not limited to errors in advertising, the Official Rules, the selection and announcement of a Prize Winner or the distribution of a Prize. In the event of any ambiguity(s) or error(s) in these Official Rules, Administrators reserve the right to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes or to correct any such ambiguity or error(s) without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Contest.

  Prize Winners and Prizes

  The Contest Entities, and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, the selection and announcement of a Prize Winner, the distribution of a Prize, the acceptance/possession and/or use/misuse of any part of a Prize and/or any injury or damage to any entrant's or third person's property related to or resulting from any part of a Prize or any part of this Contest

  Release and Indemnity

  Each entrant in the Contest, including, without limitation, the Prize Winners, hereby releases and agrees to hold harmless the Contest Entities and their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies and their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to person, including death, and property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of a Prize, participation in this Contest and participation in any activity related to this Contest.

  Limitation of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranties

  IN NO EVENT WILL THE CONTEST ENTITIES AND/OR THEIR PARENTS, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES AND RELATED COMPANIES, THEIR ADVERTISING OR PROMOTION AGENCIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS, BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICE AND/OR THE CONTEST, DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE SERVICE AND/OR THE CONTEST. IN NO EVENT SHALL CBSI'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, OR CAUSES OF ACTION EXCEED $100. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON THE CONTEST AND THE SERVICE INCLUDING A PRIZE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

  Binding Arbitration

  The parties waive all rights to trial in any action or proceeding instituted in connection with these Official Rules, including, without limitation, the Contest. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to these Official Rules and/or the Contest shall be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis, and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration shall be conducted in the State of New York, in the City of New York.

  Governing Law and Jurisdiction

  THESE OFFICIAL RULES AND THE INTERPRETATION OF ITS TERMS SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO ITS CONFLICTS OF LAWS RULES. For any matters which are not subject to arbitration as set forth in these Official Rules and/or in connection with the entering of any judgment on an arbitration award in connection with these Official Rules and/or the Contest, the parties irrevocably submit and consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the California state and federal courts located in the City of New York and State of New York. The parties agree not to raise the defense of forum non conveniens.

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