We’re back! The last few weeks have been pretty whirlwind with most or all of the community team out of the office on vacation and traveling for work. Kellie was in Tokyo for TGS, and Clumsy (Julian) was in Sydney for the EB Games show. Because of all of this, the regular Friday giveaways went on hold for a while… but they are on hold no longer. We’ve got some great prizes for you this week, all purchased in Tokyo’s Joypolis gift store and carried straight to our offices and onto your hands.

On the Block

1. Sonic Joypolis-branded sweet chocolate cake. You know we love desserts, and we are happy to share!

2. Sonic and Tails and Joypolis-branded hard candies. Each bag of candy comes inside a blue Sonic the Hedgehog bag.

3. Sonic and Tails and Joypolis-branded hard candies. Each bag of candy comes inside a blue Sonic the Hedgehog bag.

How it Works

1. You must be following us on Twitter to be eligible. (If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can create one by going to http://www.twitter.com and click the green “get started — join!” button in the center of the page.)

2. At random times on Friday, we will announce the prize we are giving away, a word or phrase, and what number of response you need to be to win. Send us a direct message (DM) via Twitter and be that number to win the prize. (@ replies do not count as entries!) We only accept one direct message per person per prize!

Example:

We tweet “GIVEAWAY: Sonic T-shirt, size L. Be the 15th person to DM “Sonic Adventure” to win!”

You see this, and want to win it, so you send us a direct message that says “Sonic Adventure”. If you are the 15th person to do so, you are the winner!

Quotation marks do not matter, capitalization does not matter, but spelling does matter!

3. All followers are eligible to win all prizes, unless a restriction is noted. Restrictions are usually due to the prize being region-locked. For example, US games that won’t work on UK gaming systems. There may also be age restrictions due to the rating of the game.

4. We will announce the winner on our Twitter feed once eligibility is confirmed.

Other Assorted Information:

• Free Stuff Friday duties alternate between the London and San Francisco offices and are done during business hours (usually mid-morning) in our respective time zones.
• No, you can’t know what number message you were – so please don’t ask! We will tell you that the information is classified!
• If you have questions during the giveaway, please contact us with an @reply. As you can imagine, we get a whole lot of direct messages during the contests and there is a very good chance we will miss your question if it is sent as a DM.

How to Send Direct Messages on Twitter

Due to a change in our account status with Twitter, you should be able to send us direct messages without us following you if you are using the Twitter website. However, third-party applications may not allow you to.

There are a few ways to send us a Direct Message on Twitter. The easiest way is:

1. Log in to your Twitter account.
2. Click on the person icon and select Direct messages from the drop down menu.
3. You’ll see a pop up showing your Direct message history. Click the New message button, highlighted below.
4. In the address box, type the name or username (SEGA) of the person you wish to send a message to.
5. Enter your message and click Send message.

You may also select the “direct messages” tab from your Twitter homepage, and select SEGA from the drop-down menu at the top of the page. Again, if you don’t see our name there, it’s probably because we’re not following you. Let us know, and we’ll follow you. If you still have questions on sending direct messages, please visit Twitter’s Help Section.

There are also many Twitter clients that you can use instead of using the website. These include TweetDeck, Twitteriffic, Tweetie, and Twhirl. Each of these programs works differently, so you’ll want to figure out how to send a direct message on the program you use. If you want to send us a test message, we’ll let you know if we received it or not. Please make sure your message says “test” somewhere.

We’re excited to announce that the alien duo ToeJam and Earl will be returning to consoles next month, thanks to the SEGA Vintage Collection series. Genesis classics ToeJam & Earl and ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron will be available to purchase separately on PlayStation Network starting November 6 for $4.99 each, and will be available packaged together as the SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl for 800 MSP starting November 7 on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

In the original ToeJam & Earl, players have to help the alien duo explore the craziest planet they’ve ever visited: Earth! After a rough crash landing, pieces of their spaceship have been scattered across a giant, constantly-changing landscape. Help them avoid hazards and collect all the pieces so they can get home to planet Funkotron.

Genesis sequel ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, meanwhile, has our alien heroes return safely to their home planet only to discover that their ship had stowaways! Funkotron is now infested with wild Earthlings who need to be put into jars and shipped back home.

Both titles have been updated with support for achievements and trophies, as well as full online co-op support.

We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Mattel, Inc. and the iconic Hot Wheels brand, offering fans an exciting cross-platform experience for the upcoming release of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Within the game, players who choose to race as Danica Patrick will be able to drive a custom transforming electric green Hot Wheels vehicle, designed to navigate the dynamic land, sea and air environments. In addition to its in-game presence, the “Danicar” will also be available as an exclusive diecast vehicle available this holiday season with purchase of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed at select retailers.

“Using Danica Patrick’s existing relationship with Mattel and Hot Wheels, we were able to extend our brand beyond the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed game universe and into consumer products with the creation of this custom toy,” said Marcella Churchill, Senior Director of Marketing, SEGA of America. “The Hot Wheels brand has a reputation for developing beloved childhood toys and our partnership will undoubtedly ignite this nostalgia amongst fans when they get to race this transforming vehicle within the game.”

“We are incredibly excited to link two iconic brands like Hot Wheels and SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog together for the first time,” said Matt Petersen, Vice President of North America Boys and Games Marketing, Mattel. “The new ‘Danicar’ is a unique vehicle that combines style elements from Danica Patrick and Sonic the Hedgehog with the outrageous design that Hot Wheels is known for – resulting in an in-game vehicle and diecast toy that all of our fans will love.”

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will be available November 18, 2012 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation3, and Nintendo’s Wii U. On December 11, 2012 it will be available on PlayStation Vita system and the Nintendo 3DS  hand-held system. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed races onto Windows PC via digital download this holiday season.