Those who've been with QJ.NET for quite some time now might remember the old homebrew game released by coder AdePSP called Deal or No Deal.

Coder amirulrudy12 released an updated version of Deal or No Deal. With this update, the game's firmware compatibility has been increased for custom firmwares 3.xx.


Download: Deal or No Deal (CFW 3.xx)
Visit: QJ PSP Development Forum

Electronic Arts is cooking up another new venture, and this time they've enlisted the help of TV company Endemol to develop Virtual Me, a new digital entertainment concept that "bridges the divide between traditional TV and videogames."

This online offering will let users create their own avatars - or "astonishingly lifelike cyber-clones," according to a press statement - which they can use to meet, compete, and socialize with other gamers. Users can also join virtual versions of Endemol's TV series such as Deal or No Deal and Fear Factor using their avatars.

"With Virtual Me we are at the forefront of a new, hybrid form of entertainment that takes gaming beyond the console," said EA International boss Gerhard Florin. "Endemol is a great partner to help us bring together the best of TV and video games for an offering that can appeal to mass market audiences and change the face of entertainment."

Virtual Me is slated to debut alongside the new Big Brother series which is coming to British TV screens this summer. A website is also in the works.

Been havin' fun with Robert Durbin's Deal or No Deal brew for the DS, haven't you? So have we! But we gotta admit, the experience has been a bit bland because the previous version lacked sounds that could've added that extra heart-pounding element to the gameplay.

So imagine our joy when news reached our ears that Durbin has updated his brew to include game sounds! And not only that, he's thrown in quite a few other changes for this release also like D-pad support, better graphics, etc. Here's the full list:

Changelog:

• added sounds
• added D-pad support
• fixed minor and major bugs
• cleaned up the code and redone briefcase graphics
• better animation for the briefcases
  

With these pretty major updates in the game, we're sure we can only expect better releases and versions from hereon. Included in his to-do list is to add an Internet highscore table with stats as well as a personal one, more sounds with the case number and amount being voiced out, and ability to change the case prizes (could be a car, etc.) or money values. Definitely interesting ideas which will hopefully be executed well. So while we wait for that, why don't you...

Download: [Deal or No Deal DS (with sounds)]

Robert Durbin just loves making DS homebrew games based on TV game shows. Remember Deal or No Deal DS? Yep, that one's based on the Endemol-produced show. This time, the guy presents us with his third game and it's based on yet another TV game show.

Just like the show with the same title, Card Sharks will have you betting on whether the next card will be higher or lower. As this is a betting game, your goal, of course, is to get as much money as possible. Bets can come in a minimum amount of US$ 50 for all other rounds, but the final round's minimum bet must be at least equal to half of your money.

Durbin says, "A perfect score would be 32,000 if you bet it all on each choice. This includes the $400 bonus. If you bet all your money and lose after the 1st line, you lose."

An Internet highscore table may be in the horizon, only if you guys show enough interest in it. So let Robert Durbin know if you do want to see that (and other features) in the next release.

The download link's below. You know the drill. Enjoy!

Download: [Card Sharks]

Deal or No Deal DS">Robert Durbin has released a bug-free version of his Deal or No Deal homebrew game for the DS. I'm sure you've already seen the TV show, and this game is exactly the same.

First you choose one of the 26 cases as "your" case, and then you start to eliminate other cases on the board. Periodically a banker offers to give you money in exchange for your case, and your mission if you choose to accept it is to get the best deal for yourself by either saying "deal" to the banker and accepting one of his offers or continue to the end where you can choose whether to keep your case or trade for the other one.

The game also keeps track of your previous deals, so you can see just how well you've been doing. It's a pretty basic game, but just like the TV show, it can be quite difficult to beat the banker and get a good deal for yourself. Robert ran into a few bugs in earlier releases, including crashes, the game allowing multiple cases to be selected and so forth, but all of them have been fixed now so it should run perfectly. Just one rather simple question remains...download or no download?

Download: [Deal or No Deal]

  

What with the recent homebrew milestone of the 3.03 downgrader, people have been talking about the hot topic (no, not the store, silly) left and right. Heck, even our very own Jake D. had a recent interview with the PSP Show about it. Every Tom, Dick, and badam must be itching their arses off trying to find a copy of the original GTA: LCS. It is, after all, the key factor in the exploit.

Well, if you don't have a copy for yourself, you might want to check around with your friends and ask them if you can borrow it for like three seconds or something. However, if "asking friends" aren't your thing, you might want to resort to some other... desperate measures. Like US$ 400 worth of desperation.

Oh yeah. Someone's trying to get some homebrew "incentive" by selling an un-patched GTA: LCS UMD in eBay with a starting bid of US$ 400. Just a bit more and you could use that money to buy a 20GB PS3. 400 is pretty steep, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The guy putting it up for auction claims it's in mint condition - no scratches and includes the manual and all.

So, deal or no deal?

Note: Naturally we suggest to our readers that are looking for a unpatched version of GTA LCS on ebay, look at all auctions by searching for "unpatched gta lcs" (via Read), instead of overpaying $300+. One commenter reported buying GTA LCS "for $17.99 used at Gamestop with the 2.00 upgrade", so you might want to start there first. You can also take a look at this thread in the forum to see which version of Grand Theft Auto your buying before you make the purchase.

If you raised your hand then read on. Celador will bring a skills-based game version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? to the world’s largest skill gaming website, King.com. Who Wants to be a Millionaire? became one of the most successful TV game show franchises in the world and turned trivia into a money-maker. Starting November 17, the long-running show moves online, and geeks, nerds, and walking encyclopedias can once again test their trivia skills. And yes you get to win cash prizes for those otherwise useless information you got inside your skulls.

The inclusion of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? joins a growing number of hit TV shows that have partnered with King.com for a skills-based online games versions. Other shows featured on the website are Big Brother (UK) and Deal or No Deal (US). According to King.com, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? has become a certifiable pop culture icon and they're excited to offer a skill game version to challenge fans of the show.

If you're dying to get your Wii on (OK, that statement is just seriously messed up, y'know?) but didn't quite make it in time to reserve one at Gamestop last Friday, don't worry because you're going to get another chance to do that soon.

Siliconera reports that Toys "R" Us will be accepting Wii pre-orders on October 29. And on top of that, Toys R Us is also currently running a contest with Deal or No Deal where they're giving away 25,000 Wiis. This contest is available only for U.S. residents though.

If you haven't already done so, you can enter the contest by checking out the Toys "R" Us insert in this Sunday's paper. With 25,000 Wiis at stake, the odds of winning this one ain't that bad (around 1:5,700 according to the contest rules) so join away. Who knows, you might get lucky.

This month, Toys "R" Us will give away not one, not two, not even 100, but 25,000 Wiis to 25,000 lucky winners in their upcoming Deal or No Deal promo. If you want one of those free consoles, and we know you're dying to get your hands on one, this is what you have to do.

According to the official contest rules, Game Pieces will be distributed in Toys "R" Us newspaper inserts that appeared October 1 and 8 and 15. If you missed those, you get another chance on the 22nd. Or you can get your own free game piece by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope (must be postmarked by October 23 and received no later than October 30) to:

Deal or No Deal Game Piece," c/o Little & King Co., LLC 31 Merrick Ave., Suite 150, Merrick, New York, NY 11566

Approximately 143,573,148 Game Pieces will be distributed nationwide. Each game piece contains two suitcases. One suitcase is the "DEAL" suitcase and the other suitcase is a "NO DEAL" Suitcase. The "DEAL" Suitcase offers 10% off any one item in your shopping cart at time of purchase. The "NO DEAL" suitcase offers the chance to win $1,000,000 and additional prizes.

Bring the game pieces to a participating Toys "R" Us stores across the US between October 1 and 28. Choose the "DEAL" or "NO DEAL" suitcase and give it to any Toys "R" Us cashier. The cashier will ask you to choose a single suitcase. You can get the full details from the official Toys "R" Us website.

Back to the prizes. The grand prize is US$1 million and a trip to Los Angeles to attend the NBC show. But what are your chances of hitting the jackpot? Its 1 out of 28,714,630. You got better chances with the 25,000 Nintendo Wii game consoles (1:5,743).  There are other cool prizes to be given away. But we can tell, you just want the Wii.

Trick or Treat yourself to another juicy issue of "Maxim" for your PSP. It's the Halloween issue, and everything is candy-coated with sugar and spice. You've got your femme fatale Vanessa Minnillo, 10 gorgeous Miss Maxim Worldwide 2006 babes, and... (drumroll please)... the "Deal or No Deal" suitcase girls. Now that's something to seal the deal, huh?

Speaking of which, remember that Deal or No Deal homebrew? If you've already packed your PSP with that game, now you can have the suitcase girls as well. It's 36pages of chicks, flicks (as in movies), and... err, more chicks.

'Nuf talking, more staring. Happy Halloween.

Download: [Maxim October 2006]