SNAKE WARS (the "Tournament")
OFFICIAL RULES:

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. Sponsor.The Tournament is sponsored by GameSpot , a division of CNET Networks, Inc. (235 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94105) (referred to herein as "Sponsor")

The Tournament is open to GameSpot Total Access subscribers. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Your entry constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and Regulations and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Tournament.

2. Eligibility. You are only eligible to enter the Tournament if, as of January 17, 2007, you meet all of the following conditions: (a) are a legal resident of the 50 United States (including the District of Columbia); (b) are at least seventeen (17) years of age or older (and have your parent/legal guardian’s permission to enter should you be a minor in your state of residence); (c) have a Total Access GameSpot.com account and are the Authorized Account Holder (as defined below) of your own Internet email address corresponding to your Total Access GameSpot account; (d) register for the Tournament on the www.gamespot.com website during the Registration Period (as defined below); (e) have a Sony PlayStation Portable system (PSP); (f) have Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops for the PSP; (g) you must have unlocked the online component of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, which requires approximately 15-45 minutes of offline play; and (h) have a stable wireless internet connection for use with a west-coast based game host, and that allows you to successfully join infrastructure matches in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Directors, officers and employees of Sponsor, Sponsor’s parent, and any of their respective affiliate companies, subsidiaries, agents, professional advisors, advertising and promotional agencies, or any other person or entity involved in the design, production, execution or distribution of the Tournament, and the immediate families of each (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses) and those living in the same households are not eligible to enter or win any prizes. An "Authorized Account Holder" is defined as the natural person to whom an e-mail address is assigned by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

Your entry constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Tournament.

3. How to Enter. To enter, you must first register between January 17, 2007 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time ("PDT") and January 22, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. PDT (the "Registration Period") by doing the following: (a) log into your registered GameSpot.com account and (b) visit the website: http://www.gamespot.com/tournaments/mgsjan07/index.php where you must click to join an open time slot. The first forty-eight (48) registrants will be accepted as contestants ("Contestants") in the Tournament. All other registrants will be accepted on a waiting list. Wait-listed registrants will be chosen to participate in the Tournament, based on the order in which they registered, and the order they check in the day of their event. Wait-listed registrants will be chosen as a Contestant if a Contestant is not available to participate at the time of their Tournament match. Contestants will be notified via e-mail about the Tournament schedule and their allotted time slot for the qualifying round. Contestants must follow the instructions provided in the notification e-mail to participate.

The Tournament begins January 22, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. PDT and ends January 26, 2007 at 5:30 p.m. PDT (the "Tournament Period").

4. Participation and Tournament Rules.
If accepted as a Contestant, you must abide by the following rules in order to participate in the Tournament:

• You are required to have your own Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops account and be ready to join the Tournament and your match within the time limit given. If you do not have a Portable Ops account or cannot confirm your Portable Ops account information upon signup, you will not be able to sign up for this Tournament.
• Technical requirements to participate are: Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP), Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops for the PSP, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops account (created within the game); and a stable wireless internet connection that successfully allows you to connect to a west-coast based host in the game’s infrastructure mode. You must also have unlocked the game’s multiplayer options, which requires between 15 and 45 minutes of offline play.
• Because this is played online via Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops’ matchmaking servers, there is no guarantee that races will be able to start at the specific time they are listed. All rescheduled matches are at the discretion of the GameSpot Admins.

Additional Restrictions on Contestants during the Tournament:

• Any disorderly behavior disqualifies Contestants from participation, finals, or prizes. Tournament staff members are the final arbiters in all situations, and they have the final say in every situation, including with respect to Tournament chat. Please refrain from using harassing, negative, or profane language in either the Tournament chat or the game instance.
• No cheats or hacks of any kind are to be used. Contestants will be disqualified if they are caught using any cheat or 3rd party "helper" applications.
• Taking advantage of known exploits in the game is also considered cheating. Exploits in the game could include, without limitation, bugs that allow you to hide under obstacles or objects in the game to gain invulnerability. If a Tournament staff member finds that you are cheating, you will be disqualified immediately from the Tournament with no recourse for yourself.
• The Tournament rules are subject to change at any time. If any changes to the rules occur, you will be notified through the Tournament news page and a Tournament forum post; a time stamp will be on any web pages that have been revised.

5. Tournament/Server Settings.
Each match consists of six players playing four 10-minute rounds of deathmatch. The three players with the highest cumulative scores at the end of the match will move on to the next round. There will be no weapon, item, or team restrictions. In the final match, the player with the highest score will be the first place winner; the second-highest score will be the second place winner; and the third-highest score will be the third place winner. Below are the game settings:

Mode: VR Mode
Unique Character: Add
Max Number of Players: 6
Friendly Fire: No
Eject for Being Inactive: No
Round Time: 10 Minutes
Weapon/Item Limits: No Restrictions

6. Maps.
Map 1: Comm Base
Map 2: Town
Map 3: Soviet Patrol Base
Map 4: Silo Entrance

7. Prizes.
The first place winner will receive one $600 gift card to Best Buy (approximate retail value ("ARV") $600.00). The second place will receive one $300 gift card to Best Buy (approximate retail value ("ARV") $300.00). The third-place winner will receive one $100 gift card to Best Buy (approximate retail value ("ARV") $100.00). (Total ARV of all prizes = $1000.00). Limit to one prize per entrant. A tie-breaking match will be played for any ties. Gift cards are subject to terms and conditions specified by Best Buy. Subscription is subject to terms and conditions specified by GameSpot. Prizes are not transferable, redeemable for cash or substitutable by winners. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of comparable or greater value, at its sole discretion. Winners are solely responsible for all federal, state and local taxes (including all applicable income and withholding taxes) as well as all other costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided. All prize details are at Sponsor's sole discretion.

8. Winner’s List.
The names of the prize winners can be obtained from GameSpot by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope by February 9, 2007 to Snake Wars Tournament Winner List, c/o Karen Lee, 235 Second Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.

9. Selection and Notification of Winners.
In the Preliminary, Quarterfinal, and Semifinal rounds, the three players with the highest cumulative scores in the match will move to the next round. In the final match, the player with the highest score will be the first place winner; the second-highest score will be the second place winner; and the third-highest score will be the third place winner. All winners will be notified by e-mail or telephone at the e-mail address or telephone number associated with their Total Access GameSpot accounts. To claim their prize, winners must complete and return a notarized Affidavit and General Release and, if applicable, a W-9 form sent to winner, within five (5) days of notification. If winner is a resident of a state that deems winner to be a minor, the prize may be awarded in the name of winner’s parent/legal guardian, who must also sign a notarized Affidavit and General Release on the winner’s behalf and grant consent for the winner to accept the prize. Any prize notification or prize returned to Sponsor as undeliverable will be forfeited. Each potential winner may be requested to provide Sponsor with proof that he/she is the Authorized Account Holder of the e-mail address that corresponds to the registered GameSpot account used to enter the Tournament. In the event of a dispute regarding who submitted an entry, the entry will be deemed submitted by the Authorized Account Holder of such e-mail account.

You are not a winner until your submission is validated and your documents are completed.

10. General Conditions and Release.
Except where prohibited by law, each winner (or their parent/legal guardian should they be a minor in their state of residence) consents to the use of his/her name, city and state, likeness and entry in any manner by Sponsor, its designees and its advertising and promotion agencies without further compensation or notification. Acceptance of a prize constitutes each winner’s consent (or their parent/legal guardian’s should they be a minor in their state of residence) to have his or her name released in a winner’s list which will be made available to the public. By entering this Tournament, winners (or their parent/legal guardian should they be a minor in their state of residence) agree to release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor and any of its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, or related companies, or their respective officers, directors, employees or agents of the foregoing (collectively, the "Released Parties"), from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses taxes, expenses or damages of any kind, either at law or in equity, whether known or unknown (collectively, "Losses"), arising out of or in connection with this Tournament or that the winners might incur as a result of this Tournament or acceptance, possession or use or inability to use any prize (including, without limitation, Losses related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty, guarantee (express or implied) or other theory. Winner (or their parent/legal guardian should they be a minor in their state of residence) further acknowledges that Sponsor is not liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize, including, but not limited to, its quality, mechanical condition, or fitness.

11. Disclaimer.
If for any reason the Tournament is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or force majeure that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Tournament, Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the Tournament and to cancel, terminate, modify or postpone the Tournament until a later date. The Released Parties assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, or other failure of or related to the software platform on which the Tournament is played. The Released Parties are not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or entry to be received by Sponsor 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 Tournament.

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

12. Miscellaneous.

(a) By entering this Tournament, you (or your parent/legal guardian should you be a minor in your state of residence) agree and consent that any information you provide upon entering may be used by CNET Networks, Inc. in accordance with its privacy policy, available at http://www.cnet.com/html/aboutcnet/editorial/privacy.html?tag=ft. If you do not want your information used in this manner, do not enter this Tournament.

(b) The Tournament and the Official Rules shall be exclusively governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of California, without regard to conflicts of law provisions. Each entrant (or their parent/legal guardian should they be a minor in their state of residence) consents to jurisdiction and venue in the federal or state courts located in San Francisco, California.