Left 4 Dead Maps Resurrected in Left 4 Dead 2 Over Forty New Final Fantasy XIII Screens Just In Time For The Weekend PlayStation Network Plans To Implement Premium Content Subscription-Based Model Microsoft Game Studios Hiring Epic Liason/Producer For Gears of War & Shadow Complex Madden NFL Arcade Game Changers Video Toys“R”Us Goes Game Stop, Geoffrey the Giraffe Now Accepting Used Console Trade-Ins

World War III and its hypothesized aftermath has been the subject of countless novels, films, video games and even music for the last sixty years. Basically, since the defeat of the Axis Powers in 1945, people from nations around the globe have prophesized about what the parameters would be for the next Great War. As Americans, we have been subject to these possibilities since their inception. But as time marched on, our speculations as far as the “who” and “where” of the next world conflict have evolved. Read more…

EA Sports announced a new feature this year for Tiger Woods 2008 that would allow gamers to upload a picture of themselves and use it to create an in game character that they said would not only look like them, it would actually be them. Read more…

By now you have most likely heard that this game will be available in stores at $59.99 with a free Bluetooth headset and can also be downloaded online via the Playstation Online Network for $40.00 — headset not included of course. With five maps available upon release and four game modes to chose from, you may feel a bit limited at first, but the game offers a great mix of different gameplay experiences wrapped into one. Read more…

“Which of the Two Worlds has a decent framerate?”

Two Worlds, a massive RPG that plays like a cross between Diablo and Oblivion, owes a debt of gratitude to the persistence of hardcore gaming geeks. The potential fun to be had exploring Two Worlds’ massive environments is considerably hampered by a plague of technical issues– framerate drops, glitches, and crashes. Read more…

“Who’s your Big Daddy?”

There hasn’t been an enemy character in a first person shooter for a long time that carries the same impact as Bioshock’s Big Daddy. They’ve got loads of health, a disorienting roar, and a powerful rivet gun that will make you go through every last first aid kit, but the Big Daddy makes a big impression before they even come into view. Read more…

Angry fans that waited for the Call of Duty 4 Beta sign up today at noon soon realized that the site could not take the traffic and that it crashed again, just like it did when news of the beta was first announced. Read more…

Unfortunately, in the last week sites owner and editor’s grandma has been in the hospital, so no recent updates have been published. We hope our readers send their get-well wishes to Ripten’s Chad Lakkis during this difficult time, and be assured that within the next day or two we’ll have more reviews, previews, and news for the site. Keep checking back for more good stuff, including reviews of this month’s new releases.

The Internet has put in some long hard hours on the issue, but Blazing Lizard’s first game promises to solve it once and for all—Pirates or Ninjas? Yes, Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball should do the trick. But how exciting can dodgeball get? Read more…

Frankly, I’m just fascinated by this kid’s hair, standing up on his head like a pair of antlers. Are they pigtails? It’s hard to say. We’ll go with yes. SHE is the mascot of Rhythm ‘n Notes, a new pseudo-game taking on the task of developing musical tendencies.

The software is split into two parts: Notes and Rhythm. Go figure! On the Notes side you’ll start with Chords. Looking at piano keys, the object is to tap the chord that you hear being played. Levels contain three chords each, and you’ll have to be flawless to unlock the Notes test. It was hard to tell what the difference between the two was, but maybe there is something that isn’t implemented in this build. Read more…

“I’d hit that … with a tank!”

With Games Convention underway in Leipzig, Germany, expectant Metal Gear fans were rewarded with yet another trailer for the highly-anticipated stealth title. Four new bosses were revealed in the GC 07 trailer, all female, and all named after the bosses in the first Medal Gear Solid. Read more…

“Touch me — you know you want to.”

The Associated Press is reporting that the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel, when left plugged into a power source, can overheat and release smoke. Instead of a recall, Microsoft will offer to “retrofit” to customers along with instructions. In the meantime, Microsoft advises using batteries to power the wheel instead of an outlet. Read more…

Ubisoft is coming out with all guns blazing, and just like EA, their upcoming Crytek creation is targeting the PC only. Read more…

The format war race has just gotten a little uglier with Microsoft offering $150 million to Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks for what they are calling “promotional consideration”. In short, the aforementioned studios have agreed to an exclusive HD-DVD deal that will run for 18 months.

If Microsoft dishes out that kind of dough for consideration of a product, you gotta ask yourself what they would be willing to offer for a “no questions asked — you do what we tell you for as long as we tell you” agreement.

“I’m too sexy for my armor… so sexy it hurts.”

Orcs and goblins are not usually known to be good-looking, but in Fantasy Wars from Russian developer 1C, they can appear downright charming. These rough, green-skinned creatures with jutting horns and teeth are decked out in their Sunday best, with interesting designs on their shields and a glint of madness in their eyes. Read more…

In the climactic battle of the film Kung Fu Hustle, the main character Sing, played by director Stephen Chow, soars so high up into the air that he is able to jump off the back of an eagle, see Buddha in the clouds, and fall back down to Earth with the force of a meteorite. In any videogame or movie since, you’d be hard pressed to come up with a more dramatic finishing move. Like Sing’s atmospheric ascension, expectations will be sky-high for a satisfying videogame adaptation of Kung Fu Hustle’s fights, but there may be a few design choices that bring that level of anticipation back down to Earth. Read more…

When I first saw Zombie Ninja Pro-Am, I truly didn’t know what to expect. The title wasn’t too specific in what you’re doing with the characters from the Adult Swim show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, but I quickly found out that this game, like the show, is very funny and foul-mouthed.

The title refers to two things– “Zombie Ninja” (but there are no zombie ninjas in the game, I’m sad to say), and “Pro Am”, which seems to refer to miniature golf. I found the golf angle to be a plus, because in this game you visit a number of golf courses, playing as Master Shake and Frylock. Read more…

Your parents may have told you that the countless hours you spent gaming in front of your monitor would amount to nothing, well here is your chance to at least try to prove them wrong. Read more…

Madden gamers may need to get used to hearing this or come up with a rule amongst friends before starting an online match.

I popped in Madden 08 for the Xbox 360 after just getting it from the midnight release and have already got the defensive end to jump offsides 9 times on one drive basically moving me into scoring position. Curious if anyone else is experiencing this. If so, this could be a huge bug in the game and prove to frustrate many gamers.

The Madden 08 countdown is coming to a close, and whether you are a fan of the game or not, you can not deny that the annual release of Madden has become a holiday of sorts.

Football has tailgating and Madden has it’s share of midnight releases across the country. We here at ripten.com want to hear what you and your buddies have planned for this years release. Read more…

Would you drop $600 dollars on a console without fully understanding what it has to offer? Yea, we wouldn’t either. So how is it that a survey conducted by the NPD group polled 6,260 owners of the next gen console from six to forty-four and only 40% knew that the system had Blu-ray technology? Read more…