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

Toys”R”Us has just gone above and beyond the call of corporate greed, in an effort to take advantage of every consumer interested in purchasing the popular Nintendo Wii console.

The retailer is offering what is perhaps the worst next-gen console “bundle” in the history of gaming: a Nintendo Wii and 10 games (no first party titles and all but one or two are total crap), all for the low, low bargain price of $700 (exactly what you would pay if you purchased everything individually). Read more…

I don’t know about you, but I was growing pretty damn sick of hearing about all the horrible shit people have been doing lately that has been attributed to videogames. That’s why it’s such a relief to hear that Penny Arcade’s Child’s Play Charity raised over one million dollars this holiday season. Read more…

When Burnout: Paradise first hit my radar I was cautiously optimistic. Burnout is one of the few racing series that I still care about and I figured Paradise was going to be nothing more than a reincarnation of Burnout: Revenge because, well, it’s EA. Boy, did Criterion prove me wrong. This is them at their finest – taking risks, innovating, and shutting people up. Read more…

As we previously reported, Xbox Live has not been having a good time, what with all the disconnects and general wonkiness. All this was meant to be fixed by the end of the weekend. Read more…

Very ironic, however I am not impressed as this pales in comparison to the bible I found in a hotel room, signed by none other than Satan himself.

If you are interested in the unique mix of pop culture and politics that this particular ink stained copy of GTA III offers up, you will need to dish out $4000 for the chance to make it yours — or you can just show up at Jack’s next debate hoping to get something signed like our boy Nick did.

The only positive thing here is that the seller promises to give all earnings from the sale to the Child’s Play foundation.

Buy it now on Ebay

While Wii Fit doesn’t have a definitive US release date, it’ll be here eventually, and the folks over at Nintendo World Report think that us Americans might be a little out of shape for the title. They may be right, so to help us out, they’ve compiled a list of games to help whip us into shape. Read more…

Complaints have started to hit the internet en mass regarding the Psyclone Wii-Mote charger. Claims range from the unit simply not working, to reports of the remote actually melting onto the charger. Amazon.com’s review page runs rampant with warnings regarding the battery charger; out of 27 reviews, 25 of them ended up being negative. Psyclone chargers can be found at most major retailers ranging from Target to Circuit City. Read more…

Where’s Chris Hansen when you need him?

As if there weren’t enough sick individuals out there ruining the reputation of gamers, a 20-year-old man was arrested for stalking a 15-year-old girl and her sister via Xbox Live. Read more…

Some artwork depicting Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII Versus characters has made its way on to the web. Whether or not the art is the work of an individual within Square-Enix, or that of a talented illustrator/fan of the series is unclear.

Regardless, enjoy the art after the jump, and if you have any information that can help clarify the origin of the art, feel free to drop me a line. Read more…

Nintendo Wii!

Children and the modern Christmas do not mix. The amount of advertising stuffing electronic items into their chubby little cheeks fills me with a wistful sense of nonchalance. Children are spoilt, Christmas is ruled by consumerism, and the older generation isn’t down with the kids. These truths are summed up with one granny’s generosity. Read more…

Steam, Valve’s download service, has been picking up…city crims, in the form of the Grand Theft Auto 3 Trilogy. Read more…

While Microsoft has been banning people left and right for modding their Xbox 360 consoles, Sony is actually encouraging people to upgrade their PS3 hard drives with standard drives. Read more…

Did you ask for a Nintendo Wii for the holidays, only to get left out in the cold by your family and friends? Costco has got your back, maybe! Read more…

Echochrome, the elegant black and white puzzle game coming to the Playstation 3 next year, has five simple rules to advance through each stage. We can reveal them for the first time here at Ripten.com Read more…

Nokia has pushed back the release date of their long awaited second attempt to launch into the mobile gaming market with their N-gage service. Delays in testing are being blamed for the delay. Read more…

Imagine waking up in the morning and being able to turn on your Nintendo Wii and enjoy a game of Madden 08 — well the two college football teams playing in the BCS Championship game won’t have to. Read more…

Replica plasma grenades are now available on Ebay, thanks to a little handy work by worldwidewebbs. The Ebay user is charging $19.99 plus a $5.00 shipping fee for the little bundles of joy. We know what you’re thinking, but unless you want to spend another 25 bucks, don’t throw this in your dad’s face when he tells you to mow the lawn. Read more…

While I highly doubt that the story told in this eBay auction is true, the user still gets points for creativity. Read more…

All I want for Christmas is to play online, but Microsoft won’t let me

As of Wednesday the 26th, my experience with Xbox LIVE could best be described as “inconsistent”. I am randomly and sporadically kicked off of the service, and by that, I mean any time I try to do something — anything. Read more…

That’s right folks, they’re even changing the shape of Banjo’s nose

Over on Rare Witch Project, Banjo’s creative director Greg Mayles has given a mini-interview on how the next installment of their cult platformer is shaping up. The short answer is he’s packing light. Read more…