Anyone who has seen or played Fallout 3 knows that the slo-mo VATS system can provide some pretty gruesome scenes — this is no exception. Possibly the goriest headshot I have ever seen in my life, complete with distinctive flying eyeballs and a lower jaw, is contained herein. Mature content warning! Read more…

The final Xbox Live Arcade game of 2008 is available today, and all you crossword puzzle and game show fanatics are gonna love it. Today you can pick up Merv Griffin’s Crosswords for only 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Read more…

Warning: The Watercooler is the best thing you will see on the Internet today, mainly because it is the best thing I saw on the Internet yesterday. Be advised that these Watercooler stories are not necessarily videogame related (they usually won’t be), and are often silly, controversial, and/or not safe for work (NSFW). If this type of content frequently offends you, please be aware that I just warned you — if you still click through and get offended, it will be your own stupid fault. Otherwise, please continue…

Today’s Watercooler features a happy little music video about how difficult it is to beat Air Man in the various Mega Man games. To be honest, I don’t recall ever having that big of a problem with Air Man. Yellow Devil, on the other hand, that’s one bad mo-fo. Still, I can see how some people might be frustrated by Air Man and how much he sucks and blows (tur-hur!)

Watch it! Read more…

2008 was a big year. There were so many great games released that it’s incredibly hard to decide which one deserves to be the Game of the Year… so that’s why we’re going to make you do it. Have a gander at our nominees and let us know which game you think deserves top honors. Additionally, we want to spark some debate as we also want to know which of our nominees is least deserving of Game of the Year.

The best commenter (best arguments, most interesting or humorous comments – as decided by Ripten staff) will also be rewarded with a super awesome prize: a free game! Let your voice be heard! Read more…

… and then you woke up. Yes, it’s true. Someone out there is about to get paid $250,000 over the course of three years to look “rad” and play videogames while pimping Dr Pepper … but that someone is not you.

The individual is 21-year-old Halo 3 gamer Tom Taylor (aka: Tsquared) and his mug will start appearing on roughly 175 million bottles of the tasty beverage between January and April.

Source: New York Times

If you’ve ever played Gears multiplayer with me, you probably heard me scream “he’s freaking glitching!” on more than one occasion. Well the Gears of War sequel was in attendance at Glitch Fest 2000. Check out the full list of glitches features in the video above.

I can’t decide if the maker(s) of this video loved the game or hated it. I personally loved it and wasn’t bothered by (nor do I remember) any of these glitches features. I will admit that after the first minute, I tabbed into another application and listened to the audio from the clip. Enjoy.

Source: Kotaku

Ironically enough, Left 4 Dead isn’t showing any signs of dying- Shacknews reports that Valve are planning a big announcement for their (awesome) zombie shooter. In true Valve style, the announcement has been postponed, as it was set for a pre-Christmas reveal. Still, Valve writer Chet Faliszek certainly didn’t skimp on the details.

The announcement was relating to new DLC for the game, including new scenarios, Versus mode availability for Dead Air and Death Toll, and for PC gamers, SDK, allowing custom map building. Other than SDK, all of the content will arrive at the same time on XBox 360 and PC, although of course on the PC there will be none of these ghastly ‘paying money’ shenanigans to be had. Still, it’s just speculation at this point, so there’s hope for 360 owners yet! Expect an official announcement from Valve soon (meaning ‘whenever they bloody well feel like it).

High Voltage is the game developer behind The Conduit, the first person shooter many are hailing as the Wii’s salvation for hardcore gamers.  But before they shock Wii users out of low graphical standards and poor first person shooter controls, they’re going to revolutionize they way people look at WiiWare with Evasive Space, releasing in January. Read more…

Another Monday, another week of new downloadable games for your Wii’s Virtual Console and WiiWare Channels. The Virtual Console gets an NES oldie in Zoda’s Revenge: Star Tropics II and the WiiWare gives you the option of hitting the arcade in Maboshi’s Arcade or taking a shot in a game of billiards in Cue Sports- Pool Revolution. Hit the jump for the full description of each game and how much they’ll cost you. Read more…

Another dull week in game releases, so that means we won’t have to spend any money on video games unless you want a copy of Hurry Up Hedgehog! or Pirates: Duel on the HIgh Seas, but I highly doubt it. Hopefully all of you had a great Christmas and got the game you really wanted as a gift, because there really ain’t shit to buy this week. Hit the jump for the list of games releases. Read more…

Ripten’s Jon Zungre talks videogame news and reviews each Tuesday morning on Columbus Ohio’s CD101 FM radio. If you don’t live in the listening area, you can check out Jon’s segments on the web each week as well. Here’s the link from December 16th and most recently December 23rd for your ear holes.

On a seperate note, we hope you’re all enjoying your holiday break. Dan and Jon are currently smashing each others faces in while they enjoy some Mortal Kombat vs. DC action and I’ve been “an asshole” raiding my way to epic loot in the latest installment of World of Warcraft. I’ll be posting the most indepth review of the game this side of Azeroth in a few days time.

Ripten will resume regular posting on December 29th just in time for new year preperation.

Famitsu is reporting that on January 29th there will be a special edition DSi to go along with the release of the new game titled Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. Read more…

So there have been a few releases of Square Enix’s “potion” drink to celebrate the release of games or movies, etc. The most current is for the release of the PSP title Dissida. These drinks have new flavors compared to previous releases, which is good because most people really disliked the former flavors. With two separate flavors to chose from, you may be able to find something you like for two dollars a can. Read more…

This week marks the end of Microsoft’s Holiday Deal of the Week promotion and with that Microsoft is cutting the price of the original Halo: Combat Evolved by 50%! If you still don’t have a copy of this game (and shame on you for not), Xbox Live Gold members can get it for for 600 Microsoft Points ($7.50) starting tomorrow, Wednesday, December 23 and will be available for a full week. It’s usual going price is 1200 Microsoft Points ($15).

Source: Kotaku

For Christmas Nintendo gives us a Genesis classic in Phantasy Star IV for the Virtual Console and a few stocking stuffers in Tiki Towers and Fun! Fun! Minigolf for the WiiWare. With three downloadable releases this week, the Wii almost gets more new releases in digital downloads than actual retail releases on any other console this week. Kind of sad really. Hit the jump for a full description of the games and how many Wii points they’ll cost you. Read more…

This week in games is so pitiful, I mean really sad. They might as well not have released anything because this shit is crap. Like for real, this week in releases isn’t even worth having its own post, but I felt like I had to let you guys know that there isn’t shit coming out this week. Read more…

Tabula Rasa, Richard Garriott’s space-centred MMO, is now totally free-to-play. It seems a little too good to be true, but remember that the failed MMO is set to close down completely on 28 February 2009, due to lack of support (i.e. nobody is playing the damn thing). Returning players can just log back in, and new players can easily get going: Go here to get a serial, go there to sign up, and then hit this to download the client- as easy as one, two, four three! Good news for MMO fans, but bad news for MMO fans who like their games to last more than two months, sadly. Still, maybe if enough people want to play it now, it’ll come back to life; there’s nothing to lose, so get going!

I love MMORPG’s.  Everything about them is great.  They are massive, which gives me a lot of world to explore and learn about.  They are multiplayer which let’s me meet people from all over the world.  They are online which allows to me easier connect with those people all over the world.  They are lastly role playing games, which let me be someone I am not and allow me to escape the real world for a little while, or a long while depending on how much free time I have that day.  Ragnarok Online or RO, as fans of the game refer to it is a very time consuming but sometimes enjoyable game.  It’s DS counterpart however is just time consuming. Read more…

I’ve been a fan of boxing ever since I saw the “Rocky” movies.  There is something about watching two guys try to beat each other to a pulp for the chance to get a belt around their waist.  I think maybe I’m just drawn to organized violence.  I’m also a fan of anime and had heard of boxing anime and manga before but never thought they would really be interesting until my friend showed me Hajime No Ippo:  The Fighting.  There is a great story here and some wonderful characters that are easy to connect with on some level.  The anime was cancelled early in it’s run but the manga is still going strong, and the anime will be making a comeback in January.  I assume to help promote the upcoming release of the new show this been game has been released on the DS to help tell the story of our main character Ippo.  Read more…

Now we all know that Capcom never dissapoints, but when they go all out- they go all out. The newest news from Capcom HQ is the Street Fighter IV Collector’s Edition, complete with pricing, dating, and sexy new box art, which I prefer to the art from before. Ugh.

The only thing that disappoints me is their choices of exclusive figurines. I just don’t see many Xbox 360 owners wanting newcomer Crimson Viper over Ryu, which PS3 owners will receive. Hit the jump for all of the Street Fighter IV: Collector’s Edition details and box art, and tell us in the comments if you think this will be worth your money come February 17th. Read more…