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

Bioshock was one of 2007’s best games and best in my opinion, but the only thing it lacked was an online multiplayer of any kind, unlike Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip. But 2K Boston’s next game won’t have this pitfall, as it seems that the project 2K Boston is currently working on is a multiplayer first-person shooter.

In a resume posting for Lead Designers and Lead Engineers for 2K Boston, they detailed a few key points of their next project, which you can find after the jump. While it’s not completely out of the question that this listing is for Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams, I’m thinking it’s not likely. However, we do know that the FPS in question runs on the Unreal 3.0 Engine, and will most likely be released on the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360… whenever it appears. Read more…

Attack of the Show hosts Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira celebrate the success of their bid for America to observe a National Pie Week by stripping down into French maid outfits and diving into a giant pie. Yes, you read that correctly — Olivia Munn, French maid outfit, and pie. The video speaks for itself. Read more…

That’s right COD gamers, you get another whole weekend of double experience points in World at War, so cancel all your ongoing plans! Not only are we getting double experience, but also two brand new multiplayer modes for the playlist: Team Tactical and Mercenary TDM. Team Tactical is a 4v4 mode that has two teams up against each other in random objective scenarios, while Mercenary TDM does not allow for parties but instead has random team match-ups.

The new playlists have gone live today for both the Xbox 360 and PS3, along with the Double XP event running from today, January 30, until February 1. Have fun homies!

Source: CallofDuty.com

Users on the Gears of War official forums are reporting that the digital certificates for the game have expired, as of 28th January 2009. This means that the game will not launch at a system date post-28th Jan. Obviously, this is awful news for those people who enjoy playing the game on the PC, since unless they keep their system date before the 28th, they cannot play the game.

This is what all the fuss about DRM (Digital Rights Management) is about; people who bought this game are essentially not allowed to play it. Ironically, the people who pirated the game, who the DRM is supposedly trying to stop, won’t be affected by this. The more that stuff like this happens due to DRM, the more the games are going to be pirated- only the customers are being punished. Anyway- bad show on Epic’s part; this needs to be fixed.

Shacknews reports that EA has announced a sequel to the acclaimed Spielberg- produced Wii title Boom Blox. Boom Blox Bash Party will add over 400 new levels to the Jenga-with-bombs-and-other-stuff formula, plus the ability to create and download user-created levels. New multiplayer modes join the “party”, too. The PR agent of Mr. Spielberg called the game a “wild social gaming experience.” The game is set to release in the Spring of this year. As one of the few games on the Wii that produced a genuinely fun experience, it’s good to see a sequel on its way so soon; even if it probably won’t sell all that well. Maybe if Spielberg pushes the fact that it’s his studio it’ll get more media buzz this time around.
[Update]New screens, which look like old screens.

A new Final Fantasy XIII trailer has been revealed on the Square Enix countdown website. The video shows off some new characters and locations, as well as real-time gameplay! The game is looking better everytime I see it, but is still aways off. It’s already my most anticipated game of 2010. If you haven’t already, hit the play button on the above video to see what’s up.

Capcom executive Keiji Inafune has mentioned in the newest issue of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu that “We’re finally putting out new Dead Rising and Lost Planet games! As a main principle we’re thinking about multi-platform, and expanding upon both slightly from the Xbox 360 version.” That’s a pretty strong hint towards both games being multi-platform; not to mention that most of Capcom’s games are multi-platform now.

Dead Rising is a game I’ve been wanting to play since it was released, so I’m certainly hoping for a PS3 version. I enjoyed the Lost Planet demo, too (although the full game is either nowhere to be found or way overpriced), so this is good news all round.

While the Knights of the Old Republic series has not been the highest selling brand for LucasArts the same way that the Battlefront series has, the KOTOR games remain unique in their own way. For the first time ever, 4000 years before the events that set place in the movies, players found themselves introduced to a more dreamy time in the Star Wars space. A time when Jedi and Sith alike were in abundance and great disgust strewn between the two, a time where political affairs stood out on the forefront all while large corporations and mercenary groups extended their hand for a piece of the galaxy.

With gripping and immersive storytelling, proficient voice-acting, stunning visuals, and not to mention an incredible musical score, both KOTOR games have found themselves a permanent home in RPG and Star Wars fans alike. The only thing missing is the final piece to make it a complete trilogy. That final piece will come in the form of a MMO titled Star Wars: The Old Republic. Read more…

What? Didn’t we just have a Ripcast, like, a week ago? You’re damn right we did, and here’s another one!

Joining the usual crew of Jonathan, Dan, and Beau, we have a super extra special guest this time — Peter Molyneux! Okay, it’s not Peter Molyneux, it’s Mr. John “The Landmine” Landis. Coincidentally, there is no relation to Dan Landis other than that they have the same parents.

On the agenda this week, the dudes discuss their playlists, which include manly games like Lumines, Animal Crossing, and LittleBigPlanet. There is also some shocking revelations including how pretty much everybody is a racist, especially Beau.

Intrigued? Of course you are. Read more…

Some people love the Monster Hunter series, me being one of those people.  I am always looking for info on the new Wii title Monster Hunter Tri and luckily Capcom delivers. Read more…

We’re big fans of Fallout 3 here at Ripten. Here’s some good news for those of you who agree with us- the “Operation Anchorage” Downloadable Content has been released. The DLC allows the player to join in with the liberation of Alaska, and focuses more on stealth gameplay with a new set of weapons and armour. The DLC costs 800 MS points ($10) for PC and Xbox 360, but isn’t available for PS3 owners.

Great for those of you who have finished the game and need more to do, but for people like me who have yet to get very far in the game (especially since my saves were wiped), not really worth bothering with. Unless of course you’re a big fan of snow. Plus, I’m still of the opinion that Oblivion is a superior game. Call me a Medieval fanboy, but the game just feels more inviting and comprehensive.

Great news, Sony fans. According to Kaz Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America*, Sony is officially leading the console market with the PS3, disregarding silly things like sales numbers and market share. Read more…

This week’s Virtual Console and WiiWare updates bring us two games that are just minutes from downloading. For the Virtual Console we’ve got a Sega Genesis oldie with Wonder Boy in Monster Land and for the WiiWare we’ve got Niki – Rock ‘n’ Ball. Hit the jump for the full description of each game directly from Nintendo, as well as a trailer for Niki – Rock ‘n’ Ball for a better glimpse of the game. Read more…

This week in game releases gives us some nice samurai action in Afro Samurai (starring the voice of Samuel L. Jackson) for the 360 and PS3, along with a baseball management simulator with MLB Front Office Manager for the 360, PS3 and PC, among others. Hit the jump for the full list of game releases for this week and my pick of the week. Read more…

As you most likely know already, the demo for Monolith Productions’ F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin was released recently on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Obviously, so long as you own a device capable of running the demo, you can download and try it out for yourself. What I’d like to do, though, is share with you what my thoughts were about the demo. Hard drive space is a concern for many of you I’m sure, so perhaps I can help you decide whether or not to use yours up. Hit the jump for my impressions. 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 one of the strangest videos I have ever seen. It creeps me out and kind of makes me feel naughty all at the same time. It’s weird. I really don’t know how to explain it, but there’s a girl, a giant pencil that writes in the sky, and some diabolical shenanigans.

You must watch. Read more…

What’s the one thing you wanted for Christmas but were disappointed you never got? That’s right, it’s Episode 9 of the Ripcast! After a long holiday break, Jon, Dan, and Beau are back to satisfy your need to hear nerds talk about games.

As always, the boys talk about the games they’ve been playing since last Ripcast, including Lumines, Left 4 Dead, and *gasp* World of WarCraft! There’s also some talk about this whole Killzone 2 hype that everyone seems to be arguing about…

You know you want to, so just give it a listen already! Read more…

All you readers mark your calendars because this is the PS3 you will more than likely want to import. The “Cloud Black”, as they are calling it, is being released to the world (okay, just Japan). Even with a just a small amount of design change, it is beautiful. Read more…

The Escapist and Valve developer Robin Walker have, in an article about my all-time favourite game, Team Fortress 2, noted that “A new Payload map is in the works, more community maps are on the way and the team will soon unveil a very different new game mode.” Very different, eh? Sounds good to me. Not content with that, Walker also stated that “We’ve got several new class designs floating around, some of which we like a lot, but right now we’re focusing on the broadening of our existing classes through the addition of the unlockables.”

The next update to the game will be that of the Scout, and most, if not all, of the current content added to the PC version of the game will be made available on Xbox Live for those with the sadly inferior version of the game. The new content is expected to be out “early this year,” so expect it to come out late this year. Oh, and if you don’t own TF2, you’re only hurting yourself.

I’m a fan of indie game Plain Sight. Developed by UK-based Beatnik games, the game is delightfully destructive and superbly simple. Now I’m done with the alliteration, I direct you here. The open beta of the game is finally here, much to my delight. Indie fans and anyone who has a decent enough PC are urged to try it out; I’m rooting on this one being a hit. The game is tentatively set for release in “Q1 2009″ and will cost in the region of $10, according to their site.