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

I’ve made this point at least three times this year, but if all goes as planned, there will be 20 Guitar Hero games in existence at the end of 2009. Yes, twenty. But since RedOctane and Harmonix sold the series after three games, the other 17 seems to have come straight from Activision, even though they’ve only had the series for two and a half years. And now, with every possible sign, save for an outright announcement, proving the existence of Guitar Hero: Van Halen, it’s pretty safe to assume that this game is coming out. Unfortunately.

It’s no secret that I’m not too fond of Activision’s franchise exploiting, but it could definitely be a lot worse- and we can prove it. We here at Ripten dug deep into Activision’s trash and found a lengthy list of ideas that were cut from their lineup, but for the sake of time, we selected the best five, along with their box arts, and posted them after the jump.

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As the Ripcast hits sweet 16, we recap last week’s show, go over our playlists, and talk a bit about some stuff in a really snotty, entitled tone. You know, because that’s what everyone does for their sweet 16. Television taught us a lot about the ways of the world.

Join Solid Snake, Not Zungre, and Sam for a 16 so sweet you’ll puke rainbows. Read more…

Steam users will be able to access Left 4 dead completely free all weekend, starting at 12:01am GMT. Impatient players can pre-load the game so they can play the second it becomes free by going here and downloading the game ready to play. Obviously, I recommend you do this if you don’t already have the game- with the new survival pack and extra maps, the game’s even better than it was when I gave it a 10 out of 10.

On a slightly related note, check out this interview from Shacknews with Valve’s Robin Walker. It’s an interesting read for Team Fortress 2 fans, with a few details about the upcoming unlocks (hats!).

Steam news is reporting that the official Dawn of War II soundtrack is available to download. Simply go here, scroll down, and download the archive. The 20 tracks are in 320Kbps, so that should keep all but the most avid audiophiles happy. Game soundtracks, for me, are in a strange category. They’re most often brilliant, but rarely the kind of thing you’d listen to on a normal occasion. They’re sort of the gentleman’s suit of the music world.

The tracks are courtesy of Relic Composer, Doyle W. Donehoo and Audio Lead, Jason Ross with contributions by artist Noah Stacey and Noobie Noobinson, as well as THQ, Games Workshop, and Steam. Hit the jump if you need to know the tracklist in full.
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Remember when there was that rumour that the console version of The Witcher had been cancelled? It turns out it was partially true. WideScreen, the game’s developer, has confirmed that the game has been pushed back, thanks to CD Projekt (the owner of the IP) not having enough money.

Widescreen boss Olivier Masclef said that “I will try to find any solution for the fans. The Witcher on console is an extremely promising title that’s awaited by a lot of people. We have it running here, and I can tell you that if it hits the shelves one day it’s going to be great…” Oh, and don’t worry- no staff have been laid off.

After news that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was being released on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, resale values of the original game for PS2, Dreamcast, and Xbox plummeted. The original release is one of the most expensive and sought-after games for collectors and is hailed by many to be one of the best fighting games ever released.

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Destructoid reports that Ubisoft have dripfed the press a few details about Red Steel 2, sequel to the Wii launch title, Red Steel. As you might have guessed from the image, the game will be set in a “desert city,” and will fully support WiiMotion Plus. Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing US at Ubisoft, said that “Red Steel 2 is [a] milestone for the company as it is the first Ubisoft title with full Wii MotionPlus integration.”

Since Red Steel was held back due to the imprecise nature of the Wii’s controls, it seems like Red Steel 2 might be able to salvage the good aspects and create a better game this time. Still, there’s a chance that the controls will be too sensitive, surely? It’s not going to be fun having to get the speed and position of every sword swipe perfect, but hopefully Ubisoft Paris can pull it off. More details about the game are coming soon.

Rumors are always a gamble, especially rumors that have been translated from a foreign language. If this one turns out to be true, The Witcher may not see the light of day on consoles. Read more…

While this really isn’t a surprise, what with Max Payne 3 on the way and the ESRB leak late last month, it’s awesome nonetheless. Read more…

For a couple of years now, we’ve been hearing rumors of Capcom and Marvel rereleasing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 online, but had never heard anything substantial, due to Capcom keeping a tight leash on any info they had. Well too bad, Capcom- an hour ago, in one fell swoop, Marvel announced Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes for XBLA and PSN, and even post a trailer to go with it.

While the original Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for the Xbox and Dreamcast are considered rare because of their extremely limited print- even used copies in stores can run you upwards of $80- fans have been waiting for a reprint of the game for five years. As one of the most popular crossover fighting series of all time, people have even been holding their breath for a MvC3 announcement, even though Capcom has promptly shot down those dreams. Well they can’t shoot down this one- Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is back this summer, with the same menus, characters, fighting styles, that so many of us maybe a few of us know and love.

Another Monday full of downloadable games for your favorite Nintendo console. This week the DSiWare has two games including Paper Airplane Chase, the WiiWare gets another Cocoto game in Cocoto Platform Jumper, and the Virtual Console gets a SNES oldie, respectively. Hit the jump to see the full list and description of this week’s downloadable titles. Read more…

The former Take-Two executive Gary Dale has been named as CEO of Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds today. “Having worked with Gary earlier in his career at BMG Interactive, I am deeply impressed with his management style and profound understanding of the entertainment business,” said David Jones, co-founder and creative director of Realtime Worlds. “As RTW transitions from being a traditional developer to an online publisher I could not be happier that Gary will lead us through this exciting phase of our growth.”

Dale himself adds that “The Company is on the verge of launching products that will change current conceptions of what MMO games are about.” Realtime Worlds is currently working on All Points Bulletin, an “urban action” style multiplayer online game. See the full press release after the jump, and marvel in its PR-speak glory.
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A few days ago I reported that the Joker would have his own playable challenge missions in the PlayStation 3 version of Arkham Asylum. It should come as no surprise that the Joker is very, very popular; apparently popular enough to give the PS3 version of the game a dramatic lead in pre-orders. Read more…

This week in new game releases is a bit better than the past few with X-Men Origins: Wolverine hitting all consoles and the WWII stealth action of Velvet Assassin for the 360 and PC. Oh, and as reported earlier, Stalin vs. Martians was delayed from last week and pushed to this week, so watch out for that as well. Read more…

Stalin Vs. Martians, the upcoming RTS that features the Red Army fighting off an alien invasion, was originally slated for an April 20th release. For unknown reasons the game was delayed, but those who can’t wait to play as Joseph Stalin don’t have to wait much longer. Read more…

The big screen adaptation of Bioshock, which has been in pre-production with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski at the helm, has been put on hold by Universal due to a rising budget. Read more…

Lux-Pain is an interesting adventure game for the Nintendo DS. Actually, it’s not even really a game. Lux-Pain is more like an interactive manga. Regardless of semantics, the real question is “Is it any good?” Read more…

Here’s something strange: Microsoft’s decided to publish a game on Xbox Live Arcade- for free! I already checked, it’s not April 1st.

Microsoft, in all of their infinite wisdom, has announced that when 1 vs. 100 hits Xbox Live Arcade this Spring, it will be free for all Gold members. I assume this has something to do with the insane amount of Sprint advertisements this game has. All I can say is that I hope it’s fun- if I remember correctly, the last time Xbox Live had a free game, the game was Yaris.

*shudder*

Confession time: I’ve never seen Ghostbusters. *ducks*

Still, there are a bunch of films that I haven’t seen, but after hearing the innumerable praises of the film, and liking pretty much any other film Bill Murray’s been in, it seems a bit strange that I haven’t yet seen the film. Of course, if the film is anywhere near the level of impressiveness that the intro for the game is (and I’m sure it’s leaps above), then I’ll have to pick the film up pronto.

Above is the opening cinematic for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, though I assume the Wii version is similar, with a slight stylistic change. It’s not very long, but it’s done extremely well, even using the old 80s Columbia Pictures logo. Ghostbusters: The Video Game comes out June 16th in North America, June 19th in Europe.

It’s no secret that Gary Busey is 100% bona fide insane. He has snorted cocaine off of dogs, voiced Phil Cassady in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and is your worst nightmare, butthorn. Last year, he starred in a series of videos for Saints Row 2, where he talked about throwing people, taunting people, and blowing people up. Oh, Busey.

Well now, Busey’s back, to talk about the women of Saints Row with only the charm and sagacity that only Uncle Gary has. THQ also threw in some footage of the DLC in there, complete with all the female ass-kicking you’re fit to handle. Busey’s facial expressions throughout the video make it all worthwhile. Busey, you crazy!

The Saint’s Row 2 Ultor Exposed DLC is now available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for $9.99 or 800 MS Points respectively.