Able Planet’s original intentions were to help those with hearing loss, but they have now decided to enter the mainstream headset world with their sound-enhancing technology. Thus was born the PS500MM headset, designed with PC gaming in mind. The question now is: Is it worth the price?

I replaced my Logitech headset with the Able Planet headset for a good month’s worth of daily use. I have to admit that the sound quality was noticeably crisper, and I could clearly hear some sound effects that I’ve never noticed before on a headset or through speakers. All this also occurred at a much lower volume than I used to listen at — I didn’t feel like I had to turn it up to be able to hear. It’s a strange experience that is hard to describe, really.

Unfortunately, the earphones are just the perfect size that when they sit on my skull, they actually push my ears into my glasses and thus my glasses into my head. I thought this was something I just had to adjust to, but it never got comfortable for me. Wearing the headset for an hour, my ears would still slightly bother me 15 minutes after taking it off.

The voice quality was also not as clear as my Logitech headset. Anyone that uses Avast Antivirus should know how the voice sounds when your virus database gets updated, and that same kind of nasaly robotic tone was applied to my voice over Skype and Ventrilo. Even after a month, my friends could never get past it, and I found that I was always being laughed at regardless of what I was actually saying.

Overall, the listening was great, but the voice was not, and I personally found them quite uncomfortable — other people might not. Using the PS500MM headset to watch movies or listen to music might be fine, but for long-term PC gaming sessions, I wouldn’t recommend it. At a $70 price point, you could do much better (like the Logitech headset I’ve been using for the past 2 years). If you are a gamer with any hearing loss, however, the Able Planet line of headsets is something you might want to look into.

Need for Speed: Shift is somewhat of a return to form for the NFS series. Unlike the last few games that had you open-world cruising the city while running from cops in your nitrous-infused, mostly illegal street racer, Shift is all about real racing on actual tracks and stuff. You know, the kind of racing that doesn’t involve any slutty girlfriends.

The racing itself is fantastic, and it’s not brought down by the stupid storylines of the last few titles (though I do miss some of the eye candy). The career is pretty straightforward — you race, you win points, you move up to the next tier, repeat. It’s not as good as the career mode in Forza, but it gets the job done.

Speaking of Forza, Shift reminds me a lot of that series. The driving mechanics are much more on the simulation side than previous Need for Speeds, but there’s just enough of an arcade feel to prevent you from throwing controllers the way I always used to when I played Gran Turismo and spun out all the time. You will also find the racing line indicator with green-to-red colored arrows telling you to speed up or slow down, a feature that seems to be making its way into a lot of racing games these days.

Whether playing through career mode or online, you’ll be earning performance points for your profile. Though similar to Kudos in the Project Gotham games, this actually reminded me more of the system found in Rainbow Six Vegas. Pretty much everything you do earns you some kind of points: bump a car or pass it cleanly, stick to the racing line, drift, etc. Even if you don’t win the race, you generally earn yourself plenty of points and rise through the ranks anyway.

As you level up, you’ll unlock higher racing tiers, more cars (sometimes you even get some free ones), upgrade parts — you get the idea. The points system is completely separate from the cash you earn to buy the things you unlock, but I never really found myself needing much more cash than what I had. If you’re the type of person that wants to see and do it all before moving on, you’ll either waste a lot of time upgrading cars instead of just buying a better one, or you’ll have more money than you need when you move to the next tier if you just purchase the best car to start with.

All of that doesn’t really matter, though, because the real star of the game is the driving experience itself. The engines scream in your ears and the cockpit view will have your vision shaking and blurring. Even though a game like Burnout will have you squeezing your controller because of the speed, never before have I really respected the speed the way Shift forces me to. I actually felt somewhat fearful of the raw power of the top-tier cars, simply because I knew that I could be thrown into a wall at any time if I wasn’t gentle with the gas pedal. If you saw the commercial on television and thought “There’s no effing way that’s actual gameplay footage,” well, believe it.

Any racing or driving fan should check out Need for Speed: Shift simply to experience what it would feel like to be behind the wheel of a 600-horsepower beast. There are plenty of games that do plenty of other things better, but the driving experience itself is the best I’ve ever played… except for the drift events. You might want to just skip those (you’ll earn enough points elsewhere that you really can just skip them if you don’t like them).

My only other gripe is that the car selection is fairly small compared to the other big-name racers out there. While it might be par for a Need for Speed game, there are only about 60 different cars in Shift. There is also a clearly dominant car in each tier, and with the amount of money you’ll be making, there really is no reason not to just buy it as soon as you unlock that tier (which I mentioned earlier).

All things considered, Shift doesn’t quite have the lasting appeal of some other racers, but in this instant gratification world we live in today, some players might prefer Shift’s low time investment to the grind of Gran Turismo. Regardless, Need for Speed: Shift contains an experience behind the virtual wheel that no gamer should miss.

With Modern Warfare 2 coming out in a month, we here at Ripten thought it might be just a tiny bit cooler to run around with an actual gun in real life instead of just in a game. I mean, right? That would be cooler, right? Okay, well we can’t actually do that for several reasons, not the least of which is that we just don’t trust ourselves not to shoot people in the face.  That’s what gamers do, right?

Echo1 has us covered with the next best thing: an airsoft rifle. If you don’t know what that means, it’s essentially a BB gun that shoots “harmless” plastic pellets. This one we have here should look familiar to you if you’ve played pretty much any shooter in the last 15 years, and it’s full scale and made of metal. How about you peoples show us some lovin’ and maybe you can get yourself one of these bad boys for FREE!

All you have to do is send your best warfare-themed artwork to  warfarecontest@echo1usa.com and you’ll get a chance to win one of three Echo1 MS-2s (full-metal automatic electric guns). Visit the echo1 contest page to find out more info, check out the Echo1 catalog, or download the rules and details (also listed below).

The Ripten.com & Echo1USA Warfare Wallpaper Contest 2009

Official Rules, Terms, & Conditions

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

ELIGIBILITY:

Employees of Ripten.com and Echo1USA, their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion and internet agencies and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are not eligible. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law. Eligibility is expressly conditioned on the acceptance of the Official Rules at time of submission.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

Create an original work (image or design) showcasing your creative talents. NOTE: Works must NOT contain or depict anything in a manner that is inappropriate as outlined in the Entry Requirements (Below). At the conclusion of the entry period, judges will determine 3 separate winners who will be notified and awarded one prize package each.

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:

Step #1: Beginning 12:00 AM PST on October 1^st, 2009, visit Ripten.com to read the complete rules as well a description of the contest theme.

Step #2: Email your entry as an attachment or link to:

warfarecontest@echo1usa.com

Please keep submissions in jpg, bmp, gif, or png format.
YOU MUST READ AND AGREE TO THE RULES STIPULATED.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE YOUR OWN ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED WORK AND CANNOT CONTAIN, INCORPORATE OR REFERENCE ANYTHING THAT IS OWNED BY ANY THIRD PARTY OR ENTITY OR WOULD REQUIRE THE CONSENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY OR ENTITY IN ANY JURISDICTION.

Submissions must not contain defamatory words/statements (including words or symbols that are widely considered offensive to individuals of any race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic group); they must not include threats to any person, place, business, or group; they must not disparage persons or organizations associated with the Sponsor; they must not invade privacy or other rights of any person, firm, entity, and they must not in any other way contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to all applicable federal, state, or local laws and regulations the laws or regulations in any state where video is created. Except as specifically noted herein, the submission cannot contain any unacceptable clothing or adornments, or display any commercial/corporate advertising (including but not limited to corporate logos, brand names, trademarks, slogans, political, personal and religious statements) as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. Submissions must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age. Submissions may not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent (including but not limited to nudity or pornography), profane, obscene, hateful, tortuous, slanderous or libelous and may not in any way reference persons or organizations without their written permission. The submission must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement. Sponsor/judges reserve the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any entry that, in their sole opinion, refers, depicts or in any way reflects negatively upon the Sponsor, the Contest or any other person or entity, or does not comply with these requirements or these Official Rules. Submissions must be suitable for presentation in a public forum, in sole determination of judges and/or Sponsor.

If the submission contains any person(s) other than the entrant, by entering this contest, entrant must receive prior written permission from other person(s) featured in the work (or from parent/legal guardian if other person(s) featured are considered minors in their state of residence) for Sponsor to use their likenesses for publicity including posting on website(s) and can make written copies of such permissions available to the Sponsor upon request. In addition, entrant must also receive prior written permission from the photographer of their image if the entry was photographed by someone other than the entrant himself.

Entries should not include any personally identifiable information (i.e. last name, address, place of work etc.) of yourself or any other person(s) appearing in the entry.

The work cannot have been submitted previously in a contest of any kind.

By submitting entry,

1. entrant certifies that the entry he submitted is his own original work and he holds all rights to the submission, that the submission has not been previously published, has not won a previous prize or award and that he has followed the Official Rules of the Contest,
2. if entrant is a minor, entrant certifies he has received parental permission to enter this contest and
3. entrant hereby grants Sponsor the right to post submission online for public viewing.

Entries must be received by 11:59 PM PST on November 1^st 2009

JUDGING TO DETERMINE THE WINNERS: All eligible entries received will be judged by a panel of Sponsor representatives to determine 3 winners.

PRIZES: Winners will receive an Echo1USA Master Series 2 automatic electric gun.

GENERAL RULES: Potential Winners (or parent/legal guardian if potential Winner is deemed a minor in his state of residence) will be required to complete an Affidavit certifying that the entry submitted is his own original work and he holds all rights to the work and all elements therein, that the work has not been previously published, has not won a previous prize or award and that he has followed the Official Rules of the Contest. Additionally, potential Winner (or parent/legal guardian if potential Winner is deemed a minor) will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Release of Liability, Prize Acceptance Form and, if legally permissible, a Publicity Release. If entry depicts persons other than the entrant and/or if the image was photographed by someone other than the entrant, the entrant must also submit a completed and signed Publicity Release Permission Form for each additional person depicted in the entrant’s submission and/or photographer. All documents must be completed and returned within (5) days of attempted delivery of same. Noncompliance within this time period or return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and an alternate Winner may be selected, time permitting. Winners will be notified by mail/phone/email. No substitution or transfer of prize by winner permitted. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize of equal or greater value. All applicable taxes are the sole responsibility of winner. By accepting prize, winner (or parent/legal guardian if winner is a minor) agree to release and hold Sponsor, its respective directors, officers, employees and assigns, harmless from and against any and all claims and liability arising out of use of prize in connection therewith. Winner (or parent/legal guardian if winner is a minor) assume all liability for any injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused, by participation in this promotion or use or redemption of any prize. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for the Sponsor and its agencies to use winner’s name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising and trade without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Entrants (or parent/legal guardian if entrant is a minor) agree to release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor, its respective directors, officers, employees and assigns, harmless from and against any and all liability and damages. By participating in this promotion, entrants (or parent/legal guardian if entrant is a minor) agree to be bound by the Official Rules and the judges’ decisions which are final. In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between disclosures or other statements contained in any contest materials and the terms and conditions of the Official Rules, the Official Rules shall prevail, govern and control. All material submitted becomes the sole property of Sponsor and will not be returned. Sponsor/judges reserve the right to reproduce the submissions in full or edit and enhance the submissions at its discretion. Sponsor is authorized to use submissions as it sees fit, including usage in advertising and online without compensation. Sponsor not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the contest or in the announcement of the prize. In no event will more than the stated number of prizes be awarded.
NOTICE TO ONLINE ENTRANTS: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. Not responsible for faulty, incorrect or mistranscribed phone/e-mail transmissions, incorrect announcements of any kind, technical hardware or software failures of any kind including any injury or damage to any person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in or experiencing any materials in connection with the promotion, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission that may limit a user’s ability to participate in the promotion. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for undeliverable e-mails resulting from any form of active or passive e-mail filtering by a user’s Internet service provider and/or e-mail client or for insufficient space in user’s e-mail account to receive e-mail. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify the promotion if fraud, misconduct or technical failures destroy the integrity of the program; or if a computer virus, bug, or other technical problem corrupts the administration or security of the program as determined by Sponsor/judging agency/administrator, in their sole discretion. If technical malfunctions or suspect voting/irregularities corrupt the voting process, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to award prizes based solely on the Winners Judging scores or non-suspect votes. In the event of termination, a notice will be posted online and all eligible entries received prior to termination will be judged, per these official rules. In the event a dispute arises regarding specific individual entitled to receive prize, entry made by Internet will be declared made by the “authorized e-mail account holder.” “Authorized e-mail account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Participant may be requested to provide Sponsor with proof that the participant is the authorized e-mail account holder of the e-mail address associated with the account/submission. Any damage made to the Web Site will be the responsibility of the authorized e-mail account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. Proof of submitting entries/votes will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor/YouTube. Any use of robotic, automatic, programmed or the like methods of participation/voting will void all such submissions/votes by such methods. Sponsor reserves the right to freeze or close an account or to prohibit the participation/voting of an individual/account holder if fraud or tampering is suspected or if the account holder fails to comply with any requirement of participation as stated herein or with any provision in these Official Rules.

WINNERS: For the names of the winners, available beginning on/about November 10^th, 2009 through December 31^st, 2009, visit http://www.ripten.com

SPONSOR(S):

Ripten.com, 18 Perry Street Apt #2 Danvers, MA 01923

Echo1USA, PMB811 745 E. Valley Blvd. San Gabriel, CA 91766

DISPUTE:


All disputes will be undertaken by law under the State of California.

In case you didn’t know, Rocktober is coming up soon. If nothing else, that means that you should be playing Brutal Legend in the very near future. Actually, you could play it tomorrow if you happen to win one of our 4 demo codes (and you have an Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, that is). All you have to do is register with a valid email address and leave a comment below (bonus points for making us laugh), or just email us some pictures of your girlfriend with awesome 80’s hair (editors@ripten.com).  Either way, we’re getting your email address and we will totally spam you.

You can also pre-order now at Gamestop for early access.  The demo will be available with all pre-orders, and the codes will be handed out on 9/17.  The demo will also be free to download for all Xbox Live Gold Members on 9/24 and Xbox Live Silver and PSN members on 10/1/09.

***UPDATE: Winners have been notified, and all codes have been sent out.  If you didn’t win, that’s because Jack Black doesn’t like you, and therefore we don’t like you either.  Sorry.

If you’re at all interested in attending a Need For Speed press event in Chicago tomorrow, let us know! Email editors@ripten.com, tell us why we should pick you, and we’ll chose 4 lucky readers to go (though you have to get to Chicago on your own).  Good luck!

I recently got a chance to test out the Volo Pro V Gamer 100 and 200 series HDMI cables, and at first I didn’t know what the difference was. After inquiring, I was told the 200 is a thicker gauge of cable and has a metal housing at the end, therefore offering more protection. To test this, I threw both cables down the stairs and then ran both of them over with my minivan, and they both still worked fine afterwards (though the paint job on the metal housing looked worse than the slightly scratched plastic on the Pro V 100).

I didn’t see much of a difference in picture quality between the two, before or after their “accidents”. They both look better than the generic HDMI cable I had previously, though not significantly, and HDMI cables in general look better than component (and everything else). Overall, I was impressed with the 10-foot-long Volo cables and kept them hooked up to my 360.

Now if you have a PS3 or an Xbox 360 and you aren’t using HDMI cables, you aren’t getting the most out of your gaming system. HDMI is, after all, the cable of choice for Jesus himself. Don’t worry, though — Ripten has got you covered! We’ve teamed up with TRU Company to send out 25 of their Pro V Gamer cables specifically designed for gaming consoles. All you have to do to enter the contest is send me an email (dlandis@ripten.com) with your name and mailing address, subject line “HD Oh My!”. Winners will be chosen at random, but some hot pictures of your girlfriend certainly won’t hurt your chances.

You have from now until the 25th of September to get your entries in. We’ll pick the winners over the weekend and announce them on Monday, September 28th. Good luck to all!

My brother and I frequently talk about the good ol’ days of gaming — 2-D, side-scrolling, sprites, fun, etc. — and we wonder why these ideas aren’t reimplemented with today’s technology. Then Shadow Complex was announced and we were angry that we weren’t being paid. That was our idea!

Anyhow, King of Fighters XII is somewhat of a throwback to the fighting games of yesteryear. Completely 2-D with hand-drawn sprites and crappy music. What’s not to love? Read on and find out!

When I first loaded up the game, I instantly felt like I was transported back to 1994. Well, that was after the 17 unskippable logo screens that I was assaulted with. Look, I understand peeps wanting recognition, but that was like 30 seconds of ridiculousness… but let’s not get sidetracked here. The menu text and accompanying sounds and music were total cheese. I really didn’t know if it was intentional cheese or if I should be worried where this was heading, but I ventured forth unhindered.

I started with the Practice mode since I know I needed practice. I hadn’t played a King of Fighters game in… well, I’m not even sure how long. The one thing I found curious about Practice mode is that you can’t bring up the command list to see your chosen fighter’s moves. The one mode where you’d think it would make the most sense to be able to see and practice the moves would be in Practice mode, wouldn’t it? After that realization, I chalked practice mode up to being relatively worthless and just started up a normal game.

Arcade mode is essentially a time trial of five matches, and each match consists of a 3-on-3 battle. There is no hot-swapping of characters during the match — you simply fight 1-on-1 until time runs out or someone gets knocked out. Health carries over into the next round, and you just fight until one team loses all three of their fighters. Pretty straightforward, really.

And that’s it. There is a Versus mode and an Online mode, and really that’s it. There are no extras or quirky alternate modes. There is no story to the game. Even though fighting game stories were always pretty lame, the fact that there really isn’t anything going on here other than a time trial is even more lame. Basically, the only point to this game is to fight other players; the single-player mode simply acts as practice.

Considering the huge cast of characters from the King of Fighters series, it’s odd that XII only has 22 on the roster. That may seem like a lot, but when you consider that the last game had at least 40 (the PS2 version had some extras), 22 seems pretty light. I’m thinking in this day and age that there may be more in the future by way of downloadable content, but that doesn’t excuse the relatively meager original package.

On top of that, a lot of the characters represented actually have fewer special moves than they used to, and all of the enhancements from XI are gone (Shifts, Dream Cancels, etc.). That just doesn’t really seem like a progression to me. Also, some of the characters have only one super special while others have three. It just seems somewhat imbalanced, and it was occasionally frustrating to feel so limited in what I think I should be able to do with my fighter.

There’s literally only a handful of stages to fight on, and the music was so 15 years ago that I actually felt like I was regressing while I was listening to it. The Engrish announcer didn’t help things either. Despite the beautiful sprites (especially with the soft focus turned on), I felt like I was playing a Super Nintendo game. Again, I don’t know if this was a throwback gone too far, an attempt to reinvent the franchise and return to a simpler time the way Street Fighter IV did, or if was just a poorly designed game when faced with modern sensibilities.

Overall, the fighting was pretty solid, and the online matches aren’t nearly as laggy as they were at launch. Considering that’s the whole point of the game, the package would be relatively worthless if it hadn’t been fixed. Still, KoF XII leaves a lot to be desired in a full retail game — people deserve a lot more for $60. Despite the decent brawling experience, I just can’t recommend this to anyone at that price point. To be honest, I think King of Fighters XII would be better suited for Xbox Live Arcade, or at most offered as a budget title. It’s not a bad game, there’s just not enough of it.

Oh, Vin Diesel. Even though I find it somewhat amusing that you feel the need to star in all of the games that you make, I actually don’t mind it when that game turns out to be pretty decent. The real question here is whether or not people are willing to pay full price for what is essentially a last-gen game with a facelift and an expansion pack. Do you really think your game is that good?

To be completely honest, I never played through the entirety of Riddick’s first Xbox adventure, Escape from Butcher Bay. I checked it out simply because of how awesome I heard the graphics were, and I was thoroughly impressed. I wasn’t impressed enough to keep the game long enough to beat it — I just wasn’t willing to fork over more of my cash to Blockbuster to re-rent it.

Fortunately, Assault on Dark Athena contains that entire chapter, so newcomers to the franchise won’t feel like they missed out on anything. They did, however, miss out on what made Escape from Butcher Bay stand out originally: the graphics.

Even though Assault on Dark Athena has upped the resolution and the textures for the re-release, it just looks like every other next-gen game these days. While that’s in no way an insult to what Starbreeze has done with the title, it simply doesn’t have the graphical edge that it had when you compared the original to its peers last generation, thus it is not the standout that it once was.

Okay, so the graphics are fine, and that’s all anyone seems to care about these days, right? If you are actually interested in playing games, though, the package deal is actually pretty nice. Not only do you get the original Riddick game, but Assault on Dark Athena also adds a new campaign, cleverly titled “Assault on Dark Athena”. While it didn’t seem quite as long or as fun as the original campaign, it was a welcomed addition to the single-player experience.

Another reason to pick up this disc is the multiplayer component. While nowhere near as good as Team Fortress 2, Killzone 2, Halo 3, or even Gears of War 2, the multiplayer experience is good enough to be considered “fun” and just goes to add more value to the overall package. It’s relatively standard fare, with the exception that there is the whole stealth element involved.

I thought about giving a synopsis of the Escape from Butcher Bay campaign, but to be completely honest, nothing has really changed about it in these past five years other than the graphics. If you really feel you missed out the first time, you could just read the 500 or so reviews for it elsewhere on the internets. I will, however, sum it up for you by saying that it was a great game for its time and arguably the best-looking game to ever release on the Xbox.

Assault on Dark Athena picks up where Butcher Bay left off. Riddick’s in cryostasis aboard a ship leaving the prison planet he escaped from, which subsequently gets attacked by mercenary slavers (of sorts). Riddick gets transported aboard the Dark Athena, and of course he starts killing people.

A majority of your time will be spent in hand-to-hand combat, a lot of which you can shorten by sneaking up on dudes and stealth-killing them. You also have limited use of the guns that enemies drop. I say “limited” because it is almost always easier to melee guys to death, though you will find yourself in situations where a gun comes in handy. Generally, however, (at least in my experience) trying to run and gun got me into more trouble than it was worth.

Sneaking up on guys, or around them, is generally your best option. It’s kind of odd that Riddick’s “see in the dark” abilities actually reminded me of The Darkness, also developed by Starbreeze, which I remember thinking reminded me of Escape from Butcher Bay. It’s funny how time affects things like that, huh?

The point is that Riddick does not play like a typical shooter. It’s not necessarily slower, but it does have a completely different feel. It’s almost like a mix between Splinter Cell and Condemned. While a lot of FPS fans will be turned off by that idea, I really feel that it’s worth checking out if you have any interest at all in action games.

Considering that Butcher Bay hasn’t been made compatible with the 360 yet, the only way to replay that classic on new hardware is to get Assault on Dark Athena. Even though the Dark Athena campaign isn’t as good as the original, and the graphics are not as mind-blowing for the time as they once were, the overall package with the added multiplayer makes this the best bundle since The Orange Box. In these tough economic times, Assault on Dark Athena is one of the best values you can get in a newly released game. There’s nothing necessarily new or overly exciting, but there’s a lot of fun to be had. And there’s Vin Diesel.

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.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 prices dropped across the board, the PS2 version reaching its lowest value since December 2006, which is still a surprise at over $60 used. The assumption is that the original games will now only be desirable to collectors, while the average gamer that merely wants to play the excellent fighting game will instead opt for the downloadable version with its enhanced graphics and online gameplay — not to mention the significantly lower price.

Good news for buyers, bad news for sellers. That’s the risk you run in the collectibles business, but at least gamers will no longer have to pay current-gen prices for a used game from the turn of the century.

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?”

There really is no short answer here. The enjoyment you get out of Lux-Pain largely depends on how you feel about gaming in general. If you are looking for an action game, this is not it. If you are looking for a traditional adventure game, again, this is not it.

Lux-Pain is essentially like a choose your own adventure book, the main difference here is that there really isn’t very much to choose. The story follows a relatively linear path, your only major input is where you would like to go first. There is the illusion of choice, but for the most part, you are stuck on the path laid out by the developer.

There is also the illusion of RPG elements — your character gains experience and levels up, but that level up effect isn’t very noticeable within the context of the gameplay. It mainly just increases the time you have to search for Shinen and Silent. Say what? Yes, let me explain the story a bit, if I can.

‘Silent’ are worms born from anger and hatred. They infect people’s minds and make them commit horrible acts. The main character, Atsuki, is determined to rid the world of Silent because of tragic events that led to the deaths of his parents.

Atsuki undergoes an operation to get the titular Lux-Pain implanted in his arm, giving him the ability to see into ghosty world. Here he can sense strong emotions, called ‘Shinen’, as well as Silent worms. This essentially gives him a limited ability to read people’s minds in addition to being able to battle Silent.

The abilities granted by Lux-Pain are called SIGMA, and apparently different people have different abilities. Atsuki’s ability, when used, basically coats the real world in a thin layer of delicious frosting that you must scrape away with your stylus to reveal the hidden Shinen or Silent lurking beneath. Leveling up also increases how much frosting you can scrape away at one time.

It’s somewhat overwhelming at first because most of the facts surrounding the game world aren’t really explained. You can read through the ever-expanding in-game database to get a better understanding of what’s going on, and unlike most games, you will actually benefit from reading the instruction manual.

Once you somewhat understand the flow of it, you can sit back on your couch and enjoy the “game” like you would a good book. To be honest, there’s a lot of stuff I didn’t quite understand, and I get the feeling there’s a bit of cultural differences that just don’t translate well to an American audience. Japanophiles should get a kick out of it, though.

That’s one of my main problems with Lux-Pain, however — as much as it feels like reading a book, I expected the story to be better implemented. There are some major issues here, not the least of which is how some people occasionally refer to the town as New York even though we’re supposed to be in Japan.

Additionally, there are some problems with the voiceovers, mainly that there are sometimes two people talking but only one of them is voiced. Some main characters that are voiced occasionally and inexplicably switch to being not voiced during the same conversation. It would be better if it would just consistently be on or off. There is also a huge discrepancy between what is being said and the text displayed in quite a few scenes. For example:

“I’d like to fall in love and get married, but, like, there’s no one at the police station.” That is what was actually voiced through the DS while the game text displayed “So I tells ‘im… if there was a good person I’d wanna marry him. BUT there’s like no people like that ’round here, right?” Essentially they are saying the same thing, granted, but shouldn’t they be working off of the same script?

There have also unfortunately been times where what was said and what was written are actually not the same and leads to some confusion, like “We’re gonna arrest you for being out so late” versus “We’re gonna be in trouble for staying on this late.” Who’s in trouble, me or them? It didn’t matter game-wise either way since it wasn’t related to the story, but it does bring down the overall impression of quality.

In the end, however, I found that Lux-Pain was interesting enough that I kept “playing” it. Instead of watching boring kid shows while I babysit, I instead watched Lux-Pain. It’s actually fairly long, too, so people interested in this kind of thing will have their dollars go pretty far. If you’re the kind of DS owner looking for a somewhat relaxing interactive comic book to read while you’re on the bus, Lux-Pain would be my recommendation despite its lack of polish. If you are looking for an actual game, however, look elsewhere.

Another behind-the-scenes promo for The Jace Hall Show, this time for episode 6 which airs tomorrow. In this clip, Jace plays golf with Kelly Hu, unfortunately wearing more clothing than we would’ve liked. We’re referring to Jace, of course. When is he going to go topless?

The Jace Hall Show releases Thursdays on Crackle.com. Head over there and check out any past episodes you may have missed (or want to see again), and don’t forget to check back tomorrow when episode 6 is released. It’s bound to have a few laughs.

Jace Hall may or may not be known to you, but he should be. Well, not personally, but you should at least be aware of his show, aptly titled The Jace Hall Show. Jace talks gaming with industry vets, movie and TV stars, and… other people, and it’s all done in a reality show style similar to The Office except slightly less scripted.

If you’ve never seen it before, we here at Ripten have a tiny little EXCLUSIVE behind the scenes clip of previously un-aired footage from episode 5. Granted, it’s not very long, but you won’t see it anywhere else. It should at the very least give you an idea of the tone The Jace Hall Show has going on. Check it out.

The Jace Hall Show releases Thursdays on Crackle.com. You should head on over there and check out the full episode, this one featuring a pretty sweet interview with Tim Schafer about Brutal Legend.

Season 2 is a few episodes in, and hopefully we will be able to provide you with an exclusive teaser clip each week before the new episode airs. Check back on Wednesday for a sneak peek at episode 6.

Ubisoft announced today that they are developing a video game based on the upcoming Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation CG film, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Ubisoft has partnered with Sony Pictures Animation previously for the video games based off of Surf’s Up and Open Season.

“We’re pleased to continue our successful partnership with Sony Pictures Consumer Products,” said Christian Salomon, vice president of worldwide licensing at Ubisoft. “Our teams are looking forward to creating a game that will offer parents and children an entertaining experience that they can share together while reliving their favorite moments from the film.”

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is scheduled to release later this year alongside the theatrical realease of the film, which opens September 18. The game will be available on consoles and handhelds, and will most likely be full of easy achievements/trophies so that people will actually play it.

What’s this? An adventure game!? Yes, it’s true. Unfortunately for all the next-gen graphic whores out there, modern adventure gaming doesn’t seem to make it far past the Nintendo DS. Lux-Pain, however, seems to have a much more adult audience in mind than your average DS gamer.

Essentially, evil forces (called “Silent”) manifest themselves as worms that infest human hosts and force them to commit heinous and violent acts. The main character, Atsuki, lost his parents to the Silent and, obviously, decides he must avenge them.

Atsuki undergoes an operation that implants Lux-Pain (which I’m still not quite sure what that is) into his arm, which he then uses to find Silent Worms in people and destroy them (the worms, not the people). This involves investigating characters through dialogue, as well as conducting autopsies on people you failed to save.

Gameplay-wise, it seems as though you use your psychic powers to look inside people by using the stylus to brush the skin and tissue out of the way. Gross! I’m not sure how exactly you go about battling the Silent once you find it, but I’d guess it is equally disgusting… and therefore awesome. Lux-Pain is the kind of game the world needs more of.

Check out the trailer:

Lux-Pain has an expected U.S. release date of March 24th. First shipments of the game come with a free pack-in art book, so if you’re at all interested, you might want to hop on that. If someone nabs a copy of the game, we’ll be sure to let you know how it fares.

Assault on Dark Athena, the semi-remake/sequel/expansion to the Xbox hit Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, is now available on Xbox Live in demo form. Check out some gameplay footage, conveniently posted here for your viewing pleasure.

Developed by Starbreeze Studios, the same developer behind the original game as well as The Darkness, you can see the same visceral take on the combat (which is to say that it’s awesome). And don’t worry if you missed out on the first game — Escape from Butcher Bay has been visually re-mastered for next-gen systems and has been included for free.

Assault on Dark Athena will also include 6 multiplayer modes, such as Death Match, Capture the Flag, Arena (1v1 or 2v2), as well as two new modes: Pitch Black and Butcher Bay Riot.

Pitch Black is a 6-player mode where 5 players take the role of Mercenaries trying to hunt down and kill Riddick with only weapon-mounted flashlights to see by. Riddick starts in the darkness, while the Mercenaries start in a lit room containing shotguns, SMGs, and Assault Rifles before dropping into the darkness to hunt Riddick down. The more powerful the Mercenaries’ weapons, the lower the power of the flashlight. Riddick is armed with the Ulaks and his unique eyeshine night vision which gives him a great advantage in the dark. The player that kills Riddick then becomes him for the following round.

Butcher Bay Riot is a fast-paced three-team mode in which 12 players split into teams of Guards, Prisoners, and Mercenaries. Each team has to take a power cell to the base of one of the opposing teams to win the round. Players buy weapons before the round starts, and winning rewards them with more cash, as does killing the opposing players. All weapons are available to be purchased and all maps support 12 players. This mode requires close team collaboration and demands more strategic and tactical gameplay than the other multiplayer modes.

Sounds fantastic. We should be able to nab a copy of the full game and will let you know how it fares when it releases, currently scheduled for April 7th. Check back later for the full Ripten Review.

Well, here it is — your first official look at Mass Effect 2. As far as teaser trailers go, it certainly has me excited about the game already, even though (like most teasers) it reveals pretty much nothing. Have a gander at the teaser… now!

No wait… now!

You can also check out the sweet flash site set up to house all of the upcoming Mass Effect 2 teases, though there’s not much there at the moment except for some classified videos and some concept art.

There is currently no platforms or release dates announced, but we can likely assume it’s coming to the Xbox 360 (and eventually PC). As far as if this one makes it to the PS3, only time will tell.

While the U.S. remains on top in the videogame market, a surprising turn of events over the past several years has resulted in the UK videogame market emerging as number two, beating Japan for the first time in history.

Dorian Bloch, Business Group Director, GfK Chart-Track Limited, recently made the following statement:

“UK console videogame software units are more than double what was achieved in 2003, which just shows how fast the UK market has been growing. Because of this amazing growth and coupled with the downtown currently being experienced in Japan, the UK market has for the first time overtaken Japan as the No2 world market. Although still behind on revenue, the gap has narrowed considerably and it will be interesting to see how things develop during 2009.”

Additionally, the UK market saw the largest year-over-year increase with sales up 26 percent, besting U.S. figures of 15 percent and Japan’s disappointing drop in sales by 13 percent. Much of Japan’s decline is attributed to a drop in PS2 software sales by 46 percent.

According to Anita Frazier, industry analyst for the NPD Group, “Only two months in 2008 saw a decline in unit sales in the U.S., with one due in large part to the release of 360 Halo 3 in Sept’07 and the other due to an additional week in the Jan’07 retail calendar.”

Combined sales of these top three markets show an overall increase in the gaming industry of 11 percent, with sales of 409.9 million units versus the 367.7 million units sold across these markets in 2007. Hooray growth!

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.

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.

So how exactly is Sony “officially” leading? In an interview found in the latest issue of Official PlayStation Magazine, Kaz Hirai made the following statement:

“This is not meant in terms of numbers, or who’s got the biggest install base, or who’s selling most in any particular week or month, but I’d like to think that we continue official leadership in this industry.”

Okay… barring all of that, how do you discount the massive success of the Wii?

“It’s difficult to talk about Nintendo, because we don’t look at their console as being a competitor. They’re a different world, and we operate in our world – that’s the kind of way I look at things.”

And what about Microsoft? Are they not a competitor either?

“With the Xbox – again, I can’t come up with one word to fit. You need a word that describes something that lacks longevity.”

What? So basically, Kaz Hirai feels that Sony is leading the gaming industry because the consoles that are beating it don’t count. I suppose he’s right if you follow that logic (which fanboys always do), but I still think he’s a bit delusional. I guess we can’t expect the fanboys (not regular “fans”, you guys are alright) to live in the real world if the PlayStation boss doesn’t, so I blame Kaz for all this Internet hate and douchebaggery.

Oh, guess what else? I am the father of Jessica Alba’s baby. That paternity test saying I’m not? Doesn’t count. We totally had lots of sex and stuff.

*UPDATE: His official title (according to playstation.com) is President and Group Chief Operating Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment. My B, but even kotaku finds these titles confusing.

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.

Proof once again that you can never trust a pencil…

May I also just say “dubba-yoo tee eff”? And was that pencil checking out her ass at the 1:28 mark? Naughty, naughty pencil.

Think you have something that could be Watercooler material? Send it to dlandis@ripten.com. If your submission gets featured, you will win a prize package full of pride and accomplishment.

Could’ve fooled me. I saw this trailer for Crank 2 and about five seconds into it, I thought to myself “This has to be a joke. This has to be a Black20 trailer or something.” But no… This really is the trailer for a really horrible sequel to an incredibly horrible movie. Watch now in disbelief.

[NSFW language]

You’ve got to be freaking kidding me. An electronic heart? Seriously? Five bucks says that Crank 3 will involve Jason Statham’s legs being replaced with a motorcycle.

Like most things in life, the more something is hyped, the higher your expectations. Killzone 2 is currently the subject of so much hyperbole that it’s starting to damage what people will think of the game.

Killzone 2, as you may have heard, is the best thing in the world since sliced bread. The only problem with that notion is that Killzone 2 does not make as delicious of a sandwich.

Just taking a gander at gaming hubs like N4G, the past week has been ruled by articles about Killzone 2. Most of these articles range from relatively small sites to some well-established sites, each of which claiming that Killzone 2 will absolutely blow your mind. Of course, there are also a few saying that Killzone 2 is just another shooter and that it’s not a big deal.

I happen to be somewhere in the middle. I’ve actually gotten my hands on Killzone 2 for just a few minutes, but I also hung around and watched other people play it rather extensively. As far as first-person shooters go, Killzone 2 is great — some might even go so far as to say it’s fantastic. What Killzone 2 isn’t, however, is a ‘killer app’.

Killzone 2 is not going to move systems. Killzone 2 is not going to convert Xbox owners. Killzone 2 is not going to cure cancer or resurrect the dead. Killzone 2 is simply a great shooter, and that’s it.

The main problem with all of these sites claiming otherwise is that it is actually going to damage the impressions people get from the game. Expectations are so high right now with all of the hype that people have no choice but to be disappointed. As great as it is, it is impossible for Killzone 2 (or any other game, for that matter) to live up to the tremendous amount of hype surrounding it.

I only say this because I’m concerned for my fellow gamers. I don’t want people to be disappointed when they should be excited. I don’t want the hype to ruin the game for them, much like it did for me and GTA4. I curse IGN to this day for handing out “the first 10 since 1999” and making me believe that the game was more than it was.

So please, citizens of the Internet, I beg you: stop overhyping Killzone 2 before you end up spoiling everyone’s fun. Thank you. I will now take my leave of the Ripten soapbox.

[And for the record, I think Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 were overhyped as well.]

From the official description: “A guy’s girlfriend is holding back sex from him so he has no choice but to use his interactive Wii Sex game.” So no, anyone thinking that this was about Wii consoles having sex with each other is sadly mistaken.

Watch it.

“If I don’t keep going, I can’t save.” Best line ever.

If Nintendo actually embraced the possibilities of the Wii and allowed stuff like this, I know a lot of people who would be more likely to buy one, myself included.

Don’t judge me!

Prototype was a hotly anticipated open-world action game that was originally supposed to release last year. After an impressive showing at GDC, Prototype continued to dazzle the media until one day it slipped to a 2009 release and then disappeared off the radar.

Not any more. Prototype is back, and before its big re-reveal at the CES in Vegas, they’re going to give us a little teaser.

If you head over to the Prototype website, you’ll find a countdown timer. Counting down to what? Good question, but I would guess it’s counting down to the Consumer Electronics Show that starts tomorrow, January 8th. That’s when we’re presuming Prototype will be officially shown to the world in its latest form.

Not content to wait a whole extra day, G4 snatched up an exclusive trailer that will air tonight on X-Play. While I’m sure it will be awesome, I really just want to see the game in action and maybe get my hands on it. Too bad we aren’t going to CES this year…

Regardless, you can tune in to G4 tonight and check out X-Play for the new trailer. Hopefully it comes with a release date announcement as well.

Wii Sports has surpassed Super Mario Bros. as the best-selling game of all time. With over 40 million units sold (obviously including bundles), Wii Sports is estimated to break the 50 million mark while resting comfortably at the top of the list. Check out the closest competition as we list the top 10 best-selling games of all time.

According to VGChartz, the top 10 numbers are as follows (in millions):

1. Wii Sports, Wii – 40.52
2. Super Mario Bros, NES – 40.24
3. Pokemon Red / Green / Blue, GameBoy – 31.38
4. Tetris, GameBoy – 30.26
5. Duck Hunt, NES – 28.31
6. Pokemon Gold / Silver, GameBoy – 23.11
7. Nintendogs, DS – 21.37
8. Super Mario World, SNES – 20.61
9. Wii Play, Wii – 19.68
10. Super Mario Land, GameBoy – 18.14

Coincidentally, the only non-Nintendo game in the top 15 is GTA: San Andreas, which certainly lends credence to the idea that maybe, just maybe, Nintendo actually knows what it’s doing.

Also, I have no idea why CliffyB (The Blaznats!) is playing Wii Sports in that picture.

The Official Xbox Magazine scored the exclusive first review rights for Street Fighter IV. What’s the verdict? Check out what OXM had to say about the newest installment in the king of fighting games.

An excerpt:

“If you’re a fan of the older games, you’ll drop right in and enjoy yourself; the classic six-button controls feel perfect, and as you take different characters through Arcade mode, you’ll unlock alumni who didn’t appear in the coin-op edition, like Cammy, Rose, and Dan. Everyone looks as you remember them, only better. Exaggerated new facial animations make every attack look like it really hurts, and the game’s distinctive painted graphic style gives it the classy look of an interactive work of art.”

OXM’s final score: 9.5 — can’t say I really expected anything less, and I’m sure the PS3 version will fare just as well. The PC version, well, that just seems weird.

Pick up the February ‘09 issue of OXM to read the full review in all its glory.

UPDATE: Or pick up PlayStation: The Official Magazine, which gave the game a 5 out of 5. Both magazines are owned by Future Publishing and both have exclusive reviews for their respective consoles.

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 nice send-off to 2008. Jimmy Kimmel reviews the year in all its filthiness, bleeping out the naughty words that people didn’t say but sounded like they could have. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean.

You’re welcome.

Think you have something that could be Watercooler material? Send it to dlandis@ripten.com. If your submission gets featured, you will win a prize package full of pride and accomplishment.

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!

(Also be warned that the volume is ridiculously loud, so you may want to turn it down before you start the video.)

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!

You’re welcome.

Think you have something that could be Watercooler material? Send it to dlandis@ripten.com. If your submission gets featured, you will win a prize package full of pride and accomplishment.

Left 4 Dead is the kind of game that helps you figure out who your friends really are. Do they run off to pick up that pipe bomb while you get bamboozled by zombies? Do they stray from the group in search of personal glory? Do they accuse you of kill stealing after you just saved their ass? Left 4 Dead helps you sort these things out while also managing to put the “survival” back in “first-person shooter with zombies and a cooperative attempt at survival”.

Left 4 Dead takes place after some sort of event happened that turned thousands of people into zombies, or as the game refers to them, “infected”. There really is no story, at least nothing that is presented to you in a traditional fashion. All that you will come to find out about what happened is what is written on the walls — literally.

There are four campaigns, each one presented as if it were a zombie movie. Players choose their characters before the game starts, and the loading screen then presents you with a ‘movie poster’ displaying who is playing which character as if you are the actors playing these roles.

You generally begin each campaign with a pistol that has unlimited ammo and a choice between a shotgun or submachine gun. The goal, ultimately, is get the hell out of there. You progress from safehouse to safehouse, each one serving as a checkpoint as well as a safe place to rest, heal up, and grab some more ammo or a different gun.

The infected try their hardest to prevent you from reaching these safehouses. They occasionally send ’special infected’ at you: the Boomer, a mutated fat dude, pukes all over you and makes the infected particularly eager to eat your brains; the Smoker lashes you with his super-long froggy tongue and reels you in for a beatdown; and the Hunter simply pounces on your face and claws you to death. Sometimes the A.I. Director decides to just swarm you with a hundred zombies and overwhelm you.

There are also two different special special infected: the Witch and the Tank. The Witch is a fairly decent-looking zombie chick that just kind of sits on the ground and cries (women…) unless you disturb her. She is actually incredibly powerful and can take down a survivor in a single hit. The game’s loading screens that show helpful hints even suggest you turn off your flashlight and try to just tip-toe around her, but what fun is that? This is why I am not a good friend…

The Tank, while not quite as one-hit powerful as the Witch, is equally as much of a nuisance. He rips up pieces of concrete from the ground and tosses them at you, generally knocking you off your feet. It’s actually quite amazing that he can find concrete in regular dirt or even in water, but I digress… He also likes to just straight up punch you in the face and send you flying across the map. The tank can take quite a bit more damage than the Witch, and it’s entirely possibly for a Tank to single-handedly take down your whole team.

What’s awesome about these ’special infected’ is that they are the characters you control in adversarial mode. One team plays the game as usual while the other team takes over the special infected and tries to stop them. Each time the survivors reach a safehouse or are wiped out, the teams switch.

Each campaign has a just few safehouses on the way to your final destination: a way out. Each finale involves radioing for help and then holding the fort until your ride arrives. The first campaign, for example, has you pinned down on a hospital roof as you await a helicopter to fly you to safety. These finales are full of intense firefights and frantic “help me!” situations — probably the most exhilarating gameplay experience I’ve had in recent memory.

As long as one person makes it to the escape vehicle, you win. As the credits role, kind sentiments of “In memory of…” pay respects to those of you that didn’t make it. You are also treated to player stats for the session like accuracy, headshots, damage taken, times incapacitated, etc. In closing, it tells you how many zombies were killed in the making of the film.

One of the things I find most impressive about Left 4 Dead is the physics. The infected seem to react quite realistically to bullets and butt-strokes to the face, so much so that it’s entertaining to just shoot them and watch how they react. The game also runs buttery smooth, both online and off, and I haven’t noticed any lag or framerate issues at any point during my playtime.

Honestly, my only complaints about Left 4 Dead are that it is completely dependent on having people to play with and that there aren’t enough playgrounds. The game is incredibly enjoyable with friends, but not quite as much so without them, and while each campaign can be replayed indefinitely, there aren’t very many of them.

These aren’t really faults with the game, though. You can’t exactly takes points away from Monopoly because it isn’t fun with just one person, and likewise should be said about Left 4 Dead. The real issue here is that there are only 4 campaigns, and each one can be played through in about an hour once you know the layout.

The A.I. Director, who internally adjusts the game based on how you’re playing, keeps the campaigns from being exactly the same each time through, placing weapon caches and medkits in different places, as well as sending different enemies at you at different times. Ultimately, though, there are still only 4 levels, and as fun as they are, we want more.

Considering the co-op nature of the game, us Riptenites spent some time killing stuff as a team. Rangebar, John, and I grouped up over Xbox Live and attempted to, well, live through the zombie apocalypse while Sam shot his way through the PC version. Their thoughts below.

Rangebar’s Take

With all of the high quality shooters that have came out in the past few months, Left 4 Dead is the one that separates itself the most from the pack. I say this because of its primary focus on co-op gameplay. Being able to get online and hop into a friend’s game at any moment, even in mid-game, and get through a campaign mission in a little over an hour is just one of the great ideas of Left 4 Dead. I describe Left 4 Dead as resembling the zombie film 28 Days Later, but just in video game form. No real story, just four survivors trying to get the hell out of an abandoned city infected with zombies. That’s another thing that’s so unique about Left 4 Dead, it strays away from an actual plot and stretched-out story, but just puts you in the game with three other friends, focusing more on the aspects of teamwork and strategy. However, one thing I didn’t particularly like about Left 4 Dead was the option of only four different campaign modes. I’ve already been through all four of the missions on normal mode, and now I’m kind of stuck between just playing versus mode (which is also quite fun, by the way) or playing the campaign modes on a harder difficulty. I’m hoping that Valve releases more campaign missions via downloadable content soon seeing that many owners have probably completed the four missions. My absolute favorite thing about Left 4 Dead (besides blowing zombie heads off with a shotgun) is just how easy it is to get into a game with a few friends or even starting a game up with the A.I. players and waiting on some folks to join in on the fun. And I think that’s the whole purpose of the game: it has relaxing and comfortable match-making system and gives casual gamers the great option of playing for an hour or two, enough time to get through a campaign mission or two. At the end of the day, Left 4 Dead is one hell of game and is easily a must-buy for any Xbox 360 or PC gamer.

John’s Take

Left 4 Dead is like sex. It’s okay (and sometimes degrading) when you’re just playing with yourself, but the more people you get involved the more fun you can have. If everyone is on the same page and willing to work together it can be an absolute blast, with the game throwing climax after climax your way until you just can’t take it any more. With enough people, even a relatively inexperienced or unskilled player won’t be a burden as long as everyone is willing to help make up for the weak links. Get someone who is only concerned with themselves, however, and it’s just a bad experience. Get someone who’s a douchebag and a shitty player and it ruins it for everyone. I’d say you have to play with at least three people (including yourself) because even with just two computer-controlled partners, the AI can get pretty stupid and annoying. They have a tendency to stand in front of you at the most inopportune times and absolutely refuse to duck. They also have no clue how to use the first aid pouches and Max Payne killers, going from using them when not needed to holding onto them even after someone is down to ten health. Granted, there are players like this also who may not jive with your healing preferences, but generally you can say “Yo, Asshole! How about you share that fuckin’ health pack you’re carrying so I can stop draggin’ my intestines behind me.” This is something you can’t do with the AI. There is no way to even drop a hint as to what you’d like for them to do. That’s not to say they’re horrible — they’re actually pretty decent most of the time — but standing in my way and the shitty use of health kits really burns my jockeys. The adversarial mode is also an absolute blast, though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. If nothing else, it’s definitely a different experience than what you find in other FPSes. The level of coordination that it takes to succeed as a human survivor is just insane when you have actual people pulling the strings of the super zombies. The AI can get pretty nasty, but even a modicum of coordination on the zombie side will tear apart an unprepared human team. I’m sure I’ve said it several times, but it is just an absolute blast playing on either side in the adversarial mode. Just like the single player game, one or two fuckwads can very easily ruin the game, so I highly recommend a heavy-handed approach to kicking out dissidents with a wrathful vengeance. All in all, Left 4 Dead is almost like a party game in that you will probably get little or no enjoyment from the game by yourself, but (wait for it) it’s an absolute blast when you get together with friends. I know I don’t play the game at all any more unless I’ve got other people to play with (which is often enough to make it worthwhile) but when I do, it’s an absolute blast. ABSOLUTE BLAST! ABSOLUTE BLAST!!!

Sam’s Take

Left 4 Dead is, without a doubt, one of the best games I have ever played (matched only by Team Fortress 2). Since you most likely know a fair bit about the mechanics of Left 4 Dead, thanks to either my colleagues or just general Internet usage, I will not be detailing them in my section of the review. What I will be telling you is that the PC version of Left 4 Dead is most certainly the definitive version of the game. Having played both versions, I’m at liberty to say that if you have the choice between the two, you will definitely want to go straight to Steam. Valve, since they run their own distribution platform, have total control over the game you’re playing. While that might be a bad thing in many cases, let me remind you that this is Valve we’re talking about. There will inevitably be hundreds of free updates to the game on the PC; in fact, the game has been updated for the better at least three times since release. Of course, the controls are better, the community is more mature (I’ve never seen a griefer or even a person younger than the age rating), and the modding scene are all perfect examples to prove my point. While I could stress that you need the PC version all day, I understand that not everyone can afford a decent enough PC, and there is a bigger issue at hand for me to address in my review. Having racked up around 40 hours on the game, I can safely say that there has never been a moment that was anything less than fantastic. The game is nothing but sheer fun. Strangely, this is a point a lot of people seem to miss. “Not enough story”; “Too short”; “No singleplayer campaign” — all genuine complaints I have heard about the game. It strikes me as incredibly strange that a game completely centered around cooperative play would receive complaints about aspects not to do with co-op. Left 4 Dead is not a single-player game. If you don’t have friends, do not buy Left 4 dead. However, if you do have friends, and you’re anything like me, this game is absolutely a must-buy. “Too short,” you say? I resist the urge to use an expletive here, because there’s no way it can be too short. I’ve played over forty hours of the game, and never had the same experience twice. The AI director, as Valve keeps trying to explain, is not ‘random’. It bases the way the entire campaign plays out based on what your team is doing. It’s far too complex to go into detail, but the director essentially reads almost everything about how you’ve been progressing, and bases the enemies it throws at you on that. Each campaign may take something like an hour to complete, but no matter how many times you play, it will never be the same thing — the only thing that’s constant is where you’ve got to go. The director even changes the scenery to make things easier or harder sometimes. “Too short” is a non-argument. Perhaps I’ve gone on too long about why you should like it, but the main point stands tall — Left 4 Dead is an incredibly fun game. Shooting zombies, no matter how clichéd, is great, and with 3 friends, it’s even better. Plus, playing as the infected is just as brilliant — killing a survivor with a big gun is just as satisfying as shooting lots of zombies with your own big gun. In case you hadn’t figured it out from the above text, I kind of like Left 4 Dead. Perhaps it’s not for everyone, but a review is a review, and my review says this: This game is about as close to perfect as you can get. 11/10 (Alright Dan, 10/10, but it’s better than The Witcher!) [Editor's note: No it's not!!!]

Anyone else have anything to add?

Roly’s Take

Left 4 Dead is my quintessential co-op game. It takes the instant gratification viscerality of Gears of War and perfectly blends it with that unknown factor of addiction that are the legs of RPG’s like World of Warcraft and Phantasy Star Online. Unlike the RPG’s addiction factor, Left 4 Dead’s reason to keep coming back isn’t an unknown variable, it all has to do with the AI Director feature. The AI Director ensures that every level in each of the four “movies” has the possibility of feeling and playing substantially different than another run through. Of course, the changes aren’t always that substantial. Sometimes they’re as minimal, albeit enormously effective, as replacing a health pack in a closet with 5 zombies instead. With the AI Director helping keep everything fresh, Left 4 Dead is exclusively a co-op game in design. Although possible and fully functional playing offline with bots instead of real-life companions, the experience does not compare. You can’t have a dialogue with bots. You can’t coordinate with bots. You can’t make bots feel emotion. You can’t be on the verge of finishing a level, only to be yanked back by a Smoker’s tongue and proceeding to yell half-sarcastically, “No! Save yourself!” and seeing your ‘friend’ make it to safety as you are devoured by more zombies than George A. Romero could hope to fit in a mall, no, you can’t have that with a bot.

Ultimately, Left 4 Dead is a must-own game for both the PC crowd and anyone with a 360… if you have friends. A majority of what makes the game so appealing rests solely on the cooperative gameplay, which unfortunately means that you are missing out on its true high points if you decide to go it alone. Of course, you can always play with total strangers, and some people may even prefer it that way.

The A.I. teammates could also use as tune-up, even though they do a fantastic (almost too fantastic) job of covering your ass. They mainly serve as motivation to get some real people to join just so you can yell at them and feel like it makes a difference. There’s nothing worse than the helpless feeling of knowing that your fellow survivors will never hear your words of advice or your cries for help.

Aside from a 4-man band on one TV, Left 4 Dead is the best co-op experience to be had in 2008, as well as one of the best zombie games ever made. Infinitely replayable, it’s certainly worth the price of admission, but we would still love a few more maps to play on just to keep things fresh and more varied. In this case, you can’t have too much of a good thing.