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Assassin’s Creed Revelations ‘Ancestors Character Pack’ DLC Dated

Catherine Cai — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:00:26 +0000

Despite the fact that Assassin’s Creed: Revelations just hit shelves today, Ubisoft announced the game’s first DLC pack, The Ancestors Character Pack. The DLC is set to launch on December 13th on both the PSN and Xbox Live, for a measly $3.99 or 320 Microsoft Points.

The DLC pack comes with four multiplayer characters, the Privateer, the Corsair, the Brigand, and the Gladiator, each with different weapons, taunts, and assassination moves.

Stay tuned to RipTen for our review of Revelations.

Ubisoft Says They’re “Extremely Limited” By The PS3 and Xbox 360

Chris Carlson — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:30:38 +0000

Ubsisoft is no stranger about discussion of the next generation of consoles, and once again the company is defending their statements.

Yves Jacquier, Ubisoft’s executive director of production services at Ubisoft Montreal spoke very openly about the future of console gaming.

Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Jacquier claims the company is investing $1 million over the next five years in order to discover new ways of making games. Mostly with the focus towards AI.

“AI has always been the real battleground. The challenge is that, if you see an AI coming, you’ve failed. And that’s a problem we have to overcome as we create the impression of flawless, seamless worlds.In general the industry expects that graphics will not be a strong feature any more… Obviously, graphics are better for marketing purposes because you can show things. AI you can’t show.”

Our challenge with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is that we’re extremely limited in what we can do. It’s a challenge for the engineers to provide nice graphics and nice AI and nice sound with a very small amount of memory and computation time.

We think that the next generation of consoles won’t have these limits any more. Games might have more realistic graphics and more on-screen, but what’s the value of making something more realistic and better animated if you have poor AI?”

It seems Ubisoft is really pushing the ball for the next generation of consoles. With the Xbox 360 going on its sixth year on the market, it’s starting to make you wonder just how long before we see an announcement of something new.

Is it already time for new consoles? Judging by this poll we took a few months ago, it seems that many of you think so!

Calibur11 And Epic Games Team Up For Exclusive Gears of War 3 Vault

Chris Carlson — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:01:57 +0000

Why buy an all new console to deck out your Xbox 360 for Gears of War 3 when you can get this insanely kick ass vault for much less?

Partnering with Epic Games, Calibur11 today announced an exclusive Gears of War 3 Vault. Available in September when the game ships, the Gears of War 3 Vault is a high-end, interactive case for the Xbox 360 Slim that features a high-definition “Bleed-Out” finish. To celebrate the launch of the Gears of War 3 Vault, inside each box is a chance to win an authentic, life-size “Gears of War” COG armor suit replica bearing the Calibur11 logo.

The “Bleed-Out” finish feature makes the Infected Omen light up in 4 different modes to give a unique Gears of War custom illumination. The LED features different color modes and a completely interactive Gears of War 3 experience. The Vault dynamically glows crimson red every time you are downed by an enemy, telling you to recover and get back into the action.

This awesome piece of work will set you back $89.99 but if you planned on getting the Gears of War 3 Limited Edition Console and already have a Slim, this would be your best bet.

Enjoy Plenty of New Deus Ex Info Thanks To the ESRB

Aaron Alexander — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:01:35 +0000

Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been rated Mature by the ESRB. Aside from just slapping a rating on it, the ESRB have also given us an idea of what we’ll expect to see during our adventures in the game;

“This is a first-person shooter in which players assume the role of Adam Jensen, an ex-cop who must uncover the truth behind a cybernetics company’s attack. Players complete mission-based objectives to increase their character’s skills (e.g., stealth, strength) and advance the main storyline. Players use pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, and explosives to kill a variety of human enemies (e.g., soldiers, police officers, gang members, drug dealers).

“Players can also use stealth attacks (e.g., choking, electrocution) to dispatch enemies at close range. Firefights are highlighted by screams of pain, realistic gunfire, explosions, and large sprays of blood that stain the surrounding environment. Players can sometimes make choices that result in the death of innocent characters: during one sequence, an injured man asks to be “put out of his misery”-the main character can then administer a morphine overdose.

“Civilians can also be killed directly, though this may negatively affect players’ progress. As the game progresses, alcoholic beverages (e.g., beer, vodka, cocktails) can be purchased and consumed to reduce damage, resulting in a screen-blurring effect. In one mission, players can plant “illegal drugs” in a character’s residence; marijuana products (i.e., “cigaweed”) are occasionally referenced in the dialogue.

“Some missions contain sexual material: a brothel room containing a sex toy on the bed; dialogue with prostitutes (e.g., “They want me to get augmentations . . . for the customer’s pleasure. It’s sick” and “[W]e can find a quiet spot . . . Do you have enough money for me, sexy?”). The words “f**k” and “sh*t” can be heard in the dialogue.”

There you have it, the words f**k and sh*t will indeed be present in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and this is clearly the highlight of the assessment:

In one mission, players can plant “illegal drugs” in a character’s residence; marijuana products (i.e., “cigaweed”)

Keep on visiting RipTen for more coverage on Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and be sure to leave your “cigaweed” in the comments below.

Via [CVG]

This Prey 2 Trailer Is Out Of This World

Aaron Alexander — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 09:39:08 +0000

Prey was a decent game, there was nothing offensively wrong about it, but the game itself only had a small amount to offer. If this newly released Prey 2 trailer is anything to go by, the franchise is about to step up in a big way, check it out;

Now if that doesn’t get your space-cowboy juices flowing, nothing will! Leave us your thoughts below, and feel free to let me know directly via Twitter -@iamaaronalex

New Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters Screenies

Murray Hibble — Fri, 27 May 2011 09:51:01 +0000

Superhero game-conversions would be almost universally reviled if it wasn’t for titles like Transformers: War for Cybertron and Batman: Arkham Asylum (I’ll also throw in a vote for Matrix: The Path of Neo). But for every Batman, we’re given ten Thors. On June 7th (ten days before the movie), Warner Bro’s release their latest movie-game tie-in with Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters.

Developers Griptonite Games also gave us Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions, a title that halted the shocking decline of the Spiderman series with its inventive and well thought out gameplay. The crazy nature of the ring’s powers in the hands of these guys could set it well above the standard offerings of he movie-game genre… the problem I foresee is that Spiderman wasn’t released to a movie’s schedule which may have allowed the developers to express their vision with greater clarity: and with the woeful Iron Man 2 under their belt this may not be a team that can handle working to a deadline.

Enjoy these screenshots and stay tuned to RipTen for more info.

In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil’s might,
Beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters manifests on June 7th, 2011 on PS3, Xbox 360 and 3DS. Console owners will be able to experience anaglyphic 3D (with glasses) or Stereoscopic 3D (with 3D-enabled monitors)

New Hunted Trailer Goes “Around Dark Corners”

Aaron Alexander — Sat, 21 May 2011 06:02:11 +0000

Bethesda have just released a brand new trailer for their upcoming Action RPG, Hunted: The Demon’s Forge. Entitled “Around Dark Corners”, this trailer gives us a little more insight into the game’s setting and talks more about it’s development. Check it out:

Are you hype for Gears of Warcraft? (Zing), if so, leave us your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to let me know directly via Twitter -@iamaaronalex

Hey Dicktits, Download The Bulletstorm Soundtrack For Free

Aaron Alexander — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 07:40:14 +0000

Oh Epic Games, first you bless us with an incredible new IP, now you’re bestowing upon us Bulletstorm’s complete soundtrack free of charge. That’s right, courtesy of the guys and gals over at Epic games, you can get yourself the sweet soundtrack for the most balls out first person shooter in a very long time.

Click here to visit the link, and get downloading! Don’t worry, you won’t be considered a space pirate like Grayson “Dicktits” Hunt.

Let us know what you think of the soundtrack below, and make sure to let me know your thoughts via Twitter -@iamaaronalex

Two New Street Fighter X Tekken Videos Are Better Than One

Aaron Alexander — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:36:57 +0000

Captivate 2011 has come and gone, but not without some fresh Street Fighter X Tekken goodness. Capcom treated us to not only a brand new cinematic, but also some new gameplay footage which includes previously unannounced characters. Check it out below;

Cinematic:

Gameplay:

It seems Capcom are truly doing a fantastic job capturing the essence of both Street Fighter and Tekken, so put aside any worries Tekken players – projectiles won’t be the end of the world. Discuss the two trailers below, and let me know your thoughts on Street Fighter X Tekken via Twitter -@iamaaronalex

Microsoft Stops Console Piracy In Its Tracks

Bryce Wilson — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:18:33 +0000

RipTen only reported a short while ago about the new Xbox 360 Title Update and how it was introducing anti-piracy measures; XGD3 to be exact, as well as increased disc data sizes and new anti-piracy checks.

Since the launch of Microsoft’s beautiful Xbox 360 Slim, the “scenes” most dedicated hacker “c4eva” has been hard at work on cracking the new Slim LiteOn drives, of which the 9504 Firmware hack was released last week.

Since then however it has been reported that the new dashboard update coming to Xbox 360 owners the world over can actively modify and flash the internal drives of consoles to new and updated firmware, the firmware in this case being a new 0272 kernel.

Previously the only exploitable firmware (Correct at time of writing) was the 9504 firmware, and as aforementioned, it was possible to update to a new custom firmware that allowed the use of “backup” games.

Xbox 360 Hacks is now reporting however that the new 2.0.13141.0 and 2.0.13142.0 Xbox 360 Dashboard is actively re-writing flashed drives and replacing the custom firmware with new official firmware that nullifies their ability to play illegitimate games, literally stopping console piracy dead in its tracks.

If Microsoft has the ability to do this it then forces the people working to counter the firmware to restart all their work and this could be an infinite loop with Microsoft finally being one step ahead after the Xbox 360 was rort by piracy for years prior.

If you’ve got any questions in relation to firmware, the Xbox 360 or the new dashboard let me know in the comments below or via Twitter – @DrjftGaming.

RipTen Review: Swarm (Xbox 360)

Bryce Wilson — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:02:13 +0000

Developed by Hothead Games, Swarm was a bit of a surprise title for me. My gaming expertise has as of late being stretched across both AAA and digital titles, and Swarm is definitely one of my favorite digital titles of late.

Swarm is by no means a challenging concept, yet it’s decievingly to master. You’re assigned to you at the start of each level 50 ‘Swarmites’ – cute little blue blobs that are extremely nostalgic of Lemmings.

Each level is fairly unique and each level is packed with numerous challenging obstacles that at times actually require you to kill some of your precicous innocent Swarmites. Placed at helpful places throughout each level is a Swarmite generator that allows you to create new Swarmites, and by killing them off you gain a higher combo multiplier. Coupling your combo with various gems allows you to unlock new levels and gain higher scores that can be tracked through online leaderboards to compete against your buddies and the world.

One of the most appealing features for me in Swarm was the excellent way the death of your directly controlled Swarmites is handled. Similar to the Call of Duty medal system, you’re awarded new medals for killing your Swarmites in different ways whether it be through fire, falling or even being impaled upon sharp objects.

Unlocking new medals and awards, plus the default achievements and trophies, always gave me something to aim towards which did wonders for keeping the gameplay fresh and unique. However if you’re still concerned about the length of gameplay in Swarm, stress no less.

Each level has a score quota that you need to fill in order to advance to the next stage however it’s at times quite challenging to make the quota yet still efficiently manage your Swarmites. Killing too many might make the level incompletable, yet killing too few will prevent you getting a high enough combo to advance to the next stage.

My only major grievance was that of the often repetitive and mind-numbing soundtrack. In an overly polished package, the definitely major gripe of the whole ordeal is the music. Whilst it’s not enough to warrant being muted permanently, it’s definitely nothing to write home about.

Some of my favorite download titles were from the likes of Ninja Bee and Twisted Pixel, however I can now proudly put Swarm and Hothead Games up on my shelf, too. Great gameplay, hours of replayability and an extremely polished gameplay mechanic makes this a must for any download title fans.

The Rundown:

+ Great platforming gameplay
+ Medals system is great
- Repetitive and boring soundtrack
- Gameplay is slightly too easy at times

Swarm was released on the 22nd of March 2011 for the Xbox 360 Arcade and Playstation Network. Our copy was provided by the publisher for the purposes of review. Singleplayer was played to completion. Played on a 23″ ASUS VG236h monitor via HDMI connection.

Microsoft Launching New Xbox 360 Discs To Combat Piracy

Bryce Wilson — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:10:52 +0000

For those of you who frequent the informative blog of Xbox LIVE’s Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hyrb, you will have no doubt heard that Microsoft is launching a new Xbox 360 disc beta for residents of the United States.

What you may not know however is exactly what the discs are for or what they’re going to be doing.

Whilst nothing was ‘officially’ exposed during the post by Hyrb, Xbox 360 scene hacker ‘commodore4eva’ aka ‘c4eva’ has access to the Xbox 360 SDK and has revealed exactly what the new discs will do, saying;

[2011-03-29 11:11PM UTC] #fw MS will introduce xgd3 – this will add more ap checks, cvi (content integerity) checks, increase the disc size and adds a new layer for protection issues – all in the 20500 sdk! bring it on

Now when he says the disc size is being increased don’t think: “OH MAH GAWD BIGGER GAMES!” as it’s only increasing by a measly 1GB.

With c4eva and the Jungle Flasher team already in the final testing stages of their Xbox 360 Slim custom firmware, I can assure both you and Microsoft that this update will be futile and it wont be long before this is hacked, too.

Has This Star Studded GTA V Casting Call Been Leaked?

Aaron Alexander — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 06:55:25 +0000

Take 2 have put out a private casting call, presumably to bring in voice actors for a brand new game. The full casting call can be found here, or you can check out the list below. One Character in particular stands out from the rest, entitled “James Pedeaston”;

James Pedeaston was often featured on the radio channel “WCTR” in Grand Theft Auto IV, talking about his desires to make love with young tribal boys. One quote featured on the Call also reassures us that this James is the very same.

James Pedeaston is a child molester wanted in Malaysia and is being investigated by the FBI. He hosted The Wild Traveler show on WCTR in 1992, although it is apparently syndicated to nine other stations (not heard in-game). He enjoys traveling the world and logging some of his most ‘exotic’ encounters in his travelogue, some of which he accidentally reads on-air to the disgust of the listeners. His favourite memory seems to be a relationship with a boy named Avrindar in Sri Lanka. His show appears to be so reviled by his listeners that at one point, he receives few calls which are not supportive. For example, a caller tells him to stop droning on about other countries and focus on talking about where he lives. At one point he received a phone call from a suicidal man in Verdant Bluffs who wanted to go to hell. Pedeaston replies with “Me too! Buy me a refrigerator magnet when you get there”. In GTA IV, he was arrested by the Indonesian police after being suspected of child molesting in Bali, Indonesia in 2003.

Viral Campaigns possibly related with the next Grand Theft Auto have already surfaced, but when you add a casting call with a familiar Character, it’s a safe bet that this casting call is indeed for the next Grand Theft Auto. Let us know what you think of this casting call in the comments below and tell me directly via Twitter – @iamaaronalex

Source: Revolt-tech

In Soviet Russia – Xbox Destroys You!!

Dave Oshry — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:17:46 +0000

FPS Russia: Part gamer, part gunman, part Russian, all madman. In his latest video he shows us how to handle a red-ringed Xbox 360.

Please enjoy comrades:

Behold This Crysis 2: PC vs. Xbox 360 Side by Side Video Comparison

Dave Oshry — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:30:54 +0000

Yes, I am well aware that the PC version of Crysis 2 is undoubtedly the superior one visually. However, when you put the two platforms side by side, it’s very interesting to see how the 360 version stacks up. I’ve played Crysis 2 on 360 and I was very impressed. However, I’ll still be getting the PC version. ^__^

Enjoy:

Major Nelson Details Upcoming Xbox LIVE Marketplace Updates

Bryce Wilson — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:22:55 +0000

Xbox LIVE’s Major Nelson recently updated his online blog to include a new post about the latest planned Xbox LIVE Marketplace content. Included in the blog post was a list of upcoming content and Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week announcements.

Check out the full announcement below;

Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week

Week of January 24 – Dance Central:

Dance Central 4 song add-ons – 160 Microsoft Points for each song (33 percent off)

Janet Jackson “Control”

Sean Paul “Temperature”

Ne-Yo “Because of You”

Cameo “Word Up”

Week of January 31 – Get Wet!

Hydro Thunder Hurricane, 800 Microsoft Points (Save 33 percent )

Aqua, 400 Microsoft Points (Save 50 percent )

Hydrophobia, 400 Microsoft Points (Save 50 percent )
**Special pricing available for Xbox LIVE Gold Members.

Xbox Games On Demand:

January 18: Red Dead Redemption, Permanent price reduction in the US and Canada

January 25: The Chronicles of Riddick Assault on Dark Athena

February 1: Dark Void

Xbox LIVE Avatar Marketplace:

January 20: Cool Moves collection (Kung Fu moves, flipping, jumping, and more!)

January 20: Dead Space 2

January 27: Military collection

February 1: Call of Duty: Black Ops

February 3: World Sports

Xbox LIVE Game Add-ons:

January 26: Castlevania Harmony of Despair Playable Character Simon Belmont, 160 Microsoft Points

January 26: Castlevania Harmony of Despair Origins Stage Pack , 240 Microsoft Points

January 26: Bomberman Live: Battlefest Bomb-Up Pack III , 240 Microsoft Points

February 1: Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike , 1200 Microsoft Points

February 2: Castlevania Harmony of Despair The Legend of Fuma Stage Pack 240 Microsoft Points
February 2: Castlevania Harmony of Despair Playable Character Getsu Fuma, 160 Microsoft Points

Xbox LIVE Arcade:

January 26: Breach, 1200 Microsoft Points

February 2: Bionic Commando Rearmed 2, 1200 Microsoft Points

Current schedule. Subject to change. All content may not be available in all Xbox LIVE regions.

Source: [Major Nelson]

Portal 2 Release Date Finally Confirmed

Aaron Alexander — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:23:29 +0000

Portal 2 finally has a concrete release date, and EA partners will be publishing the retail versions of the game. The game will hit store shelves and Steam on April 21, 2011. It will release concurrently across Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Mac and PC.

VP of Marketing at Valve, Doug Lombardi said:

“Portal 2 is Valve’s most innovative title in the company’s history and will be launched with a first-class launch campaign this April, We’re excited to be working with Electronic Arts to deliver this title as we expand our platform strategy to include the Mac and PlayStation 3 platforms.”

All the footage we’ve seen of Portal 2 looks amazing so far, hell, even mind numbingly hard in spots. Throw in co-op action and you have a sequel that’s sure to please.

New Operation Flashpoint: Red River Trailer Takes us Inside Tajikistan

Aaron Alexander — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:42:15 +0000

We’ve recently gotten our hands on the newest footage of the upcoming Codemasters Military Shooter, Operation Flashpoint: Red River. The trailer takes us through Tajikistan, following the exploits and tales of one Staff Sergeant Knox.

Check out our hands-on preview, then the new trailer below:

If the trailer has piqued your interest in the game, make sure to follow the game and Codemasters on Facebook and Twitter

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Grosses One Billion In Sales

Aaron Alexander — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:31:11 +0000

According to internal Activision estimates, the latest Call Of Duty title has grossed over $1 billion in worldwide sales ever since it hit shelves on November 9.

In the first five days alone, the game grossed more then $650 million worldwide, beating out its predecessor Modern Warfare 2, which held the previous record of $550 million.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick (pictured above) had this to say:

In all of entertainment, only Call of Duty and Avatar have ever achieved the billion dollar revenue milestone this quickly.

This is a tribute to the global appeal of the Call of Duty franchise, the exceptional talent at Treyarch and the hundreds of extraordinary people across our many Call of Duty studios including Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer that work tirelessly on the franchise.

Our ability to provide the most compelling, immersive entertainment experience, and enhance it with regular, recurring content that delivers hundreds of hours of audience value, has allowed Call of Duty to continue to set sales and usage records.

This extraordinary milestone was achieved because of the tens of millions of passionate Call of Duty players around the world… This unique level of community engagement has enabled Call of Duty to become one of the world’s most engaged online communities.

He then added:

Muhuhahahahaa!!

With such an insane amount of revenue, the question remains: Can the next Call of Duty game top this? Can anything top this!?

Source: CVG

Get Early Gears Of War 3 Beta Access With Bulletstorm “Epic Edition”

Aaron Alexander — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 15:33:53 +0000

With Gears of War 3 delayed, people are going to have to wait a long time before they get their hands on Epic’s brutal cover based shooter. Even waiting for the Beta might be a stretch for some people, but never fear, Bulletstorm “Epic Edition” will grant players early access to the Gears of War 3 beta.

Aside from letting you in early, the “Epic Edition” will include “25,000 experience points, visual upgrades for their iconic leash, deadly Peace Maker Carbine, boots and armor.” However this edition of the game will only be on the Xbox360 (As Gears of War is exclusive to the console), and it will cost you $59.99.

The Bulletstorm Epic Edition will release alongside the standard edition on the 22nd of February. No word on how much earlier this will get you into the Beta, as the date for the Beta itself hasn’t even been announced yet, though it’s slated to be “Early 2011″.