When most people get stuck with something they don’t like, they just sit in their own filth and complain about it. Some people, however, like this guy over at eDrums.info, take matters into their own hands.

Not everyone likes the Rock Band drums, understandably. This guy really didn’t like them, so instead of just posting “Harmonix are full of lose” on a forum, he decided to MacGyver it and whip up his own set of RB drums with some everyday materials and a whole lot of ingenuity. He uses lots of wood, some cut up buckets, window mesh, and guts the Harmonix drums to make his own kit - and the end result seems responsive, a lot quieter, and looks like a whole lot of fun. They’ll even double as the real thing if you hook them up to a drum module.

Check them out in action, playing “I Think I’m Paranoid,” in a video after the jump. Read more…

Straight out of Games Convention 2008 in Leipzig comes three minutes of Mirror’s Edge in-game footage. All the previous video has been above ground, featuring a bright cityscape, as you jump from building to building.

The new footage takes us inside of what appears to be an underground plant of some sort, and offers a stark contrast to the sunny rooftop footage shown at E3. Have at the video after the jump. Read more…

As reported earlier, Take-Two has allowed EA to join the company for some “alternative strategic planning” sessions. In short, Take-Two believes that EA’s initial offer was not lucrative enough, and has shifted focus in an effort to convince EA that they should sweeten the deal.

Could a SackBoy PowerPoint type presentation change the minds of EA executives? The two emails featured after the jump showcase yesterday’s email from Take-Two to EA, and today’s response from EA to Take-Two. Read more…

EA opens the door to its Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning beta on September 7th, and those wanting in will have to pre-order a copy of the title.

Those already in the closed beta are good to go, but everyone else will need to hit up one of the select retailers, including Amazon.com, Best Buy, GameStop, Circuit City, and several others listed here.

Hit the jump for the full press release. Read more…

EA’s free-to-play online shooter, Battlefield: Heroes, hits press beta this fall, but we got to take a turn yesterday at EA’s Studio Showcase. I can tell their spin-off direction is working, because I’ve never touched a Battlefield game and I already feel inclined to spend hours running around in goofy outfits gunning down the enemy faction. Read more…

While the original The Godfather game was more of a typical thug action game, with extortion and racketeering seen as addicting side tasks, The Godfather 2 really ramps up the strategy element. The tagline of the day was, “Act like a mobster, think like a Don,” and if you are adept at both, this sequel looks like it will deliver even more “family fun” than the original. Read more…

Since when is tea time synonymous with piloting a giant robot? Only since my most highly anticipated DS game since Contact, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (working title). You may recognize the “Untitled” EA project from the Into the Pixel exhibit at E3. In this platformer/puzzle-gaming hybrid, the top screen is where you’ll run, jump, slash at enemies, and shoot lasers, bombs, and other ammo, whereas the bottom screen is an addictive match-three affair.

As you swashbuckle around with Henry on top (jump with B, melee with Y, ranged with A), fallen enemies become blocks in the puzzle world and drop jewels you can use to buy upgrades. There are enemies that make regular blocks, extra big blocks, shielded blocks, and surely others. Read more…

No doubt you’ve already read the big news about EA Partners making friends with Grasshopper Manufacture, Inc. and Epic Games, but that same press conference featured some other interesting bits as well. Read more…

We all know the story of how many days it took God to make this and that, but what we don’t know is how  long EA kept Big G at bay before the process actually started. Well, the delays attached to Spore are officially a thing of the past, and the product, which at one point seemed destined to be called “Big Willy’s Penis Planet”, has finally gone gold.

Will Wright’s Spore will hit next month on multiple platforms and devices. The Apple iPhone application blazes the way on September 4th, while the Nintendo DS, PC, and Mac versions of the game will split cells on US store shelves a few days later on the 7th.

Full press release available after the jump. Read more…

Three years ago, if someone were to tell me that Electronic Arts would be publishing a game by Grasshopper Manufacture, the renegade development team that created some of the weirdest and most unconventional games I’ve ever played, I’d have slapped them silly. But it’s happening, as EA has just announced a deal with Grasshopper to publish an as-yet unannounced action-horror game produced by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and designed by Goichi “Suda 51″ Suda, the director of Killer 7 and No More Heroes. Grasshopper will be working with Q Entertainment (of Lumines fame) to produce the title for PC, 360, PS3 and Wii.

“Grasshopper Manufacture is excited to work with EA Partners to bring our new title to gamers around the world,” said Suda 51. “They are a great partner who shares our commitment to quality and innovation while respecting our independence as a studio, which is very empowering.”

Guess the “new EA” really is up for trying crazy and new things. Can’t say we’re complaining - having the big money and marketing brains of a huge entity like EA might just be the thing to push Grasshopper’s games beyond their niche appeal.

Electronic Arts has just signed a deal to publish an all-new IP from Epic Games, the creators of the Gears of War and Unreal series. The new IP is currently being developed by Epic’s People Can Fly studio in Poland, the team behind Painkiller and the Gears of War PC port. Read more…

Is it April already?

Not being content with releasing Dead Space, Rock Band 2, Crysis, and the million other games coming out this holiday season, EA has announced that they’re developing Celebrity Sports Showdown to be released this fall. Apparently, they’re also not happy with how completely unsaturated the Wii casual sports market has been thus far.

If for some reason, you ever felt the need to play as your favorite C-list celebrities and beat up Sugar Ray Leonard, well, then you’re in luck! And if Avril Lavigne gets Under Your Skin, EA’s giving you the chance to Let Go of all your inhibitions, and do The Best Damn Thing you could possibly think of- kick her ass. I’ll stop with the puns now, I swear.

Hit the jump for the full press release and list of ‘celebrities’ that made the cut. Read more…

Rumors have been circulating amongst videogame sites, and here at Ripten we have even added to the cacophony of the gamer journalism echo chamber.

We sought comment from Pandemic regarding their involvement in the Dark Knight game a few weeks ago and were told “Hey, who knows [laughter].” It’s safe to say no one is laughing now.

According to undisclosed sources, The Dark Knight game is currently being held due to its absolute failure in execution as a title. In essence, it is the “suxzor.” Read more…

Is Operation Anaconda going to get the Medal of Honor? According to survey information found by French site Jeux Video it is.

After Call of Duty 4’s critical and commercial success, EA is exploring the possibility of taking Medal of Honor in a similar route.

Operation Anaconda was a U.S. military operation against Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in the Shahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains in Afghanistan in March 2002.

Source: jeuxvideo.com

Electronic Arts is teaming up with the strangely popular self-help books “For Dummies,” makers of such classic literature as “Sex For Dummies” and “Catholicism For Dummies” to create games for dummies.

That’s right. Now you can get all of the fun of a self-help book in a video game. Hit the jump for details. (Here’s a freebie for dummies: press the “Read more” button) Read more…

The Warhammer faithful have cause to rejoice: the street date for the highly anticipated Warhammer: Age of Reckoning has finally been announced.

Marc Jacobs, founder and general manager of Mythic Entertainment, released a statement on WAR’s website this morning along with the announcement heralding the release.

“The countdown has officially begun. Mark your calendars! September 18th is the Day of Reckoning,” said Jacobs. “For the last three years, the entire team at Mythic has poured their hearts into making Warhammer Online the next great MMORPG. We are so excited to open up this world and share it with the fans that will live in it, quest in it, go to war in it and make it come alive.”

Subscription rates were also announced this morning at $14.99 per month, $41.97 for three months, and $77.94 for six months. Read more…

This fall, Rock Band is going on tour, and you could have a chance to rock out with your plastic controller out in front of a live audience full of hipsters and emo kids. Rock Band Live features Panic at the Disco (isn’t there an exclamation point in there somewhere?), Dashboard Confessional, Plain White T’s and The Cab, along with local rockers jamming out with Rock Band [bold] on-stage between acts. [end bold]

This is your chance to impress the ladies with your furious button pressing and karaoke singing, but only if you’re lucky enough to live in one of the cities on the tour. Hit the jump for the full tour list, and info on how you can take your living room act on stage with real musicians – and wail even harder (if that’s possible.) Read more…

Yesterday we reported that Left 4 Dead may be coming to the PlayStation 3 after all, coutesy of Electronic Arts. Now, unfortunately, it looks like that isn’t true. Hit the jump if you want your dreams crushed and eaten by zombies. Read more…

Remember the rooftop stage from Mirror’s Edge? It was first shown in the initial gameplay trailer as well as being prominently featured in the E3 08 trailer and demonstrations to the press. Well, Portal modder EvilWeevil has taken it upon himself to bring that stage to life in Portal. Read more…

According to Kotaku, a “friendly retail tipster” sent them a few photos of what appears to be their retail screens — showing off the release dates for the Rock Band 2 game on each console.

The images point to the 360 version hitting stores 9/14, PS3 on 10/19, and Wii on 11/18.

Of course, all of this information (if true) is subject to change at any time. What likely won’t change anytime soon is the trend of corporations buying timed exclusives. I personally hate it, but I guess it’s good business to slit the throats of your competition.

Source: Kotaku