Kotaku reader Trevor H’s girlfriend has made him this pretty good Smoker (from Left 4 Dead) plush toy, as part of her mission to create toys “for every wicked Valve game that comes out.” Reportedly she’s also made a plush headcrab.

A headcrab, eh? I bet it’s nowhere near as awesome as the one our very own Giant Lenin made. It’s got gore and everything, and proves inarguably that Ripten has awesome readers. Hit the jump or click the link to the forum post to see it.

Remember, if you post something awesome on the forums, you might get on the front page, too!

You may remember a month ago when social news site Reddit first began their quest to stop the imminent headcrab infestation emanating from the Large Hadron Collider. Good news, the crowbar wrecking bar has now been shipped, along with a practice headcrab plushy and a Half-Life strategy guide.

For those not familiar with what is soon to be happening, the particle accelerator located at CERN, due to be fully active very shortly, could cause a resonance cascade. Which, if the variables are just right, might doom us all.

That is if we are not prepared for the worse. And that’s where Reddit comes in. They have now shipped the headcrab killing crowbar to CERN, along with the note “Get this to Gordon Freeman. He’ll know what to do.”

When we thanked them for their heroic work, Alexis from the Reddit All blog told us:

We’re not heroes. We’re just doing our job.

Thank you Reddit, all we can do now is hope it reaches Gordon in time.

WWGFD? Ask him. Judging by this pic from CERN he’s already watching over us. Which is just as well, since the research centre is due to switch on its Large Hadron Collider (LHC) tomorrow – possibly recreating Half-Life’s Black Mesa balls-up within the month.

This actually couldn’t come at a better time. Some people are so fearful of CERN creating a black hole underneath the France/Switzerland border that a legal challenge was mounted in the European Court of Human Rights earlier today. The court has already denied an injunction to prevent the LHC being turned on at all. Now critics have alleged that the experiment itself violates the human right to life.

At least with this picture, both they and the judges will know that the ultimate safeguards are in place. Doubly so if anyone has had the common sense to pass on Reddit’s crowbar.

Source: Popgive

With just a few short weeks remaining until scientists cause the end of the universe turn on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva and kill us all begin answering some of the biggest physics questions around, it took the brains of social news site Reddit.com to realise that the LHC was lacking one vital piece of safety equipment; a crowbar.

On Tuesday, Reddit user Mad_Gouki pointed out that CERN’s anti-mass spectrometer could cause a resonance cascade. Which as we all know, could lead to a rather nasty head-crab infestation of Earth.

Thinking for the good of mankind, Alexis writes on the Reddit All? blog:

Upon learning that the Cern lab would be recreating the ill-fated Black Mesa project, Mad_Gouki thought it’d be prudent to send them a red crowbar for the pending alien invasion. Chris knows a few fellow physicists working at the lab, so we’ll do our best to get this in the right hands. Let’s hope they have someone there named Gordon Freeman who knows what to do with it…

Now we just need to make sure that there is plenty of ammo and grenades lying around and we’re sorted. Thank you Reddit, you have saved us all.

Valve isn’t known for their prompt delivery of games. Quite the contrary, they often announce release dates and push the game back until it’s as close to perfect as it can become. Such has been the evidence of almost all their games, all the way from Half-Life to Left 4 Dead. So it came as some surprise to hear from the E3 folks themselves that Half-Life 3 will be at E3 in a few weeks and it’ll be a Microsoft exclusive.


Notice how I said “ Microsoft exclusive”? According to E3.net, its listed platforms are Xbox 360 and PC – more than likely on Valve’s beloved Steam service. The lack of PS3 inclusion isn’t particularly surprising, considering Gabe Newell’s (Valve’s co-founder/managing director) comments about it some months back: “The PS3 is a total disaster on so many levels, I think it’s really clear that Sony lost track of what customers and what developers wanted,”

Episode 3 is slated to be the culmination and conclusion of the Half-Life 2 saga. In addition, it has been said that these ‘episodes’ have essentially been what the contents of Half-Life 3 would’ve been.

Since this information is coming from the official E3 site it’s likely that it’s fairly concrete. Mid-July can’t come quick enough.

From the creators of Half Life: Full Life Consequences 1 & 2, comes possibly their greatest production to date. The film is 22 minutes of unrelenting memes created in Garry’s Mod, a popular mod for the Source Engine . Is it a hit, a miss, or just both and neither all at the same time? Read on to find out.

Just a quick warning for what you are about to see; the video is clearly the work of either somebody with too much time on their hands, or insanity. Do not resist the urge to enjoy yourself as it will only harm you.

So pour a nice cup of tea, sit back and enjoy. Also, if somebody could help me work out whether this video is so good it’s bad or so bad it’s good, that would be great.

(via Destructoid cblog)

NB: Ripten take no responsibility for any side effects you may experience after watching the video.

In a move many people wished had been made when the Orange Box launched, EA have announced that TF2, HL2:ep2 and Portal will soon be sold individually for PC.

Unless you use Steam, Valve’s digital distribution service, up until now the only way you have been able to buy the new games from Valve has been to get them as part of The Orange Box. If you were put off from buying all 5 games but still want to try the sweet, moist cake of Portal, or see what happens to everyone’s lovable mute, Gordon Freeman, you’re in luck.

In a conference call to investors, EA have said that they will soon be selling the new games individually and that they will be in stores for PC before the end of March. No word on if the 360 or PS3 versions will follow suit or if The Orange Box package will continue to be produced for PC.

Source: Videogamer

Merry Christmas, Mr. Freeman.

Life just got a little easier for those who have neglected gift-purchasing until the last minute. Every game ever released on Steam is now on sale for 10 – 50% off. There’s quite a bit of treasure in here.

The sale just kicked off today and ends January 1st, 2008, so you have roughly a week to stock up on some quality titles. Check out the official announcement here and click “start shopping now” to browse. To send a game as a gift, simply choose the gift option during checkout and you’re set.

Some of the more noteworthy sales are Company of Heroes for $22.45, Bioshock for $37.45, Civ 4 for $29.95, and Psychonauts, one of the most underrated games ever, for $9.95. Half-Life 2 is on sale for $19.95, but you’re still better off just buying Orange Box.

And I have to mention Call of Duty 4 for $44.95. That’s only five bucks off the normal price, but that’s a small price to pay for one of the best shooters ever made.

Merry Christmas, gamers.

Via Kotaku

Weighted Companion Cube has became a cult hero, with even the plush of his (or her) glorious image selling out completely on Valve’s store.

Fans were happy to pay the $24.99 fee for their own little cube which granted them the happy truth that they hadn’t murdered their faithful companion in the test chambers – it’s actually resting peacefully next to you.

If you really need a Cube for Christmas, then you could lay down the cash for this monster. The monster is the cube, not the lady by the way.

It’s one of the three existing in the whole world, and the money raised from the sale will go to the charity Child’s Play — so you will have two reasons to feel good about your life.

Cube became a celebrity after its appearance in Portal, one of the 5 Orange Box games. Players felt a common wave of guilt due to having incinerating the cube to complete one of the tasks in the game.

Fans are still awaiting word on a sequel to Portal, with things looking good considering the strong sales and critical response to the game.