Videogames Lead to Behavioral Addiction Mike Tyson’s Paparazzi Punch-Out!! Video GameStop Buys Majority Stake in Video Game Digital Distributor Jolt Miyamoto: 3D Isn’t Everything Are You A Video Game Junkie With Mad Writing Skills? Write For Ripten NFL Super Bowl Champion Steelers Connect with Soldiers in Iraq for Guitar Hero Competition

Oh Cable … the memories your armor wearing super-hero self brings back. I can still remember preordering 10 copies of X-Force #1 as a kid back in the early 90’s. Well rounded nerds (in their late twenties/early thirties) will not only feel my pain (those issues aren’t worth the paper they are printed on) but know that the first issue of X-Force prominently featured the Rob Liefeid illustrated Cable character on the cover.

Don’t know who Rob Liefeid is? Hit the jump for an early 90’s Levi’s commercial and more info, as well as a trailer, on the downloadable Cable character in the upcoming Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 video game. Read more…

Destructoid reports that the full XBLA release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will happen on none other than July 29, 2009. The PSN release is not known at this point, although it is likely to be a very similar date. The game is also set to be sold at a price of 1200 MS Funbux™, and likely a similar price on the PSN but in actual Dollars/Pounds/Euros/Yen/Your currency.

I remember seeing this game in the shops when I was a kid. At the time, I wanted to buy it because it had Marvel characters in it. Now, I want to buy MvC2 because it has Capcom characters in it. Time changes things, especially the relative coolness of Ryu in my mind.

Marvel fans rejoice! No seriously, this clip of Deadpool straight up kicking ass in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 is dope! After seeing this, Deadpool fans just might get goosebumbs. Check it out!

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

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

It’s 2012.

There’s no point in me building up suspense, only to reveal that you’re going to be waiting at least three more years to play as your favorite superheroes online. In an interview with MTV Multiplayer, Marvel president of consumer products, Simon Phillips, revealed the date, along with an explanation.

“It sounds like a long way away, but it’s not,” Philips said. “We’ve got to create, together with [game publisher] Gazillion, that environment that is going to be a totally immersive experience and a perpetual storytelling experience as well.”

Well, truth be told, I’m willing to wait. In the meantime, hit the jump for a list of things that will have occurred in the time before the Marvel MMO comes out. Read more…

Tired of the constant nerf fest that is Blizzard’s World of Warcraft? Or maybe you are just looking for a break from Azeroth that doesn’t involve getting a job or anything remotely related to life in the “real world”.

Well, if you answered yes to any of those questions and at one point in your life pictured yourself in tightly fitting spandex, then Marvel and Gazillion Entertainment quite possibly have just the thing in store for you.

The two parties agreed on a ten year deal to create a Marvel Universe based Massive Multiplayer Online extravaganza. That’s right – Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and many others will soon be masquerading as quest givers in a game near you.

If quality is your concern, fear not. Gazillion is adequately equipped to create Marvel branded crack as their team of big wigs boast time spent at corporations such as Apple, Blizzard, Microsoft, and Pixar.

So forget those tired old exclamation points you are used to seeing and get ready to let your spider sense point you in the direction of the next quest giver — it’s bound to happen. Read more about the updated deal announcement over at marvel.com and check back with Ripten for more updates.

Marvel producer guy Avi Arad, the dude behind such fine adaptations as the Iron Man, Spider-Man, and X-men movies, has recently snatched up the rights to Bioware’s awesome story-driven RPG Mass Effect. Read more…

As E3 approaches and I find myself frantically trying to prepare by reaching out to as many publishers as I can before they simply insist that I stop calling, I found myself today spending a few minutes on Sega’s website. As I clicked around, taking it all in, I kept thinking to myself “GO SEGA!”

Back in 2006, brandchannel.com called Sega “played out” adding that their web presence was “dull and disappointing”. To be fair, the last time I remember seeing their site it was dark and not very appealing at all, but looking at it now from a pure design standpoint it is bright, clean, inviting, and has me genuinely rooting for their success. Sega bandwagon — here I come! Read more…

Marvel and Activision are asking gamers to vote on the cover for the upcoming “Spider-Man: Web of Shadows”. As a big fan of Spider-Man, and someone who has very high hopes for this game, I want things to get off to a good start. So if that means offering my two cents when asked, I am ready to do so.

As of the time of this post, the race is close with 51% support behind cover # 1 (Spidey holding the city in his hands) and 49% behind cover #2 (funky illustrated forearms crossed). My money is on cover #1. It reminds me of an old John Romita cover, and that is never a bad thing. Cover #2 however lacks the depth needed to draw your eye in and just doesn’t work in my opinion.

The full press release as well as the two covers are available in a larger format after the jump. Have a look at them and add your vote to the mix. Read more…

Comic book hero games are a curious thing. Tied in more often than not with a summer blockbuster movie release, these games normally suffer from being an afterthought, made to cash in on the whole summer blockbuster experience.

Although Iron Man does struggle under its own weight, it’s Sega who must be kicking themselves, for missing a great opportunity to release a polished game built around a genuinely great gaming idea– a hero in an iron-clad, rocket-booted suit of destruction. Read more…

Most of us have heard by now that the much-anticipated Marvel Universe Online game for the PC and Xbox 360 has been canceled. Cryptic Studios was understandably upset, but they’ve taken their work on the superhero game in an exciting new direction. Check out this new trailer for proof that change is sometimes a very good thing. Read more…

I handle my lists a little differently than many websites/magazines. I call the lists “THE X LIST”, X as in Ten, giving you a list comprised of nine hits (with Spidey as the main character or at least a featured player), and One ENORMOUS miss.

Even though Spidey may be a hero in the funny-pages and in our hearts, only a handful of his games have become full-on classics. However, if you attended high-school during the 90’s, much of this list will have a special place in your web-entangled hearts.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, in celebration of Activision’s Friend or Foe, is Spider-Man’s nine greatest video gaming hits, and unfortunately, his one biggest miss! Read more…