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

You know those emergency “flash flood warnings” that interrupt your television viewing experience with the ever soothing sound combination of nails on a chalkboard and a car alarm? Well, they may be making their way to your video game console in the not so distant future if one government official gets his way. Read more…

In an on going effort to eliminate modded consoles from accessing their Xbox LIVE service, Microsoft has reportedly banned an estimated 600,000 accounts — a tad over one-fortieth of their LIVE subscribing customer base.

Banned users will likely still be able to use their console offline, assuming they don’t throw it into a wall or drive over it upon receiving the news.

Oh how high society frowns upon you! If you happen to be an Xbox LIVE Silver Member that enjoys decapitating zombies when you aren’t drowning kittens in your bathtub, you know that the Left 4 Dead 2 demo wasn’t available to you last week. Well, put the kitten down and power up your 360. Valve’s zombie fest sequel is waiting and your clogged tub drain will thank you.

Fans of Activision’s Action/RPG Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 will be happy to know that new DLC content is out today on both the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3. The download will unlock five new characters; Magneto, Carnage, Cable, Black Panther and Juggernaut (previously only available with pre-orders). It will also open up a new Civil War storyline with four challenge missions.

The cost of the update will run 800 MS points (about $10) on Xbox LIVE and $9.99 on the PlayStation Network. Full press release available below. Read more…

Weighing in at 2 gigs, the Left 4 Dead 2 demo is available on Xbox LIVE for all Gold Members as of today. As in right now. Seriously. What are you still doing here? Go download it.

Grand Theft Auto IV’s second downloadable episode, titled “The Ballad of Gay Tony”, is available on Xbox LIVE marketplace right now (complete with Sprunk Extreme Base Jumping) and will run you 1600 Microsoft Points (roughly 20 bucks).

If you get your hands on it, let us know what you think in the comments section.

Excited for Capcom’s upcoming Lost Planet 2? If so, Xbox Live Gold members should mark their calenders for August 19 in which a co-op demo of the highly anticipated sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition will be available to download from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Celebrating the first day of Gamescom on August 19 in Cologne, Germany, Xbox Live Gold members will be the first to get the demo, while Silver members will get their chance on August 26. Hit the jump for the full press release from Capcom.

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It’s August 11 folks and that means the Xbox Live New Xbox Experience summer update is now up and running for everyone to download. I’m actually downloading it right now as I’m typing this, so I’ll be able to enjoy all the new perks like Games on Demand, the Avatar Marketplace, new updates to Netflix and more in just a few moments. Oh, I think it just finished downloading. Time to check it out, holla!

Okay, we all know that the Twitter and Facebook integration into Xbox Live will not happen in the upcoming Dashboard update on August 11, but we do know that it will happen sometime soon.

Well, in a discussion with Eurogamer, Mircrosoft Marketing rep James Halton said that they are aiming for an “autumn” release and that the Twitter and Facebook integration will be separate applications instead of another huge dashboard update.

Halton addded, “It will be before Christmas. A lot of the background work’s been done for a lot of applications that are coming.”

There you have it Xbox Live peeps. You’ll be able to Tweet and update your Facebook status over your 360 in just a matter of months. But are we really that pumped up about this? I mean you can already do this on your computer and even your cell phone, in which both options seem like they would be easier to do. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 was finally released yesterday on Xbox Live and will be hitting the PS3 in just a few weeks. I know many of you are very excited about MvC2, so while you guys are enjoying the game and brawling with the likes of  Spider-Man and Wolverine vs Ryu and Mega Man, take a look and listen at the upcoming Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 Mixtape coming out soon starring many well-known hip-hop rappers such as Talib Kweli, Raekwon and the Bay Area’s own, E-40.

Being a big fan of hip-hop/rap music, I was pleased to see a game publisher the likes of Capcom hook up and integrate the likes of one of their biggest games with a Mixtape featuring artists rapping about the game and it’s characters. Check out the first premiere video from the Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 Mixtape dubbed “SuperHeroes” featuring Planet Asia and DJ Toure after the break.

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Today mark’s the release of the highly anticipated Gears of War 2 Dark Corners and All Fronts Collection DLC. The Dark Corners DLC features seven new multiplayer maps and a bonus deleted single-player chapter, “Road to Ruin,” from the Gears of War 2 campaign. In “Road to Ruin,” Marcus and Dom face the Locust but can either choose stealth or the usual run and gun action to survive. The seven new multiplayer maps include a new War Machine (the classic Gears 1 map), Allfathers Garden, Highway, Memorial, Nowhere, Way Station and Sanctuary (a favorite from Gears for Windows).

The All Fronts Collection DLC is geared towards players who have yet to download any of the previously released DLC map packs. Along with the “Road to Ruin” campaign chapter and the seven new multiplayer maps, the All Fronts Collection DLC will also contain all maps included in the Flashback, Combustible and Snowblind DLC.

The Dark Corners DLC will run you 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), while the All Fronts Collection will run you 1600 Microsoft Points ($20).

Microsoft announced today that a major update to Xbox Live will be arriving on August 11. The update is set to include many new features including Games on Demand, improved Netflix performance (complete with Movie Parties), Avatar Marketplace, the ability to rate games and more.

Confirmed titles for the Games on Demand service include Mass Effect, BioShock, Assassin’s Creed, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga and Sonic the Hedgehog.

The Facebook, Twitter and Last.FM integration will not be included in this update, but will arrive in a future fall update alongside 1080p streaming support.

Source: Shacknews

Ikaruga, the crazy shoot’em up that seems completely impossible to me, is the Xbox Live Deal of the Week at a smooooth five bucks (400 MS points). The deal lasts until this Friday, June 17th.

DICE is currently performing maintenance on the soldier profiles in the recently released Battlefield 1943, so you may have noticed that your stats have been reset. Not to worry, my friends, as this is temporary. Read more…

Battlefield 1943 hit XBLA and PSN this past Wednesday with three maps – Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Wake Island. When the global kill count on one of the services reaches 43 million, a fourth map, Coral Sea, will be unlocked for that service. While 43 million is quite a bit of kills, it’s coming faster than you think. Read more…

1 vs 100, the new Xbox Live online game show for the 360, will feature prizes of Xbox Live Arcade games and Microsoft Points beginning this week. Starting July 10 at 7 p.m. PST, Xbox Live Gold Members will have the chance to win up to 10,000 MP in every round played in 1 vs 100. Read more…

The 1 Vs. 100 beta has been going on for some time now but it’s only been available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers, and if you’re a cheapskate like me, that’s a problem. From today until Sunday, however, Silver members can join in on the scheduled games. According to the main 1 Vs. 100 website, the games start tomorrow at 3:00 PM (PST, I believe).

Game Stooge

*gasp* Man, that title is a mouthful.

The second Call of Duty: World at War (seriously, I refuse to call it Call of Duty 5.) map pack just hit, and while presumably thousands of people are having fun with it right now, you might’ve just hoped it would hit the proverbial online bargain bin soon enough, even though it’s a measly $10. Well, now you don’t have to, because we at Ripten are giving away 5 PS3 codes and 5 Xbox 360 codes for the map pack.

Of course, we can’t just give them to you. That would be crazy! No siree- but you can hit the jump to see what you can do to win a code.

(header image by AgentMOO. Play his game, yo!)
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So I was playing Call of Duty: World at War last night over Xbox Live and all of a sudden I’m booted not only out of the lobby, but entirely off Xbox Live. I’m like WTF? Well, seems as if Microsoft felt the need to interrupt my fun to work on updates that will make for an easier transition to a newer Xbox experience complete with Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm.

Okay that’s all cool with me, but on a night when it’s double experience points for World at War? That’s whack and it’s even more whack that Xbox Live will be down all day today until midnite. No Xbox Live gaming for today me, guess I might hop on my PS3 and play some Killzone 2, maybe SOCOM? Or I could possibly hit up my Wii for some Punch-Out!!?

That title may have been a little dramatic, but I sure as hell plan to never use MS points again. In a Live update later this year, Microsoft will add the ability to purchase items directly with a credit card, rather than using the points system, which oftemtimes forces you to buy a larger block of points than you need. However, Microsoft points will still be available for those who want to use them. This begs the question: why would you?

Would you guys ever use points if you don’t have to?

Kombo