Left 4 Dead 2 in stores today

By the time you read this, Valve Software and its various partners will have released Left 4 Dead 2 to retail outlets nationwide for PC and Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 version of the game is available at most major retailers, along with the PC version - which is also available via digital distribution through Steam. PC users who don’t care about having a physical disc and a pamphlet sized manual would do well to visit Steam and just buy it. A PC and Xbox 360 demo are also available for those that want a taste of it before putting their hard earned money down.

Left 4 Dead 2 adds melee combat into the mix, giving survivors new weapons to wield against a seemingly never-ending swarm of undead assailants. New melee weapons include chainsaws, frying pans, axes, baseball bats, and more. Besides a new cast of characters and new single player scenarios to run through, Left 4 Dead 2 promises the new AI Director 2.0, which enables the game to change weather effects, world objects, pathways, the enemy population, effects, and sounds to match the players’ performance.

The game also promises new boss zombies, a much larger game than the original, more co-operative campaigns, more Versus campaigns, new Survival maps, and the new competitive game mode, Scavenge, all available out of the box - virtual or otherwise.

Find out more about the game by visiting www.l4d.com. Look for our review very soon. In the interim, you can get up to speed on what’s new in the game by reading Gus Mastrapa’s excellent Left 4 Dead 2 Preview and have some fun with John Teti’s Game Scene Investigation of a L4D2 screenshot.

Call of Duty World at War: ZOMBIES now on iPhone

Activision Publishing and developer Treyarch have released an iPhone & iPod Touch app called Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES. The mobile version of the multiplayer game mode from Treyarch’s first-person shooter Call of Duty: World at War, offers single player and co-op gameplay action experience featuring lots of undead extras. Up to four players can play together via Wi-Fi, locally or across the Internet, and up to two players can get together via Bluetooth.

If you want to experience this mode on the go, then visit the App Store and plunk down $9.99. The Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES App was developed by Ideaworks Game Studio. Grab it from the App Store by visiting www.itunes.com/appstore.

Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage heads to retail

Ubisoft’s Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage is now available in stores across North America. Developed by Ubisoft Montréal in collaboration with Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White, the game is available exclusively for the Wii. Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage allows players to live the life of a professional snowboarder vicariously through a video game.

The game features various modes of extreme sports play in such locales as New York’s Times Square and competitions in France, Canada, Japan and more. The game promises lots of new events 75 new challenges, seamless co-op multiplayer options, compatibility with Wii MotionPlus and Wii Balance Board, the ability to create and name your own snowboarding tricks, customizable charcters and more.

For more information, visit www.shaunwhitegame.com. Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage is rated “E” for Everyone and available for an MSRP of $49.99

Fort Zombie now available

The Zombie Apocalypse begins anew in publisher Paradox Entertainment’s and developer Kerberos Productions’ action-strategy-RPG, Fort Zombie. In Forte Zombie you are a survivor of a zombie outbreak in a small town. You’re goal is pretty simple: Find a place to hideout, fight from and stay alive. But staying alive means finding supplies, training other survivors that may want to join you and kill any zombies that might get a little too rambunctious. Zombies can be precocious little fellows sometimes.

Players will really need to assemble a party from the survivors you can find. You’ll also have to step outside your comfort zone to get supplies like weapons and ammo (and food), to help with the survival effort. Military and emergency vehicles, the best sources for hardware and vital ammunition are also a must find to survive.

Fort Zombie is available for purchase through all major digital distribution channels for the hauntingly low suggested retail price of $9.99 and €9.99.

Medal Wars demo available now

A demo for Medal Wars is now available on PC at www.medalwars.com. Medal Wars is an cartoon style action-RPG set in the chaos of World War 1. The demo features the first act from the game. The full game will offer three character classes with unique attributes and weapon skills, 24 areas to explore, an advanced combat system that offers a deep targeting system, an on-screen inventory and full multiplayer support for Local Area Network and internet.

The demo doesn’t require much to run: Windows 95, 98, XP, Vista; Pentium 500 or equivalent; 64 MB RAM; 20 MB available hard drive space and a 16 MB video card. If you can meet those meager requirements then you should grab the demo now at the link above.

NARUTO Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 gold

TOMY’s NARUTO Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 has gone gold and will be available exclusively for Wii on November 17. NARUTO Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 is a new installment of 3D fighting series developed by TOMY based on the hit animated show from VIZ Media. Those that are interested can preorder a standard edition of the game for $39.99, or a limited edition for $49.99 that comes bundled with NARUTO Shippuden The Movie on DVD. Preorders for the limited edition are available only at GameStop locations nationwide, or by visiting www.gamestop.com.

NARUTO Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 features more than 35 playable characters, all grown-up and ready to brawl. The game follows the storyline of the series coming to TV this fall. Other features include new and improved gameplay mechanics, lots of gameplay modes and options including Wi-Fi multiplayer functionality. The game also offers more than 40 3D environments to choose from, with nine completely new stages.

Look for it in stores in the middle of Nov.

Splosion Man gets Avatar Rewards

Twisted Pixel Games announced this week plans to extend, expand and improve its Xbox Live Arcade game, Splosion Man. In the next few weeks free avatar awards, free meats, and improved online multiplayer will be rolled out and into the game. Twisted Pixel CEO Michael Wilford says that this is the biggest update the company has deployed to an existing game.

Avatar Awards for the game were launched earlier this week on Xbox Live Arcade. Splosion Man is the first game to provide this feature to players free of charge. Players who have already performed the achievement will be awarded their accessories at the main menu, while new players will get to see a preview of what their avatar looks like wearing the accessory. Players can win two male and two female accessories for free by playing through Splosion Man.

Twisted Pixel and Omaha Steaks have teamed up to deliver hundreds of top-quality steak filets to players. Register by downloading the special Splosion Man gamerpic on the Dashboard or on Xbox.com, and then receive one entry each time (up to 5 times) Splosion Man is played in an online multiplayer session before November 22nd.

Finally, some online multiplayer fixes are in place. Since the game’s launch, some players have encountered laggy online game sessions in certain network scenarios, including connections that frequently drop data packets. In the latest title update to the game, those issues have been fixed.

Find out more at www.twistedpixelgames.com.