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.
Atlus says that its hardcore action RPG developed by From Software is proving to be a niche title, with the company shipping for more units that has for an RPG in a long time. That’s a given, considering how much fans and journalists have been fawning over it. But what consumers need to be aware of is that the game’s online servers - and therefore multiplayer and co-op features - won’t be live until Tuesday, Oct. 6.
What this means, says Atlus, is that users that might manage to pick the game up early and start it up will get an immediate PSN error and have to start playing offline.
So if you get a copy early, good for you but keep in mind that online won’t function properly until sometime on Oct. 6. You have officially been warned, so please spare us all any crying in forums.
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How to survive in Demon’s Souls
How will you survive in Atlus’ upcoming hardcore action RPG Demon’s Souls? We’re not sure, but this video walkthrough from Atlus may hold some secrets. Take a tour of the unholy land of Boletaria below and see if you can figure it out. Demon’s Souls ships in October.
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Lost Planet 2 co-op demo coming to Xbox Live next week
Capcom will commemorate the opening day of GamesCom in Cologne, Germany (August 19) by releasing the cooperative demo for Lost Planet 2. This is the same demo that has been shown off at events such as 3, Comic-Con and soon - GamesCom. Xbox Live Gold members will have first crack at the demo on August 19, while Silver level members will be able to take part on August 26.
Players will be able to go up against the enormous G-Type Salamander Akrid boss in online co-operative shoot outs using a number of weapons scattered through out the arena. Squads of up to four players will face off against the huge monster in an attempt to bring it down using whatever tactics work best:
shearing off its legs, being swallowed and fighting from the inside, using beam and projectile weapons and several Vital Suit robotic combat units.
The demo is a brief glimpse into the world of Lost Planet 2, highlighting the range of weaponry available to players while showing off the high definition graphical capabilities of MT Framework 2.0, the latest version of Capcom’s proprietary 3D game engine. The first generation of MT Framework powered Capcom games like Dead Rising, the original Lost Planet and Devil May Cry 4, while an updated 1.5 version made possible the visuals of Resident Evil 5.
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Killing Floor Released
Killing Floor, the new zombie action game from Tripwire Interactive - makers of Red Orchestra, is now available on Steam. Killing Floor is a multiplayer co-op first-person shooter for up to six players. The game offers over 40 Steam Achievements, persistent perks to level up your character and a solo game mode for offline play. Killing Floor is set in the devastated cities and countryside of England after a series of cloning experiments for the military goes horribly wrong. You and your friends are members of the military dropped into these locations with a simple mission: Survive long enough to clean up the mess.
Besides cooperative six player action and the perk system (which allows players to convert in-game achievements into improvements to skills and abilities), Killing Floor offers a slow-motion mode called “ZEDtime,” nine different monster types armed with everything from teeth and claws to chainsaws and rocket-launchers, more than 12 weapons from knives and fire-axes to pump shotguns a flamethrower , various tools (welders, medical tools and body armor), non-linear play areas: and the ability to change the difficulty level, number of creature waves, or even set up their own favorite waves of monsters.
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Army of Two: The 40th Day Announced
EA Montreal “officially” announced Army of Two: The 40th Day at an event Montreal Quebec Canada today. I say officially because the existence of the game was unearthed well in advance of today’s announcement. The sequel to the less than stellar two-man cooperative action game promises to build on the best parts of that game with more special combination attacks and moves.
Mercs-for-hire, Rios and Salem, find themselves knee deep in some serious shit going down in Shanghai, China - which I am sure the real government of China won’t find objectionable at all. Yeah.. EA Montreal is promising a bigger playbook of new co-op moves that either player can use at any time, opening up new strategies and choices for both players. The end result, if delivered as promised, will be a more organic and immersive co-op experience. the game also promises more customizable weapons like the first game that you’ll spend the money you earn from contracts on, new battlegrounds, and new situations that unfold in and around the urban jungle that is Shanghai.
I honestly hope that this sequel delivers where the first game did not. EA at least deserves credit for continuing to pursue new intellectual properties that attempt to break from the traditions and conventions of the third-person shooter genre. The 40th Day is scheduled for release sometime this winter.
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The Highlight Reel: July 30, 2008
Today The Game Trust tackles Soulcalibur IV, the importance of cooperative play, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and the latest releases on the Wii Shop Channel.
First up is Gus Mastrapa’s feature Bring a Friend, which talks about what upcoming games are offering cooperative play, why it is important and which game developers have made the mistake of omitting this popular style of play. Feature - Bring a Friend
Next is Harold Goldberg’s review of Soulcalibur IV. Despite some grumblings about Star Wars sullying the game’s cast, Harold gives the game a ringing endorsement. Reviews - Soulcalibur IV (Xbox 360), Soulcalibur IV (PS3)
Finally, the latest edition of Virtual Player takes a closer look at Fatal Fury 2, Donkey Kong 3, Ninja Commando and more on the Wii Shop Channel. Column - Virtual Player
The games we're pulling together in this feature won't appear on any of those best-of lists and get confused looks when you mention them in conversation. Just because time has forgotten these titles, though, doesn't mean you should forget them, too.
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.
