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.
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Left 4 Dead players get a Crash Course
Valve Software announced that it will release the second downloadable expansion to Left 4 Dead called Crash Course on the Xbox 360 and PC next Tuesday. The Crash Course DLC includes a brand new campaign that ties the plot missing in between the No Mercy helicopter ride and the events in Death Toll. Crash Course will be playable cooperatively and in Versus mode
And on a related note Left 4 Dead has received a few update this week offering 10 new achievements and some minor tweaks. Also related, the Left 4 Dead 2 demo will be ready for primetime on Oct. 27, according to Valve. The full game is set for released November 18.
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Sessler’s Soapbox: Left 4 Dead 2 Whiners
A “nation of whiners” - that’s what G4TV.com’s Adam Sessler calls those people on the internet signing online petitions, leaving angry tirades in message boards and dissing Valve Software when it comes to Left 4 Dead 2. In the latest edition of Sessler’s Soapbox, the host of G4TV’s X-Play gently reminds readers and viewers that Valve doesn’t owe them anything. Watch it for yourself below:
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WOW Dominates PC Games Chart
PC game sales for the week ending April 18 are in, showing that the WOW expansion World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King was the top selling item. But the big surprise for the week is Gas Power Games’ Demigod debuting at #3 - right behind The Sims 2 Double Deluxe. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor came in at number 4, while Empire: Total War rounded out the top five.
EA had 4 titles in this week’s top ten, followed by Blizzard Entertainment with 3 titles and the rest filled out by single titles from THQ, Sega, and Stardock. As always, these are retail numbers and do not include digital distribution sales. Full list below:
1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (Blizzard Entertainment, Activision)
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe (EA, Maxis)
3. Demigod (Gas Powered Games, Stardock)
4. Company Of Heroes: Tales Of Valor (Relic Entertainment, THQ)
5. Empire: Total War (The Creative Assembly, Sega)
6. Left 4 Dead (Valve Software, EA)
7. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest (Blizzard Entertainment, Activision)
8. World Of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment, Activision)
9. The Sims 2: Apartment Life (EA, Maxis)
10. Spore (EA, Maxis)
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Left 4 Dead Survival Pack Released
Valve has released the Left 4 Dead Survival Pack expansion for both the PC and Xbox 360 version of the game. Are you excited? The new expansion is available for the PC through the usual channel (Steam) and the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live. Survival mode is a lot like Call of Duty: World at War’s Nazi Zombie mode, which sends waves zombies at your four favorite survivors. The goal is pretty self explanatory - survive as long as you can on 12 maps . For a more verbose description of this new mode, check out this blog post from Valve’s Kerry Davis and Scott Dalton.
Survival Mode comes with a new gameplay mode (duh), 16 maps including Last Stand, leaderboards and 7 new achievements. Sounds fun.
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Left 4 Dead Sells 2.5 Million at Retail
Left 4 Deadis a huge hit. Yeah, you probably already knew that but some new numbers that rolled in over the weekend further validate that fact. According to retail sales date, the game has sold more than 2.5 million copies at retail since its debut in 2008. A couple of things to note with these numbers: these figures include both the Xbox 360 and Pc versions of this zombie apocalypse game, but do not include data for sales online like Steam, Direct2Drive, etc.
Hopefully this latest milestone convinces Valve that a sequel is in order, though judging by all the awards and the great reviews it would be silly if they had not already been thinking about thi s many, many moons ago.
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Halo 3, GOW2 Add-Ons Soon
Microsoft announced this morning that two add-ons will make multiplayer a real spring fling for Xbox 360 owners. On March 31, the Snowblind map pack for Gears of War 2 will be released, giving players four new, winter-themed environments: Grindyard, Under Hill, Courtyard, and a frozen version of the Gears of War favorite, Fuel depot. On April 9, Halo 3 players will get the Mythic Map Pack featuring three new maps: Assembly, Orbital and Sandbox.
Both Game Add-ons will be available only on Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft Points.
In addition to the items mentioned above, Xbox 360 will have new add-ons for many of the year’s top titles. From Fallout 3 episode The Pitt (March 24) to the Left 4 Dead Survival Pack (April 21), gamers will have plenty to do this spring..
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.
Valve has released the 