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.

Shippin’ Out: Week of Nov. 16, 2009

Buried in a sea of offal (the usual rush of products prior to the holiday shopping season stampede), are a number of promising games including multiple versions of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2, the new Tony Hawk game, Left 4 Dead 2, Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, NCAA Basketball 2010, LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, LittleBigPlanet’s PSP debut, and so much more. You can check out the rather massive list after the break - which doesn’t even include the new stuff making its way to digital distribution platforms like Steam, GamerGate, Impulse and more.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii was released on Sunday, Nov. 15, so if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, you should be able to find it at most major outlets.

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Left 4 Dead 2 Zombie Photo Contest

Valve announced the sequel to its Zombie Photo Contest that ties into the out of home advertising campaign for its upcoming Xbox 360 and PC game, Left 4 Dead 2. Like last year’s contest, gamers are challenged to take a creative photograph of themselves in front of one of the outdoor media placements in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, Phoenix, Dallas, Minneapolis, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Contest rules and submission guidelines can be found at www.L4D.com/contest. All entries will be reviewed and judged by Gabe Newell, president and founder of Valve. The top 25 entrants will win a free copy of Left 4 Dead, and the overall winner will receive a custom engraved L4D2 Xbox 360.

Left 4 Dead 2 will be released on Xbox 360 and PC next Tuesday via retail and - for PC users - via Steam.

Xbox Live Silver members get L4D2 demo today

By the time you read this the Left 4 Dead 2 demo should be available to Xbox LIVE Xbox LIVE Silver Members. The Left 4 Dead 2 demo, which has already been made available on PC and Xbox LIVE Gold Members, features gameplay taken from “The Parish” campaign, set in the New Orleans French Quarter. Playable by 1 - 4 players over local or Internet connections on both the Xbox 360 and PC (with two-player split screen available on the Xbox 360), the demo features all the new boss infected zombies and many of the new melee weapons included in the full product.

Coming to Xbox 360 and PC on November 17, the follow-up to Valve’s zombie survival game adds melee combat, a deeper co-operative gameplay experience, and lots of brutal weapons like chainsaws, frying pans, axes, baseball bats, and more. The game also offers AI Director 2.0, which offers improved scaling of zombie spawns and boss battles with the new and familiar Infected at key moments in the game based on your performance.

The game also promises more of what players want including cooperative campaigns, Versus campaigns, Survival maps, and a new competitive game mode called Scavenge, all available at launch.

For more information, visit www.l4d.com.

It Came from G4: Left 4 Dead 2 Blowout

It’s a Left 4 Dead love fest over at G4TV.com as the site offers a variety of features that highlight Valve Software’s soon to be released follow-up to the zombie apocalypse survival game for Xbox 360 and PC coming in Nov. Here are some of the features about that game that you may want to check out:

- Left 4 Dead 2 Survival Mode Interview

- Left 4 Dead 2 Level Designer Interview

- Left 4 Dead 2 Realism Mode Walkthrough

- Left 4 Dead 2 Realism Mode Interview

- Left 4 Dead 2 to feature Avatar Awards

Enjoy the ride and be ready; the zombie apocalypse could happen at any time.

Left 4 Dead 2 demo available for pre-order customers

It’s official! Valve Software passed along word this morning that the official Left 4 Dead 2 demo is now available on Xbox Live to those customers that pre-ordered the game. For those that didn’t you’re going to have to wait a week longer. See how it works? Anyway PC users will also be able to grab the demo if they pre-ordered via Steam.

For more information on the game, the demo and anything else you want to know about Left 4 Dead 2, check out www.l4d.com.

Left 4 Dead is set for release on Nov. 17 via Steam and traditional retail.

Left 4 Dead 2 demo details

Valve has revealed a few details and the release date for the demo of its upcoming zombie thriller sequel, Left 4 Dead 2. Most notable is what will be in the demo: it will feature gameplay taken from “The Parish” campaign, set in the New Orleans French Quarter. This will be playable by 1 to 4 players over local or Internet connections on both the Xbox 360 and PC (with two-player split screen available on the Xbox 360), the demo features all the new boss infected zombies and all the new melee weapons included in the full game as well.

Those who pre-order the game (at participating retailers or via Steam) will obtain early access to the demo on October 27. The demo will then be made available to Xbox LIVE Gold members and PC gamers on November 3. Then all Xbox LIVE members will obtain access to the demo on November 10.

The full game on Xbox 360 and PC will be released on November 17.  For further details on the full game, check out www.l4d.com.