Posts Tagged ‘NEWS’

Valve Brings ‘L4D2′ And ‘Team Fortress 2′ To Holiday Greeting Cards

November 23rd, 2009

Valve Holiday Cards

Anyone having trouble deciding on a holiday greeting card to send out to their Xbox Live friend list this season should an easier search thanks to Valve expansion into the stationary market. "Left 4 Dead," "Left 4 Dead 2" and "Team Fortress 2" each have their own set available, featuring artwork by Alexandria Neonakis.

The cards run $15.95 for a pack of 10 with envelopes and are available through The Valve Store.

If Neonakis' name sounds familiar, it's probably because you've seen her home-grown creations in the past, which have included "Katamari Damacy" and "World of Warcraft" cards posted on her website. Valve seems to have recognized her talent and employed her thusly.

Images on the notes range from zombies adorned in Christmas tree lights to snipers dressed like snowmen, but all of them have Neonakis' signature feel of classic illustration with a touch of fannish appreciation. They're pretty much exactly what you'd want to send to any online friends that you primarily associate with over Steam or XBL.

According to the site, pre-orders entered now should ship at the end of November, so move quickly if you want to receive them in time to fill out and distribute for December.

What do you think of Valve's new line of holiday greeting cards? Which games would you like to see get a similar treatment? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Valve Releases Left 4 Dead 2 Patch

November 22nd, 2009

Left 4 Dead 2

Valve has announced that they've issued the first patch for Left 4 Dead 2, fixing a number of bugs ranging from matchmaking issues with getting into Advance and Expert games to performance issues with rendering decals.

The patch will automatically be applied the next time you load up your Steam client. Hopefully, with this bit of housekeeping out of the way, Valve can now get around to releasing the SDK for the game so gamers no longer have to engage in multi-step processes to mod it.

A full list of fixes for this patch can be seen below.

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Mod Brings Original Left 4 Dead Campaign to L4D2

November 21st, 2009

Left 4 Dead 2 Mod

Are you a Left 4 Dead fan? Do you love burrowing into a game's directories on your PC and modifying files? Then this somewhat complicated tutorial is for you. A group of modders have figured out how to import the first game's campaigns into Left 4 Dead 2, and it will only take owning both games, some technical know-how, and quite a bit of patience.

Since Valve has yet to release the SDK for Left 4 Dead 2, the process of modding the game is a little more in-depth than usual. You can find a full tutorial of how to make the process work on L4DMods.com (via Kotaku), but be aware it'll involve a lot of manually editing file names and transporting certain files from one directory to another. And even then, to get it all working you're going to need to fiddle with the command console in Left 4 Dead 2 (although honestly, that'll probably be the easiest part of this process).

So what do you get for all of your troubles? The option to play through No Mercy, Death Toll, Dead Air, and Blood Harvest from the first game, with the new infected and the new baseball bat melee weapon from the second. Oh, and you're also going to need to deal with a number of known bugs and issues...

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The Midnight Riders May Be Next L4D Survivors

November 19th, 2009


Among others, we've been able to battle zombies as a high-school football coach and a Vietnam vet in Left 4 Dead. Could the Midnight Riders be next?

Fans will recognize the The Midnight Riders as a fake southern rock band featured throughout Left 4 Dead 2's "Dark Carnival" campaign. Posters promoting the group list an official website, which leads to what appears to be a teaser site registered by Valve.

There's already speculation that the southern rockers will be Left 4 Dead's next group of survivors, possibly starring in a DLC pack. If that turns out to be the case, expect more information early next year.

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Sadly, Jimmy Gibbs Jr. Did Not Survive The Zombie Apocalypse [PC]

November 18th, 2009

Those already knee-deep in Left 4 Dead 2's Southern undead will be familiar with Jimmy Gibbs Jr, who is only the greatest stock car racer of all time. Or shall we say, was.

Enterprising modder samm5506 was digging around in Left 4 Dead 2's code the other day when he stumbled upon a zombie model not found within the game itself. Dropping it into a level, he found it was none other than Mr. Jimmy Gibbs Jr. himself, who aside from being a particularly tough zombie, also brings out a few custom one-liners from the survivors, like Nick's "God damn that Jimmy Gibbs Jr.!".

To drop Gibbs into a game (PC version only, naturally), enable the console, then from the main menu enter these commands:

map atrium
sv_cheats 1
z_forcezombiemodelname common_male_jimmy
z_forcezombiemodel 1

Then have at him. The fact he's dead - and trying to bite your face off - makes stealing his car totally OK.

Hidden Jimmy Gibbs Zombie! :D [L4Dmods.com]



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‘Left 4 Dead 2′ DLC Named In PC Demo?

October 30th, 2009

Left 4 Dead 2

"Left 4 Dead 2" Avatar Awards clues may not have been alone when they were buried in the code for the game's new demo. Message board posters once again appear to have plowed deep into the demo's .txt files and unearthed some unannounced names -- the "Miracle Pack" and "Apocalyptic Pack."

"Seems people have been digging through the 'L4D2' files, heres some of what they found," user Cordl3ssPen posted on Rage3D.

The titles reportedly appear with error messages under the heading "DLC strings," indicating that a player has done something in-game that requires DLC.

"Please, download Miracle Pack content from Xbox LIVE Marketplace," the prompt reads, followed by another key phrase. "Would you like to download Survival Pack 1 content from Xbox LIVE Marketplace now?"

The Apocalyptic Pack, meanwhile, names names its content explicitly, asking, "Would you like to download Apocalyptic Pack content from Xbox LIVE Marketplace now?"

So it sounds like there are at least two DLC packs in the works for "Left 4 Dead," even if they aren't official yet. And it should be cautiously noted that until they're official, anything is possible. But the code rakers have proven themselves resourceful once again.

Have you taken a look at the "Left 4 Dead 2" demo yet? Seen anything that we haven't noted? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Left 4 Dead 2 Demo Out Now On Xbox 360 [Valve]

October 27th, 2009

That's right, you heard me correctly. The Left 4 Dead 2 Xbox 360 Demo is now available for those who pre-ordered and obtained early access to the demo.

What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be playing Left 4 Dead 2? Oh? When's the PC demo? That will be out on Wednesday. Wednesday is tomorrow.

Those who check out the demo, feel free to write your impressions here. Those who don't, well, you can read those impressions.



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Unedited Left 4 Dead 2 Again Refused Classification in Australia

October 22nd, 2009

Left 4 Dead 2

Zombie hunters in Australia are going to have to make do with an edited version of Left 4 Dead 2. After being refused a rating by Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification in September -- thereby banning the game from sale -- Valve appealed the decision, hoping the OFLC would reconsider its decision. After all, the original Left 4 Dead was released uncensored in Australia. But sure enough, the OFLC has again determined that L4D2 should not be assigned a rating, instead being slapped with the dreaded RC (refused classification).

An official statement (PDF, via GamePolitics) reads in part:

In the Review Board's opinion, Left 4 Dead 2 could not be accommodated within the MA 15+ classification. The computer game contains a level of violence which is high in impact, prolonged, repeated frequently and realistic within the context of the game.

In addition, it was the Review Board's opinion that there was insufficient delineation between the depiction of general zombie figures and the human figures, as opposed to the clearly fictional 'infected' characters. This was a major consideration of the Review Board in determining the impact of this game on minors.

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Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott Comes To An End

October 14th, 2009

Left 4 Dead 2 Boycotters

It seems that the Left 4 Dead 2 boycott has officially come to an end. The Escapist is reporting that forrmerly unhappy fans Agent of Chaos and Walking_Target are apparently satisfied with what they've seen, and have decided to move on.

"We have accomplished everything we can on our manifesto," Agent of Chaos wrote on the L4D2 Boycott Steam Community.

"We've been dealing with Valve ever since our group started, then we met them in-person and now we're at the point of concluding our discussions. Our goal wasn't to steer people away from L4D2, it was to get Valve's attention and have them support original L4D. We succeeded and that's where our mission ends."

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‘Left 4 Dead 2′ Achievements Name New Items And Campaigns

October 13th, 2009

Left 4 Dead 2

The plot for "Left 4 Dead 2" may still be shrouded in mystery, but the game's list of Achievements names both items and stages in the order they appear. Merely surviving will go a long way toward point accumulation, but the accomplishments contain a few fancy tricks as well. Defibrillators appear to be involved, likely as a means to heal party members. Also mentioned are "bile bombs," which will score you an Achievement when used against a tank. Check out the whole rundown and a very special clown-based Achievement after the jump.

All of the following can be found at Xbox360Achievements.org:

PRICE CHOPPER 20
Survive the Dead Center campaign.

MIDNIGHT RIDER 20
Survive the Dark Carnival campaign.

RAGIN' CAJUN 20
Survive the Swamp Fever campaign.

WEATHERMAN 20
Survive the Hard Rain campaign.

BRIDGE BURNER 20
Survive the Parish campaign.

STILL SOMETHING TO PROVE 35
Survive all campaigns on Expert.

THE REAL DEAL 35
Survive a campaign on Expert skill with Realism mode enabled.

CONFEDERACY OF CRUNCHES 30
Finish a campaign using only melee weapons.

HEAD HONCHO 15
Decapitate 200 Infected with a melee weapon.

CLUB DEAD 15
Use every melee weapon to kill Common Infected.

CHAIN OF COMMAND 15
Kill 100 Common Infected with the chainsaw.

TANK BURGER 30
Kill a Tank with melee weapons.

SHOCK JOCK 30
Revive 10 dead Survivors with the defibrillator.

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD 30
Revive 10 incapacitated Survivors while under the speed-boosting effects of adrenaline.

ARMORY OF ONE 15
Deploy an ammo upgrade and have your team use it.

BURNING SENSATION 15
Ignite 50 Common Infected with incendiary ammo.

DISMEMBERMENT PLAN 20
Kill 15 Infected with a single grenade launcher blast.

SEPTIC TANK 15
Use a bile bomb on a Tank.

CRASS MENAGERIE 20
Kill one of each Uncommon Infected.

DEAD IN THE WATER 20
Kill 10 swampy Mudmen while they are in the water.

ROBBED ZOMBIE 15
Collect 10 vials of Boomer vomit from infected CEDA agents you have killed.

CL0WND 15
Honk the noses of 10 Clowns.

FRIED PIPER 15
Using a Molotov, burn a Clown leading at least 10 Common Infected.

LEVEL A CHARGE 15
Kill a Charger with a melee weapon while they are charging.

ACID REFLEX 15
Kill a Spitter before she is able to spit.

A RIDE DENIED 15
Kill a Jockey within 2 seconds of it jumping on a Survivor.

STACHE WHACKER 15
Prove you are faster than Moustachio.

GONG SHOW 15
Prove you are stronger than Moustachio.

GUARDIN' GNOME 30
Rescue Gnome Chompski from the Carnival.

WING AND A PRAYER 30
Defend yourself at the crashed airliner without taking damage.

SOB STORY 30
Navigate the sugar mill and reach the safe room without killing any Witches.

VIOLENCE IN SILENCE 30
Navigate the impound lot and reach the cemetary safe room without tripping any alarms.

BRIDGE OVER TREBLED SLAUGHTER 30
Cross the bridge finale in less than three minutes.

HEARTWARMER 20
In a Versus round, leave the saferoom to defibrillate a dead teammate.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS 15
Form a team and beat an enemy team in 4v4 Versus or Scavenge.

QUALIFIED RIDE 15
As the Jockey, ride a Survivor for more than 12 seconds.

BACK IN THE SADDLE 15
As the Jockey, ride the Survivors twice in a single life.

RODE HARD, PUT AWAY WET 20
As the Jockey, ride a Survivor and steer them into a Spitter's acid patch.

GREAT EXPECTORATIONS 15
As the Spitter, hit every Survivor with a single acid patch.

A SPITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS 15
As the Spitter, spit on a Survivor being choked by a Smoker.

SCATTERING RAM 20
As the Charger, bowl through the entire enemy team in a single charge.

MEAT TENDERIZER 20
As the Charger, grab a Survivor and smash them into the ground for a solid 15 seconds.

LONG DISTANCE CARRIER 15
As the Charger, grab a Survivor and carry them over 80 feet.

BEAT THE RUSH 15
In a Survival round, get a medal only using melee weapons.

HUNTING PARTY 15
Win a game of Scavenge.

GAS GUZZLER 20
Collect 100 gas cans in Scavenge.

CACHE AND CARRY 20
Collect 15 gas cans in a single Scavenge round.

SCAVENGE HUNT 15
Stop the enemy team from collecting any gas cans during a Scavenge round.

FUEL CRISIS 15
Make a Survivor drop a gas can during overtime.

GAS SHORTAGE 20
Cause 25 gas can drops as a Special Infected.

I don't know about you, but the clown nose-honking sounds like a mini-game I'd buy all by itself -- especially if they're zombie clowns. I smell spin-off franchise.

What do you think of the Achievement list for "Left 4 Dead 2"? Looking forward to messing with some clowns? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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