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Cold Stream DLC for L4D2 making waves on July 24
Cold Stream, the massive, much-anticipated and acceptably murderous DLC pack for Left 4 Dead 2, is set to launch on PC, Mac and Xbox 360 on July 24. Cold Stream includes a fan-made campaign, and ports of Left 4 Dead's Death Toll, Dead Air, Blood Harvest and Crash Course levels.Cold Stream first entered beta in March 2011 and is still open for PC and Mac on Steam, making this launch more of an official, polishing update for those platforms. Valve initially said Cold Stream would launch "some time after Portal 2," and really, it's not as if they were wrong about that one. Clever, Valve. Clever.
Australian government begins the process of games reform with a Discussion Paper
The Australian Law Reform Commission has been listening, and after hours of bureaucratic thought, research, filing papers, losing papers, rewriting those papers, finding the originals and sobbing quietly at their cubicles, the Australian government has proposed a Discussion Paper to revamp media classification ratings, including those for video games. The paper addresses issues of hypocrisy in its games-rating system, citing how long it took for the R18+ rating to be implemented, and how its absence was restrictive to adults in the country: "Major inconsistencies exist in the application of classification guidelines across media platforms. The major anomaly has been in the treatment of computer games as compared to films and publications, with the absence of an R 18+ classification for computer games," the paper reads. "This decision, which has only recently been reversed, can be seen as overly restricting the rights of adults to access content on a particular media platform, and as marking a reversion to earlier censorship-based understandings of the role of government."
Left 4 Dead's Death Toll in beta, now playable in Left 4 Dead 2
Valve's unleashed the Death Toll campaign from the original Left 4 Dead on the PC-playing Left 4 Dead 2 crowd today, albeit with some minor tweaks which Valve is being mum about. They want us all to go in with "fresh eyes" they say, so we'll see how that goes. Any feedback you have, you can drop it in the Steam forums. (Or you could leave a comment in this very post!) Also, Valve's got an update on the launch window of the entire Cold Stream DLC release, of which Death Toll is a part of: It's coming around Halloween. Previously the goal was late summer, but with all of the testing and rigmarole that goes into tuning a game, Valve's gotten a little behind schedule. It's tough to complain, considering how very, very free all this stuff is.
L4D2 to get Blood Harvest if 60,000 players unlock Achievement
The slow and steady march (undead, you might say) to release all of Left 4 Dead 1's maps into Left 4 Dead 2 continues, with Valve offering fans a chance to unlock the beta version of Blood Harvest early. So, how does it work? Simple: To unlock Blood Harvest, PC players simply have to help test a new version of Dead Air. Specifically, players will be awarded an Achievement for completing an entire Versus game in Dead Air. Once sixty-thousand (60,000) players unlock the Achievement, Valve will unlock Blood Harvest on the following weekday. Be warned though, it must be a complete game, as Valve notes "you can't rage quit and you need to work together." Remember that the next time you willingly allow a Jockey to ride off on your friend.
Dead Air beta available in Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam today
As Valve promised, those who partake in zombie slaughter wholesale on Steam in Left 4 Dead 2 may now access an updated version of the original Left 4 Dead campaign, Dead Air. Beta access to Dead Air was promised as an incentive to the community for playing through the Cold Stream campaign (also in beta) and unlocking the subsequent completion achievement, Stream Crosser. In a post on the Left 4 Dead blog, Valve reveals that the fourth and fifth maps in the Dead Air campaign have been changed a bit and that the developer "tried something new" when it came to the Scavenge map. The full Cold Stream DLC is currently slated to launch this summer on both Xbox 360 and PC.
Left 4 Dead 2's 'Dead Air' DLC coming on or before July 22
You did it! You achieved the goal of playing a ton of Left 4 Dead 2, in sufficient numbers to unlock more Left 4 Dead 2. Valve challenged the community to get the "Stream Crosser" achievement 20,000 times by completing the Cold Stream campaign, and after 24 hours that achievement had been achieved 60,774 times. As a result, Valve is releasing the L4D2 version of the L4D "Dead Air" DLC early, as promised. The initial announcement said July 22 -- now Valve is saying July 22 at the latest and intends to release the content as soon as it's finished.
Valve will release Dead Air early ... if 20K people unlock this Left 4 Dead 2 achievement
Valve's revealed an incentive for Left 4 Dead 2 players: if 20,000 of you unlock the Stream Crosser achievement on Steam (finish the Cold Stream campaign on any difficulty level) this weekend, it will release the Dead Air campaign from the first Left 4 Dead early, on July 22. Sorry, no word on remaining L4D campaigns Death Toll and Blood Harvest -- they're still slated to be included in the final release of Cold Stream, which is currently in beta. Of course, because Valve is a company full of diabolical geniuses, guess what's on sale right now? Left 4 Dead 2 is 75% off today only, bringing it down to $4.99.
Half-Life 2's Gnome Chompski gets his own (fake) game
Little did you know that the diminuitive, statuesque grandpa you were tasked with lugging around in Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Left 4 Dead 2 was actually a stationary action hero. Check out FineLeatherJackets' trailer for Gnome Chompski's (totally not real) video game posted after the break.
Beta over here! L4D2 'Cold Stream' DLC now up for testing
Hey, remember when Valve announced that the new Cold Stream DLC for Left 4 Dead 2 would enter beta testing within the "next few weeks?" Guess what? It's been a few weeks! The DLC, created by modder Matthew Lourdelet, is now available for beta testing in both the PC and Mac versions of Left 4 Dead 2. Valve warns that the campaign does have bugs -- it's a beta test, after all -- and asks players to report them via the in-game bug reporter. The company also invites feedback and suggestions -- particularly regarding the finale -- in the Cold Stream forums. [Image: Bug submitted by zapwizard]
Left 4 Dead 2's latest mutation has a Special Delivery for the survivors
These guys just can't catch a break, can they? As if the zombie apocalypse wasn't enough for the survivors to deal with, Left 4 Dead 2's latest mutation, Special Delivery, removes spawn timers for special infected and raises their in-game cap to 10. Can you imagine it? The safe house is in sight; you're almost there and the effects of those hastily-consumed pain pills are quickly fading. Then you see them: two boomers, two jockeys, a spitter, a smoker and four tanks. Okay, maybe our version of the mutation sounds a bit extreme, but you get the idea.
Left 4 Dead 2's latest mutation invites the survivors to a Hunter Party
It's Friday, which means it's Pizza Night in America. Sure, a slice of 'za is a great way to cap off the week, but some people prefer their unwinding to be a bit more slaughterful. So we'd like to point out the latest Left 4 Dead 2 mutation: Hunting Party. This mutation simplifies the horde by turning all of the Special Infected into Hunters. No Boomers, no Smokers, no Jockeys, just the sheer agony of listening to screeching, nimble Hunters like so many dozens of nails scratching against so many dozens of chalkboards. And the tearing -- oh, why all of the tearing?
Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 on sale for $10.19 on Steam for a limited time
Valve has extended a whole mess of offers for Left 4 Dead and its sequel on its Steam platform in honor of the release of "The Sacrifice" -- both titles (the latter of which just launched on Mac) are available for $6.79 each, or $10.19 together for "a limited time."
Left 4 Dead 2 attacks Mac on Tuesday, Oct. 5
Tucked neatly below some official details regarding Left 4 Dead's "The Sacrifice" DLC lies an announcement: Left 4 Dead 2 will be available on Mac starting Tuesday, October 5. As per usual, Mac users who previously purchased Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam for PC will automatically receive access to the game, along with free downloads of "The Passing," "The Sacrifice" and "No Mercy" add-ons. In the same note, Valve also apologizes to Left 4 Dead 1 owners -- since the sequel is making it onto Mac before the original. The company states it's "running a little late" and that it hopes to "have it out in time to celebrate Halloween." If you previously purchased L4D on Steam for PC, you'll have access to everything once the Mac version arrives. %Gallery-103988% [Thanks, Ben]
Give up a few minutes for Left 4 Dead's 'The Sacrifice' trailer
"The Sacrifice" DLC for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 arrives October 5 on Xbox 360 and PC. The expansion will add a new campaign to both games, the L4D1 "No Mercy" game type to L4D2 and a new mechanic in which players can choose to sacrifice themselves for the team. While free for PC players, the add-on will cost 560 Microsoft Points ($7) on Xbox. To help you avoid confusing this with "My Sacrifice," the 2001 hit single by Creed, we've included some visual aids in the form of a trailer after the break and screens in the gallery below.%Gallery-103988%
Next Left 4 Dead 2 mutation reintroduces competitive survival
This week's Left 4 Dead 2 mutation introduces a game mode so clever, we're surprised Valve hadn't thought of it yet -- or have they? Yes, players will temporarily be able to re-experience the magic of Survival Versus, in which one team of four survivors lasts as long as it can on a chosen Survival map, and then the next team tries to beat their time. The competing teams go back and forth in this manner until one team fails to surpass the other's lifespan. It sounds like a pretty hectic addition to an already hectic game type. Give it a try this week only if you think you can handle all the hect ... hecticnicity?
Parts 1 and 2 of Left 4 Dead 'The Sacrifice' comic now online
Honestly, we would never have thought that [redacted] would be the character to bite the dust in "The Passing," but there it is. Sure, we could've pictured [redacted] dying, or [redacted] -- heck, even [redacted] -- but [redacted]? Life's a trip, qué no? Thing is, we never figured out how that particular survivor perished -- not until now. The first two parts of Valve's four-part, 150-page digital comic primer for "The Sacrifice," the upcoming DLC for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, is now online. Give both issues a read by heading over to the Left 4 Dead Blog.
Left 4 Dead 2's next mutation suffers a Healthpackalypse
The one thing saving Left 4 Dead 2 from being the world's most comprehensive zombie apocalypse survival sim is its liberal use of pain meds and "health packs." In the real world, these things don't have the immediate recuperative effects they do in the video games. If you want a taste of how it'll truly be, you should probably check out this week's mutation: Healthpackalypse. In this custom Versus play mode on both the PC and Xbox 360, the survivors get no health packs whatsoever. If you're on the Infected side, laugh maniacally as the humans try to make it through without the use of first aid. If you're on the survivor side, well -- better luck next time! It's called "the apocalypse" for a reason, muchachos.
Left 4 Dead 2 fan campaign drops the survivors in City 17
Valve's latest featured fan campaign for the PC version of Left 4 Dead 2 should be instantly familiar to anyone who's enjoyed the developer's seminal Half-Life series. The five-chapter campaign is set on the streets of Half-Life 2's police-state metropolis, City 17, where the oppressed citizens have been replaced by zombies, and the totalitarian Combine have been replaced by zombies, and ... yeah, just about everyone's been replaced by zombies there. As with all its featured community levels, Valve's temporarily hosting servers running the City 17 campaign. If you feel up for a romp through your ol' crowbaring grounds, you should take advantage of this delightful opportunity.
Left 4 Dead 2 mutation plays Follow the Liter this week
The Left 4 Dead blog has revealed this week's mutation of choice, and it's another round of Follow the Liter, in which only one character can carry a gas tank at the time, and they always spawn together (meaning that Infected know where the survivors are going to be). Should be a grindfest, but Valve thinks you'll like it -- they're bringing some old modes like this back to see if they can "take" a second time around. And just for kicks, you Left 4 Dead fans can head past the break for a (NSFW due to language) fanmade mashup between Pixar's Toy Story (the original one!) and your favorite zombie headshot game. We won't ruin the surprise, but after what happens below, Woody's going to need some pills here.
Make a music video for Left 4 Dead's Midnight Riders
If you found yourself particularly inspired by the quartet of southern rock troubadours prominently featured in Left 4 Dead 2's "Dark Carnival" campaign, you can now stretch your creative muscles to give one of the fictional band's hit songs some visual flair. Valve recently announced a contest to create the best music video for the Riders' chart topper "Save Me Some Sugar (This Won't Take Long)," which will make its debut in the upcoming "The Sacrifice" DLC campaign. The winner of the contest will receive a Valve "gift pack" and a guitar signed by all four members of the band. The manner in which you create this video is entirely up to you -- will it be live action, in-game footage or a hybrid of both? Regardless of what you go with, we hope you first seek out some thematically appropriate inspiration.
