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That's a wrap: Comic-Con 2009
Last week's San Diego Comic-Con was one crazy ride. The Joystiq representatives in attendance were trained in advanced interrogation tactics and managed to extract information on a variety of subjects. We've got an update from Peter Jackson himself on the Halo happenings, first footage of South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! and a new game mode for Uncharted 2! Friend, you missed one heck of a week.But, that's okay! You can get caught up right here, right now. Simply head past the break for a complete summary of all the headlines. [image] %Gallery-68768%
Comic-Con 2009: Left 4 Dead 2 Swamp Fever hands-on
Electronic Arts hosted a studio showcase in San Diego yesterday, just before the start of Comic-Con. Inside the Onyx Lounge were bright cheerful lights, colorful pastel colors, fresh-baked cookies and ... The Littlest Pet Shop. However, if you headed downstairs to the basement, it was very dark, mysterious and crammed with things like Brütal Legend and Left 4 Dead 2. We couldn't resist the siren call of more zombie slaying, so we plunged straight into the new Swamp Fever level being shown off.Head on beyond the break for our writeup. Later, look for our interview with Chet Faliszek, writer for L4D2 at Valve, where, according to him, "everyone is a designer!" But for now, it's time to find out why you'll want to catch "Swamp Fever."%Gallery-68553%
Comic-Con 2009: Left 4 Dead 2 'Swamp Fever' footage
Attendees of the ongoing San Diego Comic-Con likely already know Valve is showing off a new campaign from Left 4 Dead 2. Instead of checking out boring old stills, we're happy to report that 1UP has uploaded some footage direct from Comic-Con showing off the new campaign. It's shaky cam footage, which can be creepy (in this case, just mildly dizzying), but we do get to see the cricket bat in action, among other things, so it's definitely worth a watch.Head past the break for the videos.
Hands-on: Left 4 Dead 2
When Valve showed off Left 4 Dead 2 at a European press event in London recently, we were anxious to see more of the game's new features. Things that would elevate it above its predecessor. Those were sadly few and far between, but the two levels -- which conclude the New Orleans campaign shown off at E3 -- added a unfamiliar twist to the zombie shooting action we'd been enjoying so much at the end of last year.Apparently one of the reasons why L4D2 is a sequel is due to the engine upgrades. In particular -- zombies now fall to pieces. Whether this is worth upgrading the content from a $20 level pack to a $60 boxed copy is down to personal preference, but being able to remove limbs and watch a zombie's rib cage emerge as you shred the flesh from its chest definitely adds a little something extra to the experience. Having said that, when you're in the thick of a mini-finale, surrounded by the undead, the last thing you'll be doing is examining these sorts of details.As we said during E3, the game plays identically to original. There isn't even a particularly noticeable graphics upgrade, if you ignore the dismemberment improvements. Is that a bad thing? Of course not. A bad game is a bad thing. This is just a good game, made again. With new characters, levels and some new features -- such as melee weapons and special infected. %Gallery-67753%
Valve showing off Left 4 Dead 2's 'Swamp Fever' at Comic-Con
Click image for larger dancing zombies A red-hot press release just landed in our inbox, informing us that Valve will be on-hand at San Diego's Comic-Con to show off a new campaign in Left 4 Dead 2 titled "Swamp Fever." If you're at the show, the game is in the EA Gaming Lounge from 2-9 pm Thursday-Saturday, and 12-5 pm on Sunday, and can be found at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter Hotel, 401 K. Street. The above image is the only piece of media we received from the new campaign, but it's enough to cause wild speculation. Can we get struck by lightning? Do zombies like dancing in the rain? Have the undead found Jesus? We need answers! While we track someone down to find out, feel free to sup on our fresh, new screens in the gallery below. %Gallery-67753%
Thwack! Left 4 Dead 2 survivors play a bit of cricket
Click image for a closer view of the zombie bashing There's a cricket bat in Left 4 Dead 2, and after pondering how such an instrument could find its way to the southern United States (we certainly don't make them here, and every American knows that we don't allow people with them to enter the country), we've come up with a few theories: Someone smuggled the bat and full set of gear (notice how the zombie is dressed to play?) into the country, akin to how Snake Plissken was smuggled into Manhattan in Escape from New York Zombies really like sports The United States was chosen as a neutral place to hold a competition between two rival teams in cricket, and the zombie infestation happened during the game A wizard did it It's an homage to Shaun of the Dead Valve just felt like it We asked some folks at Valve about it, but they wouldn't divulge any info. What do you guys think?[Via IGN]
Valve 'up' on idea of PS3 development, waiting to build talented PS3 team
Valve isn't quite as against the idea of developing games for the PS3 as we previously thought. Speaking to Valve's Doug Lombardi at the Left 4 Dead 2 event in London today (look out for the full interview soon), we discovered that the company is still "up on the idea" of developing for the PS3 -- it's just waiting until it has hired some decent PS3 coders. "If you look at The Orange Box -- PC: 96 on Metacritic, 360: 96 on Metacritic, PS3 like... 84 or something. That's not even close to where we are right now with the 360 and PC and the reason is people."Lombardi went on to say that "we have to get people under our roof who are dedicated, talented PS3 guys and then all bets are off. We can take the same sort of strides and get the quality out of the box and offer the same support post-launch on that platform, as well." Sounds like Valve-developed PS3 games are more a case of "when" than "if," nowadays. When asked whether Valve is actively seeking to hire PS3 developers, he noted that "Valve is always looking to hire people. So yeah, definitely." Are you a dedicated PS3 coder who wants to make Left 4 Dead 3 for the system? You know what to do. We look forward to seeing your handiwork in late 2010.
Left 4 Dead 2 cover changed to appease ESRB
Poor Valve, it just can't catch a break. At this year's E3, it revealed what should have been one of the more pleasant surprises of the show in Left 4 Dead 2, only to have a bunch of angry folks cry "boycott." Then, it put out box art for the game, only to have the ESRB flip out over something as silly as two chewed-off fingers.As you can see above, Valve had to dial the gore back, with the two offending fingers now bent back. Oddly enough, there were no issues with the thumb, which makes us think the ESRB is composed of a bunch of Steve Oedekerk haters.
Peek at Left 4 Dead 2's first poster/level: The Parish
click for zombie-sized Check out the first "poster" artwork for one of Left 4 Dead 2's five levels, titled "The Parish." It's good, fitting nicely into the game's New Orleans setting but ... well, we're not sold on the subtitle. "This time it all goes south"?How about "The Parish: Pray for survival" ... or "The Parish: Kneel and slay"? No? Not working for you? %Gallery-64704%
