Left 4 Dead 2
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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]
New user-created L4D2 DLC headed to PC, Mac, Xbox
Valve has announced that the next batch of Left 4 Dead 2 DLC will include a user-created campaign known as "Cold Stream." Created by Matthew Lourdelet -- known for his "2 Evil Eyes" campaign -- the as yet unfinished Cold Stream campaign will begin community testing within the "next few weeks." The DLC is planned for the PC, Mac and Xbox versions of L4D2, so no one needs to feel left out. As an added bonus, the DLC will also contain three campaigns from Left 4 Dead 1: Death Toll, Dead Air and Blood Harvest (L4D1's No Mercy campaign was included as part of L4D2's 'The Sacrifice' DLC). Don't get too excited, however, as the DLC isn't planned to be released until after the release of Portal 2, which currently is slated for April.
Steam Holiday Sale discounts Left 4 Dead 2, GTA IV, NFS: Hot Pursuit
The Steam savings keep on coming as today's deals offer up another bevy of digital wares on the cheap. There are plenty to choose from, including Left 4 Dead 2 at a very reasonable $6.79, the GTA IV collection (which includes both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony) for $10, and hefty discounts on Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, Singularity and Transformers: War for Cybertron. Hit the jump for the full list.
Left 4 Dead Hunter & Tank plushes shipping December 27
The Left 4 Dead 2-themed Hunter and Tank plushes will just make their planned "late December" arrival on the Valve Store. The new additions to this line of frighteningly inappropriate stuffed "animals" will begin shipping to pre-purchasers on Monday, December 27, ensuring that Christmas will not be ruined for any young recipients of these special ... Infected. Sold separately and currently available for pre-order at a 10-percent discount, the Hunter Plush ($26.95) and Tank Plush ($31.45) both feature ten likely terrifying sound samples that should never, ever be played in a child's bedroom when the lights are off. Thankfully, the pair looks decidedly cuddlier than its sibling, the Boomer Plush. But, you know? That isn't saying much.
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.
We're doing our best to make this Steam Halloween sale scary
"Did ... did you hear that? That creepy noise, coming from the direction of Steam. What is that? It sounds like ... Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 for $15." Steam's Halloween sale is upon us, and you can't hide from these terrifying deals. Actually, we suppose you can, since they're just going to sit there on the site until November 1. The inanimate, inert, pleasant, but also totally spooky deals include Worms: Reloaded and Team Fortress 2 for $9.99 each, and the Overlord pack for $7.49. With prices this good, the only scary thing is missing out on this sale. Although there are Steam sales all the time, so it's really just slightly inconvenient if you don't get anything this time. Um, boooooooo! Ghosts!
Valve releases the original Left 4 Dead just in time for Halloween
I just got done playing a level of Left 4 Dead 2 on my MacBook Pro when I saw this: Valve has released the original Left 4 Dead for Mac OS X. Valve originally released the sequel, Left 4 Dead 2, for the Mac on October 5th, promising the first one would come in time for Halloween. The reason for the delay? Valve was having a bit of a hard time making the original Mac-compatible. Late last night, Valve made good on their promise. If you're a fan of zombies, the original Left 4 Dead is a blast. It's also a steal at just US$9.99 (a 50 percent discount in celebration of its release), but for an even better value, you can get both Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 for just $14.99 for a limited time. If you already bought the game through Steam on a Windows PC, you should be able to play it on a Mac now without having to re-purchase it thanks to Steam Play. Left 4 Dead requires Mac OS X 10.6.4 or higher (Snow Leopard Graphics Update required) with a 2 GHz dual core Intel processor or better. You'll also need either an ATI Radeon 2400 video card or better or an NVIDIA 8600M or better.
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]
Left 4 Dead 2 coming to the Mac this Tuesday
This is it -- the rumors were true! The last non-Mac holdout of Valve's Source titles is Left 4 Dead, the zombie-killing shooter featuring four survivors and a whole lot of undead, but that's about to change. The official site for the newest Left 4 Dead 2 downloadable content, "The Sacrifice," confirms that the game's sequel is coming to the Mac this very Tuesday, October 5th. Left 4 Dead 2 will be released, as have all of the Source games, under the Steam Play banner. That means if you own it on the PC, you also own it on the Mac, so all you'll have to do is download and start shooting zombies. Anyone who buys the game on Steam will get all of the DLC for free, which makes for the original five campaigns plus the three DLC levels to play through. That's an excellent deal for sure. Unfortunately, the first game is not yet ready for the Mac; apparently, it's taking Valve a little longer than expected to get it OS X-compatible. But Valve promises that when it is released, Steam owners will get the same deal -- all the DLC with the game itself. That's good stuff. Of course, with Left 4 Dead finally coming to our platform, which game will we be stuck waiting for next? Civ V, where you at? Thanks, Ben H!
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.
Rumor: Left 4 Dead on the Mac by October 5?
Left 4 Dead is the last promised Valve title to see release on Steam for Mac, and yet we haven't heard anything about an official release date. Valve was moving along pretty well for a while there, releasing games for our platform every Wednesday. But they've petered out lately, leaving a lot of Mac gamers wondering if we'd ever get to shoot zombies along with the rest of the gaming world. But a slip found by our former cohort David Chartier, now at Macworld, hints that we'll be exploring the zombie apocalypse soon -- he notes that Valve is bringing the game's new downloadable content, "The Sacrifice," to all platforms, including the Mac, by October 5th. The Sacrifice is an extra level that's available for both the first and second games in the series, so there's still a chance that Valve will only give us the original Left 4 Dead, and save the sequel for later. But I'd guess the reason for the long delay is that they're bringing both games over, so we might see both of them released on Steam for Mac by then. Of course, this could just be a slip of the blog, with the Mac just accidentally listed as an available platform. But that doesn't seem likely -- Valve tends to be careful about what they say. To whet your appetite, check out the game's brand new comic, created just for the new DLC.
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.
L4D2's next Mutations: Gib Fest on PC; Chainsaw Massacre on 360
Valve has announced the latest Mutations for Left 4 Dead 2 and it looks like the Survivors will have a leg up on the undead hordes. It's good to know that even in the apocalypse, humans can sometimes catch a break. In the PC version, players can check out Gib Fest, where all survivors are packing M60s with unlimited ammunition. Xbox 360 players will have to get a bit more up-close-and-personal in Chainsaw Massacre -- all survivors will have access to nothing but Chainsaws. Who wants zombie kebab?
