Left 4 Dead Series

This Week In PC Games: November 16-22

Posted Nov 16th 2009 8:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: Meta BD, Left 4 Dead Series, The Sims 3

This week we get a second Lego game version of a famous adventurer, the first expansion pack to one of the biggest PC games of the year, and a weird merge between a Japanese RPG maker and a casual games developer. Oh, and Left 4 Dead 2.

Left 4 Dead 2: Valve's 2008 zombie co-op shooter gets a quick sequel as we follow a new set of four characters as they try to avoid being part of the undead apocalypse in the New Orleans area. New weapons, new melee items, new zombie bosses and new gameplay modes are all a part of the sequel.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

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Left 4 Dead 2 to unlock on Steam at midnight Tuesday ET

Posted Nov 15th 2009 3:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

The big game release for next week is definately Valve's zombie shooter sequel Left 4 Dead 2. If you are one of the folks who have already pre-ordered the PC version of the game and have the pre-load ready to go via Steam you might be wondering when it will unlock for you.

Thankfully Valve has you covered with a handy time zone guide on the game's official web site. Basically they are using the Eastern time zone of the US as their base and it will unlock at midnight on Tuesday. That means folks in the Pacific time zone will get to play Left 4 Dead at 9 pm on Monday evening. While you are waiting you can check out the newly created profiles of all of the new Left 4 Dead 2 characters on the main site.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

Dragon Age: Origins on top of latest Steam top 10 best seller list

Posted Nov 10th 2009 8:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: Biz, Left 4 Dead Series, Dragon Age: Origins

BioWare's full return to the PC gaming industry after a few years of PC ports of console games seems to have been embraced by gamers. The latest weekly top 10 sales list on Steam (based on revenue) shows that BioWare's newly released RPG Dragon Age: Origins on top with the deluxe edition at number one and the regular version in the number two slot.

Valve's upcoming shooter Left 4 Dead 2 claims the number 3 spot on the list while Gearbox Software's shooter Borderlands continues to sell well at number four. Newcomer Runic Games' action-RPG Torchlight continues to do well; it shows up at the number five position.

1. Dragon Age Origins Digital Deluxe Edition - BioWare/EA
2. Dragon Age Origins - BioWare/EA
3. Left 4 Dead 2 - Valve
4.Borderlands - Gearbox Software/2K Games
5. Torchlight - Runic Games
6. Modern Warfare 2 - Infinity Ward/Activision
7. Football Manager 2010 - Sega
8. Mass Effect - BioWare/EA
9. Shattered Horizon - Futuremark Games Studio
10. Aion -NCsot

New Left 4 Dead patch adds 4 on 4 competitive matchmaking

Posted Nov 9th 2009 9:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, Patches, FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

While Valve's release of Left 4 Dead 2 is just over a week away, the developer has not forgotten how to support the original game in their zombie shooter series. The latest update to Left 4 Dead, available automatically via Steam, has added a feature many fans of the game have been waiting on.

It's the Team Versus 4 on 4 competitive matchmaking feature Valve has been promising would be added in the game for some time. The update also fixes a couple of bugs in the game but the matchmaking feature is something we know will please fans of the original. Meanwhile, Left 4 Dead 2 is available for pre-load on Steam ahead of its release November 17.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead

Edited Left 4 Dead 2 PC has better performance?

Posted Nov 7th 2009 5:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

If you have an edited version of a game that has, say, less blood that the normal version along with bodies that disappear quickly among other things you might expect that the edited versions might have better performance than the original. PCGamesHardware.com seems to have discovered just that with an censored version of the Left 4 Dead 2 demo.

The edited version which is made available in the web site's native Germany, runs about 40 percent faster than the unedited demo, according to the article. While it implies that players of the cut version will have an advantage in any multiplayer game, it also points out that the amount of violence in the regular version can be adjusted by the players

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2 pre-load now available on Steam

Posted Nov 7th 2009 11:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

We still have over 10 days before Left 4 Dead 2 is released but today Valve has given the go-ahead for people who pre-ordered the zombie shooter sequel to start pre-loading the game onto their hard drives via the Steam client. That means PC games who take advantage of this opportunity should be able to play the game only a few minutes after Valve unlocks the game on November 17.

Keep in mind that Valve still has that 10 percent pre-order discount for the game. It's still in effect until the game's release date. Also the Four Pack deal (where you purchase four Steam codes of the game at once) is also still available for the 10 percent discount which means you can pay for four copies for the price of less than three in the current price promotion.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2 gets another TV commercial

Posted Nov 4th 2009 7:30PM by Steven Wong
Filed under: Downloads, Trailers, Left 4 Dead Series

Left 4 Dead 2 "takes you and your friends through the cities, swamps and cemeteries of the Deep South, from Savannah to New Orleans across five expansive campaigns.

You'll play as one of four new survivors armed with a wide and devastating array of classic and upgraded weapons. In addition to firearms, you'll also get a chance to take out some aggression on infected with a variety of carnage-creating melee weapons, from chainsaws to axes and even the deadly frying pan."

The game releases on November 17th.

Download HD Left 4 Dead 2 TV Spot #2 (94 MB)
Check out all Left 4 Dead 2 downloads

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2 demo now available to all PC users

Posted Nov 3rd 2009 7:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, Demos, FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

For all of you cheap skates who don't want to spend money ahead of time for Left 4 Dead 2, your time to play the demo for Valve's upcoming zombie co-op shooter sequel has come. Now everyone with a Steam announce can download the demo for free.

Yes, you can check out the campaign and solo modes for the sequel as you run around the zombie-fied city of New Orleans while dealing with new boss zombies and using new melee weapons like our favorite the machete. If you like the demo you can still pre-order the full game for 10 percent off, plus get an exclusive Team Fortress 2 in-game hat.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

Download: Left 4 Dead 'Dead Before Dawn' Campaign Mod

Posted Nov 3rd 2009 2:45PM by Steven Wong
Filed under: Downloads, Mods, FPS, Left 4 Dead Series

This mod adds the 'Dead Before Dawn' Campaign to Left 4 Dead. It's inspired by the movie Dawn of the Dead. Installation instructions are shown after the jump.

"The custom campaign Left 4 Dead fans have been clamouring for has finally arrived, bringing Valve's zombie shooter to the Crossroads Mall--the setting for Zack Snyder's zombie movie remake Dawn of the Dead.

Dead Before Dawn contains 5 maps--the sixth, the finale is not included in this beta--for both co-op and versus play. For that complete shopping mall experience, there are hundreds of new props along new music, new voice-overs and randomized special events. "

Download Left 4 Dead 'Dead Before Dawn' Campaign (1.1 GB)

Gallery: Left 4 Dead

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It's a Team Fortress 2-Left 4 Dead official crossover (sort of)!

Posted Nov 3rd 2009 12:00AM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series, Team Fortress 2

In comic books, crossover events between two super hero universes are considered to be a huge deal. Remember when Superman met Spider-Man? When Batman met Predator? When Archie met The Punisher? Well two of Valve's game universes are about to have a (tiny) crossover of their own.

The deal is if you pre-order Valve's upcoming zombie shooter sequel Left 4 Dead 2, not only do you gain early access to the game's demo and pay 10 percent off its regular price but if you also happen to own Valve's multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2 you get an extra in-game bonus. It's Bill's hat. Yep, now your TF2 characters will be able to wear the same hat design Bill has for Left 4 Dead 1. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. The Heavy mowing down the Tank in a game? We would love to see that.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

Valve: Left 4 Dead 2 DLC mentions just placeholders

Posted Nov 1st 2009 3:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

Earlier this week we reported that someone had found signs of two upcoming downloadable content packs for Valve's upcoming first person shooter Left 4 Dead 2. Now it appears that news may have been premature. Eurogamer reports that Valve's Chet Faliszek put down those rumors at this week's Eurogamer Expo.

Faliszek states that the DLC mentions in the Left 4 Dead 2 code were in fact put in as a simulation for testing on Microsoft's Xbox 360 console. Of course that doesn't mean Valve won't do DLC for Left 4 Dead 2. It just means that the DLC titles in the code are likely not the ones they will use once they get DLC ready for the game.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

Feature: Left 4 Dead 2 Demo Impressions

Posted Oct 31st 2009 7:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, Demos, Expansions, FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

Just as they did a year or so ago for the original Left 4 Dead, Valve has allowed people who pre-ordered the zombie co-op shooter sequel Left 4 Dead 2 to have early access to the game's free demo. Everyone else can download the demo via Steam on November 3 and the demo is expected to shut down when the full game is released on November 17.

As we did last year for the original game we are offering up some quick impressions of the Left 4 Dead 2 demo release which features two levels in the game's introductory Parish campaign.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

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Feature: How 10 US cities will fare in the zombie apocalypse

Posted Oct 30th 2009 12:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Culture, Features, FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

Scenario: The zombie apocalypse is at hand. What do you do? What DO you do? If you the four person teams in Left 4 Dead and its upcoming sequel Left 4 Dead 2, you run around and start shooting as many of the undead as you can as you move from place to place.

The original game from Valve takes place in areas of Pennsylvania while Left 4 Dead 2 is in New Orleans and the surrounding Louisiana area. But what if the zombie apocalypse hit other US cities like they did in Valve's games? We decided to look at 10 such cities and postulate what would be the good, the bad and the worse thing that could happen to those cities if flesh-eating folks invaded. For how other cities around the world would do the same thing check out Game Daily's sister feature.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

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Left 4 Dead 2 PC demo finally released for pre-orders

Posted Oct 28th 2009 8:30PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, Demos, FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

After over a full day's delay, Valve has now released the PC demo for Left 4 Dead 2 via their Steam service for those folks who pre-ordered the zombie co-op shooter sequel. Valve has not commented on why the PC demo was delayed from its planned released on Tuesday (the Xbox 360 version was released as scheduled) but early this morning people who had previously pre-loaded the PC demo got a pretty massive update via Steam

As promised, the demo has some levels from the game's Parish campaign with access to all of the new melee weapons in the full version along with all of the game's new special "infected" zombies. The demo will unlock for everyone else on November 2 and the full version of Left 4 Dead 2 will ship on November 17.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

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Left 4 Dead 2 PC demo still not out but Steam updates go live

Posted Oct 28th 2009 4:30PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Downloads, Demos, FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

It's 4:30 pm Eastern time as this post goes live and, well, there are a lot of unhappy Left 4 Dead 2 fans out there. It's been over a day since the expected release of the PC demo for pre-orders of Valve's zombie shooter via Steam but the release has seemlngly been pushed back yet again. Xbox 360 owners have been playing the demo for over a day on their console. Meanwhile Valve has been pushing new updates to the PC pre-load without unlocking the demo to actually play. That includes a rather massive update that was released early this morning. The current expected release is now for 5 pm ET but it's more than possible that could change.

Although we are still waiting for the demo, Valve has updated the Steam client that fixes some Windows 7 issues. Steam has also added an email confirmation system for security reasons for people who want to change their contact info, password and other items on their account.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2