valve posts

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.

Looks like the so-called "protest" by a group of gamers against the release of Left 4 Dead 2 had just about zero effect on pre-orders for Valve's zombie shooter sequel. According to Computer and Video Games' Valve's Chet Faliszek stated that pre-orders have come in at "four times" the amount of the original game released just a year ago.

And what about those protesters who feel that releasing Left 4 Dead 2 just over a year after the original would split the community and is simply a way for Valve to get more money? Faliszek states that there will always be someone complaining about something and adds, "Honestly I made the joke and it's true: If you put $20 in a box and charge $10 for it someone would complain you didn't put $50 in a box."

Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford must be flying high on the critical and sales success of their first person shooter Borderlands. And he's not afraid to speak his mind on any number of subjects. A few weeks ago we reported that he made statements that were high critical of Valve, saying their ownership of the Steam download platform was a conflict of Interest and that smaller developers were being exploited. Smaller developers who have worked with Valve to get their games on Steam quickly defended Valve, saying their distribution terms were better than others.

Now Pitchford has reportedly taken a few more shots at Valve's expense. Industry Gamers reports that Pitchford, quoted in a new issue of the U.K.'s Official PlayStation Magazine, stated, "Valve think their own stuff is the only stuff that matters, to the point where they have their own distribution platform." While he does feel Steam itself is a good system he added, " . . . . at the same time they're reliant on the rest of the world. They had to do that [Left 4 Dead] deal with EA. When I see the L4D ad on the television I don't see a Valve logo, I see an EA logo, and when I bought it, I bought it at a store." It's pretty clear that Pitchford would like to see Steam be handled as a separate business with no connections to Valve.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Valve isn't the only company offering surprise sales of its games. For the past few days Valve has been offering Team Fortress 2 for just $2.50 or $2.49 for a couple of hours each day. Now Electronic Arts is offering a special Halloween themed sale (via it's own download store) for The Sims 3.

Yep, the best selling people sim game is available to purchase and download for today only for $29.99. That's a saving of $20 compared to its normal $49.99 price. Not quite as good as picking up Team Fortress 2 for almost nothing but it will save you some money when the first expansion pack, The Sims 3 World Adventures, is released later in November.

[Via Joystiq]