Left 4 Dead 2 Message Board older than one year ago

#valve The first downloadable episode for Valve's southern fried zombie shooter Left 4 Dead 2 didn't make its originally scheduled "late March" release. Thankfully, it looks like "The Passing" campaign will make a late April release. More »

#screengrab Chet over at Valve just sent us this sweet personalized Zune with fancy Left 4 Dead 2 engraving to give away on the site. More »

We're not exactly used to finding out hot scoops on Valve's game projects from Xbox Live's "Inside Xbox" feature "SENTUAMESSAGE," so it was especially odd to us when we heard that Left 4 Dead 2's upcoming Left 4 Dead 1 crossover DLC "The Passing" got an official price (560/$7) -- and an ambiguous new release date of "Spring" -- from the feature. But that's just what the latest episode told us, not to mention a handful of new deets on the DLC, including info on new variations of enemies and a few new weapons.

Back at X10 in February, Valve told us that the content was set to arrive on Xbox Live/Steam by "late March," though it seems that the window has been extended a few more months. We've fired off an email to Valve to see if a more solid release date exists, and we'll keep you updated if we hear anything back. In the meantime, we've embedded the Inside Xbox clip after the break.

[Via Kotaku]

#dlc A video broadcast to U.K. Xbox Live subscribers confirms suspicions that Left 4 Dead 2's "The Passing" DLC won't be available by March 31, with the date moved to a more vague "Spring." But it will cost 560 Microsoft points. More »

Valve's at it again with another midweek sale, this time carefully trimming 50 percent off the price of its latest, Left 4 Dead 2. This brings the game down to the very decent price of $25, until Thursday, March 25 at 4pm PDT -- leaving you ample dollars and cents to stock up on additional ammo for the real zombie apocalypse that will no doubt one day happen. Seriously, it's gonna happen.

But, we digress. If digital distribution isn't your thing, L4D2 is also on sale on Amazon today, allowing you to get a physical copy of the game on either the Xbox 360 or PC for the same price. For once, beggars can be choosers!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

#valve The first add-on for zombie apocalypse shooter Left 4 Dead 2 may be more expansive than Valve originally lead us to believe. A new update on the downloadable campaign "The Passing" promises new "game modes." More »

"Value over here!"

If you've wanted to move on to Left 4 Dead 2's new foursome of survivors but were afraid we'd judge you because of our not-so-hot review, we have two important notes: one, we appreciate the sentiment, but you're probably worrying too much about what we think; and, two, you can pick up the game for just $34 on Xbox 360 -- or just $24 on PC -- today from Amazon, which even we haters can agree is a steal.

Even if you're a total Left 4 Dead 1 devotee, aren't you the least bit curious how your beloved quartet of zombie slayers will be tied to the new kids?

We never thought we'd have to slap a spoiler warning on a post about downloadable content for the Left 4 Dead franchise -- and yet, here we are. The latest episode of GameTrailers TV revealed an intriguing plot point about the pair of new chapters for the original game and sequel. We respect that some of you might want to remain in the dark about the DLC until you finally get your hands on it. For the rest of you, check out the details just past the jump.

#valve Valve's poster for Left 4 Dead 2's The Passing downloadable content finally gets a tagline: Nobody Survives Forever. And while the original survivors will be showing up at the beginning of The Passing, only three make it to the end. More »

#valve While it wasn't listed among the other Valve games that were getting Mac OS X support earlier today, the original Left 4 Dead is also making its way to Apple computers alongside its sequel. More »

The initial announcement of Steam for Mac conspicuously omitted the inclusion of the first Left 4 Dead game. The Left 4 Dead blog, however, confirms that the original game will migrate to Mac along with the rest of the announced Valve games in "late Spring." The post makes it sound as if both games will be added at the same time, but that remains unconfirmed. Because of Valve's Steam Play technology, you'll be able to play either game on either Mac or PC, with the ability to share your progress between the two platforms.

Even better, you'll be able to play with other people across platforms! "Mac and Windows players can go head-to-head," Valve notes in the announcement, "since both Left 4 Deads are cross-platform compatible. Mac owners can even host their own servers and create their own maps, just like Windows users." Cross-platform play means that all of these new-to-you Valve games are going to come with massive built-in communities.Left 4 Dead 1 & 2 to feature cross-platform play between Mac & PC

Some familiar faces show up to give you a helping hand in The Passing downloadable content.

So what's the appropriate greeting for when you pass another survivor in the zombie apocalypse? We'll find out next month, when Valve plans to release the first Left 4 Dead 2 DLC campaign, "The Passing," on Xbox 360 and PC. The Passing will feature non-playable appearances by the original Left 4 Dead cast (those shadowy figures in the background there), who will aid L4D2's four survivors during the third act of the new campaign, which is set in rural Georgia.

Not one to leave holes in a good story, Valve will explain the original survivors' frantic journey to Georgia by way of -- yes, it's really happening -- a new DLC add-on for Left 4 Dead 1 (not compatible with L4D2). No additional details were provided about the upcoming L4D1 DLC by Valve at X10 today, but it will follow the release of The Passing campaign and a digital comic (illustrated by Michael Avon Oeming) that will tie together the two DLC stories.

Additionally, Valve confirmed that The Passing will also include new arenas for Survival, Versus and Scavenge modes, and a new co-op challenge mode. Players will also encounter a new "uncommon common" infected, dubbed the Fallen Survivor, which randomly drop items when killed. The Passing is currently on track for a "late March" release.

Ellis: So, this one time, me and my buddy, Keith, we saw these infected Valentine cards on the internet. And Keith was like, "Hey, we could make some money selling those." So he got out his little sister's box of crayons and made a couple. Then, I was like, "Keith, we ain't gonna make no money selling five cards." So he spent a whole year drawing, like, a thousand cards or something. Then we saw new versions of those cards, like, to download the next year and ...

Rochelle: Ellis, sweetie. Not now.

Ellis: Okay.

[Thanks for the tip, Jesse!]

Source - Valve Valentine 2010 [PDF]

Be on the lookout for the new uncommon common in this bloody walkthrough from X10.

Shove them back in this brutal walkthrough from X10.

You know how you always wonder for that split second what it would be like to murder the paperboy when he rides by on his bike? What? His undeveloped, childish arm can never get the damn paper on your porch! Well, according to figures from the Left 4 Dead Blog, you've killed him. A whole bunch.

Or how about the in-laws? Oh man, you murdered them cold-blooded in Left 4 Dead 2. Basically, if every person on the planet was a zombie in the game, you've killed them -- 4.26 times. That would mean you've killed them, resurrected them, killed them again -- ah, you get it.

Another interesting figure: if the average height of a zombie is six feet tall, you stacked enough undead corpses end-to-end to circle the globe 1,322 times. You know how that's in italics? That's because it's crazy. In short: you are really good at killing zombies. Hey, don't feel bad for so much genocide! That's how it goes in the zombie apocalypse.

FIFA 10 lifetime sales near 10 million.

Valve has followed through with its promise to bring bots to Left 4 Dead 2's Versus mode -- which was frantic enough before all the A.I.-controlled ghouls got added in. A recent patch added the functionality and made a few tweaks to the software development kit, which allows players to make awesome levels based on awesome Nintendo 64 games. Check out the full list of changes after the jump.

The Steam blog post announcing the patch's release promises that the changes will be integrated into the 360 version of the game via an upcoming title update.

Microsoft will hold its X10 event in San Francisco next month, giving us our first looks at Fable 3, Halo: Reach and Left 4 Dead 2 add-ons. The invite-only event will also include other games expected in 2010, including Alan Wake, Crackdown 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Final Fantasy XIII and the Xbox Game Room. Microsoft's "X" events have been held for the last few trips around the sun by our health-insured brothers in Canada. We'll surely be in attendance for the February 11 event and get you info as soon as we can. We'd let you tap into our ocular implants, but the event won't have wi-fi for an uplink. Sorry.

Question: What's the only thing scarier than a looming horde of normal-speed zombies? Answer: A looming horde of normal-speed zombies with robot brains. That's the kind of nightmare we'll soon be facing once Valve puts the finishing touches on an update for Left 4 Dead 2, which will add Infected bots to the game's Versus mode to help balance out one-on-one games. In addition, Valve's doing some tweaking to the zombie auto-spawning which occurs during the finale events in Versus mode. Apparently, the developer decided that the average 34.56% chance of survival for the human team was a little too low, and is trying to balance things out by disabling auto-spawning during the campaigns' climaxes. Of course, none of that will matter when the human team is attempting to escape from robot zombies. Gallery: Left 4 Dead 2

Microsoft has officially confirmed that the previously European-only Left 4 Dead 2 multiplayer event for silver members will now also occur in the US. The promotion begins this Friday, January 15, at 9AM Pacific and runs (screaming in horror) for 72 hours. During that same time, Last.fm will also be available to silver members. Now, if one does take advantage of this event, we have a suggestion: Please put on the Morrissey station on Last.fm and contemplate why you own Left 4 Dead 2 with a silver account? No need to answer now, just take your time and listen to some introspective tunes before answering.

Get to Know Your Tools

If you've been sitting around on your hands waiting for the next free opportunity to play Left 4 Dead 2 on Xbox Live with your friends, well, we think you're a bit strange and should likely find a better habit. That being said, you'll be happy to hear that the game will be free-to-play for all Xbox Live members (even you lower class Silver folks) next weekend, starting promptly at 12:00PM ET on Friday, January 15, and finishing up on Monday the 18th (also at noon, as confirmed to CVG by Microsoft). We can't imagine that those of you still holding out will be convinced of an Xbox Live Gold account's worth after just one weekend, but it certainly can't hurt, now can it?

We were far too busy a-wassailing yesterday to notice, but Valve released a soon-to-be-holiday-classic that we think is going to catch on like wildfire. It's the latest track from Left 4 Dead 2's quartet of bearded troubadours, the Midnight Riders, titled "All I Want for Christmas (Is To Kick Your Ass)." It's a lot like that one song with the similar title, only ... with more ass-kicking, we guess. Unsurprisingly, it's not suitable for work -- but incredibly suitable for your family gatherings. Click past the jump to rekindle that holiday spirit.

Not content with unleashing a full-blown zombie apocalypse, Valve has come up with the second most socially awkward event imaginable: inviting characters from the original Left 4 Dead to hang out in the sequel's first DLC campaign. Bill, Louis, Zoey and Francis will meet with the stars of Left 4 Dead 2 in "The Passing," which Valve VP of marketing Doug Lombardi calls "the most important campaign in the Left 4 Dead story, as all the Survivors are being called together in one campaign." It's targeted for release in early 2010 on Xbox 360 and PC. In addition to a co-op campaign (set in rural Georgia) and a new "co-operative challenge mode of play," The Passing will offer new content for Survival, Versus and Scavenge modes. Playing as the L4D2 cast, you can also expect to encounter a new melee weapon, firearm and "uncommon common" zombie. We can't wait to meet up with last year's survivors again ... oh, assuming they really are still survivors.

In its ongoing support of Left 4 Dead 2 on the PC, Valve has issued another patch for the game, fixing a number of problems including physics crashes and hit boxes on the Charger, Jockey and Spitter. Some of the exploits PC gamers have stumbled upon have also been eradicated, including incapped survivors improving their weapon accuracy by holding the crouch button -- though we wouldn't call that an exploit so much as a natural evolution in the face of the zombie threat. Good, old-fashioned human ingenuity is what will win us this war, people! You can head past the break for the full patch notes. An update for the Xbox 360 will be available "later this month."

Valve apparently threw Boomer bile all over Left 4 Dead 2, because hordes of consumers gobbled up two million retail copies globally since its release a couple weeks ago. Valve won't release the Steam digital distribution sales data, which is not included in the retail count. According to the developer, sales are currently double that of the original, with "Black Friday" helping to push copies into the hands of players (who now have their hands full with two Tanks, a Spitter, a Hunter, and a Jockey coming in for the kill). Valve also noted that information about L4D2's first batch of downloadable content would be coming very soon.

Valve promises to have DLC news for us all very soon, too.