Looking for an early start at the zombie apocalypse? According to its Left 4 Dead product page, GameStop is offering early access to the much discussed demo for the upcoming co-op shooter. From November 6 until November 11 pre-order customers will have access the demo which Valve's Doug Lombardi recently confirmed would include the first two maps of the first level (each level is five maps in length) of the game. There is no word when the demo will release for non pre-orders but with a few days between the end of the early access and the November 18 release of the game we anticipate it to be shortly before launch. Anticipate and hope is the same thing, right?
Today, Valve released the entire 1000 Gamerscore list of Left 4 Dead achievements, because they know there are obsessive achievement fanboys who need to be informed. The list of achievements (viewable after the jump) is a nice blend of individual, cooperative and even a few zombie based achievements. You know, ones that'll have you attempting to "cover four Survivors with Boomer bile at once" to unlock "Barf Bagged." Note too that a good portion of the Gamerscore is allocated to protecting and saving your Survivor companions. So, no team killing. Okay?
If you've pre-ordered Left 4 Dead -- and we wouldn't blame you -- consider yourself part of a new sales phenomenon. Valve's Doug Lombardi made it known yesterday that Left 4 Dead pre-orders at retail are already outpacing those of The Orange Box during the same time frame by 65%. Said Lombardi, "With just over four weeks until launch, Left 4 Dead is showing every sign of topping The Orange Box on both the PC and Xbox 360, at retail as well as on Steam." The upshot of all this? Evidently people like shooting zombies, and apparently they love shooting them with friends.
We're ready, zombie-plan in hand for the upcoming apocalypse -- sponsored by Valve. While we're confident our survival guide is top-notch we wouldn't mind a test run before the actual catastrophic event takes place, luckily Doug Lombardi confirmed a Left 4 Dead demo is headed our way soon.
Speaking with IGN, Lombardi -- VP of Marketing at Valve -- confirmed an upcoming demo of Left 4 Dead will drop prior to the game hitting store shelves and will take place, "from the front of the Survivor's first campaign (including the opening movie)." The two map (or level) demo showcases the first two missions of the game where four survivors attempt to work their way to the roof of Mercy Hospital for extraction.
While a specific date for the demo has not been confirmed, Lombardi did tell IGN that gamers should expect the demo to land on the Xbox Live Marketplace and Steam early in the month of November. Left 4 Dead hits stores on November 17.
You know, we like puns and silly humor here at the Joystiq Network (just look at any headline from Alexander or Ludwig). Valve? Now there's a committed bunch to a joke. Months ago Valve released the box art for its upcoming co-op infused shooter, Left 4 Dead. The box art followed a simple, yet witty checklist: Deformed hand of a dead zombie? Check. Four fingers shouting out to the title and number of players in a squad? Check. But, something was ... missing.
Today, Valve corrected one tiny error to make the joke complete. The original image on the box art has been flipped to appear as though it were a left hand. Get it? Left. 4. Dead. We really hope no one paid extra for a few Photoshop keystrokes.
GameTrailers has released an extended version of its interview with Chet Faliszek, writer for Left 4 Dead. The interview focuses on the game's playable zombies, who do their best to do in the opposing team of human survivors. Competitive play has players switching between the human survivors and the zombie Infected each round. After each team plays as both sides, the score is tallied based on which team of survivors made it the farthest. Those controlling the Infected will utilze the special abilities of the more unique zombies such as the Smoker, who can reel humans in with a very long tongue. Working together, the Infected can create unique strategies to bring the humans down. An example given in the video is to reel in a player with a Smoker, and then use a Boomer character's vomit to attract more zombies to the area.
Oh yeah, did we mention that players controlling a Boomer get to use vomit as a weapon? Yeah, they do.
Valve's Gabe Newell has confirmed to VideoGamer.com that a Left 4 Dead demo is on its way to the Xbox Live Marketplace. Trust us when we tell you that this is very good news. The demo is set to include single-player and online co-op (!) and will feature "the first part of one of the campaigns," which Newell suggest will "probably" be the Hospital level that has been shown to the press (though the final decision rests with Doug Lombardi). Unfortunately, there is no concrete release date set for the demo just yet. Here's hoping we get it before the game's November 21 release. Sooner would be better than later, because our zombie shooting trigger finger is itchy.
[Thanks, Rob]
After taking Left 4 Dead for a survival horror test drive during E3 2008, we came away quite impressed! Read our E3 Left 4 Dead impressions to learn why Valve's latest zombie masterpiece will have you screaming with bloody enjoyment.
It's no secret that we heart Left 4 Dead. What we played of the game at E3 was excellent, and we're hard pressed to think of another game releasing this year with such a heavy emphasis on team play. Quite simply, if you don't protect your teammates, you all die. Until now, there has only been footage of the PC version of the game, which is the version we played at E3. Thanks to GameVideos, however, we now have brand new footage of the game running on an Xbox 360. The verdict: it looks great. Check out the video above to see exactly we can't wait to take part in the zombie apocalypse this November.
Update: Sorry kids. Video formatting is fixed.
[Thanks, Jose O]
After taking Left 4 Dead for a survival horror test drive during E3 2008, we came away quite impressed! Read our E3 Left 4 Dead impressions to learn why Valve's latest zombie masterpiece will have you screaming with bloody enjoyment.
Posted Aug 26th 2008 11:00AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Coming straight from the Leipzig Games Convention floor is a brand new Left 4 Dead teaser trailer courtesy of the fine folks over at Valve. And, if you weren't aware that zombies could throw chunks of concrete through the air, then be prepared to be in utter amazement as an overly large zombie (steroids maybe?) attacks our four friends. The buff zombie is also very sweaty and reflective ... that's just a random observation.
Posted Aug 25th 2008 1:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
During a Leipzig video interview with Gamekings, Valve's own Gabe Newell broke some depressing Left 4 Dead release date news, making mention that the game will not release on November 4th as initially expected. Instead, Left 4 Dead will be releasing on Thursday, November 20th, which (admittedly) is only a few weeks later. But what's up the odd Thursday retail release? Well, the reason (as Mr. Newell points out) is due to the fact that November 20th is the tenth anniversary of Half-Life's release. How freakin' adorable.
Posted Aug 13th 2008 9:45AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Exciting news fanboys! Left 4 Dead - Valve's co-op zombie survival game that we totally gushed about during E3 - will be going on a world tour, allowing gamers from across the globe to witness what a true zombie co-op experience is like. We've been informed that the PC version of Left 4 Dead will be playable at the German Leipzig Games Convention, France's Festival du Jeu Video and the UK's PC Gamer Showdown. And about the Xbox 360 version? Attendees of the Penny Arcade Expo will get a chance to see the debut of the 360 version of Left 4 Dead and snag some free swag! And wouldn't you know, X3F be attending PAX this year! Coincidence? We think not.
After taking Left 4 Dead for a survival horror test drive during E3 2008, we came away quite impressed! Read our E3 Left 4 Dead impressions to learn why Valve's latest zombie masterpiece will have you screaming with bloody enjoyment.
Rumors have been swirling as to the exclusivity of Valve's upcoming team-zombie-shooter, Left 4 Dead. In its latest edition, Official PlayStation Magazine claimed a PS3 version of the game was in the works by an internal team at Electronic Arts -- distributors of Valve retail products. Attempting to confirm or debunk the rumor IGN contacted Valve's Doug Lombardi who quickly shot down the rumor, "there is no PS3 version of Left 4 Dead currently in production."
Could it still happen? Sure. But as it stands it looks like Xbox 360 fans will have exclusive console rights to the anticipated shooter. That means we'll all have to deal with it being called a worthless exclusive and subpar shooter until it is confirmed for the PS3 and then have it be claimed as one of the best and biggest exclusive losses since ... oh I don't know, Final Fantasy XIII comes to mind. Just saying.
Posted Jul 21st 2008 11:30PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
After falling in love with the game during E3, Valve's Xbox 360 exclusive co-op zombie killing fest-of-awesomeness, Left 4 Dead has secured a piece of our video game heart. And today Valve released the game's official box art featuring an abundance of the color green, a dismembered hand (very similar to the Dead Space artwork) and absolutely no thumbs. After all, it is called Left 4 Dead and having a fifth finger would totally mess up the "4" vibe they were going for. Full size and thumbless Left 4 Dead box art is viewable after the jump.
We'll come out and say this: Valve's Left 4 Dead impressed the hell out of us. We were not expecting its co-op focused gameplay to be so addictive, intense and so mind-blowingly zombie'riffic. From the game's look to the presentation all the way through experiencing the affects of zombie vomit, we enjoyed our Left 4 Dead ride. Admittedly though, we should make it clear that we only received hands on time with the PC version (mouse and keyboard FTL!), but were told that the 360 version will be nigh identical. Enough setup, let's get to the impressions. Read on to get the Left 4 Dead impressions dish.
Our BFFs at Joystiq are hard at work playing through upcoming games so they can drop expert knowledge into your waiting arms.
Like our own Fallout 3 and Banjo Kazooie:Creation Tools hands-on features, expect an in depth report sprinkled with some wacky humor. Here is a recap of all the features Joystiq has been working on. Expect more expert analysis as E3 continues throughout the week and beyond.
After taking Left 4 Dead for a survival horror test drive during E3 2008, we came away quite impressed! Read our E3 Left 4 Dead impressions to learn why Valve's latest zombie masterpiece will have you screaming with bloody enjoyment.
Our BFFs at Joystiq are hard at work playing through upcoming games so they can drop expert knowledge into your waiting arms.
