Left 4 Dead (PC, Xbox 360)

[Kailuaboy]

Left 4 Dead Survival Pack Unveiled

By Brian Crecente,
11:24 AM on Thu Feb 5 2009



The long-talked-about, much-anticipated Left 4 Dead expansion pack, first mentioned on Kotaku, hits the PC and Xbox 360 this spring.

The L4D Survival Pack introduces a new multiplayer game mode entitled, Survival, plus two complete campaigns for Versus Mode, Valve announced today. They also say that a Critic's Choice Edition of the game is heading to retail stores this spring, and will include access to all the content introduced in the L4D: Survival Pack.

In addition, PC gamers will be able to get their hands on the first Left 4 Dead release for the Source Software Development Kit which will allow the creation of custom Left 4 Dead campaigns that will be discoverable via L4D's matchmaking system. The SDK update is also due for release this spring, and is free of charge to all owners of L4D on the PC.

"Since Half-Life launched in 1998, Valve has made continuous efforts to expand the offering of its products beyond what's included on the day of launch," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "With Half-Life and Counter-Strike, and more recently Team Fortress 2, we've learned that we're no longer making stand-alone games but creating entertainment services. With Left 4 Dead we're extending that tradition by creating additional gameplay and releasing our internal tools to aspiring developers so they may also create and distribute new Left 4 Dead experiences."

OK, you can run around shouting now.


http://kotaku.com/5147229/left-4-dead-s ... k-unveiled

[Kailuaboy]

Left 4 Dead Survival Pack Will Be Free

By Brian Crecente,
11:30 AM on Wed Feb 11 2009



The recently announced Left 4 Dead Survival pack for the Xbox 360 and PC will be free, Valve announced today.

The pack, due this spring, introduces a new multiplayer game mode entitled, Survival, plus two complete campaigns for Versus Mode (Death Toll, Dead Air). A Critic's Choice Edition of the game will be heading to retail stores this spring, and will include access to all the content introduced in the L4D: Survival Pack.

Well played, Valve. Well played.

Check this out for a full run down of the pack.


http://kotaku.com/5151646/left-4-dead-s ... ll-be-free

[Kailuaboy]

More info on Left 4 Dead's new Survival mode

Posted Feb 10th 2009
1:00PM by John Callaham



Last week, Valve announced that they would be adding an all new "Survival" mode into their hit zombie co-op shooter Left 4 Dead as part of a free content update for the game later this spring. Now GameTrailers.com has posted up more info on the new mode via a video repeat of the latest Spike TV episode GameTrailersTV.

According to the clip (which is near the end of the episode) Survival mode is a bit similar to the Nazi Zombie mode in Call of Duty: World at War in that players will have to survive waves upon waves of zombies for as long as possible. As with the game's other modes, there is support for up to four players in Survival mode. 12 maps will support the new mode, although the clip does not make clear if the maps are all new, made up or existing Left 4 Dead maps or a mixture of both.


http://news.bigdownload.com/2009/02/10/ ... ival-mode/

[Kailuaboy]

Will you survive Left 4 Dead DLC?

by Joseph Kaminski
March 6, 2009 6:34 AM PST


For some time now I've only been a two-console owner, the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. I received a lot of flack from co-workers and friends for not having an Xbox 360 and was even referred to as a "Sony fanboy."

Then Valve released Left 4 Dead and a group of us from the office downloaded the demo and had a little PC LAN party. From that moment I knew I had to add that game to my library; however, it was only available for the PC and Xbox 360. I was never a big PC gamer. So that left me only one option: get my hands on an Xbox 360. As fate would have it, I got one for my birthday.

I purchased Left 4 Dead. And played the hell out it; most of my friends list is compiled of people I met during online play (only the ones who healed me, and didn't leave me behind).

After a week of play and finally surviving all the campaigns, I wanted more. For some time now we've heard about an update coming as early as March or April that would bring some new life to this living dead shooter. But Thursday, IGN did a hands-on with the developers of Left 4 Dead, learned a few tricks, and posted actual game play video. First is "Survival Mode," and it's just that: the game will throw hordes and hordes of zombies at you until you die. Before the unending assault begins, players will have time to collect health kits, weapons, gasoline tanks, and other items. There's no time limit for this; the timer doesn't start until someone hits the button. Once that's done, be ready for a furious zombie onslaught.

According to IGN, "there are all sorts of personal records you can accumulate. The most obvious one is trying to get a best time for each of the 16 Survival levels in the game. There are extra incentives as well. You can earn bronze, silver, and gold medals if you survive long enough. Though the medal times for each map will be tailored for each map, right now the basic idea is that you need to survive for at least 4 minutes to get bronze, 6 minutes to get silver, and 8 minutes to get gold. Of course, online leaderboards will also let you compare your times with those of our friends for bragging rights." (In our play session, the best we ever got was within a minute of earning silver.)



Link

The other new addition is a Versus mode for both the Death Toll and the Dead Air campaign. This allows two teams to take turns playing the survivors or zombies, in an-all out "who's the best" competition. When Left 4 Dead originally shipped, only two of its campaigns were playable in Versus mode. The upcoming update will be free for the Xbox 360 and PC, and expanding the killing fess with the addition of Death Toll and Dead Air to versus mode.


http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-101 ... ncol;title

[Kailuaboy]

PSA: Run! Left 4 Dead's Tank now bats 1000

by Xav de Matos
{ Mar 15th 2009 at 7:30PM }



Before this glorious weekend began, Valve listed a few fixes the latest update of Left 4 Dead addressed. Apart from your standard server and back end issue fixes -- listed after the break -- Valve saw fit to update the Tank. Clearly the unholy creature was taken down a notch because of his behemoth desire for absolute destruction, right? Actually, the Tank was given the ability to hit all survivors with one melee strike. In essence, he's more ruthless than ever before.

Read more:

[Kailuaboy]

Valve Details Next Week's Left 4 Dead Survival Pack


By Michael McWhertor
6:20 PM on Thu Apr 16 2009



The free Left 4 Dead "Survival Pack" expansion is slated to hit next week. The Xbox 360 and PC add-on officially makes two more campaigns playable in Versus mode, adding another all-new gameplay mode, Survival.

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[Kailuaboy]

The cruel science of Left 4 Dead's Survival Mode exposed


by Griffin McElroy
{ Apr 17th 2009 at 11:25AM }



If you and your three favorite undead-massacring accomplices are already strategizing in anticipation of next week's release of Left 4 Dead's punishing Survival Mode, you might want to turn your attention to a recent post on the L4D blog. Two of the game's developers have broken down the zombie spawning mechanics of the new mode, explaining the steps they took to slowly ramp up difficulty over time while avoiding harsh difficulty spikes. We still consider the arrival of a Tank a "harsh difficulty spike," but to each his own.

It's worth checking out, if only to see what goes into the development of the beloved AI Director. It's like watching a baby grow! A sadistic, hateful baby.

[ Via Big Download ]



http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/17/the-c ... e-exposed/

[Kailuaboy]

Left 4 Dead 'Survival Pack' Update Hits PC


by Chris Faylor
Apr 21, 2009 4:58pm CST



The Survival Pack update for Valve's multiplayer zombie-killer Left 4 Dead has now been released on PC, following the debut of the Xbox 360 downloadable content this morning.

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[Kailuaboy]

First Impressions Of Left 4 Dead's New Survival Mode


By Michael McWhertor,
1:00 PM on Wed Apr 22 2009



If you plan on playing Left 4 Dead's new Survival mode, get a microphone. Communication, as already noted by Valve itself, is key. And if you are new to the game, don't start with Survival.

Because the new mode is rather difficult. My first go in Survival mode, on the newly released "The Last Stand" map, lasted about 90 seconds. We were, of course, a quartet of Survival noobs, unfamiliar with the trappings of the map's abandoned lighthouse, clearly unprepared for the cycle of quickly spawning Tanks. None of us had to face three Smokers at once until now. Few of the game's maps are as exposed (and obviously unfamiliar) as "The Last Stand," adding to the challenge.

By the end of our first session, with players scattered across the country, we'd valiantly held out for an epic three minutes, fifty-three seconds.

By the end of the night, with a second group of friendly Survivors, we'd increased that by a good two minutes. Not bad, but not good by any stretch.

Read more:

[Kailuaboy]

'Left 4 Dead' Wins Élan Game Of The Year


Posted by Stephen Johnson
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 8:16 AM



Valve's first-person zombie Apocalypse game Left 4 Dead swept the Élan awards this year, winning the Video Game of the Year award, Best PC Game, Best Game Design, and Outstanding Technical Innovation at the ceremony this weekend in Vancouver, Canada. The only award the game was nominated for and didn't win was Best Console Game. That award went to Bethesda's Fallout 3.

The Élan Awards have been around for three years, and honor both video games and animation. This year, the ceremony was hosted by Tom "SpongeBob SquarePants" Kenny. While originally started to honor specifically Canadian game makers, the Élan Awards have since gone international, and now honor video games and animation from all over the world.

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[Kailuaboy]

Shack PSA: Left 4 Dead 24-hour Free Trial Coming to Steam This Friday


by Nick Breckon
Apr 29, 2009 6:40pm CST



Valve today announced that it will run a 24-hour free trial for its popular multiplayer shooter Left 4 Dead this Friday.

The trial will begin on Friday at 12:01 am GMT (7:01 pm EST Thursday), and will include the recent Survival pack content. Those interested can pre-load the content ahead of time on Steam.



http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/58409

[Kailuaboy]

Play Left 4 Dead 4 free 4 24 hours


by Julie Rivera
April 30, 2009 4:33 PM PDT


(Credit: Steam)

Update: Left 4 Dead is currently discounted on Steam's website at 40% off (from $39.99 to $23.99), but just for this weekend only.


If you haven't tried playing Left 4 Dead yet because of the price, or aren't sure about the game in general, that's OK. Valve has decided to let you try it out for free.

At 5:01 p.m. PDT Thursday, you'll be able to download and play the game for free via Steam for a whole 24 hours. Better still, to get your full 24-hour allotment of play time Steam allows you to preload it to your account right now.

This isn't a free-forever offer, nor is there going to be a discount available afterward (as with what happened with UT3 in March). Alas, the game will be locked again the following night, but at least it will give you a chance to play and decide for yourself. Obviously, Valve is hoping you'll love it and send some cash their way to keep playing.


http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-102 ... ncol;title

[Kailuaboy]

Left 4 Dead Can Track Your Statistics From Beyond The Grave


By Luke Plunkett,
9:30 PM on Thu Apr 30 2009



Valve have implemented a great new feature within Left 4 Dead that, courtesy of Steam's obsession with cataloguing data, is able to track and display your game stats.

This new stats page can track you performance (kills, deaths, survival time, etc) over time, and show stuff like how often you use each weapon and play as each character. It will then allow you to compare your stats to other players, letting you swing dicks with your friends as well as seek out other players of a similar skill level to your own.

You can even filter out "undesirable" types, as the stats will also record things like how many times a player has killed their teammates.


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[2goodbucs]

I just got this game a few days ago. I played online only to find out I am the ONLY guy getting butt raped by the Tank. EVERYONE else is dying because of friendly fire but as for me...my okole hurts.

[Kailuaboy]

Left 4 Dead On A Crash Course To New DLC


By Mike Fahey
11:40 AM on Tue Aug 4 2009



Left 4 Dead 2 doesn't mean the end of downloadable content for the original game, as Valve announces Crash Course, a new single-player, multiplayer, and versus mode campaign for the Xbox 360 and PC.

Crash Course ties together the No Mercy and Death Toll campaigns from the original release, adding a little bit of continuity to the title and taking the piss out of the daring helicopter rescue at the end of No Mercy all at once. It just won't be as much of a relief once you know that the helicopter isn't going to stay airborne long enough to do your team any good.


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