VALVE ANNOUNCES LEFT 4 DEAD 2: AWAKENS GAMERS INNER HITLER

Left 4 Dead 2 was recently announced at E3, and well.. all hell broke loose I guess you could say. If by hell you mean a 10,000 + strong army of boycotters. I’m really surprised to see that Valve did not see this backlash coming. Of all developers in the world, Valve knows and understands their audience better than anybody. They have had some of the most hardcore fans any developer could ever ask for. Maybe even too hardcore. But I think it’s understandable. Valve makes superior games which makes them easy to sell because let’s face it, not many developers can make a well polished, quality title quite like Valve. That is, until Left 4 Dead came along.

All was well at first, but then complaints started to arise. For me, it was mainly because there wasn’t enough campaigns to play through. “Only 4 campaigns Valve? Ahhhh.. no worries! It’s Valve! They’ll put out a couple of patches to improve gameplay, and surely they would at least double the amount of campaigns I can kill Zombies in. Watch.. just watch. They’ll announce all the DLC they will have coming out for Left 4 Dead at E3.”

Wait.. what? Left 4 Dead 2 was announced instead!?

And that’s when 10,000 + Left 4 Dead fans’ inner Hitler came to the forefront, and the video above is what happens when a developer lets down some of the most hardcore.

Read more on the boycott here…

And if you have not tried out this game yet, I do have to admit it’s a pretty awesome game to play, but I’m done with it now and I have it on sale at Glyde.com. It’s cheaper than buying it used from GameStop so get it before someone else does. I just put it up.

UPDATE from Valve: ‘Ton’ of content makes Left 4 Dead 2 too big to be DLC…

LEFT 4 DEAD 2: AXE GAMEPLAY

I was kind of surprised when Valve announced that they were working on Left 4 Dead 2. It feels like Left 4 Dead just came out. And well, it really did. About 7 months ago. Fans of the game are not that thrilled about it. A lot of gamers who play L4D on Steam have even gone as far as starting a boycott because they’re so upset about this. I don’t blame them! It was a great game, but c’mon! Only 4 missions? I feel like I got robbed in a way. Which is why I just posted it for sale on Glyde.com. So if you haven’t played it yet, you can buy it there, directly from me. I also put up FEAR 2 if you want to buy that as well on Glyde. Go check out that site anyway, they have some good deals.

Anyway.. here is some gameplay of L4D2 and I’ll at least admit, it’s looking awesome. Especially with the axe. But that should have been included in the first L4D 7 months ago. The game was obviously unfinished. But what are you going to do? Valve is running a business and that’s just how it is sometimes. I’ll roll with it. I’m not happy, but I’ll roll with it.

TF2: MEET THE SPY… FINALLY

If you’re a fan of The Orange Box, you’re most likely a fan of Team Fortress 2. If you’re a fan of Team Fortress 2, then you’re a really big fan of the “Meet the” series of videos created by one hell of an artistic team of artists. I’m glad this came out today since I was trying to figure out what game I should play later on. This gives me enough reason to throw the disc back in my 360 and give Team Fortress 2 a go. The game isn’t a Halo or anything, but it’s definitely worth holding onto to play every once in a while. For me at least. Anyway, if any of you play this game and you see me online, send me an invite. I need to learn how to play this game better. All I do is use the guy with the rockets and shotgun. I have yet to used the Spy since I haven’t figured out how yet. Maybe I’ll work on that. Until then, enjoy the video! Hopefully it doesn’t get taken down.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? I WANT TO KNOW!

So what in the hell is inside this box!? This Half-Life inspired video has got me intrigued. If you haven’t watched it yet, I suggest you do because I don’t know how long this video will be up for. As you can see from the image above taken from their website, it seems like this is just a teaser of something bigger to come. But what is it?

I had posted another Half Life ‘viral’ like video not too long ago by The Purchase Brothers. These videos are a bit similar and I can only imagine what a full length film would be like if these two teams of fantastic filmakers combined their talents. Don’t skip out on these videos if you’re a Half Life fan. And if you’re not familiar with Half Life, I ask you why not? Do yourself a huge favor and go buy Valve’s “The Orange Box”. Seriously, it’s one of the best series in the game industry. You can probably even get it used right now. So that’s 5 games inside The Orange Box for probably like, $20. I know the economy is bad and all but c’mon, $20 for 5 awesome games? It was before and it still is, the best video game deal of the century. Check out the video below. I’ll try to find another version to post if this gets deleted soon.

HALF-LIFE 2 MINI SERIES NEEDS TO COME TO THE BIG SCREEN

Just take 5 minutes to go through some of my past blog posts and you are sure to realize I am a big fan of Valve and the Half-Life series. They really are some of the best First Person Shooter games ever made. Well, it seems some even bigger fans of Half-Life have produced their own take on the series in a Half-Real, Half-CG clip appropriately titled “Escape from City 17.” Created by The Purchase Brothers.

More info from their YouTube post:

“The Escape From City 17 short film series is an adaptation based on the Half Life computer game saga by Valve Corporation. Originally envisioned as a project to test out numerous post production techniques, as well as a spec commercial, it ballooned into a multi part series. Filmed guerilla style with no money, no time, no crew, no script, the first two episodes were made from beginning to end on a budget of $500. “

“Valve flew the team out to Seattle last year, and the brothers have been in communication with them since.”

“David and Ian Purchase are commercial directors represented by Sons and Daughters in Toronto. They are working on an unannounced feature film. Not HL related.”

This video was posted on YouTube on February 12 and already, there are 1.1 million hits and over 10,000 comments at the time I am writing this. The Purchase Brothers website has crashed not once, but twice since posting this due to the amount of traffic. Hollywood producers need to take notice as I see a gold mine if they were to create a full Hollywood motion picture. If we were only so lucky.

So would you want to see a Half-Life movie made? What would you rather see, a Half-Life movie or a Halo movie? And should they be made by creative and talented indie directors like The Purchase Brothers? I think so. Either way, I think gamers are obviously ready for it.

GIFT IDEAS FOR YOUR GAMER GIRLFRIEND

PORTAL MAGNETS- $13.50

I don’t know about you but I get a kick out of seeing creative magnets. So much so, I collect them. Usually just when I travel. That’s about the only thing I collect though so don’t think I am some geek who collects coins and stamps as well. OK, now you’re going to think that anyway because I said that.. *sigh* Forget it, just take a look at these magnets, I think they’re pretty cool and my girlfriend does too. Your gamer girlfriend just might like these as well, especially if she is a fan of Portal.

My Gamer girlfriend’s comment: Give a magnet for every achievement your gamer girl unlocks from Portal to remind her how awesome it is to have a girlfriend that is as good at gaming as you are.

PWN STAR T-SHIRT– $20

Ahem.. uhh.. it’s quite obvious why this would make it on my list of gifts for your gamer girlfriend. Do I really need to say anything? It pretty much speaks for itself and it’s spoken in the language of awesome.

My Gamer girlfriend’s comment: J!NX makes the perfect tee for the girl that’s hot and can pwn you at any game!

DS LITE CARRYING CASE- $18.50

Do you have a gamer girlfriend who takes her DS lite with her everywhere she goes? This pink DS Lite case comes with a Alice in Wonderland theme. Which makes me wonder.. did Alice in Wonderland ever become a video game? Hold on, let me check. hahaha, holy shit I just Googled it and it’s already been done. It was made for the GameBoy Color back in 2000. Just when I thought I finally had thought of a game that would never be made!

My Gamer girlfriend’s comment: This has to be the cutest way for your girl to carry around her DS Lite! Smile Recipe makes them in tons of fun fabrics so if this one sells out you’re sure to find another one that suits your gamer girl!

SURVIVAL HORROR CAPPA CUPS – $70

Has your girlfriend played any survival horror games recently? Does she creep herself out by playing these games in the dark? It would be a lot more entertaining for you to see her play this game after a couple of cups of cappuccinos. If you’ve got some extra cash and a girlfriend that absolutely must get her caffeine fix on.. at least make her drink from cups that are interesting to look at.

My Gamer girlfriend’s comment: These 5.5oz espresso cups by Circa Ceramics depict all the essentials of surviving a horror shooter; including a health kit, a flashlight, and a knife. Perfect for the girl who can make it through a survival horror game but can’t survive with out her espresso!

FUZZY COMPANION CUBES – $29.95

Once again for The Orange Box/Portal fans, here is an awesome gift. Probably one of my favorites. But if your girlfriend is a bad driver already, you might want to think twice about these two companion cubes swinging around in the car. It may be too distracting or even illegal in some states. I’m sure she can find another place to hang them though. Just be creative!

My Gamer girlfriend’s comment: What’s cuter than a companion cube? Why, two companions cubes of course! The Valve store is offering these adorable plush companion cubes which are perfect to have hanging from your rear view mirror.. and yea, as long as it’s legal. Otherwise, she can hang it up somewhere at her work or school.

VALVE’S GABE NEWELL: ADVICE FOR GAME STUDENTS

Are you a Game Student? Do you want to be a game developer but aren’t sure if you should go to school for it? Did you already go to school and are trying to get your foot through the door? Y’know, the one that cracks open a bit but never truly opens up? Pay attention to this man, Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Software.

Dave Perry, founder of Shiny Entertainment, (now merged with The Collective to form Double Helix Games) wrote up an interview to get into the mind of Gabe Newell to find out what it takes to finally step through that door. But read his words carefully so you don’t end up walking through a swinging door. That kind of door sucks.

Excerpt-

DP: People that never went to college in the video games business swear blind that colleges aren’t needed to get a job. Are they for real? Should I burn my books now?

GN: That is changing very quickly. In the past, colleges didn’t really have anything to teach people that directly applied to game development, so people who went to school or didn’t go to school were more or less on the same footing. However programs like Digipen are a huge advantage, and are very valuable for the students who make it through.

Read more at Game Career Guide…