Valve News: L4D2 Pre-Orders Pre-Loaded, Aussie Version Neutered

In Valve news, good and not so good:

LEFT 4 DEAD 2 DEMO PRE-LOADING NOW

Those who have pre-purchased Left 4 Dead 2 via Steam may now pre-load the game demo, which is due to launch for early access on Tuesday, October 27. Early access to the L4D2 demo is available for both retail (360, PC) and Steam (PC) customers. Those who pre-ordered via participating retailers should be able to pick up their early access codes this weekend and be ready to play on Tuesday when the demo launches.

As for the ratings deal Down Under... well, it looks as if Australian gamers wanting their zombie killing unaltered will be out of luck as:

“In the review board’s opinion, Left 4 Dead 2 could not be accommodated within the MA 15+ classification,” it said. “The computer game contains a level of violence which is high in impact, prolonged, repeated frequently and realistic within the context of the game.”

Well, duh... But I guess the board has to protect the folks over 18 who want to buy the game from themselves and any potential bad behavior seeing exploding zombie heads will cause. Ah well... EA and Valve appealed the rating after presenting a 'sanitized' version of the game to the review board, but the board stood fast. Soooo, Down Under gets the game... but it's going to be a lot less gory than what's hitting here.

I'm guessing the US PC version may be the way to go for you guys, unless it's been banned from import into the country...

Valve's Game Newell Gets Free Trip Down Under From Modder

No, Valve didn't kick Gabe to the curb, kids - Next week, he's off to see a Wizard of Oz named "Joe W-A" who actually raised 3 grand to fly Newell all the way Down Under, which is really cool. Hell, maybe I should start boycotting stuff and see what happens. Knowing me, not much will transpire other than I'd go without a LOT of games and other important stuff...

Ah well - press release, ahoy!

GABE NEWELL DOWN UNDER

Software Studio President Flown to Australia By Gaming Community

October 1, 2009 - Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced its studio co-founder and president, Gabe Newell, will be visiting Australia next week to meet local game designer Joe W-A, who raised over $3000 for Newell's visit through the gaming community.

The fundraising began after Joe heard that Newell had recently flown the leaders of a gaming community group boycotting Valve's upcoming Left 4 Dead 2 to Valve's Seattle, WA headquarters. Joe emailed to ask if Newell would fly him to Seattle so Joe could show him his "mod" (a PC gaming term for modifying an existing game into something new).

Newell playfully replied that he wouldn't fly Joe to Seattle because he was "boycotting" Joe's mod. The Australian-based game designer appealed to the game community for $3,000-the funds necessary to fly Newell halfway around the world-and raised the money in less than 48 hours.

"The power of the gaming community and their ability to rally around a cause - be it serious or fun in nature - is amazing," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "In 2003, the community helped the FBI and European law enforcement officials find the people who stole the Half-Life 2 source code. This year, the community is putting me on a plane to the other side of the world to meet Joe W-A and see his MOD. It's going to be a fun trip."

Newell and Joe will meet in Australia next week. Reports of the trip will be posted on L4D.com's blog section by Valve employee Erik Johnson, who will be traveling with Newell down under.

Left 4 Dead Crash Course DLC Now Available (and of Course, Valve Is Giving You Something A Little Extry)...

Let's say you don't already own a copy of L4D for the PC but you want to buy it NOW. Well then, pardner, boogie on over to Steam, sign up today and you can get L4D for 50% off of the retail price. You'll be wiping out hordes of zombies within minutes and "Cha-ching!", you just saved some money in the process! Of course, this is a LIMITED time deal, hoss - it expires October 1, 2009. SO get cookin', chief.

As to that new DLC mentioned in the header - read on for details (links below as well):

Valve today announced that "Crash Course", the second downloadable content (DLC) update for its zombie thriller, Left 4 Dead (L4D) is available now for Xbox 360 and PC. To celebrate, Left 4 Dead (PC) is available via Steam for 50% off its regular its regular price thru Oct 1.

"Crash Course" delivers new single-player, multiplayer and co-operative gameplay to both platforms. This new DLC bridges the gap between the end of the "No Mercy" campaign and the beginning of "Death Toll" in the original game, expanding the game universe with new locations, new dialogue from the original cast, and an explosive finale.

While containing both Survival maps and a Co-operative Campaign, the primary goal of "Crash Course" is to deliver a complete Versus mode experience in just 30 minutes, resulting in a streamlined version of the game's existing Versus campaigns. A recharge timer for infected teammates has also been added, and item spawn behavior has changed for more balanced gameplay.

Alrighty then - time's a'wastin', cowboys and cowgirls! Go hoof it on over to them links above and get yer zombie killin' thing on. Hell, over 3 milion players can't be wrong, right?

Left 4 Dead Crash Course DLC Coming 9/29

The gift that keeps on giving gets its second DLC pack as Valve is about to whack L4D fans over the head with some cool new content for everyone's favorite PC and Xbox 360 Source Engine-powered co-op zombie killing masterpiece.

Quick details below:

Crash Course delivers new single-player, multiplayer and co-operative gameplay to both platforms, and bridges the gap between the end of the "No Mercy" campaign and the beginning of "Death Toll" in the original game.

While containing both Survival maps and a Co-operative Campaign, the primary goal of Crash Course is to deliver a complete Versus mode experience in just 30 minutes, resulting in a streamlined version of the game's existing Versus campaigns. A recharge timer for infected teammates has also been added, and item spawn behavior has changed for more balanced gameplay.

L4D: Crash Course DLC will be available on September 29, 2009 - hit the official L4D web site for more information!