Wonderful things like this.

Stephanie was lucky enough and brave enough to take our hosts up on the offer to play co-op during the demo. Here are her thoughts:

I was pretty excited when offered the chance to demo Portal 2 with one of the guys from Valve. It was a walkthrough of the tutorial stage in the game, but it was still pretty fun! If you’ve already played Portal the controls will be easy to pick up. And having the ability to play with a partner adds a lot to the game. There are some fun puzzle solving parts of the game, and I really enjoyed the added bonus of having emotes that you can perform with each other (like hugging it out!). I think that making the playthrough co-operative will make for some interesting levels to get through further on in the game and I wished that we could have advanced outside of just the tutorial. But I can safely say that I think Portal fans will be very happy with Portal 2.

Dinosaur unrelated.

Even in just observing the game, I’m super pumped to get to play this through Live with one of my friends. The characters are oddly lovable, and GLaDOS is back for a bit of friendly ribbing and threats. Valve has promised more complicated puzzles (all require 4 portals this time), new gun effects, and I’m interested in seeing how “nature reclaims the facility”.  They’ve also said the game will be twice as long and it was great to see that they’ve kept some of the interesting puzzle elements (like the infinite jump) and added a few new ones in as well (including some of the ones in co-op).

Though we won’t be getting it by the end of 2010 (Valve will keep us busy with some DLC for one of their other games I’m sure…), have your smartest friend penciled in for February 9th 2011.  Keep an eye on us here at GamingAngels.com or at the Portal 2 website: http://www.thinkwithportals.com for more!

Due to popular demand from members of the L4D2 community, a permanent new Mutation has been added: Realism Versus. This combines Versus and Realism modes, if you couldn’t tell by the name.

Apparently, everyone loved the Realism Versus mode so much that Valve asked if the people wanted it to stay, and they got an overwhelming “yes.”

This week, owners of “The Passing” DLC get the Mutation of “Follow the Liter.” One group of cans spawns at a time, so you know where to go – but so do the Infected. Uh oh.

You have to wonder, though – is every game mode going to get the same treatment? Maybe every Mutation that you love will become permanent! Never too much of a good thing, right?

If you want more information, visit www.l4d.com.

Valve has announced that the first add-on for Left 4 Dead 2 will be available this Thursday on the Xbox 360 (560 MS Points) and PC (for free). This addition brings the original Survivors to the south to meet the Left 4 Dead 2 characters, making two teams. The action takes place in rural Georgia (much like the filming of the movie Zombieland – that wasn’t really in California, no matter what they want you to think).

This DLC, titled “The Passing,” introduces special “Mutations” game mode events that change weekly (there are over 20 planned). They range from a “Realism Versus” mode to a “Chainsaw Massacre” mode featuring chainsaws with unlimited gasoline. (Perfect for the real zombie apocalypse, if we can get that much worked out.) The Passing also features a co-op mode, infected bot play in Versus, a fallen survivor “uncommon common” zombie class, a golf club as a melee weapon and a new firearm, the M-60.

Are you planning to get this DLC? What kinds of Mutations can you think of that would be better than a chainsaw with unlimited gasoline? (My answer: I cannot think of one.)

The ladies (and the guys!) have a pretty awesome reason to be there: They’ve organized Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 tournaments. Both will be 4v4, with each player getting an individual Xbox 360 and headset. Players interested in participating can register online for $10 at carolinagamessummit.com. Registering now ensures a spot in one of 19 tournaments taking place at the summit. (Winners receive a plaque and medal.)

If any Angels are going to be at this event, let us know!

“The Passing” is set to take place in Georgia and is scheduled to be released in early 2010 for download on PC and Xbox 360. No price point has been given as of yet.

I can only hope, along with many other Left 4 Dead fans that we could see some 4 on 4 co-op with our favorite foursome from the first installment. I’m sure I’m not the only one who misses “grabbin’ pills!”

For only $15.95, you have your choice of a 10-pack of either Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, or Team Fortress. If you enjoyed her adorable zombie-themed Valentines, these are even better. It’s ideal for the lazy gamer who wants to tell everyone they love to have a happy holiday season. I’ll be picking up a set or two…

Head on over to the Valve Store and support creativity!

BUY

**This review may contain some spoilers**

As the Left 4 Dead series hits its first birthday, Left 4 Dead 2 shows that it has answered the cries of “this could’ve been an expansion!” with a resounding “YOU’RE WRONG!”

I think Valve may be staffed entirely by wizards. There is some kind of sorcery going on at that company, because every product they release is an improvement on something great that’s come before it. That being said, Left 4 Dead 2 is a really great game. Some of you may remember the drama that followed the annoucement of a sequel so soon after the original’s release; there was a silly petition circling the internet claiming Valve was abandoning fans of the first game in order to make a quick buck, and that anything planned for the sequel should be released as DLC instead. I have yet to see any follow-up apology letters.

If you melee him, his nose will honk.

Granted, if Valve had released the exact same game with different characters for $60 a year later, there would be cause for complaint. However, this is a company owned an operated by magical genius pixies who give you something great… PLUS 18 more things you didn’t even know you wanted but end up really liking. Seriously, they crammed as much as they could into this game, and for once it feels like you’re getting $60 worth of product. I realize that I may be coming across sounding more like Billy Mays selling you a game than an editor reviewing one, but golly do you get a lot for what you paid for.

Left 4 Dead 2 features  5 gameplay modes — Campaign, Versus, Survival, Scavenge, and Realism — as well as 5 Campaign chapters (up from 4), and several new Special Infected (Lady Boomer, Spitter, Jockey, Charger, walkin’ around Witch). On top of all that you can count Left 4 Dead 2 as a game that FINALLY uses the Avatar Awards system. It’s gratifying to get Achievements, sure, but showing off your new Depeche Mode shirt is kind of a lot better. Also, if you get every Achievement you are rewarded with a Tank icon. Cool, cool, cool.

Coach is great.

All bonus goodies aside, the core game is engaging enough to lock you to your controller for days. The settings are interesting and different, and they’re exploited for maximum creepiness. For example, the last campaign involves getting to the end of an area for two chapters, and then backtracking for two more. What makes that not at all as lame as it sounds, is that on the way back you’re caught in a tropical storm. At night. And this is Witch country. Ack.

Overall, the characters are pretty fantastic, considering how endearing the first crew was. While I miss hearing Bill’s “PILLS HERE!”, one of the new characters, Ellis, has the greatest stories ever told as dialogue in a videogame. He rambles on about the dumbest stuff that he thinks is cool, but in an adorable way. Considering I generally avoid people in real life who like to talk about nothing (for a long time), I’m surprised that I found Ellis so lovable. Though a little levity and nonsense in a game about a population of people trying to maul you never hurt anyone.

The Jockey is the Head Crab of Left 4 Dead 2.

I suppose I’m obligated to list the things that were unfortunate about the game, but I’m kind of struggling to think of any at the moment. Hopefully they made 2 significantly harder than 1, and that I’m not just bad at killing things now, but it seems as though they’ve ramped up the difficulty. First of all, the Spitter is just so crappy — when you’re stuck in her acid puke, your health drains FAST. I should clarify that adding her into the game isn’t the crappy part, it’s how damaging she is that is frustrating. I’m also still not sure how I feel about melee weapons. I would prefer being able to choose which two weapons I want to be carrying around, instead of one obligatory main weapon, and then the choice of melee or pistols. The machete and katana are pretty great, though.

Side note : Girls in games only ever wear pink, apparently.

Many gamers have complained about the Left 4 Dead 2 lag on the Xbox 360 version. For our game night, many of us couldn’t even play together, the lag was so bad.

Looks like Valve is working on the problem. On their official blog, Valve states that they have done a massive 360 server update.

“We have upgraded our network infrastructure to better accommodate the huge response to L4D2. 360 players will now have lag-free servers. We’ve also added more dedicated servers.

We will continue to monitor the situation and add resources as needed.

Thank you for your patience. Now quit reading this, get out there and kill some zombies!”

Can’t think of a better thing to do over the holidays!

Last year’s contest must have been so successful that Valve has decided to use the photo contest again for this year’s advertising campaign for Left 4 Dead 2.

Just like last year, Valve is asking gamers to take creative photos of themselves in front of one of the outdoor media placements in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, Phoenix, Dallas, Minneapolis, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The entries will be judged by Gabe Newell and the top 25 entries will win a free copy of Left 4 Dead (probably the second although the press release just says Left 4 Dead) and one overall winner will get a custom engraved L4D2 Xbox 360.

“Last year’s out of home media campaign proved to be one of the most effective vehicles for helping land Left 4 Dead on 2008′s top 10 seller list in the North America,” said Doug Lombardi, vice president of marketing at Valve. “Valve has once again partnered with Gibson Media to execute the Left 4 Dead 2 out of home campaign and extend it to more markets across the US.”

To read all the details on how to enter go to www.L4D.com/contest

Well you know what? It’s not the same game, and curse my constant sardonic attitude! First of all, this game looks fraking sweet. Take the first installment, and add a mess of detail to EVERYTHING, like guns and characters. The demo took place mostly in the daylight, where you can obviously see clearer, which translates directly into way more blood. For gore hounds (like myself), this is a much appreciated addition. For those who don’t like drowning in blood but just like killing people without the mess, Valve has added a gore setting in the options screen. Cool.

Horrifying.

They also made the characters pretty interesting. Within the fist video, I already had a fondness for the survivors, which is kind of amazing. I really like Coach, and I’m rooting for him to not be the guy that wakes the witch all the time, like Louis in L4D. The backgrounds and atmosphere really drew you into the story, and I liked the direction they took with it. If you stop and listen, you can hear the crickets and it just adds to the feeling that you’re in New Orleans.

In addition to better characters and an immersive atmosphere, they also had some cool new additions to regular gameplay; for one level, we had to give ourselves a shot of adrenaline, and then RUN down this industrial maze with zombies pouring in on all sides. Again, cool. It also looked like they added new modes like ‘Realism’ to the menu, and I’m excited to see what they are all about.

The one thing I didn’t like about the game was the new melee weapon option. When you pick one up, you lose your pistol(s), and it’s totally not worth it because they’re super weak or there could be a Boomer around the corner. Granted, I only tried the nightstick, and guitar, but I think I’ll hang onto my pistols after I get the melee weapon Achievements.

Definitely buy this game when it comes out. When you have it, find me on XBL and we’ll go kill some zombies.