Publisher: Dark Horse
Release Date: November 16, 2011
Genre: Action/Adventure
Price: $24.99
Age range: 14

Valve has created some very strong fan favorites in terms of game IP. Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress and Portal are now the subjects for a collaboration with Dark Horse. The hardcover collection features stories from these worlds. The book is hefty at over 200 pages.

As a fan of Valve products, I was pretty excited to read this when Dark Horse sent us a copy to review. I love an opportunity to be placed back into the worlds of these games I loved so much. First thing I noted, was reading these comics did make me want to jump back into Left 4 Dead or start Portal 2. The comics themselves don’t read like a game, in fact, most tend to give back story for a deeper dive into the characters.

Left 4 Dead: The Sacrifice follows Francis; Bill; Zoey; and Louis, all characters in the actual game. Throughout the story you learn about their background and what happened in the beginning days of the infection. The comics were originally released to coincide with the DLC in 2010. In the comic Bill makes the ultimate sacrifice so the others can go on, but in the game, any of the players can choose to make the sacrifice. The artwork fits in with the game very well and delivers on the gore factor.

Team Fortress: Unfortunately I don’t have anything positive to say about the Team Fortress section in this collection. The story started in a very interesting way with the control center being upset that a guy on the blue team had become friends with a guy on the red team. I was really engaged in the story and watching how the guys were being played against each other, then all of a sudden the story was interrupted with lots of quick changing art styles and stories. I had trouble following it and in the end, really didn’t care to read it at all. Very disappointing.

Portal 2: Lab Rat: This comic covers the events between the first and second Portal games. The comic was previously released in April of this year. The story follows Doug “the Ratman” and we dive into how the AI robots were originally created. We also see Doug following Chell all while talking to his Companion Cube. The art by Andrea Wicklund matches the psychotic mood of the story. I loved it.

Hello Angels! Hope you are having a great Saturday! We’re back with screenshots from both DC Universe and Left 4 Dead.

The screenshots below are for Left 4 Dead new campaign, “The Sacrifice”. The Sacrifice will be released on October 5th and takes places as the characters are moving down into the South. “The Sacrifice” takes place for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 and is a separate download for each.

The Sacrifice will be 560 MS Points and free to all PC Gamers.

In this week’s DC Universe Online screenshots we have shots of Lex Luthor who was revealed this week. We also received more in-game shots and locations.

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!

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.)

10. Date Nights Made Simple. Every so often it’s nice to be treated to a night out on the town, however that doesn’t mean we’re not up for a night in. Order some tasty Chinese, have some beer and drinks in the fridge, and we’re all for gaming and movie all-nighters. You can make it fun by coming up with drinking games (Please drink responsibly!!) or making the loser do the dishes. Just have fun with it and make it an evening about spending time together.

9. Technically Capable. Female gamers know their way around the tech. We can set up a sound system, set schedules on the DVR, we know the difference between RCA, Component and HDMI cables. And if we don’t know, we sure aren’t afraid to learn how.

8. Tour Guide. It’s not easy juggling a strategy guide or running to the laptop/computer to look at a guide while you are being scorched by an evil mage in a dungeon or trying to figure out your next move when the path you came down is suddenly blocked off. Helping you out by looking up hints and reading parts of walkthroughs out for you is fine with us. We just ask that you do the same if we ever need a hand.

7. Puzzle Solvers. You’ve got the lights down low, you’re playing an action-adventure or survival horror game and – WHAM! – you’ve run into a puzzle that you just can’t solve. Luckily, your significant other has been paying attention and is able to figure it out for you. It’s always good to have a second and fresh set of eyes around when you get stumped. We feel exactly the same.

The BioShock inspired "Moral Choices" tee from SplitReason

6. Awesome Presents. You want a game or an accessory for your birthday/anniversary/Valentine’s Day? You got it. We love finding cool t-shirts, hoodies and belt buckles to add to your wardrobe. And if we pick you up an XBL or PSN card, we know you’ll quickly find something to spend it on.

5. No Midnight Launches Alone. Don’t want to stand alone outside GameStop for hours waiting for the next Halo or Modern Warfare title to come out? We’ll be there to keep you company, hold our place in the line if you have to make a bathroom or food run (or vice versa) and convince you that yes, you do want to buy the strategy guide because you’ll be waiting a week for GameFAQs to have a complete walkthrough when one of us inevitably gets stuck.

4. The Cake is Not a Lie. Time and time again, we have proven that we love our significant others through cake. More often than not, gamer couples enjoy gaming related or geek themed baked goods. Just Google “gaming wedding cakes” or “gamer wedding” and you’ll see some awesome cakes, Halo inspired weddings and unique gaming proposals.

3. The Zombie Apocalypse. If movies such as Zombieland and games like Left 4 Dead have taught us anything, its that you can try to survive on your own, but when the zombies start heading for the mall, you want someone by your side to help kill them. It’s just a matter of time, so don’t fight the zombies alone! Begin training for the future now.

2. We understand you. Only a gamer can truly understand the needs of another of our kind. We won’t walk in front of the screen during a boss battle or kick you off the TV to watch a show (every gaming couple knows the importance of the second TV and a DVR). And we will grab a beer for each of us in between rounds of Horde mode. Taking on waves of giant aliens or zombies is a team effort.

It's a Katamari themed wedding!

1. Co-op Partner for Life. Sure, you won’t always want to play co-op, and neither will we. But for the times when your friends have moved onto another game and you want someone to team up with you, we will be there. Just want a sparring partner? We’ve got that covered too. Just keep in mind relationships are give and take, so you’d better be able to take it as well as you can dish it out.

The above image was sent to RockPaperShotgun by Valve on March 3.

Mac users, rejoice! Finally, you’re going to get something to play besides The Sims and Spore! No more dual-booting, either! Steam – Valve’s digital content delivery service – is coming to the Mac!

Valve’s game library (including Left 4 Dead 2, the Half-Life series, and Team Fortress 2) will be making its way onto the new platform starting this April. And they won’t just be emulated Windows versions, either.

“We looked at a variety of methods to get our games onto the Mac and in the end decided to go with native versions rather than emulation,” said John Cook, Director of Steam Development. ”The inclusion of WebKit into Steam, and of OpenGL into Source gives us a lot of flexibility in how we move these technologies forward. We are treating the Mac as a tier-1 platform so all of our future games will release simultaneously on Windows, Mac, and the Xbox 360. Updates for the Mac will be available simultaneously with the Windows updates. Furthermore, Mac and Windows players will be part of the same multiplayer universe, sharing servers, lobbies, and so forth. We fully support a heterogeneous mix of servers and clients. The first Mac Steam client will be the new generation currently in beta testing on Windows.”

Valve has also added another feature, called Steam Play. What’s it do? Well, you buy a game for Windows, and you can also play it on the Mac free of charge (perfect for multi-OS households like my own).

Portal 2 will be the first simultaneous release for both platforms.

This year’s panel included gaming greats such as Ben Cousins (EA DICE), Harvey Smith (Arkane), Raph Koster (Metaplace), John Vechey (PopCap), Ray Muzyka (BioWare), and Clint Hocking (Ubisoft). Newell was selected for the award for his work in co-creating the PC download service Steam, as well as helping to make some of the best games of the past decade (think everything included in The Orange Box) possible.

Over 3,000 of the industry’s top developers will be present at the awards ceremony, which will honor Newell, recipients of other special awards, and the top games of 2009.

Newell co-founded Valve in 1996 after leaving megacorporation Microsoft, and was instrumental in the creation of the groundbreaking PC FPS Half-Life. This title brought actual narrative and story to the first-person shooter genre unlike anything that came before it, and has inspired thousands of games (and spawned its own fantastic sequels) in the decade since its release. Valve is one of the few companies (maybe the only company?) that openly embrace the modding community, and legions of gamers continue to play these titles just for the modding capabilities alone. (Search YouTube for “Garry’s Mod” and see what I’m talking about.)

Valve has only gotten better with age, and titles like Portal and Left 4 Dead have done nothing but bring much-deserved critical acclaim to their doorstep.

Congratulations, Gabe. GamingAngels salutes you and wishes you the best in the years to come — it’s in our best interests for you to keep doing excellent work, after all!

“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.