Left 4 Dead 2’s upcoming downloadable content pack, Cold Stream, will feature a new level for which the map pack is named and revamped versions of the original Left 4 Dead maps.

The Cold Stream map is currently in open beta. Today, Valve has announced that if 20,000 people earn the “Stream Crosser” achievement for completing the map on any difficulty by Monday morning NZST, it will release the revamped Dead Air map for Left 4 Dead early.

The offering is limited to the PC version of Left 4 Dead 2.

 

Valve has announced a new downloadable content pack for both Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, called “The Sacrifice.”

In it, players will take control of Left 4 Dead’s Francis, Louis, Zoe and Bill in the events leading up to their recent cameo in Left 4 Dead 2 DLC, “The Passing.”

In The Passing, one of the original survivors had been written out of the game. In “The Sacrifice” players will be able to choose which of the original foursome dies.

 

Valve has released a title update for Left 4 Dead 2 that they say will address some “rage quitting” issues such as incorrect friendly-fire registration.

Valve has also addressed Tanks and Chargers in Versus mode. On the game’s official blog, the L4D Team writes:

Charger now receives 300 points for any Survivor that is insta-killed.
Charger now receives 100 points for any Survivor that is insta-incapped by a charge.
Any infected that causes a Survivor to stumble into a "ledge hang" situation will receive 50 points.

 

Valve today announced that the first game add-on for Left 4 Dead 2 - "The Passing" - is due for release at some stage on Friday (NZ time) exclusively for Xbox 360 and PC.

The first game add-on for Left 4 Dead 2 brings the original Left 4 Dead Survivors down south for a meeting with the L4D2 cast, while delivering new single-player, multiplayer and co-operative gameplay for the PC and Xbox 360.

The Passing also introduces a series of weekly game mode events dubbed "Mutations." These week-long runs of new gameplay modes range from "Realism Versus" mode to "Chainsaw Massacre," which gives all players chainsaws with an unlimited supply of gasoline. There are over 20 Mutations planned, each playable on all L4D2 Campaigns. Mutations are exclusively available to owners of "The Passing" DLC.

 

Valve have today released some more details about the first downloadable content update for Left 4 Dead 2, titled “The Passing.”

“The Passing” will see the new team meet up with original zombie survivors Bill, Zoey, Francis and Louis in a small coastal town in the state of Georgia. The original four will appear as non-playable characters, aiding Coach, Ellis, Nick and Rochelle in the third map of the new campaign.

 

Valve has announced the first downloadable content for Left 4 Dead 2, called “The Passing.” The new campaign is set after the events of “Dead Center,” wherein Ellis, Nick, Coach and Rochelle escape from an overrun mall.

“The Passing” will see the new team meet up with original zombie survivors Bill, Zoey, Francis and Louis in a small town in the state of Georgia. It will also introduce a new uncommon common type of infected, a new melee weapon and a new firearm, and a “new co-operative challenge mode of play,” in addition to scavenge, survival and versus modes. Eight player co-op? Valve remain tight-lipped.

 

Valve has set up a website dedicated to the Midnight Riders, an in-game rock band who feature in the Dark Carnival campaign of Left 4 Dead 2. The teaser site simply says “coming soon” and shows the band’s four members.

OK Valve, you’ve piqued our interest with your enigmatic promotion.

 

Valve today announced the availability of the Left 4 Dead 2 demo to all PC gamers and all Xbox LIVE Gold Members. It had previously only been available to those that had pre-ordered the game.

The Left 4 Dead 2 demo features gameplay taken from "The Parish" campaign, set in the New Orleans French Quarter. Playable by 1 to 4 players over local or Internet connections on both the Xbox 360 and PC (with two-player split screen available on the Xbox 360), the demo features all the new boss infected zombies and many of the new melee weapons included in the full product. You can read more about the demo in our hands-on article.

For more information, visit the official site.

 

I loved Left 4 Dead. Sure, it was over too soon, and I don't agree that four is necessarily the magic number for co-op, as Valve would have you believe. But the game was a classic example of how cleverly constructed co-operative titles can be immensely popular whether on console or PC. And after all, zombies are just way too much fun to kill.

It's been nearly a year now since the original Left 4 Dead was released, and in the meantime there's been a veritable horde of controversy over Valve's intended support path for the original game, versus the development of the second. Many people rightly assumed that Left 4 Dead would get a heap more content before the sequel was even mooted, concerns that Valve addressed with the Crash Course content update last month. It's now irrelevant whether that was sufficient to quench the thirst of the community because Left 4 Dead 2 will be released on the 20th November in New Zealand, it will carry a full retail price, and if the demo is anything to go by, you will buy it.

The demo allows you to play through two parts of The Parish, one of the five campaigns announced for the sequel. The Parish is set in New Orleans, and the action starts with the affable NPC ship captain Virgil dropping the quartet off at a deserted dock. From here, it's a tense street-to-street fight, followed by a march through a large park and on to a construction site for the finale.