The Left 4 Dead Tour

Valve is touring blood thirsty zombies all over! Left 4 Dead will be playable at multiple events:

Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced a series of live demonstrations of Left 4 Dead at upcoming industry events the world over.

Left 4 Dead is the new survival co-op action game from Valve that blends the social entertainment experience of multiplayer games such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress with the dramatic, narrative experience made popular in single player action game classics such as the Half-Life series of games. The PC version of the game will be playable by the press and public at a series of upcoming events including Leipzig Games Convention, (Germany), Festival du Jeu Video (France), and PC Gamer Showdown (UK). The worldwide debut of the Xbox 360 version will be at the upcoming Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle, WA. Members of the development team will be on hand at each event to provide information and give away some Left 4 Dead memorabilia.

“The shared experience of Left 4 Dead is unlike that of any other action game,” said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. “That’s what we’ve experienced playing the game, and from showing the game to the press and our partners. It sounds cliché, but in many ways you have to play this one to truly appreciate what we’re attempting. So, to give gamers a chance to sample this new type of experience first hand, we’re taking Left 4 Dead on the road.”

Left 4 Dead is due for release on the PC and Xbox 360 this November, and earned numerous awards at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, CA, including 1up.com, Gamespot.com and Maximum PC’s Best PC Game, as well as Best Multiplayer Game from Kotaku, IGN, G4TV, the official E3 Judges, and more.

For more information, please visit www.l4d.com

GTA IV For PC…Confirmed?

The latest issue of PC Gamer Malaysia has GTA IV on the cover alongside the tag line: “Now on console, soon on PC”

The picture is taken from Lingaoyi.com, you can read a google translation here.

Telltale announces Sam & Max Season Two Collector’s DVD

Everyone’s favorite fuzzy detectives to get the special edition treatment!

Press Release: 

Interactive entertainment pioneer Telltale, Inc. is announcing that the Collector’s DVD for the acclaimed game series Sam & Max Season Two is available for ordering today. Telltale has given the second season of “gaming’s first sitcom” the premium boxed-set treatment that has become common for television favorites, with behind-the-scenes extras and loads of special features. Telltale is also introducing new merchandise today to celebrate the release, including a signed commemorative print, a 2-CD Season Two soundtrack, and several special bundle offers. Read more

Now On Steam - Sacred Gold

StrategyFirst’s Action RPG makes its way onto Steam:

Sacred delivers a huge, elaborate world comprising 16 regions beset with heroic quests, battle-hardened warriors and horrific enemies. Sacred Gold is the complete Sacred collection in one box, containing the full version of Sacred, winner of the ‘Best Roleplaying Game 2004′ award from PC GAMER, Sacred Plus and Sacred Underworld.

Get it for $9.99

Now On Steam - Out Of The Park Baseball 9

Out of the Park Baseball 9, the sequel to PC Gamer’s 2007 PC Sports Game of the Year and Metacritics PC Game of the Year 2007, is now available for purchase on Steam.

Draft amateurs, sign free agents, negotiate extensions, work out trades or even fire your hitting coach when your team is batting .230 in May. No baseball simulation on the planet offers you this much flexibility and this much fun.

Pick it up today for just $39.99 and live out your baseball manager fantasy.

Mass Effect - 10 day activation method pulled

After enraging pretty much every PC gamer with the 10 day re- activation feature for Mass Effect, BioWare has pulled the feature from the final product. According to the official statement:

There has been a lot of discussion in the past few days on how the security requirements for Mass Effect for PC will work. BioWare, a division of EA, wants to let fans know that Mass Effect will not require 10- day periodic re-authentication.

BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them. To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us.

The solution being implemented for Mass Effect for the PC changes copy protection from being key disc based, which requires authentication every time you play the game by requiring a disc in the drive, to a one time online authentication.

This system has an added benefit of allowing players to seamlessly play the game without needing the DVD in the drive.

Key points -

•This solution allows gamers to authenticate their game on three different computers with the purchase of one disc. EA Customer Service is on hand to supply any additional authorizations that are warranted. This will be done on a case-by-case basis by contacting customer support.

• Games are authorized to the machine when the player installs and launches the software for the first time.

• We’ve all had those times when the discs get lost or scratched and you can’t play a game you’ve bought because you need a working disc in the drive. With the new system players will no longer need the disc to play the game, but can instead simply retain the disc as back up for re-installation.

For more info regarding the DRM controversy, check the official thread.

Doom 4 Announced!

We all knew it was coming and here it is! id Software has officially announced Doom 4. The next chapter in Doom franchise. id Software is currently hiring applicants to work on the title.

Production has begun on DOOM 4™, the next journey into the legendary DOOM universe. We are expanding our internal team and are currently hiring to work on this highly anticipated title.

“DOOM is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software.  “It’s critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles.”

The DOOM franchise is one of the most recognizable and important in gaming history, having been named “one of the ten most influential games of the decade” by PC Gamer and “the #1 game of all time” by GameSpy.  DOOM 4 will join the award-winning series which has consistently topped sales charts throughout the world.

We are looking for talented, ambitious and passionate individuals eager to join our accomplished team of developers working on the industry’s most innovative and anticipated games.  For a complete listing of available positions, visit our id Careers page.  Resumes can be submitted via email to jobs@idsoftware.com.  All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky Preview

With THQ no longer watching GSC’s back, and with the success of the first game, GSC Game World are now free to mold S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky however they want. PC Gamer has a lengthy preview of upcoming prequel to the platinum selling S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Apart from other things, this prequel promises to be far more open-ended and expansive than the original game. Clear Sky will also promises fill the holes about Strelok’s sketchy past and how he ended up in the back of the truck.

Read more