This replica Portal gun was created for Flickr user -- and soon-to-be Portal cosplayer -- emilyskeith by her boyfriend, and is clearly a triumph of prop making. In fact, we consider it a huge success.
We're sure it was hard for Emily to overstate her satisfaction with the finished replica, which features working orange and blue LEDs and was weathered to convey the idea that she wasn't the first Aperture Science subject to use it. To her boyfriend: you've ensured that her love for you will be still alive for years to come. Also, we want one.
If you haven't completely abandoned Team Fortress 2 for Left 4 Dead (or are straddling the two), then you'll want to start digging through this comprehensive new piece from The Escapist for hints about the cartoonish shooter's future. After a quick perusal, we've already spotted a tease for a "very different" new game mode (coming soon!) and discussion of a possible 10th class.
Speaking of L4D, we'd like to make our bid for the 10th class: The "Louis." His special skills include 1. being Louis and 2. shouting about pipe bombs. Get it done, Valve.
Though we've always had to fight an urge to call them MOMs (massively online multiplayer-ers), MMOs have become an internet-bound force to be reckoned with. It's no surprise, then, that Valve's Steam service serendipitously bumped into Sony Online's mob of mmohs at a recent meeting of internet-bound forces to be reckoned with. They hit it off, one thing led to another and now it's all over the blogosphere.
A "groundbreaking" library of SOE titles is now available on the digital download service, including the EverQuest and EverQuest II collections, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and Pirates of the Burning Sea. You'll also find the expansions EverQuest Seeds of Destruction and EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey available for purchase.
As a special introductory offer, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, EverQuest Secrets of Faydwer and EverQuest II Rise of Kunark are being sold at "special" prices during the first ten days of availability. New game accounts for purchased MMOs will receive 30 days of gameplay, though the offer excludes existing game and Station Access accounts.
Though Left 4 Deadprovided one of the best multiplayer experiences of 2008, it wasn't without its share of issues. Valve has taken care of a ton of them this morning with a new patch for the game currently being vaporized for absorption through Steam.
Sadly, the fixes aren't available for the 360 version of the game, though Valve says they'll arrive "in the coming weeks."
You'll find the full fix list after the break. You know, it's high praise for L4D that even its bugs sound cool. "Players can no longer grab ladders while flying through the air after a Tank punch." Is there anyone who could read that bug and not know they were in the presence of something radical?
We've asked Griffin, we've implored him, we've threatened him with the loss of his video game blogger license, but it's all to no avail. The kid just won't stop shooting the witch when we play Left 4 Dead. He knows what happens, he knows that someone always ends up endeadened when he does it. He just. Doesn't. Care.
So, we've brought in the big guns: Our sentiments are being relayed to Griffin after the break by rapper Eminem, who's employing not only sheer star wattage to get the message across, but also persuasion's best buddy: Profanity. Pass it along, and get the word to someone you love.
Left 4 Dead has received an update on Xbox 360, which ... actually, we haven't a clue as to what it did. We've contacted Valve for details regarding the inoculation. Perhaps Valve's statistics have revealed more nasty cheaters that needed to be squished.
Update: Valve has confirmed that the title update is the client-side fix meant to address the previously mentioned cheating. No more system link and user-hosted shenanigans for you!
"So there we were, just the four of us on the pier, the boat nowhere in sight and a tank charging at us through the trees..."
You've probably heard plenty of variations on this story over the past few weeks. But what's more surprising: That Left 4 Dead's horrifying scenarios seem so unique game-to-game that players think stories about them would be entertaining, or that we've heard so many of them and still can't get enough?
It's simple, both in plot -- four survivors try to escape the zombie apocalypse -- and in gameplay. But through its simplicity, L4D is able to address some multiplayer problems that might have seemed unsolvable just a few months ago.
Steam is having a rather tantalizing holiday sale from now until January 2, with everything in the store 10% to 75% off. In case you missed it the first time, Team Fortress 2 is back down to $10. We recommend picking up BioShock if you've never played it, now only $5. The Valve Complete package is 25% off, now only $75, and the id Super Pack -- which nets you every single id title before Quake Wars -- is just $35. Our holiday money is officially spoken for.
European* Steam users can now join its American brethren in downloading Electronic Arts titles from Steam. The release schedule is mostly identical to that of the US and Canada, with Spore, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, Mass Effect, Need for Speed Undercover and FIFA Manager 2009 available now (notable exception: Warhammer Online) and Red Alert 3, Dead Space and Mirror's Edge coming in a few weeks.
... What's that, reader? What's the asterisk for? Turns out, the EA library is available on Steam only to "most of Europe," with the odd man out being the United Kingdom, according to both Eurogamer and independently verified by our mates at the Joystiq UK offices. We've extended an offer of Earl Grey and a scone to Valve for answers.
Well this is just magical. After a Final Fantasy-themed night became a big hit, the IT University of Copenhagen decided to celebrate their weekly gathering at Denmark's Scrollbar with an all-Portalevening. That meant tons of themed shots (that's the "Teleportation" up above -- you're apparently supposed to jump from one to the other), plenty of Companion Cubes, and, of course, cake.
If you're curious as to where we're we're going to end up when we die, you can check out all the pictures from the event right here.
Despite having its own digital distribution system, it appears Electronic Arts is ready to start using Valve's Steam store. ShackNews discovered that the end user license agreement for Spore has shown up on the Steam site. If Spore is released on Steam, it would be the first internally-developed title released by EA on Valve's platform.
We've contacted both Valve and EA for comment. We'll update if any new information evolves.
Between your holiday shopping expenditures and the economic burden of having to purchase the billion great games that came out this year for yourself, you probably don't have any fat stacks of presidential flash cards just lying around your abode. However, if you find yourself in need digital stimulation on a budget, we suggest turning your eyes to Steam some point over the next two days -- this weekend only, Team Fortress 2 is half-price, going for a single crisp Hammy (the shorthand name for Alexander Hamilton, who's on the ten dollar bill. Try to keep up, people).
What? You're asking us if you should take the ten-dollar plunge? It's a first-person shooter where you can carry around and consume a sandwich to restore health. Of course you should.
Though Valve likely somewhat cannibalized the Team Fortress 2 fan base with the release of its own, equally excellent Left 4 Dead, there's still pretty fervent interest in big changes and small tweaks coming to the game. The company recently detailed a few of them, like rechargeable cloaking for Spies and the ability to upgrade dispensers and teleporters to level 3.
Valve also revealed that it's working on a Scout expansion next, as well as "a massive Xbox 360 update, which will include pretty much everything shipped on the PC in the last year. " Sadly, there's still no date on the upgrade.
It's been a while since we've checked in with our old friend Yahtzee, so we were eager to hear his thoughts on one of our favorite games in recent memory: Left 4 Dead. And guess what?! He didn't hate it! ... Well, since we're still in Reality Prime, he had plenty of mean things to say about it, but he was probably as nice as he could be without some sort of dimensional shift.
See how much of his assessment you agree with in the video right here.
Most players like to think of their 360 and PS3 as safe havens from the scurrilous tricksters who like to mold PC games to their own will with all manner of hacks and mods. Apparently, though, their vile influence has seeped into the the 360 version of Left 4 Dead. Yes kids ... the console version. We don't know how they're doing it (witchcraft?) and frankly, we don't want to know.
The Ars Technica piece about the issues includes terrifying details like witches spawning in the safe room and giant player characters. (We're told there's also human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together and mass hysteria.) Witness the horror for yourself right after the jump.
Update: Valve just wrote us to say that the problem has apparently been fixed. "Valve has released a server-side fix to deny the recently reported cheats on all dedicated Left 4 Dead Xbox 360 servers. The fix is designed to halt the cheating behavior on the dedicated servers, which accounts for the majority of the co-op and Versus modes of play. A title update for those playing on user-hosted servers and/or via system link will be released in the coming days."
