Tag: l4d2

British government agency to recruit through Xbox Live

November 20, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

I’ve often wished that my gaming skills would land me a swanky job (they kind of have, being that I write here), as I’m guessing a lot of gamers have. The British government wants to grant that wish, and it’s using Xbox Live to do a little recruiting. According the UK’s Guardian, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) will be running ads in Call of Duty (presumably MW2), Left 4 Dead 2 and Assassin’s Creed II to try to attract “quick-thinking 18- to 34-year-olds to its ranks.”

Not only will the agency be running ads, it will be using the games to monitor a players teamwork, problem-solving skills, and mental acuity. To be honest, I think the old GCHQ could use a mental acuity test. This thing sounds great from the inside, but for the people who have to monitor the candidates of this job hunt, it will probably be a nightmare. Imagine all of the dreck you’d have to swim through just to find a decent, motivated candidate. No offense, gamers, but we come from all walks of life, and my guess is that the pool of players has a similar thoughtless-blob-to-productive-genius ratio to the rest of the world.

The GCHQ sees it differently, though. “…the fact remains that many potential candidates remain unaware of GCHQ and what we do. Using video on Xbox LIVE helps carry our message to the right people in a creative and innovative manner.” Whatever you say, spokeswoman. Just don’t put me on the search committee.

Source: Guardian

Reviews

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Don’t forget to pre-load L4D2

November 9, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

With all the hype around Modern Warfare 2, you might have forgotten that the Left 4 Dead 2 launch is right around the corner as well. Sure it’s not going to break those major records that MW2 likely will, but it’s probably going to be awesome. If you’re a PC player, take my reminder and go get to downloading. If you’ve pre-ordered the zombie splatterfest, you can pre-load the game up to the November 17th launch.

Why, you ask? For one, what on earth else does your computer do while you sleep. Two, because the game is almost seven gigs. That’s going to be a long download on launch day. Actually, it’s probably going to be a long download this week, too, but at least you won’t be waiting for hours while your friends are carving zombie face and screaming for your company over Vent. i

You’ll also get 10% off when you pre-order on Steam, along with a special hat for Team Fortress 2. Really, there isn’t a reason not to pre-order.

PC, Previews

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Valve drops $25M on L4D2 ad campaign

October 6, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

According to a Steam press release yesterday, Valve is dumping a pile of money on L4D2 in hopes of winning big sales. It’s probably going to work, too. The sequel to everyone’s favorite zombie splatterfest is already performing at 300% in pre-orders of the original. Gabe Newell is calling the game the fastest selling title in Valve history.

The first Left 4 Dead got a similar treatment, though only at $10 million. That game was the top selling new IP for both 360 and PC for the year. Valve more than doubling the ad money is probably due in part to the success of the original, but also to fight skepticism that the game was being released too close to the original which would mean a loss of support for the older title.

You can get the full press release over at Steam.

PC, Xbox 360

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Valve announces L4D2 pre-order bonuses

October 3, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

Pre-order bonuses have never thrilled me; developers usually package the good stuff with the collector’s editions. Valve’s Left 4 Dead sequel is no different. The company announced the pre-order bonuses this week, and they’re about what you would expect.

Those of you pre-ordering Left 4 Dead 2 will get early demo access, which has become pretty standard with these deals. There’s also an in-game exclusive, the American baseball bat, which is one of 10 new melee weapons for crushing some zombie skull. Participating retailers (yup, Steam is doing it) will also be offering a 10% savings on retail price.

You first chance at smacking the undead will come October 27th with the demo. Pre-order before then to make sure you’ll have access.

Previews

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Fly Gabe Newell Has Raised $3,000

September 13, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

It started off as a simple joke. A modder from Brisbane sent an email to Gabe Newell defaming the Valve boss for not inviting the modder to play L4D2, something Newell had done for the organizers behind the L4D2 boycott. Newell and the modder, named Joe, are friends, and through a series of responses got to the point that Joe started flygabenewell.blogspot.com, a site where you could donate for Joe to purchase a ticket for Newell to Brisbane to see Joe’s latest mod.

Confused yet? Well, there were a lot of commas in there. My apologies. As it turns out, though, Joe has actually accrued enough cash to fly Newell and L4D producer Erik Johnson down to Brisbane. All we’re waiting for is Newell’s acceptance.

No matter the outcome, it’s absolutely hilarious that Joe could raise enough money to do this. If Newell declines, Joe has decided to give the money to Child’s Play, a local charity, so everybody wins in the end. For Joe’s sake, I hope Gabe goes.

News

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