Thwack! Left 4 Dead 2 survivors play a bit of cricket

by David Hinkle on Jul 7th 2009 5:00PM

Click image for a closer view of the zombie bashing

There's a cricket bat in Left 4 Dead 2, and after pondering how such an instrument could find its way to the southern United States (we certainly don't make them here, and every American knows that we don't allow people with them to enter the country), we've come up with a few theories:

Someone smuggled the bat and full set of gear (notice how the zombie is dressed to play?) into the country, akin to how Snake Plissken was smuggled into Manhattan in Escape from New York
Zombies really like sports
The United States was chosen as a neutral place to hold a competition between two rival teams in cricket, and the zombie infestation happened during the game
A wizard did it
It's an homage to Shaun of the Dead
Valve just felt like it

We asked some folks at Valve about it, but they wouldn't divulge any info. What do you guys think?

[Via IGN]

Tags: cricket, l4d2, left-4-dead-2, Microsoft, valve, valve-software, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (85)

I really hope LFD2 doesn't become melee orientated. If I wanted to play Dead Rising I'd play Dead Rising.

It seemed to be that the melee weapons would be competitive with the guns - e.g. you can choose the different advantages of the guns, or something very effective against big mobs at close range.

If they were discouraging the use of guns in the game, they wouldn't have added the new gory bullet hole effects.

I think they're trying to imply that the Wikkit Gate will bring the fall of humanity

Do you think anyone is going to get that reference, awesome though it may be?

Got it, and up-voted. If I could, I'd up-vote you 42 times. ;)

I sure got this Quintessential reference. (har har pun)

It's been so long since I've read it...but I still caught the ref.

SPAMMING +`1'S FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT!

There are almost massive groups of Indian people in the southern United States (especially Florida) who play Cricket every weekend. Drive around on a nice Sunday and you will see.

Sean of the dead is awesome, plus the ashes are coming up soon (a series of matches between england and australia for those who don't know)

cricket matches that is

*uncomprehending stare*

*comprehending blink*

Valve is run by a bunch of anti-Americans who felt that the an instrument of death from the american past time would be a betrayal of their anti-American status.

Bonk.

Epic fail

Cricket? Nobody understands cricket! You gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket!

I'll show ya!

http://www.funnyfamilyguy.com/videos/Family_Guy_Videos/English_Pub

Jump to 0:20 and all your questions about cricket will be answered.

Gib's too young to understand

DAAAAAAAAAAMN!

Lol @ the Shaun of the Dead comment.

If they include vinyl records this game will be all sorts of awesome.
(but only the crap records)

p.s. i need a GOOD team to complete no mercy on expert.

You know, people who can work TOGETHER with COMMMUNICATION and stuff like that, and not run off and leave the rest of us for the helicopter and be the only one to survive after over 2 hours of getting slobbered on by tanks.

yes, i mean you inkenk...!

Anyways, you help me get achievements, and I'll help you.

Tag: "Istari Spartan"

Purple Rain?

No?

Sign of the Times?

Definitely not.

Batman Soundtrack?

Throw it.

"As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no 'I' in team, but there is an 'I' in pie. And there's an 'I' in meat pie. Meat is the anagram of team... I don't know what he's talking about."

Mad, Shaun of the Dead was good... Excuse me, I'm off to through in the DVD.

Check out a site like co-optimus.com, they specialize in covering (and providing a community for) co-op gaming. We've organized a bunch of get togethers to coordinate finishing campaigns on the hardest mode or tacking tough achievements.

GT: NapoMarx

Add me

Its a joke about The Ashes starting tomorrow. The ashes is a test series that is played every two years between Australia and England. Its a rivalry that started in the year 1882 when Australia beat England in a test match which marked the first time that a colony beat England.

Australia has been dominant in the past few decades and its basically saying that the English are going to kick some Australian ass. I doubt it has anything to do with gameplay.

Notice that they guy holding the bat has an English flag on his cap and the guy who he is whacking has an Australian cricket jersey on. Plus the helmet is used my cricketers.

Agreed the English cap and the Australian jersey totally give it away...

It says in the IGN article as well, why are people saying it's a Shaun of Dead reference?

Uh, I believe that is a Swedish flag. Not a British flag.

Swedish...what the hell was I thinking. Obviously I wasn't thinking to actually look at Google Images. Comment withdrawn.

Love how its the Aussie getting smacked.

Also this is clearly just a jokey 'fake' image about the Ashes.

definitely a simon pegg reference, its fantastic. l4d3 needs to have characters from different countries. that way the player gets to choose whether to go the aid of the french or not

"You gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket".

"It's an homage to Shaun of the Dead"

A Homage. A Homage!

No, it's AN homage. The H in homage is silent, so it's treated as though the word starts with a vowel.

Actually, when using English, the word "homage" is pronounced with the H sound. Only girly shirtlifting frenchmen use the silent H pronounciation. Oui Oui?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/homage
Checked the pronunciation, and we're both right.

Yeah, I'm pretty bloody sure its a Shaun of the Dead reference. If you remove the hat, the guy actually looks a wee bit like Simon Pegg.
Note I said wee bit...
Perhaps one of the "ammo upgrades" is for every shot in our current clip, instead of bullets, we throw vinyl records which one-shot all but the pudgiest of zombies. Just think how awesome it would look to save an ally being hung or dragged by a smoker's tongue, by severing it with a thrown record?

That picture reminds me of TF2 for some reason.

BONK

I broke your stupid crap moron!

The moment I saw the picture, I just had to make this: http://i25.tinypic.com/2yowg2c.jpg

as did I. I think its the cap. But all i thought was bonk.

Wananananana

"It's an homage to Shaun of the Dead"

^This, there is no other reasonable explanation.

Yeah, I'm not much of a fan of reason. So, then, we're in agreement: a wizard did it.

hello?! the south is where fraternities are born! this guy is holding one of their smacking sticks. it makes perfect sense

Actually that makes a lot of sense...

Aboriginal cricket playing zombies? I'm sold.

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 50 Comments

Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.

Breaking News

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days

Vita 'UMD Passport' won't be offered in US 220 comments
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning review: A tempting fate 153 comments
David Jaffe leaves Eat Sleep Play, layoffs hit developer [Update] 108 comments
Don't call it a remake: Final Fantasy X is a 'remaster,' to be clear 95 comments
Battleship movie adapted into FPS by Double Helix 93 comments

Thwack! Left 4 Dead 2 survivors play a bit of cricket

Reader Comments (85)

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:05PM Kaminaaa said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 9:30PM Haggard said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:04PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:10PM DBuckEye said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:21PM CyberKnight said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:22PM mediocrepanda said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:23PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 7:41PM TheOriginalJared said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:04PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:05PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:25PM Petebot330 said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 6:09PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:04PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:34PM einhanderkiller said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:49PM Cap Morgan said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:05PM tuorpe said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:15PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:29PM Gib said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 7:13PM Shmil said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:05PM Istari Spartan said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:13PM Istari Spartan said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:17PM Red Son Rising said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:17PM Gib said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:37PM Courtney said

Posted: Jul 8th 2009 2:45AM Nap said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:07PM ohitefin said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:14PM Peace Fog said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 7:53PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 8th 2009 2:32PM tlingitsoldier said

Posted: Jul 8th 2009 2:38PM tlingitsoldier said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:09PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:10PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:08PM wack said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:10PM RedrumnCoke said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:11PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:22PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:33PM simblor said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 9:00PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:15PM DevilSei said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:16PM FredFredrickson said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:19PM The Artist Formerly known as Jes said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:31PM TheDarkWayne said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 6:25PM patboy2008 said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 7:16PM Shmil said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 9:57PM acme64 said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:16PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:28PM Dave Hinkle said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:55PM petepete said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 6:38PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jul 7th 2009 5:16PM simblor said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

Double Fine Kickstarter passes $1 million in under 24 hours, breaking yet another record

Featured Stories

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier brings information warfare to the front

Rhythm Heaven Fever review: Crazy into you

Remedy not done with Alan Wake

The most popular postsin the last 7 days

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days