Realizing that the original Left 4 Dead box art was lacking an obvious pun, Valve has "corrected" the error by mirroring the previously right-handed image to the left. To recap: The box art is a Left hand with 4 fingers left, with the thumb likely bitten off by the reanimated Dead. The pun-to-word ratio is now a remarkable 1:1. L4D will take a bite out of your social life November 18.

"We don't have the bandwidth." That's the explanation Valve co-founder Gabe Newell offered up when poked by 1UP for answers regarding the company's lack of PlayStation 3 support. Put another way: "We don't have PlayStation developers," marketing director Doug Lombardi explained. While hardly a new revelation, Valve's dilemma continues to prevent the company from creating in-house PS3 content.

In the short term, this means -- for the last time -- no Left 4 Dead on PS3, and also, no Team Fortress 2 updates. But...? Uh-uh. "They're not doing ongoing development on The Orange Box for the PS3." They, of course, is EA, developer of the PS3 version of The Orange Box. To file a complaint, please contact the office of your local EA representative. Oprima el dos para continuar en español.

After years of reading literature and watching films concerning the subject, we consider ourselves fairly knowledgeable when it comes to surviving the inevitable Zombocalypse. That's why we've never been too intrigued by what we've seen of Valve's co-op horror title, Left 4 Dead -- we've hypothetically been there, and we've hypothetically done that. However, a spot on last night's episode of GameTrailers TV featured gameplay footage from the "Infected" (see: Zombie) point of view, giving us our first look at how the other half lives. (Un-lives?)

It looks like they've done a great job of balancing the highly armed survivors with the shambling brain-eaters, giving pulseless players enhanced zomb-o-vision as well as a myriad of interesting abilities. Check out Chapter 3 of the online episode if you want to see the reanimated carnage -- just don't forget whose side you're on when the world goes all Thriller on us.

Fear not, 1% of the world that isn't convinced fighting hordes of zombies with three gun-toting friends is totally awesome. Valve managing director Gabe Newell has confirmed with VideoGamer that a Left 4 Dead demo is coming. The demo, for both Xbox 360 and PC, will include single-player and online co-op options to try out. Said Newell, "I don't know what the date is for release on that, though. I think it's going to contain the first part of one of the campaigns. I think it'll probably be [the] Hospital [level] but I'm not sure." We've contacted Valve hoping for more information. Left 4 Dead is coming for you November 18.

An immediate sense of tension washes over you when you realize a swarm of Olympic Dash worthy zombies are soon headed your way. Picking up the controller for Left 4 Dead -- the first time it's been playable for the Xbox 360 -- was as exciting as you'd expect it to be. Having never played the game before I quickly remembered all the praise lobbed at it from other writers within the network from other industry events. This experience however was extra special as two of my team members were fellow Joystiq writers Jem Alexander and Dustin Burg. How did the Xbox 360 version feel with a team of people I'd actually play with when it ships later this year? Jump in to find out more.

Valve's four-player fix of zippy-fast zombie action has been pushed back a bit, but thankfully not 28 days later; just 16. Left 4 Dead had been slated to hit PC and Xbox 360 on November 4, but its evil will instead take up residence on your platform of choice November 20. The date is significant in that it's the 10th anniversary of another Valve game you may have heard about – the original Half-Life.

If you just can't stand a first week of November devoid of something new to play, fear not. Might we suggest: Fallout 3 (Oct. 28) or a little game called Gears of War 2 (Nov. 7).

[Via Shacknews]

Not unlike the unfortunate victims and eventual accomplices in a zombie apocalypse, Valve's Left 4 Dead will soon be spreading across the world, exposing itself to clamoring crowds of pale-skinned, physically sluggish moaners. The cooperative shooter will be hosted in playable form at several upcoming gaming events, giving folks like you the chance to experience what we've been raving about. Here's where you can give the game a good go:

• Leipzig Games Convention (Germany, 20-24 August)
• Penny Arcade Expo (Seattle, USA, August 29-31) -- Xbox 360 version debut
  
• Festival Du Jeu Video (France, 26-28 September)
• PC Gamer Showdown (UK, 27-28 September)

As if mowing down hordes of zombies on your way to the Left 4 Dead booth wasn't incentive enough to go play, Valve has promised that its people will be nearby to dispense information and game "memorabilia." Very nice! All we got at E3 were some mints.

[Via press release]

This is it, folks. The winners of the official Game Critics Awards for E3 2008 – as chosen by 36 representatives (including yours truly) from most of the leading video game outlets – have been revealed. Leading the pack with two wins each are Fallout 3 – winner of "Best of Show" and "Best RPG" – along with LittleBigPlanet – winner of Best Console game and Best Social/Casual/Puzzle game.

The top publisher was EA (just like in our own awards) with five wins, while Sony took second place with an impressive three wins. In terms of platform concentration, the Xbox 360 barely edged out the competition with eight wins versus both the PC and PS3's seven (for those of you keeping track, the Wii only managed one win and that was for its version of Madden 09). We've got the full list after the break, or check out the Game Critics site for the breakdown by publisher and platform or refresh your memory with this list of nominees in the various categories.

Despite what OPM says, Valve's zombocalypse game Left 4 Dead is not coming to PS3, according to Valve. IGN spoke with Doug Lombardi, information guru at the house of Newell, who informed the site there is no PS3 version of the game "currently in production."

Not so fast, OPM could still be on the ball. Lombardi may be speaking specifically on behalf of Valve -- which is all he can really speak for -- and perhaps EA is developing a PS3 version separately. That worked out really well when EA did the same for Orange Box on PS3, didn't it?

It's no secret that Valve's Gabe Newell isn't a staunch supporter of the PlayStation 3 -- well, that's putting it lightly. The Half-Life creator actually referred to the system as "a waste of everyone's time". PS3 owners were likely disappointed (though not surprised) to learn that Turtle Rock Studios' (a recent addition to the Valve family) upcoming zombocalypse survival sim Left 4 Dead would be console exclusive to the Xbox 360 -- though a recent blurb in the latest issue of Official Playstation Magazine contradicts this oft-repeated claim.

The one-sentence newsbrief reads, "Valve's survival horror game Left 4 Dead is coming to PS3, but EA will be taking on development duties in-house." That's it -- no attribution for the report or timetable for the title's release. We expect that EA will soon deliver more info about the project -- until then, we wait with bated breath, hoping that we don't have another Orange Box fiasco on our hands.

The zombie apocalypse is not funny. Modern civilization crumbles, your friends are eaten alive and those with a pulse are forced to adopt a rather rigorous and unrelenting exercise program, one largely motivated by the desire to stay alive. Shakily counting out your precious remaining bullets and praying that the snarling, undead legion won't find you huddling beneath a desk is hardly a situation worthy of a chuckle. It certainly isn't the basis for a fun party game.

"It is a fun party game, in a way," remarks Valve's Chet Faliszek. The fun party game in question, of course, is Left 4 Dead, a team-based shooter that actually makes Armageddon amusing. Don't get us wrong -- horrible, horrible things are happening to you and three friends. You're all fighting for your lives, living from room-to-room as you aggressively expend ammo, rummage for medical supplies and desperately try not to shoot each other in the back. Good times!

At the Electronic Arts press conference, Valve's Gabe Newell revealed that Left 4 Dead sports a new cast of main characters. Here's your quartet, shown above, with bigger pictures in the galleries. Left 4 Dead will leave you stranded in November.

Randy posted such a good hands-on experience with Left 4 Dead last month, that it would be outrageous for us to try and repeat his performance. So, we spent some time asking the guys at Valve what they'd changed between now and then. They were showing off the exact same level in order to illustrate how far they'd come in the five weeks they'd had in-between demos. New world art throughout the level was a lot grittier and moodier, and will probably cause quite a few players to pee in their pants. Read on while we hunt for a dry pair.

You've been 4-warned. Valve's PC and Xbox 360 zombie apocalypse sim, Left 4 Dead, will be overturning store shelves in a frantic search for essential supplies on November 4th. We highly recommend that you and three of your best friends shoot through the throbbing, mindless masses of a dilapidated modern society, if only so you can get home quicker and load up the game.

Be sure to read our hands-on impressions before you brave the undead hordes. And for heaven's sake, never go back for the dog. That's just stupid.