Update: Looks like Left 4 Dead isn’t coming to the PS3 at all. Valve’s Doug Lombardi told IGN that “There is no PS3 version of Left 4 Dead currently in production.” Ouch.
Here’s shocking news. According to the latest issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine, Left 4 Dead is coming to the PlayStation 3, despite the fact that Valve Software, the game’s developer, is not a big fan of Sony’s home console.
Valve boss Gabe Newell has criticized the PS3, saying that it’s “a waste of everybody’s time.” While Valve hasn’t officially shared Newell’s sentiments, its actions may imply the same thing.

Remember test chamber 14 in Portal? Yes, the tricky one with all those long corridors that eats up a lot of time as you move the companion cubes. That chamber. Well, a gamer named KingpinSYD just posted a YouTube video of someone (he claims he did it) going through the chamber in four seconds.

If you were foolish enough to get The Orange Box for the PS3 despite its negative previews, then you’re most probably moping about how bad the loading times and the framerate are, among other things. Well, there’s good news: there’s a very good chance of a patch coming.
But forget the speculation you’ll read—we’ve got proof. Someone from Valve has created a thread in the Steam forums, asking users for suggested changes and tweaks for The Orange Box’s PS3 version.
If you’ve always wanted to bitch about the game’s framerate and/or loading times, then feel free to give Valve your 2 cents’ …read more

Every site has its share of year-end awards, so here’s FPS Rantings’ take on the best shooters this year. Yes, they’re placed in order of awesomeness.

The Orange Box
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (Xbox 360 version)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Bioshock
Halo 3
Crysis
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
Warhawk
Unreal Tournament 3

What are your Top 10 shooters for 2007?

There are many words to describe Halo 3. Fans would call it “teh awesome,” others think “multiplayer is king,” and I say “Bungie’s on to something here.” But if there’s any description I wouldn’t give Halo 3, it’s what Time Magazine just used:
“Like a pebble that has been rounded over the centuries by the gentle splashing of the ocean waves, Halo 3 has become the perfect hardcore first-person combat simulator.”
Pebble rounded by the gentle splashing of waves? Good grief.
What’s even stranger is Time’s decision to put in Ace Combat 6 and skip out on bigger hits like Crysis, The Burning …read more

You might ask me: “Why even bother placing a comparison of The Orange Box for the PS3 and 360?” After all, we’ve heard from 1UP that the PS3 version is unplayable. Choppy, yes. But unplayable? Not quite. Here’s the proof:

As you can see, the 360 version is running as smooth as silk. In fact, Half-Life 2 runs better in the 360 version compared to the original PC version, thanks to the PC’s sound-stuttering bug. Verdict: the 360 version beats all. Now if we could just ditch the control pad scheme and use a keyboard/mouse combo.

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If the bad news about recent PC ports isn’t enough, then get ready for more. According to 1UP, the PS3 version of Half-Life 2: The Orange Box is having technical problems despite the supposed power that the console has under the hood.
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The most consistent issue seems to be Episode Two’s bad framerate, which bogs down during vehicular sections of the game. On the flipside, the PS3 version of Portal seems to be doing very well.
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Unfortunately, there were no details on Team Fortress 2. 1UP confessed to having server connection issues, so they were unable to spend time with …read more

The Orange Box may not be in your hands just yet, but while the vigil continues, Jeux-France revealed that Valve is already working on Episode Three. So when is it coming out? We have no idea.
Even if we did know, don’t take our word for it because if there’s one thing sure about Valve—aside from the quality of their games—it’s their delays.
*Cough* six years *cough*
Warning: If you’re trying to steer clear of spoilers, then read no further. If you think you can handle it, read what’s in store for Episode 3 after the jump.

Why, you ask? Aren’t developers supposed to play other companies’ games if they want to make good games of their own? Of course. Just ask any marquee developer, and they’ll tell you that they play other makers’ games.

But when your office is stuck in crunch time because your team is feverishly working on a couple of games that’s scheduled for release in a couple of months, then the decision to ban one of the best shooters ever made is beginning to make a lot of sense.

Valve big kahuna Gabe Newell told CVG that they had to ban Bioshock …read more