Whether you’ve played the first Left 4 Dead or not, here’s a trio of videos guaranteed to satisfy your curiosity about Left 4 Dead 2.
We begin with the first video, where our hero Criken tests the waters. The new special infected make their debut off-screen, but you can already hear the telltale sounds they make:
The second video is more revealing, at least in terms of gameplay mechanics. Criken intentionally(?) puts himself in bad situations, and shows us how to deal with the new Charger and zombies enjoying bullet-proof protection. He even reveals his “single favorite weapon in all the Left …read more

Dungeons & Dragons on a multi-touch surface, with support for other RPGs promised? Definitely neat stuff, and it also inspires “now why didn’t I think of that?” moments. A brief 3-minute demo of Surface Scapes follows!
Now if only the creators, students at Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), can come out with a polished final product. I’m pretty sure Wizards of the Coast (WOTC), owners of Dungeons & Dragons, would love this. At the very least, WOTC can turn Surface Scapes into an expensive new toy designed to make die-hard fans spend even more.
Totally immersive and addictive? Check! Let’s …read more

Through some clever use of time-scape photography and sound editing, Sony Australia makes a pretty compelling ad for their campaign to give away 25,000 PS3s. Slow-mo video of a PS3 crashing into a Sony BRAVIA HDTV is below:
Gizmag was on the scene during the production of this unique and cringe-inducing (for gadget lovers) video. Full details are available here.

I think pictures of gamers in the flood are becoming viral in the Philippines, where I’m currently based. First you’ve got someone playing Left 4 Dead:

And a bunch of people playing Defense of the Ancients:

Obvious fakes? Well, here’s what I think: the flooding levels in both pictures are high enough that wall sockets would be submerged. Even if somehow the gamers are drawing power from a wall socket located higher than usual, other sockets exposed to water would necessitate shutting down power—to prevent any overloads.
Here’s more definitive “proof”: look at how still the water is. No one playing on a …read more

Now this is definitely not confirmed, but eBay seller David Morrill (dmorrill321) is trying to sell an Xbox 360 purportedly signed by Sarah Palin. The price? $1.1 million.

Personally, why would I pay that much for an Xbox 360, even if really did bear the signature of the 2008 vice presidential candidate? Maybe I’d be willing to spend more than a million dollars if it was say, the Xbox 360 of Abraham Lincoln, but I’m not exactly rolling in money here.
Is Sarah Palin even aware of this auction, which ends on the 15th? As proof, Morrill narrates driving three days from …read more

And why not? Gordon Freeman was the player character of the game (Half-Life) that put Valve on the map. If it weren’t for his success, Steam wouldn’t exist today. Valve’s aware of that, which is why they’re sending out the call to all Steam users. The screenshot:
The text:
ATTENTION, STEAM ARMY! We come to you today with a humble plea. We consider Steam to be the true home of Half-Life games, so we’re coming to you in hopes that you will help us make Half-Life’s hero, Gordon Freeman, the victor in an epic battle. Right now, Gamespot is running a vote …read more

Tom’s Hardware cooked up another value-for-money gaming system, again part of the website’s September 2009 System Builder’s Marathon. This time, they managed to squeeze in four video cards—each featuring a gigabyte of memory—working in tandem into a $1250 budget. Here are the parts chosen by Tom’s experts:

Type
Component
Price

CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor
$170

CPU Cooler
XIGMATEK HDT-RS1283 120mm CPU Cooler
$35

Motherboard
MSI 790FX-GD70 ATX AMD Motherboard
$165

Memory
Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
$85

Video Card
Four (4) GIGABYTE GV-R485OC-1GH Radeon HD 4850 1GB Video Cards
$480

Hard Disk
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 3.5″ SATA …read more

Through its September 2009 System Builder’s Marathon (SBM), Tom’s Hardware has managed to build a pretty powerful gaming PC—for only $650. That price doesn’t include a display, keyboard, and mouse, but it still represents significant value for money, especially when you consider the use of two ATI Radeon HD 4850s.
Here are the parts used in this build, all available from NewEgg. Prices are current as of this writing (September 24, 2009):

Type
Component
Price

CPU
AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor
$102

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P ATX AMD Motherboard
$110

Memory
OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) OCZ2G10664GK
$70

Video Card
Two …read more

The first to make use of Intel’s recently launched mobile Core i7 chips (codenamed “Clarksfield”), the specs of the Alienware M15x indicate that the company’s marketing is right on target. No doubt maxing out the configuration will result in a $4000+ laptop. However, at the starting price of $1500, here’s what you get:

512MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M
Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
15.6-inch WideHD+ 1600 x 900 – WLED
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
3GB DDR3 – 1066MHz
250GB 5,400RPM
Internal Wireless Bluetooth 2.1+ Enhanced Data Rate
Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Ports:

IEEE 1394a (4-pin) port
Integrated Gigabit Ethernet …read more

The PlayStation 3 Slim officially shipped last September 1. Owners of the original PlayStation 3 should be content with what they already have. For those who want to buy their first current-generation gaming console, or are looking to play PlayStation 3 games, the new PlayStation 3 Slim is a good choice.

Size-wise, the PlayStation 3 Slim isn’t really a revolution compared to its predecessor—despite the 33% profile reduction, both consoles are meant to stay stationary for most of their operational lives anyway. The Slim is still a more attractive option though because of its roomier 120GB hard disk, a definite step …read more