One of the biggest surprises at E3 was the announcement of Left 4 Dead 2. It was also one of the very few big name games there that was actually playable on the show floor. I got to spend some time playing the Xbox 360 version and the PC version. I also got to sit down and talk to Chet Faliszek, one of the writers of the game. Click the pic to check out more on Left 4 Dead 2.

Zombies and fire. This qualifies as a bad day.

Left 4 Dead 2 tells the story of four new survivors; Nick, Rochelle, Coach and Ellis. The first thing I noticed about Left 4 Dead 2 is that the environments are in a mardi-gras style setting. Not all the maps are at night like in the first L4D, there are maps now that have you fend off zombies in the daytime. New to the gameplay are circumstantial events which alert the hoard but also require you to perform certain specific tasks otherwise the hoard never stops coming.

'Cause this is Thriller!!!

Left 4 Dead 2 adds the ability to find and use melee weapons such as baseball bats, fire axes and frying pans. Certain guns in L4D2 will now have special ammo such as incendiary ammo which sets fire to zombies when you shoot them. In addition to all of the original special infected zombies, Left 4 Dead 2 introduces new ones such as the Charger. The Charger is able to knock you and the whole team down by running head long into you. If you’re lucky, the Charger also pins you to the floor and beats the snot out of you. (Yay!)

The guy who owns this property is gonna be pissed.

Chet Faliszek let us know that the Charger is not the only new special infected that we will see in Left 4 Dead 2. Chet also tells us that all of the original gameplay modes from the first L4D, including survival mode, will be available in L4D2 in addition to a currently unannounced multiplayer mode. From what I played, the PC version looks way better and runs way smoother than the 360 version.

How the heck does a car get on top of the bridge?

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The people who put together the Video Games Live concerts are putting together an official Video Games Live MP3 player. The MP3 player will feature 2 GIGs of internal memory, a built in mic to record audio, a built in speaker in case you lose your headphones and what looks like a color LCD display. The MP3 player will be packaged with a pair of VIVO headphones and a USB adapter to transfer songs, of course.

Here’s the payoff, the player will be pre-loaded with 10 never before released Video Games Live music tracks, some of which were recorded live during one of their concerts.  To see a list of the tracks, click the picture.

Here are the tracks that will be loaded onto the Video Games Live MP3 player when you buy it.

1. Kingdom Hearts (live)
2. Warcraft Suite (live)
3. Theme from Myst III: Exile
4. Mass Effect Montage
5. Civilization IV Medley (live)
6. Falling (Earthworm Jim)
7. Advent Rising Suite (live)
8. Tron Montage (live)
9. Halo Suite (live)
10. Castlevania Rock

This player goes for $50 and although 50 bucks seems a little steep for only a 2GIG MP3 player that’s still cheaper than any iPod out there. VIVO products is putting this player together with Video Games Live. Although I’ve never heard of VIVO before, they’re the same guys that put together the Jillian Michaels USB flash drive so you know they’ve got to be pretty awesome!

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I’ve got a big heart for this franchise. I absolutely loved the first Army of Two and, really, who didn’t?. The graphics were beautiful, it had a very well developed co-op mechanic with the introduction of the Aggro system and the one-liners between Salem and Rios were “pee your pants” hilarious. Also, everyone loved the awesome looking masks and the ability to “pimp” your guns! Army of Two: The 40th Day brings back Salem and Rios into a new adventure that’s a little different and a little darker; click the pic to check it out.

Taking a page out of Fable’s book, 40th Day will have players make moral decisions which affect the outcome of the game. All of the stuff that made the first game great are back like modifying your guns, awesome masks, and pimping your gear but now 40th Day will also build on your in-game abilities; for example, from what I saw at the live demo players will now be able to walk up to an enemy and surrender which distracts the enemy and gives your partner a clear shot at them. Players will also be able to take hold of a guy and use him as a “meat sheild”. If you just so happen to grab the leader of a group of enemies then all his men will drop their guns and surrender to you. That leads you to another moral decision, whether to finish off him and his men or tie them up.

Get down on your knees and tell me you love me!

Remember how you could either high-five your partner or slap them in the head in the first AoT? Well the devs let us know that they are even expanding that! Someone made the suggestion of allowing Salem and Rios to belly bump each other, another guy suggested that they show their comradery with a long and comforting hug. I feel like doing either one online will piss guys off to no end.

eeny... meeny... miny...

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Alright Let’s get this party started. I got to sit down and take some time with the new Tekken at E3. Right off the bat, Tekken 6 is gorgeous. It’s the first Tekken game to be released on the current generation of game systems. It also marks the debut of some new characters to the Tekken world including Bob. Bob is… well… he’s just Bob. Ok fine, he’s fat as all hell and what’s even more weird is that he’s WAY faster than a fat guy should be. Click the pic for more on Tekken 6.

To be honest with you, I like Bob. He’s a fantastic change from all the super buff and super sexy characters in fighting games out there. Sure he’s extremely cheap due to his speed but I’m sure that veteran Tekken players will learn him and learn to fight against him soon enough.

Salt to the eyes; a textbook professional wrestling maneuver.

The gameplay in Tekken 6 is great; I say that because the gameplay in Tekken 5 was great and not much has changed since then. Tekken 6 has a great fighting system and, like every Tekken,  it runs at a very smooth frame-rate. I only got to check it out on the arcade cabinets that Namco Bandai had there at the show and I’m hoping that it feels good on home console controllers. Most likely, it will feel great on the PS3 and, unless Microsoft does something about their controller, it will most likely feel down right gawdawful on the 360. But hey, there’s always the option of picking up a Hori fight stick.

I swear, Heihachi started off old and is getting younger and buffer with each installment!

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What better way to kick off the new Press Start blog than with the grand daddy of all game conferences, E3. Although, if you attended any of the past two E3’s then you probably wouldn’t have used the phrase “grand daddy”; the last two E3s were more like the “annoying cousin with bad social skills” of all game conferences. E3 turned out to be a real kick in the head this year just like it always should be. The crowds of old were there to greet gigantic booth structures and free swag. Although E3 is still reeling from the last two failed attempts and how you can tell is by noticing that the crowds were not as big as before nor was the Los Angeles Convention Center as full of booths. However, all these small problems pale in comparison to the outstanding line-up of games that were featured by many developers at the show.

Keep an eye on this blog because I will be giving a developer’s take on what E3 had to offer. How does God of War III look? What does Project Natal mean for developers? Is Nintendo really serious about the Vitality Sensor attachment for the Wii? I’ll be answering these questions and many others. Hit the jump and leave a comment because I’ll also be answering any questions about E3 that you might have. Stay tuned.

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