Left 4 Dead Infection Now Global (PC)

Valve's latest creation, Left 4 Dead, a fast-paced zombie thriller game, is now available at worldwide retailers, the company announced today. The PC and Xbox 360 game, which has its roots in Valve's other hits such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike, has already been credited with high praise from several video sites and publications. The company says that pre-orders were 160 percent better than pre-orders for its last highly-anticipated game, The Orange Box and considers those sales to be a bellwether for Left 4 Dead's holiday success. A huge marketing campaign probably didn't hurt either.

"Valve launched Left 4 Dead with a $10 million dollar marketing campaign spanning television, print and online advertising plus non-traditional outdoor placements in many major cities in the U.S. and Europe," said Doug Lombardi, vice president of marketing at Valve. "These programs, in addition to the community-focused activities such as the 'Dude, where's my thumb?' photo contest have helped expose Left 4 Dead's innovative gameplay to gamers and put it on track to become one of 2008's top releases."

"The goal for Left 4 Dead was to create a game that blends the social entertainment experience of multiplayer titles such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress with the dramatic, narrative experience made popular in single player action classics such as the Half-Life series of games," added Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "The success of this experiment has resulted in tremendous pre-order performance, reviews, and the fastest-growing online player number of any Valve title."

ombie games aren't new to the gaming realm but Left 4 Dead may set a new bar for undead games for a few reasons. First, it's set in a current day setting. Next, you can play all four of the game's campaigns in either solo or cooperative mode (where you play as part of a four-member team). Long-time zombie fans will also appreciate the fact that these undead are much smarter than their predecessors and beating them requires quick wit and quick reactions.