Hoping to ease the confusion about tonight's release of Left 4 Dead 2, Valve has updated the Left 4 Dead blog with a handy-dandy listing of worldwide Steam unlock times.

While those seeking the Xbox 360 edition will have to hit up a retailer--some are opening at local midnight for the occasion--those that have pre-ordered and pre-loaded the PC version via Steam will be able to play at:

Monday, November 16th, 9:00 PM Pacific Standard Time

Monday, November 16th, 10:00 PM Mountain Standard Time

Monday, November 16th, 11:00 PM Central Standard Time

Tuesday, November 17th, 12:00 AM (midnight) Eastern Standard Time

Tuesday, November 17th, 5:00 AM Greenwich Mean Time

Tuesday, November 17th, 8:00 AM Moscow Time

Tuesday, November 17th, 2:00 PM Japan Standard Time

Valve has begun pre-loading Left 4 Dead 2 PC via Steam, allowing pre-purchasers to download 6.1GB of the zombie shooter sequel before its November 17 release.

To begin the process, right-click on Left 4 Dead 2 in Steam's "My games" tab, select "View pre-load info..." and follow the steps. Once the download is complete, Valve promises that "when the game is officially released, you'll be able to play it immediately."

Thanks to Dion for the heads up.

With the November 17 release of Left 4 Dead 2 fast approaching and backed by a $25 million ad campaign, developer Valve has produced a few television commercials.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

The above spot features many of the same scenes glimpsed in the intro movie for the two-stage demo, which is now available on PC and Xbox 360... Read more

Following a week of pre-order exclusivity, the Left 4 Dead 2 PC demo is now available to all via Steam, with the Xbox 360 demo now open to Xbox Live Gold members.

The downloadable sample of Valve's cooperative zombie shooter packs two levels from the New Orleans-set "Parish" campaign, which can be played by up to four online or LAN participants. The Xbox 360 demo also includes two-person split-screen.

Left 4 Dead 2 rolls out on PC and Xbox 360 worldwide come the week of November 17. The Xbox 360 demo opens up to all Xbox Live members next Tuesday, November 10.

Valve has announced that hat-hungry Team Fortress 2 PC players who pre-order Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam or redeem a retailer-provided pre-order code can now don this fall's hottest TF2 fashion accessory--the green beret made famous by Bill in Left 4 Dead.

"For the first time in history, two separate Valve universes collide," Valve proclaims in a post on the TF2 Blog. "This is not fan fiction! This is not a dream sequence! The characters from Team Fortress 2 will team-up with Bill's hat from Left 4 Dead 1!"

"And lest you think this is just some marketing gimmick," Valve explains, "here's the intricate back-story justifying it: while conducting a science experiment on parallel dimensions, Bill's hat fell off a table into the Team Fortress universe."

In other L4D2-related digital clothing news, Valve has confirmed to G4tv that Left 4 Dead 2 on Xbox 360 will grant Live avatar items in return for achieving certain tasks. Nine awards in total will be up for grabs, including a med pack and t-shirts.

• Left 4 Dead 2 Shirt - A Left 4 Dead 2 shirt earned by... Read more

After a one-day delay, the PC demo for Left 4 Dead 2 preorder customers has been released. The demo offers co-op or LAN players a chance to check out the New Oreleans-centered "Parish" campaign.

The demo will be available for non-preorder PC customers and Xbox Live Gold members on November 3. Last, and most definitely least, Xbox Live Silver members get access on November 10.

The downloadable PC demo for Left 4 Dead 2 has been delayed to a Wednesday release for those that preordered, according to Valve.

"The Left 4 Dead 2 Xbox 360 Demo is now available for those who pre-ordered and obtained early access to the demo," read a release mailed from the company tonight. "The PC Demo is currently targeted for release on Wednesday, October 28."

The demo lets up to four online or LAN players sample the New Orleans-set "Parish" campaign, with "all the new melee weapons" and "all the new boss infected zombies." The Xbox demo also packs split-screen for two players.

Those that don't pre-order will gain access to the PC demo next week on November 3. The same day, the Xbox 360 demo will be released to Xbox Live Gold members, with the remaining Xbox Live Silver members getting access a week later on November 10.

Another Left 4 Dead 2 leak has sprung as a new cinematic trailer labelled 'intro' popped up on the Internet today, with a show of survivor banter and bonding plus a spot of zombie dismemberment you can be quite certain won't be in the Australian version.

Left 4 Dead 2 arrives for PC and Xbox 360 on November 17. Pre-ordering brings a 10% discount, exclusive baseball bat weapon and earlier demo access--perks which have helped Valve's shooter sequel achieve pre-order numbers 300% of Left 4 Dead's.

The identity of Left 4 Dead 2's final two campaigns also leaked recently, revealing a campaign set in a shopping mall. Thanks to an anonymous tipster for the heads-up.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

The original uncensored version of Left 4 Dead 2 will remain ineligible for sale in Australia, as the independent Classification Review Board has agreed with the Office of Film and Literature Classification's decision to refuse the shooter sequel classification.

Valve and publisher EA appealed last month after the OFLC denied Left 4 Dead 2 the country's highest rating of MA 15+ due to its "frequent and intense depictions of violence" and "graphic depictions of blood and gore," barring it from sale, rental or demonstration.

"It was the Review Board's opinion that there was insufficient delineation between the depiction of general zombie figures and the human figures, as opposed to the clearly fictional 'infected' characters," a press statement explains. "This was... Read more

NCsoft's fantasy MMO Aion was the biggest PC seller at retail in September, according to NPD's new data for the month. EA Maxis' The Sims 3 and Cryptic's superhero MMO Champions Online rounded out the top three. On the order of more recent sales data, Left 4 Dead 2 captured the top spot on the Steam sales list last week, edging out Gearbox's just-released Borderlands and BioWare's upcoming RPG Dragon Age: Origins. Check out both charts below.

NPD US retail sales for the month of September:

1. Aion
2. The Sims 3
3. Champions Online... Read more

While we previously knew that the Left 4 Dead 2 demo would only be available to PC and Xbox 360 pre-orders come October 27, developer Valve today issued new details on the download, specifying what it will contain and when everyone else can play.

After a week of pre-order exclusivity, the PC demo will be available to everyone November 3. The same day, the Xbox 360 demo will be released to Xbox Live Gold members. Those without Gold accounts get access a week later, on November 10.

The demo itself packs a sample of the New Orleans-set "Parish" campaign, providing up to four online or LAN players with a glimpse of "all the new melee weapons" and "all the new boss infected zombies." The Xbox demo also sports two-player split-screen.

The full version of the zombie shooter sequel hits PC and Xbox 360 on November 17. Along with early demo access, pre-orders also get 10% off and an exclusive weapon.

Following the leak of posters (pictured below) appearing to depict the final two Left 4 Dead 2 campaigns, the levels were confirmed today with the list of Xbox 360 achievements for the game. Zombie fans will finally get a chance to fight through a Valve-designed mall in Dead Center, while Hard Rain will allow the developer to show off its fancy new environment effects.

Also confirmed by the list was a new defibrillator item, apparently used to revive fallen survivors. A few other achievements also warrant notice, such as the "bile bomb" and the mysterious "Moustachio."

It seems Valve revealed more of Left 4 Dead 2 than it meant to while blowing out the game's new Scavenge mode, as 1UP took note of an option for "realism mode."

"That's a special modifier that we forgot to hide for this demo," explained Valve's Chet Faliszek, with marketing VP Doug Lombardi then describing it rather vaguely:

"Take Portal for example: We had our best internal players who could blow through that game in about 30 minutes, but within weeks of launching it we had people on YouTube beating [the testers'] times by 10 minutes or more. Realism is for those players."

The zombie shooter sequel hits PC and Xbox 360 on November 17, backed by a $25M ad campaign and enough hype to guarantee you'll hear plenty more about it before then.

While Valve has remained rather quiet regarding Left 4 Dead 2's new multiplayer mode, the developer took the wraps off it tonight at a press event in San Francisco.

Dubbed "Scavenge," the mode essentially combines Left 4 Dead's Versus and Survival modes. One team, the survivors, is tasked with retrieving scattered gas canisters and using them to fill up generators. As in Versus, the other team takes control of "special infected" and attempts to stop the survivors alongside legions of regular zombies.

A total of 16 gas cans appear every round--the goal is to use as many of those cans as possible within the time limit. Each round kicks off with a ticking... Read more

Update: Australia's OFLC has classified a censored Left 4 Dead 2 for sale under the MA 15+ rating. A copy of the report obtained by GameSpot reveals it "no longer contains depictions of decapitations, dismemberment, wound detail, or piles of bodies lying about the environment."

The uncensored version could still reach Down Under should Valve's appeal succeed.

Original: Though Valve is in the process of appealing Australia's ban on Left 4 Dead 2, the company has also readied a censored version of the cooperative zombie shooter "to guarantee that something will be available on November 17 in Australia."

Valve president Gabe Newell made the revelation yesterday during his well-publicized trip to Australia, explaining to GameSpot and other outlets that the developer's "strong preference" is to release the game "as is." However, the appeal process is "fairly slow" and won't see any additional progress until October 22.... Read more

Gabe Newell--president of Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Team Fortress and Left 4 Dead developer Valve--has declared that "based on the strength of pre-orders, Left 4 Dead 2 will be the fastest-selling product in Valve's history."

The statement came as part of today's revelation that the November 17-due PC and Xbox 360 shooter will be backed by a $25 million ad campaign. The original, released last year, had a $10 million ad budget. Valve noted plans for a "more aggressive" European campaign spanning television and outdoor ads in more cities and markets.

"Left 4 Dead 2 has consistently run at 300% of Left 4 Dead's numbers," Newell added, with marketing VP Doug Lombardi clarifying that "Left 4 Dead 2 has already set the record for greatest number of pre-orders in our company's history."

Throwing yet another pre-order incentive into the mix, Valve today announced that those who pre-order Left 4 Dead 2 from "participating retailers" will get 10% off the game.

The offer brings the PC version to $45 and the Xbox 360 edition to $55. Of course, the company's own PC digital distribution outlet Steam is among those participating.

The developer is also offering those who preorder an exclusive melee weapon, the American baseball bat, and early access to the demo. Valve utilized similar techniques for the first Left 4 Dead, with pre-orders getting early demo access and a discount.

The controversial zombie shooter sequel hits PC and Xbox 360 on November 17.

Left 4 Dead 2 developer Valve announced today that it has formally appealed the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification's refusal to rate its zombie shooter, a decision that currently prevents Valve from releasing the game in the territory.

The OFLC claimed that the game was unsuitable for an MA 15+ rating due to "frequent and intense depictions of violence" and "graphic depictions of blood and gore." A higher rating than MA 15+, such as 18+, does not currently exist for video games in Australia.

The OFLC's report also noted that a minority of the board believed that the November 17-due PC and Xbox 360 game "warrants an MA 15+ classification... Read more

Valve has cleared up one of the two mysteries surrounding the Left 4 Dead 2 demo announcement, confirming to Shacknews that the demo will be exclusive to both Steam and Xbox 360 pre-order customers on October 27.

The company did not clarify if the later public demo will be released the following week on November 3, as some retailers are reporting. We'll report back when we find out.

Pre-order customers will also receive the exclusive in-game baseball bat weapon for use in the full version, though anyone playing on a server with a baseball bat-equipped player will be able to use it.

The promised downloadable sample for Valve's zombie shooter sequel will arrive on October 27, the company confirmed tonight at an Electronic Arts event in Japan.

No other details were mentioned, leaving it unclear as to if that date applies to everyone or just those that pre-order. However, a listing from retailer game.co.uk notes "[the Xbox 360] demo will be exclusive to preorder customers up until 3rd November."

Valve previously said those who pre-ordered from "participating retailers or Steam" would snag "advanced access to the demo," with the company later adding that pre-ordering folk would also receive an exclusive melee weapon: the American baseball bat.

The PC and Xbox 360 game is due November 17. We're checking in for more details, including whether or not PC and Xbox 360 will get the demo on the same day.