In a recent interview with CVG where he told of pre-orders for Left 4 Dead 2 being quadruple that of the original, Chet Faliszek had another big statement. Valve's projecct lead took a shot at the PlayStation Network when he said that the Xbox 360 community, lead by Xbox Live, is "head and shoulders above the PS3."

Faliszek stated that the community aspects of both the PC and Xbox 360 "really fit" Left 4 Dead. So PS3 owners should not be looking for a port of the game anytime soon.

"Right now for Left 4 Dead 2 we're looking at PC and 360 because the community aspects really fit the game - it's all about playing with your friends," he said. "But that's the short term. What we're looking at for the long term... if it works out, it works out. Right now don't not buy it on the 360 because you think it's coming out on the PS3 - it's not going to. Right? It's coming out on the PC and 360. It's going to be exclusive for that."

Faliszek continued with the comparison. "In hooking up with your friends and the community aspects, I think the Xbox 360 is head and shoulders above the PS3," he stated. "The 360 and PC are on par, right?"

The second part of the interview between CVG and Faliszek is reported to be released soon.

[CVG]

A week after the obvious reveal of the Jedi Knight class for Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare community manager Sean Dahlberg revealed another class today on the highly anticipated MMORPG's forums. That class is the Imperial Agent.

The inspiration for the Imperial Agent class, according to Dahlberg, was characters like Zam Wessel and Grand Moff Tarkin. They are people who will operate behind the scenes to do Sith Empire's dirty work.

"Specializing in high-tech gear, the Imperial Agent always has the right tools at the right time," posted Dahlberg. "They use abilities of subversion and subterfuge to infiltrate and assassinate enemies of the Sith Empire with deadly efficiency. Players who choose to be Imperial Agents in The Old Republic (TOR) will see the underbelly of the Empire in a whole new light."

The HoloNet update to feature the class on the game's official website will be done next week. Until then, check out the source link to view the current screenshots for the Imperial Agent.

[Star Wars: The Old Republic Forums]

With the Left 4 Dead 2 boycott officially dead, Valve is completely focused on the upcoming zombie shooter sequel's release in two weeks. After all, the company has "four times" the amount of pre-orders for the sequel over the original.

"As we get closer to launch we see the reaction to the demo, pre-orders are four times what Left 4 Dead 1 was, people's excitement, the boycott itself and how it's changed... I think people are just excited now," said Chet Faliszek, Valve's project lead.

Looking back at the boycott and how Valve handled the situation, Faliszek said the whole series of events changed "how we talked about it and how we talked with everybody."

"Honestly I made the joke and it's true: If you put $20 in a box and charge $10 for it someone would complain you didn't put $50 in a box," he said. "Not to say some of the concerns raised aren't valid, but you're always going to have some kind of upset and that's not how we work. We work at looking at the project and trying to get it out."

Left 4 Dead 2 hits stores on November 17.

[CVG]

A recent PlayStation Blog post written by EA DICE Associate Producer Gordon Van Dyke chalks up another victory to PS3 gamers by revealing the multiplayer beta for the upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be exclusively available on the PS3 beginning November 19.

The beta contains a solitary map, "Africa Harbor", that showcases the "Rush" game mode in which players battle over equipment crates. The map highlights fluid transitions between vehicular and infantry combat by featuring an assault on a military outpost followed by intense street-to-street fighting through an industrial harbor.

Interested in joining the fray? While each country will have differing methods of accessing the beta, North American players will be able to get the beta through pre-ordering the game from certain retailers, or by browsing gaming websites such as GameSpot or IGN for a giveaway of some sort. Of course, the simplest option would be to participate in the PlayStation Blog contest that will be held in a few days.

For more info, screenshots and an announcement video, head on over to Playstation Blog's website.

Count one more awesome game for the PSP. Arc System Works is bringing the high res 2D fighter, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, to the PSP. Announced via Famitsu, the new version of the fighter will launch on February 25 in Japan and come packed with a few extra features. The game will include all the entire cast, ad-hoc multiplayer for up to four people, and a new Legion Mode that has players fight to gain territory on a board.

We haven't heard if the port will be a lower resolution or if any effects will be removed, but if you find yourself chomping at the bit for some portable BlazBlue, the PS3 game does support Remote Play. That should hold you over until the game's US release.

[Joystiq]

As an attempt to alleviate the onslaught of shoppers that bombard stores during the dreaded Black Friday, retail giant Walmart will hold weekly and one-day sales of certain products leading up to the holiday shopping season -- starting with the Xbox 360 Arcade priced at a tantalizing $199 on November 7. Too good to be true? Evidently not.

Confirmed earlier today, the price-cut of the console will hopefully alleviate expensive or out-of-stock console shopping woes that betide upon parents and other holiday shoppers. A $100 gift card is also thrown in to sweeten the deal.

If gaming consoles aren't on your list this holiday season, consider the additional electronic items that are discounted this coming Saturday -- TVs, a Blu-ray player, a DVD player, and a laptop.

Check out Walmart's official sale website for more information.

Welcome to Collector's Edition Roundup! This is a new feature we're running where we detail all the new collector's editions of big profile games that are coming out! Okay, this isn't a new feature, but with all these collector's editions being revealed, it feels like we should start one for these goodie-infested versions.

The latest one to get the special treatment is Ubisoft's Splinter Cell Conviction, the latest installment in the stealth action series. This version will set you back $79.99 and will release the same day as the standard version, February 23, 2010. The set will feature a credit-card-sized usb drive with art and a making-of featurette, a prequel comic book, a DLC weapon and player skin, two stickers: a Third Echelon logo and stylsh bullet hole marks. The game also comes in a steel book case with the same bullet hole markings in it, so you can put the sticker on the other side for true authenticity.

[Joystiq]

It's hard to get any info from Nintendo regarding its big franchise games, so count this one as a win for the fans. Nintendo and gaming guru Shingeru Miyamoto has let loose that the next installment in The Legend of Zelda franchise will feature MotionPlus control.

"In this [installment in the series], we're using MotionPlus to make you feel much more like you're actually fighting while holding a sword in your hand," said Miyamoto at a Q&A session that was translated by website GameLife. "In the previous game, you aimed at things by pointing at the screen, but this time we'll use MotionPlus to create a much more convenient targeting system and a more pleasurable playing experience."

No word on if the control is required or just an option, but it's good to know one of gaming greats is getting some exposure outside of this year's E3.

[GameLife]

When Activision learned that Infinity Ward had commenced development of Modern Warfare 2, the publisher offered the studio a massive budget to safeguard the standards of quality that every Call of Duty game had possessed so far. The answer? Nah.

Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling steps in once more to explain the company's intentions during an interview published at Develop Online. Of note, Bowling divulges the almost extreme lengths Activision took to seeing Modern Warfare 2 succeed.

"Early on -- when we decided to make a sequel -- Activision estimated out a ridiculous budget. And we were like: 'No, we don't need that.'"

Instead, Infinity Ward chose to use a "pretty tight" budget to ensure that the game would conform to quality standards as set by Activision without the hoopla and fluff of an immense cash flow.

"Much like we don't let ourselves get distracted by hype, if you have excess you feel like you should use excess," Bowling says.

As working with a gargantuan IP such as Call of Duty would place an extraordinary amount of pressure on the developer, Bowling relieves the tension somewhat by re-affirming Infinity Ward's directive of creating a game "that we can be proud of and our fans will like. We approached it like we would any other game."

A fantasy RPG filled with blood, gore, and sex by acclaimed studio BioWare will be leading the charge to stores this week. Dragon Age: Origins is the featured title in a week where the other two top releases are rhythm-based LEGO Rock Band and Band Hero. Here is the full list of games coming out this week.

DS:

Agatha Christie: ABC Murders
Band Hero (not compatible with DSi)
Barbie and the Three Musketeers
COP: The Recruit
Disney's A Christmas Carol
Hidden Mysteries: Titanic - Secrets of the Fateful Voyage
Imagine: Babyz Fashion
Jewel Quest Mysteries
LEGO Rock Band
Need for Speed: Nitro
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: New Year's Celebration
Rabbids Go Home
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
Style Savvy
Sushi Academy
Style Savvy
WireWay

PC:

Dragon Age: Origins
Football Manager 2010
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

PlayStation 2:

Band Hero
Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier
Jurassic: The Hunted

PlayStation 3:

Band Hero
Dragon Age: Origins
Jurassic: The Hunted
LEGO Rock Band
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

PSP:

Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron

Xbox 360:

Band Hero
Dragon Age: Origins
Jurassic: The Hunted
LEGO Rock Band
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

Wii:

Academy of Champions: Soccer
Band Hero
Barbie and the Three Musketeers
Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Grooves
Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom
Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked
Hidden Mysteries: Titanic - Secrets of the Fateful Voyage
Hooked Again Bundle
Jurassic: The Hunted
LEGO Rock Band
My Baby: First Steps
Need for Speed: Nitro
Rabbids Go Home
Remington: Great American Bird Hunt
Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage
Ultimate Party Challenge Bundle
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