Just in case you weren't put off by the lack of any kind of mention of Valve Software, advance warning of the game's arrival or the complaints demanding their money back, if you see a game called Counter Strike on the App Store, don't spend $2 on it.

Unless you enjoy being ripped off by fraudulent scamsters. In which case, who am I to tell you how to spend your money?

Counter Strike [App Store, thanks unexpect3rd!]

The San Diego Comic-Con is fast approaching, and among the many collectibles that'll be available there as "exclusives" will be this fancy threeA x Valve piece, based on Portal.

It's a variation on the companion cube first shown off in March, only this one looks a little worse for wear. Poor little thing. Best get him warm. Maybe not near a fire, though...

First teased earlier in the year, Synthetic Picturehaus' amazing Portal film Lab Ratt is now complete and ready for viewing. So you should watch it.

It tells the story of Doug Rattman. Doug, aka the guy who did all the paintings you find tucked behind the walls in the game. It starts a little slow, but once things start to go poorly, the flick really hits its stride.

Lab Ratt runs for 14 minutes, so have a cup of tea handy before hitting play.

Lab Ratt [Synthetic Picturehaus]

You may have seen this years ago, but since there's a good chance you haven't, here. See it now.

Last week's story on that awesome StarCraft statue outside Blizzard's French offices reminded us that the primary artist involved, Steve Wang, is no stranger to amazing video game craftsmanship.

Back in 2005, he made this stunning Half-Life headcrab, originally as a piece for his kid's Halloween costume, then later being adapted as a display piece.

I'm not sure what makes it so damn creepy. I think it's the veins. Urgh.

Steve Wang FX [MySpace]

The action-packed brand of high-stakes robbery delivered by Overkill Software's Payday: The Heist might just be pulling off its next job in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

Early this morning, an official statement from Overkill game director Ulf Andersson revealed that the Swedish development team will be working on an "in-depth collaboration" with Valve:

"As perceptive gamers will have noticed, several hints have recently been dropped into PAYDAY The Heist, which has led to various rumors. We are excited to be able to confirm that an in-depth collaboration between OVERKILL and Valve is currently in production.

We are working on a very cool blend of PAYDAY and Left 4 Dead. I am sure it is so exciting that it will have some players check into the hospital before we are done."

It was recently announced that dev studio Starbreeze—makers of this year's Syndicate reboot and the Chronicles of Riddick games—would be acquiring Overkill in a bid to grow their intellectual property portfolio. Originally a PlayStation Network exclusive, Payday is also now available on Steam. Payday debuted on the PlayStation Network and then became available on Steam soon thereafter. No word on when we might expect to see the first look at a Payday/L4D crossover but zombies vs. Bank Thieves… that could actually be fun.

OVERKILL announces co-operative initiative between PAYDAY: The Heist and Left 4 Dead! [via Reddit]

As a rule, Portal guns don't make everything better. But they can certainly liven up a round of Street Fighter II.

Poor Blanka.

Super Street Fighter II with a Portal Gun [YouTube, via Gamefreaks]

From reading Valve's employee handbook, you might get the impression that the Half-Life creator is freewheeling, chaotic, and structure-free.

But Portal co-creator Kim Swift, who left Valve a few years ago to join a different studio, says it ain't all that anarchic.

"I disagree with the suggestion that they have no structure there," Swift told Eurogamer. "They do actually. They have management, there's the board of directors of the company, there's Gabe Newell. Those guys at the top of the company definitely have opinions on how things should be run. You can choose the project you want to work on but there are definitely people behind the scenes making decisions for the company. To me, that's normal. If it was a company where there was no structure at all I think things would run completely amok."

Swift, who will release her first-person puzzler Quantum Conundrum this summer for Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3, says although she still maintains "great relationships" with people at Valve, her new studio Airtight Games is a much better fit for her needs.

"I think working at Airtight is actually a little more relaxed," she said. "I definitely feel at home here. One of the reasons I left Valve was that I wanted to see what else was out there and see if there might be a better fit for me personality-wise and I've really found it here."

Valve does have managers, says ex-Portal lead [Eurogamer]

Tesla Turret Opera (Cara Mia Addio) [YouTube via Aperture Science]

Given what some games could smell like (blood, dirt, hellspawn hordes), this is far better than you'd think. Over on Etsy, a haven for geeky goods, seller Bubble and Geek has created a lovely line of fan-favorite home goods. These scented candles draw inspiration from fan-favorites like Doctor Who, Star Wars, and, yes, video games.

Need to repel a zombie? That's what sunflowers are for! The cake is, of course, a lie; it's a chocolate-scented candle, not a cake.

I have to admit, I'm glad the Game of Thrones-inspired "Khaleesi" candle smells of the orange and cinnamon one might find in Qarth and not the, um, rich scent of a horse-riding horde galloping under a desert sun.

Bubble and Geek [Etsy, via Pwn Love]

Portal 2's brain-twisting puzzles prepared players perfectly for creating their own convoluted level creations. The recently-released level editor has been getting a strenuous workout by some incredibly brilliant minds.

Ben Perry took a couple of hours to put this all together, limited only by his imagination and the number of objects the editor allows players to work with.

And to think this is only the early days of the tool. It's almost scary to imagine what's still to come. I'm all tingly.

Portal 2 - Rube Goldberg Machine v1.0 [YouTube via Reddit]

Rube Goldberg Machine v1.0 [Steam Workshop]