People make all sorts of weird stuff in Minecraft that I just don't get, but playing Left 4 Dead inside of Minecraft, that's something I can get into. Mine 4 Dead: Blockhawk Down isn't just a Left 4 Dead level in Minecraft a full Left 4 Dead campaign complete with zombies, safehouses, 4-player coop and pills. Modder Bananafone31 brings even more terror to Minecraft with custom textures and sounds to skin the massive zombie-killing survival mod.

Mine 4 Dead: Blockhawk Down [via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

In next week's episode of the AMC hit Breaking Bad, Jesse convinces two of his pals to dip into a little cocaine, spawning an insightful conversation about Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil 4, and Call of Duty: World at War.

They're not just zombies, they're Nazi zombies! Seriously, if this is the sort of conversation you get into when you use cocaine, I never have to use cocaine. This is pretty much me whenever I visit a video game store, though I sweat a little bit more than a junkie.

Thanks king_e_dawg for passing this along!

Earlier this week, Valve issued a challenge to the Left 4 Dead 2 community: if 20,000 players beat the in-development "Cold Stream" campaign by Sunday, they'd get the re-release of "Dead Air" early. That goal was met in about four hours.

That means Left 4 Dead 2 owners will get the tweaked Left 4 Dead campaign early. No later than July 22, Valve says—barring an outbreak of Valve Time, naturally. The developer says its testing and finalizing the "Dead Air" re-release, as it's not yet ready for prime time.

Also interesting is that the Left 4 Dead team says it's "working on and testing a new version of the 'Dark Carnival' finale and some gameplay changes for finales in general." Dark Carnival clearly has its own final quirks, but I'm interested to see what Valve has planned for other finale changes.

[L4D Blog]

Valve's co-op zombie shooter Left 4 Dead is getting the fan film treatment.

There's some neat special effects, the cinematography is slick, and the trailer opens strong. The actors look just like their in-game counterparts. Shame about the headbanger music, though!

Thanks for the tip, Theron!

Turtle Rock Studios, the group responsible for the creation and much of the development of Left 4 Dead, has "got the band back together" after shifting away from Valve's ownership and will be releasing its next game for publisher THQ.

Having worked with Valve for years, first on the Xbox version of Counter-Strike and then Left 4 Dead, Turtle Rock was first acquired by Valve, renamed Valve South and then, after some staff movement, quietly just...faded away into the night as Valve's main studio worked on Left 4 Dead 2 by its lonesome.

Well, now much of the original staff is back at a revamped Turtle Rock, and THQ has picked up the publishing rights to its new, major title currently slated for a 2013 release.

It's some kind of multiplayer game, and is being shown at E3, so you won't have much longer to find out exactly what it is.

Women love jewelry. Women love large, shambling, goo-filled undead creatures. Combine the two and you've got a one-way ticket to a night of messy romance, thanks to this charming Left 4 Dead Boomer necklace.

Video game jewelry artist DeadlyPretty is a big fan of Valve's Left 4 Dead series, and as it happens she creates charms, rings, and necklaces for big fans of Valve's Left 4 Dead, along with Resident Evil, Kirby, Ghostbusters, and more. This particular piece caught our attention because who wouldn't want a ticking time bomb of virulent pus hanging about their neck? As DeadlyPretty herself puts it, "He's kinda lovable and who wouldn't want to give him a big squish."

If you're seeing the sort of woman (or man) that would appreciate this sort of thing then congratulations, you've won. I have no idea what you've won, but you've definitely won.

Left 4 Dead Boomer Necklace [Etsy via Girl Gamers UK]

If the actual Left 4 Dead is a little too frantic for your tastes, why not try this "choose your own adventure" version of the game by web comedy troupe Game Station.

It's nice and slow, giving you ample time to consider your choices, then decide on what seems the most logical course of action.

Being a "choose your own adventure" game, logic of course plays no part - it's all cruel chance - we're just letting you know there's time for logic if you feel like sorting it out that way regardless.

Earlier this week, Valve released the beta version of "Cold Stream," the community-made campaign coming to the PC, Mac and Xbox 360 in the next big Left 4 Dead 2 update. Let's see what it looks like, shall we?

Cold Stream is a mix of things old and new. There's no real story to speak of in this four chapter campaign, but it does offer a mostly fresh-feeling outdoor setting. You'll face Uncommon Common infected types like Mudmen and Riot Police Zombie throughout the campaign, plus you'll see a few new tricks, like the opportunity to be washed away by strong currents.

The campaign is currently in public beta. Valve is accepting bug reports from PC and Mac users. Cold Stream is planned to ship alongside three campaigns (Dead Air, Blood Harvest, Death Toll) from the original Left 4 Dead at some unspecified date, hopefully sometime this year.

If you haven't already played the beta version—which is very clearly in beta, due to its sometimes funky textures, geometry and other quirks—see it in 32 screen shots and one video in the gallery above. (Click on "expand" in the bottom right of each image to see full size.)

This is your opening view at the beginning of Cold Stream. You're going to want to follow the path of that creek ahead of you.

A short bridge in the opening chapter, Alpine Creek.

You'll need to make your way through this small, two story house.

And come out on the other side, through this window.

Another bridge? Yes, a makeshift one, a felled tree.

You'll walk across that tree at half speed and can easily be pulled off the thing.

That's a safe house dead ahead. Don't let that left pointing arrow sign fool you. Break through those planks to reach safety.

After leaving the safe house in the second chapter, South Pine Stream, you'll be temporarily blinded by the sun.

Soon your eyes will adjust...

After walking downstream for a few hundred yards you'll find this ladder... oh shit! Taaaaank!!!! (He seems to like to spawn here.)

Head down this road...

But avoid flaming helicopters, something of a recurring problem in Cold Stream.

After traveling by road for a few feet, it's back into the stream. Watch out for Mudmen.

Where do you suppose these stairs go? They go up.

Shoot the barrels and they'll (spoiler alert) explode, opening up your pathway and alerting some zombies to your presence.

Don't cross the stream.

That water continues to flow into the stairway here. Your molotovs are useless here.

After emerging from your sewer safehouse, this is how chapter 3, Memorial Bridge, starts—with the Survivors surrounded. Walk up those stairs.

And you'll see a familiar looking bridge. This plays a lot like The Passing.

All that stands between you and rescue is this burning fuel tanker. Blow it up to clear a path...

Yes, you're going to have to walk across that...

Then you'll need to drop down here by shimmying down the mast of a sailboat. This is a very, very easy way to die, as zombies will climb it and knock you off, sending you to your death. Not a fan.

But at least the boat's name is amusing...

A familiar looking parking lot... again, reminds me of The Passing. The safehouse lies just beyond here.

As you start the fourth chapter, Cutthroat Creek, you'll call for rescue from the safehouse. I've had zombies spawn in here with the door closed, something I hope is a bug. Anyway, that's your rescue vehicle. Just kidding. It crashes.

Back into the woods...

Back onto the stream...

No turning back here...

Finally, the rescue vehicle. Just past these confusing woods, designed to scatter your team.

Just climb this ladder...

...but don't look down.

Here's a not-so-great playthrough of the first two chapters of Cold Stream, just a taste.

People have been messing with road signs for years now, warning people of zombie attacks. It's so much more awesome when it's done to specifically warn people of Left 4 Dead's zombies, though.

Two signs in Pennsylvania were earlier this week tampered with by crafty video game fans, their regular traffic notices replaced by warnings like "Zombies Ahead", "Watch for Hunters" and "Be alert for Tanks."

The last two may not seem that terrifying to the general populace, seeing as they're words used to describe, well, hunters and tanks, but Left 4 Dead fans would know exactly what they meant: two of the games deadlier zombies.

"The message could have been a lot worse than it was," said Ken Wilson, from the local Department of Transportation. "In my opinion, it was a prank. They could have put something more sinister; something causing more panic."

Yeah, like "Slow Down, Witch Ahead!"

Tampered road signs warn of zombies, tanks on SC 160 [Herald Online]

This looks a lot like the re-creation of World 1-1 in Half-Life 2 - it and Left 4 Dead use the same engine and toolkit, after all. But Left 4 Dead Super Mario Bros does include subterranean rooms.

Bill's jumping is of little use in this board though - everything's built too high. He busts out blocks the old fashioned way, with firepower. For the pipes and the final ascent, the creator, Chubdzoomer, evidently put in ladders.

Still a work in progress, says Chubzdoomer, with enemies and an exit to come later. For a more fully-featured Super Mario experience with zombies, try DoritoClock's Super Mario Bros. 64 mod in Left 4 Dead.

Left 4 Dead + Super Mario Bros. [Botchweed]