Here it is, kids. The final major Team Fortress 2 character updates (for now). The last-in-line Engineer is due for his big makeover and Valve has officially upgraded our anticipation to Tier 3 with a new teaser.

In an update to its celebration of 119 Team Fortress 2 updates, Valve has engineered this brief clip that could very well be oozing with hidden details. I suggest watching it frame by frame to see if you can spot clues. For instance, what's that Iron Man-esque helmet thing sitting on his workbench? What's the deal with that robotic arm blueprint in the background? What *is* our friend the Engineer working on?

Surely we'll know soon, but we'll factor in Valve Time, just in case.

Coming Soon [Team Fortress - thanks, Jon!]

The first offering in Valve's new line of collectibles, Team Fortress 2's the Heavy, is now up for pre-order. These lovely limited edition statues can soon be yours, provided you've got the scratch to afford it.

Gaming Heads is now taking orders for four separate versions of the Heavy. The RED Heavy and BLU Heavy will set you back $229.99 USD and are limited to 750 units. The exclusive versions of the RED Heavy and BLU Heavy, both of which come with an alternate, more pensive head and an alternate gun—giving collector's both Sascha and Natascha—will cost a cool $244.99 USD. The exclusive statues are limited to 300 each.

Cheap? No way. But for 13 inches of hand-painted high quality poly-stone sculpture, not outrageous. It's currently beyond my means—and spending justification—but for the collector of fine video game statuettes, it may be the Heavy you've been waiting for. Who's buyin'?

The Heavy [Gaming Heads]

This weekend, things are going to get even harder for the poor Survivors from Left 4 Dead 2, thanks to the game's latest rule-changing "Mutation." And one Mutation is up for permanent, not weekly, contention.

"Bleed Out" the second gameplay variation added to the rotation to those who have upgraded to Left 4 Dead 2's first expansion, The Passing, will afflict the Survivors with "no permanent health, only temporary health that is continuously ticking away." This time, it affects the game's Campaign mode. Next week? "Follow the Liter." Sounds like cola escort to me.

Valve notes on the official L4D blog that the Left 4 Dead 2 in-game poll poses an important question: "Should we make Realism Versus a permanent game mode?" Sure. Why not? Why not make them all permanent?

Puking and Bleeding Out [L4D Blog]

Agent Midnight over at DeviantArt thinks Scout Man has what it takes to be a real video game, though he might need a little help. Check out the rest of his Team Fortress 2 sprite work here.

It never rains Valve merchandise, it pours. Hot on the heels of the news the company will be releasing statues and props based on its favourite franchises comes word a line of Left 4 Dead plushies are also on sale.

There'll be five in total, with the first available being everyone's favourite undead fatty, the Boomer. He'll cost $50, and in a nice touch, was designed not by some nameless company in China, but by Alexandria "beavotron" Neonakis, creator of the amazing Valve Christmas cards.

$50 sounds like a lot for a plush, but he's not just for cuddles, as when squeezed he'll emit one of ten pre-recorded sounds. Presumably eight of them are some kind of gurgling noise.

Some of the other plushies in the pipeline include the Witch and Tank.

L4D2 Boomer [Valve]

Flush with pride over the game's 119th update, Valve today released another update for online shooter Team Fortress 2, designed to honour those that have been with the game since its launch all the way back in 2007.

Along with a few minor tweaks to the mechanics of the game, it introduces three types of medals players can wear on their chests, which reflect how long they've been playing the game. If you played your first game of TF2 twelve months (or later) after the game's release, you get a bronze "Weekend Warrior" badge.

Those whose first game was between 3-12 months after the game first came out, you get a silver "Soldier of Fortune" badge. And those lucky few, the pioneers who played their first game within the first three months of the game's launch? You get the gold "grizzled veteran" medal. Wear it with pride, soldier. You deserve it.

Sounds paltry, but for a community so passionate and loyal (not to mention vain) as Team Fortress 2's, they'll be seen as valuable commodities. And rightly so. If you're still playing an online shooter nearly three years after it came out, you deserve that medal.

To read up on the 119th update - and a great rundown of the 118 before it - hit Valve's blog below.

119 [Team Fortress 2]

We've been complaining about the lack of Team Fortress 2 collectibles for months now. We even did it yesterday. That complaining stops today, however, with the reveal of a gorgeous statue based on the game's "Heavy".

It'll stand a whopping 12 inches tall, and come in both red and blue flavours (with exclusive variants with different facial expressions), so as not to have anyone feeling left out.

Best part? It's just the first in an entire line of them, so hopefully we'll see each and every member of the Team Fortress 2 team represented.

Actually, no. That's not the best part. The best part is that Gaming Heads, the studio responsible for the statues, is also releasing a line of statues based on Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead, as well as "life size props". The presence of a Portal logo on the company's website has us thinking "life size portal gun".

Life size props? Half-Life 2 statues?

Goodness me.

Pre-orders for the Heavy begin at 9am on May 3. Get in line.

Valve sent word five minutes ago that the public release of Steam for the Mac will be on May 12. No other details were included in the statement.

Originally due for release sometime in April, there was, of course, less than two days left to make that deadline. Valve gave no reason for the delay.

Steam for the Mac will bring with it Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal and the Half-Life series.

Renowned custom toy creator Jin Saotome, who you've seen before, is back and telling Valve how it should be spending its merchandising budget: on action figures.

Jin's custom Spy figure, from online shooterTeam Fortress 2, may have ridiculous knees, but everything else about him is spot-on, from his stupid grin to the "masks" he can wear to sneak around behind someone braver and shank them in the ribs.

If you're up for an online adrenaline rush it's available on eBay. Failing that, you could just head to Jin's DeviantART page and check it out in detail.

Spy vs Pyro vs Scout vs etc [Jin @ DeviantART, via Tomopop]

We knew that Left 4 Dead 2's new expansion, "The Passing," paid a graffiti tribute to Dead Rising's Frank West. It looks like the game's creators admire Plants vs. Zombies as well.

Reader Stephen H. sent in this grab - we're trying to get a bigger image - but evidently Crazy Dave is the guy to see if you need an M60. Crazy Dave, of course, is your neighbor (and the armorer/store owner) in PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies.

This too is in the room with a pool table on the second level of "The Passing." Just scan the wall, you'll hit it and many other zombie genre in-jokes.