The zombies are here! The zombies are here!

Earlier this month we pointed out that Left 4 Dead 2-styled Hunter and Tank plushies were joining the adorably-engorged Boomer in the Valve store, but that they wouldn't start shipping until Dec. 27.

Well, they're shipping now and we've got our hands on them, along with some wonderful Team Fortress 2 plushie sticky bombs.

Check out our little video tour and the pics we snapped. These have officially beaten out my plush Giant Microbes as my favorite plushies in the house.

Left 4 Dead 2-styled Hunter and Tank plushies are now available through the Valve store, where they are 10 percent off for a limited time.

Unfortunately, they won't be delivered in time for Christmas, if you're looking for a last minute idea. They're scheduled to ship Dec. 27. Both require 3 AAA batteries and include 10 sound samples from Left 4 Dead 2. The Hunter is $26.95, the Tank is $31.45. (Those are the discounted prices).

Pre-orders Open for Two New Left 4 Dead 2 Plushes [GameSwag]

If you're a big fan of Left 4 Dead and haven't figured out your costume for this Halloween yet, this video might be just what you're looking for.

Over the course of more than 16 minutes Petrilude walks us through how to create a zombie look inspired by his favorite zombies games, Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2.

Be warned, this doesn't look like something anyone can pull off. It's going to take time and a bit of skill.

Check out the rest of Petrilude's videos for other interesting make-up tutorials and stay tuned for the two other zombie designs he'll be walking us through later this week.

Mac owners can start "grabbin' peels" today with the arrival of the original Left 4 Dead, which Valve has released via Steam. To celebrate the latest Windows-to-Mac port, Left 4 Dead is now 50% off. But wait, there's more!

In addition to Mac support for Left 4 Dead—delivered kind of on time, no less—Valve has also made the following updates.

• In Versus mode Tanks will spawn in stasis until a human player takes over. Tanks in stasis are invisible and invulnerable, and won't move or attack
• Tank speed is no longer reduced when on fire
• Allow players on the Infected team to manually spawn during finales
• Added a vote option toggle All-Talk
• Any Special Infected that causes a Survivor to stumble into a "ledge hang" situation will receive 50 points
• Bullets that first pass through an infected character before striking a Survivor are now ignored as friendly fire
• In Versus mode car alarms will now trigger anytime a Special Infected pulls or stumbles a Survivor into an alarm car
• Protected console commands that can be used to lag or crash servers

Aiur Chef? Left 2 Die? StarJeweled? Blizzard DOTA? What's going on with the four new official game modes coming to StarCraft 2? These four visual guides will give you the skinny.

Revealed earlier today during the BlizzCon 2010 opening ceremonies, the StarCraft II team has created four new game modes based on popular titles and, in once case, a popular television show. Aiur Chef is Iron Chef. Left 2 Die is Left 4 Dead. StarJeweled is obvious Bejeweled, and Blizzard DOTA is Blizzards take on the genre that originated as a Warcraft III mod.

Check out these visual guides to get an idea of how each new game type plays.

Found in The Sacrifice downloadable content. It reads: "Taki... I love you. Good-bye."

The original beloved Survivors from Valve's zombie-packed shooter, Left 4 Dead, return for another dramatic, bloody and brief adventure in "The Sacrifice," the add-on that's playable in both Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2.

The expansion adds three new chapters, events set immediately before "The Passing," to the original Left 4 Dead. It adds the same content to Left 4 Dead 2, but lets players enjoy the added features of the sequel, which include new guns and melee weapons, new Special Infected zombies and gameplay modes not available in the original. The add-on also brings the popular "No Mercy" episode to Left 4 Dead 2, making "The Sacrifice" a better deal for owners of the second Left 4 Dead game.

Ideal Player

The Left 4 Dead fan who doesn't really care for Ellis, despises Rochelle or ever grumbled that Francis, Louis, Zoey and Bill really should have been in the game's sequel. Anyone with Steam installed on their computer.

Why You Should Care

The four original Survivors of the zombie apocalypse are now playable in Left 4 Dead 2, more firmly bridging the stories of the original game and its sequel. The climactic "No Mercy" campaign is also now playable in Left 4 Dead 2, which feels drastically different and still fresh when infested with the zombie mutants introduced in the sequel.

How are the new maps? They're great, with some tight corridors for more claustrophobic moments, multiple pathways, new scenery, twists and turns and wide-open spaces that the original Survivors didn't see too often. They also get to see a little sunlight on their trip south, with The Sacrifice taking place during dusk. The new chapters are stuffed with uncommon common infected—mostly CEDA agents in rubbery biohazard suits—and feature a few new, but not gameplay changing, tricks.

New tricks? Like what? Nothing major, but at one point you'll have to carefully let a Tank out of his cage (a train car). The finale, which takes place on a modified version of the finale map from The Passing, introduces the Sacrificial event, in which one player is forced to die for the group. There's nothing wildly different or game-changing about this expansion, unless you consider exploding barrels truly exciting.

How's "No Mercy"? Just as great as it ever was. Valve has made a few level tweaks to accommodate the new Special Infected, which make playing through No Mercy, well, a little nuts sometimes. It's cool to see the "uncommon common" infected who wear ear protection in the construction zones in Mercy Hospital. It's also great fun to use the Spitter against campers on this level. It really gives players a great sense of how radically Left 4 Dead 2's new additions affect gameplay. Plus, you can play No Mercy in Scavenge mode, Realism Versus, whatever.

What's the downside? There are no new weapons, one map is essentially recycled from The Passing and you can't play as Zoey (or Bill or Francis or Louis) in any of Left 4 Dead 2's other campaigns. But you can play with Zoey and slice through zombies as she wields a chainsaw. What's not to like about that?

The Sacrifice In Action

Buy It

If you have a copy of Left 4 Dead 2 on the Xbox 360. And if you've waited this long to invest in either Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 for the PC or are just getting it now for your Mac, don't hesitate. Buy it now. You'll get all the currently available DLC for free.

Don't Buy It

If you only have a copy of Left 4 Dead on the Xbox 360. The content in The Sacrifice is awfully thin for that game.

The Bottom Line

The Sacrifice advances Left 4 Dead's story more so than its gameplay, which fans will likely appreciate alongside Valve's digital comic of the same name. This brief, three chapter campaign is a no-brainer download for anyone who already owns the PC or Mac versions of Left 4 Dead 2 (or Left 4 Dead). As for Xbox 360 owners, grab the download if you own L4D2. But if you only own the original game, you really should join us Left 4 Dead 2 players. We've got Francis now and he still hates everything.

The Sacrifice for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 was developed by Turtle Rock and Valve and released on PC, Mac and Xbox 360 on October 5. Retails for 560 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360, but is a free download for PC/Mac players who own the full game. A copy of the add-on was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played through The Sacrifice (Left 4 Dead 2 version) on Mac and tested the game's single-player and Versus mode (Left 4 Dead version) on Xbox 360.

Those who own Team Fortress 2 can pick up an all-important hat - and a very useful skillet - free for use in that game if they go grab Left 4 Dead 2 before 7 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday).

What's more, the game is $6.79, (roughly 6.47 times the price of freedom), so you can see, Valve's keen to sell some damn Left 4 Dead 2. Grab it and you get a trucker hat worn by Ellis, the alleged friend of Whitaker, who runs the gun shop across from Liberty Mall in L4D2. The skillet is, well, you've seen what it can do in Left 4 Dead 2.

Already own Left 4 Dead 2 and TF2 on the PC? You'll see the items show up shortly.

Free Hats! [TF2 Blog]

The Sacrifice episode is now available free for PC players of Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2. To celebrate, Valve is selling both games on PC for less than Xbox 360 players will pay for the DLC alone.

If there was ever evidence to back up Gabe Newell's mention of Xbox Live as a train wreck, then this is it. While PC players are already getting up to their elbows in The Sacrifice for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead, Xbox 360 Left 4 Dead 2 owners are patiently awaiting to pay 560 Microsoft points ($7) for the privilege. That's pretty painful.

But not nearly as painful as the fact that in honor of the release, Valve has discounted both PC games 66%. That's $6.79 apiece. It's only $10.20 for both games, or $20.40 for a four-pack of either title.

Oh, plus the Mac version of Left 4 Dead 2 goes live today as well, for the same low price.

I'd be completely furious about this if I weren't playing it on my PC.

Let's hear from our Xbox 360 Left 4 Dead 2 players then. How do you folks feel about this?

Promo poster for a survival map under construction in the indie PC hit Minecraft. The map is based on this unfinished campaign level. Creator Miclee says when the map is finished he'll be playing it with some high-powered development types.