We're [Not] Dead.

Exactly what the title is implying. NeonTurtles hasn't been giving you guys a good dose of gaming news recently for a number of good reasons:

- Mike and Dennis (Possibly Mark as well) are all having a vacation in Japan, last time I talked to them they told me they were going snowboarding.

- I've just come back from visiting Hong Kong and Macau.

- I'm staying in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia where traffic stands still and internet is scarce.

On behalf of the team, I humbly ask you (The reader!) to pardon us for the lack of activity.

Now with that aside let's look what's coming up in what is possibly one of the greatest years of gaming we have ever known.

With ground breaking sequels such as MASS EFFECT 2 and BIOSHOCK 2 being released very, very soon; you guys can expect Michael, Dennis and Mark to do whole hearted reviews of them once they get back.

Titles such as Halo: Reach, Dead Space 2, Alan Wake and Dead Rising 2 and many more are going to make us all dive our hands into the depths of our pockets in order to keep up with the flurry of excitement that will eventually hit the shelves sometime this year.

On a side note; Valve has launched its Team Fortress 2 Contribution site. This is where all the ideas submitted by the community regarding new weapons and hats will be checked by Valve to see if they'll make the grade to be used in the game. So if you have a niche for modelling, concept art and game design; make yourself heard now!

TF2 Contribution Site: http://www.teamfortress.com/contribute/

2010 is going to be a significant year for gamers, so it'll best for you not to miss out.

Valve News, Medal of Honor and Halo Reach

Some exciting news that has emerged this week regarding Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Medal of Honor and Halo: Reach.

Valve’s marketing director Doug Lombardi has announced plans for the first batch of Left 4 Dead 2 DLC which will collide with the 360 and PC on (American) Spring 2010. Said to contain a new campaign dubbed ‘The Passing’ it features Left 4 Dead 1’s original survivors meeting up with the cast from Left 4 Dead 2 in one big zombie slaughter game set in a small rural town of Georgia. Full co-op, scavenge, survival and versus compatibility will be included along with a brand new melee weapon, firearm and uncommon common infected. The exact pricing details for the DLC is to be decided but it is assumed to be free for the PC as an update and available as a download from the Xbox Live Marketplace... For a price. Aside from the DLC, for all those modders out there who have been living under a rock; the Left 4 Dead 2 Authoring tools has been seen undergoing a private beta test by several users in the steam community so expect seeing the full release sometime near the abridged future.

The ‘War’ Update is finally here for Team Fortress 2 that gives the Demoman and Soldier more gear and you the ability to craft weapons and hats from blueprints with all those spare items that have been littering your inventory. The new gear includes new shoes for the Soldier, a more defensive sticky bomb launcher, new achievements and even a SWORD AND SHIELD for the Demoman. Pay the TF2 Blog a visit for full details and be sure to check out the comics they have posted. Now the only class that’s left without an update is the engineer.

TF2 Blog War Update: http://www.teamfortress.com/war/part1/index.htm

Medal of Honor has a new game and trailer! It is now following in the footsteps of its Call of Duty predecessor by shifting from the war torn country sides of Europe to the conflict in the middle east. Looking like a Hollywood blockbuster movie; it is worth checking out the trailer via YouTube and might be of interest to all those folks who unnaturally get bored with Modern Warfare 2. Let’s just hope you don’t have to play as an undercover CIA agent.

Watch the Medal of Honor trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsOUMavabM4

In case you have missed it, Halo: Reach has a world premiere trailer that looks so ever sweet and showcases Spartan team Noble; the supposed main characters. It is a must-see for Halo fans and is one of the best trailers I’ve seen this year.

Watch the Halo: Reach Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9ez7iNjoVg

Sorry for the late news.