Attention: Facebook and Other Networking Sites User

 Why you should never post your vacation pics on Facebook

The Internet does a whole bunch of things. One thing it doesn't do is forget.

Increasingly, that hard lesson is being taught to Canadians by insurers and employers.

In the latest instance, a Quebec woman has lost her disability benefits after her insurer, Manulife, discovered photos on her Facebook profile of her vacationing. Nathalie Blanchard, 29, had been off work for more than a year. When her monthly benefits stopped, she phoned her insurer for an explanation.

She was told that Manulife had discovered a series of pictures of her on vacation and no longer believed she was disabled. Blanchard countered that the short trips were suggested by her doctor as curatives. The case is headed to court Dec. 8.

  





One of the vacation photos that Nathalie Blanchard posted on her Facebook page that led to her losing her medical payments for depression.

Blanchard's dilemma is one of a growing number of conflicts revolving around the intersection of social networking and the legal system.

"(Searching social networking sites) is fairly common now," says Joe Martins, co-owner of Toronto's Infinity Investigation, a private detective agency.

He described finding pictures of the targets of his investigations on vacation and out at night in bars and clubs.

"Often, they're in the picture doing some sort of physical activity. Then they turn around and say they can't perform it," Martins says.

Is he surprised by what people post publicly online?

"Absolutely," says Martins. "It's like you're putting it into a modern-day encyclopedia."

Blanchard's lawyer, Thomas Lavin, has moral, rather than legal qualms, with the burgeoning investigative tool.

"It's on the same level as insurance companies that hire private detectives to hide behind people's hedges to photograph them mowing their lawn when they're supposed to have a back injury," Lavin says. "It's an invasion of privacy, but it's not illegal."

Blanchard's position is increasingly common.

In September, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia took Mirae Mayenburg to court over Facebook photos that showed her hiking and cycling.

Mayenburg contended that a car accident left her incapable of working certain jobs and made it painful to participate in some of her favourite hobbies. The judge allowed the ICBC to present 69 photos that it argued proved otherwise. (Though the photos were considered, the judge ruled they did not undercut Mayenburg's case.)

"(The Internet) is a commonly used investigative tool for us," says ICBC spokesperson Mark Jan Vrem.

Investigators are keen to point out that they don't use workarounds – posing as long-lost friends to get behind people's Facebook firewalls, for instance. All of the info they've accessed is publicly available, perhaps, as Vrem suggests, because users don't properly understand how to configure Facebook's privacy settings.

Says Vrem: "Some people are not as circumspect as they perhaps should be."

In other cases, a British worker was fired for complaining about being "bored" at work. A Swiss insurance worker (oh, the irony) was let go for Facebooking while at home sick.

"This is not unusual," says Peter Biro, a partner at Toronto's WeirFoulds LLP. "You're going to see kajillions of cases like this out there."

"If the people who are using social networks are at all vulnerable in any areas of their life, they should be very careful about what they post," says defence attorney Lavin, "because whatever they post is part of the public domain."

In the end, even the pros know that when the kids get cautious, it's time to be wary.

"I take my cues from my son," says the ICBC's Vrem. "He told me, `Dad, don't use Facebook. It'll come back to bite you.'"

This is true. People who uses social networking sites should be aware of what their posting because it is almost the same as letting people into your personal lives.. One more thing is, don't lie. Don't tell people things that you are not because they might just come back at you.. Buti na lang wala na din ako Facebook.. GGness..

"Jail broken" iPhones hacked by new virus!

By Jim Finkle

BOSTON - Hackers have built a virus that attacks Apple Inc's iPhone by secretly taking control of the devices via their Internet connections, security experts said.

The virus has been detected in the Netherlands and can only attack iPhones whose users have disabled some pre-installed security features, according to analysts monitoring the progress of the virus.

The hackers are trying to use the virus to obtain passwords to banking sites, according to Graham Cluley, a researcher with anti-virus software maker Sophos. When an iPhone user tries to access a bank website, the Duh Worm directs the browser to a look-a-like site controlled by the hackers, Cluley said.

A spokeswoman for ING Group said the Dutch banking giant discovered a criminal network that attempted to steal banking credentials via hacked iPhones. Dutch clients of ING have been targeted, but there was no indication that clients outside the Netherlands have to worry, she said.

ING has not received any reports from clients that their credentials have been lost, but the bank was monitoring client accounts for suspicious transactions, the spokeswoman said.

The only iPhones that are vulnerable to the Duh Worm are "jail broken" phones, where users disable key Apple security features to get around the terms of usage agreement that they are designed to enforce, analysts said.

For example, Apple prevents users from switching service providers to unauthorized carriers and limits users to the approximately 100,000 programs that the company has vetted for installation on the device. There are thousands of unauthorized programs covering areas including Internet phone calls, WiFi access and pornography.

"The vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones, and for good reason. These hacks not only violate the warranty, they will also cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably," said Apple spokeswoman Natalie Harrison.

Three independent security experts said that it is best for iPhone users not to jail break their devices because the security risks are greater than the benefits.

"They're leaving their back door open. Every one else knows what the key is to open that door," Cluley said.

The ING spokeswoman said: "People who use their iPhones in a regular way have nothing to fear."
The case, which was widely reported by security experts on Monday, is the first in which iPhones have been recruited into a "botnet," or army of infected devices that hackers can control from a central "command and control center."

Early this year an unknown criminal gang built a botnet with millions of PCs using a worm known as Conficker. Security researchers feared that it might wreak havoc on April 1 based on code in the worm's software, but that date passed with little fanfare.

Since then, security researchers say that a limited number of Conficker-infected PCs have been used to spread spam, sell fake anti-virus software and perpetrate identity theft.

Mikko Hypponen, an expert on Conficker and chief research officer for security software maker F-Secure, said that Duh could spread from the Netherlands to other countries.

Like the authors of Conficker, the hackers who wrote Duh are motivated to spread the worm because they too are looking for a payoff from their work, he said.

"It's clearly written to make money. That's a first on the mobile side," Hypponen said.
To be sure, iPhones that have not been jail broken face their own security challenges. Yet so far Apple has been able to stay ahead of the hackers.

In July the company issued a software patch to fix a critical bug uncovered by two researchers that made the device susceptible to secret attacks using the SMS system, which mobile devices use to send text messages.
Apple shares rose 3 percent on Monday to $205.88 on the Nasdaq.

 -Yahoo News

Metal Gear: The Reunion

I was browsing for a new game yesterday nang makita ko yung Metal Gear Solid 4 na trailer. Then naisip ko, hindi ko pa pala nalalaro yun since wala akong PS3... (~_~) Then naisip ko, favorite ko pala talaga tong MSG Series since dami ko na nalaro nito.. So I've tried to recall all MSG games na nalaro ko na, nakakatawa kasi parang alam ko na pala buong story niya.. Kung pano, nagsimula si Big Boss, why sya naging evil, kung sino si Solid Snake, Liquid Snake at Solidus at kung san sila nagsimula.. I also experienced every improvement in game physics, graphics, story line and concepts as the game evolves as well as their platforms / console. Simula tayo sa umpisa:

METAL GEAR

Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear series first appeared in 1987 on the little-known MSX system. The game proved to be a success in Europe and in Japan but, at the time, it had little to no presence in the US. That all changed when a company named Nintendo teamed up with Konami to bring the game to their 8-bit console, the legendary Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

Metal Gear was an odd game in a time when games were dominated by RPGs and trigger-happy side-scrollers. I remember distinctly, as a young boy raised on games like Contra and Super Mario Bros, getting the game after reading a story in Nintendo Power. In the magazine, it seemed awesome: Gadgets of espionage, plus guns galore, wrapped up in a sweet-looking (for its time) graphics engine. Not to mention the added bonus of a deep storyline. After throwing the gray cartridge into the NES, I eagerly waited for the carnage to begin, calloused young hands grabbing the un-ergonomic NES controller with a frenzied stare at the television screen.

I landed behind enemy lines, but something was wrong. I had none of the guns the magazine said I would have. "Fine," I thought. I would find them - they were sure to appear magically once I shot some object right? I was wrong and, unfortunately, after trying to punch my way through dogs and guards, I died numerous times before giving up in frustration. It was months before I returned with the aide of an early game guide - and after finally "getting" what Metal Gear was attempting to do, I was hooked.

What I did not know during my original attempt, or failed to grasp at the time, was that Metal Gear was an ugly duckling released in the infancy of the gaming industry. Genre conventions we've come to know, love and, in some cases, even hate, were only starting to be defined. Amongst the games that provided "lives" that mysteriously appear in crates to alleviate the inevitable frustration of dying (making your character somewhat immortal), there was Metal Gear. If you were shot, you died. You had to sneak past sleeping guards, and slowly acquire weapons as you worked towards completing your mission objectives. There were early indications here, even in its original 8-bit form, of what would become a trademark of the series, much to the consternation of impatient gamers - the long, complex, sometimes convoluted and campy storyline.

As an 8-bit game, Metal Gear had very few "cut scenes" as we know them today. Most of the story was told through the codec messages, another trademark of the series that also manages to frustrate impatient gamers. Brief "in-engine" animations highlighting specific events - mostly simple pixilated, characters moving from point A to B on the current map - also added to the story.

Metal Gear managed to introduce the genre that has now become the "new hotness": stealth. You have limited ammo, enemies that can kill you easily, and only your wits to keep you alive.

It is important to note that the release of Metal Gear in the States wasn't without its problems. The translation was atrocious, though not as bad as "All your base are belong to us." Maps were changed, the Metal Gear was removed, and some bosses and enemies were made a little too easy.

Of course, Metal Gear also introduced gamers to the most underappreciated disguise ever depicted in gaming - the legendary cardboard box.

-UGO (http://www.ugo.com/)

1990 - Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX) : The lost sequel

Following Snake's debut on the MSX, it wasn't long before fans wanted more Solid Snake, and Mr. Kojima delivered with the unforgettable (among MG fans) Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. The game only appeared on MSX systems in Japan.

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake reinforced the stealth game play conventions of the first game. One of the most noteworthy improvements was the adaptation of an alert system and the increase in the enemy's sight cone. They could now see you in the MG trademark 45-degree viewing angle (the cone of sight from a guard's standing position projected forward). The game included more equipment and weaponry, an improved graphics engine, and the arrival of the life-saving radar to detect enemy locations and movement - another series staple.

Now, it is important to note that unless you played a ROM of this game, you have not played the true sequel to Metal Gear. After the success of the NES release, Konami's ULTRA games division began to release a horde of horrible clones. Think of them as side missions, though even by doing that, what little logic there is to the Metal Gear timeline is thrown into disarray. The most memorable of these clone titles was *cringe* Snake's Revenge: Metal Gear 2. The events portrayed in that title have nothing to do with the overall storyline linking the classic Metal Gear games to the modern Metal Gear Solid trilogy. The true sequel to Metal Gear contained the infamous barehanded minefield fight between Solid Snake and Grey Fox, a side-story that is referenced and concluded in Metal Gear Solid.

And yes, Snake, once again, did return with his cardboard box.

-UGO (http://www.ugo.com/)

1998 - Metal Gear Solid (PS1, PC) : Solid Snake returns

Finally, we come to the game that re-invigorated Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear series. When Metal Gear Solid debuted at the 1997 E3, jaws literally hit the ground. The new game took all the trademark elements of the top-down, two-dimensional 8-bit title and expanded on them tenfold. The most notable was the 3D graphics engine, a first for the series thanks to the Sony console. This allowed players to actually become part of Snake's world, and see and interact with it through his eyes.

While the game maintained the top-down view, the 3D engine allowed Hideo to draw the camera out a little more, making it an effective, claustrophobic third-person adventure. Another first for the series was the inclusion (again made possible thanks to the 3D engine) of first-person firing modes with specific weapons. While it wasn't a fully supported view (that would come in its sequels and the Gamecube remake), it got the job done nonetheless. Metal Gear Solid introduced Snake to a larger arsenal of equipment, weapons, and moves to take out his opponents in various grisly manners.

The game also introduced us to the voices of the Metal Gear Solid series, being the first fully voice-acted title. The cast included series favorites David Hayter as the one and only Solid Snake, Cam Clarke as the unforgettable lunatic Liquid Snake, Christopher Randolph as "Otacon," Paul Eiding as Roy Campbell, and Patric Zimmerman breathing life into one of the coolest villains in gaming, Revolver Ocelot.

Metal Gear Solid is considered by many to have the tightest, most coherent storyline of the entire series. It also sets the stage for the trilogy, introducing the 3-pronged issue that Kojima identifies as the unifying elements of the trilogy: MGS or Memes, Genes, and Scenes (or eras). We explore these elements further later.

The cardboard box returned, but this time, guards were smart enough to search suspicious boxes.

 -UGO (http://www.ugo.com/)

  

2001 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2):

The traumatic sequel

With the announcement and demonstration of the impressive opening to Sons of Liberty at the 2000 E3, jaws once again hit the ground. Using the obvious improvements in technology offered by the PS2, Sons of Liberty wowed gamers and press alike. It was unbelievable at the time that the videos gamers were seeing weren't pre-made cinematics, but all done in-game using the impressive engine built to display the game. Once again, Snake was to return, or so we thought, with a larger arsenal of abilities, including being able to see the world for the first time in a fully supported first-person view, hold up and shake down guards for items, and use the environment to your advantage.

The environment wasn't fully interactive, but it allowed for some devilishly fun gameplay in the hands of a seasoned gamer. You could shoot fire extinguisher to hide your escape in a cloud of gas, shoot out lights and literally torture your enemies with body location damage they reacted to. While Metal Gear Solid was a fun, straightforward adventure, Sons of Liberty became a soapbox of tactical espionage. There are those who claim the series took a turning point here in terms of being more cinematics than gameplay, but many MGS fans disagree, pointing to the freedom to do as you will, as well as tons of hidden easter eggs and side paths to explore.

Sons of Liberty also contained one of the biggest pranks ever pulled in gaming history: The game didn't star Snake. The Internet was ablaze with rumors as the game neared its US/Japan debut. Sly posters on forums began to hint that the game included a shocker after the opening sequence; a shocker that to this day has polarized the MGS fan base. After successfully completing the tanker mission with Snake, players are hit with the shocking revelation that Snake was killed. For the rest of the game you played as what may be considered the most hated figure in gaming: Raiden, a white haired whining "brat" that makes a young Luke in Star Wars Episode 4look like Don Juan. This development branded Kojima with an interesting mystique in the gaming community - he seemed to love the series, but also had mischievous fun with his adamantMetal Gear fans. It was also around this time that some gamers began to "get" Kojima's humor. Many went back and discovered that the Metal Gear storylines, while addressing some serious themes, always asks the gamer to take things with a grain of salt, not try to find logic in absolutely every development and simply enjoy the fantastical (and occasionally) ludicrous story being told as cheesy camp.

This time, Snake's cardboard box could actually get soggy and deteriorate in the rain, a development as traumatic to some as the storyline.

-UGO (http://www.ugo.com/)

2004 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2) :
The pinnacle of the series

Haters take notice: Snake Eater (well, the Subsistence version at least) was the Metal Gear Solid franchise in its prime in the last gen console era, marking a stunning conclusion to the series (for last gen consoles) and the beginning of the end for the PS2. Snake Eater represents one of the most immersive titles in the series. Controls were refined to perfection, the alert system and enemy A.I. the best it's been - which at times can be terrifying. On top of this were layered some of the most impressive graphics in the series thus far. The storyline, while somewhat fudging up important key dates, does an exceptional job of tying the three games together with the original 8-bit series. Gamers, needless to say, were terrified that Kojima would have another prank in the works, a stunner along the lines of the presence of Raiden in Sons of Liberty. While some younger gamers truly didn't grasp the importance of what was in store, older gamers that played the classic 8-bit games began to salivate fiendishly.

This time around, Snake did return, but not the Snake we know from the first two Metal Gear Solid games. You played the legendary Big Boss, a Keyser Soze-like figure who represented the villain in the first two Metal Gear games and whose presence was felt in the Solid series. There were so many questions left unanswered after Sons of Liberty, and many gamers were scratching their heads how this prequel could answer them. Rumors included time machines, VR missions and, in some fanbase circles, even the presence of ALIENS!! Thankfully, none of the rumors proved true, and this Snake Eater provided answers and explanations (in a roundabout way) about the curse of the Snake genetic line. This was also the first Metal Gear game (not including the US import of the original 8-bit game) to NOT include a Metal Gear mecha.

Other improvements to the series included the removal of the permanent radar in favor of true spy gadgets, such as a sonar and limited range motion detector, to get a bearing on your enemies. Also a first was the inclusion of the feeding, healing, and camouflage systems. Snake was required to hunt for food to keep his stamina up, forage for medicinal supplies to patch up injuries like broken bones, food poisoning, or gunshot wounds, and wear the appropriate camouflage to remain hidden in his surroundings. Snake Eater also featured some of the best voice acting of the series and revealed the origins of many of the important characters and technologies featured in the Metal Gear series.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence added a number of improvements including improved camera controls (for the non-purists tired of the top-down isometric perspective), introduced the PS2 version of Metal Gear Online, and included a bonus disc that not only contained trailers for MGS3, but also ports of the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 with corrections made to improve the storyline and dialogue.

Snake's cardboard box returned, but was easily forgotten by gamers thanks to his badass Croc cap.

-UGO (http://www.ugo.com/)

2004 - Metal Gear Solid : Portable Ops (PSP) :

Overdue and appreciated!

When it was announced that a Metal Gear title would find its way onto the PSP, speculation ran rampant as to what it would be. A remake of the NES original using a PSP-compatable Snake Eater engine? A prequel to 4? What arrived was AC!D, a descent distraction for a spinoff, but not quite what long running fans wanted.

That all changed with the arrival of Portable Ops, a true to its console brethren counterpart that continued Big Boss' adventures following the events of Snake Eater, including the introduction of fan-favorite Roy Campbell (aka Colonel Campbell) as a young soldier and the origins of the Gray Fox/Big Boss relationship as well as "Outer Heaven". In Portable Ops, Big Boss and Roy Campbell form the infamous group FOX-HOUND, to track down Big Boss' former unit "FOX".

In addition to providing a portable Metal Gear experience, Portable Ops, at the time pushed the envelope of what to expect out of PSP title. A large component of the game was recruiting soldiers to join Big Boss' ranks. To help accomplish this, players could recruit soldiers from within the single player game, by obtaining recruits from rival players in multiplayer, or by scanning wi-fi hotspots or using the PSP GPS unit to get location specific soldiers.

Portable Ops was followed by Portable Ops +, effectively a stand-alone add-on that focused on refining the multiplayer experience. While the lack of a single player narrative hurt the title's release, it remains a nice fix until the release of Metal Gear Online on the PS3.

The cardboard box did return in both Portable Ops and Portable Ops+. The great croc-cap was nowhere to be found.

-UGO (http://www.ugo.com/)

METAL GEAR 4: Guns of the Patriot

Metal Gear Solid 4 is set five years after the Big Shell incident, in 2014. The world economy relies on continuous war, fought by PMCs, which outnumber government military forces. PMC soldiers are outfitted with nanomachines to enhance their abilities and control the battlefield. The control network created through these nanomachines is called Sons Of the Patriots (SOP), and Liquid Ocelot is preparing to hijack the system. Snake accepts a request from Roy Campbell to terminate Liquid, with Otacon andSunny providing mission support from the Nomad aircraft.

In MGS4, the player assumes the role of Old Snake, utilizing stealth, CQC and traditional combat techniques. The overhead camera of earlier Metal Gear games has been replaced by a third person camera, with First Person View and Over The Shoulder cameras optional.

A further addition to gameplay mechanics is the Psyche Meter. Psyche is decreased by non-lethal attacks, and is influenced by battlefield psychology. Stressors (including temperature extremes, foul smells and being hunted by the enemy) increase Snake's Stress gauge, eventually depleting his Psyche. Adverse effects include difficulty in aiming, more frequent back pain and the possibility of Snake passing out upon receiving damage. Among the available methods of restoring Psyche are eating, drinking, smoking and reading a magazine.

Snake has a few gadgets to aid him in battle. The OctoCamo suit mimics the appearance and texture of any surface, decreasing the probability of Snake being noticed. The Solid Eye device highlights items and enemies, and can operate in Night Vision and Binocular mode. It also offers a Baseline Map, which indicates the location of nearby units. The latter function is also performed by the Threat Ring, a visualization of Snake's senses that deforms based on nearby unit proximity.

Metal Gear Mk.II, later substituted by Mk.III, offers CODEC functionality and a means to the in-game menu for a large part of Snake's mission. It can be remote controlled to stun enemies, provide reconnaissance and interact with the environment. Its design is based on the namesake robot from Snatcher, a game designed by Hideo Kojima.

Whenever the Drebin menu is available, weapons, attachments and ammunition can be purchased via Drebin Points, awarded for on-site procurement of weapons already in the inventory and by initiating specific scripted events. The conversion rate between weapons and DPs depends on current battlefield conditions, with more-intense fighting yielding higher prices.

The Virtual Range, similar to the Virtual Reality training of previous titles, functions as a test facility for weapon performance and gameplay controls.

-Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org)

Metal Gear Solid: Rising 

Metal Gear Solid: Rising is an upcoming stealth action video game in the Metal Gear series byKojima Productions. The game was announced at the Microsoft E3 2009 press conference, and is in development for PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox 360. The series' former tagline, "Tactical Espionage Action", has been replaced by "Lightning Bolt Action", to fit the new protagonist, Raiden; the word Raiden (雷電?) is Japanese for 'thunder and lightning'. InJapanese mythology, Raiden is another name of Raijin (雷神?), the god of thunder.

The main character of the game is Raiden, the protagonist and player character of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, who appears in the cyborg ninja state he was in during the events ofMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The second teaser depicted Raiden in his Metal Gear Solid 4 armor with sword drawn, crouching on the back of what appears to be Crying Wolf. Although Kojima referred to the game as the "next generation MGS5", no details about the storyline or the chronological setting have been revealed yet.

  

The game was first hinted during Hideo Kojima's keynote presentation at the 2009Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. His presentation followed the long development process of the Metal Gear franchise up to Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and eventually leading up to the future with the final mission title being "The Next MGS" with Cyborg Raiden standing next to the title.

Prior to the announcement of the game, Kojima Productions featured a countdown timer on their website, having weather going from cloudy to extremely heavy rain with thunder and lightning, until the day that Rising was announced, leading to sunny weather. At the conclusion of the countdown, the site was replaced with image of a brick wall featuring a splash-screen graphic for Metal Gear Solid: Rising.

Here are some trailers of the game:

Another one:

GGness! Di na ako makapaghintay! Sobrang nai-excite ako pag nakikita ko ang game na to since this is the latest installment in the Metal Gear Series. Also these are the main reasons why I'm particularly excited to play this game:

1. They will release a Windows version of this game and since wala akong Xbox360 at PS3, i will make sure na malalaro ko to sa PC. Wala syang kawala. GGness.
2. Because Raiden will be the Lead Character and playable character in this game who is my most faved character in all of the games I've ever played. I even named my son after him.. (My son's name is Raiden Martin.. cool huh?!)

So I will be waiting for this game... *tik..tak..tik..tak..* Once I've played it, I will give you guys an awesome review.

Best MMORPG??

Since my girlfriend and I stop using online community sites like Facebook and Friendster due to some personal reasons (ggness), she asked me several days ago what online game should she play so she will have something to spend her free time on. I've done some researching and so far this is what I've got..

From YouTube, jjurunida posted this video and I think it is pretty interesting..



I've heard some of these games before and I'm particularly interested in Continent of the Ninth since I've seen it's trailer. But sad to say, it is still in Beta stage and still in Korean (hayzzzz). Here are some pictures and video:

(Astig di ba?)

Another game that caught my attention is Blade and Soul. Like Aion Online, this game was developed by NCSoft. This game is suppose to be released on the 4th quarter this year for CBT in Korea. (yeah, i know.. na naman)
Here are some pics and video of the game:

This game is Martial-Arts based so I think we can expect to see some powerful moves with stunning graphics hand in hand..

Sana malaro ko tong mga games na to.. Sana lang... LOL

Left 4 Dead 2

Last year Left 4 Dead unleashed a harrowing and entertaining vision of what it's like to be on both sides of the zombie apocalypse. Whether you were shooting your way through hordes of infected (the preferred nomenclature) en route to possible rescue, or scheming with your fellow superpowered zombies (an acceptable colloquialism) in an effort to choke, eviscerate, and otherwise kill the intrepid survivors, Left 4 Dead was enormously fun. The only real drawback was the shortage of content. Left 4 Dead 2 does not have this problem, offering five new campaign maps that can be enjoyed across five uniquely engaging game modes. These campaigns are more diverse, more atmospheric, and more exciting, thanks largely to the stellar level design. Left 4 Dead 2 also improves on the original in almost every other way, featuring new weapons, new items, new enemies, and new survivors that make the game richer across the board. Though the core action remains largely unchanged, the widespread enhancements make Left 4 Dead 2 even better than its impressive predecessor. This is one zombie apocalypse you do not want to miss.

The heart of Left 4 Dead 2 is the five campaign maps that take the survivors through a wide variety of terrain in the Deep South. From murky swamplands to a creepy carnival ground, from flooded suburbs to claustrophobic city streets, every environment is detailed and immersive. Clever design touches abound, some of which are clues that show you which way to progress. It's deceptively easy to get turned around, especially since you aren't the only ones who have been leaving piles of bodies around. Left 4 Dead 2's environments help tell a story, and as you travel through the remains of a massive government-organized evacuation effort, you get a better sense of how it all went down. The campaigns now string together to make one long adventure, and though the oppressive, desperate mood seethes more potently this time around, there is still plenty of levity and high-impact excitement. Well-timed survivor quips make trudging through zombie-infested swamps a bit less nerve-racking, and thunderous rainstorms make a tense final stand (the moments right before your rescue) even more dramatic. The sound design is a standout once again, filling the air with eerie strains and helpful cues, as well as conveying the full range of the survivors' emotions. This rich atmosphere is enhanced by the wider variety of choke points and final stands, all of which give the campaigns their own unique pace.

Into these grim landscapes come four new survivors. This new crop is more lively and talkative than the first bunch, and Ellis' good-ol'-boy stories about crazy stuff that he and his buddy Keith did one time are bound to make you chuckle. There is a new crop of guns as well, including multiple versions of pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, and assault rifles. These different flavors go a long way toward spicing up the gunplay, but the standout new addition is the melee weapons. A fire axe, a crowbar, a cricket bat, and a frying pan are just some of the objects you can use to slice, bludgeon, and decapitate your enemies. They take the place of your secondary weapon, but you still have a sidearm you can whip out if you are incapacitated. Using these weapons forces you to get up close and personal with the infected, affording you a better view of the carnage but also putting you at higher risk. Still, nothing stops a horde like a katana-wielding survivor standing tall in a doorway. Melee weapons are a great new strategic asset and add a very enjoyable new dimension to combat.

 Infected are not particularly fazed by gaping abdominal wounds.

Part of the reason melee weapons are so fun to use is that the infected die in a lot of gruesomely entertaining ways. Dismemberment and gibbing have been ratcheted up in Left 4 Dead 2, so you'll be chopping off limbs and blowing holes in zombie abdomens like you were born to do it. The common infected models are more diverse and detailed, and there are a number of tougher variants that pose a bit more of a challenge. Some of them can take more damage, like the ones in hazmat suits and riot gear, while others move more quickly and can obscure your view, like the swampy mudmen. These "uncommon common" won't throw a huge wrench in the works, but they add some welcome variety and help further diversify your enemies.

The foes that will derail your progress are the special infected. These zombies have superpowers that make them seriously dangerous, and all the baddies from Left 4 Dead make an encore appearance. There are a few new nasties to contend with as well, including the Jockey (jumps on your head and steers you off course), the Spitter (shoots a pool of deadly acid on the ground), and the Charger (rams into you, carries you away, and pounds you into the ground). There's also a variety of Witch that actually walks around as opposed to just sitting and weeping, and she rounds out the formidable roster of special infected. These enemies are tricky to contend with in the field, especially when a few of them descend on you at the same time. They are even nastier when they are controlled by your fellow players. One of the best parts of the zombie apocalypse is being part of the problem, and unlike its predecessor, Left 4 Dead 2 makes every campaign available for Versus play right from the start. Playing Versus mode allows you and your team to spawn as special infected and coordinate attacks in your efforts to make sure the survivors don't make it out alive. Nothing eases the frustration of being dragged away from your fellow survivors by a Smoker's tongue like jumping on a survivor's head and jockeying him into a pool of burning acid. Versus mode plunges you into an engaging mix of competition and cooperation as you and your team alternate trying to survive and trying to kill.

For those who don't fancy this sort of competition but are looking for a challenge beyond the range of difficulty offered by the Campaign mode, the new Realism mode is the place to go. Here you'll play through the campaigns with many of the game-y aids removed. There are no glowing outlines around your fellow survivors or around helpful items, zombies are tougher to kill, and dead comrades won't respawn until you reach the next safe house. You won't know how much you rely on the glowing outlines until you walk into a clearing and realize you are utterly alone and have no idea where your friends are. Or worse, what happens if you get grabbed by a Smoker and dragged away, but no one sees it? Realism mode very effectively ramps up the tension, and you'll be even more thankful for the new equipment items that offer help. Adrenaline shots not only give you a health boost, but they allow you to heal and rescue teammates more quickly. Defibrillator pads allow you to bring dead survivors back to life, and explosive and incendiary ammo packs help make sure you don't need defibrillator pads as often. And then there's the bile bomb, which lets you spray enemies with the Boomer's horde-attracting vomit. If you chuck this on the Tank, you'll get some help killing him. And if you chuck it over a ledge or into a fire, you'll kill a lot of infected and get a good hearty chuckle to boot.

Rounding out the package are two modes that offer all the excitement of Campaign and Versus play in a fraction of the time. Survival, introduced as downloadable content for Left 4 Dead, is like playing a last stand in which rescue never comes. Survivors try to stay alive on a well-stocked map against endless waves of infected, and they earn medals and leaderboard-worthy times for their troubles. Without the joy of escape, this mode isn't as satisfying as its longer counterparts. The same is not true for the new Scavenge mode. Here, survivors try to collect gas tanks from around a map and pour them into a generator to add more time to the dwindling clock. A team of infected try to stop them and kill them. This mode more adeptly mirrors the frustrations and rewards of Versus mode. On the one hand, you have the challenge of survival and the thrill of each can successfully deposited; on the other, you have the task of foiling the survivors' well-armed efforts and the grim satisfaction of taking them down. Each team plays both sides per round, and the first to three round victories wins. The short format makes it easy to enjoy in quick sessions, though more than likely you'll be tempted by rematch after rematch.

Though it comes a mere one year after the original, Left 4 Dead 2 is a much better game and much better value. The new campaigns and unique game modes offer more variety and more longevity, while all the other additions and tweaks make the already great gameplay even more enjoyable. Even the AI has improved a little bit, and while they still aren't big on using pipe bombs or Molotovs and are prone to missteps, they seem to have a better grasp of tactics and will follow you a bit more closely. Still, Left 4 Dead 2 is best enjoyed with friends, and every mode is seamlessly integrated online. Though the core gameplay remains pretty much the same, there is more than enough new content and improved action to make this zombie apocalypse highly recommendable.

---Gamespot (www.gamespot.com)

 Can't wait to play this game.. Im sure though wala sila masyadong improvement, this game will thrill us more than the first game did. Bakit pa sila nag release ng L4D2 kung hindi to masaya di ba? GGness ka d2! LOL