Well it appears that Valve is being it’s usual generous self and is giving out L4D2 to anyone accidentally banned recently from Modern Warfare 2. I feel that this is quite nice of them and a nice way to make up for this mess-up but I do wish things like this didn’t keep happening.

Letter from Valve after the jump:

Hello,

Recently, your Steam account was erroneously banned from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

This was our mistake, and I apologize for any frustration or angst it may have caused you.

The problem was that Steam would fail a signature check between the disk version of a DLL and a latent memory version. This was caused by a combination of conditions occurring while Steam was updating the disk image of a game. This wasn’t a game-specific mistake. Steam allows us to manage and reverse these erroneous bans (about 12,000 erroneous bans over two weeks).

We have reversed the ban, restoring your access to the game. In addition, we have given you a free copy of Left 4 Dead 2 to give as a gift on Steam, plus a free copy for yourself if you didn’t already own the game.

To share your extra copy of Left 4 Dead 2 with a friend, you can ‘Manage Gifts and Guest Passes’ from the ‘Games’ Menu in Steam, or visit this article on the Steam Support site for detailed instructions: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_…4502-TPJL-2656.

To access your own copy of Left 4 Dead 2, visit your library of games in Steam. If you didn’t already own the game, it will now be listed among your others there, and is available for download immediately.

Regards,
Gabe Newell
President, Valve

Feeling patriotic? We’re not quite sure what the method to this madness is, but Guitar Hero and Band Hero fans can “rock out” to 5 different national anthems for free by downloading the National Anthems Track Pack on the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network. The free track pack includes national anthems for the following countries:

• England
• France
• Italy
• Germany
• United States

The pack which will be available for FREE features six brand-new Co-Op missions as well as new Co-Op challenges, bonus multiplayer XP awards, and ‘Extra opportunities’ to unlock additional Achievements and Trophies. All of which are playable by up to 4 players.

Rockstar in their Press Release also tease more Co-Op missions in the ‘coming weeks’, so stay tuned to VGTribune.com for all the latest on Red Dead Redemption and all the going on’s at this years E3.

Starting today gamers can outfit their soldiers in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with the Kit Upgrade DLC for free with the help of Dr. Pepper. Promo codes printed on specially marked Dr. Pepper cans can be used to unlock the pack by redeeming the code on Xbox Live.

What does the pack include?

• 4 kit specific unique uniforms based on Special Operations units such as Delta Force and Spetsnaz
• Camouflaged SPECACT (Special Activities) personal M16A2, UMP-45, MG3 and M95 SNIPER
• 12 new awards and 4 new achievements

With an Xbox 360 but no Dr. Pepper to be found, one can purchase each kit upgrade for 160 MS points or the bundle including all kits for 440 MS points.

PS3 and PC owners can expect to see the Kit Upgrade DLC “soon.”

It’s Wednesday and you know what that means! What do you mean you don’t know? Oh, that’s right. We haven’t introduced ourselves yet. We’re VGTribune and we’re bringing you the coolest wallpaper around for hotly anticipated games (or ones that we think are just plain cool) each Wednesday. Starting today. Just right click the images and hit download to get them in their highest resolution, usually 1920 x 1200 or something crazy like that.

Not satisfied with the imposing Big Daddy you see up top? Hit the jump to find a special BioShock 2 wallpaper designed by Penny Arcade!

You know the drill. Right click. Save as . . .

Monday Morning Blues doesn’t only have to be about videos. Other things can make your Monday better, right? Especially, free things, no?

In the spirit of free we tracked down some wallpapers from The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for your visual and downloading pleasure. You can find them above and even more here.

Everyone’s favourite Xbox Live community event is once again returning this winter, Xtival – the ultimate online party weekender will be happening from 27th to 29th November and of course as usual Xbox Live will be open to all including silver members who for the entire weekend will have all the perks of a gold member.

Xtival is fast gaining a well deserved reputation as Europe’s premier online festival as well as a destination for cutting edge interactive entertainment, Last year according to Microsoft the festival attracted 1.5 million unique visitors over the 72 hours extravaganza which featured the Kerrang! rock stage, popular film titles such as The Dark Knight and lots of other exclusive competitions and give-aways.

Coming off what was a great festival last year, this years festival promises to be even better and more jam packed with things to keep you all busy, as well as access for silver members to all the gold level perks such as party chat, Facebook, Twitter and Last FM  the festival will also feature music performances from the likes of The Prodigy and Metallica, as well as lots of never seen before exclusive content.

For more on what’s coming up at Xtival join us after the break, you won’t be disappointed with the line-up…

This years music line up promises to keep most die hard music lovers happy with its wide range of performers such as the Grammy nominated Tiësto who will be featured on the ‘dance stage’ with footage from his ongoing US Tour in support of his new album Kaleidoscope. There will also be interviews with the man himself on the regular Inside Xbox feature.

If Tiësto isn’t your cup of tea then don’t worry music fans the video game powerhouse also has more up it’s sleeves, with chances to download experts from the new DVD by music legends Metallica as well as an exclusive video EP from the Prodigy and also there will be a set of full live classic concerts from Run DMC and rock legends ZZ Top.

Okay folks breath in please there’s even more to come, this year at Xtival we will be introduced to the ‘Cinema’ stage where you movie buffs out there will be treated to a 4 minute jaw dropping trailer from the much coveted and much awaited film ‘Avatar’, the footage from James Cameron’s adventure blockbuster will only be available on Xbox for 5 days so make sure you don’t miss it as you won’t be able to see it anywhere else. (Well maybe YouTube)

Xtival will offer more than just great music, movies and games with an exciting range of LIVE content for download and competitions with the chance to win fantastic prizes. Festival goers can also go on the ultimate free shopping spree and kit out their avatar with the latest in winter chic jazz up their dashboard with some Xtival themed backgrounds and gamerpics.

For more details, please visit www.xbox.com/Xtival .

If you have yet to surf the Internet on your couch with Wiimote in hand, Nintendo has just made the allure of doing so just a bit sweeter. Although it’s free “price” was raised to 500 Nintendo Points after it’s initial launch, the Internet Channel is free once again!

How often do you use the Internet Channel? Are you visiting VGTribune on it right now? Let us know in the comments!

Press Release:

Nintendo Makes It Easy for Wii Owners to Access the Internet

REDMOND, Wash.– Nintendo is offering an easy way for Wii^{â„¢} console owners to access the Internet without a computer. Effective immediately, people who want to browse the Internet using their Wii consoles will be able to do so at no added cost.

The Wii Menu houses a variety of informational and entertaining channels, such as the News Channel and Wii Shop Channel, that users can visit to enhance their Wii experience. Wii consoles that are linked to a broadband Internet connection have even greater access to additional content and channels. For example, the Nintendo^® Channel is an interactive guide to what’s new in the world of Nintendo that lets consumers watch trailers, mini-documentaries, product demonstrations and game-play videos, while the Check Mii Out^{™} Channel allows users to show off their Mii^{™} creations and download Miis that others have created.

The Internet Channel, which can be downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel, allows Wii owners to browse the Internet on their televisions from the comfort of their couches. Users can check their e-mail, make purchases or travel plans, and surf their favorite Web pages by pointing and clicking with the Wii Remote^{â„¢} controller.

“Wii has truly changed the way people play games, but it is more than just a game console,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Wii owners have access to a wealth of fun entertainment, information and practical tools like the Internet Channel, which is another great way for the whole family to enjoy their consoles with no additional costs involved.”

When Wii launched in November 2006, Nintendo initially offered the Internet Channel as a free download as a promotional incentive to get people online. Starting in July 2007, the Internet Channel could be downloaded in exchange for 500 Wii Points^{™}. Effective immediately, the Internet Channel is again available for zero Wii Points, and it has been updated to support an upgraded version of Adobe^® Flash^® player.

Starting at the end of October, consumers who have previously exchanged 500 Wii Points to download the Internet Channel will be able to download, at no cost, one NES^{â„¢} game of their choice valued at 500 Wii Points from Virtual Console^{â„¢}. Details of this download offer will be provided via the Wii Message Board and on Nintendo.com.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

For more information about the Internet Channel, visit www.nintendo.com/wii/channels/internetchannel.

via Email

Space Mutants From Space is your chance to get your revenge on those pain in the a$$ aliens that keep attacking earth for no particular reason at all! Whether it be Mars Attacks, Spaceship Troopers or War of the Worlds aliens just don’t know when to stop. Thanks to Space Mutants From Space you can finally teach those aliens a lesson on your iPhone!

Features
There are 45 challenging and immersive levels which will test even the best of gamers especially since each is harder than the last. You also have to ward off 3 major bosses and save earth from destruction. Worried about replayability? Don’t be, you can go through these levels forever!

Each kill earns you points and cash to purchase up to 25 different upgrades for your tank to kick some major alien a$$.

Pristine graphics, animations and sounds to immerse you into dodging projectiles and blowing up anything that moves!

If you have an iPhone, this is definitely a game to try out. Especially since it’s FREE!