The Midnight Riders – More Proof that Valve Loves You
The last few months, I have been BioWare’s bitch as Dragon Age Origins and now Mass Effect 2 have completely taken over my gaming minutes. As such I haven’t had as much time to jump in and kill zombies with my online crew. Yes Lefty, I know you still find time, but I am sooooo close to nailing this alien chick that I… well, I digress.
Now this doesn’t dissuade my love for Left 4 Dead 2. It is perhaps the most fun multiplayer experience out there. It’s challenging, tough and yet clever and fun. There are some spoilers coming up, but seriously if you haven’t played this game yet, walk away from the computer now and get to it….NOW, I SAY!!!
Ok, one of the best story endings in Left for Dead 2 takes place in Dark Carnival where you have to survive a wave of zombies in of all places a county fair rock concert stage. The band that was supposed to be playing (we’re not really sure if there were eaten, or still in the trailer getting high) was called “Midnight Riders” and they claim to have the loudest and biggest stage show on the planet. One player will activate the sound check tape from the booth while yet another activates the kick ass pyrotechnics show. Not only is all of this crazy fun, but the rock and roll really added to the experience. Simply put, it kicked ass and I could replay that scene all night (If I didn’t have alien chicks to bang).
I often wondered if I might hear more from the Midnight Riders, perhaps in some DLC or in Left for Dead 3. Then last week I was watching AOTS and Chris Gore was giving his DVD review. I sat up and adjusted my eyes as I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but Chris Gore had on what appeared to be a Midnight Riders concert t-shirt. That’s effing awesome I thought and I immediately searched to see if these were actually available or if he just knew somebody. Turns out, and I may be late to this party but who cares, the Midnight Riders actually have a website complete with audio tracks, a CD (which you can’t order yet) and yes Concert T Shirts! It’s part of a viral campaign for Left for Dead 2 that I hadn’t heard of until now.
http://www.midnight-riders.com/
It’s just another sign of just how much Valve loves you. Not only do they make awesome games that I will keep in my collection forever. (Seriously, ever play a bad game from Valve? Think about that…) But they create an immense back story on something as seemingly insignificant as the band whose music is played at the end of a level. We read in the blog about how they are gonna keep on touring even though the airports are shutting down. We have a bus and it works just fine! I laughed out loud while reading how their late bass player Riggs Donner passed away twenty-four years ago. There are even You Tube videos of their music that look like they made them themselves. Don’t expect much from the visual sense, but I dare you not to crack up with their Christmas hit “All I want for Christmas is to Kick Your Ass!” You’ll want to check out the CD that you can only get on tour, as the song titles are funny as shit. Hopefully they’ll release “Get Your Friends (I’ll Take Y’all On)” or “Stick it in your Craw” sometime soon…we can only hope.
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Tags: left 4 dead 2, Midnight Riders, valve, Viral Campaigns, Zombies
