Industrious Left 4 Dead modders have devised a not-exactly-simple workaround to bring the original game’s four campaigns into the sequel. The very unofficial, multi-step hack requires ownership of Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, ample patience and better than basic knowledge of editing PAK files. But, hey, it works.

Well, it mostly works. The list of issues includes numerous crashes, limitations and a dependency on console commands, but if you’re desperate to play No Mercy with Spitters and baseball bats, you now have the option. Will Valve offer a sanctioned version of this? At the risk of pissing off the Left 4 Dead owner further, we sure hope it does.

How to Resurrect the Original Left 4 Dead [L4D Mods]

So Infinity Ward ditched dedicated servers for the PC version of Modern Warfare 2, eh? It’s of little consequence, as it hasn’t taken hackers long to enable a workaround, bringing the feature back.

And here it is, in action. Whether it’s actually better than IW’s present solution is another matter, but really, that was never the point here. No, the point was just to show IW’s decision could be reversed, and that point has been made.

The aptly-named The Australian Version Thread over on the Steam community forums has an excellent summary of what’s missing from the local, censored edition of the game. Highlights include:

* No Gore: When you shoot an Infected to you see a small splash of blood. You will not see any “gibs” at all.
* No Blood Spatter: You will not see blood spattering on the screen.
* No Dismemberment: You cannot shoot or melee any limbs, including the head, off an Infected.
* No Corpses: As soon as they’re dead, Infected bodies will disappear.
* No Burning: Infected will not catch fire from, for example, a molotov. They will, however, still die.
* No Riot Cop: The “riot cop” Uncommon Infected will not spawn at all. In fact, if just one player on the server is running the Australian edition, the “riot cop” will not spawn at all.

Check this comparison video to see for yourself.

However, some clever types have worked out how to get around the censorship – at least in the demo that is now available. And it just involves a tiny bit of editing to two files. Click the images below to enlarge and follow the instructions here.

Now, bear in mind, this has only been tested on the demo at this stage. It may not work on the full version of the game when it is released in just over a fortnight. You also have to run the demo directly from its .exe rather than via Steam, which may result in some issues. You have been warned!

[Special thanks to Gary P and Brendan B for their tip-offs!]

People made a big deal about the PSPgo’s lack of a replaceable battery, a design component intended to thwart hackers. One has already found an old exploit is still feasible on the new hardware.

Not sure what you’re looking at? Well, modder FreePlay’s found a way in through the hacked save data files of an unnamed game (he doesn’t want Sony to figure it out which one from his video). In so doing, he was able to run a hi-there message (”lol go=hacked. sorry sony”) and dump the PSPgo memory to his memory stick.

“No, it’s not going to lead to custom firmware, piracy or a Pandora’s Battery [a means to mod PSP firmware] for the Go,” FreePlay says. “It can’t write to the flash, and it even seems to be unable to overwrite the system settings, which was always unblocked before on the older systems. It’s user-mode only.”

The site pspslimhacks calls this a “semi-hack” and notes that the exploit has been around for some time.

Despite turning down the volume and keeping the game screen away from the camera, a small fragment of the game’s load screen can be seen around 1:18. Any guesses what it is?

PSPgo Slightly Hacked in Two Days [YouTube, thanks Dan M. and FunnyButRandom]

The recent DSi firmware slipped in anti-piracy measures that made it impossible to run R4-style carts. Days later, the firmware already appears to be cracked.

In this clip, the R4i appears to be apparently running on the latest DSi firmware, 1.4. That was quick! If this is true, don’t worry Nintendo, there’s always firmware 1.5.

Thanks, JY!

Infinity Ward appears to already be on top of quelling that nonsense, as the team’s director of communications and community manager Robert Bowling writes on his Twitter, “A patch is in the works for PS3 and Xbox 360 to address the recent COD4 exploits. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.”

Thank official Call of Duty 4 forum moderators for bubbling up the issue, something that Infinity Ward is looking to quickly address. Ah well, it was the complete opposite of fun while it lasted!

PS3 hackers threaten to ruin Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare multiplayer [Hexus.gaming via GameStooge]

Now that Street Fighter IV is on PC, the PC community can get cracking on what they’re best at: silly hacks. Like these ones, which switch up the player’s moves, leaving us with a creep, stretchy Dan and a… special Sakura.

Here’s A Reason To Play Street Fighter IV On PC [Giant Bomb]

OK, yeah, they also load and play faster. But whatever your objective, sister site Lifehacker found a new hack that allows you to rig a hard drive to your Wii – even if it has the 4.0 System Menu installed (previous hacks called for an icky downgrade to get around that.) Just a warning, this requires hardware in addition to the hard drive, a suite of mod software, and the know-how to use it. And also the willingness to muck around in a Wii and risk melting its graphics card, if a boldfaced “public service warning” is to be believed. The process is lengthy, so be prepared to kill an afternoon. But it is doable.

How to Store/Load Wii Games via USB Hard Drive on System Menu 4.0 [Mike & Heather, via Lifehacker]

The Wii version of Punch-Out!! does a decent enough implementation of shadow boxing controls, thanks to the Wii Remote and Nunchuk option. But what about when you really, really want to punch something?

Enter the Punch-Out!! compatible Slam Man, the boxing dummy designed for a workout that’s been modified in the DIY way to work with an NES emulator. In theory, a cool concept, one that would have potentially interested me in looking for free Slam Mans on Craigslist. In reality however, it’s a little less elegant than one might think, as the Slam Man has been modified with actual arcade buttons and switches for each control input that Little Mac is capable of.

The theory version may not be possible. But I’m guessing that there’s some enterprising third party peripheral maker willing to throw its hat in the ring. Anyone? Mad Catz? Hello?

The Punchout Interactive Interface Improved [Instructables via MAKE]

The discovery of this mode turns the PSP game into a make-shift version of adult PC erotic title 3D Custom Girl (not work safe), which lets players do pretty much whatever they like to their custom girl — which usually involves yoga of some sort. Though, we don’t remember these positions from our yoga class. Maybe they teach them in the advanced levels.

アイドルマスターSPでデバッグモードが発見された様です その２ [my game news flash]