![Laundry Time Winners [Kotaku 'shop Contest]](http://www.thatsovietguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/993241a5psplash1008.jpg)
A designer's concept blending a functioning coin-operated washing machine with a coin-operated video gaming experience was only slightly less absurd than the 20 laureates of this week's 'Shop Contest, led by Daniel Bain. See them all inside!
Getting things started, electrikALIEN (6) just thought of the latest craze but, of course, it means one more peripheral taking up space. LucerinRed (12) adds some Dr. Who to the spin cycle. pan1da7 is...
![For The Next Few Days, Portal Is Free [Portal]](http://www.thatsovietguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/f91cba03500x_portal.jpg)
From now until September 20, the PC and Mac versions of Valve's classic first-person puzzler Portal are free. Free gratis. You won't pay a cent for it.
A website has gone live (perhaps a little early) promoting the offer, which directs users to Valve's Steam service, where they're directed to download the gaming experience free of charge.
Not that this will be terribly useful to that many of you, since by now, four years on, surely everyone has...
![Valve’s Games Now Sold on Electronic Arts’ Origin [Valve]](http://www.thatsovietguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/f19f87bforiginvalve.jpg)
Electronic Arts' Origin service is running a three-for-the-price-of-two sale, on selected titles, this weekend. Three of the eligible gaming experiences are published by Valve. EA and Valve haven't been very friendly of late, so perhaps this is a make-up gesture by Valve?
The Valve gaming experiences involved are Counter-Strike: Source, Left 4 Dead: Game of the Year Edition, and Left 4 Dead 2. Pick two and get a third free. No Valve gaming...
![An Hour with Counter-Strike: GO [Counter-strike]](http://www.thatsovietguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/8d5276f4action01_01.jpg)
I've played Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and can now say it's for me, too.
On the eve of the public debut of its newest gaming experience, Valve Software let me into their ever-expanding offices in Bellevue, Washington to give me a sampling of four classic Counter-Strike maps as they've been remade for 2012's Counter-Strike: GO.
This was, I dare admit, the first time I've ever played Counter-Strike.
Forget my shame, and let me tell you how...
![The Summer of Valve Winners [Kotaku 'shop Contest]](http://www.thatsovietguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/1116eedctsplash0820.jpg)
Last week's protest for Half-Life 3 outside Valve's headquarters provided the creative inspiration for the latest Kotaku 'Shop Contest, in which Gabe Newell was presented with a set of fresh demands that are only slightly less likely to be met. We've got 20 finalists inside, plus Pikmin and Pokémon fan Hermain Cain!
Leading off, GiantBoyDetective (9), Kronicus (13) and Jorvid (11) offer civil disobedience for a couple of other overdue titles....
![The Summer of Valve [Kotaku 'shop Contest]](http://www.thatsovietguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/50cbd4e6tsplash0815.jpg)
Our latest challenge is a no-brainer. One would think its subject, Half-Life 3 is a no-brainer too, but Valve's still making us wait on that. This week, some hippies Canadians got a little tired of the foot-dragging and staged a protest outside Valve HQ, giving us four very exploitable images. We may have to expand the finalist field to 40 for this one.
Go to town. This one really should need no instruction, nor does it require any rules. Given...
![Is Valve Releasing a New Counter-Strike Game? [Rumor]](http://www.thatsovietguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/5c97377b00x_cstrike.jpg)
Out of nowhere, there's rumours flying around tonight that Valve is on the cusp of revealing a new gaming experience.
It's not Episode 3, but for many, it will be the next best thing: a new Counter-Strike gaming experience.
Most of the chit-chat so far is based around testers (and eSports commentators) having very recently got some hands-on time with the rumoured project at Valve HQ. Some of them even pausing to take happy snaps of the trip.
All...
![Valve Comic Book Due Out This November [Funny Pages]](http://thatsovietguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/96c2572fvalvecover2.jpg)
For a while now, Valve has been releasing comics on its own websites in order to promote gaming experiences like Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress 2. If, however, you'd rather read them on the can or in bed, this November, you'll be able to.
Dark Horse Comics will soon be releasing Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and other Steam-Powered Stories, a collection of Valve's comics bound in a single 304-page collection. Headlined by Left 4 Dead's The...
![Left 4 Dead 2′s Mission to Play ‘Cold Stream’ is A Mission Accomplished, Classic DLC Due Early [Valve]](http://thatsovietguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/42ca08850x_dead_air.jpg)
Earlier this week, Valve issued a challenge to the Left 4 Dead 2 community: if 20,000 players beat the in-development "Cold Stream" campaign by Sunday, they'd get the re-release of "Dead Air" early. That goal was met in about four hours.
That means Left 4 Dead 2 owners will get the tweaked Left 4 Dead campaign early. No later than July 22, Valve says—barring an outbreak of Valve Time, naturally. The developer says its testing and...
![Listen Up! There’s More Free Portal 2 Music Today [Blip]](http://feeds.thatsovietguy.com/~ff/kotaku/vip?d=qj6IDK7rITs)
Volume two of "Songs To Test By," Valve's soundtrack to Portal 2, is now available. 18 tracks of free music, plus some bonus ringtones and chimes for your iPhone and Android mobile. [Think With Portals]
Volume two of " Songs To Test By ," Valve's soundtrack to Portal 2 , is now available . 18 tracks of free music, plus some bonus ringtones and chimes for your iPhone and Android mobile. [ Think With Portals ]
Link:
Listen Up!...
