Valve is going to spend a mind-spanking $25-million on advertising Left 4 Dead 2. And in one of the most absurd marketing statements ever, David DeMartini, General Manager of EA Partners, said with a straight face:

"Left 4 Dead 2 is expected to once again exceed everyone's expectations and be an industry best title on PC and Xbox 360 for the year". Seriously, he said that it expected to exceed expectations. Genius.

More sensibly, Valve president, Gabe Newell, says, "Based on the strength of pre-orders, Left 4 Dead 2 will be the fastest-selling product in Valve's history. L4D2 has consistently run at 300% of Left 4 Dead's numbers."

Expect TV ads, billboards, the whole shebang. But please, no more mouth-breathing comments such as "expected to exceed expectations".