Pre-Purchase The Orange Box, Play Team Fortress 2 Next Week

The Orange Box—featuring Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal, as well as the complete Half-Life 2 experience to date—is now available for pre-purchase via Steam. Pre-purchase The Orange Box before the October 10 release to save 10% off the regular price and get exclusive access to the Team Fortress 2 beta on September 17.

The Orange Box, penned by IGN.com as “the package which could legitimately be called the deal of the century,” features three highly-awaited new games by Valve: Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the second installment in the Half-Life 2 episodic trilogy; Team Fortress 2, the sequel to the game that put class-based, multiplayer team warfare on the map; and Portal, the game that blends puzzles, first person action, and adventure gaming to produce an experience like no other.

To bring gamers up to date with the Half-Life 2 universe, The Orange Box also includes Half-Life 2, the best-selling and highest-rated action game series of all time, and the episodic debut Half-Life 2: Episode One. Customers who already own these titles will have the ability to conveniently “gift” them to a friend upon official release of The Orange Box.

Starting Monday, September 17, those who pre-purchase The Orange Box via Steam can download and activate the beta release of Team Fortress 2 (TF2). This year’s most anticipated online action game, TF2 delivers new game types, a signature art style powered by Valve’s next generation animation technology, persistent player statistics, and more.

As a special bonus, those who pre-purchase The Orange Box via Steam will also receive a copy of Peggle Extreme. PopCap and Valve have teamed up to create a special edition of the game cited by MSNBC as one of the “Top 5 Most Addicting Games of All Time.” This first ever collaboration is themed around content from Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 and Portal which will positively result in Extreme Fever.
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Atreyu to headline Taste of Chaos 2008

Atreyu has been confirmed as the headliner for the upcoming 2008 edition of the Taste of Chaos tour. The band is celebrating a big opening week for their major label debut, Lead Sails Paper Anchor which hit #8 on Billboard.

The band’s frontman, Alex Varkatzas, also recently recorded a live video talking about what he feels are his top 5 most influential punk bands. You can check out the list and Alex’s explanation video here.
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Atreyu to headline Taste of Chaos 2007

Atreyu has been confirmed as the headliner for the upcoming 2008 edition of the Taste of Chaos tour. The band is celebrating a big opening week for their major label debut, Lead Sails Paper Anchor which hit #8 on Billboard.

The band’s frontman, Alex Varkatzas, also recently recorded a live video talking about what he feels are his top 5 most influential punk bands. You can check out the list and Alex’s explanation video here.
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Young Pioneers bassist joins Ted Leo for upcoming tour

Long-running Richmond, VA-based folk/punk act Young Pioneers will be lending their bassist Marty “Violence” Key to Ted Leo and the Pharmacists for their upcoming tour. Key will be filling vacancy left by the departure of Dave Lerner.

Ted Leo and co. are touring in support of their Touch and Go debut, Living with the Living.
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First to Leave’s “Forging a Future” to receive physical release

After a digital-only release on Lobster, San Francisco-based pop-punk outfit First to Leave has signed to Wednesday Records for a physical release of their debut full length. The record is titled Forging a Future and is due out October 09, 2007.

You can find four songs from the record on their myspace page.
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Show Your Stripes, Casey Turner, Kincaide

Milton Keynes, England based “pop hardcore” act Show Your Stripes have posted two new songs online from their upcoming 5 song EP. You can check them out via MySpace.

Casey Turner of California’s Liquid Image is set out to release his first solo effort on this week. The project is falling under the name Stained Glass Saints. The 7 song EP will include the Liquid Image song “Near Miss” and self-produced recordings. You can check out music via MySpace.

Victoria, British Columbia’s Kincaide have posted new tracks the band just finished recording with producer Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, Misery Signals, Darkest Hour). The band will hit the road for a two month tour of Canada in October and November. Check their MySpace page for details.
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Contests: Vinyl Collective II

Our first contest with Vinyl Collective went so well we’re back for a second round. Do you really know your records? Time once again to prove it.

For this contest, and take a look at the image. Your job is to identify all eight records pictured. As a tie breaker, let us know what side is facing up on record #8 (here’s a hint, it’s either A, B, C or D). You can email your answers to [email protected] with the subject “VINYL COLLECTIVE / PUNKNEWS.ORG CONTEST” to enter. One winner will be selected later this month, and that winner will receive a $100 gift certificate in the Vinyl Collective online store. Good luck!
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