Valve Game Problem

[BanthaFodder]

Okay, it started with Left 4 Dead 2, and now has happened to Alien Swarm and Portal 2. The game STARTS fine, then, when I try and actually PLAY, I get skipping sound effects and a black screen. I've tried playing on my laptop and I've tried playing on other, more powerful computers; the same thing happens on both, so I know it's not a hardware issue. How can I fix this? This is becoming a little more than a nuisance at this point, seeing as how the last time I was able to play Left 4 Dead 2 without any problems was around January. Steam support offers no help and Valve refuses to reply to me, so I'm kinda out of options here.

 

[Timbydude]

I'd check any software (antivirus, firewall, HP software, printer drivers, etc.) that you have installed across all those computers; it sounds like a software conflict to me. I don't think there's any other reason that it would have the same issue on all your computers.

 

[zombiesinc]

Right click on the game, choose properties, local files, verify integrity of game cache. Scan your computers, ensure you don't have malware or a virus, check the game cache, and hopefully you'll have it sorted. If that doesn't resolve the issue, email Valve or Steam and go from there, you'll get much more informed and helpful responses.