Left 4 Dead 2

[ZeroG]

Yes, you heard right. Coming later this year is another time sink for us all :)

Sequel to Best-Selling Co-op Thriller Coming This Holiday

June 1, 2009 - Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2), the sequel to the best-selling and critically-acclaimed co-operative multiplayer thriller.

Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 and PC, L4D2 promises to set a new benchmark for co-operative action games and become one of 2009's marquee titles.

"A large part of how Left 4 Dead became 2008's top-selling new IP on Xbox 360 and the PC was the custom-tailored gameplay made possible by the AI Director," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "With the knowledge gained from creating the original, new technology, and a passionate team, L4D2 will set a new benchmark for cooperative action games."

Set for release on November 17, the title adds melee combat to enable deeper co-operative gameplay, with items such as a chainsaw, frying pan, axe, baseball bat, and more.

Introducing the AI Director 2.0, L4D's dynamic gameplay is taken to the next level by giving the Director the ability to procedurally change weather effects, world objects, and pathways in addition to tailoring the enemy population, effects, and sounds to match the players' performance. The result is a unique game session custom fitted to provide a satisfying and uniquely challenging experience each time the game is played.

Featuring new Survivors, boss zombies, weapons, and items, Left 4 Dead 2 offers a much larger game than the original with more co-operative campaigns, more Versus campaigns, and maps for Survival mode available at launch.

Supported by a $10+ million marketing campaign, Left 4 Dead has sold over 2.5 million retail copies since it was released in November of 2008. Left 4 Dead 2 is targeted for release on Xbox 360 and the PC on November 17, 2009, and will be launched worldwide with a multi-million dollar marketing campaign across TV, Outdoor, and Online.

"Left 4 Dead was backed by our most aggressive advertising campaign to date, and resulted in a top 5 showing on two platforms during holiday 2008," said Doug Lombardi, VP of marketing at Valve. "Left 4 Dead 2 is a larger game and will be supported with even more consumer and retail advertising programs than the original."

Left 4 Dead 2 will be featured as the cover story on PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazines this month.

[Bloodnok]

Damn, you beat me to it XD

Shouldn't it be called: "Left 4 Dead, Again"?


chainsaw


"A Chainsaw! Find some meat! (http://doom.wikia.com/wiki/Chainsaw)"

[Castiana]

Giev?

[SwiftTempest]

wonder if there will be 8 surviors now :cool:

[PseudoPhreak]

what will happen to the first Left 4 Dead i bought barely 6 months ago? the first game that barely has any content?
now you want me to buy a sequel? with new characters?
who gives a fuck about the people we play?
this should be free DLC for the first game! Money-grabbing good for nothings!
should i expect L4D 3 in november 2010?
i hope this is gonna be cheaper than the first game!

[Sweeper128]

What game will be played more at BreachLAN post-November?
L4D or L4D2?

[gemini]

I wish they would sort out the issues that STILL plague the first game before worrying about a sequel.

This is very un-valve like to be scurrying about rushing a sequel out while the original game is still flawed.

[Deep Blue]

That's total BS

Kris and Gemini are right.... 3 weapons and 2 throwables sucked. L4D could be patched to include all that shite!

See this is why Killing Floor is awesome, loads of guns, 6 players, low system requirements, unique gameplay!

Oh yeah and a proper server browser, none of this P2P lobby nonsense!

I foresee Killing Floor being played at Breach 11, fo' sho'

[SwiftTempest]

L4D2 could be the patch, it has said there is more content and they have upgraded the AI Director

plus its Microsoft, they probally saw it as a neat money grabbing sceme

[ZeroG]

It's all about the money and how much they can screw out of customers.

[gemini]

Valve arent usually like that though.

They tend to produce a bloody awesome product and then watch as thousands of people fall over themselves to buy it.

I hope im wrong, and I hope L4D2 (should it arrive this year) (http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Valve_Time) will sort out all the issues that L4D is still plagued with.

For £26.99 though I have to say that I am dissapointed with Valve on this occasion. Their poor standard of care for the original L4D and the lack of content has left me just a little sour on this occasion.

[Sweeper128]

The fact that it's release date is a day before the anniversary of L4D worries me.

Here's hoping to Valve Time running amok.

[Bloodnok]

doesn't look like it...

link (http://www.l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=2553)

EDIT:Video can be found here (http://store.steampowered.com/app/5268/)

[Bloodnok]

Left 4 Dead 2: E3 09: Stop the Alarm Gameplay (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr-k5RY89hc)

Just one of many ive found...

Be Basil Fawty (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwV1-dE__fM&feature=related)

[PseudoPhreak]

more gamesply, lots of e3 footage stitched together:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-jmYz1PzV8

[Deep Blue]

It does look pretty good I must admit, not seeing a huge amount of changes to the engine though!

[Bloodnok]

Thats why theres a steam group trying to boycott valve but looks like a waste of time...

[$ku1!]

Thats why theres a steam group trying to boycott valve but looks like a waste of time...
so, a group trying to boycott valve, using a valve product?

am I the only one who thinks that in itself is a bit fail?

[SwiftTempest]

However, Valve's Chet Faliszek (known almost universally in the industry as just Chet) told us that when they finished production of Left 4 Dead last year many of the developers had ideas they wanted to pursue for a sequel. And since Valve employees get to choose their next project, it quickly paved the way for Left 4 Dead 2.

This is what i found out so far, but its not much of a solid explantaion

aside from the obvious milking L4D is getting i still think this will be a great game

[Bloodnok]

New update for L$D next week here (http://www.l4d.com/blog/post.php?id=2599)

the lobby is getting tweaked but still going to be pants...

[Bloodnok]

Just had a crazy idea, make a survival map for L4D with the hall XD

[MadmaN]

hehe :D

[Bloodnok]

In an interview with CVG.com (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/), Valve's Doug Lombardi stated that they will be announcing new DLC for the original Left 4 Dead coming at the end of this summer. It's still unclear what the content will be, Valve is keeping quiet, but this is what Lombardi had to say:

We're already released the authoring tools and the matchmaking to get that content out to people, because the problem with mods and stuff like that is people make great stuff but then it doesn't really get propagated to the whole community properly.

So we're doing that. And then there's more new content that we're working on that we'll be announcing as I mentioned at the end of the summer.

The interview dives into Valve's decision on the quick turn around (as most interviews these days focus on) as well as some other general gaming questions, such as Lombardi's views on id software (which played a huge part in the birth of Half-Life) being bought out and other neat tidbits. You can check out the interview at length right here (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=218770).

text taken from Planet Half-life (http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/)

[Bloodnok]

If anyone here were to buy this game, which cover art would you pefer:

US

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51u-N5jB49L._SS400_.jpg

UK

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Lu6BGZ1JL._SS400_.jpg

[PseudoPhreak]

prefer the US version. but they couldnt release that in the uk

[Deep Blue]

Haha two fingers up to you, the consumer :rolleyes:

[Amesy]

the US version is much more "in-keeping" which the style of the first one.

[ZeroG]

Who cares what the box looks like - WTF are they doing to Zoe !

[Bloodnok]

New footage of L4D2 & L4D DLC @ gamertrailers.com (http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/gametrailers-tv/67?ep=67) SPOLIERS

[SwiftTempest]

how on earth are you supposed to spoil L4d2 all you do is go from A to B whilst killing a load of zombies on the way. i dont think l4d2 is going to differnt and the new things in it are probaly not worth the fuss

(P.S i havent actually watched the video yet, so there might be eye popping new stuff, if so ignore my post :D)

[Bloodnok]

theres a tiny spoiler for crash course, nothing more

[gemini]

That video is a little, erm how can I put this.

Schizophrenic.

It shows about six seconds of one game, then about six seconds of another, then six seconds of another, then back to another six seconds of the first game.

Do they really think that gamers have such short attention spans that they need to do that ? I just find it incredably annoying.

[Bloodnok]

What a Wonderful L4D (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7_Ta7vVW-c)

[Bloodnok]

Game.co.uk pre-order offer (http://www.game.co.uk/PC/Action/FirstPersonShooter/~r343030/Left-for-Dead-2/?s=Left%204%20Dead%202) @ £29.99, overpriced?

[Bloodnok]

its seems the l4d2 boycott turns out to be a waste of time due to that group's admin got sent to valve hq to play l4d2 at and they liked it...

[Scottish-Wolfsky]

Fail...