Left 4 Dead 2 announced
Valve has announced that Left 4 Dead 2, which will feature wholly new content, will hit shelves this November.
There aren't a huge amount of specifics on the game at this point, but it is confirmed that it'll have new locations, new survivors, new boss zombies, new weapons...new everything, really.
"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."
Among the new weapons are a bunch of new melee-focused items, including a chainsaw, frying pan, axe and baseball bat according to early reports. Melee will reportedly play a much bigger role than it did in the original Left 4 Dead and the co-op system is also promised to be deeper and more interesting.
The AI Director software is also being updated for the new game, with the new system able to control every aspect of the game and not just the zombies. Procedurally generated weather effects, sound effects, pathways through levels and placement of world objects now all fall under the AI Director's reign. RockPaperShotgun were apparently in on the announcement and have already got a bunch of details too numerous to list here.
The game is also said to be much larger than the original, with much more support for all three game modes and much more replayability. The game will remain as a PC and Xbox 360 exclusive, just like the original.
Sounds like Valve has really gone to town on the new game - but could it be too much, too soon? Let us know what you think in the forums.
Previous Article
72 Comments
Discuss in the forums Reply+1
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-left-4-dead/49967?type=flv
I already thought the AI Director did all of that tbh. I swear Gabe states that it does do that in the engine explanation videos for L4D.
Hmm...
New L4D is always a good thing, although it is starting to sound like a whole new (or nearly) game, which is good.
HL2-Ep3 won't be delayed because of this, they'll have completely different dev teams.
Time between EP2 and EP3 = 1 year 9 months (so far)
Come on. Give us some tasty info on EP3. It's what we all really want.
I think that trailer looks insane and made me smile with the amount of mayhem I'll be doing when this baby is released.
I hope they update the sounds though, the zombie moans feels old and tired all ready.
S*D
After seeing this trailer I can see why it is a separate game and probably can not easily be an add-on. Nice, I'm excited.
£/$
Another +1
- Diosjenin -
And so what if L4D2 means people start playing that one? Do I mind paying £25 a year to play L4D?
No!!!!
I'm a working mom of two. Making undead headshots is the only way I can unwind :)
I for one, will be getting it. L4D, VS, 8 mates on random = just awesome.
Hopefully L4D will be immortalised in the same way people are still playing (some) old MMOs, as the way it should be done.
Wait that's how a free update should sound like, not a new game :/
I feel like a sucker if that is true, thinking we had busy elfs creating new content as we speak for the first one.
If it comes in November, Valve should give it away to me for free because I own HL1, HL2, HLEP1, HLEP2, TF2, Orange box and L4D just to reward me for being such a great supporter for their games. This stinks! Where is EP3??? not heard from since early 2008
2) I really hope they don't force a field of view of 70 or so again. I haven't bought L4D only for the reason that I can't set it to 90. Someone please correct me if they've changed it to enable the cvar or other controls to work now.
On topic, I can already see myself needing energy drinks to get through a long hard slog in the first level of L4D 2 because I will be insisting on baseball batting every mo**e*f*c**ng zombies face!
Not sure it warrantsa whole new game ... surely this should be a DLC charged at a comfy fee?
Here here! Well said .
I'm not sure i'd bother buying the sequel until we see if the community mods get any support this time and i'll not be getting it release weekend will wait until the first time its on the Steam weekend special.
Its still likely >12mths away knowing valve though.
They are, this is a different team to the Half Life team
That's just twisted logic. Look at this: everything is new. It's not just more content, it's 100% new content. How on earth would that ever work as anything other than a sequal? Maybe a stand-alone expansion pack, but that's effectively a sequal anyway. Plus, we have no idea what Valve will price it at. So enough with the "I demand free things because I've a superiority complex" bullshit. How people can get so worked up over what is through and through ****ing awesome news is beyond me.
It's because A) Valve have made a reputation for themselves with free ongoing content, people now expect it from them
and B) this will fracture the L4D community. You simply cannot pump out sequels for multiplayer games and expect people to be happy with you.
I admit it does look like brilliant content. However if I can't play it with all of my L4D buddies and have to pay $100 every year for the experience I'm not sure I want to bother. I'm hoping they're just trolling, it wouldn't be unlike them to turn around and say this is free. Regardless, I'm annoyed at how worked up I'm getting over just a game. Friggin' Valve.
Agreed, good thinking there!
And my prediction of EP3 still stands.
They are considering including all the content from L4D in L4D2 for convenience. I'd like to think that now they have mentioned it, they will be heckled by the forum members and customers to do so. The will be very nice of them indeed.
I don't quite understand the logic of thinking that it's an expansion pack when all the content is new and it is BIGGER that L4D1. If it was an expansion, it would more than double the content of the game. That's not an expansion. The new methods to do away with so much corner camping should make a big difference to the gameplay and it should be a lot more challenging for good teams who can easily beat the game on expert after so much practice.
Some of the new levels sound very creative. Also an entire campaign set in a town before the outbreak has happened? What is?
I can't wait. This looks awesome indeed.
I want Ep3 as much as anyone but I don't want it before it's ready. I do however want loads more L4D content.
Also I take satisfaction in seeing the pleas for HL2E3, I feared Portal and L4D eclipsed HL2E2 making Valve shift focus to those.
+1
what about l4d will people leave it or what ??
I'm sorry, what? In the last two years they release HL:Ep2, TF2, Portal and L4D. How on earth can you class any of these as "generic console" games? They're PC releases through and through, and all four of them ground breaking in their own sub-genres.
It amazes me how quickly people are desperate to slag off developers, even Valve who in all honestly are one of the most important and sacred developers we have left on the PC. So STFU really.
49,99:
http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=75065
We got six guns and a handful of campaigns. Sure, it's pretty fun with the right people, but come on; there is bare all content in the original. After seeing all the updates that have come out for TF2, I really wish I played it more. But no, with L4D, it takes them months upon months to release the SDK, and the only free content is survival mode, which should have shipped anyway! It's a no brainer with a zombie game!
I won't be buying it unless my friends do, and even then it will only be when it is cheap. This wouldn't be an issue if people didn't feel so ripped off with L4D in the first place. The only reason there was not a massive uproar is because people expected extra content for free to make up for the bare bones amount of content you originally get. And now they announce a sequel that will be out before the first is even a year old! People have barely gotten to grips with the frickin' SDK yet!
It is a full game, not an expansion pack.
The price will be the same as a AAA game.
I think people should reserve judgment till reviews.. Source engine dated? Pfft get out of here! I might even prefer it to the Crytek engine.
Just because sites are prematurely listing it as such does not mean that it is so. It's like how you were able to preorder Duke Nukem Forever for 12 years. There still is a chance that it is free content but they'll pull all the old copies of L4D replacing them with these, at of course, full price. That would effectively double their player base and gain them hordes more loyal customers. Here's hoping.
@b5k What DX10 effects?
i'll wait and see (ie: when it's out) before i pass full judgment though like :D
Point conceded, it was a rather slim chance I have to admit. Thanks for the links.
Its the same engine. It is L4D in new clothes. Funny post though.
WTF are you talking about? The source engine is easily one of the best engines ever made. Excellent net code. Great SDK. Performance is scalable on just about anything. It still looks great, even after five years, and they're still developing games and mods on it.
So don't even say they aren't good at making an engine.
Back to the game, I don't really see anything that interesting. I just looks like it should be an expansion, not a new game. I stopped playing l4d after the update that put a fatigue on melee. That was the dumbest idea ever.
Now where is episode 3 damnit.
And even further down the line, Half life 3. I'd also like to see a new engine from Valve. If they can put out something with comparable performance scaling and lifespan as the source engine... epic.
So each new sequal should have a new engine? Lol, since when has that been the case? Even though they are tweaking the engine quite a bit for L4D2 with the introduction of enhanced AI Director abilities, loads of games use exactly the same engine as the previous one. Classic example: Doom 2 was EXACTLY the same engine as Doom 1 (well, nearly, the increased the engine version number by 0.166). Call of Duty 5 was the same engine as Call of Duty 4. Bioshock 2 will be the same as Bioshock 1.
When Portal 2 comes out, will you all complain there wasn't enough free upgrades for it, and demand the sequal is free too? Why is that any different? Portal has had zero free updates and no-ones complained at all, and L4D offers a hundred time the replayability Portal did.
This entire argument is just mind-boggling. Valve release free content for games, unlike most other devs, and they get blasted for not doing it always? Just be damn grateful we get any free content at all, Valve have every right to not offer any free content ever again. And after all this rubbish, I wouldn't blame them if they did.
Yeah, like crysis warhead.
Everybody that hates this idea of L4D2 coming out in Nov, hate it mainly because its so close to the release of L4D and the DLC that came out the other month. It's as simple as that, so why don't you calm yourself down a little instead of sounding like the sort of crazy fanboi that the Valve security guards have to disarm and eject from their premises because you want to ride Gabes leg.
We all love Valve and Steam etc, except the guy earlier in this thread who stated that Valve didnt have a clue how to make a good engine ... he's crazier than you.
Calm yet? gooooood.
My point was that you said L4D2 would be 100% new, well no it isnt at all new, it will be the same engine with some tweaks, it will be the same textures with some added in, it will be the same weapon models with a load of new ones. My point was that you cant make a sweeping statement about L4D2 being 100% new when it clearly isn't. It is the equivalent of an addon, an expansion of what already exists.
Hell I'll buy it because I'm almost as crazy as you when it comes to anything Valve does.
Anything more and I'll pass.