Valve Announces Left 4 Dead 2
As a teaser to the big E3 announcements coming this week Valve just sent us
some new information on Left 4 Dead 2.
The title adds
melee combat to the award-winning L4D style of play, with items such as a
chainsaw, frying pan, axe, baseball bat, and more. Also making an appearance are
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, maps for Survival mode at launch, and more.
The game will be released November 17th 2009 and has several enhancements to
the blockbuster co-operative multiplayer thriller! It will be made available on
XBOX and PC.
Official Trailer
Setting
Left 4 Dead 2
is set at roughly the same time as the original – just after the outbreak that
turned most of the population into various zombie mutants. Players assume the
role of 4 new “Survivors,” each with their own personality and new dialog. The
game leads these “Survivors” through the southeastern region of the US - from
Savannah, Georgia thru the bayou country, and climaxing in New Orleans’ French
Quarter.
Features
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Next generation co-op action gaming from the makers of Half-Life, Portal,
Team Fortress and Counter-Strike.
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AI Director 2.0: Advanced technology dubbed “The AI Director” drove L4D’s
unique gameplay – customizing enemy population, effects, and music, based upon
the players’ performance. L4D 2 features “The AI Director 2.0” which expands the
Director’s ability to customize level layout, world objects, weather, and
lighting to reflect different times of day.
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New melee weapons – axe, chainsaw, frying pan, baseball bat – allow you
to get up close with the zombies
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Four different survivors. New Story. New dialogue.
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More game. On day one, L4D 2 features more co-operative campaigns, more
campaigns and maps for the Versus game modes than L4D 1, plus support for
Survival mode out of the box.
-
Stats, rankings, and awards system drives collaborative play
Official News
Here's the official notice from Valve about Left
4 Dead 2:
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. For more information, please visit www.l4d.com
