Left 4 Dead 2 Announced!

Valve and EA announced today the sequel to last year’s multiplayer zombie-killing smash hit (and Maximum PC’s Game of the Year). Left 4 Dead 2 will be released on November 17th, and will feature five new campaigns that follow the story of four new survivors. PC Gamer has the full scoop in an exclusive 8-page feature in their August issue, which hits newsstands this month. Check out the cover below, which features two of the new survivors: Rochelle and Coach (Rochelle is an aspiring cable network news anchor, and Coach is a high school PE coach).

According to the PC Gamer preview, the five campaigns of the sequel will be set in the American south — in Georgia and Louisiana. The game will feature new playable boss infected characters alongside the Boomers, Smokers, Hunters, and Tanks of the original. Melee weapons will also be introduced, including fire axe, chainsaw, and even frying pan. No word yet on backward compatibility with the original Left 4 Dead, though we would expect that Valve won’t split their community in two. You’ll want to check out the PC Gamer preview (the Official Xbox Magazine has their own exclusive preview and interview for console fans) for more details, including the new levels, environmental effects, and how the sequel’s story ties in with the adventures of Bill, Louis, Zoey, and Francis.

Here are a few of the highlights of the upcoming sequel:

• Survivors: Nick, Ellis, Rochelle, and the Coach
• Missions played in full daylight
• Witch behaves differently during the day – wanders around like an old homeless woman
• New weapons: silenced SMG (silencer has no gameplay implications)
• One new gameplay mode not revealed at this time
• Stronger narrative thread to connect the campaigns
• Savannah campaign where “the zombie infection hasn’t hit yet”
• Instead of a Last Stand-type finale, survivors may have to fight through a hazard-filled highway
• Director can change the layout of the map
• New boss infected: The Charger

Even though this game will have a lot to live up to with Left 4 Dead being as popular as it was, people are already talking about it as the next big game to hit later this year. But only time will tell if it can deliver as it promises but I for one have high hopes that it can take over where the original left off and provide us with countless hours of mindless (and satisfying) zombie killing that we have all come to love!

So I will leave you with a few videos of gameplay that have already been released for us to start drooling over…

Click HERE to watch the rest of the videos that have been released so far!