Left 4 Dead 2

[Rudi von Starnberg]

I can't be angry after watching that trailer.

Valve must be feeling the squeeze financially to put out another game all that free content finally coming to bite them in the ass perhaps?

Either way after watching the trailer, it's all good.

I knew there was a reason I liked you two.

Also, Gus, it's Versus that's given me all those 300+ hours. Playing a 'little bit' of it and then complaining the game gets old... well. No wonder it got old if you just played Campaign.

[SM47]

"There'll be more scenarios"

Survival mode - The Lighthouse.

One map?

I played shit out of Left 4 Dead, still do. I'll be disappointed if this really means no more DLC.

[Big Gus]

Of course it means no more DLC, they are talking about a "new" game in a few months.

If it means the price crashes on the original it might lead to some good fun with new players in the run up to the sequel coming out though.

[aeternum_vale]

Your point has been well made though. In ten separate posts. Make an eleventh when Valve come up with a new way to apparently short change us.

Nah, I'll stick to the old ways of short changing us.

GameSpy: Here we go up a lift, let me jump on your head. What's Valve's strategy with supporting Left 4 Dead?

Gabe Newell: I see you've played Counter-Strike. What we're trying to do right now is go from thinking of games as things you put in a box, and instead thinking of them as ongoing services that you provide. For example, with Team Fortress 2, we've been releasing this series of videos, and giving you backgrounds to give you a better sense of those characters. We'll be doing the same with Left 4 Dead, where we'll release new maps, movies about the characters, and tell you about the events that led to the infected walking around.

http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/turtle-rock-pr...t/902345p2.html

1UP: This seems like a game that would lend itself well to your style of episodic-content delivery. Is that something you have planned for the Xbox 360 and PC versions of Left 4 Dead?

GN: Yes. It really feels like we're in this transition between entertainment as this packaged-goods phenomenon and entertainment as an ongoing service. TF2 is our product that's furthest along down this path -- we've been doing these updates every four to six weeks where we release new maps, new Achievements, new unlockables, new weapons, the movies like "Meet The Sniper," and so on. The response has been very strong. Each time we've done it, our multiplayer numbers and our sales have gone up by about 20 percent. So it's a way of growing an audience and developing an audience -- having those regular releases and thinking more of yourself as providing ongoing content streams seems to work really well. We fully intend to do that with Left 4 Dead as well -- [make] movies about each of the characters and how they came together as a team; what happened with the world when everything became Infected; [and] release new characters, new weapons, new campaigns -- and just view it as an ongoing audience-development content stream.

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3170080

5 different people all talking about extra content. I'm sure they weren't ALL talking about the shitty horde mode and single map to go with it.

[Rudi von Starnberg]

Of course it means no more DLC, they are talking about a "new" game in a few months.

If it means the price crashes on the original it might lead to some good fun with new players in the run up to the sequel coming out though.

There's a quote somewhere in this thread saying that they're not going to abandon Left 4 Dead just because of the sequel.

So.

[Majora]

*yawn* we get it, you're disappointed in Valve, move on.

Fair enough if people are wary of a sequel because they don't play the original anymore but personally I still find it eats away at my gaming time like nobody's business in versus. I would have liked more DLC for it but I can hardly begrudge paying for a new game when I still play the old one 6-7 months after release.

[giant_frying_pan]

gaben@valvesoftware.com

e-mail him and ask for a refund for all of his lies! Post the results here!

[RubberJohnny]

5 different people all talking about extra content. I'm sure they weren't ALL talking about the shitty horde mode and single map to go with it.

I do like how nobody's arguing with you, yet you still keep going. Maybe you could scream into a pillow?

[Dave White]

Up there in my most wanted list

I cant get enough of it

[aeternum_vale]

I do like how nobody's arguing with you, yet you still keep going. Maybe you could scream into a pillow?

I'm doing Smitty's job until he gets back.

[SeanR]

I hope the new game has all the old scenarios.

[Sir DangerM]

Dunno how I feel about this. I'm not bothered about them releasing it as a new game rather than just as DLC for the original, but from the videos it seems to have lost a lot of the charm that the original had. It all looks a bit too cartoony for some reason.

Why are all of the survivors black too? Not that its a problem, i just noticed it because it seemed a bit odd compared to the original which was obviously going for the sterotypical zombie film characters.

[SeanR]

Dunno how I feel about this. I'm not bothered about them releasing it as a new game rather than just as DLC for the original, but from the videos it seems to have lost a lot of the charm that the original had. It all looks a bit too cartoony for some reason.

Why are all of the survivors black too? Not that its a problem, i just noticed it because it seemed a bit odd compared to the original which was obviously going for the sterotypical zombie film characters.

it's the RE5 backlash...

[Campfire_Burning]

Why are all of the survivors black too? Not that its a problem, i just noticed it because it seemed a bit odd compared to the original which was obviously going for the sterotypical zombie film characters.

Wasn't one of them white? I'll have to go back and check.

I guess it's because it's set in New Orleans. Which has a bit of a history concerning voodoo, which has its own zombie lore.

I liked Bubba Tank. Nothing like wasting a few good ol' boys with your great-granma's cornbread skillet.

[RubberJohnny]

I guess it's because it's set in New Orleans.

Or the whole Katrina angle.

"Zombies don't care about black people"

[Mr. Gerbik]

Wasn't one of them white?

Two of the survivors are white and two are black.

[snowbind]

I thought in the E3 video they were all black, but watching the other trailer they all aren't. It could be one is a black person's back story and the other is we are all together now cutscene.

Also I managed to grab some pretty shitty stills of the new sniper rifle. Looks pretty awesome.

Looks like an AR 10

I am really excited for this and I don't mind paying Value for it. It is easy to slate them as cashing in, but when I think realistaically about the hours I have sunk into all Valve games, the £120 I have spent (Half-life generations £20, Half-life 2 £20, Orange box £20, L4D £37 & £18 in the sale) over 5 years or so really doesn't so that justice. They push every boundary regarding gamer satisfaction and still churn out nothing but top quality content. I am happy to support them with a bit of cash now and again. I have had hours and hours worth of fun out of L4D on PC and Xbox. So stumping up for it on my 360 and then buying it in the inevitable January Steam sale really doesn't bother me. Not to mention it looks fucking awesome.

[Mr. Gerbik]

I thought n the E3 video they were all black, but watching the other trailer they all aren't. It could be one is a person's (black) back story and the other is a game cutscene.

Nope, watch the footage again. You can download a HD version of the E3 trailer at gamersyde.

[GODSTEETH]

FFFFFFFFFUCKYES!!

Uncle Phil?

The weapons are fine in Left 4 Dead. Don't slag them off. Or I will personally come around your house and make you listen to the entire of Frances The Mute. Even the ambient noises between the songs that no-one except REAL fans listen to. Thanks.

[snowbind]

Nope, watch the footage again. You can download a HD version of the E3 trailer at gamersyde.

Yeah, they are definitely not all black. You can see that from the gameplay footage, but I did think they were at the E3 demo. Still, looks awesome. Daylight FFS

[rumblecat]

Really placed they've announced this. Enjoyed the hell out of the last one, got my money's worth many times over, enjoyed the free expansion stuff and by November will definitely be up for a whole new game with new characters, new maps and setting etc. Not quite getting some of the whining about it, but I didn't buy the first game on the condition that the content would have to be bolstered by a bunch of free DLC. What stuff they added was nice, but it was a bonus.

[Popo]

Can't say I'm not disappointed that there wont be any more content for the first 1.

Half Life mods like Counterstrike and Team Fortress have a long legacy of frequent, free updates and the commercialisation of these mods has brought a welcome touch of polish but never the less has sounded a death-knell for their long-term support.

[Rudi von Starnberg]

TF2 has no long-term support?

[moosegrinder]

I have a suspicion that the desire to release a sequel (aside from the $$$ factor) is something to do with MS and their Live policy and paid for/free content.

[mtrc]

Can't say I'm not disappointed that there wont be any more content for the first 1.

There will be. L4D still supported.

[Guest]

Unsure of this.

I mean, yeah, it'll be good. But is an actual sequel necessary? L4D as a base game seems perfect for expansion.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[frumious]

I've had plenty of fun out of Left 4 Dead, even though I generally only play Campaign - it doesn't seem to get old for me. Even if it were just 5 new campaigns and new quips I'd be prepared to pre-order at full price, but since you get a frying pan too, I'm really stoked! I can't believe I won't miss the Fab Four, though - they'd better make the new lot amazing!

The current weapons are great - I just finally finished Half Life 2, and having started it after getting L4D I couldn't bear the shitty popgun pistol and puny bullet sprinker machine guns, compared to the meaty, powerful L4D shotguns and assault rifles. Of course, it helps that in L4D you can hose an entire crowd into a tornado of gore!

[tiedtiger]

Great news this.

L4D was clearly the best game of last year, and this will no doubt be equally good fun.

[RubberJohnny]

I have a suspicion that the desire to release a sequel (aside from the $$$ factor) is something to do with MS and their Live policy and paid for/free content.

The original Left 4 Dead was PC/360 from the start, and that got the promised free content additions in a timely manner. Valve improved their console support considerably since the Orange Box, so I don't see why that would be the case. You can't always point the consoles as the baddies.

[vcassano]

I think Valve were stunned by the amazing retail success of Left For Dead, especially on 360. Therefore they decided to capitalise on this and release another.