UPDATE: Microsoft Announces Left 4 Dead 2

[Abedeus]

I don't see why everyone is making such a big deal about this. Yearly sequels used to be the norm. It's kinda weird in that it's Valve doing something normal for a change, but all these suggestions that it "must be a joke" are frankly ridiculous.

Used to be norm? WHEN? Games took years to develop, because there were less gamers than today.

It's kind of a big deal, since a lot of people have bought the L4D even recently after the free weekend and price cuts, and now after November the game will be another abandoned title, because a sequel came out.

Yes, I am sure that not even 50% of the current player base will buy the new game, and only half of us (at best) will stay.

Also let's not forget that once a sequel comes out, the previous game lands in the "ABANDONED FOREVER" box. You might get a patch now and then. But don't even think about DLC or anything like that.

Besides, that's just a dick move. "We make a game, then instead of making new content for it, we will immediately after 8 months release a sequel, so you either buy it or stay with your crappy old and unsupported game". That's like Blizzard making another 3 WoW expansions month after month. So you have to buy them all or you can't play the "new content" that could've been added with a patch or two.

So, does it ruin the experience if 50 000 people are playing at any given time instead of 100 000? I don't think so.
Look at games like CS 1.6 or even Condition Zero, every Valve game still has plenty of players online even though a sequel or new version came out long ago.

I don't think CSS came out one year after CS 1.6.

 

[MarsProbe]

blahblahblahmicrosoftareevilwingemoancryepisode3andsuchlike

That's what I'm supposed ot say in response to this, am I right?

Nah, this trailer looks awesome and I love the running out of bullets sequence... Hopefully the new survivors will have the right amount of character. Not that the trailer completely rules out Bill, Francis and friends still being around.

 

[Fanboy]

I'm glad I never bought the first L4D, not that I really cared for it when I played a demo. Maybe L4D2 (sounds like a StarWars droid) will be different, but from the trailer and news so far it doesn't look like it will be.

I'll still give L4D2 a shot, but I'll be apprehensive to buy it knowing that L4D3 could come out in half a year. XD

 

[oliveira8]

Nov 17th, I notice you didn't say 2009, this being a Valve game and all...


I'm actually a little worried about this, mainly because Microsoft announced it and not Mr Newell's crew. Microsoft getting directly involved never bodes well. On the other hand, it's another Valve shooter, awesome.

On the official Steam news they say "This Holiday", and later "Left 4 Dead 2 is targeted for release on Xbox 360 and PC on November 17, 2009".

 

[AMCization]

Coming out November 17, 2009

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/47577/Left-4-Dead-2-High-Definition-Trailer-Released

You are joking, is this the Valve we know?

 

[Swaki]

looks fake and rather offensive, whit the heavy accent and the hill billy tank, and the idea of chainsaws although admittedly considered a must in everything zombie related seems rather stupid, whit the endless ammo guns only a n00b would pull out a melee weapon.

judging from what have been leaked and this trailer here it seems the new game will offer nothing more than new levels and new skins that seems unnecessary , imo thats what a downloadable package is for, not enough to make people buy a new game.

 

[Irridium]

Didn't Left 4 Dead just come out?

Yeah, exactly. What's up with this? I mean .. Seriously. At least they could have hold back the release a couple of months in case they got these ideas ...

And plus, they could have used the resources for Half Life 2 episode 3, which we have been waiting for for how long now? 2 years or so?

 

[megapenguinx]

Didn't Left 4 Dead just come out?

Came out last year in I think November?

 

[Travdelosmuertos]

Frying pan in the face. IN THE FACE!

I hope that day time maps make their way into this.

And anyone who cries about L4D not being worth 60 dollars, think about how many hours you put into playing it and divide that by 60.00. Even if you only played it 3 hours a night once a week since it came out, you played it for about 72 hours and paid 1.20 per hour to play it. Now compare that to Mirror's Edge, Prince of Persia and any other game you've bought recently and we'll see how that adds up. And I'm guessing that most people here have played the game for WAY more than 72 hours.

Now, if someone came up to me and offered for me to play a new game for an hour for a dollar, a game that looked interesting to me that is, I would do it in a heartbeat. I don't know about the rest of you though, considering yer cheap bastards. Gaming is an expensive hobby. Get over it.

 

[fix-the-spade]

On the official Steam news they say "This Holiday", and later "Left 4 Dead 2 is targeted for release on Xbox 360 and PC on November 17, 2009".

Fair enough, so a release at the back end of 2010 then.
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Valve_Time

 

[mattttherman3]

When will people understand, chiansaws are not good for weapons, unless its in a 1 on 1 situation, because while your cutting in to one zombie another should be on top of you. Not to mension you cannot really expect the game to be any better than the first, its been a year since the first, it would have been better if they had released both games as one. The only reason this game did any good was because it was a decent multiplayer zombie game, the first of its kind, running zombies are also much more deadly than the walking ones, but i hope its more than 4 levels.

 

[T-Bone24]

Ugh.... something smells very corporate about all this.

 

[DaxStrife]

Yep, not buying it. There's only a few scenarios that make sense here:
1) It's a hoax. Trailer looks very shoddy, nowhere near Valve-quality.
2) Valve quietly sold the L4D franchise to MS, and they're running it into the ground.
3) Valve's development philosophy has been chucked out the window, sacrificing quality and fan-loyalty for a few quick bucks.

 

[VZLANemesis]

...fuck that shit, I want valve's usual "we make happy customers, by giving looooots of free content away" treatment.
Seriously, doesn't sound valve like at all :S

 

[oliveira8]

Yep, not buying it. There's only a few scenarios that make sense here:
1) It's a hoax. Trailer looks very shoddy, nowhere near Valve-quality.
2) Valve quietly sold the L4D franchise to MS, and they're running it into the ground.
3) Valve's development philosophy has been chucked out the window, sacrificing quality and fan-loyalty for a few quick bucks.

http://store.steampowered.com/news/2552/

 

[John Funk]

Yep, not buying it. There's only a few scenarios that make sense here:
1) It's a hoax. Trailer looks very shoddy, nowhere near Valve-quality.
2) Valve quietly sold the L4D franchise to MS, and they're running it into the ground.
3) Valve's development philosophy has been chucked out the window, sacrificing quality and fan-loyalty for a few quick bucks.

It ain't just a river in Egypt, folks.

 

[Baby Tea]

Bwahaha!
I don't know what's more awesome:

1) The announcement of this game

Or

2) Watching the Valve fan-boys get all upset saying 'it's not like Valve', as if they were talking about their run-away dog who didn't come home at dinner time.

They both are awesome, but the 2nd one is also so very very funny.
Get over it people.

 

[GrouchyBigfoot]

Game play videos on IGN