Hurry, there's no more room in hell

In perhaps the most unexpected news at this year’s E3, Valve announced that a sequel to 2008’s incredibly popular co-op zombie shooter will be making its way to shop shelves far earlier than anticipated. Left 4 Dead 2 will be released on 17 November for PC and Xbox 360 and features a group of new survivors desperately trying to fight off the zombie horde that is taking over the world. This time L4D2 will focus on an unlucky foursome who’ve become stranded in New Orleans. Valve is broadening the number of ways in which the undead can take advantage of a situation. A new load out of weapons will be available to the survivors, including the zombie-slaying staple the chainsaw and the rather less conventional frying pan. We wonder what will be more effective.

Melee weaponry seems to be a focus in Left 4 Dead 2, and items like baseball bats and axes will be littered about New Orleans’ dilapidated streets. Clearly Valve isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to showing iconic imagery of the destroyed city in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina – it’s provocative stuff indeed.

It wouldn’t be a Valve game if they didn’t try to push what made the original such a compelling experience and the co-op aspects have all been improved and tweaked using the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ school of thought.

The AI director – now referred to as 2.0 – has been upgraded and now features even more ways to make the survivors’ lives a living nightmare. Now able to change the weather and move scenery to block or unblock paths, the AI will be much more aware of the state of the game and will be able to act accordingly, even sending in wave after wave of bloodthirsty zombies if it feels it’s necessary.

Left 4 Dead 2 is looking to provide another addictive end-of-the-world scenario as the zombies themselves are not only more numerous, but also the distinctive types are less obvious. It may seem a silly point to make, but even the blood has a much deeper and brighter red tone, making encounters far more gruesome.

Valve has yet to announce many of the specific details for Left 4 Dead 2, but the trailer hinted at new super zombies and a survival experience that fans of the original will not want to miss.