New gameplay footage and details on Left 4 Dead 2 continue to roll in as E3 presses on. Here’s everything we know so far about Valve’s sequel to last year’s multiplayer zombie murder-thon.

 Left 4 Dead 2 will move the zombie apocalypse to the southeastern states of the US. According to Valve, the game’s new campaigns will have you traveling through Savannah, Georgia and the bayou country with a climax in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

But don’t expect to see the last of the original survivors. There will be elements in the new plot that drop hints on what happened to original four: Louis, Bill, Francis and Zoey. We’ve also heard that the game’s plot will focus more on connecting the events in each of the individual campaigns this time around.

Above: Unlike the original, Left 4 Dead 2 will mostly take place during the day 

Above: Still, it’s clear that some areas will still take you through dark corridors like the original 

 The four new survivors are Nick, Ellis, Rochelle and Coach. Expect more details on all four in the August issue of PC Gamer, which should be hitting newsstands on June 23. Here’s what we know about two of the new characters so far. The woman with the baseball bat on the far right in the image below is Rochelle. She’s a cable news anchor and will be on the scene of the apocalypse, “DOING IT LIVE!” The burly man in the middle is Coach. He’s a high school PE teacher – and according to the trailer, he’s “a praying man.” But obviously, he’ll need to “pray harder.”

Above: Coach is wielding the chainsaw, while Rochelle stands ready with a baseball bat. You can find out more in the August issue of PC Gamer 

 Expect melee weapons to play a larger role in Left 4 Dead 2. So far, an axe, chainsaw, frying pan, and baseball bat have been confirmed. Check out the videos below for footage of the melee weapons shown so far and some quick gameplay footage that’ll give you an idea for the new look and feel of the sequel.

Above: Save ammo by making heads ring with the new frying pan

Above: Dismember the horde with a bloody axe

Above: Set zombies on fire with some hot ammo

Above: Find shelter in the new safehouse

Above: A deadly garden maze

Above: No smoking in the kitchen!

 Of course, not everyone’s happy about the recently announced sequel. In fact, many fans feel jilted. Should Valve have been producing more patches and updates for the first Left 4 Dead instead of working on a sequel all this time? Should they have been focusing on following up on their recently released Survival Mode DLC with even larger updates like they’ve been doing with Team Fortress 2? And where the heck is Half-Life 2: Episode 3? What do you think? Does Left 4 Dead 2 indicate that Valve’s got their priorities mixed up? Weigh in by posting your comments below.

Above: The new Left 4 Dead 2 trailer. When you saw it, were you happy like us? Or did it just make you mad?

Jun 4, 2009

E3 09: Left 4 Dead 2 announced
4 new survivors and 5 new campaigns. Get all the details in the August issue of PC Gamer

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