Neowin.net

Confirming earlier speculation, Left 4 Dead 2 was officially announced today at Microsoft's E3 press conference. Sequel to Valve's cooperative first-person shooter, the game will be set in the Southern United States including Savannah and New Orleans.

"A large part of how Left 4 Dead became 2008's top-selling new IP on Xbox 360 and the PC was the custom-tailored gameplay made possible by the AI Director," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "With the knowledge gained from creating the original, new technology, and a passionate team, L4D2 will set a new benchmark for cooperative action games."

Players will be able to choose from four new characters as well as five new campaigns. The game will feature new weapons such as a chainsaw, frying pan, axe, baseball bat, and more. Additionally, the AI Director has been updated to create both a unique and challenging game session by giving the director the ability to change weather effects and move objects.

"Introducing the AI Director 2.0, L4D's dynamic gameplay is taken to the next level by giving the Director the ability to procedurally change weather effects, world objects, and pathways in addition to tailoring the enemy population, effects, and sounds to match the players' performance. The result is a unique game session custom fitted to provide a satisfying and uniquely challenging experience each time the game is played."

"Featuring new Survivors, boss zombies, weapons, and items, Left 4 Dead 2 offers a much larger game than the original with more co-operative campaigns, more Versus campaigns, and maps for Survival mode available at launch."

Left 4 Dead 2 will be released on November 17, 2009 for the Xbox 360 and PC.