Is the benchmark for cooperative games about to break into a new opus? The clues are more and more insistent.
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Does Valve have sequel fever? After announcing the arrival of Counter-Strike 2 — a communication that exploded the attendance figures of CS:GO — and while many fans are still hoping for a hypothetical Half-Life 3it’s another cult franchise from the publisher that has found itself in the spotlight: Left 4 Dead.
It only took two titles, released in quick succession in 2008 and 2009, for the license of cooperative first person shooters achieves legendary status. Terribly addictive, the principle of the title is to survive – up to 4 players simultaneously – a horde of zombies called “infected” (nothing to do with those of The Last of Us).
So, what does this third episode have in store for us? This article presents all the elements that allow us to think that a Left 4 Dead 3 will arrive soon.
Left 4 Dead 3 : release date
Players have been hoping for the return of the co-op saga for a very long time, as the latest expansion of Left 4 Dead 2 date more than 10 years ago now. In the absence of any formalization, it is impossible for us to speculate on a release date for Left 4 Dead 3.
That said, several clues lead us to optimism. This is not a trailer beautifully made by a fan, but a more concrete element: the direct mention of “left4dead3” in the source code of Counter-Strike 2.
What is very interesting is that this revelation made on Twitter by @gabefollower, who defines himself as a leaker of Valve games news, is part of the movement of Steam data changes which has allowed many players to almost formalize Counter-Strike 2a week before the publisher’s announcement.
Something weird just happened again, looks like CS:GO Source 2 executables going around, someone just sent me them, and it’s legit. pic.twitter.com/8vTpPNygU6
— Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) March 14, 2023
If that mention alone isn’t enough to set it in stone”Left 4 Dead is back”, it is still very encouraging, especially since with the revision of its physics engine — the Source 2which will be used in Counter-Strike 2 with amazing improvements — Valve is able to double its creativity.
Anyway, when the publisher announces the game (hopefully), the release shouldn’t be far away, since Counter-Strike 2 will arrive just 6 months after being made official.
Left 4 Dead 3 : news et gameplay
How to succeed in renewing a formula that already works so well? This is the immense challenge facing the developers of Valve, while the system put in place since the first Left 4 Dead won over the players from the start.
The basic principle should therefore not change one iota: you play as a member of a group of 4 survivors, and your objective is to reach a checkpoint by resisting the attacks of the infected. To survive, you have no choice but to bet on cooperation, because the quantity of enemies is too impressive to allow you to hold without organization.
As was already the case in previous games of the license, the 4 surviving characters will have their own look and personalitybut they will each have the same abilities.
The game modes of Left 4 Dead 3
Apart from the main campaign (which will certainly be enriched in future expansions), the cooperative title should offer all the game modes present in the first two games. The very popular mode Versuswhich opposes two teams of survivors and infected, will obviously be there, just like the mode Survivalwhose principle consists in resisting as long as possible a horde of infected on a closed map.
Introduced in Left 4 Dead 2the trends Collection (a variation of Versus mode consisting of emptying as many gas cans as possible before the end of a time limit), Realism (a variant of Campaign mode that makes the game considerably more difficult) and Mutation (which features rule changes on a weekly basis) should also return.
After so much waiting, we should see other, even more competitive game modes flourish.
The weapons of Left 4 Dead 3
Again, there should be no revolution. We should therefore find two types of main weapons:
- THE basic weapons (T1), which are the Uzi and the shotgun. They are available in all circumstances.
- THE advanced weapons (T2)which are the Benelli M4 shotgun, the M16A2 assault rifle and the Ruger Mini-14 sniper rifle.
To support them, there is an arsenal consisting of a pistol, melee weapons (axe, machete, crowbar, etc.), throwing weapons (homemade bombs, molotov cocktails) and environmental weapons.