Left 4 Dead 2

One of the first games I got my hands on at PAX this year was Left 4 Dead 2. As a fan of the first game, even with it’s shortcomings, I’m very excited for the sequel. I know a lot of you want nothing to do with it for one reason or another & that’s just fine. I’m not going to try to change your mind. What I do want to do is discuss some of the new things coming to the game & how much I enjoyed my play through one of the levels while I was up in Seattle last weekend.

First thing you should know: Valve isn’t tying to reinvent the wheel here. If you’ve played the first game, then you know what to expect here. For those who didn’t basically you must guide a one of four of survivors to safety from the zombie apocalypse. Left 4 Dead 2 takes everything from the first game & makes it bigger. More weapons, more special infected, better visuals, more paths to get from point A to point B, etc… Most of the naysayers out there have said that this isn’t enough to warrant a sequel. I disagree as the sports games (Madden, NHL, etc…) have been doing it for years.

One of my favorite parts of Left 4 Dead was the special infected. Sure, zombie hordes can be a pain, but having a Smoker grab you just before you make it to the Safe Room or turning around a corner just to have a Boomer vomit on you or a Hunter jump you can make or break your mortality rate. With Left 4 Dead 2, the Boomer, Hunter, Smoker, Tank & Witch all return (with some tweaks, like the Witch wanders around once you startle her). In addition, three new ones have been announced: the Charger (announced at E3), Spitter (announced at ComicCon) & now the Jockey! This guy doesn’t look like much, but he can dramatically change things for you. He’ll hop on your back & ride you like a pony, driving you toward the zombie hordes or other Special Infected (in my play session, he rode one of my teammates right to the Witch). You’ll also find what’s called “Uncommon Infected”. I don’t have much info on them yet, but I suspect they will fall in between the Special Infected & the regular zombies.

Another big change is the melee weapons. In the first game, you had…um…oh right! There were no melee weapons! Now, we have 10 to play with: Baseball Bat, Cricket Bat, Crowbar, Electric Guitar, Fire Axe, Frying Pan, Katana, Machete, Police Baton & a Chainsaw. I have with about a third of these & I almost like the melee weapons better than the guns. It’s an empowering, almost visceral experience to swing that frying pan, hear the “throng” sound it makes as it launches a zombie across the room. Not to say the guns aren’t any good. In fact, they have been improved as well. Not only do the look better, but they feel better to use & there is some special ammo scattered around (not all of which has been announced) like the incendiary ammo. Items are changing too. We still have the Pipe Bomb & the Molotov, but another item leaked out of PAX. There is a defibrillator that will be able to be used to resurrect a fallen teammate. It still hasn’t officially been announced, so we have no idea how it will work yet, but someone discovered it during a glitch in the demo.

Finally, the game itself is just improved. Visually, the zombies & environment look much better. The environments are bigger, allowing you to take many different paths to get from the beginning to the Safe House. In one of my play-sessions, I was able to circumvent an apartment complex by going around it, through it on ground level or on the upper ledge. Each area presents it’s own set of challenges & the now AI Director will make adjustments on the fly, rewarding you for taking a more difficult path with ammo, weapons, etc… You’ll find weapons scattered here & there in addition to the “stash” that you found twice a level in the first game.

All-in-all, I loved it. The idea that everything could have been done through DLC is arguable, but to be honest, I don’t really care. I enjoyed the first game & I will enjoy the sequel. Regardless of how long or short of a development time they had. As I said before, I’m not gonna try to change your mind. I don’t think I can. It isn’t about me telling you what I experienced. it’s about you playing it & deciding for yourself. So, come this November, have an open mind & give it a whirl. You may like what you find…

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