Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) Preview

Posted by Trace Aber on 11.04.2009

After all the controversy, we finally get our hands on Left 4 Dead 2! Is it a true sequel or just a fancy expansion? Check out our preview for all the details!


Since it was first announced at E3 earlier this year, Valve's follow up to the highly successful Left 4 Dead zombie shooter has been surrounded by controversy ranging from boycotts to racism accusations. While most of the controversy has died down in the months that followed, many people still wondered about whether or not Left 4 Dead 2 would be an honest-to-goodness sequel or a glorified expansion. With the recent release of the demo, it can safely be assumed that this game, is indeed, a true sequel that builds upon what made the first one so fun while adding new elements that truly make this feel like a different game.

Even though the full game will feature five campaign and new game modes (including Scavenge and realism mode), the demo permits you to play either a solo or online campaign. Along with scavenge and realism mode, both versus and survival modes are locked as well, but within the first couple minutes spent on the demo it's obvious that a lot has been changed. The demo starts off with a video sequence that, while not as impressive (and terrifying) as the first one, still does a good job of introducing the new characters and zombies, as well as the southern setting. Valve always knows how to get players pumped up for a game and with each passing second I found myself wanting to play the game that very instant while also wanting to watch the conclusion of the video – it's something a lot of video games don't do that well anymore.


Ok, the chainsaw was really what set me over the edge

The main menu has been modified from the first as well and it seems much less confusing than the first game's. Each game mode is accompanied by a picture and text. I only mention this because in the previous installment when introducing the game to people for the first time they were sometimes confused as how to set up a multiplayer game while these problems were not apparent with the demo. As far as customization not a whole lot has changed from the first game, though you're able to control the gore level which I don't think was possible in the first. For most this will probably never be touched, but this game is considerably more graphic than the first one, so parents may find this option viable.

After checking out the presentation it was time to actually play the campaign. The demo permits players access to two acts of the Parish campaign and is available on four difficulty settings ranging from easy to expert. You will choose from one of the four new characters, though fans of Left 4 Dead will almost instantly note the similarities between the games' characters, especially Coach and Rochelle who seem almost too similar to Louis and Zoey (respectively). As in the first game, there seems to be no difference as far as character traits and ability between the four survivors so whoever you pick is purely for aesthetic purposes. Once you begin the Parish you'll have you choice between a submachine gun or pump shotgun. After picking up a health pack and heading out, I was almost instantly bombarded by a zombie horde. The standard zombie is nearly identical to last year's with a few exception, most notably the zombies in riot gear who take quite a beating before finally succumbing to gunfire.

One of the big improvements in Left 4 Dead 2 over its predecessor are the melee weapons, which in the demo included a frying pan, night stick, and my two personal favorites – the guitar and machete. Each melee weapon is effective against the standard zombies and I found many people using them as opposed to guns earlier on in the campaign. It makes sense, too – there is something unbelievable satisfying about hitting the undead with guitars and hearing that chord, or smacking one upside the head with a frying pan. The nightstick is probably my least favorite of the new melee weapons, but only because the other ones are so fun. The machete is, hands down, the best melee weapon there is. There's one particular portion of the campaign where you have to run through this tight maze of chain-link fence while zombies surround you and chase you to the top of a tower…and there is nothing better than running around chopping their decomposing limbs off. To use a melee weapon you must sacrifice your pistol, but for the most part they're worth it. I'm still on the fence about them being more effective than dual wielded pistols, though.

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And you thought your day sucked? That one zombie's head is ON FIRE and still wants to fight

For fans of more traditional weapons, the demo also featured AK-47s, a combat shotgun and a scoped rifle. The scoped rifle shows a lot of improvement over the rifles in the first game as they seem to be able to be used more effectively this time around, which is a definite plus. Each weapon has its advantages and disadvantages depending on where you are in the map and whether or not the director (the game's AI system) wants to mess with you or not. One thing I noticed about this game on my multiple playthroughs was that the weapon placement changed based on how we worked together as a team. If we took a different path we would get different weapons at the end, and if we were breezing through the game the weapons weren't quite as powerful. It really makes each game balanced and different from the last, which is the reason why people still play the original Left 4 Dead as much as they did when it first came out.

Of course, what's a preview of a zombie game without discussing the zombies? As mentioned earlier, the standard infected are similar to last year's game with slight visual modifications, though they do tend to stand out amongst one another. There are also what are referred to as "uncommon" infected with each campaign having their own unique ones. The zombie in riot gear mentioned earlier falls under this category, though it remains to be seen what other types we'll see in the full game. The hunter, smoker, tank, boomer and witch all return with some slight graphical changes. Three new zombies were to be found in the Parish, all of which have extremely malicious intent. The jockey will attach to the head of a survivor and steer players into other zombies until they are shot off. Spitters seem to be the zombie-wife of boomers, as they emit balls of acidic phlegm that surrounds the area and does damage to any survivor who decides to walk around in it (which, honestly, should be an obvious thing to avoid). Finally, we get the charger, who has provided some of the most exciting moments of the demo. Featuring a huge mutated arm and a joy for ramming himself into human beings, the charger will run straight through the survivors and if they're unlucky enough even slam them into a ground. While following a teammate around a corner one round a charger came out of nowhere, grabbed my partner and slammed them into a wall all in the blink of an eye. As soon as I saw that I instantly regretted choosing a frying pan over a gun.


One of the "uncommon" infected. While these guys won't die due to fire, they can't really eat your brains through that suit, right?

I have spent some considerable time with this demo and will probably continue to do so until the full game is released. Each time you play the game you will discover something new and be challenged differently, something very few games can offer out there. Regardless if you supported the boycott or not, you are doing yourself a disservice as a gamer if you don't at the very least check out the demo. In fact, my only complaint is that sometimes there are too many sounds going on, making it hard to figure out what's going on. When that's all there is to complain about, you better believe this game is worth checking out when it releases on November 17.

Screenshots
All 22 Left 4 Dead 2 Screenshots