Left 4 Dead 2 Hands-On: Good Ol' Fashioned Zombies
Monday, November 2, 2009 at 12:24AM | Jake Handy ;)
The zombie apocalypse is an idea that's been done over time after time in the media world. Movies, books, TV, games -- the idea of a couple of average Joes like yourself fighting their way through a world filled with the undead is a great concept. It works.
In Left 4 Dead 2, the sequel to last year's Left 4 Dead, the zombie apocalypse idea has never before been so sweet.
I managed to snag some time to play through the Left 4 Dead 2 Beta Demo on PC, so that's where my impressions are coming from. If the demo is anything to go off of for what the full game will be like, consider me sold.
The demo allows you to play on two different maps. The maps are the first two maps of 'The Parish' campaign. Basically, Left 4 Dead 2, like the first Left 4 Dead, is played through in different "campaigns", each consisting of four or five maps. At the end of each campaign, there's a finale. In the finale, you usually escape in some sort of vehicle and move onto the next campaign area.;)
The Parish is set in post-apocalyptic New Orleans. The level design of the two maps in the demo was spectacular. The buildings, the lights, the music -- everything looked and felt like good ol' New Orleans (minus the zombies, of course).
The graphics helped this realism, no doubt. Left 4 Dead 2's received a major overhaul on the original Left 4 Dead in terms of graphics. Most notable, the zombies trying to kill you should now literally fall apart. In the first game, an arm or a leg might fly off, but in Left 4 Dead 2, you can shoot holes through zombies (exposing their spines), tear gashes into their chests and backs, smash their skulls into little fragments -- the zombies shred apart just as you would expect them to in real life. This level of destruction really adds a new additive factor to the game -- you'll find yourself trying to shoot holes in everything that moves. Pipe bombs this time around will also cause a rain shower of zombie bits and pieces, rather than just a burst of red blood like the first game.
The game also throws in 3 new "special infected" zombies. The Spitter, the Jockey, and the Charger are tossed into the game's mix, accompanied by the previous Hunter, Tank, Boomer, Witch, and Smoker. All of the old special infected have received a skin upgrade as well, and the Witch can now be found in the form of the "Wandering Witch", who walks around rather than sitting still. The combination of all the special infected in Left 4 Dead 2 calls for some more planning on the Survivors' part.
Apart from the zombies, the game's overall graphics in terms of level and character design is fantastic. Each character and texture is finely detailed: even the guns are impressively designed. This is, by far, the most visually impressive zombie game to date.
The actual gameplay for Left 4 Dead 2 sticks to the original game's, but with a few minor changes. You'll still be working your way through maps -- be it towns or swamps -- trying desperately to find the safehouse. However, with the introduction of the AI Director 2.0, the maps now change on a random basis. One way that you may have gone previously may now be blocked, forcing you to find a work-around. The AI Director 2.0 also has the ability to change the weather. Although not in the demo, videos around the net have shown in the campaign "Hard Rain", that the AI Director 2.0 can make it rain harder or softer -- depending on how well you're doing.
This addition of other map variables really ranks up the replay value in the game as a whole, and even in the demo. I found myself playing the two maps several times just to see what changed and what didn't.
In addition to the previous weapons from the first Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 adds a plethora of new firepower. AK47s, grenade launchers, SPAS shotguns and more are available, and are littered around New Orleans just waiting for you to pick them up. As well as guns, Valve has also thrown in some melee weapons, such as the machete and the electric guitar, giving you an opportunity to bash some skulls in up close and personal. Melee weapons are addictive to use and especially effective in large crowds of zombies. ;)
Apart from weapons, the game also adds several new items. There's an adrenaline shot that increases your speed, allowing you to run straight through crowds of zombies. There's the defibrillator, which allows you to revive a fallen comrade. There's Boomer Bile, which when thrown at a common or special infected causes surrounding common infected to attack them instantly (for extra fun, throw it at your teammates!). And then, there's 3 weapons upgrades -- incendiary ammo, explosive ammo, and laser sights. These new additions once again throw in incredible variety, making each play through completely different.
Left 4 Dead 2 is an accomplishment over Left 4 Dead in every single way. New maps, improved graphics and gameplay, new weapons, melee weapons, new special infected, new items, and new weapon upgrades make Left 4 Dead 2 the definitive version -- its what Left 4 Dead should have been.
Whether or not you think it's enough of an upgrade -- well, that's up to you. As for me, I'll be enjoying every last second.
Dilan Fernando
Exposed ribcages, heads hanging off of spinal cords, intestines trailing behind a raging being of the living dead: this is what Left 4 Dead 2 seems to be all about. Left 4 Dead 2’s recently released demo was earlier released to the non-pre-ordering public on the PC, while Xbox Live subscribers and PC pre-purchasers have had it for a while. What’s Left 4 Dead 2 look like from here? Read on in our second hands-on preview of the Left 4 Dead 2 demo.
The deal with the Left 4 Dead 2 demo is very similar to that found in last year’s demo of the original Left 4 Dead. Players are given the chance to blast through just two maps featured in the first campaign of Left 4 Dead 2, titled “The Parish”, in full four player co-op campaign action. Playing as the four new survivors of Left 4 Dead 2, named Coach, Ellis, Nick and Rochelle (for more info on the new Survivors, click here), we started off with the four survivors being dropped off at a New Orleans dock by a Southern sailor looking out to help other surviving stragglers in the zombie apocalypse.
At the start of the game, players can pick first tier weapons (from a shotgun or an SMG), and there is sometimes a melee weapon on offer as well, right next to health packs and a pistol. Weapons spawn randomly in Left 4 Dead, and in the case of melee weapons and higher power firearms they’re often distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Moving on, the four survivors came out to a series of streets and alleys littered with the Infected, stumbling zombies, who, for a very welcome change, explode in spatters of blood and gore when shot, chopped and sliced. Left 4 Dead 2’s demo boasts a massively higher rate of gore than its predecessor ever did, and resembles previous, heavier splatter games like Dead Space and Resident Evil 5 this time around. Turning the odd corner, you’ll inevitably face up with one of the “uncommon common” Infected of Left 4 Dead 2. In the case of The Parish, players will face the Riot Zombie. The Riot Zombie, as its title suggests, is a riot control officer that has been Infected with the rabies-like zombie virus. These officers, found among the common infected hordes, wear heavy Kevlar vests and can only be slain from their flank.
Apart from the uncommon common, there are several new “Special” Infected around as well. Players of Left 4 Dead will feel familiar with the Hunter, Boomer, Smoker and Tank, but Left 4 Dead 2 brings in three newcomers for the survivors to contend with. The Charger is a highly effective, well built beast who (again, as his title suggests) can charge down survivors and, upon catching them, thump them into the ground. The Spitter, a female Infected unit, regurgitates noxious acid which creates booby trapped ground to drain players’ health, while the Jockey jumps on players’ backs and rides them into danger. You’ll be interested to know that the skins and voice effects of all the old Special Infected have been redone, while there is now also a female variety of the Boomer. Lastly, we found our first chance to face the “Wandering Witch”, the daytime version of Left 4 Dead’s Witch, who in this game’s demo, stumbles around the area, crying her high pitched wail.
The first map of The Parish proved to be relatively mild, but fun nonetheless, proving to be very much loyal to Left 4 Dead’s unique style, and contained one amusing aspect in the form of a juke box through which, after some dedicated browsing, players can access the track of “Still Alive” from the soundtrack of Portal.
The second map, on the other hand, boasts a lot more fun and excitement. This map was jam-packed with adrenaline shots, Boomer Bile, defibrillators, tier 2 weapons, higher grade melee weapons, and a fantastic new gauntlet scenario, of which we can expect much more in the final cut of Left 4 Dead 2.
Adrenaline shots help players engage in actions quicker, such as running and healing, while Boomer Bile comes in grenade-like canisters which can be used to turn Infected against each other. Defibrillators are a new tool that serves to revive fallen comrades, while you’ll be pleased to know that players have access to several new guns as opposed to the first Left 4 Dead, including AK47s, military class sniper rifles and silenced SMGs. Melee weapons, on the other hand, range from frying pans to machetes, and even to electric guitars, and each does its own thing when it comes to slashing up zombies.
One of the most notable and refreshing aspects to the Left 4 Dead 2 demo was the lack of a stand-off kind of scenario, which was replaced by the inclusion of a “gauntlet” scenario. The gauntlet scenario had the four survivors activate an alarm, and then run through a small maze as quickly as they can to turn off the alarm switch at the other end, while being set upon by zombie hordes from all directions.
So far, Left 4 Dead 2 looks fantastic, and new music, personality and some chopping and changing in visual style and flair has so far stemmed views of this sequel simply being a re-skinning of Left 4 Dead. New Infected, new weapons and even the addition of the “A.I. Director 2.0”, who can this time around change environments (such as making a room empty in one play through, and nonexistent in the next), have made the Left 4 Dead 2 demo seem like a great change to the Left 4 Dead experience, while retaining the treasured style of the series. Could this be one of the great sequels of the gaming world? From here, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to hope so.
Left 4 Dead 2 releases on November 17th for the PC and Xbox 360.
Reader Comments (2)
Niceeeee.I'm Intrigued to try the demo out this tuesday as I've heard pro's and con's on the game.
You have to express more your opinion to attract more readers, because just a video or plain text without any personal approach is not that valuable. But it is just form my point of view