After my hands-on with the game at the MCM Expo a few weeks ago and a lot of time spent in the pre-release demo, I feel I’ve got enough experience to let you, our dear readers, know how I feel about the game. You may remember last year I did a similar thing with the original game, and I seem to have really rather enjoyed it. I felt that since I did one last year, I should run through some of my impressions of Left 4 Dead 2.

Can the sequel live up to the original? To answer that question, here are some words that I have typed on my computer which you will read.

As with last year, I only played the 360 version for a small amount of time, but again I felt very hindered by the controller. My tactics from playing Left 4 Dead 1 over the whole year on the PC just wouldn’t transition into the 360 version I played, like the ability to get headshots or aim for gas cans easily. I realise that with practice one can get better at this with a controller (and in fact I prefer playing Resident Evil 5 on the PC with a controller over the mouse and keyboard) but while playing I couldn’t enjoy the new aspects of Left 4 Dead 2 without a feeling in the back of my mind that this wasn’t even capturing some of the things that made Left 4 Dead so great. It didn’t feel as satisfying to kill the infected without the ability to pop their heads open or perform actions that require a swift aim.

That said, I don’t have a problem with this version and it must be pointed out that this is my experience, and not necessarily that of anyone else. The new weapons, especially the melee types, were the thing that caught my eye the most (and as such I spent a good portion of time hitting zombies with a frying pan). After only having access to about 6 weapons for a whole year, the new shotguns and assault rifles were very welcome, and all of the weapons feel just as they should- substantial. The Uzi-style guns and the pistols are always in danger of feeling weak in shooters but here they all feel just right.

Once I had a chance to play the PC demo, I was able to take a closer look at the new special infected. The Spitter, which shoots gunk at you from a distance which covers the floor and blocks off that area for a little while, can be very effective at breaking up the group. If you huddle in a corner and the Spitter gets you, you are going to have to get away from that corner sharpish. The Jockey is another hazard to teams that split up; he can ride a player wherever he feels like, which is usually into a molotov fire spill or spitter goo. Obviously this isn’t very healthy and he can cause adverse side-effects (i.e. death) if not rapidly removed. Similarly the charger can smash through a group of survivors and grab one, incapacitating him like a Hunter would. All of the new specials have a specific use and they should make versus mode even more fun that it was already.

The demo, however, doesn’t show much in terms of new environments. The newest things about the level on show are the daytime setting and the finale where one must get to a button to turn it off instead of just waiting around for a door to open. This makes it a bit more hectic, with the players being forced to make a move instead of just waiting it out. It does end up being a bit easy, however, even on harder difficulty levels. I think this may be because the demo shows off a lot of weapons and new items, which you are given quite a lot of. This makes taking down the horde a little easier than in a full-length campaign, since you can afford to take more risks and just spray all of your ammo away at them. At the moment Left 4 Dead 2 is looking like it has everything that was missing from Left 4 Dead 1, and I feel it certainly justifies a new game. The new survivors are great, too (especially Nick). I highly recommend you try the demo, which is out now on Steam and Xbox 360.

Tags: left 4 dead 2, Preview, steam, Valve, Xbox 360

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