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Left 4 Dead 2 is a game developed by Valve Corporation and already infamous for many reasons, first there was the uproar that a sequel would be released so soon after the original title, then there was controversy over the cover art due to a few extra missing digits, next came claims of racism and then finally the game was banned in Australia forcing the developers to modify their game for release there.
But what can we expect from a title seeing so much attention?
Well for those of you familiar with the original then you pretty much know the formula for the game; you take the part of one of four human survivors in a world where a pathogen has infected most of the human race, this causes them to behave much like zombies and are known in the Left 4 Dead universe as the infected. You battle these creatures as you make your way through a series of areas, interspersed with safe houses, to a final destination where help can be summoned. Much of the game has remained the same but there is now a proper story to be played through, unlike the original which didn't really offer any insight into the main protagonists and simply had you blasting away at the infected. L4D 2 comes with a fully fleshed story arc and although it is considered canon with the first game, it comes featuring four brand new characters to choose from; Coach, Ellis, Nick and Rochelle. The decision for these new characters is because the game takes place in the Southern States of America, the journey for the survivors begins in Savannah, Georgia, and ends in New Orleans, Louisiana, which again is spread over five campaigns known as Dead Center, Dark Carnival, Swamp Fever, Hard Rain and finally The Parish.
The three original game modes have been included; Campaign (A four player experience against the computer), Versus (four vs. four game with players able to control the infected) and Survival (timed challenge against unending waves of the infected). Also introduced is a new mode called Scavenge, this new mode is also a four vs. four game mode and gives you the survivors the objective of collecting gas canisters to power generators and the infected the objective of, well, stopping them. There has also been mention of a 'Realism' mode for the game; details are lacking on this new game mode, however, we do know that it will be an increased difficulty setting making the game more 'realistic'.
For the most part, the infected in the game are pretty much the same as the ones found in the original, the most common being the type that like to moan and shuffle, to see, they gather a sense of your approach and then work together to swarm around you. In addition to these you can find infected who've mutated in a different way and as such have different abilities; the Boomer is seen as an overweight male who has the ability to spit bile on you which causes the normal infected to rampage towards you, the Hunter, who can stalk and pounce on you when you least expect it, the Smoker which can ensnare you with it's particularly large tongue and so named due to the puff of vision obscuring smoke that it evaporates into on death, the Tank who knocks survivors out the way and throws nearby debris, and finally the Witch, who will remain calm until provoked, but once she is provoked she will viciously attack till her aggressor is either incapacitated or dead. The new game brings more of the special infected to the mix; the Charger is similar to the Tank but can move more quickly and handle the player's character like a rag doll, the Spitter can spit balls of phlegm which envelop the player causing them damage all the time they remain in it, and then there's the Jockey who can jump on the back of a survivor and steer them towards traps. There is also an uncommon infected this time around, these will be unique to each campaign mode and have an ability unlike the other infected which makes them harder to kill such as wearing Hazmat suits or riot gear making them resistant to gun fire.
The weapons have also been expanded on for this new game, especially the melee ones which come in the form of things like Frying Pans so you can bash the infected right in the face if that's your thing (and we like to think it is), though, you might want to opt for the chainsaw, yes chainsaw, to take them apart one at a time, limb by limb. There's also new guns for you to try your hand at, some scoped weapons for long distance culling and silenced sub machine guns so you don't disturb the neighbours to much. Or if you do fancy disturbing some neighbours then you can use the new ammo types, such as the incendiary rounds to set the infected running off in a blaze of glory, and if that's not wet your whistle then there's a good old fashioned grenade launcher to cause some mayhem with. Of course new weapons will bring new tactics, for example the only way to kill a witch in one blow will be with another new weapon, the axe. Manage to sneak up on her from behind and it will be good night for her should you strike successfully.
The infected are again controlled by Valves advanced A.I. known as "The Director" which constantly adjusts the difficulty of the game based on the players performance, with changes in the amount of infected spawned and how much weaponry and ammo is available. The Director has been improved for the games second outing and now has the ability to throw up and remove walls in a level, the lighting of a level and the weather conditions, all adding to the unique player experience that made the first game a joy to play for both newcomers to the first person genre and veterans.
Left 4 Dead 2 sees release on both Steam and Xbox 360 on the 17th November 2009, make sure you keep checking back for our full review nearer the date.
