Left 4 Dead 2 Demo Impressions of 4-player Co-op

New Special Infected, Characters, Melee Weapons, Verus Mode in L4D2

Nov 6, 2009

The Left 4 Dead 2 Demo on Xbox Live Marketplace, now available, gives players a preview into the sequel of the hit 4-player co-op FPS zombie game.

Left 4 Dead 2 is the sequel to Left 4 Dead, a game in which four survivors attempt to escape from murderous mobs infected with a virus. It features up to four players in both cooperative and competitive online and offline gameplay (only 2 players locally via split-screen, however). In co-op play, the survivors must battle through numerous campaigns with the sole objective of surviving and making it to the rescue vehicle, while the unique Versus modes allow players to actually take control of special infected to attack the opposing Survivor team.

Seeking to outpace the original, even if being released only a year after the first, Valve Software is adding a new Versus mode, new special infected, new weapons, new characters, and 5 all new campaigns. The Left 4 Dead 2 Demo, now available on Xbox Live Marketplace, offers players a brief glimpse with two of the new levels. Read below for info on many of the new features in L4D2.

New Special Infected - The Jockey, The Spitter, The Charger

Left 4 Dead 2 features three new special infected, along with some minor graphical changes to old special infected, and some minor behavior changes from The Witch (mainly, she moves around before getting spooked, instead of just lying in one place waiting to get shot in the back of the head).

The Jockey: With a distinguished sound that falls somewhere between a maniac clown laughing and a cackling hyena, The Jockey jumps on a survivor's back and pounds away with it's long, Chimp-like arms. While dealing little damage compared to the likes of The Hunter, The Jockey can actually take control of the survivor and steer him / her in different directions. The Jockey is also much smaller than the other infected - about half the height of a normal, or "resident" infected, making him a harder target to both see and shoot.

The Spitter: Easily the most important new addition to the Infected team, The Spitter can spit acid at the Survivors, which spreads similar to fire along the ground and deals damage to any Survivor standing on top. The Spitter can capitalize on the Survivors' tendency to stick close, and deal damage to all survivors at once. And, she even leaves behind a pool of acid when killed. The Spitter has a thin figure similar to a witch, and makes hissing noises.

The Charger: With bulk nearing that of The Tank, The Charger barrels forward - ramming one of the survivors into a wall or other nearby object, and then picking the survivor up and slamming them down repeatedly for huge damage (15 each slam on Normal difficulty). The Charger is about the size of a tank with an oversized arm, and sounds almost like an elephant or other large animal. The Charger can break through a team and can really take players by surprise, and will very likely become a fan-favorite.

Melee Weapons in Left 4 Dead 2

Another major change in Left 4 Dead 2 is the inclusion of melee weapons, ranging from a slicing and dicing machete, to a nightstick, and even comical inclusions such as a frying pan and a guitar (which makes electric guitar strum noises whenever it hits a zombie, perhaps alluding to the cult-hit zombie title Dead Rising).

Players complained about melee being overpowered in the first Left 4 Dead, so the inclusion of weapons dedicated to the practice at first may seem like a bone-headed move. However, players must choose between either the infinite ammo pistol or a melee weapon, and the melee strikes must be timed correctly to score hits. Melee strikes obviously put the player in direct danger, so guns are still the preferred method of zombie disposal.

More Weapons - Puke Grenade and Alternative Weapons

The Puke Grenade is a canister filled with Boomer Bile. When thrown, all resident zombies, along with more zombies spawned, will immediately run towards the boomer bile similar to a Pipe Bomb, except without the explosion. If the player nails a special infected with a Puke Grenade, the mob will actually turn on their own and attack the targeted enemy.

Another frequent complaint from Left 4 Dead fans regarded the game's the lack of weapon variety, and Valve has responded with many more weapons, such as an AK47 and a three-shot rifle, and even weapon mods such as a Laser Sight and a Silencer. While the differences may be slight, it's just enough to keep the game fresh by avoiding too much repetition.

Other New Features in Left 4 Dead 2

The following features were not showcased in the demo, but will be available in the full retail game. A new mode called Realism is intended for the rare players out there who breezed through Left 4 Dead on expert, while a new Versus Mode (similar to the Survivor mode) seeks to add more variety to the competitive online gameplay.

At first, Left 4 Dead 2 will appear almost visually identical to the first game, but the changes primarily come in the form of blood and gore (and weather effects, but those aren't shown in the demo). Infected will still lose limbs and get decapitated, but now they will also find holes in their stomachs, machete slice marks across their guts, and large chunks of their backs getting blown off. With far more realistic mayhem, it's no wonder why Australia was considering a Left 4 Dead 2 ban.

Left 4 Dead 2 Demo Conclusion

Valve paid attention to the fans' complaints, and while the demo does not showcase the competitive Versus modes, playing through the demo cooperatively or single-player offers a delicious taste of the infected-killing madness to come. L4D fans should definitely keep this one on their "must-play" list for holiday 2009.

The copyright of the article Left 4 Dead 2 Demo Impressions of 4-player Co-op in Online Games is owned by Bradley Kairis. Permission to republish Left 4 Dead 2 Demo Impressions of 4-player Co-op in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.