The demo takes place in the first two parts of the parish campaign. Leaving a boat, arriving on the dock, everything is similar to the original. Jumping straight in with a silenced MP5 and a Machete I’m ready to slay some zombies. The first thing you notice is how different it is to fight in the daylight, this means that you can really see what’s going on, sounds better? Yes it is, but it also heightens the panic as you can see what’s trying to eat you.
Playing through this campaign several times, I got to try out each weapon. I have to say that each gun is wonderful to use, the AK47 and Magnum Handgun being my favourites. Most are accurate and improvements have been made to older guns.
The melee weapons have to be the best addition to the new game. All of them are more or less one hit kills on common zombies and they are so much fun to use, the guitar being one of the best. Each hit with the guitar lets off a hilarious twang of strings as it hits home. As blood spatters across your screen and drips off of your chosen weapon, you know things are different here.
The addition of adrenaline needles that boost your movements is a hint of genius and very funny to watch, defibrillators are on hand to revive your teammates and the new grenade, the bile bomb is amazing. Using this grenade will set zombies onto your target as if a boomer had vomited on them. This was great to use on a tank as it stands still while you crowd it and pump it full of lead.
Making my way through the level it seems there are more choke points than ever and the AI director is just as evil around these points. The level is designed very well, plenty of high points for versus mode and lots of tight areas to fight in.
A highlight was the new feature of having to get to a button through waves of undead rather than hold them off after pressing one. The one featured here sees you setting off a perimeter alarm and having to weave through walls of fences, fending off zombies to get to the button and turn the alarm off. This moment was riotous, hectic and maddening, simply outstanding.
Add all of this to the addition of new special infected and uncommon and we have an all new game on our hands. The Spitter i believe to be one of the best additions gets you by spitting a wad of acidic bile into your group causing panic and opportunity for other specials to get to you. The Jockey is great, jumping on your back and riding you around splitting you from the group. The Charger is mean and nasty, running into your group, picking you up and slamming you into the floor.
The most interesting addition has to be the uncommon zombies, in this particular campaign you have to watch out for the armoured SWAT zombies, which you can’t kill unless you overwhelm them or shoot them in the back. When they’re tucked away in a group of zeds, you can get into some real trouble.
All in all even though this was only a 2 map demo i must say that this looks like a fantastic game and is definetly going to be alot better than the original Left 4 Dead without taking much away from the original as that was and still is an awesome game. Playing with your friends is going to be just as amazing as it was on the first and i've got to say i'm really looking forward to it.
