Improvements from Left 4 Dead
The AI Director that controls Horde activity in response to player actions has received a major overhaul; Valve has promised that the new incarnation will make it more challenging and responsive to players than ever before. The firm has said that safe routes, debris, weather, undead positions and even the time of day can now be adjusted on the fly.
Survivors will also find that their selection of firearms has been expanded. New weapons include a sniper rifle, new shotguns, a magnum pistol, a silenced SMG, and a grenade launcher.
Valve kicked the weaponry up another notch with the addition of specialized ammunition stashed across each of the new campaigns. A single round of incendiary ammunition will set fire to any Infected, while explosive ammunition instantly kills common Infected and has a knockback effect on specials. Be warned, though: Unless you plan to use the new ammo quickly, this ammunition takes the place of your health kit.
Rounding out the weapons, Valve has introduced an array of interesting and effective melee weapons, including: The fire axe, frying pan, baseball bat, cricket bat, chainsaw (our personal favorite), katana, guitar, machete, nightstick, and a taste of the Freeman with his patented crowbar.
There are, of course, new non-weapon tools to aid the Survivors in their struggle to escape the infected zone. Adrenaline, which the player can carry in place of pain pills, gives the user bonus health, imparts fatigue-free melee, causes the user to complete certain actions faster, and removes the movement penalty inflicted on users who get tapped by the Horde; defibrillators, which can be used to revive a dead teammate, are carried in place of a health kit; Boomer Bile, which can be used to great effect (or amusement, depending on the target) by sending the Horde surging at anything the goop impacts; and finally Laser sights which, when attached to the user’s primary weapon, greatly increases its accuracy.
New uncommon Horde
It wouldn’t be fair to hand the Survivors all that firepower without giving the Horde a few new weapons of their own, and they have them by way of several new specials, including:
The Hazmat: The infected remains of medical personnel, these Infected wear hazardous material suits, rendering them immune to inflammation. They are found throughout the Dead Center campaign.
The Mudmen: Crawling around prone, these sludge-covered monstrosities have a tendency of catching the Survivors off-guard. When attacked by these Infected, the POV of the survivor is covered in the very sludge that leaks from these crawling corpses. They are found throughout the Swamp Fever campaign.
The Clowns: No more dangerous in combat than other common Infected, the laughter-causing tools of this creature’s trade serve a much more sinister purpose in death: Alerting every other Infected to your presence with every squeak in their step. They are found throughout the Dark Carnival campaign.
The Riot Troopers: These Infected are the infected remains of some unknown security force. Their riot gear causes them to take significantly less damage from the front, which leeches precious ammunition and time as the Survivors make their way around behind them to finish the job at full speed. They are found throughout the Parish campaign.
The Construction Workers: These Infected wear reflective vests and construction hats with sound canceling ear guards, causing them to remain immune to the draw of pipe bombs. They are found throughout the Hard Rain campaign.
New special Infected
Valve decided that adding special common Infected wasn’t enough. In addition to giving Left 4 Dead’s Hunter, Boomer and Smoker new models, Witches have now discovered that their legs work just fine. New ones unique to Left 4 Dead 2 join these revamped special units:
The Charger: This overall-wearing behemoth looks like a half-mutated tank, with one giant muscular arm and one normal arm. His sole purpose is to isolate the Survivors from one another by knocking Survivors to the ground while dragging one away from the group, slamming them into the ground as he goes. His deadly grip is only released when he is killed, turning many bad situations worse by forcing the remaining Survivors to chase down their threatened teammate.
The Spitter: Every scenario could be considered an attrition battle, and this diabolic horror is helping the Survivors lose that battle by spewing a toxic green fluid at them from long range. The impact creates a green pool of acid, damaging all caught inside slowly over time. It is the intention of these long-necked creatures to put pressure on the Survivors to keep away from one another at critical moments.
The Jockey: These nefarious little creatures like to take Survivors on a one-way trip to death by leaping onto their back and controlling their movement. Disruptive and painful, the presence of these small troublemakers is made all the more irritating by their snickering as they complete their devious task.
Final thoughts
It has been a common criticism that Left 4 Dead 2 is merely what Left 4 Dead “should have been.” However, at no point in our play through did we feel that to be the case. Left 4 Dead 2 proved itself to be a very engaging, expansive title worthy of its own place in the growing Left 4 Dead franchise; there is much more to be had than a simple DLC would ever provide.
In sum, we are absolutely convinced that L4D2 will bring any FPS or action-horror gamer plenty of bang for their buck.
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