X’09 – Left 4 Dead 2

GameNorth loves zombies. To be more precise, we like killing them or playing as them. Sharing a bedroom with them probably wouldn’t be too great, and all that dead skin in the shower… yuck. So our eyes lit up when we noticed a four-screen co-op setup of Left 4 Dead 2 at Microsoft’s X’09 event. It was the only yet-to-be-released game that we actually played twice at the event, and we enjoyed every moment.

For those who are familiar with the franchise, Left 4 Dead 2 is everything you’ve come to know and love.  We’ve already talked about the improved Director 2.0 in a news item, and it does indeed seem to be improved. The experience was even more nerve-wracking and punishing than in the first game, bringing back memories of when I first played the game. We did not find upgraded weapons until very late into the campaign and we had to resort to melee weapons to save on bullets on more than a few occasions.

Which was fine with us, of course. L4D2 sports a variety of new weapons, including a very efficient machete, a frying pan, a sturdy baseball bat, and a honky-tonk guitar. In no time, Richard and I developed an efficient way to deal with hordes of zombies using a combination of melee weapons and guns.

The new zombie that we caught a glimpse of was actually fairly hard to pinpoint in the midst of a horde, which made it very dangerous. It adds a new “get out of the fire” problem to those groups who like to hole up in corners by spewing acid that gathers in a large pool. From personal experience, I can tell you that acid hurts. Don’t stand in it. It’s very bad.

The campaign also showed off its new climatic “gauntlet” mechanic. Instead of the old “last stand” mechanic, where mobs of zombies, including a tank, would come at the group of survivors at the end of a chapter, players now have to run to a destination in order to complete the campaign. Imagine sprinting to the helicopter at the end of No Mercy, except you have to do that for minutes instead of seconds. It’s that intense. The gauntlet mechanic is actually a lot more hectic but less strategic as you can’t set up in a building. You just need to make a mad dash towards the objective without leaving anyone behind. In the campaign we played, we had to climb several stories of a construction rig to deactivate an alarm.

For those not familiar with the franchise, you can check out our review of the original offering here.

We did not get to try Versus mode, but it was still a fun experience nonetheless. L4D2 looks to offer some intense gameplay when it releases on November 17th, so get your shotgun and get ready to survive another zombie apocalypse.