Left 4 Dead 2 is the sequel to Valve's award-winning game Left 4 Dead. The game features a new cast of human survivors, a new set of melee weapons in addition to new guns, a whole new set of infected zombies, and a revamped A.I. Director. Now the question is...is it enough to justify a whole new game?

Requirements

• Windows
• Pentium 4 3.0GHz
• 2GB RAM
• DirectX 9 compatible video card with 128 MB
• 7.5GB HDD free space
• DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card 

Installation

Having been able to pre-load the game even before the demo was released was a good thing all thanks to Steam. I guess the only problem if you could call it that was the long wait since the L4D2 demo was delayed for a couple of days thanks to Valve Time.

First Impressions

I'm one of the million gamers out there who pre-ordered L4D2 so I can play the early demo and get the baseball bat - a weapon only available to gamers who pre-ordered L4D2. I got to play the demo for a couple of hours before I stopped. And since it's just a demo, you only get to play two scenarios from the Parish campaign. Since both of these scenarios happen during daylight, having the sun up and about is a good shift from the dark atmosphere that the original L4d campaigns had. It really makes you feel that it's not really safe whether the sun or moon is up - it's dangerous 24/7 period.

Singleplayer

As soon as you start blasting away the zombies, you'll notice that the dismemberment has been improved. You can now just shoot parts of their head, shoot bullet holes through their body or take off an arm or leg. Moreover, they'll still run towards you unless you really take them out.

There's also a new type of zombie called the uncommon common infected or UCI for short. These types of zombies are unique per campaign which adds some variety to the campaigns. Apart from the five original special infected from L4D, there will be three additional ones for L4D2 bringing the total up to eight. My favorite would probably be the Charger, I think it's the second best special infected after the Tank for spreading out the survivors.

As for the highly anticipated melee weapons, I didn't really enjoy them that much..if I want to survive and win a Versus match I'd probably be wielding dual pistols than an electric guitar or a pan. I mean it's fun to whack the zombies with them but it doesn't really offer anything else after that (for me).

Multiplayer

For the multiiplayer part of the demo, all you could play was the coop mode. So it's pretty much the same thing as playing a single-player game except that this time, you either get shot by your teammate or you'll feel like there's only one survivor playing the campaign. Then you'll think about how good is it to play with your dear friends. Nothing's changed...every single thing from L4D that made multi-player good and bad is here.

Final Thoughts

Honestly though, I didn't enjoy L4D2 as much as I enjoyed playing the original L4D when it first came out - though I still like playing it, it's just not as enjoyable as the first one (maybe because I'm already used to the gameplay). However, I could justify Valve's decision to make L4D2 a new game instead of just an added DLC for L4D. I mean seriously guys? That's 4 new survivors, 5 new campaigns, new infecteds, new guns with the addition of melee weapons, an improved A.I. Director and a whole lot more.

So to all the haters and boycotters out there...stop whining. If you don't like the game, then don't buy it. It's that simple. Oh wait, you also think that you got ripped off after buying L4D because you were just a beta tester in L4D and L4D2 is the final version of the original L4D. Right...grow up. If I recall correctly, we're pretty much beta testing all the games we play right now since our comments/suggestions help the developers make adjustments and improve the upcoming sequels or new versions of the game.

Ratings

Installer - Pre-loading plus the added benefit of playing an early demo brings out a smile in my face.

Graphics - It's the same game engine as L4D. Nothing's really changed.

Sound - The background music for the Parish campaign is a bit lacking. It just doesn't make you feel that you're brain's about to be eaten by zombies.

Gameplay - Sure the new melee weapons makes you think if you want a Desert Eagle or an Electric Guitar as your secondary weapon but it all boils down to one thing, just like the original L4D all you have to do is shoot 'em all.