Left 4 Dead 2 Demo

If you are at all familiar with the original Left 4 Dead, you'll quickly understand what I mean if I tell you that taking out a Boomer with a melee weapon is not the most efficient available tactic; it is however, pretty darned tempting to just run up to one of the fat bastards and whack him with that guitar you found earlier in the level. Yes, a guitar. You can't do that in Left 4 Dead 1, but you can in Left 4 Dead 2.

It's a minor but fun addition. By all indications, most or all of the differences between the first game and the second run along these lines: subtle, fun refinements that won't turn the original formula on its head, but improvements that you'll be glad to have nonetheless. This sort of sequelling isn't to everyone's taste (see the boycotting saga), and its clear from the demo that L4D2 is no quantum leap forward – but for those who feel that they got their money's worth from the original, its sequel's demo certainly points at a game that is worth a look.

The best addition is the melee combat, which is complemented nicely by the improved gore system that allows for severed limbs and heads. The weapons available (more in the full game, including a chainsaw) range from machetes to frying pans and nightsticks, as well as the aforementioned guitar. Most hits are one hit kills, and dancing between the scratching hands of the undead while bonking them with your melee weapon of choice* is a very satisfying activity, even if it does put you at risk of friendly fire due to your being up close and personal with the zombies. The melee weapons replace the pistols in the inventory, and you must decide which you wish to carry – it is a genuinely interesting choice, especially as pistols still, as in the first game, have unlimited ammo.

There is a wide selection of firearms to choose from – the demo features three different shotguns, two sorts of scoped rifle, an AK47, an M16, and two different sorts of submachine gun; the differences are subtle but the extra variation in weaponry is welcome. While the melee weapons hold more novelty (BONK!), the guns are prettily modelled and the gunplay, as in the first game, is solid. The loading screens reveal the existence of a grenade launcher in the full release, as well. So there's that.

There is a decent helping of other new items as well; joining the old pills and medkits is an adrenaline shot that speeds up your characters actions, as well as a vial of Boomer bile which can be smashed onto the floor to distract hordes of zombies. The best of the new items found in the demo however, is the defibrilator. This can be used on the bodies dead team-mates to revive them and bring them back into the action – will be much appreciated by those who did not enjoy spending time dead in the first game.

Also showcased in the demo are new types of infected – SWAT-team zombies in protective combat gear join the regular horde, and three new types of special infected join the cast of specials; the Charger, the Jockey, and the Slimer. Each brings their own unique twist to the gameplay, disrupting the survivors' play and each presenting a different danger. The best of the new bunch from a gameplay perspective must be the Slimer; a zombie that spews dangerous acid onto the ground, over a radius of about three feet. The party-piece of this special being to punish teams who clump up in tight closets and force them out into the open until the danger from the acid passes.

The two levels of the demo seem to give a good taste of what to expect from the final product: the original game, but with a gamut of tweaks and refinements.

*Frying pan or guitar? Frying pan or guitar?