Re: Left 4 Dead 2 (360/PC)
IGN UK Hands-on
IGN UK Hands-on
In fact, it's the refinements to level design that are most obvious at this point in time. Valve has expertly fashioned each campaign chapter to simultaneously deliver both the expectedly frenzied zombie-baiting action and a far more nuanced narrative compared to the original. The three demoed chapters that form The Parish take our plucky quartet of survivors from the banks of the Mississippi (the remains of a upended steamboat visible through the mist behind them, if that gives any clue to nature of the preceding campaign). Waves crash around the breakers on the bank and huge wrought iron fencing ahead opens out into the streets of the New Orleans French Quarter, all yellow buildings, balconies and palm trees through the waxy sunlight.
Eventually, the campaign sees your group fighting for life among the burned out wreckage abandoned on the bridge out of the city. First though, you've got to work through the narrow, split-level streets - raiding buildings, dodging zombies and pushing ever onward. It's a huge, detailed map, far more elaborate than anything in the original Left 4 Dead. It's fairly labyrinthine too and, although there's still a fairly linear route to the end of the level, alleyways, alcoves and interiors all offer plenty of scope for exploration and disorientation.
Eventually, the campaign sees your group fighting for life among the burned out wreckage abandoned on the bridge out of the city. First though, you've got to work through the narrow, split-level streets - raiding buildings, dodging zombies and pushing ever onward. It's a huge, detailed map, far more elaborate than anything in the original Left 4 Dead. It's fairly labyrinthine too and, although there's still a fairly linear route to the end of the level, alleyways, alcoves and interiors all offer plenty of scope for exploration and disorientation.
Out on the other side, there's a peak at Valve's reworked crescendo encounters. Finding yourself in a bus depot, it's obvious this is the scene of the city's quarantine area – all towering perimeter fences and medical vehicles, body bags strewn across the concrete. To reach the safe house nearby you need to pass through one of the testing vehicles. Unfortunately, as you open the door to head back outside, a piercing alarm rings through the air, bringing endless zombie hordes down on your position.
As promised, there's no means of camping and sitting out the onslaught this time around. Instead, you're shepherded through the winding fencing as the undead stream into your path and over your head. The only way to bring the encounter to a close is to push forward, dodge beneath the concrete pillars supporting the shadowy overpass above and disable the siren at the far end of the compound. It's fraught, exciting and – more importantly – perfectly orchestrated to play up to Left 4 Dead's innate strengths. If we get more sequences like this in the final game, we'll be more than happy.
As promised, there's no means of camping and sitting out the onslaught this time around. Instead, you're shepherded through the winding fencing as the undead stream into your path and over your head. The only way to bring the encounter to a close is to push forward, dodge beneath the concrete pillars supporting the shadowy overpass above and disable the siren at the far end of the compound. It's fraught, exciting and – more importantly – perfectly orchestrated to play up to Left 4 Dead's innate strengths. If we get more sequences like this in the final game, we'll be more than happy.
All in all, Left 4 Dead is looking incredibly promising. Yes, it's very much more of the same, but – from what we've seen, at least - it's been refined and revised to really ramp up the tension and exploit the formula's greatest strengths. It's still hugely engaging as a co-operative experience and, as an added bonus, Valve has really pushed things from a visual perspective. As is to be expected, the PC version is more of a looker – however, it's a far more engaging package on Xbox 360 compared to the game's previous console iteration. Character models are improved - particularly your undead cohorts, who've evolved greatly from the indistinct grey blobs of the first game – textures are sharper and more varied and, all in all, there's far more detail across the board. There's an increased push from an aesthetic side too, with more imaginative locations that dare to do more than sit tight in drab, mist-enshrouded streets. Throw in a bump in blood and severed limbs and we really can't wait to see more.
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