Left 4 Dead 2

Rather than go through the hassle of constantly streaming out DLC (downloadable content) for upgrades and enhancements to last year's break-away zombie first-person-shooter, "Left 4 Dead," the decision was made to take all of the great ideas and pack them into a new, stand-alone sequel. The result is "Left 4 Dead 2," a game whose expanded experience, including extra weapons and new zombies, still remains respectful of the spirit of its predecessor. I only have one beef with the game, but we'll get to that. First, let's look at the new features.

Melee Weapons: This has been one of the most talked about portions of the game. Players have the option of dropping their back-up pistol in exchange for much more (or considerably less) bad-ass hand-held weaponry. Options include a frying pan, chainsaw, riot stick, cricket bat, axe, katana, crowbar, machete, and electric guitar. The melee weapons alone offer more of a variety of killing utensils than the entire arsenal of the original game. Unlike the pistols, which were always a last resort, it can be just as enjoyable to take out a tank with a chainsaw as with an AK-47.

New Weapons: Improving on the single upgrade potential (aka submachine gun -> assault rifle), the game offers a variety of gun types. This creates the chance for players to find a favourite weapon, and create primary/melee weapon combos (mine being the combat shotgun/katana mix). The guns in "Left 4 Dead 2" also seem to have less ammo. I cannot remember a time in the first game where I ever had to resort to my pistols, but it's not rare for my combat shotgun to run dry.

New Items: The molotov cocktails and pipe bomb are still here, but now we have the Bile Bomb, which causes zombies to swarm to the affected area. To be honest, I only use it when there's not a Pipe Bomb around, but it can still help in a clinch, without the possible ramifications of being caught on fire or blowing yourself up. There are also alternatives to carrying the familiar health items. Pills can be subbed out for adrenaline, which gives a smaller health boost, but also provides an increase in speed, which comes in incredibly handy when healing or rescuing teammates. The health pack can also be replaced with a defibrillator, which can be used to bring dead Survivors back to life.

New Special Infected: Along with all of the returners (Boomer, Smoker, Hunter, Witch, and Tank), there are three new additions. There's the Spitter, whose acidic spit makes the floor temporarily untraversable. She's really more of an inconvenience than a threat, unless you're being immobilized by a horde. Then there's the Jockey, who giggles and jumps onto your back, leaving you entirely at his mercy to direct you toward danger. Unlike the Hunter, who pins you down, the Jockey keeps you stumbling, usually away from your fellow Survivors, making rescue all the more difficult. Lastly, there's the Charger, a juggernaut who only stops once he's grabbed hold of you and started pounding you into the ground. Easy enough to dispatch, but you can take huge damage if you aren't rescued quickly. Oh, and the Witches now walk around during daytime levels.

New Levels: There are five, count 'em, five new campaigns, with four or five levels each. Each one has its own little twist or particular "uncommon infected." Whether it's a mall, swamp, or carnival, the levels are varied enough with different challenges to keep things interesting. Like with the weapons, you're bound to have your favourites, and the ones you dread repeating. There are also different puzzles and challenges involved with certain levels. In one, you have to carry an item across the level, with the catch that carrying the item means you cannot be wielding a weapon. In others, you have to use an item, which alerts the horde, but in this case, you also have to cross the level, fighting off an unceasing horde, until you hit another switch.

New Game Modes: The new modes, like "Scavenge," are only available to people playing online. This is not something I do, so I have no way of letting you know how the experience is. There's also an intriguing concept called "Realism Mode," which I haven't tampered with, but my understanding is that dead Survivors stay dead, and that you have to kill zombies with headshots.

New Characters: This is a huge matter of contention with myself, as well as with the people with whom I play. I miss the old characters. After clocking so many hours with Louis, Zoey, Bill, and my character, Francis, having anyone else step in feels like blasphemy. Your options this time around are Coach, the token black guy, replacing Louis. Rochelle, replacing Zoey as the token female. Nick is a con man, and Ellis is a mechanic. I don't know whether the new characters are simply lacking the appeal of the original quartet, or if it's just out of devotion, but the whole game experience is noticably less enjoyable because of them. I can understand why the need for new characters was necessary, especially considering the new area (Louisiana), but much of the soul of the first game resided in the banter of its characters.

Overall, "Left 4 Dead 2" is an unquestionable improvement upon the first game, although loyalists, such as myself will probably find themselves going back to the original in order to run through the familiar levels. Even then, I'll likely be disappointed to have to resort to plain old pistols. At the end of a day, getting my combat shotgun and katana is a fair trade for hearing Francis' voice.

Rating: 4.5 stars