I love most things that involved zombies; films such as Night of the Living Dead, books such as The Zombie Survival Guide and video games such as Left 4 Dead. The survival aspect of each, which usually pits humans with limited resources in a dire situation against an army of the undead, makes for great entertainment. The first Left 4 Dead game did exactly that, players were presented with a series of co-op scenarios with up to four players taking on the zombie horde. Levels were set in varying environments each suited to unique and memorable encounters with players having to work together to overcome the odds. The game shipped with four levels and although additional content was provided in the form of DLC, I think  many including myself were left expecting more.

Enter Left 4 Dead 2 then, a game which not only has to compete with the likes of Modern Warfare 2 this Christmas but which also have to convince fans that it simply isn’t DLC that should have been provided for the original release. Glorified expansion pack anyone? I thought it would be worth my while to investigate what exactly was on offer in the second iteration of the franchise and determine if purchase would be likely.

L4D2 is set in New Orleans, a homage to the zombie swamp cinema of old I presume and features at least three campaigns; The Parish, Swamp Fever and Dark Carnival. I expect there may be one or two additional campaigns but these are the ones which have been confirmed and somewhat explored to date. The premise is more or less the same as the first game although this time round environments would seem to provide a greater degree of interactivity, Dark Carnival for example offers the players a chance to perform on a giant rock stage to alert the rescue vehicle. Moreover maps now features dynamic segments which will provide a somewhat unique experience on each play through. The director can decide to make the level longer, shorter or more difficult by opening or closing certain paths.

The game also features new playable characters: Ellis, Coach, Nick and Rochelle and some new super zombies in the form of the Charger, Spitter and Jockey. The Charger’s role is to split the group up, charging in grabbing the first player and taking him/her off to another location before hammering them into the ground. The Spitter can fire burning goo and focuses on removing players from small hiding rooms or from cover. The Jockey attacks the lone wolf at either the back or front of the group, taking control of the character making them walk into danger. In addition new weapons have been added with melee variations now available. New guns are also on show and can now be modified with scopes and special ammo such as incendiary rounds.

All it all it would seem that there is enough new game here to warrant at least further investigation. A lot builds on the first release and many can easily argue the point that this should have taken the form of DLC rather than a full retail release. In saying that what’s here builds on an already established and much loved formula and fans of the first game will probably see enough to fork out. I’m tempted but not convinced, perhaps a further inspection closer to release will tip the option to purchase as the likely outcome.

Left 4 Dead 2 is released 17th November.