Left 4 Dead 2 E3 Preview

A common kneejerk reaction with Left 4 Dead 2 is, “What the hell?”. Understand that when I received an e-mail for an appointment with Valve, I knew this had to be Episode Three. This was happening. Finally. So, all hopes were dashed when Microsoft’s press conference revealed a sequel to a game that’s yet to celebrate one year of release. It’s maddening and confusing as to why Valve would choose to work on another Left 4 Dead when the original game still lacked a good amount of content.

I came into the appointment with a massive dose of pessimism, as I went to this not-Episode Three play session. I can’t deny that I had loads of fun with my brief time with Left 4 Dead 2, but I still think it’s way too early. A lot of conflicting emotions ran through me as I played, but - rest assured - Left 4 Dead 2 is a lot of fun, even if you don’t want it to be.

The most immediate change is the daytime setting. The game’s alarmingly bright, and it’ll be this way through all 5 campaigns through New Orleans. It brews up a different atmosphere; whereas the darkness in Left 4 Dead was a Hell upon Hells, Left 4 Dead 2 is more like Hell with lights on.

New weapons are the biggest addition, which include melee weapons and incendiary ammo. A chainsaw, baseball bat, fire axe, and frying pan are the biggest additions to your weaponry, while the new firearms are merely re-skins with new sounds attached to them. I only found a frying pan, but it packs a wallop, essentially taking out your regular infected with one swing. The incendiary ammo is a bit interesting as you can only stock one of your firearms with just a clip of them, so you can’t be a pyromaniac.

But really, Left 4 Dead 2 didn’t feel all that different. Whether the new version of the AI Director, which can now change weather conditions and even tweak chunks of levels on the fly, was in place during the session is a mystery, because I ran into none of those. It’s supposedly one of the reasons as to why a sequel is being made, instead of this somehow being retrofitted into the original game. We’ll have to wait and see. The lack of the original four characters left a personal sore spot in my heart, because they’re iconic characters and have been subjected to a multitude of grating memes and even a porno. Not kidding.

Episode Three most definitely exists, though, so keep on waiting. I serendipitously ran into Gabe Newell while walking around the South Hall and I asked him a very direct question of whether or not Episode Three really exists. He nodded, and I asked again. He nodded again. Episode Three: Confirmed twice.