Come November 17 Valve is releasing a full-fledged sequel to Left 4 Dead, last year’s zombie-laden cooperative hit. Left 4 Dead 2 promises to significantly expand upon the original with all-new maps, survivors, weapons, and a revamped AI director. It’s an unexpected move for Valve in the eyes of many longtime fans, who have been accustomed to receiving content updates for free as DLC in the vein of Team Fortress 2.

At E3 I met up with Valve to give L4D 2 a spin and to find out if it was worthy of being called a sequel. One of the game’s five campaigns, dubbed “The Parish,” takes place in New Orleans, with the first chapter set on a sunny waterside dock. It’s an refreshing change of atmosphere, one that deviates far from the original locales which ranged from cities to heavily wooded areas shrouded in darkness and dim light. Additionally, with a change in the overseeing AI director to allow for procedural changes in weather effects, players can expect atmospheric conditions to subtly adjust while playing.

To freshen up gameplay, melee weapons have been thrown into the mix, along with incendiary ammo. While I personally did not have a go with the flying pan, chopping up zombies with the fire axe present in this demo was very satisfying to say the least. Fresh blood from downed enemies soaks on your axe after a kill. Incendiary ammo works just as you’d expect, adding the attribute of fire to your weapon, in turn lighting opposing foes in flames on impact. To balance this addition, Valve has introduced an infected type donned in fire-resilient hazmat suits.

It may be a bit cliché to say this, but overall I felt mowing down legions of zombies was more satisfying in Left 4 Dead 2. The AI is aggressive — seemingly moreso than before — and gore effects have been upped, increasing tension. When it comes down to it, the game felt incredibly polished, like a sequel should. Sure, the core premise in terms of gameplay is essentially the same as in the original, but Valve is ushering in enough tweaks and additions to make L4D 2 feel like a true follow-up rather than a simple extension of ideas.

Aside from the obvious change of setting and weaponry additions, also worth noting is that the UI has been slightly tweaked. On-screen status indicators, such as the health bars of fellow teammates and your selected active weapon are now bright neon green, making them easier to see.

One brand-new boss infected type Valve has added in L4D 2 is the Charger. Impossible to outrun without using dodging tactics, this monstrosity charges at survivors and begins pummeling them to the ground on impact. I like to call it a mini-version of the Tank. Should be interesting to see how this infected type influences versus mode. Given its speed and brute strength, the Charger will also make the cheap but often used tactic of huddling in a door in campaign mode during a infected wave less viable. Stay tuned, as there are still two infected creatures yet to be unveiled.

In short, L4D 2 is shaping up to be a surefire hit to one of last year’s must-play titles. It takes everything the original did right, dips it in a fresh coat of polish, and introduces all-new content on top of it all. Judging from my time with the game and considering there is still more yet to be unveiled; calling it a mere expansion is unfair at this point. We certainly look forward to hearing more on this one within the coming months.

Left 4 Dead 2 is scheduled to release on Xbox 360 and PC November 17.

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