1. Summary
2. Background
3. Hype

The original Left 4 Dead had a ton of hype before release, but it suffered at launch thanks to some sneaky marketing tactics and poor support. Ten weapons boiled down to the five guns, pistols, molotovs, or pipe bombs, all of which were in the demo. Those that had been looking forward to more guns in the full release were sorely disappointed. Likewise, the game only shipped with two of the four maps having versus support, with full support not even being released until partway into 2009. It had botched the release and then the subsequent developer support, with mods only becoming available during the summer. While Left 4 Dead 2 appears to learn from the mistakes, it may also just be a continuation of hype.

The first thing to note is those precious melee weapons. The first thing is that they should have been in the first game rather than second, and the lack of melee beyond a bash in the original is a big disappointment. The other concern is that they will all essentially be the same weapon, just with different models and colors. Sure, you can wield a katana, a fire axe, or a chainsaw, but will they really be any different? In function, it's in danger of repeating the "10 weapons" point of Left 4 Dead. Sure, there's a bunch of melee weapons, but if they are all essentially the same weapon, players will be disappointed when you tell them about your awesome variety when nothing has actually been added or changed.

There's also new Infected as well as a new class of Infected. The first kind is Common Infected, which are said to be tougher than the buddies from Left 4 Dead. While this is a great way to ratchet up difficulty, it's also a great way to break the mythos, which hold the Infected as being ravenous humans, not actual undead. Second come the Uncommon Infected, which appear to be Common Infected with a gimmick, such as a bulletproof vest or immunity to incendiary devices. Finally are the old and new Special Infected, with the new specials being a Charger, Spitter, and Jockey. The annoyance there is that they new Special Infected are very similar to the old ones. The Charger is very similar to a tank, the Spitter resembles the Smoker in both role (long-range harrassment) and a little in appearance, and the Jockey is a glorified Hunter that steers his target instead of ripping him apart. They don't really go outside their comfort zones with the new Specials.

The campaigns are a highlight of the hype, because they seem genuinely interesting. Instead of the consistently boring and mostly similar campaigns of Left 4 Dead, there's some major variation across the board here. A theme park, a bayou, and a dramatic city escape all make appearances in the new game, which will help to fight off that feeling that you have been here before. On top of this are the new game modes, which do not seem revolutionary but will probably please plenty of people. The SDK will also be released when the game comes out instead of almost a year later, which is a godsend to modders everywhere. At least, they say it is being released when the game comes out. If it is not, expect a justified public outcry.

Left 4 Dead 2, by being a quick sequel, will also have to take some of Left 4 Dead's original hype onto itself thanks to the expectations of the community. Of note is the necessity of continued developer support, which even spawned a boycott. Left 4 Dead has been perceived as being left in the dark by the developers so that they can focus on a quick sequel to make more money, which goes against the expectations laid down by Team Fortress 2. In order to bring disgruntled fans back into the fold, Valve will have to show the community that they are not going to release Left 4 Dead 3 in 2010, instead opting to continue development on new and exciting features for release to those that already own the game.

Left 4 Dead 2 hold plenty of baggage, both from the first game as well as comparisons to plenty of other zombie media circulating around. It looks like more of the same, which is hardly a complaint for fans, but we will have to wait to see if it lives up to what it is hyped to be or whether it will suffer as well. It's safe to say, though, that Left 4 Dead 2 is what the original should have been, at least in terms of added content, and will likely deliver on the promise of entertaining and gory zombie action.