Hands-on: Left 4 Dead 2

When Valve showed off Left 4 Dead 2 at a European press event in London recently, we were anxious to see more of the game's new features. Things that would elevate it above its predecessor. Those were sadly few and far between, but the two levels -- which conclude the New Orleans campaign shown off at E3 -- added a unfamiliar twist to the zombie shooting action we'd been enjoying so much at the end of last year.

Apparently one of the reasons why L4D2 is a sequel is due to the engine upgrades. In particular -- zombies now fall to pieces. Whether this is worth upgrading the content from a $20 level pack to a $60 boxed copy is down to personal preference, but being able to remove limbs and watch a zombie's rib cage emerge as you shred the flesh from its chest definitely adds a little something extra to the experience. Having said that, when you're in the thick of a mini-finale, surrounded by the undead, the last thing you'll be doing is examining these sorts of details.

As we said during E3, the game plays identically to original. There isn't even a particularly noticeable graphics upgrade, if you ignore the dismemberment improvements. Is that a bad thing? Of course not. A bad game is a bad thing. This is just a good game, made again. With new characters, levels and some new features -- such as melee weapons and special infected.