The two level demo took place in the "Dark Carnival" campaign, the one that Totilo recently previewed during a visit to Valve. My play through of the third campaign so far revealed took a few tries to get right and a few to finally get the chainsaw to randomly spawn. But when it did, it was a force to be reckoned with.

Maybe a little too much of a force, as the chainsaw felt about as powerful—and as tangible—as a lightsaber from Star Wars. Slicing up zombies with the newest melee weapon seemed more disconnected than swinging an axe or frying pan, as the sound of chainsaw didn't pack much of a punch.

It was also the first melee weapon I'd used in Left 4 Dead 2 that ran out of "ammo." The chainsaw does appear to have a limited amount of fuel and, when exhausted, your Survivor will toss the weapon. That will ensure that the choice to pick up the chainsaw will carry with it consequences, even if it appears to be one of the more powerful melee weapons one can use in the game.

Beyond the ability to slice through infected humans like a knife through hot butter, we're not sure yet what special attributes the chainsaw might have. The fire axe, for example, is perfect for dispatching the Witch—there's even an Achievement for "crowning" the zombie with the axe—but Valve's Kim Swift didn't offer specific details on what the chainsaw would be best used for.

Outside of chainsaw usage, I got my first hands-on time with the laser sight add-on that makes firearms more precise and experienced my first battle with the Jockey. The former was a nice, if not immediately noticeable perk, but the latter was an impressive pain the ass. Battling the Jockey for steering rights—fortunately, no high ledges were nearby in the levels we played—should offer some interesting twists to multiplayer battles.

During our discussion with Swift, it sounds like there's still plenty to be revealed about the game, including the two remaining campaigns, their respective "uncommon common" infected, new environmental hazards and a few new projectile weapons. Keep an eye peeled for more to come.

Left 4 Dead 2 Pre-Order Bonus

New details on Left 4 Dead 2 pre-orders are coming to life, like this one from Game.co.uk, where early buyers will gain access to the demo AND a download code for what’s reported to be an “exclusive in-game weapon: a baseball bat.” I fully expect to see other retailers following suit with bonus items, but EXCLUSIVE? They’re really going to ration out items to those who buy from certain stores? Seems very un-Valvelike.

UPDATE: According to Valve, the way it works is that if one person has the exclusive items, all people in-game also can use them. No word yet on whether this is a timed exclusive or not.