Left 4 Dead 2

Exactly one year after launching the original, Valve has released its zombie shoot-em-up sequel, Left 4 Dead 2. A one year turnover rate is unheard of in this industry unless it’s a DLC add-on or a half-assed sequel. But Valve has assured all of us that while they will maintain support for Left 4 Dead, the sequel will be no slouch. With more zombies, more weapons, more campaigns, more game modes, and new survivors, Left for Dead 2 tries to appease our zombie loving heritage.

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What’s Good

Welcome our new guests – The new infected types are more than just simple additions, they are annoying pains in the asses! The charger can tear you apart from your group in mere seconds, taking you from one end of a location to the other. The jockey always seems to find the perfect time to jump on top of you and harass the hell out of you, and finally the spitter is probably the deadliest of the infected when in close quarters. There have been countless times where she pops up just as I’m helping a friend get to his feet only to be standing in a pile of acid. Her spits are deadly and they can wipe out a team with low health in just a few seconds.  The new infected are hard, challenging and keep you on your toes.

AI Director take 2 – Maybe it’s the new infected, maybe it’s the new campaigns, but Left 4 Dead 2 just seems harder even on normal difficulty. Some of the situations you’re up against make the original look like a cake walk. Not only does weapon placement change constantly, the map will change – blocking specific paths and forcing you to go one way or another. The horde rarely gives up, and I felt like I was constantly moving as quickly as possible to avoid getting surrounded. Again, a welcomed challenge.

Batter Up – At first I thought the melee weapons would be a gimmick but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Taking a baseball bat or katana (my personal favorite) to the fight is extremely satisfying. Obviously you sacrifice the ability to hold a handgun but as you’ll see in the video below, a grenade launcher/katana combination seems to work just fine in my opinion. Bombs away and anything that survives won’t be walking much longer.

A spoonful of gore – Maybe it’s because I upgraded my PC just a few weeks ago, but Left 4 Dead 2 looks great. It’s amazing what Valve has been able to do with the Steam Engine so many years after Half Life 2 was released. Smoke effects are a real hazard to navigate through and the blood splatters are as good as any other game on the market. Beheading a zombie or watching a pipe bomb take out half a dozen and fling them through the air is a real treat. Yes, it can be a bit gruesome and yes I am aware I need psychiatric help.

Scavenge Mode – It’s not revolutionary but it’s a fast game type that pits 4 survivors vs. 4 infected (plus common infected). The survivors need to fuel up some type of generator or get away vehicle while the infected stop them from doing so (read: kill). Each teams take turns being both sides and whoever gets more fuel in the tank wins the round. The fun comes from deciding which route to take to get the fuel, whether or not to sacrifice some fuel and use it as a tactical explosion, and trying to avoid all sorts of mayhem.

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What’s Bad

Survivors get no love – I know this is a zombie apocalypse and the odds are against you and all, but damn if it doesn’t get frustrating at times. Whether it’s simply running through the campaign with 4 friends or facing off in Scavenge mode, the infected, and especially the special infected come out you hard and without mercy. Though most of the time I enjoy a good challenge, there have been some keyboard slamming moments during the last few days.

Zombies cheat – Sometimes the Hunter pounces past you but still manages to get on top of you and sometimes the Charger is no where near you but still sends you flying. It’s happened plenty of times and I can’t tell if it’s a lag issue (with < 100 ping) or it’s just not correctly conveyed onscreen.

I hope you’re sociable – Like it’s predecessor, Left 4 Dead 2 depends on the cooperation of your team. Even though the option to play alone does exist, the AI just can’t compare to a true flesh and blood person behind the keyboard. Given the difficulty being ramped up a bit you’ll be hard pressed to make sure you have a four person squad before starting up. The difference a person makes is very noticeable.

Not so dedicated servers – At least during the initial launch period, the dedicated serves have been sketchy. Multiple games I’ve played have suffered from noticeable amounts of lag and high ping. The only solution has been to quit out of the game and start over, hoping you get a better server. You can ,of course, make your own server but not everyone is inclined to do so.

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Worth Remembering
My fondness for explosions and cutting zombies into bits has been documented. Watching arms and legs flay into the sky from either a grenade launcher or pipe bomb and seeing heads fall at your feet from the work of your sword is a zombie slayer’s wet dream.

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Worth Forgetting
Redoing the final act from the Dead Center map over and over again until we managed to fill the car with enough fuel to high tail it out of there. Frustration CITY!

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Some people might avoid Left for Dead 2 simply because it’s more of the original, and I can’t disagree. From the outside looking in, some might think this is just an overpriced expansion pack. To those people I would suggest they look a little closer. An expansion pack doesn’t come with 5 new campaigns, 3 new infected, 1 totally new game type, a realism mode, new dialogue, new characters, a beefed up AI director, and all the added glitz and glamor a sequel should have. Yes, Left for Dead 2 is a lot like the original, but then again, what sequel isn’t? If you were a fan of the first there’s no reason not to pick this up and if you’re just getting into zombie slaying festivities then look no further.

Some zombie “purists” might argue that the Left for Dead series portrays zombies in an unrealistic light. Too much ammo is spread around, zombies move too fast, they’re too altered, blah blah blah…To them I say, just play the freaking game and have some fun.

Related posts:

1. Left 4 Dead 2 Demo – Worth the wait
2. Left 4 Dead 2 patch has zombie bots feeling useful
3. Left 4 Dead 2 expansion bridges the original
4. The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned – the MMOMFG Review
5. Valve puts control of Left 4 Dead 2 in the hands of the users