Information Review

As a player of Left 4 Dead (L4D) I knew I would have to get Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D 2). I really like zombie movies/games/theme a lot lately and playing L4D2 is like playing through the movie Zombieland. When Valve announced this sequel merely a year after the first one came out, I was rather skeptical. However, having loved and played the first L4D so much and having never been screwed over by Valve's business practices before, I decided to give it a chance and it was a chance worth taking.

If you enjoyed the first game then this game is the next step. L4D2 picks up with the first left off built around much of the first game and simply expanding on it. Starting off as survivors, like any other sequel the core gameplay is the same. You kill zombies and have to work together to keep the special infected (which are pretty much zombies with special abilities) off of you to get to the end of each level segment. To do this you must have weapons, the major edition of melee weapons is the best.

Instead of having to rely on bullets, you can switch to one of several weapons which all have distinct swings and sounds. This adds a whole new dimension to the game as you're free to replace your pistols. There are a few new additions for weapons as well, boomer bile which is puke that attracts zombies away from you and can even mess up some of them like Tanks. There's also a defrib unit to revive a dead teammate, adrenaline shots to temporarily boost your health and speed. The new game brings some new mission objectives, which adds a subtle but noticeable bit of depth to the game. Instead of waiting for a helicopter or boat to come pick you up after 5 or 6 intense minutes of fighting for your life, you might be expected to find a bunch of gas cans to fill up a car. No matter what you do, success will require teamwork.

The graphics are very similar to L4D but improved in many subtle ways. Shadows seem to be smoother and more accurate, levels have more color, and there is generally more detail to seen. Enemy death animations have been noticeably improved with more dismemberment and more detailed models. For example, shoot a zombie in the chest with a high powered rifle or magnum handgun and the creature will have a neat little hole you can look through.

As far as I'm concerned, cooperative multi-player is where it is at. I love it. Three or four players working together with good strategy can be a devastating zombie grinding machine. This is where the game truly shines and where I spend almost all of my time with the game.

Overall, this is an enjoyable game that improves on the original in many ways. If you liked the original Left 4 Dead, then you will love this sequel. And if you never tried the L4D series, but like shooters, I highly recommend this game.

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