Left 4 Dead 2

10 Review to this product

• 

  Kyle Slayzar
  November 17th, 2009 on 7:36 am

  Rating

  The original Left 4 Dead was a milestone in console gaming as it combined two legendary genres (survival horror and first-person shooters) and contained a great split-screen co-op whether online or offline. I gave great praise to the first Left 4 Dead a year ago, and yet, desired a lot more than what was presented. When I heard that the production company Valve was releasing an entirely new sequel barely one year after the release of the first game, I was very, VERY skeptical the developers would pull off a good game. In fact, there was a massive online boycott being organized almost immediately following Valve’s announcement of a sequel due to a lack of downloadable content, quick release. Many speculated that Left 4 Dead 2 would be nothing more than a glorified expansion.

  Despite all the controversy, however, I through all caution (not to mention the money for a full-priced game) to the wind and purchased the game on it’s midnight release. Having played Left 4 Dead 2 for a few hours, I can safely say that the sequel has lived up to the hype despite prior skepticism and controversy.

  Left 4 Dead 2 closely follows the basic gaming principles of its predecessor, a gratuitous first-person shooter against the backdrop of a global zombie pandemic. The player follows four new survivors (although possessing similar personality quirks) across several campaigns with an almost endless supply of ammo, almost as many zombies including special mutated ones, and no shooter’s shoulder to worry about. Towards the end of the campaign the survivors must defend a position to await rescue whilst going up against seemingly impossible odds. Like the original, Left 4 Dead 2 focuses on teamwork survival rather than the typical one-man-army. It is virtually impossible for one gamer to survive the campaigns without assistance from either ally AI or from another player and no, this is not a dare to try. Weapons are hyper-accurate similar to doom as you simply have to point the weapon in the general direction of your target in order to hit them, thus making the Left 4 Dead franchise the ultimate zombie shooter. I definitely agree with the Left 4 Dead 2 television commercial that, even with 10 million zombies, there just isn’t enough to go around as a player can kill more zombies than Electronic Arts has killed more Nazis in the Medal of Honor franchise.

  (BTW: to any worried parents or concerned citizens that are hesitant or disgusted by the intense violence of Left 4 Dead, lemme just say this. It’s a gratuitous shooter, it’s supposed to be this violent. Don’t be surprised if you see head chopped off or limbs fly around as that is a common sight in the game. You’ve been forewarned so either watch what your kids play or don’t play it. Step aside and let us gamers deal with the zombie apocalypse.)

  Left 4 Dead 2 also contains the same online multiplayer experience with survivors versus special infected (oh the fun of peeking around the corner as a boomer and unloading your stomach contents on the survivors all the hoard to survey), online campaign co-op, and survival mode similar to firefight mode in Halo 3: ODST albeit with considerably more difficulty. It’s a good thing Valve did not try to tweak these features too much since that can easily ruin a good feature that everyone liked to begin with.

  However, like any other sequel, Left 4 Dead 2 sports several improvements over the original game that are certainly worth noting.

  1: Left 4 Dead 2 possesses a defined story arc with character development.

  The original game had a very, VERY basic story with little character development. The most extensive story development in the original game was contained in the instruction manual and not the game itself. The story involving the campaigns seemed almost mutually exclusive from each other and lacked any real focus. While a lacking story beyond survive and kill did not hinder Left 4 Dead from being an absolutely awesome game, it could have made the game a whole lot better. Left 4 Dead 2 differs from this as it gives a defined story involving how the survivors found each other, their backgrounds are more defined through dialog, but their interactions with each other is just as hilarious as the first such as the survivor’s discussion of NASCAR. Also, the campaigns are linked through a common thread rather than being mutually exclusive.

  2: More diverse firearms selections.

  One of my original criticisms of Left 4 Dead was the lack of weapons selections. You had two full-automatic choices, two shotguns, one pistol, two types of grenades, and one rifle. That was it. Left 4 Dead sports the exact same weapons as well as several new automatic weapons, more shotguns, more pistols, and most importantly…

  3: Melee Weapons!!

  Let’s face it, we’ve all wanted to take either a fire axe or a katana to a zombie. Now you can! The player can also choose between such melee weapons as a guitar (which makes a loud metal sound similar to the one in Dead Rising), a cricket stick, Gordon Freeman’s signature crowbar, frying pans, and everyone’s favorite: the chainsaw. This was one of the most redeeming qualities of Left 4 Dead 2 as cutting through zombie hordes with a chainsaw has been a dream of many gamers since we witnessed that burlap-sack-chainsaw-welding maniac on Resident Evil 4 decapitate Leon S. Kennedy over and over.

  4: Realism Mode.

  Left 4 Dead, being a gratuitous shooter, does lack a more relatively realistic approach that other survival horror games offer. As such, Valve included a realism mode that A) prevents the player from seeing the other player’s silhouettes when not in direct sight, B) dead survivors can only be revived by a defibrillator (another new item), C) damage dealt to zombies is based on where it hits rather than one hit equals the same damage whether the zombie is hit in the arm or in the dead, and D) dead survivors cannot be respawned via redemption closets. This makes the game considerably more difficult even for more seasoned veterans of the game.

  There are a few more subtle changes such as increased difficulty. There are more zombies, some take more hits, and a survivor can only utilize a few melee attacks before becoming exhausted. My brother and I, who are very big fans of the original game, used to practice playing split-screen co-op on hard but experienced noticeable difficulty on Left 4 Dead 2′s easy mode. Perhaps it was a fluke but we certainly were not out of practice. This is an improvement in a way since it makes the player think more before charging into a room or open space. Other improvements include smoother game textures (the weapons, in particular, are more detailed and refined), less loading time (the original took two minutes to load the menu screen), and more challenging special zombies such as the charger and certain zombies in riot gear making them more resistant to bullets.

  I’ll admit, Left 4 Dead 2 does not feel so much as a new game but I wouldn’t even come close to designating it an expansion. Not in the least. It is obvious Valve went to great measures to ensure their sequel would live up to the hype of the original and the price of a new game by improving upon the base formula considerably w/o sacrificing any good elements from the first. Valve even designed the button placement and configuration to be virtually identical to the original. From what I can see, Valve did not sacrifice anything good to improve upon the sequel and this is rare.

  At first, I was a very skeptical gamer when Valve announced a new Left 4 Dead but they turned me into a believer after all as I enjoyed the campaigns and the online multiplayer and will continue to do so in the future. My only wish is that Valve would include more zombies, but I’ll just have to wait until Left 4 Dead 3 next Christmas when they introduce more environmental weapons than Dead Rising!

  Happy hunting!
• 

  Jeffery L. Shearer
  November 19th, 2009 on 12:05 pm

  Rating

  Ok first of all, I;ve played both L4D. This on is basically the same concept. Has new characters, weapons etc. Yes the game does “lag” when your online sometimes, but Im sure they will come out with a patch. Overall I’m really enjoying it. Yes its not perfect but no game is. This will give you plenty of hours of fun. Get yourself a copy.
• 

  J. Drost
  November 22nd, 2009 on 5:23 pm

  Rating

  Sequels are always dangerous territory. How does Edison follow up the long lasting light bulb? Thats a tall order…one that Left 4 Dead 2 succeeds in filling.

  What’s new in 2? Melee weapons. New types of special infected. New special items. Witches wander around in daylight. Maps that change every time you play them. An online game where you play versus another team of players to collect gas gans. Events where non-stop hordes come until you complete your objective or die trying.

  The same excitement of versus and online players is there. The same challenge of the original game is there if you want to wratchet up the difficulty, or play against some pro-players that gang & game up together on you online.

  If you liked the original, you will like 2.
• 

  m
  November 23rd, 2009 on 10:42 am

  Rating

  This game is a vast improvement from the first. Many complained that the first installment wasn’t worth the $60 price tag and I have to agree. It felt like a beta to this game, something to test it out. This game is very fun and best when playing the Versus Mode.
• 

  Fernando Caire
  November 23rd, 2009 on 7:57 pm

  Rating

  I loved L4D and i was hoping this would at least be as good as that. luckily it’s even betteer! plus it’s way mor challenging with even more modes and difficulties. Playing with your friends or by yourself will be a blast!
• 

  Mike
  November 25th, 2009 on 4:06 am

  Rating

  I logged a ridiculous amount of hours playing the first one so I was looking forward to this for some time. Overall I am very pleased with where they took this sequel. They definitely cranked up the “fun knob” on this one. Everything about it; the new characters, levels, the infected, and campaign endings are really clever and have you doing some different things. All of the “movies” are awesome. Three new special infected types have been added along with some new medical equipment but they kept all the old stuff.

  The new guns along with the addition of melee weapons and explosive and incendiary ammo add some flavor as do the new gameplay modes. For sure I would say this is better on PC for the graphics but they really cleaned it up on the 360 but it is nice to play split screen with a friend. The realism mode makes it a little less mindless. Personally I haven’t had any issues with lag while playing online in either mode. I love this game and I have been playing it a lot more than modern warfare 2, I would recommend it to gamers of all types.
  
• 

  Jimmy
  November 25th, 2009 on 11:25 pm

  Rating

  As a fan of the original L4D, I pre-ordered the second in advance and patiently waited. I know some were upset and threatening boycotts over Valve abandoning the first game with Crash Course as an afterthought and moving to the second. I however, can’t argue it. L4D2 picks up with the first left off with tons of improvement. 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, more variety of guns… and of course, new enemies. Also new is the scavenge mode. You can team up with friends to take on others in a race to fill gas tanks into generators (or a car) with the winner being the one who fills the most. This mode plays excellent, as do the returning Versus and Survival. All in all, this game is a must have if you’re a zombie or even FPS fan, although Gold membership is almost a must for the online play (as well as a mic). Valve definitely poured their heart, souls and energy into this game and any thought of a quick capitalization on the success of the first should go out the window. This game plays incredibly tightly and is loads of fun. I purchase me two or three titles a year for full price and L4D2 is the proudest I’ve been over supporting a game, brand and company.
• 

  Strongpimphand
  November 29th, 2009 on 5:12 pm

  Rating

  I don’t have anything specific to type honestly. I’m just a casual gamer. I bought the first edition last year on black friday by mistake on Amazon. Played it…loved it. My roommates loved it and bought their own copy and we had some great online co-op missions.

  This version…it’s much tougher because there aren’t many (if any) certified hiding spots. It also encourages you to continue moving. This hurts those who like to abuse glitches or just camp out until the coast is clear. It also makes you rely on your teammates much, MUCH more. No longer can I just run through a stage almost by myself.

  I’ve read all these reviews on here stating how this should have been an expansion pack (????? NO!) and how the characters aren’t as arousing as the previous set of characters (I agree) and how it’s now too hard (it’s been less than a month since its release…). Honestly, I don’t really know what yall are expecting. Chain saws don’t last forever. Nor do rocket launchers. I just think people always want the sequel to have so much instead of just being happy it’s not the same as the previous (and this game is not the same as the previous. Night and day, literally)

  The only downfall I can find about this game is the character nammed THE SPITTER. I can’t stand it. You kill it and it spits at you still! It can spit at high archs and once its acid hits you….your life is almost over. They take out that character and this game can be much more enjoyable.

  But look – I’m just a casual gamer.
• 

  gram parsons
  November 30th, 2009 on 6:25 am

  Rating

  A lot of people were upset about the sequel to Left 4 Dead coming out so soon. I too felt like it was too soon. I was still enjoying the first, and didn’t understand why they couldn’t just release DLC.

  Now I see why. You can tell they took the first L4D and “turned it up to 11.” The graphics, the polish, the attention to detail are all first rate.

  The realism mode adds a brand new level of tension–try “Hard Rain” on “realistic” and just try to keep up with your friends.

  I’m not a huge fan of the Melee weapons but they are a must since they throw so many zombies at you you quickly run out of ammo.

  And as some have stated, it is much, much more difficult to survive, both in the campaign and in versus. But I think that’s by design.

  A couple of minor criticisms?
  
  I don’t like the new maps as much. I don’t know. There’s a charm to Dead Air and Death Toll and No Mercy that I just don’t quite feel with the new maps. Maybe it’s familiarity. Plus, there’s one map where you backtrack through the same level . . which I thought was just kind of a cheap way for them to “add length.”

  Overall though it’s a solid package. I bought it for full retail, and it looks like you can get it now here on Amazon for only 40 bucks . . a steal at that price.
• 

  J. D. Murray
  December 4th, 2009 on 6:36 pm

  Rating

  L4D2 brings a lot to the table. Right out the box we get all kinds of upgrades to the original’s frenetic zombie-mashing gameplay and a ton of new modes, characters and features.

  For the naysayers, let’s review the new:

  - New survivors with new dialogue. Ellis is priceless before each chapter.
  
  - New zombies — 3 new special infected in the Spitter, Jockey and Charger (all fun to play in versus and scavenge, I’ll add); 4 uncommon common zombies including zombie clowns and riot police and tons of variety to your normal zombies.
  
  - New weapons — Grenade launcher, SCAR assault rifle, Sniper rifle, Magnum, Riot shotgun and more.
  
  - Melee weapons — katanas, cricket bats, machetes, frying pans and baseball bats, etc.
  
  - Ammo types — Incendiary ammo and explosive ammo.
  
  - 5 new campaigns. Four of which are extremely different from one another. The atmosphere and design this time around are so much better.
  
  - Scavenge mode. Amazingly fun multiplayer game in which four survivors have to collect gas cans to fill up a generator while the zombies try to stop them. Each round the teams switch. So much fun to play.

  Just know that L4D2 is a lot of fun. And if you like shooters or zombie games, this should be a no brainer. It’s a bit harder than the first game but that’s fine too. The online play is fun as heck and all the new features are a joy. Great game. Valve hits a home run once again.

  Get online and play.