Left 4 Dead 2 – PC, Xbox 360
Rating – 17+, M
Just one year after the first Left 4 Dead, what some people class as “too soon”, we have Left 4 Dead 2. The second zombie apocalypse simulator from Valve. You play as one of four resistance fighters who must shoot, slice, decapitate and blast their way to safety.
Here’s a message to all the people who boycotted L4D2 – Stop whining, it’s better than the L4D1 in almost every way. The graphics have been bumped up immensely; giving you elegant and vibrant daytime environments (which were completely absent in L4D1 as the entire game took place at night), there’s a hell of a lot more gore, new special infected and of course melee weapons. Instead of just shooting zombies you can now bludgeon and dismember them with axes, machetes, frying pans, guitars, baseball and cricket bats, crowbars, batons, katanas and… chainsaws. *Insert massive homicidal smiley here*
There are also some new modes called Realism and Scavenge. In Realism mode, the survivors play through the campaign with all the coloured lines that highlight supplies, weapons and other survivors removed and all the infected are harder to kill. As if you thought the Expert difficulty couldn’t get anymore… difficult. Scavenge mode has survivors try to fill up a car or a generator with gas whilst fighting off the infected, and it’s the infected’s job to stop them from doing so. The Survival mode from the first game’s DLC is also in there as part of the full game.
Still not convinced it’s better than L4D1? Well like I said earlier, the whole of L4D1 took place at night. But not only that, the environments weren’t all that exciting. You were mainly just running through buildings with the occasional street or rooftop. In L4D2 you get to play through a swamp, an abandoned carnival (complete with a rollercoaster), a parish, a sugar mill (with thunder storms) and a hotel… which is on fire. Each campaign is longer than the ones found in L4D1 as well. Valve really went all out on this one.
The survivors that you help through these environments are also a lot more characterised this time around. I instantly knew that I would like them all when they introduced themselves to each other on the first level. And when I say “all”, I mean ALL. No cocky office workers to be found here.
Shooting zombies is a lot of fun, as you’d expect. And Valve have done a fantastic job of capturing the essence of a zombie apocalypse. If you’ve seen any zombies movies such as Dawn Of The Dead or 28 Days Later, then you’re going to feel right at home. Everything down to how the zombies walk, run, groan and die is absolutely spot on.
I can’t really think of anything bad to say about Left 4 Dead 2 apart from little nitpicks. It’s a sequel that hits all the right notes, bringing a new and exciting experience than the first and is a ton of fun. But if you didn’t like the first game, then I’m afraid you won’t like this one. Seriously though, who didn’t like Left 4 Dead 1?
The Good.
- Tearing up zombies with melee weapons leaving their blood and guts all over the ground is so damn satisfying.
- Better characterised survivors.
- New special infected, new weapons and bigger and longer environments.
- New modes add to replayability.
The Bad.
- The gameplay is almost exactly the same as L4D1.
- I miss Zoey.
My Score.
9.7/10
