Left 4 Dead 2 Review: Worth the Price of Admission

Written by:  • Edited by: Michael Hartman
Published Nov 29, 2009
• Related Guides: Zombies | Valve
4

Valve's highly anticipated sequel to Left 4 Dead exceeds expectations. New weapons, campaigns, game modes and special infected will qualm any complaints that the content is insufficient for a sequel. This fantastic battle for survival will leave gamers hungry for more zombies all around.

What's New?

cover art
click to enlarge

The big knock against Left 4 Dead 2 by many, was that it was too soon for a sequel and Valve should have supported the original through downloaded content. So before when get into the review itself, let's take a look at some of the new aspects of sequel.

One thing that makes the sequel so special and definitively sets itself apart from its predecessor is a more active director. The placing of zombies and items are more random, thus more challenging and now even weather is subject to change.

What will be the most noticeable to gamers the first time around are the fun-filled new zombies to kill. New special infected include the Spitter who spews green acid at you and the Jockey who latches onto your back, controlling your motor skills and usually directing you into harms way. The Charger is very aptly name, typically bull rushing into your party and eventually smashing one of you into the ground. There are a few more new zombies that you'll come up against, I just didn't want to spoil them all for you.

Melee weapons are also a welcomed new addition to the Left for Dead universe. Chainsaws, machetes and even guitars can be yielded to ward off zombie attacks. So as you can see, there is no shortage of fun to be had in Left 4 Dead 2, the new king of the zombie games.

Left 4 Dead 2 Gameplay
Rating Good

Shoot to Kill
click to enlarge

The Left 4 Dead 2 gameplay is largely the same, though the sequel contains more variables to consider, including the addition of alarms. At various points in a campaign, you will need get through an area by setting off an alarm, which will draw the attention of a horde. Much like a finale, the horde just keeps coming until you disengage the alarm, or are able to reach the safe room. The AI still occasionally suffers from random stupidity and especially at critical moments. Specifically, they seem slow to react to when you are targeted by a special infected. This adds more difficulty to what already was a challenging game.

New weapons and items help compensate in the Left 4 Dead 2 gameplay, including melee weapons, a powerful magnum with infinite ammo and the massive grenade launcher. Also, ammo upgrades, boomer bile to attract zombies away or to a special infected and even defibrillators to revive dead teammates also help to curb the games sometime daunting challenges.

Showing page 1 of 2

 
blog comments powered by Disqus
Email to a friend