Left 4 Dead 2 Review

Left 4 Dead 2 arrived this holiday season with excitement, anticipation, and controversy.  Valve, publisher and developer of the Left 4 Dead series, is best known for their dedication to their hardcore games and community, particularly when it comes to creating new (and free) content for their games, extending the replay value from hours to months, and in some cases, years with no additional cost.  So while many mainstream gamers and media were excited about this timely sequel, hardcore loyalists were angry, feeling like their investment in a nearly identical game that seemed to only be new maps and an additional game mode should have been a (free) add-on to the original Left 4 Dead.  There were petitions and boycotts, with many convinced that Valve had turned a cold shoulder to their loyal and dedicated fanbase.   While many (including myself) disagreed with this minority, one thing the outcry did was raise expectations of what Valve needed to deliver to ensure gamers got their full value for Left 4 Dead 2.  Lucky for us, there was more value than you could shake a blood-covered chainsaw at.

                I will mention now that Left 4 Dead 2 is not for everyone.  This is one of the goriest games on the XBOX 360 or PC, so use your judgment when purchasing for children.    The blood, mutilation, and intensity make this one of those games that could keep people up at night.  If the gore is too much, you are able to turn it down in the options menu, which was a nice touch.   Also, this is a hardcore PC game at heart, so there is a learning curve for you casual gamers.  If you have never played a Left 4 Dead game, it will take you some time to find your comfort zone with the controls and pace of the game.  That said, Valve has always known who their target audience is, and for those that love a good ol’ zombie killer, you can’t do much better than this.  Add in the co-op play that the original game in the series is known for, and this is a must have title for hardcore gamers.  Left 4 Dead 2 is the epitome of an “is what it is” game – you will either love it, or you won’t.

                For those wanting to jump right in, Campaign is the way to go.  Campaign contains five individual battles, each of which takes about 45 minutes all the way up to 2 hours, depending on which difficulty you choose.  The overall story, there simply to weave the individual missions together, follows the foursome of Nick, Rochelle, Ellis, and Coach as they battle their way through the deserted southern United States towards New Orleans.  Following the tracks of those who had been rescued before them, they believe if they reach the Big Easy they will be rescued themselves.  The only thing standing in their way is thousands of zombies, ready to ensure that the four are slaughtered long before they ever reach their goal.

                For those that only play single player and do not wander into the online worlds, this game does not have a lot to offer you.  While there is a tremendous amount of replay value in the Campaign mode, it is immensely more fun to play co-op with friends as opposed to playing with the artificial intelligence (AI) that controls the three characters you don’t in single player.  While the AI has incredible aim and loves to heal you, they cannot be commanded, which means that you will have to charge into ambushes alone, take on the majority of attacks from the Special Infected zombies, and frustratingly wait for your teammates to keep up with the pace you try to set.  The AI has improved compared to the original game, but becomes more of a hindrance as the game difficultly increases.  Playing through expert difficultly on Left 4 Dead (1) was near impossible on single player, primarily because the zombies were smarter than your AI teammates.  This is also a problem with Left 4 Dead 2, making expert difficultly almost unplayable without human teammates.

                The only other thing I find issue with is the graphics.  This is not to say that the graphics are bad, they just seem too similar to the original Left 4 Dead.  I have always thought of Valve as a powerhouse for PC graphics, but there are many facets of Left 4 Dead 2 that seem to have received a strong tweak which led to improvements in the game, and the graphics are not one of them.  This is particularly true of the console version.  Bashing aside, the game still looks solid for a next generation title, with the zombies being the stars of the show.  Watching zombies be ripped by a chainsaw is a very enjoyable experience, and much like the first Left 4 Dead, the way the zombies look and move during battles increases the intensity during the game.  Additionally, the Special Infected, boss zombies that have special abilities, look particularly gruesome.  Their design and movement are well done, and seem to be where Valve spent additional time with the look of the game.

                The sound in Left 4 Dead is terrific.  The background music is subtle, which allows more important features of the game to shine.  Special Infected each have their own musical alert, proving to be a huge help in both the Campaign and Versus modes.  The voice acting is well done; with each character showing individual personalities throughout the game that further bring you into the experience.   All of these facets are enjoyable, but it is the in-game sounds that I found most memorable in Left 4 Dead 2.  The sounds of the guns, melee weapons, and enemy attacks skyrocket the intensity level of the game, really putting a player into the zombie apocalypse.  I found myself continually going back to use a melee weapon, determining that there was nothing as fun as ringing a frying pan off of a zombie’s head.  This in addition to the zombie grunts, growls and screams made the game that much more engrossing and fun.

                Graphics and sound notwithstanding, the original Left 4 Dead was all about multiplayer gameplay.  The simple formula put forth by Valve led to some of the most addictive fun we had seen in this generation of games.  Whether playing co-op Campaign, Versus or Survival, the necessary teamwork needed to have success in the game had scores of gamers coming back for more.  Luckily for us, Valve has tweaked many things in the gameplay to ensure that gamers would feel justified in spending their $60 to return to the zombie apocalypse.  The in-game melee weapons, seemingly novelty items in the many previews seen for Left 4 Dead 2, are not only incredibly fun to use, but balanced enough that they can be used as your primary weapon.  This adds an entirely new element to balancing your team out with the right weapons, and allows those who too often get caught in close quarter combat a weapon that will prove effective. 

                In addition, the new enemy monsters help balance out the zombie side of things as well.  The Charger is a smaller version of the tank, which not only deals major damage to the Survivors, but can also single out a player to split up a team, making survival that much more difficult.  The Spitter is present to punish teams that like to spend too much time in one area, spitting acid onto the ground and forcing Survivors to stay on the move.  Finally, The Jockey is the most unique of the three, able to jump onto a Survivor and take control of their movement, leading them straight into the horde or even worse, the evil witch.  These new monsters add terrific variety to the online versus matches, something that made the original Left 4 Dead versus mode turn a bit stale. 

                The three excellent online modes from Left 4 Dead return in the sequel.  Campaign, Versus, and Survival are each on their own extremely fun and challenging modes.    Campaign mode is the story playing through online co-op, with players doing battle with the zombie horde on each of the individual five missions.  Versus uses these same missions, but has two teams that take turns battling each other as Survivors and Infected.  Survival is a mode in which teams of up to four battle the clock to see how long they can hold out against the zombie horde.  Whether playing with friends or strangers, each has their own pluses, and many players are likely to find one they like more than the rest.  Versus is particularly enjoyable with a large group of friends, as there is pure joy in attacking your frantic friends as a zombie.

In addition, Valve has added two fantastic new game modes.  Realism mode is similar to Campaign, but with the difficulty turned up.  This mode is designed for those hardcore Left 4 Dead fans who want the toughest Campaign challenge they can get.  Zombies are more difficult to kill, and game assists such as item and teammate highlights have been turned off.  This mode is not for everyone, but for hardcore Left 4 Dead players that love the challenge of expert; this was designed with you in mind.  Additionally, Left 4 Dead 2 brings a new versus mode called Scavenge.  Scavenge is a round-based competitive battle in which teams attempt to avoid the horde and capture more gasoline cans than the other.  For those that feel that regular Versus mode has become old, this brings a whole new fun factor to playing as the Infected.  The mode is quick paced and fun, and is a nicely unique addition to the multiplayer options.  Both new match types are great fits into the Left 4 Dead rotation, giving the two most popular groups of online players - those that love the challenge of Campaign and those who love playing as the Infected - new and fresh game modes to enjoy on top of what they already had.

                Left 4 Dead was one of 2008’s best games, and Left 4 Dead 2 has improved most facets of the original.  While the first had great gameplay, the feature set was so basic that it felt like the game survived on addiction alone.  Though each play through was unique in the sense of where battles took place, the game staled after so many times of playing the same levels the same ways.  Left 4 Dead 2 has fixed this, building out every facet of the game.   Whether talking about monsters, weapons, or even game modes, everything in Left 4 Dead 2 feels fuller than the original. All of these improvements while keeping the addictive and exciting gameplay of the original Left 4 Dead lead to Valve having another huge winner on their hands.   I recommend trying out each of the online modes to determine which is your favorite, as you might be surprised by which you love once you give each mode a shot.  Personally, I am very excited to dive into Realism and see how far I can get, then breaking in frustration to play some Scavenge and see how far I can ride a Survivor with The Jockey.  Valve showed their confidence in this game by releasing it a mere week after Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and for good reason – this is a great game.  For those that were concerned that they would not get value out of Left 4 Dead 2, let me put your fears to rest.  This should be considered one of the best multiplayer games not only of the year, but of this console generation.

9.5 out of 10

Released on November 17^th 2009 for XBOX360 and PC