Left 4 Dead 2: A review

I’ll admit it. I was suspicious at first when I heard that valve were going to be making a sequel to the popular Left 4 dead. It had not even been a year since the original had been released and many , Including myself were led to believe that we had been ‘conned’ ( If you will ) Into buying and playing an open beta test for the second game. Usually before I buy and review new releases I try to hold back any reservations I have about the game series itself, and in this case, I was glad that I did so.

The game formula Itself has not changed, so it is good for anyone wishing to jump straight into the Left 4 Dead series. But this itself presents other issues – The gameplay has hardly changed from the original and this may not be such a persuasive factor into it’s purchase. The game still features the same , Linear shooting and blasting through various stages until you reach a “safe room” and you can progress on to the stage after, However Left 4 dead 2 features some new game modes that may help boost it’s popularity. Lets start with realism mode: this is for the hardcover die-hard L4D fans who thrive with realistic actions. Weapons do little damage, Zombies can take you down in a second, even in small numbers and supplies are few and far between.
The Versus mode from the original has remained, Pitting playable zombies and survivors against each other ( always a laugh for parties of friends). Not only this but a new gamemode titled “Scavenge” which is very similar to versus, with the addition of human players hunting for petrol tanks over the map , whilst the Infected attempt to sabotage them. It can be very tense and exciting, unless you find yourself in numerous laggy servers which I seemed to be ending up in.

As far as new content goes ; there is around ten new weapons , of such pistols, rifles, shotguns, and sniper rifles.This is not including the various melee weapons I came across when I was reviewing the game. Frying pans, Machetes, Batons, Fire axes – the list goes on.
There is also numerous new types of infected , and common – uncommon infected. These include
Squeaking clowns, Armored police zombies and Mud men who can blind the player.
All this new content helps add a new spice to Left 4 dead 2 as well as a sense of variety for players.

One thing I certainly enjoyed whilst I was playing was the new campaigns. You can visualize how much effort has went into the exciting new plotlines and story and it feels very well polished. The player will have to escape burning buildings, Empty gun shops, flee from plantations, get fuel for boat, defend a house… The list goes on and on. The design for the campaign is well earned and this is one thing that Left 4 Dead 2 cannot be flawed for. The characters also seem to have more personality than the original Bill, Louis, Francis and zoey. When Ellis was crushed by a charger infected , I was feeling regret for the poor Redneck boy and his comedy statements.
The game does have problems too however, The same failing AI for singleplayers is dreadful
and it does not appear to have been improved upon from the original.
Not only this but , as mentioned earlier, the gameplay has barely changed at all from the original and for some people this may not be enough to warrant a purchase for Left 4 dead 2.

To Conclude, Left 4 Dead 2 features much new content for returning players, but some may feel that even the changes is not enough and bitter memories of the Prequel may come to mind. For new Zombie hunters, however  there is an exciting co-operative gamemode with dynamic campaigns, some competitive gamemodes and a variety of choice in campaigns that makes the game feel a little less Linear. My personal experience of the game was set back by some laggy hosts and poor servers, But this was a minor flaw and did not affect the overall performance of the game. I think that the changes from the Original , some flawed as they may be  are certainly a reason to play Left 4 Dead 2 which is why my personal score for the game is:

8.4 / 10

- Fallen.