Decapitating zombies never felt so satisfying. Left 4 Dead 2, the sequel of Left 4 Dead by Valve, is a very action-packed game, from the minute you put your disc in until the last Safe Room escape! Your objective is to survive an onslaught of zombies by getting to different checkpoints (or Safe Rooms) throughout the level. Once you get to a Safe Room, the level progresses to the next area until you reach your final escape. One of the best parts about this game is that you get a huge selection of weapons to keep yourself alive from the mass amount of zombies running, spitting, jumping, crawling, flailing, grabbing and even humping you.
Once I popped the disc into the tray of my Xbox 360, I was greeted with a fantastic cinematic introducing me to the new set of characters. Coach (an older high school coach), Rochelle (the female character), Ellis, (the younger smart mouth) and Nick, (the quiet mafia type). The cinematic got me excited to the play the game as I watched bullets flying, explosions, armless zombies and even chainsaws. After the initial excitement, I settled in and picked a mission and character. I decided to choose Ellis for my character; he seemed to match me the best. At the start, small help icons tell you how to equip and pick up weapons and first aid. Once I left the Safe Room, things got a bit more interesting. I picked up a cricket bat I saw on the ground; it was pretty gratifying smashing the zombies and seeing zombie limbs and blood all over my screen. Eventually, I figured out that I could equip a melee weapon and a primary weapon at the same time, and this made things a bit easier.
My biggest gripe at this point was the lack of direction when I was going from Safe Room to Safe Room. Levels in Left 4 Dead 2 are not laid out in the traditional sense, and very large open areas with fences and obstacles in my way got to be very confusing. I found myself at several times backtracking to areas I had previously been, only to lose time and life in the process.
Graphically, Left 4 Dead 2 is a pure joy. Particle effects are truly amazing, from smoke to fire to green spit. At certain points in the level, I could barely see in front of me because of the smoke, and having zombies emerge from almost out of nowhere really gets you enjoying the moment even more.
Left 4 Dead 2 also has some amazing scripted events. (SPOLER ALERT) One nice highlight for “Dead Center” was when I had to retrieve a six pack of soda for a weapon store owner to get to the next area. It was pretty chaotic having to run with soda in my hand and not a weapon, while still having zombies chase after me. The end sequence for this level is very unique in respect to the original Left 4 Dead. Not only did we have to survive and onset of zombies, but we had to fill up a gas tank with several gas containers found throughout the mall. Running from container to container with giant hulking zombies barreling at you is pretty intense with limited ammo and health.
One thing I learned while playing Left 4 Dead 2 is that teamwork is absolutely essential. If you are to survive in this game, you need your buddies watching your back. Several times I was victim to a tank or charger — some of the harder-hitting zombies — after falling down, and I was completely helpless until a teammate decided to pick me up. The computer-controlled AI does a fairly decent job of protecting you most of the time. However, at certain points, you will find them trying to jump over a railing or ignoring you when you’re utterly helpless.
Strategically, I really felt I had to conserve ammo at times, because spending it all on less hectic parts of the level could be the difference between life and death. For example, I found several pipe bombs throughout the level and only used them to clear out rooms of tons of zombies. Pipe bombs attract all the zombies in the area to the large “beeping” sound. After a short duration, the pipe bomb explodes, and you are rewarded with several kills and large sprays of pink mist.
Besides the ammo, there are health packs, pills and adrenaline shots scattered throughout the level. Health packs are pretty standard; click and hold to heal yourself or a teammate. Pills increase your health for a short time. Adrenaline shots are a new addition to the game; this shot dulls the sound in the game and increases the speed of all your actions. I felt myself using health packs and adrenaline shots the most as you are limited the amount of supplies you can carry on you at anytime.
Overall, I think Left 4 Dead 2 is a solid game with great graphics, gameplay and strategic elements to keep the player interested for a long time. The replay value is there with single player, multiplayer, online play, different game modes and memorable moments. I would recommend Left 4 Dead 2 to any zombie-lover and or fan of Valve’s games. However, playing with your friends or online is a lot more fun than solo play as playing offline quickly becomes boring. Polish was definitely put in and the new maps, characters and modes, and zombies make this sequel worth upgrading to from Left 4 Dead. Turn off the lights, grab a controller and hold on tight for this movie-like massacre.
