Left 4 Dead 2 opened with a bang, garnering the coveted position of being one of the biggest hits at this year’s E3. It’s worth noting how much Left 4 Dead 2 looks like its predecessor. While there are plenty of nice improvements, fans will realize that this game is more of the same. Not a bad thing considering that Left 4 Dead was such a surprising success.
Basically, the game involves you and 3 other players fighting through horde after horde of flesh eating zombies as a team, trying to reach an extraction point. The level I played was named The Parish, and as fans will know, the level is displayed on a movie poster with the tagline “This time it all goes South”. The most obvious change is the addition of melee combat, which are extremely effective when you happen to be close up with your enemies. The axe can chop off limbs, dismemberment being another new feature of the game, while the frying pan hits home with a satisfying thud.
In the gauntlet run – a way Valve uses to explain the bridge section at the end of the level – you have to work your way between never ending masses of zombies that are blocking your way to the escape helicopter. Working with your teammates to get across requires strategy, thus upping the fun factor as you slowly make your way across while trying to keep your team members alive. The tension feel was awesome.
The jump in difficulty is surreal. Being originally Left 4 Dead players, my confidence in tackling the game was quite high when we first approached it. However, it soon became evident that the game was harder than I thought it would be. In my first run, I barely made it to the first safe house. At the last part, on the bridge, only one of our members successfully made it to the helicopter, while the rest of my teammates died trying to get there. I found this a bit frustrating, but it was definitely addictive to get through the zombie swarm.
Ratings: 3.9 out of 5
I certainly had no regrets with the game, and while Left 4 Dead 2 doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, it will definitely offer another round of highly addictive fun in this zombie apocalypse. The full game is out on the PC, so buckle up and get ready for more Resident Evil online style.
Woots!!! Am originally a L4D player too! Heard about the new additions to L4D2 – the new melee combat & items The gauntlet run definitely sounds addictive albeit a little tough, but I guess that’s what keeps players trying! =)
But what about the Survivors, boss zombies and maps? It was released earlier in the year that there would be new ones added, on top of more Versus campaigns and maps. Oh! and the new dynamic gameplay introduced using AI Director 2.0! Was it evident that the game session was ‘custom-fitted’ to the players’ performance? [eg. pathways, enemy pop. objects]
Nonetheless, it still sounds awesome! Thanks for the review!