Thread: Review: Left 4 Dead 2

My second review, let me know what you think. Due to my having not really played the other game modes enough to comment on them, this review only covers the main campaign. I think I managed to waffle on way more than enough though, lol. Is there/should there be a word limit for reviews, or is this ok?


The original Left 4 Dead, developed by Valve, was very well received, and gained quite a dedicated following. So much so, that when the sequel was announced so soon after its? release, many people were angered by it, or at the very least, sceptical as to what Valve could have up their sleeve that couldn?t be released as downloadable content. I fell into the latter category, after Left 4 Dead became one of my favourite games. So, for me, the sequel had quite a lot to live up to. I?ll try my best, however, to be as unbiased, and un-fanboyish as possible.

The gameplay is more or less the same as the original. You play as one of four survivors, with the other three controlled by either your friends, or AI. Your task is to get from your starting point to the next safe room, fighting your way through swarms of zombies, over a series of levels, until eventually you reach an escape vehicle, and fly, or drive, or float off to freedom.

The characters you?re given control of are Coach, a high-school football coach; Rochelle, a production assistant for a local television station, reporting on the zombie crisis; Nick, a smart-mouthed gambler and conman; and Ellis, a cocky mechanic. They?re all given significantly more backstory than the previous four survivors, although not so much as to detract from their ?everyman? status. The conversations they have between each other as you?re playing the game are brilliantly done, and in many cases, genuinely funny. They are a welcome comic relief from the brutality in the rest of the game, and never feel silly or unnecessary, or detract from the scares.

Zombies, in the Left 4 Dead series, aren?t zombies, in the truest, George Romero sense of the word. They aren?t the living dead, they?re best described as rabid, infected humans, similar to those found in 28 Days Later. Their speed of movement and sheer numbers are what makes them scary ? one minute you can be looking down an empty street, the next a vicious horde of infected will come pouring around the corner straight at you.

As well as the typical swarms of regular infected, there are now eight special infected, seven of which are playable in Versus, Survival, and the new Scavenge mode. The five from the first game make an appearance: the Boomer, Hunter, Smoker, Tank, and Witch. They are now joined by the Spitter, who is able to spit poisonous goo, which coats an area of the floor and causes damage to anyone standing in it; the Charger, who will sprint directly at a group of survivors, knocking them off their feet, or grabbing one survivor and pummelling them into the ground; and the Jocket, who will sneak up on a survivor and leap on their head, controlling their movement and sending them staggering away from their teammates into danger. All the new special infected fit in nicely with the original bunch, and recognising their cues, and announcing their arrival soon became second nature.

The new infected (which were specially designed by Valve to address typical strategies used by many players online), along with the improved AI Director, certainly add to the difficulty curve. The Director, along with his existing control of item placement and infected distribution, can now affect the weather, and in some cases the actual layout of the level. It?s very subtle for the most part, and many times will go unnoticed. Every so often, though, you will find yourself looking around, thinking ?This wasn?t here before.? When it happens, it adds a nice amount of disorientation, which definitely helps keep the game fresh. The weather control is definitely far less subtle. When this happens (as seen in the fourth level, Hard Rain), the sound of the rain increases, and your vision drops, making it much more difficult to hear and see special infected approaching, and much more important to stick together with your team.

In order to help the survivors deal with all these new troubles, you?re given new and improved weapons. All the guns from the original return, and are joined by various machine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles and pistols. There are new explosive toys too, in the form of different types of ammo (which can set your foes on fire, or blow them to bits, depending on what kind you come across); the grenade launcher, which will make quick work of a horde of infected, but can also damage you or your friends if you happen to get too close; and the Bile Bomb ? a tube of green liquid that will draw the infected to the spot where you throw it. All that?s left then, is for you to go to work on the clump of zombies as you see fit. Also thrown into the mix are melee weapons, arguably one of the most notable additions to the game. These come in the form of axes, baseball bats, and even things like chainsaws, katanas, and frying pans. No, really, frying pans. These are great for taking down regular infected, as, with the exception of the chainsaw, you can use them indefinitely, and hacking through a forest of zombies with an axe is every bit as fun as all those films would have you believe.

The sound is excellent once again. Guns and melee weapons sound suitably beefy, and voice work among the whole cast is top-notch. The noises made by the infected seem to be largely re-used from the first game, but this is a necessary choice, as the grunts and squeals, and musical cues which signal the special infected approaching play a big part in the strategy of Left 4 Dead. The new special infected again fit in nicely, with their noises and cues fitting in with the others, whilst also being different enough to be recognisable.

The five scenarios all have their good points and bad points, and whilst not being the classic horror movie locations as found in the first game, are certainly memorable, and warrant repeated playthroughs. I find that the difficulty curve seems far steeper than the previous game, and those like me, that were able to confidently play Advanced in Left 4 Dead may find themselves stepping down a notch in the sequel. This is especially prevalent in the ?finales? to each level, where you are bombarded by regular and special infected while you wait for the rescue vehicle to arrive. These levels, even on Normal difficulty, can sometimes take multiple repeats before you manage to find a working strategy. And the ever-changing mood of the AI director only makes strategising more difficult.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a brilliant game. I believe the additions are more than enough to warrant a sequel, and thanks to the AI Director, levels can be indefinitely replayable. I will say, though, don?t play this game on your own. Left 4 Dead and its sequel really shine when played with a group of friends, all working together as a team. That, and the AI, while mostly competent, will just frustrate you at crucial moments. In these cases, it really helps to have a quick-thinking friend on your side.

9/10

Very good and imformative review mate keep up the good work you will be catching me up with reviews if you keep this up

Originally Posted by AccursedVincent

My second review, let me know what you think. Due to my having not really played the other game modes enough to comment on them, this review only covers the main campaign. I think I managed to waffle on way more than enough though, lol. Is there/should there be a word limit for reviews, or is this ok?


The original Left 4 Dead, developed by Valve, was very well received, and gained quite a dedicated following. So much so, that when the sequel was announced so soon after its? release, many people were angered by it, or at the very least, sceptical as to what Valve could have up their sleeve that couldn?t be released as downloadable content. I fell into the latter category, after Left 4 Dead became one of my favourite games. So, for me, the sequel had quite a lot to live up to. I?ll try my best, however, to be as unbiased, and un-fanboyish as possible.

The gameplay is more or less the same as the original. You play as one of four survivors, with the other three controlled by either your friends, or AI. Your task is to get from your starting point to the next safe room, fighting your way through swarms of zombies, over a series of levels, until eventually you reach an escape vehicle, and fly, or drive, or float off to freedom.

The characters you?re given control of are Coach, a high-school football coach; Rochelle, a production assistant for a local television station, reporting on the zombie crisis; Nick, a smart-mouthed gambler and conman; and Ellis, a cocky mechanic. They?re all given significantly more backstory than the previous four survivors, although not so much as to detract from their ?everyman? status. The conversations they have between each other as you?re playing the game are brilliantly done, and in many cases, genuinely funny. They are a welcome comic relief from the brutality in the rest of the game, and never feel silly or unnecessary, or detract from the scares.

Zombies, in the Left 4 Dead series, aren?t zombies, in the truest, George Romero sense of the word. They aren?t the living dead, they?re best described as rabid, infected humans, similar to those found in 28 Days Later. Their speed of movement and sheer numbers are what makes them scary ? one minute you can be looking down an empty street, the next a vicious horde of infected will come pouring around the corner straight at you.

As well as the typical swarms of regular infected, there are now eight special infected, seven of which are playable in Versus, Survival, and the new Scavenge mode. The five from the first game make an appearance: the Boomer, Hunter, Smoker, Tank, and Witch. They are now joined by the Spitter, who is able to spit poisonous goo, which coats an area of the floor and causes damage to anyone standing in it; the Charger, who will sprint directly at a group of survivors, knocking them off their feet, or grabbing one survivor and pummelling them into the ground; and the Jocket, who will sneak up on a survivor and leap on their head, controlling their movement and sending them staggering away from their teammates into danger. All the new special infected fit in nicely with the original bunch, and recognising their cues, and announcing their arrival soon became second nature.

The new infected (which were specially designed by Valve to address typical strategies used by many players online), along with the improved AI Director, certainly add to the difficulty curve. The Director, along with his existing control of item placement and infected distribution, can now affect the weather, and in some cases the actual layout of the level. It?s very subtle for the most part, and many times will go unnoticed. Every so often, though, you will find yourself looking around, thinking ?This wasn?t here before.? When it happens, it adds a nice amount of disorientation, which definitely helps keep the game fresh. The weather control is definitely far less subtle. When this happens (as seen in the fourth level, Hard Rain), the sound of the rain increases, and your vision drops, making it much more difficult to hear and see special infected approaching, and much more important to stick together with your team.

In order to help the survivors deal with all these new troubles, you?re given new and improved weapons. All the guns from the original return, and are joined by various machine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles and pistols. There are new explosive toys too, in the form of different types of ammo (which can set your foes on fire, or blow them to bits, depending on what kind you come across); the grenade launcher, which will make quick work of a horde of infected, but can also damage you or your friends if you happen to get too close; and the Bile Bomb ? a tube of green liquid that will draw the infected to the spot where you throw it. All that?s left then, is for you to go to work on the clump of zombies as you see fit. Also thrown into the mix are melee weapons, arguably one of the most notable additions to the game. These come in the form of axes, baseball bats, and even things like chainsaws, katanas, and frying pans. No, really, frying pans. These are great for taking down regular infected, as, with the exception of the chainsaw, you can use them indefinitely, and hacking through a forest of zombies with an axe is every bit as fun as all those films would have you believe.

The sound is excellent once again. Guns and melee weapons sound suitably beefy, and voice work among the whole cast is top-notch. The noises made by the infected seem to be largely re-used from the first game, but this is a necessary choice, as the grunts and squeals, and musical cues which signal the special infected approaching play a big part in the strategy of Left 4 Dead. The new special infected again fit in nicely, with their noises and cues fitting in with the others, whilst also being different enough to be recognisable.

The five scenarios all have their good points and bad points, and whilst not being the classic horror movie locations as found in the first game, are certainly memorable, and warrant repeated playthroughs. I find that the difficulty curve seems far steeper than the previous game, and those like me, that were able to confidently play Advanced in Left 4 Dead may find themselves stepping down a notch in the sequel. This is especially prevalent in the ?finales? to each level, where you are bombarded by regular and special infected while you wait for the rescue vehicle to arrive. These levels, even on Normal difficulty, can sometimes take multiple repeats before you manage to find a working strategy. And the ever-changing mood of the AI director only makes strategising more difficult.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a brilliant game. I believe the additions are more than enough to warrant a sequel, and thanks to the AI Director, levels can be indefinitely replayable. I will say, though, don?t play this game on your own. Left 4 Dead and its sequel really shine when played with a group of friends, all working together as a team. That, and the AI, while mostly competent, will just frustrate you at crucial moments. In these cases, it really helps to have a quick-thinking friend on your side.

9/10

good review it looks a good game but unfortunately i dont like horror survival games

Originally Posted by warrier22

Very good and imformative review mate keep up the good work you will be catching me up with reviews if you keep this up

Thanks. Lol, all depends how busy I am at work. I'll keep doing them whenever I get enough time though, and whenever I have a game I really want to talk about.

Edit: Mintz, I don't know if I'd class L4D as a survival horror. It's much faster paced than that, and with the exception of the Witch, tends to be more tense than actually scary. You should give it a go.