Everyone knows it is going to happen. The zombie apocalypse is inevitable. Luckily, as of late, the mainstream media has been preparing the public for such a event in the form of movies, books and even video games.
The original Left 4 Dead came out about a year ago and was met with almost universal critical and commercial success. This multiplayer oriented game gave players a chance to see how they would fare in a world filled with ravenous undead (and the fast kind ala 28 Days Later too!). Now, the sequel, aptly titled Left 4 Dead 2 is upon us and one question remains, can it hold a flame to its brilliant predecessor?
Now, let me get one of my biggest gripes out of the way first. I was honestly shocked and upset when they first announced the sequel to L4D. The publisher, Valve, had promised gamers that they were going to have continual support for the original title, including new campaigns and maps, yet here they are releasing a completely new title with only two small pieces of DLC coming out for the original. Most gamers, including me, believed that this was just a ploy to make more money. And after playing the finished product, I stand somewhat corrected.
I say somewhat because, while there are new additions, such as melee weapons and new special boss zombies, the game is esentially a glorified expansion pack. The core campaign (co-op) and versus modes return, as well as the recent addition of survival mode from the original. There are some new modes however, such as Realism (gotta shoot ‘em in the head!) and Scavenge mode, which is almost like a glorified capture the flag. These new features could have easily been added as optional DLC, because I personally did not care for Scavenge mode and will probably only play realism when I am feeling particularly masochistic.
Luckily, the other thing that carried over from the original was everything that made this game so much fun in the first place. The action is frantic and brutal, and the addition of melee weapons help to highten this. Being the gore hound that I am, I quite enjoyed slicing my way through hordes of screaming undead with a katana, but this game is most definetly not for those with a weak stomach or weak heart. Also, the weapon selection has been expanded greatly, to include everything from Desert Eagles to Grenade Launchers.
There are five new campaigns in total and each is fairly long. It takes about a good six hours to make it through all of them your first go around, but I could expect these to go faster as you learn the maps. The sequel campaigns however have more of an epic feel to them than the original. Where as in the first game, most objectives were just simple stand here and defend this spot until help arrives, the sequel throws a few twists at the player. Without giving too much away, let’s just say you will never look at a drink run the same way once you play this game.
The other main attraction of this game is the versus mode, which honestly is more fun than it has ever been. Essentially, there is a team of survivors trying to escape and a team of special infected trying to stop them. There are seven different types of special infected to play as, each with their own ability, ranging from the Hunter (who pounces on his prey and rips them to shreds) to the newly added Spitter (who spits corrosive acid at survivors and leaves a nasty puddle when killed). I haven’t had as much fun with a game than planning with my Infected teammates on how best to corner our prey. Being a purely multiplayer experience, I definetly recommend having a microphone while playing this mode.
Graphically, the game hasn’t advanced much from the original. This is mainly due to both games being built on the Source engine that premiered with Half Life 2 almost five years ago. That’s not to say this is not a good looking game, but there are much prettier out there. However, there is a silver lining to this because this game is fast and frantic, so you won’t even have time to stop and admire the scenery. However, I believe this game does beat the original in terms of sound production. While the typical zombie screech is pretty much the same, it does wonders to psych you out, and the fact that each special infected has their own growl makes you even more nervous when rounding corners. Also, the score helps a ton in heightening the tension, picking up during a brutal rush and eerily droning during downtime.
Overall, Left 4 Dead 2 has taken everything the original had and just expanded on it. If you played the first game, you know what to expect. However, as much as I would recommend this game, I still feel like Valve took us for a sixty dollar ride with this release. You can get the original game at a reasonable price now, and I would personally recommend waiting til the sequel goes on sale to pick it up.
It’s the end of the world as we know it…
Left 4 Dead 2
Everyone knows it is going to happen. The zombie apocalypse is inevitable. Luckily, as of late, the mainstream media has been preparing the public for such a event in the form of movies, books and even video games.
The original Left 4 Dead came out about a year ago and was met with almost universal critical and commercial success. This multiplayer oriented game gave players a chance to see how they would fare in a world filled with ravenous undead (and the fast kind ala 28 Days Later too!). Now, the sequel, aptly titled Left 4 Dead 2 is upon us and one question remains, can it hold a flame to its brilliant predecessor?
Now, let me get one of my biggest gripes out of the way first. I was honestly shocked and upset when they first announced the sequel to L4D. The publisher, Valve, had promised gamers that they were going to have continual support for the original title, including new campaigns and maps, yet here they are releasing a completely new title with only two small pieces of DLC coming out for the original. Most gamers, including me, believed that this was just a ploy to make more money. And after playing the finished product, I stand somewhat corrected.
I say somewhat because, while there are new additions, such as melee weapons and new special boss zombies, the game is esentially a glorified expansion pack. The core campaign (co-op) and versus modes return, as well as the recent addition of survival mode from the original. There are some new modes however, such as Realism (gotta shoot ‘em in the head!) and Scavenge mode, which is almost like a glorified capture the flag. These new features could have easily been added as optional DLC, because I personally did not care for Scavenge mode and will probably only play realism when I am feeling particularly masochistic.
Luckily, the other thing that carried over from the original was everything that made this game so much fun in the first place. The action is frantic and brutal, and the addition of melee weapons help to highten this. Being the gore hound that I am, I quite enjoyed slicing my way through hordes of screaming undead with a katana, but this game is most definetly not for those with a weak stomach or weak heart. Also, the weapon selection has been expanded greatly, to include everything from Desert Eagles to Grenade Launchers.
There are five new campaigns in total and each is fairly long. It takes about a good six hours to make it through all of them your first go around, but I could expect these to go faster as you learn the maps. The sequel campaigns however have more of an epic feel to them than the original. Where as in the first game, most objectives were just simple stand here and defend this spot until help arrives, the sequel throws a few twists at the player. Without giving too much away, let’s just say you will never look at a drink run the same way once you play this game.
The other main attraction of this game is the versus mode, which honestly is more fun than it has ever been. Essentially, there is a team of survivors trying to escape and a team of special infected trying to stop them. There are seven different types of special infected to play as, each with their own ability, ranging from the Hunter (who pounces on his prey and rips them to shreds) to the newly added Spitter (who spits corrosive acid at survivors and leaves a nasty puddle when killed). I haven’t had as much fun with a game than planning with my Infected teammates on how best to corner our prey. Being a purely multiplayer experience, I definetly recommend having a microphone while playing this mode.
Graphically, the game hasn’t advanced much from the original. This is mainly due to both games being built on the Source engine that premiered with Half Life 2 almost five years ago. That’s not to say this is not a good looking game, but there are much prettier out there. However, there is a silver lining to this because this game is fast and frantic, so you won’t even have time to stop and admire the scenery. However, I believe this game does beat the original in terms of sound production. While the typical zombie screech is pretty much the same, it does wonders to psych you out, and the fact that each special infected has their own growl makes you even more nervous when rounding corners. Also, the score helps a ton in heightening the tension, picking up during a brutal rush and eerily droning during downtime.
Overall, Left 4 Dead 2 has taken everything the original had and just expanded on it. If you played the first game, you know what to expect. However, as much as I would recommend this game, I still feel like Valve took us for a sixty dollar ride with this release. You can get the original game at a reasonable price now, and I would personally recommend waiting til the sequel goes on sale to pick it up.