Last year Left iv Dead unleashed a harrowing and entertaining vision of what it'due south like to be on both sides of the zombie apocalypse. Whether yous were shooting your way through hordes of infected (the preferred classification) en road to possible rescue, or scheming with your young man superpowered zombies (an acceptable colloquialism) in an effort to asphyxiate, eviscerate, and otherwise kill the intrepid survivors, Left 4 Expressionless was enormously fun. The simply real drawback was the shortage of content. Left 4 Dead 2 does non have this problem, offering five new entrada maps that can be enjoyed across v uniquely engaging game modes. These campaigns are more diverse, more atmospheric, and more exciting, thank you largely to the stellar level pattern. Left four Dead 2 also improves on the original in near every other manner, featuring new weapons, new items, new enemies, and new survivors that make the game richer across the board. Though the cadre activeness remains largely unchanged, the widespread enhancements brand Left 4 Dead 2 fifty-fifty better than its impressive predecessor. This is ane zombie apocalypse you do not want to miss.

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At present Playing: Left 4 Dead two Video Review

The middle of Left 4 Dead 2 is the 5 campaign maps that take the survivors through a wide variety of terrain in the Deep South. From murky swamplands to a creepy carnival ground, from flooded suburbs to claustrophobic city streets, every environment is detailed and immersive. Clever design touches abound, some of which are clues that show you which way to progress. Information technology's deceptively piece of cake to get turned around, especially since you aren't the only ones who accept been leaving piles of bodies around. Left 4 Dead 2's environments help tell a story, and equally you lot travel through the remains of a massive government-organized evacuation effort, you lot get a better sense of how it all went down. The campaigns now string together to make i long gamble, and though the oppressive, desperate mood seethes more potently this time around, in that location is even so plenty of levity and high-bear on excitement. Well-timed survivor quips brand trudging through zombie-infested swamps a bit less nerve-racking, and thunderous rainstorms brand a tense final stand (the moments right earlier your rescue) even more than dramatic. The audio blueprint is a standout once more, filling the air with eerie strains and helpful cues, as well every bit conveying the full range of the survivors' emotions. This rich temper is enhanced by the wider variety of choke points and final stands, all of which give the campaigns their ain unique stride.

Into these grim landscapes come four new survivors. This new crop is more lively and talkative than the outset bunch, and Ellis' good-ol'-boy stories about crazy stuff that he and his buddy Keith did one fourth dimension are leap to make you chuckle. In that location is a new crop of guns also, including multiple versions of pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, and set on rifles. These dissimilar flavors go a long fashion toward spicing upward the gunplay, but the standout new addition is the melee weapons. A burn axe, a crowbar, a cricket bat, and a frying pan are just some of the objects you can use to slice, bludgeon, and decapitate your enemies. They have the place of your secondary weapon, merely you still have a sidearm y'all tin whip out if you lot are incapacitated. Using these weapons forces you to get up close and personal with the infected, affording you a better view of the carnage just likewise putting you lot at higher adventure. Nevertheless, nothing stops a horde like a katana-wielding survivor standing tall in a doorway. Melee weapons are a great new strategic asset and add together a very enjoyable new dimension to combat.

Infected are not particularly fazed by gaping abdominal wounds.
Infected are non particularly fazed by gaping abdominal wounds.

Part of the reason melee weapons are and then fun to use is that the infected die in a lot of gruesomely entertaining ways. Dismemberment and gibbing accept been ratcheted up in Left 4 Dead 2, then you lot'll exist chopping off limbs and blowing holes in zombie abdomens like you were born to do information technology. The mutual infected models are more diverse and detailed, and in that location are a number of tougher variants that pose a scrap more of a challenge. Some of them can have more damage, like the ones in hazmat suits and riot gear, while others move more rapidly and tin can obscure your view, like the swampy mudmen. These "uncommon common" won't throw a huge wrench in the works, but they add some welcome diverseness and aid further diversify your enemies.

The foes that will derail your progress are the special infected. These zombies have superpowers that brand them seriously unsafe, and all the baddies from Left 4 Dead make an encore advent. There are a few new nasties to contend with as well, including the Jockey (jumps on your caput and steers y'all off course), the Spitter (shoots a pool of deadly acid on the ground), and the Charger (rams into yous, carries you abroad, and pounds you into the ground). There's also a variety of Witch that actually walks around as opposed to simply sitting and weeping, and she rounds out the formidable roster of special infected. These enemies are catchy to argue with in the field, particularly when a few of them descend on you at the same time. They are even nastier when they are controlled by your boyfriend players. One of the best parts of the zombie apocalypse is being part of the problem, and unlike its predecessor, Left four Dead ii makes every entrada bachelor for Versus play right from the start. Playing Versus mode allows yous and your team to spawn as special infected and coordinate attacks in your efforts to make certain the survivors don't brand information technology out alive. Nothing eases the frustration of being dragged away from your boyfriend survivors by a Smoker's tongue like jumping on a survivor's head and jockeying him into a pool of called-for acrid. Versus way plunges you lot into an engaging mix of competition and cooperation equally you and your team alternate trying to survive and trying to kill.

For those who don't fancy this sort of contest but are looking for a claiming beyond the range of difficulty offered past the Campaign style, the new Realism mode is the place to get. Here you lot'll play through the campaigns with many of the game-y aids removed. In that location are no glowing outlines around your beau survivors or around helpful items, zombies are tougher to kill, and dead comrades won't respawn until you reach the next prophylactic house. You won't know how much you rely on the glowing outlines until you walk into a immigration and realize you are utterly alone and have no idea where your friends are. Or worse, what happens if yous get grabbed past a Smoker and dragged away, but no one sees it? Realism way very effectively ramps up the tension, and you'll exist even more thankful for the new equipment items that offering help. Adrenaline shots not simply give you a health boost, but they allow you to heal and rescue teammates more apace. Defibrillator pads permit you lot to bring dead survivors back to life, and explosive and incendiary ammo packs help make sure you don't demand defibrillator pads as ofttimes. And so there's the bile flop, which lets y'all spray enemies with the Boomer's horde-attracting vomit. If you chuck this on the Tank, you'll get some help killing him. And if yous chuck information technology over a ledge or into a fire, yous'll kill a lot of infected and go a adept hearty chuckle to boot.

Rounding out the bundle are two modes that offering all the excitement of Campaign and Versus play in a fraction of the time. Survival, introduced as downloadable content for Left 4 Dead, is like playing a last stand in which rescue never comes. Survivors try to stay live on a well-stocked map confronting countless waves of infected, and they earn medals and leaderboard-worthy times for their troubles. Without the joy of escape, this mode isn't equally satisfying as its longer counterparts. The same is not true for the new Scavenge mode. Here, survivors endeavor to collect gas tanks from around a map and pour them into a generator to add together more time to the dwindling clock. A squad of infected effort to stop them and kill them. This way more than adeptly mirrors the frustrations and rewards of Versus mode. On the one hand, you have the challenge of survival and the thrill of each can successfully deposited; on the other, you have the task of foiling the survivors' well-armed efforts and the grim satisfaction of taking them downwardly. Each team plays both sides per round, and the kickoff to three round victories wins. The curt format makes it easy to enjoy in quick sessions, though more than than likely you lot'll exist tempted by rematch later on rematch.

Team melee attack go!
Team melee assault go!

Though information technology comes a mere one year after the original, Left 4 Dead 2 is a much ameliorate game and much better value. The new campaigns and unique game modes offering more variety and more longevity, while all the other additions and tweaks make the already great gameplay even more than enjoyable. Even the AI has improved a little scrap, and while they still aren't big on using pipe bombs or Molotovs and are prone to missteps, they seem to have a better grasp of tactics and will follow you lot a fleck more closely. Yet, Left 4 Dead two is best enjoyed with friends, and every mode is seamlessly integrated online. Though the core gameplay remains pretty much the same, there is more enough new content and improved activity to brand this zombie apocalypse highly recommendable.