VIDEO GAME REVIEW: I've been a fan of zombie films since I was young, and there's still no one out there who makes better zombie movies than George A. Romero. But that doesn't mean it would be easy for me to like the first Left 4 Dead just because of the zombies.
Nope, I was highly critical of it, but it won me over almost instantly. L4D just captures the essence of Romero and Danny Boyle's (28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later) style for zombies, and the action is absolutely non-stop blood and guts.
Left 4 Dead 2 is simply the bigger and better version of it. How much bigger? It now takes at least an hour and a half to complete one poster compared to about an hour in L4D. How much better? Well, where do I start?
Not only are there more weapons and more types of zombies, the action comes from all directions. All zombies close enough to see your or hear gunghots, they start running for you. So it's best that you get acquainted with your quick turn-around button real soon.
The Spitter is particularly a nasty zombie because of the potential amount of damage and the range it can inflict. The Tank comes less frequently (depending on the difficulty you choose), but its "lite" version, the Charger, can be a nuisance and hard to avoid when it charges at you, especially when it shows up during a horde run.
The chainsaw is probably your most efficient and messiest melee weapon available. But unlike any other weapon of its kind, it's only useful until it runs out of fuel. Adjust the gore level to high and you'll start enjoying that bad boy even more! The auto shotgun is back, but it's not nearly as fast as its original version. In fact, there are 4 kinds of shotguns in this game (pump, chrome, auto, and combat) that differ in rate of fire and looks.
The final stage of each level has been changed dramatically. In fact, they really enforce teamwork play and a bit of survival strategy much more than any other time in the game. You might even find that all four players or characters should not be in the same place but rather in different vantage points just to separate the hordes of zombies coming in.
By the way, after the first arrival of the tank in these stages, two tanks will come in after to finish off whoever's left of the survivors. So watch out for that!
The finale for "The Parish" takes place on a dual-level bridge that requires the survivors to run the entire length of the bridge shooting down the oncoming traffic of the undead. To top it off, the bridge has been severely damaged from the military's bomb runs leaving huge gaps in certain sections making survival even more difficult. What I love about this stage is it's really relentless at testing every bit of your Left 4 Dead skills whether it's shooting, running, jumping, climbing, your ability to shove away zombies, and your willingness to go back and help out fallen teammates who may have been smothered or have fallen on the edge of the bridge and are clinging for dear life. This stage alone personifies what Left 4 Dead 2 brings to the gaming community.
L4D2 also features one of the most impressive weather effects in "Hard Rain." The monsoon in that level is just awesome! If you have any decent sound system, you will swear you're right in the middle of it.
There are also more health packs to go around inside each safe room. Some of these are larger than others often having a second story with a different set of weapons and another set of health packs waiting.
Overall, Left 4 Dead 2 is another impressive classic from Valve. It's one of those games you'll be playing until the next installment comes out. It's fun, addictive, and has a high replay value. Truly a must-have!
Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve). Platforms: XBox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Genre: First-Person Shooter. Player(s): Up to 4 players. ESRB Rating: Mature (M)
GAMEPLAY: A+
GAME DESIGN: A+
STORY: B-
GRAPHICS: A
SOUND: A
MUSIC: B
VOICE ACTING: B-
REPLAY VALUE: A
RENT OR BUY?: An absolute must-have!
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