Okay Geek Farm
Xbox 360 Review: Left 4 Dead 2
Nick Mahar
In another review, we dissect the in’s and out’s of what exactly makes Left 4 Dead 2 different than its predecessor. New weapons, enemies, and modes give it more than just an expansion type feel to the series - making it a true sequel to last year’s hit game. Brains, brains, brains!!
Plot
Like the original Left 4 Dead, the sequel involves the aftermath of an apocalyptic pandemic. There has been an outbreak of a rabies-like pathogen that causes infected humans to behave like zombies. I think this time around there’s a bit more of a packaged set of events than what was first introduced in the first game, but it still leaves much to be desired.
Our story starts out with 4 strangers meeting atop a building, waving at passing helicopters who seem to be ignoring their cries for help. Knowing if they stay put they all get torn to pieces and eaten, they decide to team up and find their way to a safer locale, New Orleans. Running through a multi-leveled mall, an abandoned carnival, and farmlands drenched in rain, the team find themselves going from bad to worse, but nothing in terms of story, nothing is ever disclosed further than “you are here - you need to go there”. Each mission connects itself to its previous mission via short dialog from the characters, but other than that there’s no character development, narrative, resolve or climax.
Gameplay
No matter which way you slice it, the Left 4 Dead series is meant for multi-player. The story isn’t the key to having a fun time; playing with friends or even strangers with fast and fun gameplay is what’s important. The gameplay is what you’re looking for and what you’ll be enjoying for months to come. The basic campaign’s main job is to get you from point A to point B; surviving and protecting your other team mates being your main focus along your journey. Each mission has 4 to 5 chapters that d New enemies accompany the special infected from the original; newcomers include the Jockey, Spitter, and Charger, each with their own cheap way of taking you down. But with more enemies come more weapons; guitars, grenade launchers, and chainsaws fill the empty halls of the places you’ll traverse.
If you’re running and gunning by your lonesome, with only the aide of AI computers then you’re not even scratching the surface of what L4D2 has to offer. As I mentioned earlier, this is a game designed for teams, and with that being said the multi-player modes are an integral part of the experience. The various modes are as follows…
Realism mode: a harder take on the campaign missions, with head shots taking high priority and items/ players not being highlighted - making it harder to find your way around.
Versus: a round based game where two teams switch off playing either the survivors or the infected. The job of the 4 survivors is to get as far as you can through a campaign level without everyone dying. The infected players can see where the other 4 are located at all times and can spawn in any space these please on the map. The team that gets the farthest gets a higher score, and after a couple of rounds the winning team is decided. Teamwork is highly recommended for this mode
Survival: exactly what it is. Survive endless amounts of infected zombies until you die.
Scavenge: a new mode that’s also round based. Survivor players collect gas tanks scattered through out the map to fill up a power generator, which extends round time, while infected players try to end rounds as soon as they can to limit point total.
The gameplay is exactly like the first game in every way. If you are looking for huge, overhauling type enhancements, then it’s probably best you don’t get this game. The campaign has added another level so instead of 4 stages, it’s now 5. The addition of melee weapons is also pretty cool. A chainsaw, machete, katana, and frying pans are just some of the stuff you’ll be able to smack a zombie across the face with. But even though melee weapons cause extra damage to the infected when struck, the survivors can use any other weapon, or item, for weaker melee attacks or to temporarily push the infected back. You can also carry a flashlight, which can be used to maneuver in dark areas but may startle the infected; a first aid kit or defibrillator which can be used to heal or revive other survivors respectively; pain pills or adrenaline shots that give a temporary burst of health recovery and agility; and a throwable weapon—a Molotov cocktail to set an area on fire, a pipe bomb modified with smoke alarm to attract a large number of infected before detonating, and new to Left 4 Dead 2, a vial containing Boomer bile, which can be thrown at infected to cause them to turn on each other.
Audio/Visuals
The music seems to be almost exactly the same as in the first L4D - sounding dark and grunge-like. You can tell when a certain infected creature is around because of the change in music or the sudden use of piano. The characters all seem to have the same exact sound effects as its predecessor, which could be a plus or negative but I don’t know what else they could have done. Voice acting has much higher quality this time, with Ellis being the talkative type and Nick coming up with some smart ass remark, while Rochelle and Coach are the sensible, calming figures, all summed up by the sounds of their voices.
In the graphics department the visuals are very sweet, short, and to the point. The game looks very basic and it’s not a huge WOW factor, but it looks polished with character models looking amazing when seen up close. They are the same as the first and I don’t really see anything different.
Difficulty
I found my friends and I actually having to pay attention on the normal campaign, whereas in the original it felt like a breeze. The zombie hordes seem to give higher damage when attacking you because of a boomer attack. And it’s much harder to escape special infected with the new types that work so well together; For example, when I was playing against some people online we blinded them with our Boomer, hurt them with the Spitter, then attacked them with our Tank and Hunter. If you know anything about Left 4 Dead then you know it didn’t end well for them.
Playing on Easy means about 2 to 3 shots to any part of a zombie body gets a kill, on Expert mode you better be aiming for heads or otherwise you’re going to be dying a lot. Teamwork is the name of the game, so make sure you don’t have some jerkface player just jumping up and down around the map attracting attention from the undead.
Estimated time to finish
Campaign: 6 - 7 hours max. Each mission takes about a little over an hour to finish. But if you mix in all the endless amount of time you could have on the various multi-player modes then you have yourself a game that can always be popped in for a good time. Replay value is high when you want to team up with strangers or friends onlinr.
Final Thoughts
I totally understand how fans of the first game felt when Valve announced L4D2. Betrayal is the word that comes to my mind first. But to be brutally honest, Left 4 Dead 2 extends the series further than I think any downloadable patch could have. The presentation is top notch, with some new levels like Hard Rain just making you feel like you’re in a fight for your life - something I never really experienced in the first game.
The characters, the new weapons, modes, and enemies warrant at least a rent, if anything. But since it’s a game that focuses mainly on multi-player if you are going to invest time into this then I suggest you might as well buy it, but don’t pay for price for it. The game offers a plethora of new items and play styles but to me it just isn’t a whole brand new game. With Black Friday just passing us by last week you should be able to find a good deal on it somewhere if you look hard enough.
Rent/Buy/Pass
This is very hard to say because it’s more of a personal preference. I didn’t pay the full $60 thanks to Best Buy and Black Friday - getting it at a steal of $38!! I would say if you’ve played before and like the first one then get it because it plays more or less the exact same way, but with a ton of added extras. If you haven’t played the original before then how about downloading the free demo? This game is a must play with friends, so try to get your friends to get themselves a copy too if you don’t want to play alone. As for me, although it’s worth a buy, I don’t think it’s worth the full $60 price tag. It feels too much like an add-on for the first Left 4 Dead (much like Halo 3:ODST’s multi-player felt).
