User Reviews

Left 4 Dead 2 Much

2011-12-20T16:11:00Z

The main focus of my review is that Left 4 Dead was one of the greatest Co-op games I will ever play. It was simple, fun, and had zombies. What more can you ask for? Well Left 4 Dead 2 is still an amazing game, as a 95/100 would show but it wasn't as good as the first one.

The new zombies were interesting. They weren't nearly as effective, a Jockey is helpful to move someone away from the group like Smoker does but once the survivor is incapped the Jockey must move to a new target. A Hunter on his pounce will go until shoved or killed and a Smoker can grab and drag someone from a distance. The Spitters were disgusting and awesome but they were very ineffective unless you had another special infected to keep the survivor held on the goo. Boomers were much more potent. The Chargers are the only new specials I completely embraced. They had range like a Smoker and damage and potency of a Hunter.

The Uncommon Infected were also really cool, they didn't change the game too much but gave a fresh idea to the game and something new for me to kill.

The new weapons were also really cool. The Magnum is very ineffective on Easy and Normal because it's power is only needed for Special infected. The new primary guns were nice to see so we weren't all grabbing the same things, we had preferences now. The old Left 4 Dead had a submachine gun and an assault rifle, and the theme repeats. Now we have perks of certain guns and what not, and I loved it.

The melee weapons were my favorite part. A weapon without reloads was something any zombie game needs. The Chainsaw was also interesting to use but annoying against a tank.

The new equipment. Not too favored, I don't need adrenaline to pull hitmans (ditching teammates), though it was nice to use to heal and revive quickly. The things like Boomer Bile were cool but just unnecessary. The laser sights were a really nice addition in contrary to the rest of the new equipment, accuracy is always needed. The incendiary and explosive ammo was cool but the incendiary was unneeded as most infected died before it was helpful. The new ammo was unnecessary and I rarely found it helpful.

The Realism, was a real nice addition to a zombie game, probably one of the best aspects of the new game. Instead of playing a zombie game where body shots work, why not make it feel more like a real apocalypse? Your friends won't respawn midlevel either. Have fun!

A very fun game, that deserves a 95/100 and nothing less.

The Zombiegamer's Left 4 dead 2 review

2011-04-06T03:08:00Z

I have personally finished Every Left 4 dead 2 Campaign and they are all creative, great , and awesome. The zombies in each level look astoundingly real the combat is fulid and never pauses as is the story. The story can be sketchy at times especially when there will be no cutscene to explain how you got where you are , but Valve makes up for that with begining campaingn dialouge. The weapons are very veried in style and they all alter your play style. Also the weapons can be added to by adding laser sights or any assortment of ammos. The in game weapons include the chainsaw, crowbar, kitana, baseball bat, machete, rigby bat, scar rifle, M16, AK47, grenade launcher, hunting rifle, sniper rifle, shotgun, auto-shotgun, and the spas 12. Melee weapons are a big reason why Left 4 dead 2 is better than Left 4 dead. The new addition to the zombie horde are the Jockey a zombie who can jump on you and steer you towards hazars, the spitter a zombie that spits acid on your team, and finally the Charger a zombie who grabs you, runs with you into obstibles, and ultimately kill/incapacitate you. The 4 protaginist are Coach ( the one farthest to the left) who is well a coach. Nick the next one to the right is nick a con man who is not a team player and only cares for himself and his suite. The next to the right is Ellis a country boy mechanic who is inthusiastic but strong and defintely a team player. The only female is Rochell by far my least favorite character dosent do much buts A.I is a compolsive healer so useless but useable. as u can see theamount of on screen zombies is amazing.

Game Over... continue? Left 4 Dead 2

2011-02-05T18:14:00Z

"How to write a Left 4 Dead 2 Review" by Simon. Let’s see.. take my review of Left 4 Dead; add a new cast of characters, an actual cohesive story, the inclusion of melee weapons, and the introduction of some new 'Super Zombies.' Let simmer over five all new chapters and…. Mmmmmmm that’s good Zombie Apocalypse!

Left 4 Dead 2 follows four new survivors as they battle the undead hordes. They are Ellis, Coach, Rochelle, and Nick. The story is much more focused this time around as the group first meet on top of a hotel where there should have been a helicopter rescue in Savannah, Georgia. But as the choppers disappear into the distance without them, the four decide to stick together, a sort of strength in numbers approach. The new goal is to make it to a local mall, where CEDA (Civil Emergency Defense Agency, a not so subtle reference to FEMA and the complete balls up that was the response to Hurricane Katrina), supposedly has another evacuation center. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned.

The new crew, in an ironic twist, must pursue their rescuers. They travel from a carnival theme park, through the dark, dank, and dangerous bayou. Then they must stumble through a torrential downpour, before finally arriving in the 'Big Easy' herself, New Orleans where rescue waits on the far side.

While the first game didn’t really have a story as such, rather more like cliched zombie movie scenarios, L4D2 has a coherent plot that stretches across five chapters. The set ups are still the same (working your way through various safehouses until a last stand where you must survive until rescue arrives), but now there is a narrative connecting them… although it is pretty thin. Still, it’s nice to see progression towards a goal if nothing else.

What really impresses me about the new levels though is the cleverness of the design. ‘Dark Carnival’ takes you through a theme park complete with zombie clowns with squeaky shoes that draw other undead walkers towards him. You can even play a version of 'Whack-a-Mole,' or try your marksmanship in a shooting gallery. It's a good laugh if nothing else. ‘Hard Rain’ takes you through a small town to get to a gas station on the far side so you can get fuel for your boat. Once you get there, you have to turn around and come back and that’s when the deluge starts. As the rain inundates the surrounding things look completely different, making everything you just went through virtually unrecognizable. It’s very smart design, and those are just two examples... there are other ideas in the other levels that I won’t give away here.

The gameplay is pretty much the same with a couple of noticeable additions. The most obvious one is that you can now use melee weapons in combat. Why would you want to risk blood splatter for close quarters combat? Because it’s bloody fun, that’s why! You can still carry a rifle or shotgun as your primary weapon, but if you take a melee weapon it replaces your pistol (the one with infinite ammo that was your back up in the first game). There are lots of options for zombie bashing, everything from crowbars and fire axes to billy clubs, samurai swords, guitars and even frying pans. Again, allowing the zombie menace to get close enough to actually use these weapons is a bit risky, but lopping off undead heads is extremely satisfying. And besides, if you spent much time with the first game, you know you’ll end up getting cornered by seething masses of zombies, so now you have the option to blindly hack your way out!

There are also some new ‘Super Zombies' in L4D2. Along with the Boomer, Hunter, Smoker, Tank, and Witch, you must now face the Spitter, Charger, and Jockey. Spitters will… wait for it… spit acidic goo at your team from distance. This is sort of an "Area of Effect" attack, whereby a swath of ground gets covered. Step into the goo and you get hurt. Oh, and if you do manage to take out a Spitter still be wary, when they go down they dissolve into another hazardous puddle. The Jockey, as his name implies, is a short, quick little bugger that will jump on his victims shoulders and ‘ride’ him away from the group. The Charger will sprint at the survivors at high speed, bowling them all out of the way. But whoever he ‘catches’ in his over-sized fist will be slammed into the ground repeatedly, knocking out large chunks of health, until the rest of the team regain their feet and take him down.

There are a few other additions I’ll mention quickly. The first is the inclusion of the defibrillator. You can now bring back dead teammates immediately rather than waiting for them to respawn in some distant closet. There is also an adrenaline shot you can use instead of pain pills. You get a temporary health boost that diminishes a little quicker than the pills, but it also grants you some extra speed.

Added to the pipe bombs and Molotov cocktails is the new "Boomer Bile" grenade, a flask of nastiness you can chuck at your enemies. Just like when a Boomer pukes on you, nearby zombies will be drawn to whatever the bile touches. Tossing one at an onrushing Tank so the zombies mobbed him instead of me brought a huge smile to my face.

There is no appreciable improvement over the original Left 4 Dead in either the graphics or sound departments. The graphics are still perfectly functional if not all that impressive. The sound work is once again centered on the cries of the undead and the sound cues of the ‘Super Zombies.’ You’d better learn the new ones quick! The Chargers grunting roar or the Jockey’s demonic laugh will soon have you calling out warnings to your teammates. Oh, and stick around in each safe house. The survivors banter back and forth much more this time. Ellis' stories in particular are pretty funny.

Again I must state that I don't play online multiplayer. But of all the great titles that would compete for my time, L4D2 would be at the top the list. I love the idea of playing as the zombies! In addition to the ‘Versus’ and ‘Survival’ modes, there is now a ‘Scavenger’ mode as well where you have to hunt for gas cans to keep generators going (if you play as the humans) or keep them from their task (if you are playing as the zombies).

While it doesn’t take many radical leaps forward, Left 4 Dead 2 is more of the same zombie mayhem you enjoyed so much the first time around with just enough added to make it worth the full price for admission… at least I think so. More of the same, in this case, simply means more zombie killing fun! But with the inclusion of melee weapons and the other additions, it gives you just enough variety to make everything seem fresh again. Once again, it’s best played with a friend. At my house we have played each of these maps over and over again, and this is still the go-to series for late night drunken fun!

Cheers,

Score = 9.5 / 10

P.S. Want to read more of my reviews? Go to Game Over... continue?!

it's not great but it's good

2010-11-23T01:51:00Z

The game is good but not great. In the first one the maps (dead air,deth toll,ect.) did not tie together in the start and end it was just survive, it never showed how you got there or anything. In l4d2 they tie together. After you get out of the mall in dead center you take the car and the naxt map the car is on the highway and can't go any more. After that map when you get in the chopper it crashs in the swamp (where the next map starts) It is more of an online game so if you don't have xbox live than it gets boring after a while. But its a good gam so i say give it a try.

The Apocalypse Done Right

2010-09-30T11:24:00Z

It's the NEW apocalypse. Bring friends.

Where to begin, well, I'll break it up into sections for your own convenience.

Graphics

This section isn't exceptionally important, but some people just HAVE TO HAVE perfect graphical appliances, so here we go.

The graphics being 2009 (OMG 2 years ago!!!!!1!) are just, brilliant. The zombies look like they should, bloodthirsty, sometimes injured, sometimes dead. The gore is especially over-the-top, which most games don't normally take it into account that a Spas-12 can blow a midget-sized hole in someone's chest. This game not only does that, but it also adds the appropriate blood spray, screams, and fully depicted organs/bones.

The guns themselves also look like the perfect weapons of destruction, from the katana to the cricket bat, to the AK-47 and the chrome shotgun. Everything is in order. PERFEEEECT order. All the special effects are also near cinematic in the way they, well, do stuff. Such as a propane tank being shot, a loud bang, a burst of flames and sparks, and a pile of dismembered zombies on the ground spread around a 20 foot radius.

Let's not forget the people you play as! Every single one of them looks like they were ripped out of real life, handed a gun and told to shoot everything that moves. They blink, talk, breathe, gasp around Smokers, yell, yelp, run, jump, climb, walk, limp, and die. All in extremely beautiful fashion.

To summarize graphics, they are better than most games these days such as Homefront.

Gameplay

Valve handles this game like only Valve can, very fashionably and utilitarian. That means both nice to look at and to use.

The HUD (Heads Up Display) shows and tells you everything you need to know. You will always be able to locate teammates in a hurry, gather objectives, and pick up all the little things you find. This is all accomplished through a unique technique Valve uses which puts a colored outline around objectives, items, and players to where you can see them when they go around a corner (the players) or jump through a window.

This also can tell you the current state of the player through a color coated system of outlines for the players ONLY. Say, Nick (one of the players) is in perfect health and he goes around a corner, his outline will show up green, but if he was badly hurt, his outline would be red.

Gameplay includes controls, and they are also very usable and simple. All of the controls are similar to most Valve games, so fans of Valve will feel at home. The only major differences from most games is that reload is B and crouch is LB. But, there is also a handy little feature that allows your player to snap around quickly to face anything behind them.

Sound

Like all Valve games, no sound is left out, from the perfectly timed musical scores when the Horde attacks, to the blasts from a shotgun, everything is quite in check.

This also includes the sounds of the Special Infected, and the plain Infected. The Special Infected each have unique and eerie cries. From the Smoker's excessive coughing, to the Hunter's bloodthirsty cries. The Infected also have their own moans, groans, screams, and their Horde Cry, in which every zombie in the area attacks at once.

Let's not forget the gorey sounds too! When blasted with a shotgun, the infected will give a cry, you'll hear a kind of squishing sound, like melons being crushed and sliced at the same time. You can also hear the sickening thud of a zombie taking a plunge after taking a Desert Eagle to the chest.

The environment also has it's unique sounds, such as dogs barking in urban areas to birds frantically fleeing the area. All of the explosions and bursts of flames and all that are all top notch in the sound book. Every gun has a realistic and militarily correct sound. From the Spas-12 to the Desert Eagle. All is as it should be.

Multiplayer

All right, I had to write this section because alot of trolls out their, all they want is multiplayer, so I'll tell you about it.

The multiplayer is basically this, a team of 4 survivors, hopefully friends because they'll be depending on each other for survival, and a team of 4 Special Infected, fight against each other while the Survivors try to complete whatever objective it is they need to complete.

Now, these objectives are Scavenge, in which the Survivors gather Gas Cans to escape the Infected. Versus, in which the Survivors and the Infected simply combat and try to kill each other while the Survivors attempt to reach the Safe House without dying. Campaign, in which 4 friends simply play the normal campaign together and try not to die. Realism, in which the outline I mentioned earlier is removed, along with most of the HUD, same as Campaign, gameplaywise. And a combination of Realism and Versus, I think you can figure out what that is.

Now, like I said for the Survivors, the controls for the Infected are easy to use and remember, basically the same except the Survivors pick stuff up and the Infected can't and so on. Infected also have largely the same HUD, except no ammo bar or anything, just health, a reticule, and your teammates health.

That about wraps up multiplayer, explore the options and have fun. Now, I gotta get back to the Safe House, like I said, it's the Apocalypse done right.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a Joy Ride.

2010-07-08T21:15:00Z

Story - 8 out of 10
Four people meet up with each other and help each other to survive five (six if you count The Passing DLC) different places. Not much story other than that, but I'll but the general stories of the campains.
Dead Center - The characters just met, judging by the way they talk in the elevator. "What's you're name?" "I'm Ellis". The goal is to get to a mall, to see if CEDA has a evac, but they don't so you have to take this stock car.
Dark Carnival - The road gets cluttered with cars, so your team of four has to get out and walk the way. Coach mentions the carnival that he went to as a kid, so they decide that they'll try to go through it. They find out that a band called Midnight Ryders were supposed to have a concert there and eventually use the stage show as a signal flame for a helicopter.
Swamp Fever - Nick shoots the pilot since he was turning into a zombie. They make their way through a Louisiana swamp town filled with zombies and eventually find a plantation and signal a boat. This campain was my least favorite.
Hard Rain - My favorite campain. The boat that the team was on needs fuel and drops them off. The have to make their way through a sugar mill to a gas station for some fuel and make their way back.
The Parish - The boat drops them off in New Orleans and they try to find some salvation. They hear jets coming over and drop bombs. BEcause of this, they decide to find something to contact them. They find a walkie talkie at the bridge and then haul ass across the bridge to get to the chopper.

Gameplay - 9.5 out of 10
This would have gotten a solid ten if it weren't for the AI. The AI are just plain stupid. If you're trying to get through the sugar mill in Hard Rain without alerting the witches, they'll alert them.
Other then that, the gamplay is simple aim and shoot. Open dooes, fight zombie hordes, pick up other weapons, stratagize for finales.
The melee gameplay in this one was awesome. I rarely carry a pistol for the soul reason of plowing down zombies with a katana.
The chain saw was good, except was unrealistic. I think that it would last longer than that in real life.
One other thing I didn't like was the fact that you stop moving when being attacked. Seriously? I think I would keep on running.
Versus is great, but it's hard to find a good team online. I love being able to pounce on survivors as a hunter or jockey. Spitter is actually quite fun. Boomer is my least favorite only because I'm just not very good as them.
I havn't played much of realism, but I really like the concept of it.
Scavenge is probably my favorite mode. I like how it's kind of like versus, but shorter and such. I'm also a beast at it.
Graphics - 9.75 out of 10
The character models are well detailed and so is the environment. The buildings and vehicles look realistic and the zombies are believeable.
Sound - 10 out of 10
The sound is great. The music isn't annoying and the voice actors did a great job. The game makes you dread hearing the scrrech of a hunter or the burp of a boomer. The music makes everything dramatic. Their aim was to make this game movie-like and they did a very good job.
Entertainment - 9.25 out of 10
I want to play this game right now. I love blasting away zombies with grenade launcers and such!

Overall score: 9.2

Jockeys ruin this game

2010-03-29T06:12:00Z

I thought they could have done such a better job at this. The Jockeys make it not fun to play. What a bad creation. L4D 1 was better.

Should have been a DLC

2010-03-20T15:17:00Z

Left4Dead 2 is an absolutely jaw dropping game; however, it seems to be a bit of an insult for L4D1 players. There weren't many major gameplay changes nor was there much plot change. Based on L4D1, I'd rate L4D2 as a a 6.0. With L4D1 out of the picture, L4D2 would get a 9.50.

Bring it on Zombies-I've got friends

2010-03-19T23:33:00Z

Zombies. Man, they are everywhere. And one of the most important rules is always this: Never go Anywhere Alone!

Thank god this game embraces that philosophy to the extent.

Left 4 Dead 2 provides a phenomenal co-op experience. Playing with your friends, whether in the same room or online, is awesome. If none of your friends are available, the single-player campaign is fun all on its own, thanks to some really efficient AI. New enemy types lead to a delightful variety of ghouls to destroy.

Why the ten?

-perfect co-op experience

-responsive AI

-astounding graphics

-zombie clowns

Through the eyes of a SURVIVOR

2010-03-07T21:19:00Z

Through my eyes i only see L4D2 as another manhunt game its a great game that gives that adrenaline rush in other word every second you want to pull that trigger and not take your eyes off the screen.I have atleast five problems with the game. 1:theres not enough weapons i think they should be a bit creative RIOT SHEILDS maybe machine gun probably maybe a few grenades maybe maybe not a ROCKET LAUNCHER but if what they got is good enough fine with me.2:mobile hospital its what you can say on the NORMAL campaign i watched a first timer play without dying and beat it why NORMAL gameplay is good but i think they should tone down the health there was literally health all over the map maybe on HARD its fine but just think.3:campaign everyone valve needs to fix this the game builds up so fast and ends so quickly in a day or two i think a tleast 2 or 3 more campaigns wouldnt be to much to ask for would it.4:ENIMES one addition to the last problem the tanks mite be the only thing that can really kill you a few more enimes and making them 2x stronger could be good but dont change the elites their pretty much fine.5:ME i get the adrenaline rush fill but im not getting the kills................................in other word the AI are great just a bit to good as said im gameinformer but actually each campaign need to be onger and larger if you agree with any thing i said comment PLEASE if you dont and perfer something else or theres another thing you dont like tell me....................im not saying it sucks or isnt worth it im saying make it more challenging HARDCORE GAMER STYLE maybe any ways comment

Like, Zoinks, Man! Zombies!!!!!

2010-03-03T15:13:00Z

I forget what I expected when I first purchased L4D2. Wondering if the game would not be a clone of the first, I popped in the disc and started the Dark Carnival campaign. I'm wasn't afraid of clowns until December 25, 2009.

L4D2 tried to give a more memorable multiplayer experience by making the controls more fluid and easy to use. The options offered, ithink, did a better job of showcasing Valve's complexity in the game world, which it did very well. With zombie types varied and even more Special zombie classes, you'll never kniow what type of hell awaits you. This time, during Dark Carnival, a zombie type that can't really be classified as special appears--a freaky yet hilarious looking clown zombie. Valve intended to bring the Carnival feel to zombies in a way that worked out relatively well. Like when I first saw the spitter, it looked like a pregnant form of one of the Dukes of Hazard that just cnnibalized someone. Too bad I shot her dead because she was NOT from the Dukes of Hazard, but just a fat zombie. I also got the Acid Reflex acheivment becasue she didn't spit anything before the bullets from my 8-gauge shotgun ended "its life". All in all, I think Valve has earned its spot as the Game That Is Like 28 Days Later Except Better.

too soon...no story

2010-03-01T22:16:00Z

At first I dismissed the cries of fanboys saying it was too soon for a sequel, but with a ton of great games out...I didn't find urgency to play this a whole lot. Perhaps it was because COD MW 2 came out just the week before. Maybe it's because I played the original online a lot and it hadn't been that long since I took a break from it. But I have determined it's too soon.

While they did improve in every way they left one big hole in the middle....the story. Hwta little there is; isn't enough. The first Left 4 Dead was great and pulled off the half absent story well. Four suriviors randomly coming together and all they want to do is get away.

Valve missed an opportunity to evolve the formula and get into the characters or perhaps the story of the outbreak itself.

A Good Game If You Have Friends With You

2010-02-23T04:05:00Z

To be honest, I did not enjoy the first Left 4 Dead. I thought it was half baked and did not even come close to its potential. Simply put, it was not a full game. When they announced Left 4 Dead 2, I was in the camp that believed it was a quick cash grab. A sequel to a successful game that comes out exactly a year after the first just screams cash grab. So I went into playing Left 4 Dead 2 with kind of a bitter taste in my mouth with it.

In short, Left 4 Dead 2 is exactly what Left 4 Dead 2 should have been. While this is true for all sequels, it is especially true for Left 4 Dead. To me, the first game felt like a prototype. A barebones game that kind of felt like an experiment of a new type of game. It was almost as if Valve did not know how the public would react to it and the moment the moment liked it, they expanded upon it.

What makes Left 4 Dead 2 better than the first besides the extra content is the more visceral feel. Zombies now shred apart as you shoot them there's a lot more blood. Melee weapons add a great touch and alter gameplay and strategies.

All five of the campaigns differ greatly. Some are stale and boring while others keep you on the edge of your seat. What makes this game special is the intense moments it provides sometimes. However, these moments are only memorable when you have three other friends by your side. If you plan to play a lone, do not get this game. This game is easily a 7.5/10 by yourself. It is this reason that hurts this game the most.

The best part of the game is easily scavenge mode. It compresses all of the great things about the game in to one mode while eliminating all the extra fluff in between.

Simply put, this is what the first game should have been. If you are looking for a Co-op game to play with friends then look no further. However, if you never play with others or are looking for a good singleplayer game then this is not the game for you.

Almost Perfect.

2010-02-16T03:06:00Z

Any game that i can run around killing zombies with chainsaws and molotovs with my girlfriend, im happy with. Since the first L4D came out, i was in love. No one can get tired of killing endless zombies. Yea, ill admit, i have gotten tired of playing both L4D and L4D2. But come back a week later and it feels like a brand new game. That is one of the best things about this game that rarely any next-gen games have, re playability. Add a variety or weapons and brand new melee weapons and you will be happy. The campaigns are fun, not too long, not too short. With many level difficulties for anyone to have fun playing. Yes, i do play L4D and L4D2 with my girlfriend, and of course shes not the greatest. Ill put it on normal, and she will have fun playing, not too hard for her. While i play on advanced/expert but i still have a blast playing. Its a fun game to play serious with a bunch of friends too. Expert is pretty ridiculous and i don't know many people who can beat it, so there is always a challenge left while playing. Overall, i think Left 4 Dead 2 is one of the top games of all time with great replay and just fun overall.

l4d2

2010-02-14T16:44:00Z

this zombie defying game says hell no to all the other zombie games imagine going into the bowls of hell and coming out alive....just to find out u got another level 2 complete whit more bad-@$$ zombies,they even got zombies in hazmat suits they dont get burned....and then they got the charger mans best friend.....not!

then we got an enoying thing called a jokey or something like that...what he douse its well....(spoilers!).......................................................................he jumps on u and take u 2 spitter goo or pins u on the corner of a door so u dont get 2 cover in the safe house....then we got the hunter! what he douse its well.............................................(last spoiler!)...............................................................he at times waits for u at the safe house then jumps on u and wen u look back 2 look for your teamates they are far far away resulting your death....thas y it tells u stay together 2 survive!