As many of you well know, killing zombies never gets old and in this year’s apocalypse, Left 4 Dead 2 plunges you right into the centre of the zombie madness with some cool new features and an all new campaign. However, does the game retain its gory charm of putting a hole in the head like its predecessor?

A rapidly mutating zombie virus may not be the most original way of setting the scenario in a zombie apocalypse but it certainly does its job well in Left 4 Dead 2 and bolsters the horrific story by picking up where its predecessor left off. Hordes of infected flourish in the desolate streets and devour any unfortunate victims they encounter and their numbers are strengthening whilst the epidemic spreads across the far reaches to the Southern States of America. Now that the Government is powerless against this viral outbreak, and since evacuation is no longer an option, the few survivors left must make use of what resources they can get hold of and fight back against the army of the undead. 

 

Something you should be aware with before you begin your survival adventure is that Nowhere is Safe! There are plenty of those memorable moments where you think you have cleared the area and then you suddenly jump out of your chair when you get ambushed. The game’s 5 impressive campaigns will take you through a variety of environments such creepy swamps in the South and the typical urban city streets, all of them teaming with Zombies. As a whole, the blood splattered terrain looks very detailed and present you with a very real environment throughout. There is also an element of strategy involved if you decide to position yourself in a location where it is harder for the zombies to reach you but you can still maximise your firepower. Zombies come in a variety of shapes and forms and some of the larger and more powerful  breeds such as the “Chargers” or the small fast ones which jump on to your face if they get close enough will require a bit more skill to get round. Rarely will you find a peaceful moment in the game and that is why the story never fails to keep the momentum going. The new cast of characters bring added depth to the story as they are a more lively bunch than in the original and more satisfying to play with. You need a few laughs when attempting to survive a zombie outbreak and that’s exactly what they bring to the table.

Now to the important part - Weapons. Your standard equipment includes a primary and secondary and a light and maneuverable side-arm for a last resort.There is a good range of assault rifles and SMGs which are good for those hard to reach enemies but going in with a good old shotgun is probably the best way forward, particularly for the tougher heavy-weightzombies. You can also pick up other useful items that you find lying around such as medical supplies or even use defibrillators to revive fallen allies or survivors.. More top your delight, there are plenty of melee weapons such as baseball bats, the infamous chainsaw and even frying pans to decapitate the undead with. Although the melee choice is a more risky option for getting in close-quarters with the zombies and that it replaces you secondary weapon, it is by far the most rewarding way to kill them.

Realism mode adds to the range in difficulty in the original story by simply removing. Its a bit like veteran/hardcore on Call of Duty where you HUD is limited. It also turns your ally indicators of so you don’t know where they are, reduces the number of helpful items available and makes zombies more powerful. Other modes include Scavenger where you take turn based action to try and retrieve as many fuel tanks as you can in the time limit.

Online play is a dominant feature of Left 4 Dead 2 and there are lots of high intensityteam based cooperative and competitive online based games that are thoroughly enjoyable to play. Real humans vs AI zombies will test your true apocalyptic survival skills. 

Although there is more variation in levels and level design than its predecessor, its only downside is that there’s no enough of it and most of the levels are fairly short. Similarly to Call of Duty, it is the online play which is the main highlight of the game. Regardless if you’re playing online or not, either way will offer you a brutal and satisfying test of survival. Although its not the best sequel it certainly continues the adrenaline rush of the original very well. This is one apocalypse you shouldn’t miss out on.

+ Lots of great new levels

+ Developed melee combat gives greater dimension to gameplay.

+ Characters have more personality

- Levels are over quickly

- A few framerate issues

8.5/10

By Ian Ratledge Posted Monday, December 21st, 2009 10:29 pm