|
I Just Wanted A Few Zombies...So Many Zombies!
Looking out across the mall's atrium as the elevator descends, the sea of infected writhe with unholy aggression around the stock car you plan to escape in. In your hands are an AK-47 and a frying pan. The elevator dings, its infected killing time. So begins the final stage of the first chapter of Valve's Left 4 Dead 2, the sequel to the wildly popular Left 4 Dead.
In L4D2, as it is lovingly known among players, I once again found myself trying to escape the hordes of rabid infected people. The monsters are similar with returning faces of the bile spewing Boomer, pouncing Hunter, constricting Smoker, crying Witch, and thundering Tank. However, the new special infected of L4D2 make tactics a bit different. No longer can you back in an enclosed area and fend off the horde with the likes of the AOE spitting Spitter, or counting on a straight away kill-zone with the Charger, and dealing with the Jockey who jumps on a survivor and runs him into danger. These new special infected make game-play more interesting as well as a fun vs experience. Another change is the previously easily avoided and immobile Witch now roams the levels during the daytime. In addition to new special infected there are four what was termed as “uncommon” infected. These are level specific and have abilities that make them more powerful than the common infected, but not as powerful as a special infected. An example of one is the Hazmat suited infected's immunity to fire, which has the potential to negate the common tactic of killing hordes with fire. Valve's addition of these different infected enhanced game-play immensely.
The overall motif of L4D2 is improved from the original as well. In L4D there was no unifying factor in the different movies (aka missions) until the Crash Course DLC came out. This isn't the case in L4D2. The beginning movie leads directly into the second and so until you reach the final movie that ends in escape. I found this exciting, far more so than the randomness of the original L4D. Another interesting feature were the easter eggs that wrapped the original L4D into the second, specifically maps and notes chronicling the infection spread across the USA. Each movie is unique as well ranging from fighting through a building to, navigating a swamp, or a carnival. A side note: infected clowns are a helluva a lot scarier than normal clowns. Also the game takes place in different times of day, which is quite and improvement.
The AI (aptly called the Director), was greatly improved to judge the experience of the players, changing encounters to fit the group specifically. I know from crushing experience the danger of a double Tank encounter right after rounding a corner. Valve also incorporated different scenarios into the encounters and the multi-player. Returning is the Survival mode, where the players survive in a fortified location as long as they can, but a new feature is Scavenge. Scavenge is not only incorporated into the movies, but has a fun Live vs mode. Realism mode turns off all the auras around retrievable items and your party, requiring you to pay attention to your surroundings more. My personal favorite Scenarios is a retrieval mission that leads you through sugar cane fields and back with the finale happening where you started, but without replenishing items, ammo or heal packs, and adding a spectacular weather effect. I am intentionally being vague for spoiler purposes.
Combat changed a bit in the game with the addition of melee items. I can remember in the original L4D actually saying at one point “Why can't I pick up that damn frying pan?”. Well Valve fixed that problem, now you can. However you must choose in between a pistol and a melee weapon, some of which include baseball bats and chainsaws. Firearms got some additions as well, some examples being the fast shooting combat shotgun, AK-47, grenade launcher and the magnum pistol. Overall the additions were good, especially the melee weapons.
Left 4 Dead 2 is a fun zombie inspired FPS. If you don't like a FPS game then I wouldn't suggest it, unless you have a love of zombie-like infected humans. I had a great time playing this game, and still do. The achievements are fun to try to get, and the game itself is campy zombie shooting fun. The vs modes makes playing online entertaining. If you enjoy FPS games Buy it, if not Rent it, but definitely give it a try.
|
System: |
Xbox 360
|
|
| Genre: |
First-Person Shooter
|
| Experience: |
Finished Single-Player; Extensive Experience with Multiplayer
|
|
