Left 4 Dead 2

This game… is awesome.  I loved the first Left 4 Dead game, the sheer insanity of it is so much fun, and only multiplied by how many friends you’re playing with.  I’ve heard a lot of negative comments on L4D2 in gaming forums, about how it’s just going to be the first one with some new weapons, etc.  Well, they were wrong.

Sure it’s the same kind of game, there are thousands of infected “zombies” wanting to kill you, and you try not to die.  I mean, how was that supposed to change?  That is what makes L4D so great in the first place.  It’s a laugh riot while playing, with the occasional “OH MAH GAWD” moments while you’re being torn up by 20 zombies at once and trying to fend them off with a pistol while on your back.

They went ahead and perfected the formula.  More zombies, more weapons, more types of zombies, and some more interesting campaigns.  Fight zombies in a burning hotel? Check.  Fight zombies on a bridge with nowhere to go? Check.

AND THE MELEE WEAPONS, OH SWEET MELEE WEAPONS.

Crowbar, cricket bat, ninja sword, machete, frying pan, guitar, chainsaw, axe, etc.  If you thought shooting zombies was fun, just wait until you’re knockin them around with a frying fan and hearing the “gong” each hit.  It’s hilarious.  Same with the guitar, you can imagine how that sounds.

There is also a new realism mode:

• There isn’t an outline around players behind walls, so you have to stick together much more. Which I like.
• You have to be close to items to “see” them (that outline around them) and to pick them up.
• Infected are much tougher. You can blow both arms off and they’ll still come after you (lol). You pretty much have to blow their head off. Sadly they won’t crawl after you, or seemly come back to “life”. I wish they did.
• Dead players don’t come back unless brought back with the defibrillator. Once you’re dead, you’re dead.
• Seems to be less pipe bombs, etc.
• More witches. Oh god the witches. We ran into 3 in one level.
• I think more zombies. We played a campaign on easy in regular mode and killed about 2000 infected. We played on realism, and it was 4000 infected we killed, and we didn’t kill all of them.

I honestly can’t recommend this game enough.  It’s kinda pricey at $50, but if you have friends (which is the only way to play really) then buy the 4-pack and they come out to $37.50 each.  Which is a great deal.

Everytime you play and survive, there is always a “war story” to tell afterwards and laugh about.