User Reviews

1. Review Date: 2009-11-24

   i like how there is more weapons to choose from this time around. 5 campains instead of 4 . note to anyone who hasnt played these games there not very long but you get a lot of replay value out of them. like replaying the story mode or jus online with other people. only thing i dont like is the characters , the ones from part 1 are better. hope theres a lot of dlc coming out and they wait a while to make a 3rd installment . heres some levels that would be cool if they made them a movie theater,casino, foggy graveyard at night. cemetary level wasnt in cemetary very long .so if u love zombies and shooters like me then you should enjoy the game.
   
   User: shawn gorsuch
   Rating:
   Summary: way better then part 1
   Helpful Votes: 0
   Total Votes: 0
   

2. Review Date: 2009-11-24

   First of all, the gameplay on this game is great, I've gone through all of the campaigns on local multiplayer and have had a blast. That being said, online modes are completely unplayable due to lag. I will shoot a zombie, and the shot won't register for 5 seconds, whenever there are enemies on the screen I will teleport around the stage. Try searching google for "left 4 dead 2 unplayable". Do yourself a favor and buy this game on PC, I wish I had. I'm never pre-ording another valve game again.
   
   User: Devon
   Rating:
   Summary: Unplayable due to lag
   Helpful Votes: 0
   Total Votes: 1
   

3. Review Date: 2009-11-23

   This game is a vast improvement from the first. Many complained that the first installment wasn't worth the $60 price tag and I have to agree. It felt like a beta to this game, something to test it out. This game is very fun and best when playing the Versus Mode.
   
   User: m
   Rating:
   Summary: Huge Improvement From the Original
   Helpful Votes: 1
   Total Votes: 1
   

4. Review Date: 2009-11-23

   I loved L4D and i was hoping this would at least be as good as that. luckily it's even betteer! plus it's way mor challenging with even more modes and difficulties. Playing with your friends or by yourself will be a blast!
   
   User: ninja penguin
   Rating:
   Summary: EVEN BETTER THAN TH FIRST!
   Helpful Votes: 1
   Total Votes: 1
   

5. Review Date: 2009-11-23

   When Left 4 Dead 2 was announced about six months after the first game came out, a lot of people were shocked for a few reasons. It's Valve and Valve is notorious for taking their sweet time releasing quality games, was one reason. And then there was the more important question. Was this a cash grab? Is it merely an expansion pack masquerading as a fully priced game? And now it's released and the answer to the above questions is evident: Left 4 Dead 2 had me at "improved pipe bomb."
   
   But you're not here to listen to me go on about how cool the pipe bomb is and how awesome the changed effects of zombie bodies literally exploding through the air is. At least I hope not. The fact is, after playing through Left 4 Dead 2, the original game feels more like a blueprint. Everything that was in L4D is in the sequel, but the sequel is a completely different beast. I was surprised, when we played through the opening campaign "Dead Centre" just how varied and improved the game was. You begin at the top of a hotel, bringing to mind the small apartment complex that began the first game. Except that this time, there's a whole lot more. You see, the building is on fire, you can create backdrafts through doors, and the entire event feels more context driven than...well, than the entire first game.
   
   Fire will cause impromptu passages, forcing you to discover different ways through the crumbling building. This means sometimes climbing out a window and balancing precariously on a ledge, moving from window to window in your escape. The intensity is further exasperated by the introduction of the special infected. Imagine playing this in Versus as a Jockey, hopping onto one of the survivors and moving them off the edges or being a Spitter and spitting the goo at just the right moment. Moving through the hotel, the fire increases and eventually, smoke will cloud your vision, creating an extremely claustrophic even where zombies charge out of the dense, dark smoke or other zombies, wearing hazmat suits, will simply rush, unharmed, through the flames at you. This diversity continues as you race through the chapters. In the first campaign alone, you will race through a burning hotel, tear through a grocery store in search for cola to bring back to a crazed, holed up hermit so he'll destroy a barricade and eventually reach the climax where you have to locate gas cans (like in the new mode) to gas up a car to escape.
   
   The thing is, that's only the tip of the iceberg. Later campaigns like "Dark Carnival" add a bit of whimsy as you can play some of the carnival games (kudos to Valve for bringing back the Half Life 2 gnome for an achievement), race up and down a roller coaster as zombies chase endless after you, and eventually reach the end which culminates in an inspired ending scenario that's completely different (and a tad whimsical) than anything else in the game. This diversity only continues through the later campaigns as well, with "Hard Rain" being my absolute favorite. In "Hard Rain," as you move through the maps, it starts raining harder and harder. It's by far the most atmospheric and most interesting, since you eventually have to backtrack through the zones, but this time they are flooded and the weather adds a completely different challenge to the map. Additionally, unlike the first game where the campaigns all felt a bit too similar, resulting in my group relying on a couple campaigns we liked the most, each campaign offers so many differences, that I find myself wanting to replay them over and over. With five fully-developed campaigns, there's a lot more content than in the original game. Also, if you're feeling especially masochistic, try turning on the Realism mode which gets rid of the glowy outlines around survivors and ammo, makes infected harder to kill (headshots, please) and gets rid of the spawning closets...
   
   And that doesn't take into account the other features. Of course, there's Versus and Survival Modes like in the original game, but L4D2 also throws in Scavenge. Scavenge essentially is L4D2's version of a capture the flag mode, with the myriad of gas cans being flags. The survivors race around the map, fighting both the infected and the clock, trying to get as many gas cans to start a generator as possible. Meanwhile, the infected obviously try to stop them. What I love about Scavenge is that it's not the time commitment that Versus is. It's a quick best of three or five game that ratchets up the tension and can create some truly inspired situations. My only complaint about this mode is that there's only one per campaign right now. Ditto the Survival mode which doesn't seem to have as many maps as in the original Left 4 Dead. Hopefully Valve rectifies this with DLC.
   
   After you get past the myriad of modes and campaigns, there's still more tiny additions that made me smile. Guns are now strewn across the level and you won't find conveniently placed groups of weapons that contain everything. The guns also have a lot more variety, with a few different options for each type of weapon (I really enjoy the combat shotgun). The newly introduced melee weapons are interesting. In lower difficulties, they are seemingly overpowered; however, as you start to play on expert, I've found their limitations to be too great. Still, a nice additional and some of them are fantastic: taking down a witch with a chainsaw is perfection. The two grenade types return as does vials of Boomer bile. This operates under the same concept as the pipe bomb, except that the undead will race to the impact point and try to destroy whatever's there...like a Tank. Not that they will destroy a Tank, but they do provide some assistance. Then there's the other miscellaneous items, like defibrillators that will bring back dead party members.
   
   And I haven't even talked about the characters and story. I do miss the original gang of archetypical characters; I miss Frank's acerbic comments ("I hate vans...") and the camaraderie they had. But the new gang is also better developed and their banter is fresh and entertaining as they move through the campaigns, which, by the way, feel a lot more connected and there's more story here. So here's the thing. Those who didn't care for Left 4 Dead will probably not be swayed by L4D2 because it offers more of what the first one did. It's not a radically different game, it just feels...more complete. When I blasted through the first game, I wanted more...I felt like I played through a blueprint of a fantastic game. L4D2 delivers on that promise. It's not an expansion, it's a great, new, longer and better game.
   
   Very much recommended for fans of the original.
   
   User: Terry Mesnard
   Rating:
   Summary: You had me at pipe bomb...
   Helpful Votes: 0
   Total Votes: 1
   

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Editorial Reviews

Left 4 Dead 2 is the sequel to the best-selling and critically-acclaimed co-op multiplayer smash from Valve, creators of the Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress and Counter-Strike game properties. With multiple multiplayer options both on and offline, extensive AI custom functionality, four character options, new melee weapons and more, Left 4 Dead 2 promises to become one of 2009's best games on the Xbox 360 platform and set a new benchmark for co-op centric action games. Battle the infected again in the sequel to Valve's original hit. View larger. Superior multiplayer and co-op gameplay. View larger. Utilize a mix of available weaponry. View larger. Story Left 4 Dead 2 is set at roughly the same time as the original – just after the outbreak that turned most of the population into various zombie mutants. Players assume the role of four new "Survivors," each with their own personality and new dialog. The game leads these "Survivors" through the southeastern region of the US - from Savannah, Georgia through the bayou country, and climaxing in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Gameplay Just as with the original Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 is a first-person shooter which pits players against hordes of zombie-like enemies. As you would expect in a scenario where you are regularly surrounded by masses of the undead, it is very good thing to have plenty of help, as well as weapons at your disposal, and Left 4 Dead 2 has players covered on both accounts. The game features several multiplayer options including 2-8 player online and offline (via system link) support in several modes seen in the first game, including Campaign, Versus, and Survival, as well as the new Scavenge Mode. This new multiplayer option tasks players, in the role of survivors to find a limited number of fuel canisters hidden in a level in order to keep their individual generators going, while other players in the role of the infected try to stop them. In addition the game features very strong co-op play support, with 2-player support locally and 2-4 player support online. The game features a wealth of melee weapons and additional items handy for battling enemies up-close and personal. Along with melee weapons seen in the first game, players can look forward to wielding new weapons like axes, chainsaws, frying pans, etc. Firearms are also available, but seeing as zombie fighting usually requires a little elbow grease, melee weapons are the mainstay. In addition, players can carry other useful items, including a variety of throwing weapons and several different kinds of support items, like flashlights to startle enemies and light the way in dark environments and healing items like first aid kit and defibrillator kits. Customize with AI Director 2.0 Introducing the AI Director 2.0, Left 4 Dead 2's dynamic gameplay is taken to the next level by giving the Director the ability to procedurally change weather effects, world objects, and pathways in addition to tailoring the enemy population, effects, and sounds to match the players' performance. The result is a unique game session custom fitted to provide a satisfying and uniquely challenging experience each time the game is played. Key Features Quality Co-op Gameplay - Left 4 Dead 2 features quality next generation co-op action gaming from the makers of Half-life, Portal, Team Fortress and Counter-Strike. AI Director 2.0 - Advanced technology dubbed "The AI Director" drives Left 4 Dead’s unique gameplay – customizing enemy population, effects, and music, based upon the players’ performance. Left 4 Dead 2 features "AI Director 2.0," which expands the Director’s ability to customize level layout, world objects, weather, and lighting to reflect different times of day. New Melee Weapons – Put a whole slew of melee weapons including axes, chainsaws, frying pans and baseball bats to use which allow you to get up close with the zombies. Meet "The Survivors" - The game features four different survivors, a new storyline and new dialog. More Game - On day one, Left 4 Dead 2 features more co-operative campaigns, more campaigns and maps for the versus game modes than the original Left 4 Dead did, plus support for Survival Mode right out of the box. Xbox LIVE Co-op Support - Along with the usual achievement points, Xbox LIVE stats, rankings, and other support drives collaborative play.

Product Details

1. On day one, Left 4 Dead 2 features more co-operative campaigns, more campaigns and maps for the versus game modes than the original Left 4 Dead did, plus support for Survival Mode right out of the box.
2. Left 4 Dead 2 features quality next generation co-op action gaming from the makers of Half-life, Portal, Team Fortress and Counter-Strike.
3. Updated “AI Director 2.0" technology expands players’ ability to customize level layout, world objects, weather, and lighting to reflect different times of day, creating fresh gameplay every time.
4. Put a whole slew of melee weapons including axes, chainsaws, frying pans and baseball bats to use which allow you to get up close with the zombies.
5. The game features four different survivors, a new storyline and new dialog.