Left 4 Dead was the most fun I have ever had playing a co-op game. There, I said it. Yes, I realize that saying “most fun” is a hyperbolized statement that people often say when they don’t really mean it, but I do. Part of it was trying to survive the zombie apocalypse, which I always thought would be cool, except for the risk of death and the collapse of civilization. The other was the emphasis that L4D puts on teamwork. Gameplay is fast and frenetic, and you had to watch your teammates’ backs as much as your own. Want to charge ahead and leave your group in the dust? Prepare to have your throat ripped out by a Hunter, with your only hope being that same team that you just didn’t wait for.

Although there were only four different campaigns, the game had great replay value thanks to the “A.I Director,” which dictates when and where hordes of zombies and items show up, and to what extent. Sometimes, the Director will provide the survivors with an extra health pack or set of pills. Most of the time, he will be less benevolent, and do things like put the gigantic Tank in the safe house. Either way, the campaigns are rarely the same twice, and these dynamic changes really lend themselves to repeated playthroughs. 

If it seems like I am going awfully in depth about L4D, there is a reason: L4D2 is follows the original’s formula very closely. Four survivors play through five campaigns, with an escape at the end of each one. The A.I director returns, and is as much of a bitch as he always is. The gameplay mechanics are identical. In fact, many whiny fanboys were angry that L4D2 was coming out so quickly after the original was released, believing that they were merely getting an expansion pack that did not warrant the full price tag of a sequel, and to their credit, they had a good argument…for about five minutes. Once you actually play the game, you will quickly discover that Valve took all the best aspects of the original and added a bunch of new content that is fitting for a true sequel.

Analyzing the gameplay is pointless, because the title retains all the tight controls and intuitive mechanics of the first. Veterans of the series will be able to jump right in and ruin zombies immediately, but the fuzzy nostalgia pretty much ends here. There are quite a few significant changes that help separate the sequel from a complete rehash of the original.

The most noticeable change is the new weapons available, specifically the melee weapons. Players can choose between their reliable pistol, or a melee weapon with a tendency to decapitate the zombified enemies. From swords to frying pans, these melee weapons are pretty fun to use, and offer some good diversity to slaughtering infected (I am running out of different ways to say “zombie”). However, these weapons require their handlers to get in close to use them, which can put these characters in their allies’ line of fire. In my experience, these weapons are better used as a backup plan when surrounded rather than a primary offensive tool, but it’s nice to have the option regardless.

Other new items include defibrillators, which revive dead teammates, and adrenaline shots, which allow the survivors to run faster and perform actions (like healing) more quickly. All of these new features really add another layer of strategy to the game, as players now have a choice of what to pick up instead of simply restocking.

I worried that the new infected would throw off the balance and eliminate their effectiveness, but for the most part, this was not an issue. Although they take a little while to become accustomed to, these new infected fit right in, primarily due to them each having distinct designs and attacks. For example, the surprisingly durable Jockeys latch on to a survivor’s back and eliminate motor function, while Chargers barrel through and snatch the unlucky victim away from the group. All this translates to a more hectic environment, and the survivors have to constantly be aware of these new angles that they can be attacked from.

The graphics are much improved, with specific attention given to the zombie models. They look much more detailed and frightening, and their entrails fly across the screen at an amusing frequency. The setting, which takes place in the South, also adds a lot to the level design. Instead of the survivors running from generic city to generic airport to generic hospital, pretty much every location in L4D2 benefits from the flavor and originality that a coherent and unique backdrop can provide. With the exception of a level with a rainstorm that slowed my game down to a crawl and made some sequences unplayable (which is a pretty big deal), the title looks great from start to finish.

As a final testament to the belief that L4D2 is a worthy sequel, I just spend 700 words talking about the additional features, and I have really only scratched the surface. I haven’t even touched on the more involved escape sequences, or the entertaining new cast. Sure, there are times when the title stalls a bit due to the “been here, done that” formula of the levels, and the game can tend to get frustrating when the Director decides to dilute the levels with unnecessary amounts of special infected, but these minor flaws don’t do much to hinder the experience. L4D2 is another must own for fans of co-op gaming, and well worth its full price tag.

 4 out of 5 stars