Left 4 Dead 2 | a Review
originally published on 13/12/2024;
Hello everyone, I am the twice-risen G.E.M.Simov, a being that has died twice and has been made alive again… Twice! And, as an expert in pairs, I will tell you about Left 4 Dead 2!
Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it.
Gameplay
Left 4 Dead 2 (henceforth L4D2) is the exact same as Left 4 Dead (L4D). It has the same Gameplay and features absolutely everything that L4D already has, while making no improvements upon the formula in question. As a result of that, I will also depend on my L4D review to explain away everything that needs to be explained, and will only speak of the new things in this one.
What L4D2 adds is more content in the form of more special infected, more weapons and more items that can be picked up and used. There are also new game modes and a whole set of new Campaigns with multiple Chapters.
What all of this does is bring some freshness into the gameplay of L4D, but upon realizing that it’s just more of the same, the issue that plagues L4D will appear and start plaguing L4D2 - that being the total lack of reason to play through the Campaigns again, or to continue playing the game in the first place.
Playing through the L4D2 campaigns once is interesting, as the levels devised by the developers are hand-crafted in as loving a manner as those in L4D, but once they have been played through - as they are incredibly linear and revolve around going from point A to B - they become middling sources of entertainment at best.
The new additions - such as the Adrenaline shot, which increases the speed at which actions are performed, or the Defibrillator, which revives a dead Player Character - are interesting, but there is little reason to not pick up a Medkit instead of a Defibrillator, while Pills become almost pointless due to the fact that the Adrenaline shot not only provides some temporary Health (albeit less than the Pills), but it also increases the speed of all actions - including picking incapacitated PCs up.
Weapon-wise, the issues that plagued L4D remain in L4D2 - the incredible number of weapons on offer, with Weapons that are similar to one another in their way of use, makes it difficult to figure out which one might be best through normal gameplay. However, the addition of “laser sights” and special ammo types, there are means of making an otherwise “not viable” gun passable.
Lastly, in regards to weapons, there are now a dozen melee weapons. What is the difference between them? Which ones do more damage, which ones swing faster, do any of them do that or do they not do that - it’s very difficult to tell. The melee weapons replace the pistol with infinite reload capabilities, thus taking away an incredible advantage that the Player has - range - in exchange for more damage and lesser downtime, as one does not need to reload their baseball bat.
Overall, though, these additions are not good enough reasons to play through the game again. In fact, the experience the Player might have with them off of just their first campaign playthrough would be sufficient to inform them that it is not as satisfying as it could have been, and thus guns are the better alternative.
Then we come to the new special infected - out of which one does damage in an area that lingers, like a funky molotov that does not affect the infected, and two incapacitate the PCs. One of them is the Charger, who rushes at the Players and slams into one, stunning the appropriate PC and starting to deal damage over time to it. If the Charger dies, then that stun ends, or if the Charger is pushed away, the stun still ends.
The other stunning special infected is the Jockey. Much like the Hunter, it is small in stature and jumps at the PCs, but unlike the hunter it takes control of the PC and makes them move in random directions, typically in the open embrace of a band of zombies. The way to deal with the Jockey is to either kill it or push it off of the afflicted PC, or for that PC to push or kill the Jockey before it can conclude its jump.
Two more reasons for the Player to stick with the other three Players, two more reasons as to why the Player can’t really show off much skill. Whereas in L4D there were only two such enemies - the Smoker and the Hunter - and both could be dealt with by a skilled enough Player via quick reactions, the addition of the Jockey - who moves far closer to the ground and is, thus, typically a bit under the line of fire, whilst also tending to lunge at the PC from a far closer distance, which lessens the amount of reaction time available - is not good for that, even if it allows for some counterplay.
In the case of the Charger, aside from seeing it from very far away and moving out of the way quickly, typically finding an elevated position, there is no other way of dealing with it by one’s lonesome. That’s further emphasized by the fact that the Charger takes less damage while charging at the Players, thus forcing them into just saving whoever gets hit, rather than preventing a hit entirely.
The damage-dealing enemy - the Spitter - is annoying, due to the fact that it has this measure of zone control, but it is a far less egregious and problematic addition than TWO MORE enemies who take away control from the Player. That puts the number of enemies who do not stop the Player from playing the game from 2, contested by the number of enemies who do stop the Player from playing the game at 3, to a funky 3 to 5. It is important to note that the special approach to dealing with a Witch can be treated as a form of control loss, so this might be a 1.5 and a 2.5.
The additional game modes do provide some extra incentive to be played, but they’re nothing spectacular. Overall, it’s just L4D, but with some extra stuff on top. 2/3
Presentation
It’s, again, like L4D, but it’s a lot brighter, on account of the fact that a lot more stuff occurs during daytime and then things that happen during the night are far better illuminated. The issues with the audio are also addressed and it is a lot quieter than L4D, as a result of which it winds up having no issues aside from the fact that there is no dedicated tutorial.
Still, L4D2 has the greatest improvement in relation to L4D in its Presentation, as a result of which I feel as though a high grade is justified. 3/3
Story
Again, the story is presented in much the same way it is in L4D. However, what L4D2 does is not only make its characters a lot more reactive and talkative about things that they see or things that happen, but also allows for some windows of downtime during which the Characters actually interact.
Those are all the changes that are made, and yet they actually provide some really interesting character dynamics that were otherwise difficult to access or only hinted at in L4D. The Characters are all new - 4 of them, of course - but there is also a Campaign during which the 4 new fellows encounter some of the old Characters, which is really neat.
Overall, though? L4D2 takes the strengths of its predecessor, those being the lively and entertaining Characters, and expands upon them. 2/3
Legendary Point
Does this game get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? While it does greatly improve upon its predecessor, I still find it hard to actually agree with that squeaky little voice in my head that says I should give it the point. The gameplay still grows stale and the reward for going through the increasingly more ruthless difficulties is either very meager or is nonexistent at all.
As a result, I will say that NO, L4D2 does not get the Legendary Point. 0/1
Conclusion
7/10. A far better offering than what preceded it, which is exactly what a sequel ought to be, L4D2 is a game I would be willing to recommend to fans of horde-shooters, though, again, those folks would have definitely played it already. For most other players of games, however, I would still find myself hard pressed to suggest playing it.
I tuck it under my belt, another achievement of mine that I display proudly, for it is a testament to my will and ability to persevere in the face of ultimate boredom. A jewel of a more middling quality, it is still quite precious.