Left 4 Dead 2

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3585 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,880 out of 3585
  2. Mixed: 495 out of 3585
  3. Negative: 210 out of 3585

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  1. KingArthurIIIIIH
    Mar 26, 2010
    10
    Holey shit this is a long comment but i agree with it ------------->Left 4 Dead 2 is absolutely amazing. While the first one finally made zombie games actually scary (the zombies look even scarier now), was a good first-person shooter, and the best co-op game of the whole year, the second one takes all of those from before and greatly expands upon it. It adds a much larger slew of weapons Holey shit this is a long comment but i agree with it ------------->Left 4 Dead 2 is absolutely amazing. While the first one finally made zombie games actually scary (the zombies look even scarier now), was a good first-person shooter, and the best co-op game of the whole year, the second one takes all of those from before and greatly expands upon it. It adds a much larger slew of weapons and equipment, which serves to mix things up a bit and makes things more fresh, particularly with the addition of melee weapons. It makes all new Campaigns that have MUCH more originality and difference that in the first game, makes Crescendos actually interesting (it frequently isn't just "hold out for 2 minutes" anymore)... The finales are all pretty interesting, too. In Dead Center, you have to fuel up a car with gas cans that are scattered all around the area on different floors to escape. In The Parish, you actually have to run across a bridge and get to the end to survive. All of these things serve the purpose of making Left 4 Dead less repetitive, and it sure as heck does. Additionally, there is the introduction of three new Special Infected, which all serve their different purposes; with the Spitter, it's putting the nail in the coffin on the all-too-common and all-too-effective strategy of "stacking" that was abused in L4D1. WIth the Charger, it's scattering a group of players and leaving them all vulnerable while also running off with one Survivor. With the Jockey, you are given complete control over where a Survivor goes, and thus you can scatter them from their group very effectively, even to the point of making them hang onto a ledge. Versus is even more fresh at this point, and suddenly, being a Hunter isn't super common and boring. Scavenge is a great new addition to the online multiplayer, which, while making your time as one team (Survivor or Infected) less annoying, also serves to make the game a whole heck of a lot less frustrating playing online. With Versus it's pretty serious business, with Scavenge it's just a short, nice game. Realism Mode really isn't a new mode at all, more just a new setting. It can be applied to any difficulty, and it makes Witches always instantly kill, makes bodyshots far less effective to the point of you wondering how this is "realism", and worst of all, removes all player glows, even when someone is puked on/pounced. It serves to make teamwork extremely vital and it makes you go for headshots as if it's Counter-Strike or something. While I do not particularly enjoy this mode, and I doubt many people do, it does bring up a new challenge to do, especially with the "The Real Deal" achievement. Speaking of achievements, the achievements in Left 4 Dead 2 are fantastic. Just like the original, they are extremely varied, most of them being fun, and you never have to go too far out of your way to get them. It also only has one repeat achievement from the first game, that being to beat all Campaigns on Expert, as it would be absurd not to include that. The achievements are weighted in such a way that they are mostly for Campaign play, but almost all of those can also be earned in Versus as well if you feel you are up to it. There are a few achievements for the new Scavenge mode that are fun to strive for, and while you can earn any Infected achievement in either Scavenge or Versus, there are some that are easier to earn in Versus and some that are easier to earn in Scavenge. There is a measly one achievement in Survival, which, while some might consider it a shame, I personally do not as it was not a very popular game type in the first place and is very unsatisfying in general. Thankfully, there is only one achievement for Realism, but good luck getting it, as it requires you to survive a Campaign on Expert with Realism mode enabled. Truly an achievement that takes much effort, showing that there is a good blend of achievements; from easy to insanely hard. In terms of the characters, Ellis has a ton of lines that most all quite humorous and entertaining. Nick's lines makes him the only believable character yet in the series. Coach is supposed to be some kind of leader and encourager but he frequently ends up coming off as just annoying. Rochelle is just a complainer who makes really lame jokes and she screams really, really annoyingly when she's incapacitated. So overall, I liked the Survivors better in the first, but Ellis is, without a doubt, a hilarious edition to the series, bringing up much of the comic relief in Left 4 Dead 2. Back on to Infected, it is even more fun now to play Infected, as it is more varied as to what you will be, and you can make a much bigger influence than before. In the first game, if a team was extremely good at sticking together, the worst thing you could send them was a Boomer, and even that proved quite ineffective frequently. Now, you can deal with Stackers and people who are good at grouping with the Spitter or Charger, which are both very much welcome additions to the game, as well as a blast to play, although the Charger can be extremely difficult to play. Another small edition to the game was "Uncommon Infected", which are basically Common Infected that have around 1/10 or so of a chance of spawning in the place of a Common Infected. They possess special abilities that are not terribly game-breaking, but once again, serve to make the game more fresh. There are Infected CEDA Agents/Hazmat Infected, which are fire-resistant and occasionally drop Bile Bombs, Clowns, which alert other Common Infected with their squeaky shoes, effectively creating miniature hordes, Mudmen, extremely dexterous, fast, and sneaky Infected that slightly obscure your screen with mud upon each hit, Worker Infected, which are tougher than Common Infected and are not attracted to Pipe Bombs, and Riot Cops, which are wearing bullet-proof kevlar, meaning that you have to shoot them in the back to actually kill them (yes, even headshots don't work, which is ridiculous). As far as bad things go, there are not, in my opinion, many problems with Left 4 Dead 2. There are, of course, many minor glitches that can really make you mad at the game, as L4D2 was clearly rushed. Don't get me wrong, it's rushed, but it still seems to be a very complete game. Another thing that is extremely annoying is that the Tank is probably only half as scary as it used to be; they're really slow, and on Expert, the only thing scary about them is their concrete throw, which still proves to be quite annoying. In Versus, it is extremely easy to backpedal a Tank even at yellow health without it catching up, and you can circle-strafe to a lot of effectiveness even at red health. While playing the Boomer, it is obvious that you can now not vomit through, for instance, Common Infected; which is just plain annoying and a pointless nerf. Also, something that is not really a negative but just something I will say; Valve really should work on their first-person animations. I'm sorry but when you're flying through the air after being punched by a Tank and your hands just plain disappear, that's just lazy and I think that showing a lot of different first-person animations serves to make the flow and integration of the game much better. AKA, Valve, please take lessons from Dice because they made Mirror's Edge and that game was absolutely fantastic at that. While I said before that the zombies look more scary now, the Tank is completely the opposite if you ask me. Sure they're not a whole heck of a lot different, but now they have... shiny abs? What the crap? So yes, the Tank is now less scary gameplay wise and appearance wise, which is kind of sad because they really used to just be plain scary. Another annoying thing that is similar is Witches. The Witches are just plain slow at responding now and you can kill them really easily due to them having a reaction time that was increased by probably a full second. This may not sound like much, but when it comes to first-person shooters, it is. Especially disappointing is the "Wandering Witches", which are supposed to be more easily disturbed but instead are actually even easier to avoid and react even slower despite the fact that they stand up. But besides a few little things, Left 4 Dead 2 overall is a fantastic game that is perfect for co-op with your friends off or online, playing against/with random people, and shooting zombies. Buy it, it's seriously amazing.… Expand
  2. mattg.
    Mar 26, 2010
    6
    IF I were an online/coop kind of player I probably would give this game a 10. BUT, I am not. The story, AI interaction, scenes and general game play are excellent, but for single player action it's over in a hurry and there is absolutely nothing to make you want to come back and go at it again. I am a hugeb RE fan, but this game falls completely flat when it comes to re-playability. IF I were an online/coop kind of player I probably would give this game a 10. BUT, I am not. The story, AI interaction, scenes and general game play are excellent, but for single player action it's over in a hurry and there is absolutely nothing to make you want to come back and go at it again. I am a hugeb RE fan, but this game falls completely flat when it comes to re-playability. Love the characters, love the game itself, but PLEASE make this game on equal par with the single player in mind. (Hint for LFD3).… Expand
  3. AlS
    Mar 23, 2010
    9
    This is one of the greatest games that has come out to date. The game-play possibilities are endless. Things rarely happen twice. With all the different modes 5 in all the game-play is very fun and nearly endless. One of the modes "Realism" can be set to the difficulty by the player. This makes some of the levels a REAL challenge to complete. As the same in the first game I am glad that This is one of the greatest games that has come out to date. The game-play possibilities are endless. Things rarely happen twice. With all the different modes 5 in all the game-play is very fun and nearly endless. One of the modes "Realism" can be set to the difficulty by the player. This makes some of the levels a REAL challenge to complete. As the same in the first game I am glad that there is no radar, because in a zombie Apocalypse you will have no clue where or when a zombie will start beating on you. With the graphics on full sometimes at night some of the images are blurry. This game is easily better than CoD:MW2 just because the game-play is WAY better and there are less hackers in the game, which makes it better for everyone. A definite need in any gamers collection.… Expand
  4. Cyph3rPunk
    Mar 22, 2010
    8
    While this is an amazing game, there are WAY too many problems with it to warrant a 10. Charger hit detection is way off (due to how the Source engine processes hits), jockey is a fail class, only useful against scrubs, and (unfortunately) the community, just to name a few things. To those who say this should have been DLC: 5 completely new maps, new weapons, all new voice acting, new AI While this is an amazing game, there are WAY too many problems with it to warrant a 10. Charger hit detection is way off (due to how the Source engine processes hits), jockey is a fail class, only useful against scrubs, and (unfortunately) the community, just to name a few things. To those who say this should have been DLC: 5 completely new maps, new weapons, all new voice acting, new AI Director, and new ammo types/throwables. What more could you want in a new game? Everyone buys Dat Madden every year with only minor upgrades and roster changes, but nobody bitches about that.… Expand
  5. ThatGuy
    Mar 21, 2010
    7
    L4D2 is a fun and different game. The coop feels good and rewarding, but there is something wrong. I don't know what it is, but the first one was better. The first game had a feel to it, it felt more different. I know that this one has more weapons, more special infected and more levels. But the first game was just better. Overall it's a good game, but if you have played the L4D2 is a fun and different game. The coop feels good and rewarding, but there is something wrong. I don't know what it is, but the first one was better. The first game had a feel to it, it felt more different. I know that this one has more weapons, more special infected and more levels. But the first game was just better. Overall it's a good game, but if you have played the first, you may be dissapointed.… Expand
  6. MichaelR.
    Mar 20, 2010
    3
    Okay, before the fanboys get angry with me, read the whole review. A)Director 2.0 - The "new" director isn't very new at all. I'm sure many people remember the "Crash Course" campaign for L4D. Remember how it had the "sort of the l4d2 director" functioning? That's because the L4D1 director and the L4D2 director are exactly the same besides the fact that there's a few Okay, before the fanboys get angry with me, read the whole review. A)Director 2.0 - The "new" director isn't very new at all. I'm sure many people remember the "Crash Course" campaign for L4D. Remember how it had the "sort of the l4d2 director" functioning? That's because the L4D1 director and the L4D2 director are exactly the same besides the fact that there's a few new items and weapons in L4D2. They guaranteed "random" item and gun positioning in L4D2 and it wasn't implemented correctly. The guns still appear in the same places nearly every time, just like L4D1. No improvement, barely any change. B) "New Zombies!" - L4D2 introduced 3 new special infected. The Spitter is really only useful in scavenger to destroy gas cans unless someone is already being beaten by another infected in campaign. The Jockey is a useful little guy on certain maps...and a total waste of space on others. His forte is dragging people off ledges, really. On about 9/10 of the maps there is no ledges to catch a survivor alone on. Then there's the Charger, he's a terrible terrible implementation of the "hallways aren't safe anymore" idea. The point of the charger as far as the commentary says was to scatter the survivors or hurt them if they're in a hallway. You cannot turn (Even Slightly) while charging, so unless they ARE in a hallway your chances of hitting more than one survivor are low. And if they ARE in a hallway they don't scatter anywhere. Charger does much lower damage than he needs to make him useful as he tends to die before he can slam a survivor once or twice into the ground. The only time Chargers are really useful is near cliffs and ledges, when there is only one or two survivors left or in situations like the Parish bridge finale when survivors don't want to go back for the teammate. C) "New Weapons" - L4D2 introduced a few new weapons to the just about complete set of L4D1. Melee weapons - Everyone says that melee weapons really changed the L4D gameplay, I disagree. It's not often you see people using melee weapons to attack special infected. Common infected die easily to begin with so I don't see the melee weapons being all that useful once you have an automatic weapon or a semi-auto shotgun. Aim for the head, people. Grenade Launcher - Friendly fire, friendly fire, friendly fire! The grenade launcher was made to loosen up hordes of common infected and make special infected stumble around and die. The broken thing about this weapon is the fact that special infected often don't die from one indirect hit from this weapon, the person using this weapon tends to hit his teammates around twenty more times than everyone else, and the person using this weapon tends to be an easy special infected target due to hunters, jockeys, smokers, and chargers being able to get in close and force them to switch to melee/pistol. Bile Bomb - "Throw this to attract the horde away from you, even onto a tank!" The problem is the only time anyone will use this is if there's a horde coming and they want to just run away from it. The only usefulness of the bile bomb is distraction, and in versus it's a waste to carry. Defibrillator - Over a medpack the chances someone takes one are around 30%. When someone takes one they usually happen to be the Rambo style person who runs at the hordes with a baseball bat out and they die, leaving the rest of the team to fend for themselves until they reach the body. All in all, medpack is better. New ammos - Make special infected stumble or burn. Imbalanced in versus. Thank god they're rare. New primary weapons are pretty much all slight changes to the old primaries. Pump shotgun(2, difference is a slight damage difference and chrome has tighter spread), auto shotgun(2, one wide spread, one tight spread I believe), SMGs(2, one is stronger, the other more accurate.), Assault rifle(3..only differences, clip size and one is burst fire, and the AK has higher damage and slower firing speed), sniper rifles(2, military fires faster, hunting reloads faster) D) New AI - Terrible Special infected AI even on expert. Even worse survivor AI, if you're being beaten by a charger an inch away they'll stand there a few seconds then turn slowly and shoot it, then help you up. I was diappointed.… Expand
  7. EricC
    Mar 17, 2010
    7
    First off, let me say that the 8 is calculated by giving the gameplay a solid 9, the graphics 8, and replayability 9. However, the biggest drawback in this game is perhaps the most important thing in multiplayer games, the community. I've seen more ragequitters, more whiners, more assholes who call each other the most shocking things than in any other multiplayer FPS I've ever First off, let me say that the 8 is calculated by giving the gameplay a solid 9, the graphics 8, and replayability 9. However, the biggest drawback in this game is perhaps the most important thing in multiplayer games, the community. I've seen more ragequitters, more whiners, more assholes who call each other the most shocking things than in any other multiplayer FPS I've ever played. This game is not like Counter-Strike, while individual skill play a larger role (don't get me wrong, I love Counter-Strike). This game is all about teamwork. You might be a expert on other FPS's but that doesnt guarantee that you are good in Left 4 Dead 2. The game isn't exactly noob-friendly either as Justblaze already said. What I want to see in this game is more content as well. Yes, there are alot of custom campaigns and maps (more coming all the time) but I can't see anyone playing them in any of the game modes. Bottom line: Buy this game if you intend to play it with friends. It just might be best FPS you can play. But if you play it without any friends, IRL or not, it won't be nearly as fun.… Expand
  8. StevenP
    Mar 16, 2010
    6
    Left 4 Dead 2 did not live up to the original zombie killing game. Even though Valve went through a lot of trouble adding all the new features, and don't get me wrong, I love the new stuff, but I just love the original better. The new band of survivors do not give you the sense that they are in a zombie apocalypse. In fact, they give you the sense that they love it which kills the Left 4 Dead 2 did not live up to the original zombie killing game. Even though Valve went through a lot of trouble adding all the new features, and don't get me wrong, I love the new stuff, but I just love the original better. The new band of survivors do not give you the sense that they are in a zombie apocalypse. In fact, they give you the sense that they love it which kills the little fear that L4D provides. The hillbilly versions of the original themes are cool and I like them, but L4D's night campaigns will always, in my opinion, be better then the day campaigns in L4D2.… Expand
  9. Professor
    Mar 16, 2010
    9
    Yeah, ok, the game is not perfect and its just too reminiscent of the first game - but it's NOT bad, in fact - it's absolutely GREAT. L4D2 (as L4D did) combines simplicity, teamwork, and of course - the sheer pleasure of killing hundreds of rabid people. To answer some things people have complained about: Why isn't there a radar? Why can't they just highlight my Yeah, ok, the game is not perfect and its just too reminiscent of the first game - but it's NOT bad, in fact - it's absolutely GREAT. L4D2 (as L4D did) combines simplicity, teamwork, and of course - the sheer pleasure of killing hundreds of rabid people. To answer some things people have complained about: Why isn't there a radar? Why can't they just highlight my teammates? Well, first of all - the game (as I see it) was made to be realistic. Do normal people carry a radar (or for that matter have access to one?) and also - it's not hard to discern your teammates from zombies, they do highlight them when you mouse over them as friendly AND as I have mentioned before - the game is supposed to be realistic, giving a radar or always highlighting your teammates just makes the game less ... well - real.. and would definitely dumb the game down if such was done. Then theres, "omg friendly fire is soooo bad." Well, let's be real. if you get shot in normal mode it isn't so bad - but as the difficulty is raised, it only makes sense that you and your teammates would be better players and AVOID shooting each other, with the addition that greater damage = better deterrent for shooting each other. This also promotes better teamwork which is crucial as you go up in difficulty level. If you're complaining that friendly fire sucks - get better teammates or shoot better maybe? The realism in this game may be too much for most people - the water slowing you down makes sense (have you ever trudged through water and mud before? It's not a fast paced activity) - though I completely agree to when the water is just up to the ankles, it shouldn't be a tough walk (If Valve wanted to be more realistic, they'd have people slip, but people would cry and whine about that being lame as usual). To reflect upon the weapon damage though, I totally agree that the guns do less damage than melee - and it's unrealistic that melee should be that great in comparison to a gun (not everyone has superhuman strength after all) - and I agree that that needs to be adjusted. Other negatives are that even if you do play on expert - the original game is too short and that I suppose the pvp makes up for it... though I'd rather see more story too. All in all, L4D2 is a great game - there are different difficulty settings for a reason. Need a stress reliever? Play on easy and go berserk. Want to play with others without screaming about friendly fire? Play on normal. Got a good team of friends and want a challenge? Then advanced and expert is for you. The difficulty scale actually makes sense in this game - so heed it well. If you're crying about how other people suck - well then you're probably unlucky with team match-up (i've had a couple of those before, don't feel like it's a reason to hate on the game). I mean, yes it's not that different from the first - but it's solid, it's good, it's definitely a keeper. I'm not a fanboy/girl whatever you want to call it of this game, but I feel like people aren't taking this game for what it is (like Quentin Tarentino films). It's NOT COD, it's NOT Borderlands - it's a totally different game from those - so give it a try before turning it away based on what other people have said because it's worth a shot (zing!).… Expand
  10. WalterG.
    Feb 23, 2010
    8
    This game is pretty much a love/hate game becouse its a sequel of a great game, but with some changed properties. I didnt buy L4D and thats maybe why i like this game. Graphics are very good but some animations doesnt seem right, like zombies' punches are pretty slow. I think the reason why they didnt put a RADAR was becouse a RADAR makes it so much easier for rushers. I agree with This game is pretty much a love/hate game becouse its a sequel of a great game, but with some changed properties. I didnt buy L4D and thats maybe why i like this game. Graphics are very good but some animations doesnt seem right, like zombies' punches are pretty slow. I think the reason why they didnt put a RADAR was becouse a RADAR makes it so much easier for rushers. I agree with Onslaught that there is a awful damage output on firearms, compered to melee weapons. The add-on feature is great but you need to download much to play them. Two things i absolutely hate about this game is the bots and the servers etc.. I got clawed and killed by a witch and my bots are just standing aside or grabbing ammo. The server selection is not that good. You cant choose which game you'll enter so that is very hard to return to the same server. Also, I always find myself alone against 4 other players on versus. Or then my ping is 300 or more. But becouse i fixed those problems by replacing my wireless connection with a cable and editing some of my internet-settings, it wont lower my score. Great gameplay with new special infected and good effects and campaigns. Some things like finding defibrillator in a hotel or in the swamps and fuealtanks in a mall seems unrealistic. So why i gave 8/10 was great graphics, gameplay, features and level design. Some downsides are few animations, unrealistical item placements and stupid bots… Expand
  11. FranciscoJ.
    Feb 23, 2010
    10
    Para mí este juego es una auténtica pasada, grandes características que lo combierten en uno de los mejores lanzamientos del año. Sin duda alguna la forma más divertida de matar zombis sin sufrir malas consecuencias! Muy manejable y facil de jugar además de un gran modo online!
  12. GuillaumeL.
    Feb 21, 2010
    10
    This game, and the one before, was the answer to all my desire as a gamer and zombie fan. The teamworks required make the game even more interesting. You can't be a good player and win everytime alone, you need to be a good TEAM player, and that's what I like. It's also the game I've heard the more '' Sorry'' for all the friendly fires. The This game, and the one before, was the answer to all my desire as a gamer and zombie fan. The teamworks required make the game even more interesting. You can't be a good player and win everytime alone, you need to be a good TEAM player, and that's what I like. It's also the game I've heard the more '' Sorry'' for all the friendly fires. The difficulty level of the Expert Realism mode is simply fantastic, being a challenge every time you play it, not matter how good you are... and if it's became boring to you, please friend me, I need you haha.… Expand
  13. FetzL
    Feb 19, 2010
    1
    Certainly NOT worth the $50 they are asking for. Basically we get 5 campaigns which were not as atmospheric and indulging as the originals, an overhyped AI Director 2.0 (dynamic pathing? - oh lol I'll just seal up this door please take the other one 3 feet ahead instead, dynamic weather? -More or less the same storm at the same spot everytime in Hard Rain, not to mention AI in Certainly NOT worth the $50 they are asking for. Basically we get 5 campaigns which were not as atmospheric and indulging as the originals, an overhyped AI Director 2.0 (dynamic pathing? - oh lol I'll just seal up this door please take the other one 3 feet ahead instead, dynamic weather? -More or less the same storm at the same spot everytime in Hard Rain, not to mention AI in general is WORSE than ever!) and new bland and boring characters. Props to them for getting rid of some gameplay exploits and bugs from the first game (still unfixed BTW) by introducing new special infected to counter corner camping (which were based on community ideas intended for L4D1), weapons balancing (how about changing a few variables to make the hunting rifle in the first game viable just like in L4D2? And nerfing the autoshotgun?), more weapon varieties, and the new (a bit overdone) gore system. L4D could have been a great game many would still be playing 4 years down the road if Valve had built on it instead of making this "sequel". Now I'm not saying L4D2 should be free. I'm saying it should have been an expansion pack for L4D1, $30 at most. So to conclude, I highly recommend AGAINST buying L4D2 at full price, get it during the inevitable half-off sales at $25, or $7.50 in the month before the release of L4D3 should it come this November.… Expand
  14. F.D
    Feb 18, 2010
    0
    Although I vastly enjoyed the first Left 4 Dead I find myself unable to get into Left 4 Dead 2, both critic and user reviews are high so I thought it would be a fun online to pick up but after playing it I asked myself the question what different is there between Left 4 Dead 1 and Left 4 Dead 2 that couldn't have been added in DLC or patches? Very disappointed, the missions feel Although I vastly enjoyed the first Left 4 Dead I find myself unable to get into Left 4 Dead 2, both critic and user reviews are high so I thought it would be a fun online to pick up but after playing it I asked myself the question what different is there between Left 4 Dead 1 and Left 4 Dead 2 that couldn't have been added in DLC or patches? Very disappointed, the missions feel hollow and characters uninteresting. Although they added a few nice things the experience as a whole is lacking, felt more like a cheap attempt to make $$ and ditch their first project. Some people might enjoy this game, but I hated it.… Expand
  15. KyleH
    Feb 16, 2010
    10
    By far one of the best games I have ever played. I have read some of the negative comments and I think it is really absurd. They are treating this game way too realistically. In fact, I have never really cared for the small stuff to begin with because I was trying to survive throughout the game. Frankly speaking, you just don't have the time to be looking at small details. The main By far one of the best games I have ever played. I have read some of the negative comments and I think it is really absurd. They are treating this game way too realistically. In fact, I have never really cared for the small stuff to begin with because I was trying to survive throughout the game. Frankly speaking, you just don't have the time to be looking at small details. The main reason why I give this game a 10 is because of co-op. Team work is extremely crucial if you want to survive and beat the campaign. It took me almost 100 hours to beat all the campaigns on expert. Yeah I suck, but I had a great time. If you really want to feel a sense of accomplishment don't play the game on lower difficulty, play it on expert! It just takes away the fun if you play on easy, normal or advanced. In my opinion the re playability of this game is great.… Expand
  16. SP
    Feb 15, 2010
    0
    I was a huge fan of the first left 4 dead, though the campaign mode got stale fast. I found myself playing versus mode and 400 hours later I was playing versus mode competetively in scrims and matches. I was excited about the l4d2 release and bought it pretty early on expecting to move into competetive play in it as well. The game turned out to be absolutely terrible in comparison to the I was a huge fan of the first left 4 dead, though the campaign mode got stale fast. I found myself playing versus mode and 400 hours later I was playing versus mode competetively in scrims and matches. I was excited about the l4d2 release and bought it pretty early on expecting to move into competetive play in it as well. The game turned out to be absolutely terrible in comparison to the first. The aiming is much more clunky, and the weapons take up half of the screen. The maps are far too open and chokepoints are very limited and not often seen. This turns out not to matter though because the game removed all forms of skill to appeal to new players. In the first one the main ideas of the game in versus mode were based on co-ordinated infected attacks at chokepoints, quad-caps/ 3-1's, survivor skill, tankplay, and an understanding of maps and spawns. In l4d2 versus gameplay can be summed up in basically one word, luck. In the first game infected attacks required insane amounts of co-ordination to successfully pull off against a survivor team that was good. Everything had to be synced perfectly or the attack would get destroyed, going in off count or without other teammates would end in failure. In l4d2 you could sync an attack perfectly, aim a deathcharge out a window on a smoked target, then fly right through the target and out the window to your death; while the other team might completely fail their attack, have their charger miss completely and you think you can move forwards when suddenly, the charger grabs you (who cares that you are 20 feet away?) and you both fly out the window to your deaths. Why? Because that charger player is a pretty lucky guy. Spit spreads are almost entirely random, sometimes one person will get a puddle while another gets a lake and downs an entire team. Hunters have the potential to instantly repounce you after deadstops because the game thinks it is funny when the hunter pounces while still doing its stumbling animation. Smokers tongues can break on nothing (that happened in l4d as well but not nearly as often) or can pull you even after you've crossed a corner to a point where you think there is no possible way the tongue could still have hold of you. Boomer explosions sometimes don't hit people directly next to them, and other times will get people 20 feet away. Basically all infected play amounts to is how lucky you or your team are. You could execute something perfectly only to have it not work at all becausethe game decides it's just not your day, or you could have an awfully planned attack that wipes the other team because of random bs. On the survivor side things have really gotten rather lame. In l4d being a good survivor team required you to stay close, be able to deadstop and skeet hunters, and have a very good understanding of chokepoints and attacks as well as keeping in mind what spawns the team you were playing against had up so you'd know when to expect a quad. It could be really adrenaline packed when you knew a quad was coming in, tension is building, and you're ghosting waiting for it. It was extremely fulfilling to be the one who hit the deadstop or skeet to prevent it. You had to work with your team to push forwards past chokes after stopping attacks and to fight tanks. In l4d2, you no longer need to have decent aim. You see hunters maybe every 2 spawns and the game has much less of a focus on skeets and deadstops, and a much larger focus on clearing stationary targets. The aim and timing required in the first game are replaced with just a basic awareness and being able to click rapidly at something that isn't moving. Batting chargers is largely useless for anything other than showmanship considering it is much easier to just shoot them to death. Quads are no longer any worry and tanks are slower while molotovs spread insanely fast. Most competetive games come down to which team gets off a lucky charge as opposed to which is actually the stronger team. The game as a whole is rage-inducing and the lack of a need for strategy or co-ordination or aim is what makes it so horrible in my opinion. It is the only valve title iv'e actually regretted buying. Also the scoring system sucks.… Expand
  17. KristjanO
    Feb 15, 2010
    7
    Whoever starts telling me i don't know how to play the game etc. Sorry i do , played L4D from the release competitive style. Anyway ... This game lacks the feeling for the original , while the extra content , new maps and everything are good , it wasn't worth the price of a full title. Valve promised almost everything in L4D2 that they will add it to L4D1 , but no , they made a Whoever starts telling me i don't know how to play the game etc. Sorry i do , played L4D from the release competitive style. Anyway ... This game lacks the feeling for the original , while the extra content , new maps and everything are good , it wasn't worth the price of a full title. Valve promised almost everything in L4D2 that they will add it to L4D1 , but no , they made a new game to make money ... The new characters feel lifeless and you don't want to play them except for Ellis , Nick and maybe even coach. The special infected addons are nice , but they couldev have added them to the first! Spitter and Jockey wouldev suited the first game very nicely , but the Charger ... This is a noobs toy. Would you start for example .. Hard rain? Pick up your stuff before the Diner , all of a sudden charged into instant death. Instant death spot at the beginning of the campaign... FAIL. Same goes to Dead Center and The Parish. Don't start saying these can be avoided , ofcourse they can be , but if this was your VERY FIRST impression , what would you think? Charger = Waste and for noobs. Anyway to sum this all up , if i play Left 4 Dead , i enjoy it , since its way harder to kill survivors with only 2 hunters , 1 smoker and a boomer or 3 hunters and a smoker or 4 hunters , instead of the lame ammount of Instant death or near death spots in the 2nd game. Playing Left 4 Dead 2 frustrates me unlike no tomorrow .. until i finally decided to Uninstall that piece of crap. Only reason this is getting 7 points , is the new content.… Expand
  18. AllanH
    Feb 15, 2010
    10
    Guys. You do not find a better game. Left 4 Dead 2 is the funniest, most challenge(on expert), etc. It's the best game ever.. Run through a campaign making team-work is good. Read the other good ones.. Well, it's just a MUST BUY!
  19. GuntherB
    Feb 10, 2010
    9
    Its still a little buggy on most computers and there are issues with non-gaming laptops, even with sufficient specs. But overall, its a very great game to come from a formerly great game.
  20. Anti-RageQuit
    Feb 10, 2010
    10
    The only reason these kids are giving it a bad review is cuz this game isnt noob friendly. these are the kids that join the servers run away from the team get pounced by a hunter and die. This is what a true fps is suppose to be like. Its all about teamwork and fast reaction time. If you gave it a 1-7 its because you suck at this game no question about it.
  21. BobD
    Feb 9, 2010
    5
    New zombies, weapons and maps, but the game has lost the 'survival-horror' magic that L4D had. This game isn't suspenseful in the least, and is more of a 'mow down zombies' game than a 'survive from zombies' game. Will still play L4D instead of L4D2, not worth $50.
  22. kinkalor
    Feb 9, 2010
    8
    I was a big fan of L4D 1 and now have L4D2. I have been playing for a while and feel that not as much work was put into L4D2. There are some rough corners, some glitching and lag, where sometimes your shots dont register. Left For Dead 2 also did not seem to have the imagination put into it, the charecters are dull and don't develope. The difficulty of the games has incresed I was a big fan of L4D 1 and now have L4D2. I have been playing for a while and feel that not as much work was put into L4D2. There are some rough corners, some glitching and lag, where sometimes your shots dont register. Left For Dead 2 also did not seem to have the imagination put into it, the charecters are dull and don't develope. The difficulty of the games has incresed suffinciently. Although Left 4 dead 2 has several flaws, the setting is cool!… Expand
  23. JG
    Feb 9, 2010
    10
    Controls get some taking used to, but memorable characters (especially Ellis) and plenty of fun against hordes of Infected make this game great. After 5 minutes of the Demo I was begging for more. Give me a Katana and an Assault Rifle and I will be laughing like a maniac as heads and limbs go rolling.
  24. MikeS.
    Feb 9, 2010
    0
    i bought both L4D's and was not happy. Valve said "Oh this new stuff is too big to put in a patch! lets make a new game!" it wasn't that much stuff really... some new guns, new maps/storys and a few new zombies. and oh did i menchen they now only have one witch per story? GG Valve GG. Are you wiping you behinds with our money now? *get's his money back with brown stains on i bought both L4D's and was not happy. Valve said "Oh this new stuff is too big to put in a patch! lets make a new game!" it wasn't that much stuff really... some new guns, new maps/storys and a few new zombies. and oh did i menchen they now only have one witch per story? GG Valve GG. Are you wiping you behinds with our money now? *get's his money back with brown stains on the bills* appernty your are....... they could have patched it in one mega patch like Killing Floor did when they had a FREE expation! But then again the devs for killing floor have a free update/ expation pollicey! so yeah. and i feel even sorryer for the people on the consoles (yes im a PC gamer.) because the xbox 360 people have to PAY there mircosoft points to update! PS3 last i herd that was free, Wii? nintendo would have a heart attack if it wasnt a resident evil game or one of there own and was M on there console as they have become too family friendy it makes me feel like i live with a nabor from 50 years ago... But what can i say? Way to go VALVE for taking more of our hard earned cash and using it as toliet paper! really! I think even the idiots who made the market crash of the great depression could have done better. and thats saying something! Good Fight Valve Good Fight and Good Game! Now if you dont mind im going to have to look at your adds in your games that run on your steam platfourm that is needed to play ANY of your games that wont let me play just about any game offline! even when i installed it VIA CD/DVD like my moderen Warfair 2! well at least i know i wont be buying anymore L4D games even tho im a Die hard Zombie fan since Killing floor is better and CHEAPER! want my advice? save $20-$30 bucks on L4D2 and even L4D1 and get killing floor. Better game + better custom map support did i menchen that you cant use cheats in L4D2 like you can in #1? if u want to it is a pain in the butt to do so! If i could i would drop Valve on it's head for this poor excuse of a game. I swear tho they did a heck of a PR Bliz made me want to buy it! uh sue for false advertisement anyone? more like false statements they actully said in an interview that this was too big to put in a patch! I Say there full of there selfs and want easy money. It was way too short of a time between the games to even say they werent plaining on making a 2nd! i think they planed this from the get go!… Expand
  25. lolseriosuly?
    Feb 7, 2010
    8
    Left 4 Dead 2 is a big improvement over the first, mostly because of the better levels and more powerful, more diverse zombies. There are five levels, all of them are pretty good, although 3 of the 5 are really the best in my opinion, Hard Rain and Swamp Fever are a little mediocre. The new zombies, especially the Charger and the Spitter, make it much easier to break up tight groups of Left 4 Dead 2 is a big improvement over the first, mostly because of the better levels and more powerful, more diverse zombies. There are five levels, all of them are pretty good, although 3 of the 5 are really the best in my opinion, Hard Rain and Swamp Fever are a little mediocre. The new zombies, especially the Charger and the Spitter, make it much easier to break up tight groups of survivors and make more difficult for survivors to bunker up in a corner to fight a wave of zombies. Melee weapons are a great addition, and Valve seems to have learned from the mistakes of the first game by making multiplayer more balanced and devoid of any annoying exploits. This game makes it seem like Valve was taken a bit by surprise at the competitive, and large, interest in multiplayer in the first game and has planned for it in this game. Valve Official Servers and other sometime Mod servers have all been fun for me. I have actually played on some really fun custom mod servers (more powerful special infected, new gun skins, special infected ghosts can fly or choose type of special infected). All in all I love this game.… Expand
  26. SacroiD
    Feb 6, 2010
    8
    L4D2 adds a lot ofun! There are some bugs that maybe can be pretty annoying. But the addition of new weapons (also melee weapons), new characters, some more special zombies adds a lot of fun to the game compared to the first L4D. The game is linear, but you wont notice that a lot while you are playing because of the zombie hordes you're killing and the expirience it's amazing! L4D2 adds a lot ofun! There are some bugs that maybe can be pretty annoying. But the addition of new weapons (also melee weapons), new characters, some more special zombies adds a lot of fun to the game compared to the first L4D. The game is linear, but you wont notice that a lot while you are playing because of the zombie hordes you're killing and the expirience it's amazing! The Multiplayer has improved (not a lot), you can control the Charger (new special zombie) wich is very fun to control! You can still control the Boomer in the Versus mode, wich I find useless, but this game deserves an 8/10 !… Expand
  27. JessicaS.
    Feb 5, 2010
    10
    This has to be the most amazing game i've ever played, sadly, the campaigns valve created get simple and boring the 100th time through, but a good conquerer for that problem in l4dmaps.com. i love dpwnloading new campaigns and maps to play sround with! it makes the gaming experience a lot more enjoyable!
  28. BenM.
    Feb 4, 2010
    8
    Pretty good game. Strong emphasis on teamwork when playing infected or survivors. Kind of annoying when you get stuck with bad teammates in online play, but thats not the games fault. Only problem is it can be hard to get a survival or scavenge games and even with above the min cpu spec requirements when theres a horde on you it slows. Still they are just minor problems which aren't Pretty good game. Strong emphasis on teamwork when playing infected or survivors. Kind of annoying when you get stuck with bad teammates in online play, but thats not the games fault. Only problem is it can be hard to get a survival or scavenge games and even with above the min cpu spec requirements when theres a horde on you it slows. Still they are just minor problems which aren't really the developers fault. Overall great multiplayer game, even better to LAN with friends if you have some... Its worth a buy, it's a riot. Would buy this over MW2 on the basis on multiplayer. To point out something stupid said on a previous comment by "Onslaught" he is crying about not have a radar? dude seriously, It's a zombie apocalypse.. do you just find radars lying around the streets which will locate zombies? Didn't think so.. and also he cries about friendly fire scaling up as the difficulty increases, then later on says that friendly fire is one of the games good points? WTF I wish parents would stop letting their 12 yr old kids use make use of interwebs... its annoying.… Expand
  29. Justblazed
    Feb 3, 2010
    10
    The only reason these kids are giving it a bad review is cuz this game isnt noob friendly. these are the kids that join the servers run away from the team get pounced by a hunter and die. This is what a true fps is suppose to be like. Its all about teamwork and fast reaction time. If you gave it a 1-7 its because you suck at this game no question about it. Go play a game that is easy like COD.
  30. JoshD.
    Jan 31, 2010
    9
    Left 4 Dead was a great game. Left 4 Dead 2 is even better. The game is perfected beyond the first, and offers a great experience. Many people have issues with servers, but you can fix it in the lobby by selecting "Official Dedicated" instead of "Best Dedicated". The game is very much like the first, however many sequels are that way. The level design (Coming from a level designer), is Left 4 Dead was a great game. Left 4 Dead 2 is even better. The game is perfected beyond the first, and offers a great experience. Many people have issues with servers, but you can fix it in the lobby by selecting "Official Dedicated" instead of "Best Dedicated". The game is very much like the first, however many sequels are that way. The level design (Coming from a level designer), is astounding. Valve has perfected it. The subtle hints that lead you from one area to the next help this game for new people. The new characters, although realistic and you can identify with them, just don't come out as unique as the first's. Another problem I had was the Charger's AI is horrible. The Charger more-often-than-not runs into walls, and little corners, which can get infuriating. The Jockey's however, is great! He hides, and uses his advantage of being short to hide behind small areas. Scavenge is a great addon too, offering a quicker, fast-paced versus mode that does it's job really well. Kudos to Valve for making my heart race as the music gets quicker, as we grab the last can, and attempt to protect our convoy as we are in overtime. The weapons seem too close to the screen, and the Magnum would blow your head off. Again, these are minor nuisances, that can be ignored. The Hunter is somewhat buggy, as I once pounced off a high ledge and landed right on his head, but simply fell off. There aren't as many memories, but over-all, it is a better game. The new DLC should help this game out, and it could either do really well or fail miserably. Overall, I'd give Left 4 Dead a 9.3. I rounded it, so that's why I put it as a 9. This game was one of the best of last year.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best PC Game of 2009
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 2009
3
#3 Most Shared PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 55 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 55
  3. Negative: 0 out of 55
  1. 1UP
    100
    L4D2 delivers multiple improvements over its predecessor, and I get to keep all my fingers and toes.
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  2. IGN
    90
    It remains one of the most distinctive co-operative titles out there, and allows for some of the most nerve-searing team-based multiplayer gaming on the market.
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  3. Eurogamer
    90
    Whereas once we treated Left 4 Dead as a stopgap between Half-Lifes, this is no longer a weird little side project with modest expectations, and Valve is confident enough to play around with it, safe in the knowledge that you can trust your players. Left 4 Dead proved it. And whereas that game had a personality, this one is overflowing with it.
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