After months of punishing the first release of Left 4 Dead… it was high time Francis, Bill, Zoey and Louis (the Survivors) finally got some rest.

With the initial release of Left 4 Dead taking the online gaming world by storm with 4 player co-op, the masses should have been psyched and ready to consume a full new game. But the response wasn’t what Valve had expected…

Despite the predominantly bad reception from fans about the early release, the complaints around L4D2′s release being so near the first game can surely be toned down once actually playing the game, and enjoying its fairly extensive changes and features – I know I was definitely not going to have an issue with another fresh story to play :-))

The new Survivors

This time, Left 4 Dead 2 is set in the Southern United States, starting in Savannah, Georgia and ending in New Orleans, Louisiana. The survivors are Coach, Ellis, Nick and Rochelle.

The game has had many improvements, apart from overall touch up on the game’s design, its clear L4D2 is a far more refined game now. Matured for a market that it has such a tight grip on, the sequel (if there is one) will have to be quite amazing to top the predecessor again.

Weapons, Power ups & Puke

A few new guns and 10 new melee weapons that can now slice and dice those undead critters up, and send them straight back to hell. If the chainsaw and grenade launchers arent enough to float your boat – bottles of bile (Boomer puke), adrenalin shots (alternate to pain pills) and various types of ammunition can be carried around with you instead of a med-pack. The game is full of strange new surprises…

Chargers, Spitters and Jockeys

If you remember how important it was to throw a molotov on a Tank in the first Left 4 Dead, now you can throw a glass canister of bile on a tank, causing the zombies to rush the Tank and damage him, get in his way and generally slow him down to an extent.

Apart from the Tank, there are also new special zombies like the Spitter (which is clearly a cousin of the Boomer) who spits a long range acidic mess that shreds at your health when standing in it… then there’s the Charger (whom appears to somehow be related to a Tank) that charges and then proceeds to slam survivors wildly into the cold hard cement floor… lastly is the Jockey, this annoying little rider will hop aboard a survivor – clinging to the head – and force the player in random dangerous directions. Additionally there are now female Boomers so the males don’t get lonely puking on themselves… its a beautiful romance really…

Mudders, Clowns, Fireproof and Armored Infected

There is also a new category of infected, the uncommon “common” infected which find refuge in each campaign and area you find them. Armored zombies that can only be shot in the back, “Mudders” as they are known – lurk in the water and run on all fours trying to rush you and eat your tastey brains. Fireproof infected that won’t go down in flames and Clowns that attract other zombies with their squeeking clown noses. It’s really a mass of new ideas that have come with L4D2.

Each level and campaign contains plenty of twists and turns that have improved the multiplayer gameplay and player interaction required in L4D2 like never before. The standard game has plenty of extra hours of fun, not to mention the endless rounds of Versus mode that will continue indefinitely (until L4D3 ofcourse! ;)).

Besides the usual modes there are 2 new modes known as Scavenge where the survivors must stay alive till time expires or retrieve all the gas tanks to add on time, and Realism which makes for a truly hardcore gaming experience with death being just that… death.

Graphics - 93%
Audio - 91%
Gameplay - 95%
Design - 88%

Rating - 92%