Edge arcade: "Left 4 Dead 2" out for blood
Ian Davis
Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: The Edge
"Left 4 Dead 2" hit store shelves yesterday and hasn't failed to please.
The game, made by Valve, came uncharacteristically quickly after the first "Left 4 Dead." Blasted by many and boycotted by many more, "Left 4 Dead 2" proves that it deserves to be its own game.
The biggest change to the game is the setting, now in the deep south of Louisiana. Four new survivors must make their way through dangerous locales infested with regular zombies - called infected in the game - and the Special Infected, warped monstrosities that can do things no regular zombie could ever do.
New faces besides the survivors also show up in "L4D2," in the form of the Spitter, Charger and Jockey. The Spitter does what you would expect, and spits corrosive acid pools all over the levels. The Jockey will jump up onto the survivors' shoulders and try to direct them into a dangerous position. And finally the Charger, a brute in overalls with one giant arm that shoulder checks and smashes survivors against walls.
Also new in "L4D2" are a multitude of fresh weapons. More powerful shotguns, sniper rifles and pistols all show up, and the game is kept at least a little bit interesting by having different models for each gun show up at different places in the game. A new thrown weapon, the "Bile Bomb," is also available, filled with the goop from the inside of the Special Infected called the Boomer, these vials cover zombies in green ooze that attracts the ire of other nearby infected.
Rounding out the new arsenal are things like incendiary ammo kits, laser sights, adrenaline shots for running through hordes and emergency shock paddles to bring dead players back to life.
Changes to the engine itself were also made, and brings new unlife to the game. Zombies now have multiple hit-zones all over their body, and can be blasted, mangled and mauled in a plethora of new ways. Levels are now dynamic, and depending on the skill level of a given group of players, new paths may be opened and others closed to change the difficulty of the game
The game, made by Valve, came uncharacteristically quickly after the first "Left 4 Dead." Blasted by many and boycotted by many more, "Left 4 Dead 2" proves that it deserves to be its own game.
The biggest change to the game is the setting, now in the deep south of Louisiana. Four new survivors must make their way through dangerous locales infested with regular zombies - called infected in the game - and the Special Infected, warped monstrosities that can do things no regular zombie could ever do.
New faces besides the survivors also show up in "L4D2," in the form of the Spitter, Charger and Jockey. The Spitter does what you would expect, and spits corrosive acid pools all over the levels. The Jockey will jump up onto the survivors' shoulders and try to direct them into a dangerous position. And finally the Charger, a brute in overalls with one giant arm that shoulder checks and smashes survivors against walls.
Also new in "L4D2" are a multitude of fresh weapons. More powerful shotguns, sniper rifles and pistols all show up, and the game is kept at least a little bit interesting by having different models for each gun show up at different places in the game. A new thrown weapon, the "Bile Bomb," is also available, filled with the goop from the inside of the Special Infected called the Boomer, these vials cover zombies in green ooze that attracts the ire of other nearby infected.
Rounding out the new arsenal are things like incendiary ammo kits, laser sights, adrenaline shots for running through hordes and emergency shock paddles to bring dead players back to life.
Changes to the engine itself were also made, and brings new unlife to the game. Zombies now have multiple hit-zones all over their body, and can be blasted, mangled and mauled in a plethora of new ways. Levels are now dynamic, and depending on the skill level of a given group of players, new paths may be opened and others closed to change the difficulty of the game
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