I still do not like what Valve did with the whole L4D thing, but today I gave in and got Left 4 Dead 2.  It took getting it as a gift though and only if it came through STEAM at a discounted rate during this big sale. Yes, I’m that stubborn.  As I expected, L4D2 is what the original should have been. The biggest improvement comes in the number of weapons and the level designs.  It’s great having more options for grenade-like weapons. Melee weapons are also fun and actually useful.  The first few campaigns are still dark and I like how they feel much more open.
The new special zombies are also a welcome addition. Playing in vs. mode as a Spitter or a Jockey (especially a Jockey) has me laughing constantly. There was one match where I was playing a Jockey and grabbed the last guy on the group while the survivors were traversing the roller coaster. I grabbed him and ran him backwards and his friends didn’t even notice. Grabbing people and running them off ledges or into witches or a waiting Boomer gives immense pleasure.
Playing online is a mixed bag. Some games are good (ones played mostly with friends or entirely with friends) but ones with pub’s are… mostly horrible. The community is beginning to resemble DotA. People rage quit like crazy in this game! I went to the forums and was actually shocked to see that it was a wide spread problem and not just one that I am being sensitive to. There’s a very different feel from the TF2 or even MW communities. This can be traced right to the size of the servers and the matchmaking. I don’t like the matching system L4D uses at all. I enabled my console and opened the server list (openserverbrowser) to get around it. That doesn’t stop the problem of seeing 4/4 and 8/8 servers. I saw two that were 20/20 and I want to try them out tomorrow to see how people have managed to expand the player limit.
Overall, the game is an improvement over the first. There is already more content announced where the L4D2 people will meet up and cross paths with the L4D cast. It should be fun as long as I can continue playing with friends and Graev. As soon as the people I know stop playing I probably won’t touch the game.
L4D2 is a good game but it is so much like L4D1 that I couldn’t get over my L4D1 burn out to really play it. I pre-ordered the game and have probably played it for less than 4 hours.
Burnout is the biggest problem with the game. It tries to introduce dynamics into repetitious linear play but ultimately becomes trapped by the limit of its own design. In other words, although each play-through may be different in some way from the previous one it’s always essentially the same thing.
Still fun and even more fun with friends. My favorite part is surviving in those areas where you call in the massive hordes. In the third campaign waiting on the boat inside the mansion was a blast. We ended up having to kite two tanks and only one of us made it to the boat alive just as he was about to die.
I played the original L4D on the Xbox with a friend and it was great. I can’t really see myself playing it on the PC though. It strikes me as a console game that benefits from playing with your buddies in RL in the same room via split-screen.
oh man that mansion was amazing getting tank punchd off the 2nd floor allthe way to the edge of the map an bart svaing me lol of course he said everyman for him self so i ran the other way while he took the middle route an the brunt of the tanks such a blast cant wait to play more with you guys hopfuly later today happy holidays to all be safe have fun
You should have waited, it just became part of Steam’s ‘Today only” sales.
waste of money… this is the kind of game you play for a week and never touch again
It was a gift either way.
I enjoyed the survival mode or whatever it’s called. very satisfactory to try to figure out ways to hold off the zombie horde with other players online.
I think we survived for 12 minutes and change on the freeway ramp/heli pad.
I’m find it really hard to buy L4D2, since in Australia, we can only get a “low violence” version of the game.
Heh, yeah I wouldn’t buy a low violence version of a zombie killing game either. 😉
Oh cool, this is what I’m looking forward to: Custom Map/Mod Tools released today!
Creating survival maps would be a ton of fun.
I like how the Gibberling has replaced the goblin on your banner up there, though it feeds my itch to play Allods again. The 29th will be a good day.
Upon hearing that the new content where it crosses over with L4D came out I became excited and thought “maybe I’ll buy it!” Then I heard it might be paid DLC, so I’ll just sit on my hands and wait some more.
Former boycotter here, I still refuse to touch the game without a MAJOR sale (50% off more or better) to justify it to my eyes.
Stay strong Danath. I’m boycotting the game on principle still even though I’m playing. Ugh, I’m such a hypocrite right now. 😉 It will 100% be paid DLC for console. PC should be free… it’s Valve. If they charge us for PC DLC I’ll flip.
I rather enjoyed the Demo. Playing a Jockey is the best!
My only gripe with the Left4Dead games is I never want to play the survivors. It’s all about the zombies!
Keen if you’re enjoying the L4D coop play, you might want to check out Borderlands. If you haven’t already of course.
Played a tiny bit of Borderlands with Graev. It’s a fun game.
So I played L4D2, I hate it, I hate it so much, it’s filled with so much stupid and blandness it overwhelmes me and fills me with a seething rage. The only good thing I will say is that the melee weapons are damn fun. Everything else is terrible, contrived, and just… oh god just so STUPID. Why do a MILLION ZOMBIES attack me while I try to refuel a car? There is no alarm, nothing happens, they just attack en mass for NO REASON at all, never ending zombie waves are just annoying. Also I am finding a very special plate in my heart to hate the new special infected in all their cheap, team breaking irritating glory. I even got lost, our whole team got lost, and wandered aimlessly wondering where the shit we had to go in one of the levels, that has never happened to me in this kind of game before, I was simply baffled.
To counter-balance the L4D2 haters…
I love L4D2! I originally thought the basis for a boycott was ludicrous and, after playing through the first 2 campaigns alone, I am even more of the opinion that the boycott idea was ridiculous and shortsighted. L4D2 is so much more than any add-on/mission pack could have added to L4D. It truly is a complete sequel and stands solidly on its own. Other than the characters, there is NOTHING that I miss from L4D; L4D2 is a better game! It’s also a subtly different game; it’s definitely more difficult than L4D, and tactics that worked in L4D do not necessarily work in L4D2.
You should also understand that L4D2 is absolutely a MULTI-PLAYER game — you must play it with friends! If you don’t have friends (!) or are otherwise expecting some kind of amazing single-player experience, then yes, you will NOT get it, you will NOT enjoy it, and you WILL quickly get bored with it.