Left 4 Dead 2

It has only been one year, but the squeal to Valve's hit shooter, Left 4 Dead is already available. Should you be happy, furious, or mildly confused? Well if you are a Left 4 Dead fan, the good news is that Left 4 Dead 2 is pretty much better in every way. The new game has 5 brand new and thrilling campaigns, set in the American southeast, a cast of survivors with more personality than the previous lot, and a whole bunch of game play improvements. The real question is, if these refinements are worth the purchase of a new game.

Like the first game, Left 4 Dead 2 is made for fans all things zombie related, and people who like to kill zombies. Valve has made the bloodshed even more entertaining here by making noticeable graphical improvements, from the eerily lifelike way the zombies flail around as they run and stumble after you, to the way they are effected by gunfire. The game is incredibly gory, much more so than the first game.

Each of the new campaigns take place in brighter, more detailed, and more distinct settings than the first game. The Dark Carnival campaign is a standout mostly because of its frantic roller coaster sequence and a defense on a concert stage while rock music blares in the background. But the best part of the concert stage is that you can pick up electric guitars and take a couple swings at the zombies until your anger is completely released.

The games concept at its core is simple, you play as one of four human survivors and you have to fight your way through a horde of zombies to get to the end of the level. You can play by yourself while intelligent bots control the other 3 survivors. This is a far better game because even when you are playing with the bots, it feels like you are with a team of human controlled players.

A number weapon models have been added into the squeal as well, though many of them feel very similar. Really the big added feature is the melee weapons. Chainsaws, machetes, and electric guitars are just a few of the ways to keep the blood flowing, and though these may seem like a goofy, cosmic way of upgrading, they actually have a pretty significant impact on the gameplay. This makes it way easier to clear out any zombies that crowd in on you or a partner.

Also new are three boss type zombies. The Spitter's damaging acid blobs do serious damage over time, the Charger makes life unpleasant to anyone that he may run into, and the Jockey proves to be a general pain by wrestling character control away from which ever survivor he pounces on. To toss into the mix, the original four boss type zombies, which now have new attack combination make strategies harder in versus mode which is going to make fans really love. Also, the sequel comes with two new game types for online play, Scavenge and Realism Mode. Realism Mode makes the game harder than "Impossible Mode" which will require four friends who have military level communication to get through this one alive.

Left 4 dead 2 is a far more feature complete game than the first one and is a much better game overall. If you are sick of Left 4 Dead gameplay, or you just never cared about it to begin with; well this game probably isn't going to change your mind. But if the idea of teaming up to slaughter zombies still makes you excited, pick this game up immediately.