Back in the 2000’s, Valve had a fairly turbulent time bringing Left 4 Dead 2 to market. Launching only a year after the original Left 4 Dead, the general consensus prior to launch is that it should’ve been a DLC pack. However, once players got their hands on Left 4 Dead 2, that all changed. This was more than just a map pack. More than a few new character additions. And 15 years on, it’s still more playable than many modern contemporaries.
In the modern videogames industry, a year is a long time. Games can come and go in a weekend. You often see prices drastically dropping after only a couple of months on sale. Yet at the time of Left 4 Dead 2‘s arrival, the original was still commanding a high price tag. And to this day, pre-owned copies are not as common as you might expect. This unexpected turn of events was and is due to word-of-mouth, from which Left 4 Dead benefited greatly. So much so, that even 15 years on, the series is considered to have birthed an entirely new genre.
4 Players, Lots of Dead
The co-op horde FPS has become a popular subset of the FPS genre as a whole. Many have tried to ape Left 4 Dead‘s success, including the original developers Turtle Rock Studios. Evolve was a game which took the original Left 4 Dead formula and tried to, well, ‘evolve’ it. While the recent Back 4 Blood attempted to recreate it on modern hardware to mediocre results. Ultimately, many believe the Left 4 Dead games are products of their time unable to be replicated without over complication.
Industry politics aside, Left 4 Dead 2 had to work hard to prove it’s worth as a full retail release. Five brand new campaigns, set in the US deep south and prior to the events of the first title. A new multiplayer mode. New Special Infected and the addition of melee weapons. These are the main improvements suggested to provide Left 4 Dead 2 with the required value. These, and the modifications to the “director”, are obviously prerequisite of asking full retail price. That doesn’t necessarily mean that these new additions have been included simply for the sake of it though. Each one has been painstakingly designed to keep the adrenaline pumping, while still being fair to the players in both single-player and when playing with friends.
Old Story, New Dead
The five new campaigns each feature a number of new ideas, most notably the altering routes. Each campaign will play slightly differently on repeated playthroughs, with a number of new routes being carved across each of its four or five chapters. It’s been said that these alterations are intelligent, based upon the team’s actions. Should one survivor constantly be leaving their team behind, they may find their favourite route is now unavailable. While they are certainly a pleasing addition, the possible options are far too limited to be a game-altering scenario.
The Hard Rain campaign features an interesting twist, with players asked to turn back and retread their steps halfway through. However, the increasingly stormy weather has a severe affect on the area, dramatically changing both the environment and the pacing. Each of the campaigns features more enticing replay opportunities than that of the original. Repeated play is a greater incentivised by the varying tactics that will be required for the additional Special Infected.
Valve Gives Us a New Beatstick
Over a dozen additional items were included in Left 4 Dead 2. The greatest attention was lavished upon the melee weapons. A small assortment ranging from fire axes to frying pans is available, and thankfully a mightily impressive chainsaw. Collecting any will replace the option of your back-up pistol. They are, however, extremely powerful, felling even Special Infected with a single blow – except the Tank, of course.
While all of the original Special Infected return, each has undergone slight modification. The Tank appears to be slightly less of a bullet sponge and Witches can now move, often hit by bullet spray as they can easily be mistaken for common infected. Hunters have had their jumping arc altered considerably. It’s now possible to run straight towards them and have them leap over directly over your head; that is, if you’re brave enough. The Boomer now has a female counterpart, who seems to move somewhat quicker but has a shorter range with their projectile vomiting, and players also now have this bile packaged and ready for their own use also.
New Uncommon Infected are specialised to each campaign and have a few unique properties of their own. The CEDA agents can provide mid-horde equipment and the Clowns will attract short trains of common infected, but perhaps the most interesting are the Mudmen. These enemies only do regular damage, but can soak-up bullets with ease. The new Special and Uncommon Infected additions don’t so much as fill a void as compliment the existing line-up. The Jockey is perhaps the most interesting of the newcomers, wrestling most of the control from a player, whilst the Spitter can make the combat zone a lot more dangerous, whether managing to successfully attack before noticed or not.
Left 4 Dead Has Been and Will Always be About Multiplayer
The options for split-screen and online multiplayer campaign events are coupled with both the Versus Mode from the original Left 4 Dead and the Survival Mode offered as DLC for the first game. These are in addition to the all new Scavenge Mode. The new Special Infected certainly add a new level of tactical thinking to the Versus Mode and the Scavenge Mode – which asks players to collect fuel for their getaway vehicle while being attacked by waves of infected, including player-controlled Special Infected.
Survival Mode is somewhat of a disappointment however. Even 15 years on, this mode has yet to be fixed. Frequently glitchy and unresponsive; seemingly lagging out even when playing offline with only computer controlled bots for company. More than simply framerate issues, players will often have made their way past an area, only to find that the game has decided that they should have run into infected enemies, pulled back a few feet and suddenly surrounded.
The added Realism Mode takes away all the added assistance of playing a videogames console. No hints as to the location of items and no feedback relating to player condition. While very far away from the petrifying drama of an Operation Flashpoint game, Left 4 Dead 2’s Realism Mode certainly isn’t for inexperienced players.
At 15 Years Old, Left 4 Dead 2 Plays Great but Looks Tired
Left 4 Dead 2 is a dramatic improvement over its predecessor in visual quality. Not in that of clarity or bodies on-screen perhaps, but in the range of its’ palette and artistic interpretation. The decision to set The Parish Campaign during daylight dramatically alters the presentation and, more importantly, the increased visibility and spatial awareness changes the way you play the game. The aural presentation is also superior to the original, offering a greater depth to the characters whilst simultaneously delivering more of a story. The environmental effects have been improved upon too, dynamically adding to the tension and giving audio clues as to the type of resistance players will momentarily encounter.
That being said, both titles are looking very tired by today’s standards. The strive for realism makes blemishes more visible. Coupled with the fact that environments are sparse to enable to the handling of so many bodies, and you’re left with a game that can’t hide its age. Unlike titles from the era such as El Shaddai or Killer is Dead, the visual design doesn’t translate well into modern times.
Although Left 4 Dead 2 is thoroughly enjoyable, much of the spectacle has been lost. It’s a game that pushed a new genre to the forefront of gaming 15 years ago, and in the opinion of many is yet to be surpassed. However, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t aged. The simplistic set-up and visuals mean that Left 4 Dead 2 is a great game to return to, but won’t hold your attention like it once did. It’s a wonder why it hasn’t been surpassed in the intervening years. Upon replaying today, maybe it’s a question of nostalgia; perhaps Left 4 Dead 2 isn’t the leader of the pack any more. Maybe, our memories are playing tricks on us.
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