Most of the gaming I do is single player and I got this with that in mind. In fact, of the six games I bought, I left this one for last because I thought it might not be a very good game for single player, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's a nicely done, run and gun linear shooter with some very well designed environments that help to keep it interesting. It has a few environmental puzzles (such as having to collect cans of gas to fill a generator), but not so many as to be annoying. I don't consider linearity or lack of role playing elements to be a negative for most games.
The point of the game is to get from safe house to safe house through zombie infested environments. If you die, you need to restart from the safe house which is also a resupply point. You play with four other characters, played by bots in the single player mode, who can revive you if you are down or heal you if you are low on health. You can revive and heal them as well. The bot AI is not bad. You will spot a couple of annoying quirks, but nothing that ruins the enjoyment (and they will often rescue you even against pretty steep odds).
This version includes additional campaigns, so it's a relatively long game by today's standards and I consider the variety of settings to be a strong plus. Weapons are typical (pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, etc), but there are a number of melee weapons (including a guitar). There are also several types of grenades (pipe bombs, Molotovs, and bile bombs) with clever and useful characteristics. You can carry one or two pistols (endless ammo for these) and one larger weapon, plus one grenade. THere are occasional ammo resupply points as well as health kits, pills, and "adrenaline shots" to keep you alive. There are also a occasional special weapons: grenade launchers, belt fed machine guns, and stationary guns that you can man.
Bad guys consist mainly of basic run-of-the-mill zombies which attack in stampeding waves, but there are a few specials which are a bit more powerful and can strike from further away. The king of the bad guys is the "tank" which smacks you around and is hard to kill.
This game doesn't really have saves. You always begin in one of the safe houses and they are apparently all unlocked from the very start. While I played the game through in sequence, you wouldn't need to do it that way.
There are four difficulty levels. I played the single player mode on the "advanced" difficulty which is the second hardest. I was able to get to most safe houses on the first or second try, but there were a few tough parts that I had to play repeatedly for a couple days before I got through them. The toughest one for me was the Plantation. If you pick a difficulty level where you don't get killed at all, the game will obviously seem shorter than my experience.
If you are into mindless post apocalyptic zombie action, moody settings, and frantic action, this is a great game. I also liked Killing Floor, in both single and multiplayer modes. I only played L4D2 on line once and it was fun, so I am sure I will be playing it on line again (at least for the achievements).
I didn't have any technical problems and it ran smoothly on my system which is not high end by today's standards. I have a 3MHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB memory, and dual Nvidia GTS8800 512 video cards (SLI linked).
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Funnest multiplayer zombie game - with many different modes
I bought this game for just $7.50 on Steam. This game is worth everything single penny! It's extremely fun, very team-based, graphics are fairly good, campaigns are of much variety, and the game is a great platform for add-ons. The left 4 dead 2 community is also an active and for the most part, a very nice group.Onto some highlights (feel free to jump around):Campaigns are of much variety and actually takes somewhere between 30 min to 1.5 hours to finish all the missions in a campaign.Here's just a quick overview of the campaigns, but do feel free to skip down if you don't feel like reading this portion:Dead Center - This campaign is extremely fun and is actually my favorite. Wonderful planning and creation of a fictional mall. The opening mission is gripping, filled with fire, windows and ledges that call of much caution, and a nice introduction to left 4 dead 2. As you make your progress through the campaign, you'll notice little fine details throughout the mall, providing that environment and vibe that you are in a zombie Apocalypse. Well done campaign here.Dark Carnival - Things take a turn and darkness has starting to settle into this game. This too is a very solid campaign with nice details and environments. As you make your way through the town and into the carnival, you'll notice all the characteristics you'd find in a carnival - games, bumper cars, roller coasters (one mission requires you to walk on the roller coaster), merry go rounds, ticket boxes, shooting games, etc. etc. This was a joy to play through. You'll end up at the concert, which is majestic and well designed. Hit the lights!Hard Rain - Now things are starting to get interesting. As the gang makes their way South, they encounter a hazardous factor - rain. This was the most challenging campaign for me because of 1) the rain 2) the ridiculous engulfing storm 3) and nature of the campaign. Here, you start off near the dock, but you will find out soon that you will making a round trip back. Ingenious idea because as you move forward, you will need to choose wisely which items you want to take with you or conserve as you make your trip back.Swamp Fever - Also a very detailed campaign and set of maps. Not as flashy or nice to look at as the other campaigns, but you will feel engrossed in the swampy, gritty, dark environment. The wooden bridges, swamps, trees, huts and houses, all added a unique experience. The first few levels are located in swampy regions. The last level is one of my favorite finales, requiring the survivors to ward of zombies, special infected, and tanks on a plantation. The mansion that you will fight in is, to put it simply, epic.The Parish - The last campaign in l4d2 ends in a bang. The maps are filled with many details that are reminiscent of the South, namely New Orleans. Of course, it's not a complete adaptation though. There's a great variety in the campaigns, with open and closed spaces, top ground and underground, and a fun journey across the south. I especially like the detail and design of the cemetery and bridge. The last level is an epic adrenaline (pun not intended) -pumping race through a bridge. Cars, zombies, tanks, everything alike are swarming in this narrow space, as you make your way to rescue. The plot does seem imply that there might be a left 4 dead 3. Yes, one can wish!As for items, the items and weapons in this game are very fun to use. After you get the hang of how to use the pipe bomb, bile, Molotov, med pack, pills, adrenaline shot, there soon is a clear advantage of knowing when and how to use it. If you communicate well with your teammates and use the items properly, it is a very satisfying gaming experience.Now, we can't forget about the many different melee weapons. Here are some of the melee weapons: cricket bat, chainsaw (oh yes), ninja sword, bat, crowbar (half life reference much?), fire axe, and several more.The voice acting in left 4 dead 2 is superb. I found myself constantly laughing at Ellis's and Coach's dialogue. Rochelle and Nick's dialogue are also solid too. This just adds to an already fun game.Aside from single player and multiplayer campaign, there are also other modes like versus, realism versus and campaign, scavenge, survival, and mutation. Versus is essentially 4 vs 4 online game play, in which teams take turns either being survivors trying to finish the campaign, or special infected trying to prevent their campaign completion. Scavenge is extremely fun and can get competive, as teams take turns trying to fill up the most gas cans. Survival tests how long you can last (timed) against zombies and special infected. The different modes in this game provide for much variety and replay value.Overall, a very complete and finely detailed game that provides fun, exciting, thrilling, and many hours of zombie-slashing enjoyment. The teamwork and multiplayer strength of this game is remarkable and a testimonial to Valve's continued dominance and excellence in multiplayer games. Highly recommended game!
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Amazon Customer
Its a good game i reccomend it
Reviewed in Canada on October 4, 2016Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Not usable
Reviewed in Canada on July 28, 2023Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase
Average BookWorm
zombie game
Reviewed in Canada on November 5, 2013Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase
