Left 4 Dead 2 Review for Xbox 360

     "Smoker's on me- WAIT! Hunter is ripping my face off... awww Boomer got me... Would you guys hurry up and save me?!"
     "Yea, we're coming. I'll throw a molotov to get the zombies off of you."
     "No, DON- awwww... Well, isn't that nice.... I'm on fire now... Great... Wait, Is that a Spitter?"
     *Spitter spits acid on the incapacitated survivor*
     "Now I'm on fire AND I'm bleeding out in a puddle of acid... See you guys..."
     *Survivor dies*
     "Not on my watch!"
     *Revives dead survivor with defibrillator*
     "WHY WOULD YOU BRING ME BACK!?"
     *Charger grabs revived survivor and runs off of a 5 story building, killing the survivor... again...*

     Sorry, I felt like writing a skit and sharing a personal experience at the same time. Left 4 Dead 2 has arrived and I sure am glad it got here in one piece what with all the petitions and complaints against it. A lot of people felt like this game was a rip-off when it was first announced. They hated the characters, they hated the daytime cycles, and they felt that anything new was stuff that should be coming out in small little packages of DLC for Left 4 Dead. If you ask me, it's just a bunch of whining from gaming snobs that are, for once, being paid attention to, getting results from requests and then saying it's not enough. Well I'll tell ya, it certainly IS enough.
     L4D2 is essentially the same as the first but with everything upgraded and improved upon. There are five new campaigns to go through this time around and they all have their own distinctions from one another. In one map, you'll have to deal with a zombie infested swamp, in another you need to work your way through a mall to get to a car on display, fill it with gas, and catch a ride outta town. My favorite was the Hard Rain campaign. There was always something different going on in that campaign and you always found yourself dealing with something different in every chapter. I'd like to say as little as possible so as not to spoil it's awesomeness but I thought it was a creative idea with VERY convincing effects. All of the campaigns felt like a good amount of thought went into them to make sure not a single one was just a throw-away or felt like filler just to make a longer game.
     Another thing that makes the campaigns and other modes more interesting are the inclusion of new "uncommon infected". When Valve made L4D, they didn't like how people would sit in a corner in a high-tensity situation and just kill everything without taking any damage at all so all of these newcomers were made with the thought of dispersion in mind. The Jockey will jump it's target and guide you around like he's riding a horse, dealing consistent damage at the same time. The Charger, my favorite, accelerates to a shocking speed, and rams everyone in his path, sending them into the air and in different directions. If he hits someone while charging, he'll grab them and run away with them. The only thing that'll stop him at that point is a wall, and when he reaches that wall, he will use the survivor as a cushion and proceed to pummel them into the ground until they die. He's a pretty intimidating guy and I ALWAYS get shocked when attacked by him. Finally, the Spitter will shoot out a projectile of acid which will, in turn, create a large puddle where it lands. If you ever get caught in those acid puddles, I think you'll find that they do A LOT of damage too. One last thing, when you kill the Spitter, she also leaves behind a small patch of acid to further damage you. All of the new infected work very well with the Hunter, Boomer, and Smoker and there's a lot to like and hate about each one. Definitely look forward to using them in versus and scavenge as well. They're simply a blast.
     Yes, I did mention another new thing. There is now a mode called Scavenge. You play in two teams of four, like versus, a human team and an infected team. The humans are tasked to gather cans of gas to fill a generator and the infected need to prevent that from happening. The humans lose if they run out of time or if they all become incapacitated. You're given one minute and twenty seconds to collect gas with every can you turn in netting you another twenty seconds on the clock. If the clock hits zero, you can stop the game from ending if you have a can in your possession, but should you drop it before turning it in, you lose. The infected lose the round if the humans collect and turn in sixteen cans successfully. Each round consists of both teams taking a turn as the infected and human sides and the winner is decided by whoever collected the most cans in that round. If the same amount was collected, the team who gathered it the fastest is the winner. This mode takes teamwork. Don't just walk into a game and expect to be the MVP or neglect your teammates, that's a sure way to lose. Scavenge is about keeping an open mind to suggestions, working together, and communication, even more so than what you would normally encounter in the game. It's also a place where strategy can REALLY be applied and greatly add to your chances of winning.
     There are also a few more new inclusions to the game such as new support items, weapons and one last new mode. In addition to med packs and pills, there is adrenaline, deployable ammo caches, and defibrillators. Defibrillators will revived deceased survivors, ammo caches can be deployed to supply the team with incendiary and explosive rounds, and adrenaline will make all of your actions, except reloading, noticeably faster. There are now melee weapons in the game and they're life-savers. The end up taking the place of what always used to be reserved for your pistols and I'd say you should go for the exchange. Since there's now a limit of how often you can push zombies away from you, the limitless use of the melee weapons will make dealing with surrounding swarms of zombies that much quicker and easier. And also, if you are incapacitated, it still gives you a pistol to use specifically for when that happens, so no worries if you do trade your pistol for something more melee oriented. There are new guns but I haven't found them differ from what's already offered aside from aesthetics. There is a grenade launcher, but I haven't found it incredibly helpful. Finally, there's also the Realism mode that modifies the difficulties for the campaigns to make them even more challenging. The game will not point out weapons, healing items, partners, zombies, etc. You're left to keep track of eachother and search out helpful items yourself. Zombies also have more health so the only real effective way to kill them is with headshots. Yeah, it's a little hard, heheh...
     All in all, Left 4 Dead 2 isn't a radical change from what we had last year but they didn't just cut and paste elements into the game either. There's plenty to get excited about and play. I've been playing L4D for a long time and this was just the kind of refresher I needed. All the improvements you could want without ditching what made the game great in the first place.

Is It Fun?

     If you never liked the first Left 4 Dead, you most likely won't care for this one either. I also wouldn't recommend it for anyone who's looking for a good game to play by themselves. This is very much a multiplayer-cooperative affair. Otherwise, there's tons of fun to be had. If you're looking for a game that'll bring you closer to friends, create memories that last a lifetime, and give you tons of hilarious situations to talk about and reflect upon, this is the game you're looking for. And if you liked the first one, definitely give this one a try. I think there's a bit here for you to sink your teeth into.

Do I Get My Money's Worth?

     If you haven't played the first one, it most DEFINITELY is. Stop reading this and go get it right now. If you played the first one, try to see if you can get this for somewhere in the $40-$50 range. I think it's still worth the $60 but it'd be much sweeter for a cheaper price.
     I played the first game from when it released to the release of Left 4 Dead 2. It was addictive and rewarding, a total and complete pleasure to play. After playing L4D2, I don't know if I could ever go back to the first one. I'm just as addicted now as I was then and I see myself playing this game for a long time to come. I could play Scavenge alone for ages. Add in all the other modes and things to do, the re-playability of this game is limitless. It's worth the cash for sure.