Left 4 Dead 2 - Xbox 360

One of my favorite games best family time spent

I got this game on release date last year, and it's still the game I look forward to playing most every night even 8 months later. If you have a group of 4 friends, this game is endless amounts of fun. The scenarios that crop up with the AI director and whatnot keep the game fresh even with a limited number of campaigns available. Campaign mode is fun, and the mutations keep things fresh, but versus mode is where the real fun is. The addition of Realism versus mode as a full-time game mode is amazing amounts of fun. Playing this game with a group of friends (assuming you all have mics, and if you don't you shouldn't be buying this game anyway) will lead to more hilarious moments than you can count. It will also be a good indicator of which of your friends will scream like a girl when in a panicky situation, and in this game, there's no shame in that. People complain that this sequel came too fast, but it was worth it. Going back and playing L4D1 now is a drag, things just don't "feel" right. The graphics, while still pretty mediocre, are improved. The exploits are fixed (no more corner camping). The new special infected are the most fun to play with, melee weapons are awesome, and everything just feels so much smoother and all around better. The number of zombies capable of being rendered onscreen also seems to have been largely increased because sometimes there are just massive hoards of zombies with no slowdown whatsoever. The levels are also MUCH better designed this time around, with more noticeably varying sections of each level and some cool deathtraps for when you're playing with the infected. If the haters want to miss out on crazy amounts of fun to defend some silly principle, then that's their prerogative. Personally, I'll choose insane amounts of fun. Their complaints are pretty silly anyway given that with typical DLC prices, even just adding purely the content from L4D2 as DLC for L4D1 would have cost them as much as an entirely new game anyway, and then they would have missed out on all the upgrades to the engine, AI director, new special infected, melee weapons, etc etc. Bottom line is that you'll be hard pressed to find a way to have more fun with a group of 4 friends through the internet than you'll have with this game. There will be hilarious moments, there will be insanely intense moments, and there will be lots of fun being had. My only gripe with the game is that I wish they'd make some of the mutations available in versus mode, rather than restricting many of them to campaign mode.

Released in 2009 this is the sequel and follow up to Left For Dead. Man what a fun game. This is not a single player game, though it does have some single player options, your AI compatriots are WOEFULLY inept and limited in abilities so it is a must to have at least two competent human players to navigate the game's campaigns, zombies and specials successfully on a difficulty of Advanced or the brutal Expert mode. The game really gets fun when you turn up the difficulty to Advanced. Expert is a blast as well, provided you have a solid group of players. Realism mode heaps on another dose of difficulty and struggle to each of L4D2's skill level, Easy, Normal, Advanced & Expert. Co-Op FPS games are in short supply. Most of the COD games are great FPS experiences but they lacks severely in Co-Op mode. L4D2 excels in Co-Op mode where you MUST rely on your teammates for help and progression. All in all this the BEST Co-Op FPS game I have ever played and it makes for a super fun gaming experience with a good group of players or friends. There is lots of replay value here with the On Line mode. The game is a bit buggy here and there and the graphics are by no means up to today's games but it does not even matter due to great characters, game play, maps, zombies, dismemberment, laughs, struggle, guns, specials and did I mention SUPREME FUN?! BUY NOW without hesitation or reservation! Sadly L4D2 on XBox One is not available yet and is a must IMHO. L4D3 is on my bucket list so hopefully that actually happens before I croak... MrBIG951

The nostalgia hit hard with this one! Classic zombie action that takes me right back! Playing with friends is still an absolute blast! Coordinating, saving each other, and surviving the horde never gets old! The graphics and mechanics show their age a bit but the fun and replayability hold up perfectly. A must-have for co-op or couch sessions or even online with friends.

Perfect disc that still works great after years of use.

I pre-ordered this off Amazon and I'm glad I did. When I played the first Left 4 Dead last year, I felt many things were missing. Namely the limited supplies of weapons, the lack of melee, the lack of map sizes, and the lack of various game modes. The thing I loved were the atmosphere, the hilarious characters, and just an overall fun way to co-op with 3 other strangers like you're really in a zombie apocalypse. When Left 4 Dead 2 was originally announced, I was a bit surprised that Valve would do that, but I quickly learned that it's really for the better. With Left 4 Dead 2, you get a new set of characters, multiple weapons, and added modes of plays. The new set of characters are great! When you play campaign mode, you are one of four survivors who somehow managed to be immune to the virus causing people to turn into zombies. It's non-stop hilarity as you make your way through malls, carnivals, rollercosters, love tunnels, swamps, hotels, and many other great things in the south. The interaction between the characters are just hilarious. You'll love it for sure. New weapons make this game great! Aside from guns, you now get melee weapons. So you want to run around with a machete like you're in Dawn of the Dead? You can do that! Do you want to run around with a samurai sword like in some bad kungfu movie? You can do that! Or do you want to run around with a chainsaw going crazy like you're some sort of fanatic last stand where the only thing between you and the almighty is your chainsaw? You can do that! The game has so many different melee weapons that it's hard not to satisfy someone's urge. As for weapons, you get many sorts. It's like the original where you get one main, one side (or melee), one bomb, one medical aid, and one medicine. The kicker is that you can choose from multiple main weapons. You can choose between AK47, Combat Rifles, M16, and a grenade launcher. Or if you feel like you're into sniping, you can pick up two different types of sniper rifles. Then there is the shotguns which you can choose from a ton of. So you're never going to get bored with this game. Also, you get an awesome D.Eagle, which just makes this game spectacular! Aside from weapons, there are a few new bonuses. For example, instead of a med pack, you can choose to pick up a defibrillator which can revive down characters rather than waiting until they show up in the next area (or in a closet). You also get a few other bonuses but the one worth mentioning is the new boomer vile which acts like a attraction of zombies so you can concentrate fire on one area, or use it against your enemies. The other added effect is that there are new bonuses to zombie damages. On the original, the explosive effects are fair to best. In this one, you get some cool damaging effects. For example if you tossed a pipebomb, zombies would crowd around it like the first, but the explosion would send them in the air which is sort of cool. Then there is the melee damages which can be awesome like some zombies missing an arm or such. The environment itself is way better than the first. You get multiple ways to go through a level but it's quite disappointing. They say the environment changes like one time it could be open and the next time you play it isn't. I found that this is a minor part of the game and only a few level actually does this. The level itself is way bigger than the original. The area is far and wide with many times doing crazy things. Like on one level you have to get this man a soda and when you do you're attacked by hundreds of crazed zombies. There are many things like it, but once you get used to it, it sort of becomes repetitive than exciting like the first time. Honestly I'd like to see a better system in place to "renew" the game. In some cases you get to do some hilarious things like play this shooting game at a carnival where you can win a gnome that if you carry through the entire campaign you get an achievement. The game itself has no story. You can play it offline, but that isn't really as fun as playing it online. Personally I think online play is a hit or miss. In many of the game modes, some people don't use mics to communicate with others. This can be a hit or miss because in most cases, it goes well, but if you get into trouble, like if a smoker pulls you, it can be hard to get help. I've noticed in this version, it occasionally pops up a text on your screen like, "So-so is attached and needs your help" or something like that. So it's helpful but sometimes it doesn't show. I'd figured that Valve would put in a redial menu like on the pc to communicate, but they didn't. You can still click the Left Thumbstick to make your character vocalize something like a space med kit or weapon, but I don't think it works as well as it should be. Another complaint I have is the achievement system. On the pc it announces when you made an achievement which is sort of cool because you can talk about it with the people you have. On the xbox, both the first and second one doesn't appear to feature this. I mean sometimes I get an achievement and I'd laugh about it, but then I'd have to explain to everyone about it rather than just talking out loud. Overall though, I'm very happy with this game. Sometimes online can get frustrating, but overall the new campaign system is very nicely done by valve. Hopefully they can start putting out more content next year to include the cast of the original, but that's wishful thinking. Overall if you like zombies, you're going to love this.

As a fan of the original L4D, I pre-ordered the second in advance and patiently waited. I know some were upset and threatening boycotts over Valve abandoning the first game with Crash Course as an afterthought and moving to the second. I however, can't argue it. L4D2 picks up with the first left off with tons of improvement. The major edition of melee weapons is the best. Instead of having to rely on bullets, you can switch to one of several weapons which all have distinct swings and sounds. This adds a whole new dimension to the game as you're free to replace your pistols. There are a few new additions for weapons as well, boomer bile which is puke that attracts zombies away from you and can even mess up some of them like Tanks. There's also a defrib unit to revive a dead teammate, adrenaline shots to temporarily boost your health and speed, more variety of guns... and of course, new enemies. Also new is the scavenge mode. You can team up with friends to take on others in a race to fill gas tanks into generators (or a car) with the winner being the one who fills the most. This mode plays excellent, as do the returning Versus and Survival. All in all, this game is a must have if you're a zombie or even FPS fan, although Gold membership is almost a must for the online play (as well as a mic). Valve definitely poured their heart, souls and energy into this game and any thought of a quick capitalization on the success of the first should go out the window. This game plays incredibly tightly and is loads of fun. I purchase me two or three titles a year for full price and L4D2 is the proudest I've been over supporting a game, brand and company.

I love L4D2.