This game only gets a "fair" or "median" because of: No radar. Come on, why no radar? Is this supposed to add to the cliche horror shooter left 4 dead is supposed to be? Radars in team-based games are crucial and any one title without it just is... stupid. NO real distinguishable features for "special" infected. ONLY when they're leagues away from your location will they be highlighted. Better yet, why not just highlight your TEAMMATES at all times? Why not show pointers on the screen (left, right side maybe?) to where your teammates are or where they're going? The Sound emulation for L4D2 is sub-par at best. For a $50 game I'd expect to rely on my headphones to tell me where the sounds are coming from (CS;S, predecessor of L4D with its useless radio commands, mouse-wheel change functionality has better sound emulation than this supposedly block-buster title). Retarded game modes, friendly fire that scales up with difficulty levels? All it takes is a dumb or punk teammate to kill you or severely wound you to ruin your game. Water. The water in this game feels like tar. Your movement speed is severely hampered by even water that goes as high as your ankles. Invisible AoEs on all effects (acid, fire), making them larger than they appear on-screen. Awful damage output on guns. Melee weapons are one-hit kills for 90% of the infected throughout the game. Why can't guns be a bit more powerful or melee weapons scaled down? The chainsaw, however, has a fuel gauge and runs out of gas quickly after excessive use. Some good points with this game does include the fact it has friendly fire to make it more realistic. Valve DOES support their active titles frequently and bugs do get fixed sooner rather than later versus some other games. Assorted weapons? Though most of them pump out the same damage a few different decals are nice? This game has been overinflated by hype and anticipation, period. I wouldn't have purchased this title myself (this game was given to me as a gift). My expectations of this game were a lot higher than most other fanboys would have. The graphics aren't much of an improvement over the first and most importantly the gameplay hasn't changed a single bit. This game definitely should've been marketed, and charged as a DLC, not an official standalone game. I would NOT recommend this game to someone who hasn't played any zombie-shooting game in the past. Frankly, Counter-Strike: Source is only $10 US through steam store and BORDERLANDS offers much more fun gameplay at the same price bracket as L4D2 only seems to last about 2 weeks top and dulls out real fast.… Expand

This game is better then the first one in every way. However the friendly A.I are pretty much useless most of the time but that said it doesn't affect game play all that much. Also I don't get why people say valve are milking for more money when it couldnt have been an expansion. The sheer amount of content in this game would have meant that the separate expansions needed to add it to the new game would cost pretty much the same if not even more then this game does. The only reason it got a 9 and not a 10 is because of the friendly A.I...… Expand

Just adding my 2 cents as well... Look I have almost a nickel. Anyhow I feel like I should comment more on the complainers about Valve trying to make money than the actual game. People are actually mad that a company is trying to make money? Do we all want to live in Soviet Russia or what? Guess what a lot of companies do that, they don't stop making cars in 2008 just because they made a lot of money in one year. The 2009, 2010 etc. models will come out and people will be happy because its always exciting to get a new product. I'm not going to go into all the good about this game because its all been said before but I will make a couple of comments on needs improvement. I wish Valve would be more creative on the type of games involved. I enjoy scavenge mode but really think there could be more modes. LIke an escort mission (something like TF2's payload). Also I hate the infected rotation, its overally predicitable. You can never have the joy of having mulitple hunters in l4d2 but instead you get a crappy jockey who is more annoying than dangerous. Oh well overall great game and I do hope they make a third one you communists nerds who hate captilism!… Expand

Well what can I say all the new stuff is kinda great BUT 38 Euros is too much for the same game. Yes I heard and seen how much Valve improved L4D. However I don't think it is enough. Look at TF2. Tons of new stuff: maps, weapons, game modes and everything for free. It is obvious that Valve is just trying to get more money. Also, I dislike how all those guys in Valve say that they have been working on L4D2 very hard and that it would have been simply imposible to get the same results if they had just upgraded L4D. I can't say I believe that is true. Valve could have made a series of updates just like with TF2 and maybe not in year, but in two or three L4D would have been the same thing we now call L4D2. Speaking of years, they worked on L4D2 only one year, which is less than any HL2 episode and still neither of those cost that much. So why 38 Euros, Valve, why that much? I would have given it 10 if not the price which is too high for an update. Sad, but L4D2 has shown gamers that Valve the company that gave us so much and asked so little is gone. Lets hope HL2 EP3 won't cost us 40 Euros.… Expand

Its still a little buggy on most computers and there are issues with non-gaming laptops, even with sufficient specs. But overall, its a very great game to come from a formerly great game.

Whoever starts telling me i don't know how to play the game etc. Sorry i do , played L4D from the release competitive style. Anyway ... This game lacks the feeling for the original , while the extra content , new maps and everything are good , it wasn't worth the price of a full title. Valve promised almost everything in L4D2 that they will add it to L4D1 , but no , they made a new game to make money ... The new characters feel lifeless and you don't want to play them except for Ellis , Nick and maybe even coach. The special infected addons are nice , but they couldev have added them to the first! Spitter and Jockey wouldev suited the first game very nicely , but the Charger ... This is a noobs toy. Would you start for example .. Hard rain? Pick up your stuff before the Diner , all of a sudden charged into instant death. Instant death spot at the beginning of the campaign... FAIL. Same goes to Dead Center and The Parish. Don't start saying these can be avoided , ofcourse they can be , but if this was your VERY FIRST impression , what would you think? Charger = Waste and for noobs. Anyway to sum this all up , if i play Left 4 Dead , i enjoy it , since its way harder to kill survivors with only 2 hunters , 1 smoker and a boomer or 3 hunters and a smoker or 4 hunters , instead of the lame ammount of Instant death or near death spots in the 2nd game. Playing Left 4 Dead 2 frustrates me unlike no tomorrow .. until i finally decided to Uninstall that piece of crap. Only reason this is getting 7 points , is the new content.… Expand

Left 4 Dead 2 is a big improvement over the first, mostly because of the better levels and more powerful, more diverse zombies. There are five levels, all of them are pretty good, although 3 of the 5 are really the best in my opinion, Hard Rain and Swamp Fever are a little mediocre. The new zombies, especially the Charger and the Spitter, make it much easier to break up tight groups of survivors and make more difficult for survivors to bunker up in a corner to fight a wave of zombies. Melee weapons are a great addition, and Valve seems to have learned from the mistakes of the first game by making multiplayer more balanced and devoid of any annoying exploits. This game makes it seem like Valve was taken a bit by surprise at the competitive, and large, interest in multiplayer in the first game and has planned for it in this game. Valve Official Servers and other sometime Mod servers have all been fun for me. I have actually played on some really fun custom mod servers (more powerful special infected, new gun skins, special infected ghosts can fly or choose type of special infected). All in all I love this game.… Expand

Controls get some taking used to, but memorable characters (especially Ellis) and plenty of fun against hordes of Infected make this game great. After 5 minutes of the Demo I was begging for more. Give me a Katana and an Assault Rifle and I will be laughing like a maniac as heads and limbs go rolling.

i bought both L4D's and was not happy. Valve said "Oh this new stuff is too big to put in a patch! lets make a new game!" it wasn't that much stuff really... some new guns, new maps/storys and a few new zombies. and oh did i menchen they now only have one witch per story? GG Valve GG. Are you wiping you behinds with our money now? *get's his money back with brown stains on the bills* appernty your are....... they could have patched it in one mega patch like Killing Floor did when they had a FREE expation! But then again the devs for killing floor have a free update/ expation pollicey! so yeah. and i feel even sorryer for the people on the consoles (yes im a PC gamer.) because the xbox 360 people have to PAY there mircosoft points to update! PS3 last i herd that was free, Wii? nintendo would have a heart attack if it wasnt a resident evil game or one of there own and was M on there console as they have become too family friendy it makes me feel like i live with a nabor from 50 years ago... But what can i say? Way to go VALVE for taking more of our hard earned cash and using it as toliet paper! really! I think even the idiots who made the market crash of the great depression could have done better. and thats saying something! Good Fight Valve Good Fight and Good Game! Now if you dont mind im going to have to look at your adds in your games that run on your steam platfourm that is needed to play ANY of your games that wont let me play just about any game offline! even when i installed it VIA CD/DVD like my moderen Warfair 2! well at least i know i wont be buying anymore L4D games even tho im a Die hard Zombie fan since Killing floor is better and CHEAPER! want my advice? save $20-$30 bucks on L4D2 and even L4D1 and get killing floor. Better game + better custom map support did i menchen that you cant use cheats in L4D2 like you can in #1? if u want to it is a pain in the butt to do so! If i could i would drop Valve on it's head for this poor excuse of a game. I swear tho they did a heck of a PR Bliz made me want to buy it! uh sue for false advertisement anyone? more like false statements they actully said in an interview that this was too big to put in a patch! I Say there full of there selfs and want easy money. It was way too short of a time between the games to even say they werent plaining on making a 2nd! i think they planed this from the get go!… Expand

As an online play game, it's just average in my book. I'd rather play other recent games with better graphics. Solo play is a joke. There's no campaign so to speak. Rather, it's like playing online with yourself. I played this game for maybe 3 hours and then looked for another.

I did play L4D1 quite alot and I must say the sequel is (almost) exactly the same. Sure, it's got new characters, different elite mobs and there are some more weapons to go berserk with. But it's really an extension of the original, nothing more. The game still suffers badly from connection problems, which is quite a downer for an online game. It's an "okay" game ... but nothing fancy.… Expand

+10 because it's a sequel to the best co-op ever made and -10 because it's the SAME F*CKING GAME as the original. why did I buy it? I employed some wishful thinking, trying to convince myself that the sequel would be amazing. it's valve, and valve games are usually the best... but this one's just for the money. unfortunately i cant give my copy to someone else. avoid this game if you have part 1, but if you are like me and do have it, i will recommend the following style of play: join expert game-> kill teammates -> have fun hearing players rage.… Expand

The game itself is meh... I agree with others saying the game is "dumbed down. The level design isnt that great and I personally dont like the characters. L4D2 just doesnt play well nor does it have a good feeling about it. Most people I speak with are leaving the L4D / L4D2 community as not much is going on regarding competitive gaming either which is a real shame as the teamwork aspects could make it such a great platform. The original L4D was a fantastic idea and had some real promise but sadly it was never supported properly by Valve and I think most players think the same is going to happen this sequel. Once bitten twice shy, twice bitten... game over.… Expand

Story and background seems a definite downgrade from the last game, especially the characters. I really hate the hill-billy setting. No great improvement in graphics and AI is complete shit. It completely kills the game if you're playing a really fun match and someone quits and a douchebag AI replaces him. Game is completely overpriced, its NOT worth more than what you can get from similarly priced games.… Expand

This game is very enjoyable to play and rewarding in many ways. It has a much higher level of game mechanics than most shooters out there.

The game ot's a lot of fun, the Co-op it's sweet! the action it's unlimited, the fun it's on every corner and the improvemets makes this game the greatest co-op zombie shooter next to Killing floor

First of all, my english is not best. Second, I spent 240 hours plaing Left 4 Dead 2 and it's still fun. I don't know any other game that can be fun after so long playtime. I think Valve did great job and if you don't like it you don't have to buy it.

I fell for the hype. TBH i would have given this "add-on pack" of a game a solid "8" the first week i got it. But now after playing the game a few times through its clear what this "Game" is: 3 "Special" Zombies and some maps. Nothing revolutionary, and i agree most-if not all- of the high reviews of this game are from overexcited fanboys. - Bad Pacing (A typical "Run and Gun" Zom Shooter) - Horrible Dialogue - Level Design is Bland - Director 2.0?!? (nope... again pointless hype. Shows some signs of improvement seems like a dumbed down ver. to help attract new players. Ex: Open Spaces = No Horde, Inside a Well Fortified Room? = Bingo)… Expand

First... all you noobs saying "I cant find my way around" "Map's are terrible, I get lost"... you're just retarded stop eating lead paint chips and pay attention. It's very simple my 12 year old sister has beaten the Campaign numerous times on Advanced and Expert. I personally have not experienced any major bugs... or any minor bugs. Of course there are some map glitches, Like DC-1 you can jump the second floor of the hotel, and thus cheat the infected from being able to reach you. But... that's minor. And I'm sure in Competitive (cal/cevo) play it's not allowed. And most casual gamers don't use the glitch, if they even know about it. Actually it seems like the Competitive teams are the one who use it, go figure. Anyway... this is obviously not an expansion, and in no way, shape, or form should of been a DLC. This should of definitely been a sequel. Rushed? Maybe... High Quality, Action Packed, Suspenseful, Fun, Co-Op Survival? ABSOLUTELY. Hands down, BEST ZOMBIE GAME TOO DATE. The original was already amazing, but this game definitely expanded the gameplay, and added a nice new story to it. Originally I was put off, thinking this might be a buggy piece of DLC trash with some Lipstick on it, But that is definitely not the case. You people crying need to find a girlfriend... Or get a job so you can earn some money to buy this game and stop being so jealous. And that's another thing... it's not like Valve is out to get your money, they make a quality game, and market it, If you don't want to buy it, DON'T. Simple as that, they aren't holding you up, they're selling a product that they worked hard on. And... all you people talking about Lazy Coding/Programming... I do it for a living, and all work done on this game is of High Quality. Sure sometimes you take shortcuts, but the new weapons and new uncommon common were done beautifully and in no-way did I feel like i was wielding the same weapon with a different skin, or fighting the same zombie with a different outfit. Bottom Line, Great game, WORTH EVERY PENNY… Expand

Ridiculous pile of reviewing trash yet again down voting a game because they feel like it is an "expansion." How much you want to bet that 4/5ths of these 0 voters bought wrath of the liche king at full price as well? Yet no one complains about WoW in this aspect. But when valve releases a new game taking the weapon count from 7 in the original to something like 22 in this one, its called an "expansion." Also, for you "tactical" "far superior" KF players. I play both. Comparing the two is like comparing TF2 to Counterstrike. Yes, they are both zombie survival shooters, but trust me in saying that they are different games with different playstyles. You have no business rating another game lower based on the fact that your game of choice has a different playstyle. I would buy KILLING FLOOR 2 if I wanted to play KILLING FLOOR 2! For all those who claim that there is "less story" in L4D2, what are they smoking. There is definitely more personality within the characters, and the campaigns actually coherently form a solid story. Great graphics, fun gameplay, and the fact that I can run it at 50 FPS on a four year old mid-range computer make this a classic for me. Killing Floor players, hope you have fun in your "infinately varied" same map cycle only one game type game. I will be joining you once I get tired of L4D2... oh wait, Bad company 2 will be out by then.… Expand

The user reviews on this game are wholly two sided. Either the game is amazing, or the game really blows and is no more then an expansion. Why I gave this game a 7 is easy, this game is a massive improvement on L4D1, but Valve's pricing scheme on this game 49.99 is wayy too expensive for a game whose gameplay is fundamentally the same as a game they made in the past. I am actually saddened that Valve turned to such questionable practices in pricing the game. However, onto the game itself. The graphics update is great, the ability to blow off limbs, heads, cut zombies in two, burn their flesh off is a great improvement for those who wanted to see more realism. The melee weapons are Overpowered however. No human can so cleanly slice through zombies in the way these weapons do. ANd by cleanly I mean ho0w a baseball bat shatters a skull and explodes a head in one hit, or ow the machete goes through the torso so well. This also negates the use of shotguns if you dont mind taking a little extra damage. ANd the actual laugh out loud part of this is that a pistol/shotgun combo IMO is more effective then a Melee/Main weapon simply because as long as you co-ordinate and protect your teammates, most zombies can be brought down with gunfire before the need of a melee weapon. Also there are too many automatics stewn accross maps. This makes the infected side in Versus 100% harder then in L4D1, where Ammo had to be conserved. I think in the week ive played this Ive seen someone run out of ammo on a main gun...once..... withoiut finding a replacement, this game balance is absolutely appauling. The levels they designed could ave been easily made in L4D1 and I am starting to believe that the simple reason for not advancing L4D1 was a need for more revenue. However, do I reccomend this game? Yes, despite the fact its probablyoverpriced, I would have paid about 19.99 had I not been pressured into buying it by my friends. As much as this game is probbaly not worth what you would pay for it now, the quality of the levels are much better then in L4D1, the infected in Versus do much better and the Director has marginally improved. As well, I find the L4D2 Normal mode gameplay (and what you play in Versus) to be much more balanced and fluid then in L4D1, which was quite frankly restrictive.… Expand

Well, unlike the haters, im gonna put this from another point o view, I DO regret buying L4D1, why?, it's not like L4D2 is some kind of DLC L4D1 should have had, in fact, it feels like I've been ripped when I bought L4D1, because it was, and still is, a simple beta game with so many bugs and lack of content, yet you still had to pay full price for it, lack of servers in the beggining etc etc etc, yet I was a hardcore player of it. Now, L4D2 it's like L4D1 polished to perfection, seriously, awesome game, and gotta love realism mode, it truly makes your games remarkable, and a must have.… Expand

This is a brilliant game. Those who say that the game was obviously rushed and you see the same skins all over again and again, Check L4D1? Its the same way, their complaining about things that they already overlooked in the first game. The game was not obviously rushed, but every new game obviously has hitches and needs updates. overall I beleave this is a worth game getting, if your not into zombie apocolipses thats nice. If you don't like the sequel STOP BITCHING ABOUT IT. Alright?… Expand

All you morons complaining about the game think twice. In Australia we got the dumbed dumbed down version of the game. Zombies hit the ground BOOM gone off screen. Can't rate it any higher just because Australians got the dumbed down version. I played the demo i didnt actually buy it. I found an uncensor for it but it didnt feel the same.

Great game, since it's just a port of the original great game with new character models, a few new guns, melee weapons which are largely useless for the most part, and a few new special zombies (both of which are fun, but we are talking an entirely new game here). L4D was light on depth, and it wasn't fixed here. Characters are still only models, and have no distinguishing attributes. The graphics are exactly the same, the gameplay is exactly the same (still good, but not improved in any way). Slapping "2" on the end of a title should be more progressive for a company with Valve's pedigree. This was a glorified expansion pack (new maps, guns, and zombies... nothing else new, yes, that's what we call an expansion pack). Would be a higher rating, but the cost of this game is just beyond me. Hopefully all of this money is going to Episode 3, and maybe they'll actually incorporate some new things into L4D2 the way they've supported TF2. Sorry to the original L4D players, Valve is moving on.… Expand

The only reason these kids are giving it a bad review is cuz this game isnt noob friendly. these are the kids that join the servers run away from the team get pounced by a hunter and die. This is what a true fps is suppose to be like. Its all about teamwork and fast reaction time. If you gave it a 1-7 its because you suck at this game no question about it.

Guys. You do not find a better game. Left 4 Dead 2 is the funniest, most challenge(on expert), etc. It's the best game ever.. Run through a campaign making team-work is good. Read the other good ones.. Well, it's just a MUST BUY!

Certainly NOT worth the $50 they are asking for. Basically we get 5 campaigns which were not as atmospheric and indulging as the originals, an overhyped AI Director 2.0 (dynamic pathing? - oh lol I'll just seal up this door please take the other one 3 feet ahead instead, dynamic weather? -More or less the same storm at the same spot everytime in Hard Rain, not to mention AI in general is WORSE than ever!) and new bland and boring characters. Props to them for getting rid of some gameplay exploits and bugs from the first game (still unfixed BTW) by introducing new special infected to counter corner camping (which were based on community ideas intended for L4D1), weapons balancing (how about changing a few variables to make the hunting rifle in the first game viable just like in L4D2? And nerfing the autoshotgun?), more weapon varieties, and the new (a bit overdone) gore system. L4D could have been a great game many would still be playing 4 years down the road if Valve had built on it instead of making this "sequel". Now I'm not saying L4D2 should be free. I'm saying it should have been an expansion pack for L4D1, $30 at most. So to conclude, I highly recommend AGAINST buying L4D2 at full price, get it during the inevitable half-off sales at $25, or $7.50 in the month before the release of L4D3 should it come this November.… Expand

Para mí este juego es una auténtica pasada, grandes características que lo combierten en uno de los mejores lanzamientos del año. Sin duda alguna la forma más divertida de matar zombis sin sufrir malas consecuencias! Muy manejable y facil de jugar además de un gran modo online!

Pretty good game. Strong emphasis on teamwork when playing infected or survivors. Kind of annoying when you get stuck with bad teammates in online play, but thats not the games fault. Only problem is it can be hard to get a survival or scavenge games and even with above the min cpu spec requirements when theres a horde on you it slows. Still they are just minor problems which aren't really the developers fault. Overall great multiplayer game, even better to LAN with friends if you have some... Its worth a buy, it's a riot. Would buy this over MW2 on the basis on multiplayer. To point out something stupid said on a previous comment by "Onslaught" he is crying about not have a radar? dude seriously, It's a zombie apocalypse.. do you just find radars lying around the streets which will locate zombies? Didn't think so.. and also he cries about friendly fire scaling up as the difficulty increases, then later on says that friendly fire is one of the games good points? WTF I wish parents would stop letting their 12 yr old kids use make use of interwebs... its annoying.… Expand

This has to be the most amazing game i've ever played, sadly, the campaigns valve created get simple and boring the 100th time through, but a good conquerer for that problem in l4dmaps.com. i love dpwnloading new campaigns and maps to play sround with! it makes the gaming experience a lot more enjoyable!

L4D2 adds a lot ofun! There are some bugs that maybe can be pretty annoying. But the addition of new weapons (also melee weapons), new characters, some more special zombies adds a lot of fun to the game compared to the first L4D. The game is linear, but you wont notice that a lot while you are playing because of the zombie hordes you're killing and the expirience it's amazing! The Multiplayer has improved (not a lot), you can control the Charger (new special zombie) wich is very fun to control! You can still control the Boomer in the Versus mode, wich I find useless, but this game deserves an 8/10 !… Expand

Yeah, ok, the game is not perfect and its just too reminiscent of the first game - but it's NOT bad, in fact - it's absolutely GREAT. L4D2 (as L4D did) combines simplicity, teamwork, and of course - the sheer pleasure of killing hundreds of rabid people. To answer some things people have complained about: Why isn't there a radar? Why can't they just highlight my teammates? Well, first of all - the game (as I see it) was made to be realistic. Do normal people carry a radar (or for that matter have access to one?) and also - it's not hard to discern your teammates from zombies, they do highlight them when you mouse over them as friendly AND as I have mentioned before - the game is supposed to be realistic, giving a radar or always highlighting your teammates just makes the game less ... well - real.. and would definitely dumb the game down if such was done. Then theres, "omg friendly fire is soooo bad." Well, let's be real. if you get shot in normal mode it isn't so bad - but as the difficulty is raised, it only makes sense that you and your teammates would be better players and AVOID shooting each other, with the addition that greater damage = better deterrent for shooting each other. This also promotes better teamwork which is crucial as you go up in difficulty level. If you're complaining that friendly fire sucks - get better teammates or shoot better maybe? The realism in this game may be too much for most people - the water slowing you down makes sense (have you ever trudged through water and mud before? It's not a fast paced activity) - though I completely agree to when the water is just up to the ankles, it shouldn't be a tough walk (If Valve wanted to be more realistic, they'd have people slip, but people would cry and whine about that being lame as usual). To reflect upon the weapon damage though, I totally agree that the guns do less damage than melee - and it's unrealistic that melee should be that great in comparison to a gun (not everyone has superhuman strength after all) - and I agree that that needs to be adjusted. Other negatives are that even if you do play on expert - the original game is too short and that I suppose the pvp makes up for it... though I'd rather see more story too. All in all, L4D2 is a great game - there are different difficulty settings for a reason. Need a stress reliever? Play on easy and go berserk. Want to play with others without screaming about friendly fire? Play on normal. Got a good team of friends and want a challenge? Then advanced and expert is for you. The difficulty scale actually makes sense in this game - so heed it well. If you're crying about how other people suck - well then you're probably unlucky with team match-up (i've had a couple of those before, don't feel like it's a reason to hate on the game). I mean, yes it's not that different from the first - but it's solid, it's good, it's definitely a keeper. I'm not a fanboy/girl whatever you want to call it of this game, but I feel like people aren't taking this game for what it is (like Quentin Tarentino films). It's NOT COD, it's NOT Borderlands - it's a totally different game from those - so give it a try before turning it away based on what other people have said because it's worth a shot (zing!).… Expand

Okay, before the fanboys get angry with me, read the whole review. A)Director 2.0 - The "new" director isn't very new at all. I'm sure many people remember the "Crash Course" campaign for L4D. Remember how it had the "sort of the l4d2 director" functioning? That's because the L4D1 director and the L4D2 director are exactly the same besides the fact that there's a few new items and weapons in L4D2. They guaranteed "random" item and gun positioning in L4D2 and it wasn't implemented correctly. The guns still appear in the same places nearly every time, just like L4D1. No improvement, barely any change. B) "New Zombies!" - L4D2 introduced 3 new special infected. The Spitter is really only useful in scavenger to destroy gas cans unless someone is already being beaten by another infected in campaign. The Jockey is a useful little guy on certain maps...and a total waste of space on others. His forte is dragging people off ledges, really. On about 9/10 of the maps there is no ledges to catch a survivor alone on. Then there's the Charger, he's a terrible terrible implementation of the "hallways aren't safe anymore" idea. The point of the charger as far as the commentary says was to scatter the survivors or hurt them if they're in a hallway. You cannot turn (Even Slightly) while charging, so unless they ARE in a hallway your chances of hitting more than one survivor are low. And if they ARE in a hallway they don't scatter anywhere. Charger does much lower damage than he needs to make him useful as he tends to die before he can slam a survivor once or twice into the ground. The only time Chargers are really useful is near cliffs and ledges, when there is only one or two survivors left or in situations like the Parish bridge finale when survivors don't want to go back for the teammate. C) "New Weapons" - L4D2 introduced a few new weapons to the just about complete set of L4D1. Melee weapons - Everyone says that melee weapons really changed the L4D gameplay, I disagree. It's not often you see people using melee weapons to attack special infected. Common infected die easily to begin with so I don't see the melee weapons being all that useful once you have an automatic weapon or a semi-auto shotgun. Aim for the head, people. Grenade Launcher - Friendly fire, friendly fire, friendly fire! The grenade launcher was made to loosen up hordes of common infected and make special infected stumble around and die. The broken thing about this weapon is the fact that special infected often don't die from one indirect hit from this weapon, the person using this weapon tends to hit his teammates around twenty more times than everyone else, and the person using this weapon tends to be an easy special infected target due to hunters, jockeys, smokers, and chargers being able to get in close and force them to switch to melee/pistol. Bile Bomb - "Throw this to attract the horde away from you, even onto a tank!" The problem is the only time anyone will use this is if there's a horde coming and they want to just run away from it. The only usefulness of the bile bomb is distraction, and in versus it's a waste to carry. Defibrillator - Over a medpack the chances someone takes one are around 30%. When someone takes one they usually happen to be the Rambo style person who runs at the hordes with a baseball bat out and they die, leaving the rest of the team to fend for themselves until they reach the body. All in all, medpack is better. New ammos - Make special infected stumble or burn. Imbalanced in versus. Thank god they're rare. New primary weapons are pretty much all slight changes to the old primaries. Pump shotgun(2, difference is a slight damage difference and chrome has tighter spread), auto shotgun(2, one wide spread, one tight spread I believe), SMGs(2, one is stronger, the other more accurate.), Assault rifle(3..only differences, clip size and one is burst fire, and the AK has higher damage and slower firing speed), sniper rifles(2, military fires faster, hunting reloads faster) D) New AI - Terrible Special infected AI even on expert. Even worse survivor AI, if you're being beaten by a charger an inch away they'll stand there a few seconds then turn slowly and shoot it, then help you up. I was diappointed.… Expand

While this is an amazing game, there are WAY too many problems with it to warrant a 10. Charger hit detection is way off (due to how the Source engine processes hits), jockey is a fail class, only useful against scrubs, and (unfortunately) the community, just to name a few things. To those who say this should have been DLC: 5 completely new maps, new weapons, all new voice acting, new AI Director, and new ammo types/throwables. What more could you want in a new game? Everyone buys Dat Madden every year with only minor upgrades and roster changes, but nobody bitches about that.… Expand

I gave it this score because of the tactics and teamwork that is engrained into this FPS. As this is a sequel I'll just discuss the things that separate this from the original. I agree with those that are annoyed at the price of the game, it doesn't seem to detract too far from the original in terms of graphics and 'the feel' of it. However I never bought the original so it doesnt annoy me a lot. :P Also 2 those that are disappointed that it is not like the original, i consider it better for this reason. The Reason: The 'Versus' ('VS') gametype has been amped up considerably. The introduction of new SI presents more threats to the survivors, that make no place on the map safe. Eg; The introduction of the spitter eliminates corner camping and the charger also makes alleyways EXTREMELY dangerous for combined Special Infected ('SI') attacks. A constantly wary and skilful team is needed to meet these challenges. It seems to me that VALVE really listened to the competitive VS community from the original, and I commend them for that. Digressing a little, I think the 'VS' experience could have been made much more challenging for the survivors, by putting down less medpacks, and to the side of the beaten path, forcing them to divert from the 'railway tracks' from point A to point B. Plus there needs to be a reduction in the amount of ammo in the weapons. The game does not award accuracy, as ammo and weapon stockpiles are everywhere, and sheer 'spraying' from automatic weapons is not punished. It is harder to use the infected but this is only a matter of concern for mostly competitive and serious players. If there is any reason to be longing for the old game it would be minor things such as the greater chemistry and personalities of the survivors, certain weapons and 'simpler' VS experience. Personally I love being able to casually get online with a bunch of friends, in a game that promotes conversation, shoot zombies and watch the visually appealing decapitations/blood-squirts. On a final note if you enjoy the artistry of competitive play l4d2 will not disappoint (but you have to be a team player.… Expand

I like it, I've not had the chance to play the first one yet but it really wants me to get the first one to experience what it was like before. This one taught me how to stay with my party, unless I really want to get pounced or ridden to death. The three new Special Infected are pretty good, the only problem I have though is that when a Jockey catches a PLAYER, the bots have trouble getting it off. The Charger also tells me either rush narrow hallways or stay on one side or the other. The Spitter quickly gets me moving when she spits, luckily she's an easy kill. The "Uncommon" Common Infected are also great. Fireproof, Horde Leading, Vision-Impairing, Immunity to Pipe Bombs and Bulletproof. All unique to their own campaigns, what more can I ask for other than a third game with even more exciting campaigns and zombie types?… Expand

This game was a disappointment after L4D in every imaginable way. Instead of well-paced gameplay that rewards teamwork, we get a game where whoever can rush the most wins. Tight confined spaces of L4D give way to much more open ones in L4D2, making it far too easy to avoid the traps that made L4D great. Mood music and tension are replaced instead by Louisiana jazz during horde attacks and sad one-liners like "Axe me a question." This game tries way too hard to be a fanboy game, and it loses the amazing and gritty zombie shooter that was Left 4 Dead along the way.… Expand

I know alot of L4D fans may disagree, but this game is not anything new or special. Yes there are a few new things, such as melee weapons, and new weapon models, but they feel the same as they did in L4D1. Furthermore, even with the new scavange mode and new campagins, this still gets boring REALLY INCREDIBLY quick for me. I would rather spend time on Half Life 2. User content was what kept the first game alive, due to valve not releasing much content (which they initially promised), and therefore i was wary about purchasing this one, but now i pretty much regret it. It wasn't worth it at all in my opinion, and i doubt much interesting content will come to this either (although valve WILL deliver, because they know if they don't, they'll be losing alot of their audiance with this game). But i would give this game a 3, just because it's fun for the first hour or two, but gets very boring soon afterwards, whether you play online or not. Sooner or later, there will be nothing to do other then join a game and teamkill, because that's what a majority of players did in L4D1 after a short time.… Expand

After logging a lifetime of hours on the original Left 4 Dead, owning a rather successful tournament team, and getting all but the most ridiculous achievement(s), I had almost begun to think to myself that I had seen every last drop of zombie goodness a company could squeeze from the genre. I was terribly, terribly mistaken. Left 4 Dead 2 does not just polish what it started in 2008, It bring it back harder, stronger, more brutal and bloodthirsty than ever. There is not a single game on the market that gets people talking, yelling, sweating and gripping there controllers quite like this. Every aspect of the game has just the right balance of tactics, run and gun, and all around bad-assery that can only be found in a game made by Valve. The new weapons, infected, uncommons, grenades, maps, locations, crescendos, and finales all flow seamlessly into the thriving and very much alive world of Left 4 Dead. The entire experience feels like a movie. So my advice? Saddle up, get yourself a copy, and prepare to white knuckle your way through the ride of your lifetime.… Expand

The game feels much more polished and complete than the original, although its the same engine, they've really added more than expected. Main things i enjoy about the new game is that the versus gameplay is much more dynamic as opposed to "zombies are coming, everyone take autoshotguns and sit in a corner til they're gone". Same goes for infected, the variety of infected can produce interesting results with syncronised attacks with the new and old specials alike; eg. hunter+ spitter = hunter rape with added acid damage. or charger+ jockey = charger takes one half way across the street while jockey hops on one and takes him for a ride in the other direction causing the remaining 2 to either split up or go for the nearest survivor either way making infected much more effective and causing havoc. 9/10 mainly because i miss the old survivors :( Would be nice if they did a DLC involving the old survivors but hey i'd be asking for too much.… Expand

Out of all games out there, left 4 dead 2 stands out. The campgains feel new and fresh and stands out. The new melee weapons add much more tatics to the game such as the chain saw - it gives a advantage to the players for a short while, however you have to make the sacrifice of running out of gas and having no secondary weapon. The community made this game a sucsess and this game was worth every penny and more. The new game adds much new balance with expert and realsim being the next part of that. Unlike L4D's expert - L4D2's really takes some skill with the new SI on the side. Realisim adds a whole new part to the game. It takes part most the in the campgain " Hard Rain " as you can get lost easily, taking part in the sugar mill level most. This time valve made the story more clear - this takes part most in dead center - for example if you use the " look " command on a player the character calls them by things such as " miss " to rochelee and " Mr gambling man " to nick. Untill the elevator scene where they all learn each others names - and then start to call each other by their real names. Over all this deserves much more credit then it gets, and this game was only made in a year. Great game - a must buy.… Expand

L4D was good but i hated the number of weapons u can get and the number of infected and L4D2 is like a BIG improvement better graphics new infected, And i really love the new weapons, like melee and my personal favourite Grenade launcher

Nothing is perfect. Having said that, Left 4 Dead 2 challenges conventional team-based FPS with new special infected. Knowing that valve will continuously update and balance the game, Left 4 Dead 2 is a worthy investment.

I don't see why people are giving 0 when they say that this is more of the same, to me it sounds like they hated L4D1 in first place to give a 0. Anyway, L4D2 is fun, the new characters may seem to be a little dull compared to the first game, but we can live with it, the new story line is also ok nothing huge, it is not a whole new game, it is not like you bought a whole entire new game, it is a reshaped version of the first one, which is great, I would def recommend this game to anyone who liked the L2D1 gameplayer, this is fun to play, you will have good time with friends, scavange mode is a big plus, and honestly there is nothing like choppin' zombies head off with a chainsaw, it is a great game, if you were a big fan of L4D1, L4D2 will knock your socks off!… Expand

Not just an expansion, a completely new experience! With the addition of more weapons that now include melee weapons, new characters to love, and of course, new gameplay modes: L4D2 is well worth it's price. Valve knows how to make a great online mutliplayer experience. I cannot stop playing this game!

Overall a good game. The first one seemed a bit more polished and to be honest I miss the grainy darkness of it compared to the daytime in New Orleans on this one. A few things I dislike: Grenade launchers. I also feel like they messed up Versus. Hunters don't seem to work properly. Way too many health kits spawn. Defib units should be left out of the versus games (they were obviously added for realism mode anyways). Melee weapons seem overpowered at times as there doesn't deem to be any difference between them. They messed up tanks turning them rather weak, i have a hard time with a tank dying to being whapped with a frying pan. The specials spawn too often making it feel more like a mutant instead of a zombie game. Don't get me wrong though, the game is good. I do like the addition of melee weapons though it feels like they need to be adjusted some. I love scavenger, which i find to be more fun than regular versus. The new weapons are fun and I like the fact that there's some variety in the new finales instead of just zombie wave, tank, zombie wave, run. Still, the game could use some work. Maybe they'll get it right next November in L4D3. (haha)… Expand

I dont know yet why people still talks about L4D2 like a "DLC" a month after its release. Strange complains like "I got stuck through the levels" (?) looks dummier. Does this people really played the game more than 15 minutes? L4D2 makes the gaming experience of L4D1 even better IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY without taking away the Left 4 Dead original style. New campaigns, new weapons, new characters, new special infected, and overall, a totally new way to play L4D. Awesome job, Valve.… Expand

i lurve this game. fun to the max for hours on end. the new zombies add a spectacular pizazz to a already awesome game. It seem to be more difficult than its predecessor but who doesn't like a challenge. Get it and MAN up, beat expert!!

No other zombie game can beat l4d2. First, new infected, new weapons, new campaigns, new survitvors, best graphics. Included scavenger and realism mode that are great. Added more items to heal ( adrenaline, and defibrilator). Added melle weapons ( chainsaw, machete, fying pan, weapon of the police( i dont now how its called). Awsome versus.

L4D2 was perhaps released to quickly for the major populace of L4D players around the world, but it was also done strategcally to grasp the players attention again while the game was in its prime. I think this accomplished two things, one, it made a killing financially, and two, it changed the dynamic of the game itself before dedicated players got to used to the gameplay of L4D1. This new dynamic is definitely a lot more thought out that it was in L4D1, which looking back, seems like more of an experament than anything. However, if there is one gaming company that deserves my 10 on their game, it is valve. This game gets a 10 out of 10 from me.… Expand

If you have not played L4D then L4D2 is a version with more stuff. I am starting to think that the gameplay model is flawed.

An average game from an average franchise, for casual players only. If you have a few minutes to spare, jump online and play through a map, otherwise, if you're interested in tactical zombie killing, Killing Floor is a more suitable option. No character growth makes Marty a sad player. Melee weapons overpowered, and the new special infected are silly - Jockey? Give me a break. Leave this to the children who need a crosshair. Booya! I went there.… Expand

I gave a zero because I can't give an opinion about the game until I can actually learn how to get out of places. I've only been able to get out of the hotel. I can't find my way around. I've put in about 10 hours of this game, and just ran around shooting thousands of zombies and never getting any where. I can't find the exits!!! How do you get out of the mall? I can't find the door and I just shot thousands of zombies. I skippe the street level because I couldn't get out of there, either, after hours of shooting. It's monotonous and boring and it's ruining the game experience for me. Isn;t there a map or a guide for people who aren't good at path finding? Where's the GD'd door? I"m a great shooter, but not good at finding doors. I paid full price, and I'm not just disappointed, I 'm starting to get really angry. Can somebody help me? I want to enjoy this game. But right now I'm really, really bored. After the first session, which left me wanting to smash something, I put it down and didn't pick it up for days. Now I just tried again and I'm even more pissed off. I can't find my way out of the grids!!1 Help, help, help. Where's the map? Is there a map? And if not, why not?… Expand

If you liked L4D, you will love L4D2. Better game dynamics, more SI, more weapons. This game is significantly more difficult than L4D1. Expert Realism mode will make you empty your bladder.

other then a handful of very minor problems and a few personal preferences L4D2 is truly a masterpiece of a game. It takes all that was in L4D1 and reboots it with better ... well... everything.

This game is fantastic. I only played a bit of L4D1 and thought it was decent. L4D2 takes it to a whole new level and completely fleshes it out. Fantastic.

Those who indulge in the self-satisfying blasphemy of this game, due to it supposedly being "just like the original", or " just an expansion" (to the original) are incredibly pathetic, and uninformed claims. As you will find with ANY quick and easy Google search, or shoot, simply a quick run-through on the demo, you will know first-hand that this game is a NEW- and IMPROVED game. Of course, Left 4 Dead (1) was such an original game, many felt that to play through it was an, almost, religious experience. And ok, so Valve may have had hopes of providing you with more than 3 substantial DLC's for the original - but thoses are all FREE - and they've already provided 2/3 of that content. I'm sorry, onto Left4Dead 2 - I've played this game extensively on PC AND XBox 360... no doubt about it - PC reigns supreme . The graphics are so much more defined, and the gibs are so overwhelming, that when I played the 360 version, I thought maybe there was a bug (that was omitting such quality gibs). ANYWAYS - look, if you own a PC that can run TF@, or L4D (1, original), or Half-life 2 ep's - you'll HAVE NO REGRETS purchasing L4D2. It's my newest favorite game since the original!… Expand

Left4Dead 2 is great, even better than the first. They improved so much...additional weapons, more special infected and campaign challenges. The melee weapons are just fun, period (chainsaw, hehe). The spitters force the group split up by running from the acid, the charger can take out the entire team, the jockey, though hilarious, can be a menace. As for the campaigns, wow, running along a roller coaster, making your way through a building infested with witches, or a parking lot completely stocked with alarm cars, and Hard Rain, having to conserve items for the run back to the boat. I can go on and on about how fun this game is, but I won't. Go find out for yourself. Happy Hunting… Expand

Played first part already, and was not satisfied when i heared of a full-priced release by valve. but now i must admit, that it is one of the best games i have ever played, considered the fun you have with a couple of friends. Would it be a single player game, it would get some 6 or 7 points for the scenario. but fun only starts with friends coming along.

The game is perfect there are some bugs but it is because it is pretty new. So... You've got to play at least 1 day to understand everything.

Having played the first game, i was wondering what Left 4 Dead 2 would offer that it hadn't already offered us in the first game. The demo suggested very little, and I thought to myself perhaps it'd be foolish to buy such a game, when the first Left 4 Dead is satisfactory enough. But it was when there were hordes of zombies coming towards us, a tank coming out from behind a corner, and a friend of mine shouting random orders into my ear whilst the rest of us complied, did I realise that it is just so much fun to play! When you've got 3 good friends, who understand the mechanics of the game, and will watch out for your back whilst you watch theirs do you actually have fun. It is an easy game to get immersed into, as there is so much going on. People complain against the replay factor, saying that there isn't one, but there is! Even when you play the same campaign with the same friends as the same people taking the same routes, there is always something different. The game itself is also a vast improvement on its predeccesor. Graphics are improved, but most of all, there is a story being played underneath it all, which reminds me of what Valve does best in its games like Portal and Half-Life. I found it easier to identify with the characters in Left 4 Dead 2 than in Left 4 Dead, and i found the story to be much better as well. There was more humour, but that didn't take away what could be perceived as... for use of a better phrase... the fear factor. Left 4 Dead 2 has some of the best written campaigns in any game (pointing fingers at Hard Rain here, with two thumbs up). Also, to sum up quickly, cause anyone reading this will be bored to tears, melee weapons... where have you been all our lives? Overall, a much needed improvement upon the first game, and easily renders it obselete.… Expand

for all of you guys out there thinking left 4 dead 2 is garbage or just a complete waste of time, l4d2 is way better in so many ways than the first one. Some say that the game is bad because there are some day and night scenes in the game making it less scary. Valve wanted to make the game as realistic as possible. I found out that adding melee weapons were quite useful when getting out of a horde.… Expand

This is the only co-op game where I can quickly find people to play with. I enjoy playing games with familiar and unfamiliar people, and Left 4 Dead 2 lets me do that easily. Without the co-op multiplayer action, I'd probably be rating the game only 6. The game itself, is less fun for me than Left 4 Dead 1, but it scores better marks for being fresh, and having many more people still playing regularly. What bothers me most about this game is the melee weapons. After 200 hours of play, they still seem idiotic to me, breaking my immersion in the game - it's hard to believe in a sword relyably taking down 4 common opponents in a swing, let alone a heavy frying pan taking out 5. However, the game is set up in such a way that one can't survive very well without a melee weapon. Thankfully, the maps are set up in such a way that a sniper rifle is usually quite effective. I'd forgotten how much I like one-shot, one-kill weapons. (Jan 18, 2010)… Expand

The game is unplayable most of the time, because of the worthless servers which either have: 1) horrible ping 2) annoying mods/custom content The game is also filled with bugs of all sort. Why did they have to rush out with this piece of shit anyways? Fix the useless servers and bugs and I would give the game an 7, the game costs too much for what it delivers compared to the first game.

I've played this game from start to finish, both offline and online and I must say, I'm quite disappointed. Why not give it a lower score, you say? Because it still rates quite highly as a mod for the original game. Not enough content to justify a new game, and this renders the original game obsolete now, which is a slap in the face for those people who bought the original and expected it to be updated frequently... It's certainly not a worthless game, as it's great to pick up and have a blast for a few minutes every week, but it's not deserving of any accolades, either. My advice - Don't believe the hype. Pass + (Wait for a 75% off sale)… Expand

Great game, don't get me wrong, but it definitely was a little rushed. Some of the things like special ammo (incendiary and explosive rounds) seem a bit silly in my opinion. The special ammo just wipes out CI as if they weren't there to begin with. The AI is just hands down purely awful. I've seen better AI coded by children than this. It seems really rushed like Valve did everything first but then in the last 3 days before the demo they started working on the AI, both infected and survivor AI. Character design isn't as...well...great, as compared to the first one. I definitely prefer Zoey over Rochelle any day.… Expand

Expansion/DLC @ a Full Game price. I haven't seen Valve pull something this shady b4. This is almost EA style game production and licensing methodology 101. The graphics marginal improvements, uninspired new zombies, function less melee weapons replace your dual weldable pistols, i mean come on did they even think or did they just run a clone machine from the first, hell even the new characters are insipid and at times down-right annoying. This game deserves to be shelved and sold for maybe $10. If this had been sold as an expansion instead of a new game, it would have strengthened the L4D1 community rather than divide it.… Expand

Absolute rubbish. No continuity. Just MODS slapped together and called very loosly 'campaign' with no saved games. Extremely bad pathfinding. You go round in circles trying to find an exit meanwhile they darken it more so you spend 90% indoors searching for an exit. Repetitive. Just a very poorly designed bunch of MODS they fooled people into thinking was a GAME. I have sent an official complaint to Valve that this is not a game but MODS strung together. Guns and player movements are copied and pasted from Counter Strike. NO originality. No story. No campaign just endless, boring, repetitive shooting and killing of the same sprites. Not a game. No skill required or used. Just hold your mouse button down and shoot. No strategy, no talent at all required. RIP OFF. Be very careful of Valve releases in future. They have a MOD look about them and are rushed out to rake in the $$$$ but are really other games MODDED. L4D2 is Counter Strike MODDED that's all.… Expand

This was hands down one of the worst games I've ever played... I enjoyed that horrendous E.T. game on the Atari 2600 more than I did this claptrap. The feel of the controls were imprecise and slippery, the graphics were too dark to be taken seriously and too poor to lighten. The only reason this thing even gets a point is for the multiplayer aspect... just garbage. How in the hell did this get a higher score that MW2?!… Expand

I was a huge fan of the first left 4 dead, though the campaign mode got stale fast. I found myself playing versus mode and 400 hours later I was playing versus mode competetively in scrims and matches. I was excited about the l4d2 release and bought it pretty early on expecting to move into competetive play in it as well. The game turned out to be absolutely terrible in comparison to the first. The aiming is much more clunky, and the weapons take up half of the screen. The maps are far too open and chokepoints are very limited and not often seen. This turns out not to matter though because the game removed all forms of skill to appeal to new players. In the first one the main ideas of the game in versus mode were based on co-ordinated infected attacks at chokepoints, quad-caps/ 3-1's, survivor skill, tankplay, and an understanding of maps and spawns. In l4d2 versus gameplay can be summed up in basically one word, luck. In the first game infected attacks required insane amounts of co-ordination to successfully pull off against a survivor team that was good. Everything had to be synced perfectly or the attack would get destroyed, going in off count or without other teammates would end in failure. In l4d2 you could sync an attack perfectly, aim a deathcharge out a window on a smoked target, then fly right through the target and out the window to your death; while the other team might completely fail their attack, have their charger miss completely and you think you can move forwards when suddenly, the charger grabs you (who cares that you are 20 feet away?) and you both fly out the window to your deaths. Why? Because that charger player is a pretty lucky guy. Spit spreads are almost entirely random, sometimes one person will get a puddle while another gets a lake and downs an entire team. Hunters have the potential to instantly repounce you after deadstops because the game thinks it is funny when the hunter pounces while still doing its stumbling animation. Smokers tongues can break on nothing (that happened in l4d as well but not nearly as often) or can pull you even after you've crossed a corner to a point where you think there is no possible way the tongue could still have hold of you. Boomer explosions sometimes don't hit people directly next to them, and other times will get people 20 feet away. Basically all infected play amounts to is how lucky you or your team are. You could execute something perfectly only to have it not work at all becausethe game decides it's just not your day, or you could have an awfully planned attack that wipes the other team because of random bs. On the survivor side things have really gotten rather lame. In l4d being a good survivor team required you to stay close, be able to deadstop and skeet hunters, and have a very good understanding of chokepoints and attacks as well as keeping in mind what spawns the team you were playing against had up so you'd know when to expect a quad. It could be really adrenaline packed when you knew a quad was coming in, tension is building, and you're ghosting waiting for it. It was extremely fulfilling to be the one who hit the deadstop or skeet to prevent it. You had to work with your team to push forwards past chokes after stopping attacks and to fight tanks. In l4d2, you no longer need to have decent aim. You see hunters maybe every 2 spawns and the game has much less of a focus on skeets and deadstops, and a much larger focus on clearing stationary targets. The aim and timing required in the first game are replaced with just a basic awareness and being able to click rapidly at something that isn't moving. Batting chargers is largely useless for anything other than showmanship considering it is much easier to just shoot them to death. Quads are no longer any worry and tanks are slower while molotovs spread insanely fast. Most competetive games come down to which team gets off a lucky charge as opposed to which is actually the stronger team. The game as a whole is rage-inducing and the lack of a need for strategy or co-ordination or aim is what makes it so horrible in my opinion. It is the only valve title iv'e actually regretted buying. Also the scoring system sucks.… Expand

By far one of the best games I have ever played. I have read some of the negative comments and I think it is really absurd. They are treating this game way too realistically. In fact, I have never really cared for the small stuff to begin with because I was trying to survive throughout the game. Frankly speaking, you just don't have the time to be looking at small details. The main reason why I give this game a 10 is because of co-op. Team work is extremely crucial if you want to survive and beat the campaign. It took me almost 100 hours to beat all the campaigns on expert. Yeah I suck, but I had a great time. If you really want to feel a sense of accomplishment don't play the game on lower difficulty, play it on expert! It just takes away the fun if you play on easy, normal or advanced. In my opinion the re playability of this game is great.… Expand

Although I vastly enjoyed the first Left 4 Dead I find myself unable to get into Left 4 Dead 2, both critic and user reviews are high so I thought it would be a fun online to pick up but after playing it I asked myself the question what different is there between Left 4 Dead 1 and Left 4 Dead 2 that couldn't have been added in DLC or patches? Very disappointed, the missions feel hollow and characters uninteresting. Although they added a few nice things the experience as a whole is lacking, felt more like a cheap attempt to make $$ and ditch their first project. Some people might enjoy this game, but I hated it.… Expand

This game, and the one before, was the answer to all my desire as a gamer and zombie fan. The teamworks required make the game even more interesting. You can't be a good player and win everytime alone, you need to be a good TEAM player, and that's what I like. It's also the game I've heard the more '' Sorry'' for all the friendly fires. The difficulty level of the Expert Realism mode is simply fantastic, being a challenge every time you play it, not matter how good you are... and if it's became boring to you, please friend me, I need you haha.… Expand

This game is pretty much a love/hate game becouse its a sequel of a great game, but with some changed properties. I didnt buy L4D and thats maybe why i like this game. Graphics are very good but some animations doesnt seem right, like zombies' punches are pretty slow. I think the reason why they didnt put a RADAR was becouse a RADAR makes it so much easier for rushers. I agree with Onslaught that there is a awful damage output on firearms, compered to melee weapons. The add-on feature is great but you need to download much to play them. Two things i absolutely hate about this game is the bots and the servers etc.. I got clawed and killed by a witch and my bots are just standing aside or grabbing ammo. The server selection is not that good. You cant choose which game you'll enter so that is very hard to return to the same server. Also, I always find myself alone against 4 other players on versus. Or then my ping is 300 or more. But becouse i fixed those problems by replacing my wireless connection with a cable and editing some of my internet-settings, it wont lower my score. Great gameplay with new special infected and good effects and campaigns. Some things like finding defibrillator in a hotel or in the swamps and fuealtanks in a mall seems unrealistic. So why i gave 8/10 was great graphics, gameplay, features and level design. Some downsides are few animations, unrealistical item placements and stupid bots… Expand

The only reason these kids are giving it a bad review is cuz this game isnt noob friendly. these are the kids that join the servers run away from the team get pounced by a hunter and die. This is what a true fps is suppose to be like. Its all about teamwork and fast reaction time. If you gave it a 1-7 its because you suck at this game no question about it. Go play a game that is easy like COD.

I was a big fan of L4D 1 and now have L4D2. I have been playing for a while and feel that not as much work was put into L4D2. There are some rough corners, some glitching and lag, where sometimes your shots dont register. Left For Dead 2 also did not seem to have the imagination put into it, the charecters are dull and don't develope. The difficulty of the games has incresed suffinciently. Although Left 4 dead 2 has several flaws, the setting is cool!… Expand

New zombies, weapons and maps, but the game has lost the 'survival-horror' magic that L4D had. This game isn't suspenseful in the least, and is more of a 'mow down zombies' game than a 'survive from zombies' game. Will still play L4D instead of L4D2, not worth $50.

Left 4 Dead 2 did not live up to the original zombie killing game. Even though Valve went through a lot of trouble adding all the new features, and don't get me wrong, I love the new stuff, but I just love the original better. The new band of survivors do not give you the sense that they are in a zombie apocalypse. In fact, they give you the sense that they love it which kills the little fear that L4D provides. The hillbilly versions of the original themes are cool and I like them, but L4D's night campaigns will always, in my opinion, be better then the day campaigns in L4D2.… Expand

First off, let me say that the 8 is calculated by giving the gameplay a solid 9, the graphics 8, and replayability 9. However, the biggest drawback in this game is perhaps the most important thing in multiplayer games, the community. I've seen more ragequitters, more whiners, more assholes who call each other the most shocking things than in any other multiplayer FPS I've ever played. This game is not like Counter-Strike, while individual skill play a larger role (don't get me wrong, I love Counter-Strike). This game is all about teamwork. You might be a expert on other FPS's but that doesnt guarantee that you are good in Left 4 Dead 2. The game isn't exactly noob-friendly either as Justblaze already said. What I want to see in this game is more content as well. Yes, there are alot of custom campaigns and maps (more coming all the time) but I can't see anyone playing them in any of the game modes. Bottom line: Buy this game if you intend to play it with friends. It just might be best FPS you can play. But if you play it without any friends, IRL or not, it won't be nearly as fun.… Expand

L4D2 is a fun and different game. The coop feels good and rewarding, but there is something wrong. I don't know what it is, but the first one was better. The first game had a feel to it, it felt more different. I know that this one has more weapons, more special infected and more levels. But the first game was just better. Overall it's a good game, but if you have played the first, you may be dissapointed.… Expand

IF I were an online/coop kind of player I probably would give this game a 10. BUT, I am not. The story, AI interaction, scenes and general game play are excellent, but for single player action it's over in a hurry and there is absolutely nothing to make you want to come back and go at it again. I am a hugeb RE fan, but this game falls completely flat when it comes to re-playability. Love the characters, love the game itself, but PLEASE make this game on equal par with the single player in mind. (Hint for LFD3).… Expand

Excellent game. Its left 4 dead with a lot more replayability. I understand some of the younger audience are upset due to lack of newbie friendly features. However there are plenty of games out there for kids already. L4D2 is aimed at adults and has a lot of character and charm which I beleive makes up for lack of features like save games and radar!

this is it, the game that has captured the feel of a vintage horror movie, the decay of the journey that has to be made in order to survive, the exhausting yet rewarding final scene(including some funny moments), the commentaries between survivors and their humorous grasp of whats left of the reality once known... just superb in most aspects, excelling in strategic and stressful areas where you're forced into scenes of frantic displays of zombie bursts. playing with others is a must, most of the time you wish you could control the AI with commands just to find yourself getting chocked to death by a zombie and your fellow team members doing nothing to save you, the game actually forces you to play with friends, which is not that bad considering the great necessity of getting by many areas where a good plan is gold. graphically also leaves you with a very happy feeling just seeing pieces of body fly at your every attack, blood splatter in your eyes and machete, just cant be topped. but if theres a spot that left me with a bitter taste was the multi-player, overall excellent game-play modes and very rewarding achievements, but, for some reason they never included the capacity for players who create a match to state their level in quality, which for most is a must since many experienced players just dismiss new ones as they are not as good as them, and there is no point in playing as a newbie against a group of veterans that will take advantage of you and never give you the chance of making an improvement with your infected skills. all in all the best game i have ever played.… Expand

OMG why does all Dislike this one, Do you guys even played the game? all of thoese faggots Rating this 0-6 is some fucktards that doesn't know the gameplay at all, YOU HAVE TO USE TEAMWORK with your friends, if you don't have any friends then i understand that! Asshole THis game isn't made for Kids! play some Flash games! and all of those faggots that says, ''it's the same game, there is almost no diffences'' the first game only had 11 weapons ( and yes i have played the first, Awesome game) overall this game is great, but you will maybe need a friend to play with just to make it a bit more fun.… Expand

The l4d games are just pure awesome, no other way to put it. its like being able to actually interact with a true horror movie. hard rain is my personal favorite campaign, it has that true deserted/ somethings watching you feel, not to mention the storm effects are amazing, but all the campaigns are good in their own individual ways, one thing i really like better in 2 is that it has more of a connected story, explaining how they got to each location, i'd recommend this game to anyone whi wants a good thrill.… Expand

L4D2 is essentially everything that you were hoping for in L4D1. Now, I loved L4D1, don't get me wrong. But L4D2 addresses just about everything that people would pick at, and get the feeling that it could be better if they just changed a thing or two. The weapon selection no longer feels anemic, and melee (As well as ammo running out more readily, but maybe that's just me) adds another layer of strategy. Almost double the number of playable infected, means the mechanics jumps from being simple to being just tightly well designed, and uncommon common add an even greater variety, while new items builds on subtleties within strategies without muddling the core game play. Valve has clearly gotten far more comfortable with experimenting with new sorts of gameplay, especially with the crescendo events, and it has paid off in spades. The hurricane weather effect is particularly memorable. Also, 5 campaigns, and a variety of other game modes ensures that getting board with doing the same thing will become a thing of the past. There are only 2 weaknesses: The first is that the characters, with the exception of Ellis, are no where near as memorable or interesting as the original team. The second is that the Source engine starts to show its age rather badly when brought into the daylight. It's certainly acceptable, but it no longer has anywhere near the same wow factor as it did back in 2004. Overall, though I can't ever give a proper 10, I feel that L4D2 deserves a sizable decimal after the 9. Boycotters were clearly wrong, as great care has been taken to transform this into an entirely new and exciting game, far above and beyond the realm of a paid DLC. If you even somewhat enjoyed the first, then the second will not disappoint.… Expand

I give this game a 7. I am have played L4D 1 for a total of about 350 hours. L4D2 has several improvements that are quite nice. Nevertheless it mostly does the same mistakes the first one does, lacks the same features and even adds a few more buggy things. If you liked the first one, you will have fun with this one. Actually a lot of people will enjoy this game but there is nothing in the gameplay, graphics, features that would qualify this game as top notch! Quite fun to play not more. If you like games with nice suprising storylines look somewhere else. If you need astonishing graphics... look elsewhere. If you want complex very motivating gameplay... not this game. If you want a brainless fun shooter- buy it! If you want a nice multipayer experience for you and a few friends - very advisable to buy it. Small niche, and the game fills it quite nice. But against all the hype around this game: There is nothing NEW in this game. It is warmed up alphabet soup with some additional numbers.… Expand

The game feels much more polished and complete than the original, although its the same engine, they've really added more than expected. Main things i enjoy about the new game is that the versus gameplay is much more dynamic as opposed to "zombies are coming, everyone take autoshotguns and sit in a corner til they're gone". Same goes for infected, the variety of infected can produce interesting results with syncronised attacks with the new and old specials alike; eg. hunter+ spitter = hunter rape with added acid damage. or charger+ jockey = charger takes one half way across the street while jockey hops on one and takes him for a ride in the other direction causing the remaining 2 to either split up or go for the nearest survivor either way making infected much more effective and causing havoc. 9/10 mainly because i miss the old survivors :( Would be nice if they did a DLC involving the old survivors but hey i'd be asking for too much.… Expand

This game is truly amazing. It is godlike. It is more epic than an oil tanker full of epicness. Boycotters have only money to complain over like little girls now but it's well worth the money anyway. Tons of new weapons, even two different pistols to use at once. The variety of guns makes the game a whole lots more fun and enjoyable. On top of this they added in melee weapons. I mean come on, a freakin' chainsaw. And a fire axe. The list goes on and on. And if those aren't awesome enough then the gore is. Grab your axe or whatever quenches your thirst for blood and chop up some zombies. When I say chop up I mean chop up. Valve has made it possible to actually cut of limbs, or chop zombies in half and even make incisions all over them. Even intestines fall everywhere. And teamwork is not forgotten in this game. Its not like you sprint away from everyone laughing because if a smoker or a hunter gets you you will go Chuck Norris and rip its tongue off... or slam it onto the ground and start ripping its chest to pieces. No. Teamwork is still involved to survive these levels. The graphics are great I find, and the environment is well detailed. Facial detail is stunning. Voice acting is great and the mouths move exactly to the words. The survivor AI could be better but they still do as needed and heal you when your low on health. Skins are fantastic, the zombies looks great . They look a lot more like your 28 days later type zombie and the animations are perfect. They run at you like they want to tear your face off. Which they do. The new SI are very imaginative and counter tactics survivors attempt thus you have to think harder to survive. Online is great fun and adds to the enjoyability of the game. With plenty of new game-mods to try out it adds a great competitive online gaming community. The single-player campaigns are extremely re-playable and almost all of them have some humor and way more tension. There is more story line in this than L4D as L4D was some survivors blasting through zombies (which I have to admit was a totally awesome game) whereas L4D2 makes each consecutive campaign a follow-up in some sort of a storyline (at least more so than L4D) and the final campaign finale acts like a whole game finale unlike L4D. Great game all in all 10/10 as "great game" was a complete understatement. Amazing game! 10/10!… Expand

I was a little weary about L4D2, but when I first played it, all the feelings went away. I noticed that the great people at Valve put a lot of effort to make every campaign completely unique. For example, in Hard Rain, a great rainstorm comes while you are returning to the ship, and affects gameplay greatly. In The Parish and Swamp Fever Campaigns, you can listen to 5 different songs on the jukebox, which are all awesome( Portal: Still Alive :D). In the Dead Carnival Campaign, there are arcade games you can play, and you have the chance to save a gnome from the horrors of the zombie apocalypse. The settings are beautifully rendered as well. As you also know, there are 3 new infected, which all help counter camping. New Panic Events require you to perform tasks such as running a roller coaster, or running coke for a gunshop owner, which also counter camping, and add a new twist to the game. They add many new primary weapons to the game and also melee weapons. Adrenaline, revive kits and boomer bile are some other new equipment in the game. They also add Scavenger mode, in which you frantically try to gather gas cans. Unfortunately though, I find that Scavenger mode is greatly unfair, as one team usually wins 3 times in a row. The losers have to go first, and the winners have to try to beat them. Easy call, who do you think is going to win? The characters are also a little bit more dull, and while I do like them, they don't stand out as much as the original L4D characters.(PILLZ HERE) Also, the Survivor AI Sucks, so don't think about trying single player unless you are good at killing smokers. Overall, I give the game a 9m because while this is everything Valve promised, there is just a little more that can be done.… Expand

I've done all of this before in the previous game... more then enough times. Additionally, the game feels almost unplayable, all the servers i join are laggy, and there's major performance issues compared to the first L4D. It's the same as the first game, but worse.

Captures the spirit of the first one and adds a lot of new things. If you've got friends and want to have a good time with them, by all means, buy this.

Improves on the first in nearly every way. Single player AI is sometimes questionable, but hey, who plays this for the single player anyway?

This game is a great improvement over the original Left 4 Dead. The only aspect to the game that is rather annoying is that in Versus mode, the Infected wins probably >70% of the time. You have to be AMAZING at the game to beat four player-controlled infected.

not just an expansion pack... its *sniff* perfection. although for anyone inexperienced... you may want to get help with versus

Valve took a wonderful DLC concpet and expanded it slightly to release an entire new game. The original development map would have worked fine for a DLC, but the added complexity of releasing a stand alone game made the 1-year deadline impossible to make, but Valve released L4D2 anyways, filled to the brim with bugs. The game didnt even run on Dual core 64bit systems until almost a full month after its release!!!!… Expand

Steam and L4D2 is a complete joke, you can't resell the game due to the registration online. Just shows what greedy capitalists Valve are. Imagine buying a TV and not being able to sell it..only YOU can watch it lol that kind of thing. The word ridiculous isn't strong enough. But what goes around comes around, give it a few years and no one will be playing L4D and there won';t be L4D3 or L4D4. Even if there was, are you dumb enough to buy it? Another $50 for a few extra weapons and the SAME storyline? Haha...Better spend your money on medical treatment, seriously.… Expand