User Score
8.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1571 Ratings

User score distribution:

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  1. Aug 24, 2010
    10
    All I can say, is that this game is a **** awesome sequel to Left 4 Dead, ticked all my boxes, nothing negative comes to mind. Awesome! The gameplay is awesome in multiplayer, had tones of fun, the new infected are fun to kill and are fun to play as! Very very verry good game :D
  2. DickS
    Dec 18, 2009
    0
    This expansion is horribly overpriced and obviously rushed. I got sick of seeing the same zombie model over and over again, I barely noticed the uncommon common, the level design is atrocious, and the AI is pants on head retarded. I had my full team of AI players stand next to me and watch a hunter rip me from 80 health to dead. You can no longer enjoy the environments on anything above easy because the game spawns the mini hordes like the Director is having a seizure on his spawn button. While small, the posters don't show your player names on them like the old one. All of the new items are stuff that you can get in the first one with a simple script set. YES the first one has incindiary ammo, lazer sights, ect. The extra guns are just different designs with no difference. All melee weapons do the same thing and could have easily been a dlc into the first one. The worse part of all is that its near impossible to navigate on half the levels. I got stuck on every other friggin stage because the level design sucks. I didn't go into this game expecting to hate it, but after playing it I cant stand it. It doesnt even have the same feel as the first game. It's too goofy and not dark like the first one. Expand
  3. Professor
    Mar 16, 2010
    9
    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
  4. Aug 23, 2010
    9
    Left 4 Dead 2 is a great game that is probably the best FPS that i've played in a long time. I recoend this game to everybody. Its pure Great. This game has new levels, zombies, weapons, and chracters. anybody who likes First person shooters should get this game.
  5. AshA
    Dec 7, 2009
    5
    Very overpriced and overrated game. Well the game is fun for a while, but given the fact that the core content is incredibly shallow as it is generic and all campaigns can be beaten in mere 3 hours, i would suggest to wait for the game price to drop down to 20$-25$ before buying it, because everything above is a rip off. I, just as many other people have bought the first game (l4d1) for full price (45 Expand
  6. JayF.
    Apr 10, 2010
    4
    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.
  7. MaxB
    Apr 25, 2010
    6
    In a rush to get this sequel done, Valve seems to had forgotten that coat of polish, which separates their games from others and makes them great. Lacks the atmosphere and beautiful level design from L4D1. The daylight setting totally throws the idea of lighting cues out the window, which DOES cause people to get lost within the maps. Mostly a meh experience, it's harder than the first, but in a particularly annoying way, it might just be my computer but I seem to have a few hit detection problems and the zombies like to run around like retarded headless chickens. The most fun I got out of this game was by exploiting all those glitches in the survival maps with some friends. Not much enjoyment beyond that, really. Not worth the 55 bucks for me, but now it's 30 bucks on steam.. Still not worth it. "If you liked L4D1, you'll LOVE LEFT 4 DEAD 2!!1!1!1!1" That's wrong. It's a matter of taste and point of view, really. Expand
  8. Oct 17, 2010
    9
    People, you can't downgrade a game meant to be coop because the Single Player is lousy. It's also not clear if you should be rating L4D2 relative to L4D, since that rating wouldn't matter to someone who doesn't have either. Rate L4D2 on its own merits, for how it's meant to be played, and if you do that, the game is practically flawless.
  9. Nov 8, 2011
    5
    Just because you added a "2" in the "Left 4 Dead" title and also made some additional zombie characters doesn't make a better game. I'm not saying it's bad, but its just the same thing I played a year ago. I still enjoy it and I'm thankful for Valve making this epic **** but the next L4D's gotta be more innovative.
  10. MikeS.
    Feb 9, 2010
    0
    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
  11. SallyV.
    Apr 4, 2010
    0
    +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
  12. Oct 6, 2010
    10
    An amazing sequel. While many were worried that the quality of the game since there was such a short time period between this and the original game but I can safely say that Left 4 Dead 2 is amazing! The game is quite unmatched by any other zombie themed game. The addition of mellee weapons and new guns really added to the experience. With "Uncommon Infected" and new Special Infected added, the campaigns could never be more fun. The enw characters are colorful, interesting, and funny yet still insanely realistic. This game is gleaming with Valve's polish and it shows, it really does. Collapse
  13. Oct 31, 2010
    4
    I was terribly disappointed when I realised that the hype was just a hype. This game qualifies as a mediocre, run-of-the-mill first person shooter, with the exception of the infected.

    The missions are quite challenging whilst playing online against well experience players, which unfortunately is the rare exception to the average player of this game. It is not unusual to find yourself yell
    ing at your own team, for being generally terrible at the game.

    The maps are so few that you grow tired in less than a few hours. This goes for the characters as well. The survivors are all the same, they have no unique niche to them - except for models and voice acting.
    The infected work well together, but that is unfortunately all they do. One becomes terribly bored of them after just a few matches. Not to mention the linearity of them, but at least that makes them very intuitive.

    There is nothing upgradeable; no incentive of playing well.

    The single player is not worth mentioning since it's basically a multi-player map with bots instead of players.

    In conclusion.
    As long as this game cost what it does, roughly 19 euros, I for one would not make the mistake of buying it. If you for some inexplicable reason still is thinking about buying it, get your friends on the train, it is the only way of having any fun in this game.
    Expand
  14. Oct 2, 2011
    5
    New zombies, new weapons, pretty much just dlc for the first game, i found little differnt and i am insulted that the devs would make basicaly the same game a year later? Well they realy want our money realy bad for the greater good of the future or has the first game done poorly for profit? Just like most franchises, their predessors in sequals are far to repetative for their own good.
  15. Dec 26, 2010
    9
    An overall very good game and great co-op experience with beautiful graphics. I only gave it a 9 because the characters are not as original as in L4D1, the maps designs are not as charming (although they're better in gameplay and many other ways) and the atmosphere is more like a mass-killing zombie game than a survival one. I was also deceived as in the first one that they didn't design the menu like a movie. Expand
  16. Jan 30, 2011
    10
    I always have a good time on this game with my buddies, both in this and in Left 4 Dead. With custom content you'll never get bored. You can also make your own maps and skins for it if you take the time to learn. Great game, but make sure you have some friends to enjoy it with, and some free time to get good at the game!
  17. Jan 5, 2012
    3
    It's the same Left 4 Dead! Why deceive people? Why create a CLONE? The creation of games - the art! The art does not make money! If, nevertheless, the game discuss, in the first place there begins to annoy (for some reason, can only me) music (Soundtrack: HL2 - best, L4D2 - fail).
  18. Aug 9, 2012
    7
    Left 4 Dead 2 is a game that should be looked at entirely separately from its predecessor. Yes, it was released one year after the first one, yes it is the same game mechanics but with different characters/areas. Those however, are what makes it a new game. Many people thought they should have released dlc for the original and been done with it, but if you look at both games, you can tell the first one was more of a dry-run at the franchise, a polished beta, if you will. It tried new ideas while doing them well. L4D2 is released, and you can see what they were trying to do all along. They succeeded in creating a very nice experience for friends to play and it provides a huge amount of options and game modes to go back to. It runs on Source, which speaks for itself in terms of performance. The lack of content is what held this game back. If it knew it was only going to be a game comprised of multiple short campaigns, it should have prepared for the desire of the consumer for more, by adding at least 5 more original campaigns. Expand
  19. RomanO
    Jan 8, 2010
    1
    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
  20. GazMan
    Apr 8, 2010
    2
    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
  21. RichardS
    Jan 6, 2010
    0
    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
  22. BobD
    Feb 9, 2010
    5
    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.
  23. StevenP
    Mar 16, 2010
    6
    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
  24. HiTBiT
    Dec 4, 2009
    10
    Words can't describe how awesome this game is! If you like the first game you will love this. More zombies, more weapons, more everything. And wait to see the storm, and the concert fight at the carnival.
  25. bi0tech
    Dec 7, 2009
    5
    Like L4D1 with more art, less story, and tons of new bugs. It's amusing enough for L4D1 fans, until you play long enough to realize any concept of single player is destroyed by even dumber bots, versus is a constant battle against game bugs rather than adversaries, leaving you online campaign mode as relatively fun. I expected far far far more from Valve.
  26. Slayer
    Dec 19, 2009
    6
    Good but not great. Pretty cool updates from the first game but it is not quite enough for the fans, valve recently announced that an addon "the passing" will be released soon. However, it is stated that "Pricing will be announced closer to launch." If the new addon will cost more money, it will be another sick joke of Valve. When they released L4D1, they promised to support it like TF2, but end up making a full priced game. What were Valve thinking? Expand
  27. Dec 5, 2010
    5
    The only thing different about this game from the first version is, this one is harder. You get a lot more zombies thrown at you. If I want to change the difficulty level, I can do that myself. No need to throw a gazillion more enemies at me at my normal playing level. To get a good rating in my book, you need to make the sequel more creative, not just crank up the difficulty. Certain parts are enjoyable, but many are just plain dumb. I'm giving it a 5 - not a complete waste of money, but there are reasons this one went from full price to discount very quickly. Expand
  28. Mar 6, 2012
    1
    This is the most disappointing purchase I have ever made. Firstly, this game is produced in 2009, but the graphic is like before 2005. And with such bad graphic, it runs with 40% less average fps than dead space one in the same setting on my computer. Secondly, the movement is very slippery, and shooting is very uncomfortable either. I always feel that I am playing a skiing simulation game, not a shooting game at all! Although it is a little bit fun to play with 3 other players on line, the overall presentation is too poor to match the score of 89/100. Originally, I want to give it 2 or 3 out of 10, but when I see the score is 89, I was shocked, so I decided to warn people to make the purchase carefully by give it 1 out of 10. Expand
  29. Anti-RageQuit
    Feb 10, 2010
    10
    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.
  30. FetzL
    Feb 19, 2010
    1
    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
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 55 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 55
  3. Negative: 0 out of 55
  1. 100
    L4D2 delivers multiple improvements over its predecessor, and I get to keep all my fingers and toes.
  2. 90
    It remains one of the most distinctive co-operative titles out there, and allows for some of the most nerve-searing team-based multiplayer gaming on the market.
  3. Whereas once we treated Left 4 Dead as a stopgap between Half-Lifes, this is no longer a weird little side project with modest expectations, and Valve is confident enough to play around with it, safe in the knowledge that you can trust your players. Left 4 Dead proved it. And whereas that game had a personality, this one is overflowing with it.