By Cody Webb

If that mangled hand on the cover is any indication, everyone’s favorite zombie apocalypse game is back and filled with more gore than before! That’s right, folks, Left 4 Dead 2 has released a mere year after the original (a first for Valve). The new levels, characters and zombies were deemed too big for a simple expansion pack and so they’ve been released as a full-fledged sequel. Remember guys, as with the original, the sequel is rated M for Mature because of excessive violence and all of the blood associated with it.

Valve made several very noticeable improvements to the successful zombie-killing formula introduced in the first game, but let’s start with the new characters. Nick, Ellis, Rochelle and Coach are total chatterboxes, which is a good thing and helps players learn more about these four. Valve took a step in the right direction by introducing a story arc: the four survivors make their way from Savannah, Ga. to New Orleans, instead of the four seemingly random locales in the first game. The four characters are fleshed out more as a result, allowing players to know more about their personalities and their opinions. Even the seemingly generic Coach has a few good lines to deliver throughout the game!

The level design has undergone a rather dramatic overhaul as well, with the Director (the A.I. that dictated what items were placed where in the first game) having more control and options than before. It can now change a level’s layout significantly or slightly, along with deciding on broader loadouts of items in more places. Gone are the days of going out of the way just to find nothing; now players are encouraged to explore to get better guns or special ammo. The Director even has control over some special situations during some of the levels, like the squalls in “Hard Rain.” Sadly, not all the levels are golden; a couple seem a bit bland compared to the rest. (I’m looking at you “Swamp Fever”!)

The Infected hordes have also been improved, featuring more zombies and more zombie appearances. You’ll still run into copies, but that’s to be expected with the number of zombies thrown at you. Mixed up within the common Infected are new “Uncommon” Infected: Infected that are given some sort of advantage, be it through clothing or mutation. These range from the fireproof hazmat-suit zombies to the bulletproof riot gear zombies that are only vulnerable from the back. They do a great job of keeping players on their toes without taking away from progress. The Infected now take realistic damage, which is a big warning to anyone who is blood-shy. This game is not for those with weak stomachs.

Everybody remembers the Special Infected from the first Left 4 Dead, right? The Boomer, Hunter, Smoker, Witch and Tank served as minibosses designed to challenge players. Adding to the challenge are three new contenders: The Charger, Jockey and Spitter. The Charger is described as a “mini-Tank” and will do just what its name implies: charge you and kill you quickly. The Jockey is one of the more irritating Special Infected, this little guy likes to jump on your shoulders and steer you into traps and danger. The Spitter is more of a supporter Special. Alone she’s just a nuisance, but paired with a Smoker or Charger, the acid that she spits can end your game fast. The original Specials have undergone small, and in the Smoker’s case major, visual changes, but still function the same as before. Aside from the Witch, who will now wander about in daylight levels.

All of the original game modes return: Campaign, Survival and Versus, but new to L4D2 are the Scavenge and Realism modes. In Scavenge, the survivors are tasked with filling a generator with gas cans scattered about the area to keep a timer from running out. The Infected are in charge of messing with and killing the survivors as quickly as they can. They can even destroy the gas cans. Then the sides flip and whichever team keeps their generator running the longest wins. Realism mode is essentially hardcore Campaign, taking away the characters’ ad-libs and forcing players to work together by actually speaking. A couple of hits from a zombie is enough to incap a player, and friendly-fire can kill really fast as well. This mode is there to challenge the zombie slaying masters and to put teamwork at the forefront like it should be.

All in all, Left 4 Dead 2 has done an amazing job of improving on everything the first game created, although a few nagging issues remain. It’d be nice to be able to run from zombies, and it can be irritating having to stop completely when one hits you. However, it’s not that big of a deal, and with the greatly-expanded weapon variety, it is actually more fun to fight your way through the hordes. L4D2 gets a well-earned A; now Valve, can we see Half-Life 2: Episode Three soon?

Cody Webb, a 2008 graduate of Suwannee High School, lives in Live Oak.