I would like to think if I was ever caught in some apocalyptic global disaster that turned everyone around me into flesh-eating zombies, I’d have a better chance of survival than most. I’ve watched enough horror films to know exactly what to do in the event of such a crisis - including Shaun of the Dead at least seven times - so you could say I’d be ready and waiting for the outbreak when it came.
However, believe it or not, there are those who haven’t been quite so lucky to have sat through 600+ hours of movie footage. With this in mind, it’s good news Electronic Arts has released a ‘training simulator’ the less enlightened can play to brush up on their survival skills…
Left4Dead 2 pits you in the middle of a zombie catastrophe, playing the part of one of four survivors who have to battle through death and destruction until you can reach freedom. Taking a slice of Night of the Living Dead, followed by a dollop of 28 Days Later and you have one of the most compelling multi-player games you are ever likely to participate in.
Whilst it isn’t imperative that you play the game with other people, it certainly helps. To survive, you must function together as a team, looking out for each other and covering your friend’s backs. As a group, you must decide whether to fight or flee from danger – if you don’t act together, you’ll get torn apart by the hordes of zombies. For solo gamers, the computer controls the other party members and for the most part does a sterling job.
The same AI is put to good use against you, with the enemy zombies all acting intelligently and strategically. Forget George A Romero’s classic shuffling zombies, these guys are fast on their feet and unless you act quickly, will overpower you before you have time to react. You’ll encounter several varieties of undead on your travels, each with their own special abilities, including the huge lumbering ‘Tank’ zombie and the terrifying ‘witch’ zombie who will suddenly leap out at you from the darkness.
Each stage played is unique, as the game randomly spawns zombies at different locations on the map, ensuring no two sessions are ever the same. For added longativity, you can opt to play as the zombies against a team of human survivors, which is a nice touch and adds a new dimension to the game play.
Graphically there are obvious cosmetic improvements to the original Left4Dead. However, if you already own the aforementioned title, then you’re best saving your money. It’s pretty much the same experience as before but with a few added tweaks. But if you haven’t ever experienced the original Left4Dead… then hand on heart; this is probably the best multiplayer game I have ever experienced. A must play for all horror fans.
