Left 4 Dead 2 is the sequel to the famous cooperative survival horror shooter Left 4 Dead by Valve. The worldwide publisher is Electronic Arts, while the publisher in Russia is 'Akella'. The game was released for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows in November 2009. A year later, the project was launched on the Mac OS X platform.
The game's plot revolves around an outbreak of an unknown virus sweeping through the United States. Infected individuals start to mutate and turn into real zombies, whose main delicacy is human flesh. Several states fell victim to the infection, and the government began a mass evacuation of all survivors. However, some could not reach the checkpoints in time and were unable to escape. These unfortunate individuals are the four heroes of Left 4 Dead 2, who are immune to the virus and work together to escape the ravaged areas.
Each campaign is divided into several levels set in various locations – from the urban slums of New Orleans to the swampy woods of Louisiana. The main goal for the quartet is to traverse the dangerous areas with minimal losses. Around every corner, behind every tree or trash container, the heroes are ambushed by infected zombies eager to take down and devour the survivors. In addition to the regular creatures, there are true mutants. Three entirely new monsters have been added to the old hunters, tanks, smokers, witches, and boomers from the first game: Spitters, who spew poisonous bile; Jockeys, who leap onto the heroes' backs; and the smaller but equally dangerous versions of tanks known as Bruisers. To complete a level, the heroes must reach the safe house. It is nearly impossible to deal with zombies alone, so supporting teammates and helping them in tough moments is essential. Team coordination is the key to successful gameplay.
As before, the main feature of the game is the cooperative play mode. Playing with partners is several times more interesting, engaging, and... terrifying. When the safe house is literally just a few steps away, and a teammate is being torn apart around the corner, frantically calling for help, making the right choice becomes very difficult. The atmosphere of horror in Left 4 Dead 2 is all-consuming.
Compared to Left 4 Dead, the second installment is visually more appealing, with rainy and gray settings balanced by sunny and outwardly calm levels – if we ignore the zombies roaming around. There are completely new characters – Coach, Ellis, Nick, and Rochelle. The arsenal of melee and ranged weapons has significantly increased. In general, everything that existed in the first game has been revamped, improved, and modernized in the second part of Left 4 Dead. Much to the delight of fans.