100 hours – the flight is normal! Review, specially for Gamer.ru

Yes, gentlemen!

Our blue sphere has been engulfed by a wave of survival, and in any corner of our wonderful planet, one can now hear a barely audible scream in headphones on dark, eerie evenings.

Ricarica (it.)

Umladen (de.)

And even in distant Australia, where scandals with censors have already quieted down, gamers in uncontrollable excitement pronounce together with their favorite characters:

Reloading

Russian zombie enthusiasts, who, by the way, have actively expressed their interest in the game, on the release day, November 17, could participate in the first skirmishes in the fight for the lives of four heroes, still unknown to us.

I don’t want to dwell on prices, localization, and the publisher in general. The highly respected company "Akella", I am sure, did everything they could, and it turned out to be a little less than we all expected =). In any case, those who pre-ordered the game via Steam did not face any issues at all. As for localization, my good friend from a not-so-small Mid-Ural city informed me today that the game is promised to be out on the 28th.

Well, in any case, once again, I congratulate us all on the long-awaited release of Left4Dead2, and I will probably start my humble review, which carries a sincerely subjective position.

Let’s go, galloping into... ahem.

Friends, what did I expect from the second part, I ask myself, especially considering the fact that Valve laid out almost all the cards before the release. I will probably describe it point by point.

- New campaigns. In particular, Hard Rain, which, in my view, should have brought a lot of new sensations.

- New characters. Doubtful? Yes, I also really loved the old ones. And as has been said many times – it’s a matter of habit.

- New infected. I think my opinion will match that of a lion's share of players – such innovations always bring a lot of positive sensations.

- Game modes. There’s nothing to argue about here, it's a useful thing.

That's about it. Maybe you’ll ask, what about the weapons? What about everything else?

All this is great, but at that time I still didn’t understand that the weapons, more precisely their variety, would play another important role in gameplay.

Plotline.

If you haven’t played the first part, I can describe its plot in one phrase. Zombies everywhere; 4 people, completely different and somehow having found each other; several campaigns, absolutely unrelated to each other, although many fans desperately searched for that connection. The second part gifted us a somewhat plotline, but other than calling it a line, my tongue wouldn’t turn. Now, someone is probably thinking, why do we need a plot in a cooperative shooter? And indeed, in my lifetime I’ve shot enough, and often, the game’s plot fell into the background for me. But L4D2, with its stunning cutscenes, simply must have a share of meaningful content. So, the goal of the game is the journey from the Savannah to New Orleans, in which we are to help the heroes. In general, the question of the plot constantly troubled me, I’m just that kind of person. But once I launched the coveted game, I forgot about everything and was desperately searching for a frying pan.

Okay, let’s go! Gameplay.

I can’t say that the game became noticeably harder. But as someone experienced, I already have a bit of an idea of how to act in various situations. But what should newcomers do? Remembering my first steps in L4D, I had nothing to brag about. So I’m sure newcomers in L4D2 will find it not easy. The functionality of the standard zombies, surprisingly, is good. I especially want to note the colorful variety and realistic hordes of corpses scattered throughout the game. The developers really did a great job. Personally, the game became not much harder for me, but significantly more interesting. The final compositions of missions are structured in such a way that the team feeling escalates to the maximum, and adrenaline runs high. I’m used to playing on expert with friends; the second part is just made for that. And in such moments, I began to understand how great it is to have so many cool weapons. Yes, weapons play a significant role, and it makes you want to smack someone with a frying pan.

Graphics. Campaigns.

The idea of daytime is not new. But for veterans accustomed to the dark first part of L4D, it really grates the eyes, as it did for me. We are like bears who, after hibernation, still walk squinting for another month. Many argue whether it’s better or worse. For me, what matters is how well it is done. And contrary to my expectations, the daytime zombies pleasantly surprised me (in a good sense of the word). The rendering has noticeably improved – undeniably. Severing limbs brings excitement, however horrifying it may sound. And the nice sunny daytime tickles the nerves cheerfully because just a minute after leaving the safe room, you realize, as my friend said, "Somehow, this day isn’t helping me at all."

But separately, I would like to talk about the campaign Hard Rain. It justified all my expectations.

In the third campaign, we almost managed to find the rescue boats, but not so fast – problems with fuel, which is why we set off in the fourth campaign to search for it. Due to my job, and I work as a local janitor =), I have a lot of time for games, and the gaming atmosphere is one of the most important factors for me. The campaign, as it has already been dubbed in RusFun communities – "Tinny Rain", in my opinion, will impress even the most demanding critic. The mere fact that the downpour rises and increases tension deserves loud and extended applause for the developers. Then comes the sugar factory with witches who, as it turned out, really love sugar (I think this moment will soon be illuminated by guys who deal with Easter eggs because I’m sure this is not just made up). I was very pleased with the idea when we have to return across the entire map, something that few could have predicted. Moreover, the storm intensified, and now we will have a tough time because gusts of wind and wild rain limit both visibility and speed of movement. Knee-deep in water, with fuel canisters, with useless Molotov cocktails, which, in fact, do not burn, but being in the company of friends, shoulder to shoulder, fighting for survival is very captivating. Before this campaign, I loved thunderstorms...

After it, I loved thunderstorms even more...

New Characters.

As in the first part, the developers did not provide a serious backstory for the characters. Who are they? How did they meet? Brief dossiers were provided nonetheless, so thanks for that. But perhaps it is not important. After all, playing in co-op, you easily forget whom exactly you are controlling – the sly and slippery Nick or the simple guy named Ellis. First and foremost – it is you! You are saving your own life; you are the master of the situation.

Impression.

Did the game surprise me, which I had been waiting for so long? No, it didn’t surprise me. It would be more accurate to say – it justified my expectations. Left4Dead 2 is indeed a shooter that will long resonate in the hearts of gamers around the world. The cooperative mode, which many games of recent years would be envious of. A game that is stunning in atmosphere, which has a tendency to pull you in just as strongly as it can repel you. One can play for hours, then forget for a month, and remember a month later and sit down again. A game that in no way hooks you on it and does not make a player into some sort of psychopath who is ready to spend nights and days honing their craft (though perhaps such people do exist). So what is this phenomenon Left4Dead 2?

I don’t know about you, gentlemen, but for me, it’s an excellent way, in good spirits, with a decent beer, in the company of friends and acquaintances, to waste a few hours of my life on the most brutal and engaging zombie slaughter.

And maybe we won’t save the world, and most likely the world won’t save us, but when your friends lie on the ground and ask for help, and you have 8 bullets and a baseball bat in hand, you close your eyes for a second, and when you open them, you realize you may not survive, but you’re not planning to die now either.

Aren’t you afraid of zombies?

They aren’t either =)


Wrote about what he thinks

Yaha, specially for Gamer.Ru