Left 4 Dead 2 + 4 Players = More Fun

Here’s the fact of the matter: If you find yourself in the middle of a city overrun with zombies, you probably don’t want to be the only survivor.

Chances are you’ll want at least one other person to watch your back while you plow through the hordes of undead that are trying to eat your brains.

Left 4 Dead is the same, whether you’re playing 1 or 2. It’s simply better with more people. Left 4 Dead 1 was a great game but we didn’t know just how good it could be until L4D2.

A lot of people really thought they were shaking up the game when the new infected were added. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think the spitter and the jockey are fun little additions, but I don’t think they really did anything to improve upon the game. You still just knock them back and shoot them… it’s very basic.

However, I think what did improve upon the game was the increase in available weaponry. The new array of melee weapons alone is pretty cool. The fact that you can mow down a horde of zombies with a chainsaw is pretty gruesome but entertaining. Also improving upon the original game are the many new modes you can play – realism, scavenger, etc. These are what give the game its replay value, in my opinion.

But this is where the title of this post becomes clear… Left 4 Dead 2 is more fun with friends. It’s true, and I think most everyone would agree with me. The single player campaigns are fun the first time through, possibly a second. But after that, the game can get pretty boring. Especially with L4D2…the game is increasingly more difficult than L4D1 was.

While this is more fun in multiplayer, it makes for a frustrating run in single player while your stupid A.I. companions are diving in front of your bullets and then complaining that you keep shooting them. And in sticking with that, I’ve compiled my ideal L4D team for playing single player, comprised of characters from both games (if only you could choose):

1.)  For starters, I’ll take either of the women – Rochelle or Zoe. It doesn’t make a difference to me, both are equally fine (although I like Rochelle’s voice-overs maybe a bit more.) The woman is an obligatory selection since I’m female and that’s who I like to play.
2.)  Francis – A) because I don’t think I’ve ever had him dive in front of me and get shot, and B) he looks like a bad ass – and that’s what I want on my side during a zombie apocalypse.
3.)  Ellis because he is, BY FAR, the most amusing of all the characters – and you need a little comic relief when you’re chopping up bodies.
4.)  Bill – Dude is a war vet. ‘Nuff said.

Now, I refuse to accept Louis on my team for the simple fact that he is a bullet magnet. That moron sees the barrel of a gun and thinks a shower of skittles is going to pop out the end and he’s right there to eat it. I can’t stand him. On that note… both Nick and Coach have a similar habit, though on a much, much, much, MUCH lesser scale than Louis, so I’ll only take either of them as alternatives. Perhaps I’ll take Rochelle as default, just to balance the ratio of characters from L4D1 and L4D2…

Anyway, Left 4 Dead 2 is a really entertaining game.  I think the replay value depends upon the availability of friends, however, and more so, if those friends are playing with microphones.  When voice chat is utilized, hilarity ensues.

So if you’ve got 3 other buddies and you’re looking for a fun game to play together, this may be great for you. If you’re all alone and you want something similar but don’t want to be bored after time… maybe you should try something more like Bioshock – something more geared toward single player.