Zombies have become something of a staple diet of enemies within video games today. Those stumblingly scary and brain-eating undead friends of ours have been featured in video games for years, but 2008’s Left 4 Dead thrust their corpse-like bodies into the limelight. Left 4 Dead 2 has just arrived, on the exact release date of its predecessor one year later, and even though many have tried to boycott the survival-horror, there’s no denying the appeal this co-op shooter has in store for gamers.

The premise of Left 4 Dead 2 remains the same as the first: survive hordes of the undead, as well as some other nasty creatures, until you reach a safe house or evacuation point. There is some kind of story involving an outbreak of a virus, but at the end of the day, you just gotta kill a whole lot of zombies. This time around however there is a change of scenery; players will attempt to cross through the Southern United States, through locales such as Georgia and Louisiana. There is a bit of conversing between the characters which is actually very humorous and witty, and will keep you laughing and screaming simultaneously right until the end.

L4D2 (like it’s predecessor) is broken up into several scenes and locations. There are five different scenarios, each with about four safehouses or chapters. New to the game are more weapons at your disposal, such as a zombie-attracting pipebomb; but the biggest addition is the incorporation of melee weapons. These melee weapons come in all shapes and forms, from guitars to axes to cricket bats. They are quite overpowered but are a nice addition to the gameplay.

The enemies have also received some new additions, such as new special-infected like the charger, spitter, and jockey who will ride its victim like a…um… jockey.

Graphically, L4D2’s visuals haven’t been drastically improved by any means, although it is still a very good looking game. There are some nice new environmental effects and remodeled zombies, but overall it’s a case of quantity over quality in terms of visuals.

Left 4 Dead 2 may be a little too early for dedicated fans of the original, although there are some new additions and factors that make this sequel desirable nonetheless. The co-op is brilliant and it stands as one of the best team-oriented games around. If you have a buddy to play with and haven’t had a chance to play the original, give it a try. If you love the original Left 4 Dead and are still satisfied with it, don’t go to the wall for Left 4 Dead 2.

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