
There is more packed into this sequel, too. These new types of ammo are a huge boon when exercised at the right time, such as against a tank or when calling the horde down upon your position. To compliment these new guns, there are also incendiary and explosive rounds that you can find throughout the five different campaigns. While they don't break a lot of new ground, each of the different weapons has its own strengths and you will inevitably find your firearm of choice. With the exception of the Grenade Launcher, a boom-stick if ever I saw one, many of the new weapons are slight variations on those you already know and love. It is a level of enjoyment that can be best appreciated after a long stressful dayЕīeyond the melee weapons, Left 4 Dead 2 also expands on the relatively limited arsenal of firearms from the original game. These melee attacks are accompanied by a bloody mess being splashed across your screen and a very visceral splorshing sound. Ranging from chainsaw to cricket bat, some of these weapons allow you to actually cleave through a massed horde of zombies quickly. Where the original game allowed you to push zombies back when you were overwhelmed, a process that bought you precious few moments to catch your breath, you can now replace your pistols with one of eight handheld weapons. The biggest update to the gameplay is the addition of melee weapons. The new features in Left 4 Dead 2 make some significant improvements to how your own personal zombie apocalypse plays out. The best thing about the sequel, Left 4 Dead 2, is that it recaptures all of those sentiments about the original while improving the variety and depth of the gameplay. The B-grade movie feeling was compounded with great atmosphere and level design. It let your party create its own story using voice-chat after setting the tone with hundreds upon hundreds of the undead. It did this by eschewing a traditional narrative, instead thrusting you and three friends into a zombie movie. The original Left 4 Dead did an excellent job of creating a new type of game where the experience improves when enjoyed with a group of friends. What's amazing is that, even with only a year of development, Left 4 Dead 2 does everything that the original does and then some. A little bit unexpectedly, Valve just released the sequel to last year's multiplayer game of the year.

Do you know what I'm talking about? There is a type of cathartic release that comes along with slaughtering zombies by the dozens and hundreds, one that Left 4 Dead perfectly captured when it was released last year.

There is something satisfying about plowing through wave upon wave of grotesquely-stupid, nearly-human, fodder. I'm always up for a good zombie-killing game.
