"Kill all sonsa **** that's my 'Official Instructions'" Words to live by Ellis...
Yes I'm fully aware most FPS fans have probably played this already, but for those who didn't and looking to do so, here's the skinny.
Left 4 Dead 2 is the sequel of the hit game Left 4 Dead, made by Valve. It's a first person shooter for the Xbox 360 and PC. Notably, before it came out many people believed this should have been an add on for the original game due to it's short elapse of time between the two releases (only a year apart of the two), but when It came out, we can all agree that this is a game that stands solely on it's own.
If you played the first or even did research on the franchise then you know the premise, gameplay and such, if not, it's pretty simple. Before in L4D there was no distinct story, just 4 survivors of a zombie apocalypse working together to get from point A to point B without dying a horrible death, of the four chapters originally made for the game, none had no real connection between them. L4D 2 actually forms them into a linear odyssey that spans five chapters (and two more if you get the extra DLC chapters)
In this version, just like the last, you play as one of four survivors, an always hungry, highly optimistic high school football coach aptly named Coach, a young, talkative car mechanic called Ellis, the cynical, shifty riverboat gambler Nick, and sassy, sometimes awkward Rochelle. Just like the last, the characters while full of personality, don't affect gameplay. Unlike the first game though, there are five different chapters (can be played individually, or in order, and if you have the DLC chapters), new weapons and items, new special infected (Chargers, Spitters, and Jockies oh my!) new class called "uncommon infected", and plenty of other goodies to see when in game (I'll be forever trying to list them)
Now finally on to the review, and if you've read my first Left 4 Dead review, it's similar (seeing as I already rated that a 9.5, you'll see how this got a full 10). Gameplay is ridiculously fun and satisfying (especially to maul a zombie with a chainsaw), audio is not only solid but helpful, and graphics tend to be muddy (Valve is notorious for this so it's to be expected) but still great (now with 25% more gore!), even the crappy AIs from the first game seemed to be improved (I can actually complete the game without dying!)
My only hang up that traveled from the first to this is the multiplayer issues. If you're like me and hates n00bs (when I say n00bs, I mean idiot gamers, not newbies), you'll find yourself getting irritated quick (seems like the **** in L4D was replaced by the n00bs of L4D2). But like the first, if you have reliable friends, this won't hinder the awesome gameplay. What does send this game into the 10 rating, is the extra stuff added (new guns, melee weapons, items, ammo upgrades, chapters, zombies, even the Witch walks around in here...which ain't exactly a good thing...), it may not seem like enough for a 10 to most people, but it impressed me enough for it, I recommend any fan of this genre to pick it up and go nuts on a zombie with a chainsaw!