Left 4 Dead 2 Released on Steam - Gamers Rush Into Midnight Horde

 We really can't say enough good things about the realistic combat that Left 4 Dead 2 achieves over the original. Normally, violence in games is either a cheap gimmick, such as in Mad World, or an expected gameplay style, such as in Mortal Kombat. In Left 4 Dead 2, we see a level of interactive action that is nearly unmatched in current generation games. Firing a sniper into the stomach of a zombie has never felt more real. Mangling both of a zombie's legs with a single shotgun blast could become the new "headshot" by which gamers are measured. We absolutely delight in this, not because we crave blood and guts, but because it makes Left 4 Dead 2 seem so genuine, that we actually caught ourselves cringing a few times during our first demo run. The original Left 4 Dead was an amazing game simply because of the mechanics and competition, but Left 4 Dead 2 has taken the series to a level that will make you believe that you are truly knee-deep in the zombie apocalypse.

Cat got your tongue. Cat is my shotty.

Character details in Left 4 Dead 2 don't just react to weapons fire, they also deteriorate due to area affects like pipebombs and melee attacks. Each common and uncommon infected has a "carve away" design that will reveal complex skeletal and organic matter based on how they died. The days of seeing a generic spleen land on the ground after an explosion are over. Now, when you slice through your enemies with machetes you'll actually see impact damage. Or when then are blown to bits by a pipebomb, you'll be able to see exactly what direction the blast came from.

Victims of a nearby pipebomb blast. Yummy.

We can't wait to get our hands on the full version of Left 4 Dead 2. The gameplay mechanics and team balancing are greatly improved, and the added realism will make both sides feel emerged into the horror of a great co-op survival game. If pre-order numbers are any indication, the rest of the gaming community is as excited as we are.

Games mentioned in this article: 

| Left 4 Dead 2  (PC) | Left 4 Dead 2  (Xbox 360) | MadWorld  (Wii) |