Left 4 Dead 2

I'll be taking a small break from the usual today, and tomorrow I will have the next and last post for dragon age, so it will be more of a wrap up. But, I want to talk about a game I've been anticipating for awhile now, that has a special little niche in my heart. While most people wouldn't say that this game is very deep story-wise, the visual and storytelling elements available will surprise the uninformed. I will also be trying a new style of reviewing you sort of saw before, I'll be chopping this up into three parts: Art, Story, Sound. I think this will better serve the reviewing purpose.


ART

The first Left 4 Dead had a grungy post-apocalyptic look to it that spoke well for the material. However, this game is set in a slightly different tone, since it is held mostly during the daytime hours. It seems the art time went over every thing with an interesting gloss, the blood splatter is shiney and the general look and feel is much richer. Sometimes the levels can be pretty astounding, if it weren't for the hordes of undead monsters lurking in every alley.

The zombies have gotten quite the overhaul, they wear appropriate attire for the area you are in (eg Clowns in the theme park area, and hazmat suits for the quarantine areas) and are quite varied look. Each one has a unique appeal to them, especially the special infected.

The four protaganists are set apart from the normal horde by their obvious color schemes compared to everything else. Most of them are wearing something brighter than the dirty and dank normal zombies and can be clearly distinguished from for game purposes. Valve has done a fantastic job in getting everything to work well within the atmosphere and still look somewhat realistic and interesting.

The art has been given a good bit more personality comparatively to the last game. It now has a recognizable feel to it, as in when you see a screen shot of it, or look at it in passing, you know what it is immediately. This works greatly in it's favor as recognition is one of the steps to making the game quite popular.

STORY

Thought the game is indeed light on story, it does have many elements that keep you guessing. The infection and how it came about is one question that is only hinted at throughout the game, as you go farther into it, you learn a little more each time. The observations by the characters, and the graffiti on the walls in many places just give you a taste as to the origin of this infection.

The backgrounds for the characters themselves is just barely touched, Valve seems to have decided to focus more on the personalities of the characters. They are stuck together, and must survive the horde of monsters that are bearing down on them. The camaraderie that stems from this is apparent the more you play. Some are easier to get into this than others, but in the end the all work for the same goal, escaping the infected horde. Not to mention, some of the dialogue is hilarious, especially Ellis' he seems to have a story for every situation.

Sound

This is an area in which L4D2 excels. Sound is very important in a game like this, for when you're trying to fight your way out of a horde of monsters, you need to know when a special infected is on it's way. All the special infected have a unique noise they make, that gives you a warning to their type and possible origin. In a game like this you need to know whats coming from the front, left, right or back. And they sound designers have done a masterful job at getting this down.

The sound cues are not the only thing that is impressive. The general noises the horde makes, the music that crescendos at the right time to give you that sense of urgency. It's all almost like a movie in which you are the ultimate victim. The music will drive you to do what is necessary to survive, while still keeping your heart pounding as you run for that last leg to get to a safe house. All the while a horde of zombies tail you, growling and gnashing teeth to get at you.

The game can illicit some awesome emotional responses, to the point that some can even get anxious at the thought of completing a run down a hallway or to a ladder. Putting all these elements together makes the game a great visual and audio pleasure. And although it is no art masterpiece, it's intentions are clear. To entertain, and challenge. And it does that in spades.