I've always considered Left 4 Dead 2 a general improvement over the original, but tbf it's more of an expansion pack than a sequel. And if you really break it down, while all the new content and features are great and well thought-out, they're not essential for the gameplay.
The original game created a formula that worked incredibly well. Every weapon and enemy felt unique and there was a gentle balance. If you really think about it, the new weapons here are mostly alterations of the old weapons.
For example, I love AK-47, but it's just a slightly slower and more powerful version of the M4 from the original, which in itself was a faster and more accurate version of the UZI. But this game also adds another submachine gun as an alteration for the UZI. In the end, while these new weapons are fun, they don't really add anything substantial to the game. The M4 was a massive upgrade for the UZI, but these altered weapons are just flavors of the same.
The melee weapons are fun and can be very useful to break through large crowds when combined with adrenaline, but they kinda take away from the survival aspect. Worth remembering that the original game was kinda suspenseful. I jumped into the single player (which is how I first experienced the game back in 2008) for a bit today, and was feeling a little vulnerable because I knew I couldn't count on the AI companions. You can forget about the power fantasy of slashing through hundreds of zombies with a samurai sword. A single smoker or hunter could take you out single-handedly, let alone a tank.
But each special zombie there had a purpose:
1. A Smoker would pull you away from your group and incapacitate you.
2. If a Hunter ambushed you while you're on a ledge, he could push the companion(s) next to you off of it, possibly killing all of you.
3. The Tank presented a threat that necessitated cooperation from the entire group.
4. Kinda same with the Witch, except it was more about the group consciousness (each member following the right conduct individually) than a direct cooperation.
The new enemies of Left 4 Dead 2 are kinda pointless:
1. The Jockey is basically a slower Smoker.
2. The Charger is almost indistinguishable from the Smoker. Functions exactly the same, except he has to come closer for the attack.
3. The Spitter is probably the one thing I hate about Left 4 Dead 2. She is pretty much useless if encountered alone, but if she attacks you while you're surrounded, you basically have zero ways to avoid death. In addition, she functions as this game's anti-cheat, attacking anyone who manages to find a place that's inaccessible for the zombies, even if her spit technically shouldn't be able to reach that place either. But to me and my friends finding those places was part of the fun. It added an exploratory element to survival maps.
Finally, the original had a very strong and coherent atmosphere that consistently permeated everything, from the levels to the menus and the general art direction. The game intentionally evoked grindhouse zombie movie vibes, and this vision was followed with the character design, visual effects (film grain) and the amazing loading screens. I have to say, Left 4 Dead 2's art direction does not feel as strong. While they continue the same theme, setting the game mostly in daylight takes away from that vibe, as most zombie movies (and horror movies in general) heavily rely on darkness. Well, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead didn't, but this game also doesn't make introspective statements on consumerism, class inequality or military-industrial complex like those movies did. So it ends up feeling more "normal". In addition, as much as I appreciate the import of the old campaigns and suvival maps here, their presence further dilutes the atmosphere of this game. Perhaps a better idea would've been to leave L4D2 alone and make another edition that would combine 1 and 2, and give it away for free to the owners of the second game.
All that said, obviously I love Left 4 Dead 2 and have played it way more than the original. Most of the new content, although very unnecessary, is a lot of fun, and the addition of the Steam Workshop makes life so much easier (back in the day me and my friends used to download custom maps manually from l4dmaps.com, and I can no longer find some of our most-played maps there). But despite all the objective improvements in the sequel, I've always had stronger feelings towards the first game, and I believe it's not just nostalgia. Left 4 Dead represented a unique and coherent vision that was innovative for the time. Left 4 Dead 2 meanwhile ends up feeling like an optional content pack that you wouldn't be missing out on if you skipped. Although, if it was an expansion pack, it would've been an amazing one.
The original game created a formula that worked incredibly well. Every weapon and enemy felt unique and there was a gentle balance. If you really think about it, the new weapons here are mostly alterations of the old weapons.
For example, I love AK-47, but it's just a slightly slower and more powerful version of the M4 from the original, which in itself was a faster and more accurate version of the UZI. But this game also adds another submachine gun as an alteration for the UZI. In the end, while these new weapons are fun, they don't really add anything substantial to the game. The M4 was a massive upgrade for the UZI, but these altered weapons are just flavors of the same.
The melee weapons are fun and can be very useful to break through large crowds when combined with adrenaline, but they kinda take away from the survival aspect. Worth remembering that the original game was kinda suspenseful. I jumped into the single player (which is how I first experienced the game back in 2008) for a bit today, and was feeling a little vulnerable because I knew I couldn't count on the AI companions. You can forget about the power fantasy of slashing through hundreds of zombies with a samurai sword. A single smoker or hunter could take you out single-handedly, let alone a tank.
But each special zombie there had a purpose:
1. A Smoker would pull you away from your group and incapacitate you.
2. If a Hunter ambushed you while you're on a ledge, he could push the companion(s) next to you off of it, possibly killing all of you.
3. The Tank presented a threat that necessitated cooperation from the entire group.
4. Kinda same with the Witch, except it was more about the group consciousness (each member following the right conduct individually) than a direct cooperation.
The new enemies of Left 4 Dead 2 are kinda pointless:
1. The Jockey is basically a slower Smoker.
2. The Charger is almost indistinguishable from the Smoker. Functions exactly the same, except he has to come closer for the attack.
3. The Spitter is probably the one thing I hate about Left 4 Dead 2. She is pretty much useless if encountered alone, but if she attacks you while you're surrounded, you basically have zero ways to avoid death. In addition, she functions as this game's anti-cheat, attacking anyone who manages to find a place that's inaccessible for the zombies, even if her spit technically shouldn't be able to reach that place either. But to me and my friends finding those places was part of the fun. It added an exploratory element to survival maps.
Finally, the original had a very strong and coherent atmosphere that consistently permeated everything, from the levels to the menus and the general art direction. The game intentionally evoked grindhouse zombie movie vibes, and this vision was followed with the character design, visual effects (film grain) and the amazing loading screens. I have to say, Left 4 Dead 2's art direction does not feel as strong. While they continue the same theme, setting the game mostly in daylight takes away from that vibe, as most zombie movies (and horror movies in general) heavily rely on darkness. Well, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead didn't, but this game also doesn't make introspective statements on consumerism, class inequality or military-industrial complex like those movies did. So it ends up feeling more "normal". In addition, as much as I appreciate the import of the old campaigns and suvival maps here, their presence further dilutes the atmosphere of this game. Perhaps a better idea would've been to leave L4D2 alone and make another edition that would combine 1 and 2, and give it away for free to the owners of the second game.
All that said, obviously I love Left 4 Dead 2 and have played it way more than the original. Most of the new content, although very unnecessary, is a lot of fun, and the addition of the Steam Workshop makes life so much easier (back in the day me and my friends used to download custom maps manually from l4dmaps.com, and I can no longer find some of our most-played maps there). But despite all the objective improvements in the sequel, I've always had stronger feelings towards the first game, and I believe it's not just nostalgia. Left 4 Dead represented a unique and coherent vision that was innovative for the time. Left 4 Dead 2 meanwhile ends up feeling like an optional content pack that you wouldn't be missing out on if you skipped. Although, if it was an expansion pack, it would've been an amazing one.
2 Comments
@Detectivefail indeed, animal influences in enemy design would've been cool. Regarding swarm rats, although I haven't played it, I think Warhammer: Vermintide is a L4D clone with rats/skaven as enemies.
Hell yeah, the modability is definitely one of the better aspects of each game. I remember that Helms Deep map, it was really impressive!
Hell yeah, the modability is definitely one of the better aspects of each game. I remember that Helms Deep map, it was really impressive!
Detectivefail
2 months ago
Actually now that I think about it, the enemies of L4D tend to be humans infected mutated in various ways, so I wonder if this was a move they based future designs(to think up of humanoid zombies in L4D2) to re-emphasize the zombie aspect instead of leaning towards adding animal zombies into the fray instead. Swarm rats, crows, mix of animals+humans I think could've added a interesting mix to the enemy variety.
Although despite that my buddies and I had a blast with custom maps like one being a portal-like and a helms deep one lol. Not to mention adding in mods for reskins and weapon skins. Playing as Deadpool was cool.