Left 4 Dead 2 makes horror infectious

Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve; PC, Xbox 360; rated mature)

The concept of Left 4 Dead 2 is the same as that of the original game: up to four people play as survivors of a zombie apocalypse in a game presented like a George A. Romero horror film. But the sequel, released on November 17, improves on the first Left 4 Dead in almost every way.

The four new characters travel from the empty streets of Savannah, Georgia, to the chaos of New Orleans, fighting zombies through five “campaigns” in a variety of locations, including a shopping mall, swampland, a carnival, and a cemetery. Players can now wield both a primary and a secondary weapon, and melee combat has been introduced, so you can use a cricket bat, chain saw, katana, and even electric guitar when in close.

New items include a defibrillator, which regenerates a dead player; adrenaline injections, which give a temporary boost to players’ health and increase their speed; vials of boomer bile, which attract the infected when broken; and a laser-sight attachment for guns. New “special infected” creatures include Spitters, which project acid; Jockeys, which climb on the shoulders of players; and Chargers, which tackle and pummel players. Each campaign has an “uncommon infected” that isn’t quite as dangerous as a Witch or a Tank, but is more difficult to dispatch than the average zombie. The game’s first campaign, for example, features infected that wear hazmat suits and are impervious to fire.

Left 4 Dead 2 gets you up close and personal with all manner of horrors, but rarely gives you a chance to breathe. Make sure you’re playing with friends you can rely on, because without them, there’s no hope of survival.