The following commentary is an independent opinion from an author of the Nerdfit Network. No compensation, monetary or otherwise, has been received prior or after the publication of this article.
Most people saw the price tag for Left 4 Dead 2 and exclaimed foul play. For what was once to be downloadable content would now be an entire new disc for the wonderful price of $60.00. However, instead of asking, “Is it worth the price?”* I ask you all one simple thing, “How much has changed?”
Read on to understand why I love and hate Left 4 Dead 2 (and to see what the asterisk notates.)
Sure, we have new levels, new special infected, a few new characters, the ability to use melee weapons from several cult classics such as the katana to reference Pulp Fiction, the cricket bat to give a playful nod to Shaun of the Dead, the chainsaw to reference Evil Dead… but let’s think about this for a minute. What’s one of the things they have yet to change? That’s right, the lack of physics.
As Armen stated in a previous article, you need help pulling yourself up from a ledge, despite the fact that you can normally slaughter hundreds to thousands of zombies within a few hours. Minutes after your teammate has allowed an arbitrary number of zombies to shuffle him or her off the mortal coil, their character magically returns in its blazing glory within a janitor’s closet of an area. However, despite fighting hordes of zombies, tanks, boomers, witches, chargers, spitters, jockeys and smokers, your character has temporarily lacked an IQ high enough to open a door. The same kind of obstacle you’ve been accustomed to since you were able to walk.
If I were a story writer for this game (which, as you can tell, they’ve spent a large sum of money on that for post-production story value with TF2,) I would at least why you’re that temporarily stupid. I would also come up with a pseudo-scientific, technobabbled response as to why a smoker could suspend you in the air from a bridge or rooftop with it’s tongue, but the moment you shove your teammate, OH FUCK THE TONGUE BREAKS. Really!? Really!? You’re telling me your tongue can hold a weight of 200+ lbs., yet one measly shove from a thirteen year old who accidentally turned to the left in the process of the shove makes the smoker’s tongue as weak and fragile as Jack Thompson’s reputation with the Florida bar?
Let’s bring this all full-circle. The game is generally similar to the original with some add-ons, so while I may question the argument of it being worth $60 USD, I can come to the following conclusions:
- If you’ve never owned Left 4 Dead before, it’s worth buying this one for all of the upgraded sexiness.
- If you’ve owned the original, you should still pick it up since Coach looks like Uncle Phil from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and nothing’s funnier than watching Uncle Phil swinging around a katana.
- It’s Valve. Have they really led you wrong? My answer to that question is no.
Newcomers and Elitist pricks to the series alike can appreciate the sequel, and if you’re worried about paying so much for it, you can always wait for the PC version to go on sale like I did with the original Left 4 Dead. They’re both great games.
* The answer is always yes.
