Valve is known for its infrequent, but loud releases. Except for projects that were originally modes, it turns out that the Corporation for thirteen years of its existence, has released only dilogy Half-Life (the second series we have waited six years), Portal da Left 4 Dead. Not surprisingly, the yield of L4D sequel one year after the original caused a lot of questions.
Disgruntled gamers shouting: "The new part of just one year? Hence, Valve slipped us a defective game! "In Steam-community organized a group boycott of Left 4 Dead 2, bringing together some forty thousand people. But as soon as the instigators of a riot Valve invite for a visit and show them how a sequel better than the original (as well as promise further support L4D), as a series of boycotting noticeably thinned. However, and notably reduced in the composition of the group is trying to continue his nopasaran, but this topic is not for the "Land of the Games", but rather to a medical journal. We return to our dead.
 | |  | Enough to throw a grenade into the abyss with vomit Fat, as all the surrounding zombies hail will fall back to its doom | | Shrewd burglar can easily throw survivor of the window. Instant death without the resurrection |
First Left 4 Dead was one of the best co-operative shooter with a huge potential duration - after each passage is different. Especially in Versus-mode, where four of the heroes confronted the four players managed living monsters. All campaigns L4D held behind five hours, but the replay they could be tens and, joking apart, hundreds of times, and always in new ways. So, to say something about the inferiority of the first part would be the right word, blasphemy. And the second took so improved almost everything.
About Left 4 Dead, we detail and thoroughly told a year ago - so if you have the opportunity to unearth past January issue with the review, do not be lazy. If not, let us briefly recall.
So, in the United States suffered a zombie apocalypse. It started in Pennsylvania (where, in fact, there were events Left 4 Dead), and then the contagion that turns people into bloodthirsty monsters that quickly spread throughout the east coast. She got to the town of Savannah, in Georgia. There's the action starts Left 4 Dead 2.
 | |  | After each game in the Scavenge both teams are asked whether they want a rematch? | | If the witch is you are attacked, we hope our teammates get even with this time |
Guilty all the troubles of the virus on people acting differently. Heroes are not subject to its influence, but the majority of those infected become zombies. Some "lucky" more - those we know how special the infected, or zombie bosses. Many of them are so strong, that successfully attacked, can incapacitate a person - and soon kill him, if friends do not come to the rescue. Among them are already familiar with Hunter (Hunter), leaping over large distances and their weight nailing the victim to the ground, and Smoker (Smoker), using a very long tongue to pull the victim to himself. There are also newcomers with similar abilities: burglar (Charger) is very tenacious and strong, he can ran and scatter the survivors, grab one of them, his huge hand and smash on the ground. As if to contrast coined weak Jockey (Jockey) is almost imperceptible, causing damage to a miserable, but a team can podgadit a lot: his victim, he saddles and draws wherever he pleases.
Not all opponents prefer direct contact with survivors. Vomit Fat (Boomer) is not enough that dazzles, so more and attracts all the neighborhood vermin - and sick parshivtsa often to the same in death, he explodes, zabryzgivaya surrounding the contents of the stomach. In the first part of the survivors have used relatively simple tactics, fighting off hordes of zombies ascended - sat side by side in a corner, firing in all directions. Now, such a close little group become a tasty prey for Plevalschitsy (Spitter) - her caustic saliva covers a large area of land and causes the greater damage, the longer you standing in a puddle.
Stands apart Tank (Tank) - Heavy Duty and sverhzhivuchy monster, a real boss the game. He appears very rare, but requires the attention of the whole team. Finally, the Witch (Witch) - the only special infected, for whom one can not play. She usually sits on the ground, weeping, and if it is disturbed, with one blow fells on the ground. In Left 4 Dead 2 Witches have learned to walk hither and thither, making survivors more carefully choose the route.
 | |  | Survivors: Ellis - a cheerful, talkative and quick-witted mechanic | | Survivors: Coach - fizruk, whom no one by name and not calling. The good-natured and optimistic |
Unlike going discordantly campaigns of the first part in the continuation of all levels are interconnected and develop in a single storyline. Foursome characters in search of salvation leaves invaded by zombies Savannah, visit an amusement park, sneaking through the swamps and flooded the village, and finally arrives in New Orleans in the hope that there is something to finally help out. Along the way the fugitives may rest only in well-barricaded safe room, waiting at the end of each level.And in the last chapters campaigns usually have to hold out for a while against a variety of enemies waiting for reinforcements. Not surprisingly, the most memorable was the finals - and the Left 4 Dead 2 developers gave vent to their imagination. Instead of agonizing suspense in the first heroes of the campaign to collect cans of gasoline to fuel the car, at which they will and get away. And at the last level of the game - run ahead through the endless horde.
It would be strange if the developers have a variety only in the finals, is not it? And the craftsmen from Valve were not too lazy to develop the idea. Collecting cans was put in a separate operation (see sidebar), and break through hordes of zombies will have more than once. In the first part, if the heroes, raising the noise attracted the attention of numerous infected, they could just sit and wait out the danger. In L4D2 there are episodes with a finite number of enemies (which became much more difficult because of the Thunder and Plevalschitsy), and infinite when you need to run to a certain point and attracting vermin off the alarm. Difficult? Very.
Help comes another innovation - a melee weapon, from the frying pan and a baseball bat to mount and katana. One hit is enough to kill almost any opponent. "But" - to pick up a club, have to give up guns with infinite ammo. The same things and with other new items. Instead of first aid kits can take a defibrillator, which allows to revive fallen comrades, or a box with special ammunition (explosive or incendiary), which can then be distributed to friends. And an alternative and tablets - a syringe with epinephrine, restores less health, but significantly accelerates the action of the character. Yes, and varieties of trunks was markedly higher.
 | |  | During the storm, and so can not see anything, and if still fat zablyuet - down the drain | | Ellis often tells stories about his friend of China. These stories are so crazy, that you involuntarily think about it, did not invent his companion whether Ellis |
For the uniqueness of each passage corresponds to a particular AI, referred to as the director. He lays out the ammo, weapons and medical kits as it pleases, while at the same time determine where and when there are enemies. In the second part of the director on some maps can also change the route for the survivors and to regulate the weather - cause a storm, to be precise. In general, the campaign became much more diverse and interesting.
But all Left 4 Dead 2 revealed only when the AI instead of against your team stands at least a close-knit quartet of players. Playing for the infected, perhaps even more fascinating than the survivors. After all, to each of the bosses of a zombie needs its own approach, reflecting the strengths and weaknesses of controlled monsters (people something for their abilities are the same). Cohesive group of survivors infected singly virtually nothing to oppose - the need to wisely choose the time and place for the attack to work together, share the opposing team and try to put as many fellows - in fact to help the wounded and treating them takes a lot of time in which opponents manage to show up again.
As is the case with the first Left 4 Dead, Valve is planning long-term support for the game. We hope that this time the tools for creating your own levels is not delayed for six months, and the quality of the campaign enthusiasts will not keep you waiting.After all, some homegrown creations of masters for the first L4D the same quality as the official maps from Valve!
 | |  | Witches like sugar "- says writer Chet Falizhek. Therefore, a sugar beet plant them to obscene much. Then won three! | | Gnome Chompski rescued from alien invaders? Now, pluck it from the clutches of the undead! |
Support by the way, also means and regular release of patches. It was found that immediately after the release they are oh as needed: game crashes were frequent, almost regular. But something went wrong: after a patch, many thousands of players L4D2 start to die for another boot, and after the next and did not start. However, it is possible that by the time you read this, everything will be okay.
Finally we note that both sides of Left 4 Dead is well coexist without interfering with each other: L4D server is not empty, and many players turned out to be much closer to the spirit of the gloomy atmosphere of the original, more vivid than the sequel. To each his own.
 | *** |
Valve showed discontent is too greedy to time versus-matches long before the release L4D2. This is understandable: the passage of campaign usually takes a good hour - and in fact there for the survivors played by two teams simultaneously! Trying to please fans of brief battle, the developers have released the first Left 4 Dead brief campaign, Crash Course, and the second came up with the already mentioned collecting cans. In the Scavenge command tries to prevent infected in this case, survivors (especially succeeds Plevalschitsy whose acid ignites petrol). The scene is not too large maps, borrowed from the campaigns. On each card are 16 cans whose contents need to fill in the generator. Each canister was devastated not only increases the team score, but also adds 20 seconds to the timer starts counting from one and a half minutes. It turns out that the duration of the round in Scavenge does not exceed seven minutes, but for excitement and intensity of action, this mode will not give battle in Versus.
 | |  | Survivors: Nick - gamblers and dark dealings. A cynic and a loner, he would have stayed in the company, if in fact it was not necessary | | Survivors: Rochelle - producer of news, who shot the story of the evacuation center in Savannah, where due to an infection the city plunged into chaos |
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