Raltar wrote:
Graphics are obviously better...but when I say quality, I mean the interaction between the survivors isn't as good, level design has seen no improvement(in some cases it has gotten worse, like the Hard Rain campaign, they add weather hazards that just adds frustration rather than actual challenge or fun), the endless hordes during the panic events are again, not an improvement to make things more challenging, but a frustration, especially when you have the zombies coming from where you need to go. I need to turn off the alarm, except there are millions of zombies coming out of the room where the alarm shutoff is, making it frustrating to get into the room, especially when you've been using all of your ammo up on the way there.
I also don't like the melee weapons. Boring. And they almost force them on you because double pistols and not even the magnum can stand up against the endless hordes after you run out of ammo for your primary.
And, like I said before, the new survivors just aren't as cool as the original cast.
Well, I have to disagree here. IMHO, the cast from the first one was not nearly as entertaining as this one is. It's really interesting to hear them struggling to figure out what's going on. They don't know what the special infected are called yet. They say things like "one of those pouncy things" and "one of those fat guys" instead of calling them Hunters or Boomers. It's neat to watch them learn and adapt along the way. Also, I really like how the personalities of the L4d2 crew come across. I really don't recall the level of interaction and conversation from the first one that you get in this one. Like Coach and Nick arguing over whether the military is going to save them or shoot them on sight.
As far as the level design, I REALLY liked Hard Rain. It was such a welcome change from the campaigns from the original. It was interesting to have to work your way back through the maps in the middle of the hurricane. It made for such an interesting map. Especially with all the witches around.
And I really love the melee combat. Obviously, I liked the chainsaw, but the other weapons were a lot of fun, too. The frying pan makes such a satisfying sound (as does the baseball bat) when you smack the zombies on the head. And its a really good way to conserve ammo for the really big fights. You can use an adrenaline shot, and switch to melee and cut through entire hordes of zombies by yourself. And I really like how the new ammo types and the defibrilator force you to choose between taking a first-aid kit for yourself and helping out the rest of the team.
And the weapons. Good lord, there are so many weapons now. You really have to think about your choices now, and which area of the map you are on. Some weapons are much better suited to certain areas than others. And you really have to be careful with weapons like the grenade launcher. It's not like other FPS'es where you just automatically want to pick the most powerful weapon. Sometimes, the grenade launcher can do more harm than good with it's splash damage. Or you can really struggle with its long reload time if there's tons of quick zombies around. I really like this aspect of the game.
Everyone is going to have their own opinion, and there will be many that enjoy the original much more than the second one. But I am really enjoying this one, and find it to be a vast improvement over the first.