The Rube’s Review: Raccoon City vs Left 4 Dead 2 – Part 2

So, after the epic disappointment that was Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, I decided to pop in my undead demolishing standby: Left 4 Dead.

Even though I’m a bigger fan of the first game, I instinctively put in a copy of Left 4 Dead 2, hoping that there would be an XBox update (there usually is) with my fingers crossed for more extras. To my surprise, not only there was a new map (Cold Stream), but now you can play all the maps (14 total!) including the ones from first game, with the original cast but with all of the updated weapons and extra mutations from the second game. OH HELL YEAH! I haven’t been this excited since I was a little kid on Christmas day.

For you gamers that are not familiar with the L4D series, it’s an online co-op (4 players) set days after the outbreak of the undead that features both first-person shooting and melee combat. You play as only of the survivors, armed with a firearm and a secondary weapon (bats, golf clubs, axes, garden gnomes, etc), traveling from Point A to Point B of your mini-movie adventure while battling hordes of zombies and special infected.

With it’s current update you can actually play tons of survival maps, ranging from all types of urban and rural landscapes, leading to a final battle to get to your boat, plane, helicopter or whatever and finally fleeing to safety. The controls are very simple to learn and after one or two games are very easy to master. Because of the randomness of enemies (especially the witch), placement of weapons, and multiple entrance/exit points, you can play the same map a hundred times without ever getting bored. Also, other than the main game, there’s a whole lot of mini games such as undead versions of capture the flag, time trails, vs. mode, and your good o’ fashioned firefight to the end.

It only took a minute (if that) to get a 4-player online game going and I was lucky to be paired up with a group that was equipped with either Xbox headsets or Kinect mic systems. It was awesome to play my favorite map (Mercy Hospital) again battling zombies through streets, subways, and apartment buildings, leading all the way to the top of the hospital’s helipad. Yeah, it sucked that everyone else died before they could meet me on the helicopter but it made that struggle even more sweet. I was the lone survivor. A survivor having fun on my couch from a game that only lasted 45 minutes. I finally found my game.

I played shit ton of maps that night until I realized it was four in the morning. So, I decided to call it quits and 6 hours later I got ready to start my day. I was tired, but I’m happy that I finally got to relax with one of my favorite games with reachable goals that don’t take 7+ hours to complete. You can keep your fancy zombie shooter-upper Capcom! I’ll stick with my Left 4 Dead!

FINAL VERDICT

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (Xbox 360)
Even though it looks pretty, the controls and camera angles are awful! I didn’t know that I could unlock weapons cases (shoot the locks) or that I have to run through a door after shooting the first mini boss (it’s behind you, hidden behind a bad camera angle) if I hadn’t seen a review video online. Even though the vs. online games seem very popular, it was hard for me to tell who was on my team, who to shoot, and who to avoid… basically after looking online and seeing the bad reviews, there was a reason why this (Special Edition) was on sale new for $25. I just hope that Resident Evil 6 is a lot better.

SCORE: 2 Exploding Heads / 8 Screaming Pillows

Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360)
A buttload of maps, tons of weapons to choose from, and games that last between 45-90 minutes… it’s perfect for that gamer that’s always on the go! I’ve played this game for years with a big grin on my face and with all of the added extra maps and various survivor modes, there’s no reason for me to ever shelve this modern classic.

SCORE: 10 Exploding Heads