Left 4 Dead 2: Why Is It The Greatest?

Left 4 Dead 2, a game released in November of 2009, was the turning point for an entire genre. You’re probably thinking, “oh, yeah, I’ve played a zombie FPS before.” In reality, you have not experienced the full package until you can genuinely say you have played Left 4 Dead 2 with the full mod packages.

This leads me to my first point. This game is so heavily modded you could go from attacking Teletubbies to a giant model of Shrek. (My great friend Noah is writing a sub-section of this article highlighting the top mods in L4D2 – oh, and by the way, for writing purposes, I will be calling Left 4 Dead 2 “L4D2.“) The game is random and creative for this reason. The mods available to the player are endless. Also, if you have a great idea for a mod, you are able to easily create your idea and turn it into a reality with how easy the mod engine is. This game is basically a sandbox where players can unite as a community and share any ideas they have. In this article I will be covering the modding community, how L4D2 opened a new door in gaming, and general gameplay.

L4D2 isn’t just fun because of the zombies, the blood, the funny characters, or the weapons, it has had a much larger effect on the gaming community. For example, if L4D2 was not created, much of the modding done on today’s games would definitely be lacking. Game producers like Bethesda realized from Valve’s L4D2 that the base game they create is not the end. Valve discovered this when allowing the players to control and make the game fit the player instead of the player fitting to the game. With how customizable L4D2 is, it made the possibilities for this game endless. For this reason, L4D2 is still one of the top-grossing games of all time.

Valve really pleased the community with the graphics of L4D2. While the graphics aren’t very high quality, that opened the world of gaming to those who at that time couldn’t run the highest quality games. Also, for this reason, the modding community was able to make their own graphics for the game! The game’s almost indie-style graphics opened the door to anyone who wanted to play the game.

The game’s multiplayer access is worth looking at, as well. With the online aspect of the game, you really have to play as a team, as opposed to other zombie horror games of its time. Suddenly, chopping off the heads of zombies was less important, and the survival of your teamates became priority. Sure, it’s fun to hit the head of a zombie off with a guitar, but your teamates are what really get you through whatever event or problem you’re trying to solve. The game’s multiplayer platform really creates bonds between the players and ultimately the entire community.

Left 4 Dead 2 is truly a game that will never be forgotten. As a result of the simple genius of Valve, it has been ranked one of the top 25 games of all time.

For kicks and giggles, here’s a picture of just exactly what these mods can do for the game itself.