Those of you thinking of picking up the Left 4 Dead 2 game guide should be aware that there are numerous and significant changes to the franchise, and we’ve made sure this guide’s 240 pages are crammed with only the finest (and newest) zombie-hunting information. It all begins with a comprehensive Training section, where you’ll learn how to effectively work with your team, what landmarks and scenic obstacles must be faced, and how to maximize your threat level as both a Survivor and an Infected. This is further extrapolated in the second chapter, which is devoted to biographical information of all four new Survivors, and then information on the Common, Uncommon, and Special Infected you’ll face (or play as). There’s some vital information in here, from the specific Uncommon Infected you’ll face during each Campaign (and their weaknesses), as well as a comprehensive field guide to studying the offensive capabilities of each Boomer, Jockey, Charger, Hunter, Spitter, Smoker, and other frothing mutation to encounter, or control.

Actually figuring out how to leave your undead masses twitching in their death throes with a massive torso hole or missing appendage is completely covered in the third chapter, which deals with all your weapons and equipment. Complete statistics for all firearms are given, so you know the range, firing rate, and chamber capacity of each piece of offensive ordnance. Can’t decide between a Desert Rifle and a Chrome Shotgun? Then read up on the tactical uses (including strengths and weaknesses) or each before picking one up in the combat zone. The Chapter ends with a complete list of equipment, how and when to use these helpful items, and which items are most useful in different (but no less horrific) combat situations.

The bulk of this tome is made up of complete and thorough tactical evaluations of each of the five Campaigns, from the fairground fracas of Dark Carnival to the maelstrom of wet weather and Witches known as Hard Rain. For each Campaign, we begin with a massive poster, and separate the stages so you can quickly dip into the portion of the Campaign you’re needing more information on, or read everything through chronologically. Then comes a meticulously-labeled map showing every building, vehicle, tree, and tiny, piece of scenery in unmatched detail. Every map contains the main routes, possible item locations, and most importantly, the chokepoints where the action is likely to become fraught. Then a multitude of screenshots and tactical text walks you through every section so you know what to expect, and how to deal with it. Yes, that includes the search for a gnome, and how not to miss every Campaign-based Achievement. We even include complete knowledge on how to play as an Infected in every area during Versus games, too.

The back of the game guide is bulging with tactical goodness, including full maps and strategies for the Survival and Scavenge modes, listing every tip on maximizing your combat and victory potential in each of the 16 maps. This is rounded off by an Achievements appendix. Figuring out how to obtain all the different Achievements can be a daunting task. Whether you’re throwing Bile Bombs at a Tank, killing Clowns who collect Common Infected behind them, or carrying a Gnome to a helicopter, this concluding chapter lists every single Achievement, and gives tips on ways to obtain each one.

The result is a packed guide designed to maximize the amount of gruesome screenshots I took; a book with Valve Software’s seal of approval, and one that really helps you fend off the doggedly-determined hordes of Infected, no matter how overwhelming the situation becomes. Y’all come back now, y’hear?

by David Hodgson

Team Fortress 2! Sims 3! Sliding Doors! Listen!

Writing the Left 4 Dead guide and playing it since it’s release has fueled a craving for zombie fiction. Yeah, it’s actually a growing genre, especially since Max Brooks’ two bestsellers were released. Granted, most of the stuff out there is pretty awful but I found one author I really like. His name is Kim Paffenroth. He’s a professor of religious studies, giving him a rather unique perspective on the whole genre. Anyway, I was reading his first novel, Dying to Live, and noticed there were two interesting correlations to Left 4 Dead. In the novel, one of the key locations is Mercy Hospital and one of the main characters is named Zoey. Coincidence? The novel was published in 2007 so I doubt the author was inspired by the game. Maybe he has some fans at Valve? Anyway, if zombie fiction is your thing, it’s a good read. There’s a second book in the series I’m reading now. Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies looks like it’ll be a fun read too.

In the game’s versus mode, each team gets the chance to play a map as the survivors and the infected; at the end of a level, both teams switch sides and the map is replayed. The goal for the survivors is to reach the safe house at the end of the level while the infected team tries to stop them. It’s a very transient attack & defend style of play, with the survivors trying to blitz through the map as fast as possible while the infected work together to stop them. The developers on our team helped us get the hang of it in the first few rounds, making sure we stuck together and offering advice on how to best ambush the survivors when it was our turn to play as the infected. Still, I was totally unprepared for how incredibly frantic the pace was.

After the first map, the score was pretty close. But in the second map our infected team laid waste to the other team’s survivors. I managed to snare one of our opponents while playing as the smoker, an infected variant with a long tongue that can lasso a player from long range. The tongue can either constrict them or drag them closer for melee attacks. My victim was a straggler who failed to join his team on the lower level of the map. When I snared him with the smoker’s tongue attack, his teammates had no way to get back up to the upper level, allowing me to pummel him into submission until he died. And once a survivor is dead, they’re dead for the duration of the map; there are no respawns for survivors. Since the opposing team was down a man, the rest of my team quickly picked off the remaining survivors one by one. In the remaining rounds, our team did even better. When playing as the survivors we managed to make it to all the safe houses in all the remaining maps and we stopped the opposing team at least a couple of more times during our turn as the infected. Although both teams got through the finale level, by then the score was so lopsided that we were virtually guaranteed a win, regardless of outcome.

Still, I can’t take much credit for the victory. If it wasn’t for the two developers on our team feeding us a constant stream of tips and tactics during the match, we would have been toast. This highlights the extreme importance of communication. Two experienced players were able to lead two complete newbies to an overwhelming win over a very competent team of experts. This match perfectly illustrates Valve’s goal with this game, showing that teamwork can trump skill and experience. That’s what’s so refreshing about this game. It doesn’t just encourage communication and coordination, it absolutely requires it. Those who wander off and try to win the match on their own will be the first to fall. But even more, the intangible rewards and sense of accomplishment offered by teamwork is hard to communicate. Given the severe difficulty of the challenge, simply making it to a safe house with all your buddies is an almost transcendent experience that’ll have you high-fiving everyone within reach…whether they’re playing the game or not.