I Hate Tanks (The Zombie Kind)

Perhaps one of my favorite games is Left 4 Dead. The game is based around four heroes fighting off the zombie hordes, or infected as they are called, in a sort of post-apocalyptic world. Bill, the unofficial leader, is an older man in his fifties or sixties and relies on his skills in the US Special Forces in Vietnam to survive. Opposite him is Francis, the rebellious biker covered in tattoos revealing him to belong to the biker gang "Hell's Legion." Behind him is Louis, a junior systems analyst in the IT department of his company. And last but not least, Zoey, the freshman in college working in filmmaking. Each of them have different relationships with one another that can help or hinder their survival in a number of ways and help them defeat the infected.

In addition to different characters with individual traits, there are also various types of infected called special infected. Each one has mutated differently from the common infected, thus giving them certain abilities others don't. The boomer can vomit bile onto a target, attracting infected and temporarily blinding them. It also emits this when killed, causing an eruption of it within a small radius. Hunters are the opposite, being very small and nimble, capable of pouncing on survivors and pinning them to the ground until knocked off or killed. One of the more disgusting types is the smoker, who strangles its victims with its incredibly long tongue. Then there's the tank; a virtual Hulk of a zombie minus the radiation and regenerative properties. But perhaps the most dangerous and unassuming of them all is the witch. These thin little women sit crying and moaning but once provoked can incapacitate the survivors with one swipe of its long sharp claws. However, none of these infected, including the common type, should be underestimated.

Due to the success of the first one, they made a second, this time with a few changes. They added a new cast of characters; Coach, the PE teacher at the local high school, Ellis the mechanic, an ex-prisoner named Nick and a minor associate producer for a news station by the name of Rochelle. They also added three new special infected to add to the challenge. The charger will charge forward with an over-sized forearm and use the respective hand to grab survivors and pummel them. Jockeys will jump onto your back and attempt to ride you into packs of infected or other dangerous obstacles. One of these threats could be the product of the final special infected, the spitter, who spits a potent acid that forms into a pool on the ground. The sequel also adds several new scenarios and weapons available for use.