The internet. 

I think, like L4D, they've got it spot on, it just WORKS. No bullshit, no messing around, no stupidly obvious flaws or niggles that in the way of a good experience. You round up some mates, hop on a server, and shoot zombies. All the challenge comes from fighting well and working together in the game, not dealing with any extraneous issues. It's how gaming should be. 

You refusing to give Versus a try. 

They just give the players the building blocks for being able to play which slot together in different ways each time.

The only weak part for me is Swamp Fever - repetative visually and without any of the new creshendo events. 

On our first run through Swamp Fever, our team seemed to wordless conclude that the bridge lowering crescendo was actually a gauntlet. So we all began running it and consequently took a great deal of damage from it. But yeah, apart from a nice looking finale area there isn't so much going for it in coop - I'm just hoping vs makes it more exciting to play. 

We assumed the same with the crashed airplane and torn to shreds.

But there's no need to move - just stay where you are and melee.

It's odd since by stretching realism a bit there's plenty of terrain setups I can think of in a swamp - up in the trees, wading through mossy caves, crossing a quagmire (some bits are 'fall'), gassing up the boat . . . 

Hehe I guess here is a case where being more informed than a "regular gamer" about left 4 dead 2's design has actually caused harm :)

our team seemed to wordless conclude that the bridge lowering crescendo was actually a gauntlet

One of the best parts about all of valves games for me is that you never need to assume anything, if something is important to the progress in the game it is always given to you in a way that you will understand. All the gauntlet style events in l4d2 are clearly marked by either avatar chatter or environmental clues, or even blatant game ui hints in some cases. You are never really left scratching your head as to what you are meant to be doing.

Now, I don't know about you lot, but whenever I see a jockey jump one of the survivors I cant help but burst into tears of laughter, I find the whole spectacle hilarious I cant put my finger on why.

its even worse if I am controlling a jockey in vs mode, I usually start laughing before I even jump at someone because I know whats about to happen...

I'm fucked in the head, right? 

Yeah Swamp Fever is the weakest campaign for me too, even though it has it's nice bits.

About the bridge lowering crescendo event, in VS it's best to run through it anyways. If you stay in one of the rooms during the event, you're giving the special infected lots of time to deal damage. 

I really like it, great atmosphere. Still didn't complete the end despite about a billion goes. 

Are funny little fuckers - it'd have preferred it if their gibbering sounds had more laughter in there, they sound (and look) pretty much like imps.

For example their attack loops should be only laughter. SO they're doing their hyena / monkey laughing while they steer you into fire / spit / off a ledge. 

A Boomer already waiting in the safe room in Hotel.

What looked very much like two tanks fighting each other in Plantation (one was biled). At any rather that was two tanks at once, out of a total of 4 - on Normal skill!

A Charger and then something else knocking Ellis and Rochell both into the water and thus dead by the river raft in Swamp 1.

Something to do with an axe and a special Infected, but I forget what. Might have been axing a Jockey in mid-leap. 

Specials tend to be more human (sneaky) now, but also just as retarded as you'd expect a bot to be. Often they're in the safe room attacking the invincible door when you arrive. Suppose its nice to have a hobby.

Haven't played versus yet, but the charger promises to be one of the most frustrating, just because theres the possiblity of chucking people into the water - but odds on you'll never get close enough.

It's impossibe to hit a Jockey in mid leap with melee, even shove. Hunter as well - all you can do is Shambler dance out of range then move back in with a shove and then knock the undead out of em. 

I played a game of versus tonight with some dear friends, and on the first level of Dead Centre we had not one, but two people charged off the edge of the building as we climbed around fires. You'd think the second person would have learnt... 

Yes it's quite easy to get some instant-kill going with the charger if you know what you're doing. On the first map of the Parish (the one from the demo), at the very start, you can run up to them as they turn off the passageway, and charge one or 2 guys straight into the water.
Same thing on the rollercoaster part of Dark Carnival, not to mention the Parish final on the bridge...

I'm not sure if this is necessarily a bad thing, people should know about it... At least they fixed the charger bug today where it could get a survivor stuck in the scenery. 

if they change the charger so it only hits a survivor enough that they need to be helped up off the edge. Even this is still highly beneficial once you have the other 3 special infected jump into the fray.

Another great spot to insta-kill though is top floor of the sugar refinery in hard rain as survivors are either waiting for the elevator , or just getting off it.

It's one of those ways to die that only happens once though, then you learn to expect it. 

if they change the charger so it only hits a survivor enough that they need to be helped up off the edge. Even this is still highly beneficial once you have the other 3 special infected jump into the fray.

Another great spot to insta-kill though is top floor of the sugar refinery in hard rain as survivors are either waiting for the elevator , or just getting off it.

It's one of those ways to die that only happens once though, then you learn to expect it. 

...sort of finished the game last night. I say sort of because I didn't actually make it to the chopper alive (got carried away killing things) but Negke did so the survivors escaped if not survived ;). All very cool stuff, I like the last episode...

Shouts out to:

Bal - for being patient and rescuing me a lot.
Biff - for being a real life Ellis when he's on the mike.
czg - for being surprisingly generous in coop and not setting tooooo many car alarms off.
Daz
negke
Rebb - for some good survival skillz.

Anyone else I played with and forgot.

More soon eh! 

Expert! :D 

I tried expert on Swamp Fever the other day with some friends. We barely got past that little river pulley before getting murdered all 5 times. Tough shit. 

I wonder who's the bigger threat on expert though, the infected or Shambler... 

My friendly fire isn't malicious, it's well-intentioned, I'm trying to cover you guys :S 

I would love to take part in some left 4 dead 2! My steamid is ewasylishen at gmail.com 

Quite a few people lurking on there and up for a game... 

Of Little Rocket Man, but now I have their Guardin Gnome achievement.

Fuck yeah. 

'I was trying to help!'

What's the road to hell paved with again?

Shamb's team mates brought down by FF?