This week, WB games released Back 4 Blood, the long-awaited sequel in the highly addictive Left 4 Dead series of cooperative zombie survival games. Many are calling the game Left 4 Dead III, but others claim the game deserves to stand on its own merit.
While the gameplay is similar to Left 4 Dead, there is a level of continuity in the game that was missing from the Left 4 Dead games. One of the pieces missing from the game is split-screen cooperative local mode and that seems to be ruffling the feathers of the diehards.
Back 4 Blood was announced in 2019 by Warner Brothers and Turtle Rock Studies, players have waited more than two years for the final release and in time for Halloween.
“It’s hard to overstate what an awesome opportunity this is. We get to return to a genre that was born in our studio with over ten years of additional experience and zombie ideas racked up in our brains,” said Chris Ashton, Co-founder and Design Director, Turtle Rock Studios. “We also have some of the best teammates in the business at WBIE who understand our development process and are equally committed to our player-first mentality. We love being able to announce, so we can start working with the community right away.”
Like most franchises, the game is receiving mixed reviews from fans. Some purists say it’s too much of a departure from Left 4 Dead, while others are saying it’s a good step in the evolution of the franchise.
Absolutely love the Left 4 Dead series. Can’t believe they got rid of split screen. I know I should have done my research, but you would think, the makers would keep the option, considering it’s a huge part of the older installments. Just wanted to kill zombies old school with my girlfriend, instead I’ll be playing with strangers.
Kyle Keating
As for the condition. I received the game rattling around in the box. It definitely took its fair share of “shipping and handling” on its way to me. I’m giving this game 3 stars without even playing it, because at the end of the day, it already does compare to the older installments.
Does anyone remember the good ole days, when 3 of your friends would crowd around a system, plug in, and you would all stare at a screen less then 30 inches….for hours. Why are company’s moving away from these roots.
The lack of split screen co-op is taking its toll on fans who preferred to cuddle up with a significant other or play the game with a family member.
My fiance and I were so excited when we saw this coming out and pre-ordered it. We love the Left 4 Dead series and wished a 3rd would be released. However, all this excitement became grave disappointment once realizing it’s actually NOT co-op offline like Left 4 Dead. The description of this game is completely misleading: “Back 4 blood is a thrilling cooperative first-person shooter from the creators of the critically acclaimed left 4 dead franchise.” One of the best parts of L4D was split screen co-op. FYI… Back 4 Blood can ONLY be played online, even solo with AI.
CK 121253
Yes, there’s a few small things that I kind of disliked at first, but every thing has a reason for the way it is in this game and I’m kind of liking it. It has a fresh feel while also being intense at times and enjoyable. Really try the game yourself and give it a little bit, there is a small learning curve because it can feel overwhelming with the card system and attachments.
But you get the hang of it quick and that’s coming from someone who thinks warzone is to complicated lol. The game is an amazing spiritual successor to the l4d franchise. Still a few bugs due to being a new launch that a few hot patches will fix right up, not common and nothing to big either, just random server disconnect (again rare) and you just start right where you left off anyways or join your friends back in the middle of a session already started, the swarm mode is also pretty intense (when your team doesn’t suck lol). Overall I’m a huge huge huge l4d2 fan and I could find myself getting easily lost in this game for hours but overall nothing will ever beat a classic, so I’d rather not compare an iconic game like l4d2 to its spiritual successor and just leave it as a welcomed addition, it is a modern day left for dead spot on, while also being its own thing.
Brian moffatt
AMAZON AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Shore News Network provides this article as a review of the product featured. Shore News Network is an Amazon Affiliate, but does not endorse or recommend the product featured above and is presented as an editorial assessment only. Please read our FTC Affiliate Disclosure to learn more. Links in this article may direct the reader to Amazon to purchase products and Shore News Network receives minimal compensation for items purchased.