Legit Reviews

A new patch for Left 4 Dead has gone live (maybe not the best choice of words, but no matter). Apparently, Valve thought the Survivors had it too easy, because most of the updates beef up the undead while plugging up loopholes the living were exploiting.

For starters, infected players now have a HUD to keep track of how allies are faring. And as a late Christmas gift to Team Zombie, all the Special Infected get some goodies. (Except for the Boomer. I think he just got a plate of cookies or something. I mean, look at the guy…)

The new patch makes Smokers downright lethal: their tongues are now faster, tougher, and more accurate. Additionally, the Smoker’s slobbery weapon of choice now puts the hurt on Survivors while dragging them, and doesn’t let go until either the tongue or the zombie it’s attached to are blown to bits.

Hunters get a boost to their already savage jumping skills, making it easier to pin an foe who’s trying to club them with the non-business end of a firearm.

The Tank and the Witch also get some upgrades. They both spawn more often, and in locations Survivors need to pass through, putting the humans between a rock and a hard place. (Or in the case of these two undead juggernauts, between an unstoppable mass of muscle and a face-scratchy place.)
Thank God the regular, roving legions of the living dead didn't get buffed up as well. The new Special Infected bonuses are painful enough for Survivors.

Thank God the regular, roving legions of the living dead didn't get buffed up as well. The new Special Infected bonuses are painful enough for Survivors.

And to even up Versus Mode a tad, the Tank and the Witch both spawn in the same place for either team. This should prevent one team from making better progress just because the Tank showed at the onset of one round, but couldn’t be bothered to make an appearance until the tail end of the next.

Finally, the Tank has a whole bunch of presents to call his very own. Any objects he can uproot with an lumbering swing of his fist are outlined in red, and he takes less damage from auto shotgun rounds.

In addition to making the Special Infected even more of a threat (as if intelligent, superpowered zombies were ever to be taken lightly), the patch fixes a bunch of bugs, speeds up load times, improves matchmaking issues and balances Versus Mode even further. Players can only switch teams once per map, and can’t defect to the other side while other people are still stuck at the loading screen.

PC gamers can download the patch via Steam right now, but the patch for the Xbox 360 won’t be out for a few weeks. A list of everything the patch changes is available on Steam’s website.

DMB2000uk wrote:If this is the update that was launched on the 14th (and it sounds like it) then it hasn't really upset gameplay balance too much.

It's still fun to play as both sides.

Dan