I have to be honest with you, oh loyal readers. I LOVE zombie stories. I love ‘em! Even if the story is dumb or cliche or anything, if it has zombies, I’m sure to find some enjoyment in it. So it was with great anticipation that I plugged Left 4 Dead 2 into my 360 and started up the first of the game’s five campaigns.

“Dead Center” is the title of the first campaign, preceding “Dark Carnival,” “Swamp Fever,” “Hard Rain,” and “The Parish.” I would like to briefly discuss four of these, and then go into further detail about my favorite campaign (Hard Rain.)

Dead Center was fairly pedestrian, if I do say so myself. The entire four-act campaign really held no exciting set-pieces, and was overall a weak start for such a strong game. Nothing really blew me away in this campaign, minus one scene where a building is literally being burned to the ground. Did I mention that you just happen to be inside this very building? Yeah that was pretty cool. The air was filled with dense smoke and flame, making any zombie near invisible until they were inches from your face. Creepy! But Dead Center really had nothing to call home about. It was a very cut and dry Left 4 Dead campaign.

Dark Carnival was all around a great ride. Haha get it? Ride? Cause it’s at a carnival?! No? Meh. Everybody’s a critic. But seriously. Zombies…..in a carnival? How awesome can you get? I have to say that going through an abandoned carnival, complete with CLOWN ZOMBIES is quite the adrenaline rush. The Tunnel of Love section was particularly exciting, with tight corners and low visibility amidst giant heart sculptures and cherubim. The final act, onstage at a rock concert, was pitch perfect. What a conundrum, using a concert setup to alert rescuers of your presence, but also alerting the horde of your fresh meat. What a great little zombie yarn Valve spun there, huh?

Swamp Fever, the third campaign in the game, had some great standout moments. Nah, I take that back. One standout moment. And that was the final act. A showdown in a cotton king’s mansion deep in the bayou couldn’t have been any more taut and exciting. But what led to this point was rather lackluster. I personally felt that Valve merely threw in a swamp campaign because the game takes place in the Deep South. There was no real goal that kept tugging me along in this campaign, contrary to the others. We just plodded along in the swamp and forgot about the first three acts once we reached the stellar fourth.

The Parish, the final campaign of the game, was very reminiscent of the first campaign, Dead Center. It really didn’t have any astounding set pieces in it. But it was a very fun campaign. The narrow alleyways and swerving paths in the Parish made this campaign a very nerve-wracking experience, and one that kept me on the edge of my seat. The finale, however epic, was ultimately unremarkable. Running across a bridge that was teeming with zombies started out fun, but by the second half of the bridge I was begging for it to be over. Too many times did my team run into impassable routes, only to get stuck in there by a Spitter or a Charger or two Tanks. This finale was great in concept, but lacking in execution.

The fourth campaign in Left 4 Dead 2, which was by far my favorite, was Hard Rain. Hard Rain is what Zombiephiles like myself hope to have nightmares about. It is what we hope every new zombie movie coming out will be about. It is the epitome of the great zombie tale. You start this campaign on a dock, where you are quickly informed that you have to fetch gas for your boat in order to fuel it up in hopes of escape. As you progress through the first act, you can look up and see storm clouds slowly gathering overheard. You can enter several homes, and hear the soft pitter patter of rain drops on the rooftop. The second act leads you to a sugar mill, as the rain continues to fall. The end of this act still haunts my slumber. Remember the cornfield in the final campaign of the first Left 4 Dead? Imagine that, but times 50. Your team must make your way through an incredibly dense sugarcane field. As it starts to progress to hurricane level winds and rains. And it just so happens that this field is literally crawling with witches. Now, I have to tell you. If that doesn’t give you some goosebumps or at the very least pique your interest, then Left 4 Dead 2 might not be for you. But for those of you who remain interested, let me just tell you that this level gets even better. The third act starts just as you grab the gas you need for the boat, and start making your way back through the mill. The storm has really picked up now. Lightning flashing through the impermeable gray will send shivers down your spine. I guarantee it. The fourth act is an utter nightmare. At any given moment your visibility can change from “through-day-old-pea-soup” to “burying-your-head-underground-and-trying-to-see-Jupiter-in-the-night-sky.” The storm is seriously that bad. And I loved every minute of it. The final act was as exciting as ever, as our four heroes make a final stand in an old diner. This level was Valve just proving that they are one of the best game companies around.

Though Left 4 Dead 2 definitely had some dull moments, it had more than enough exciting ones to keep me coming back for more. For unparalleled zombie action, look no further than Valve’s latest undead outing. You could also look here. Or here. Or here.

MidwestGamer, Live and PSN: AbsentAmpersand (find me on Live, let’s play this together!)