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You are probably thinking, “Why should I buy the original Left4Dead when Left4Dead2 is the exact same price and comes with far more features? It has all of the maps, weapons and characters of the first game. Hell, it even has a Left4Dead1 mode.” This is a completely fair series of questions, but before those questions are answered it should be made clear that this review is encouraging the buying of both games. The Left4Dead games are the best games in their genre and obscenely cheap (1 USD each) during Steam sales. These games are different and it is more than just Left4Dead2 having more stuff and players.
The campaigns for both Left4Dead games play fundamentally differently from each other and this comes down to a series of minor changes that quickly add up. The campaign of Left4Dead1 generally rewards being cautious and finding safe spots because of its lack of melee weapons and additional reload animations. Changes that further establish this include horde events not being endless, bile not being in the game, and more special infected being boomers. Tanks finish off survivors instead of trying to incapacitate the whole team unless shoved multiple times by a players and maps have more enclosed spaces that cannot be disrupted because the game does not have Spitters or Jockeys. Left4Dead1 can be fairly described as a game of shooting and shoving while backed against a wall but that can be enjoyable in its own way. Its limitations force survivors to work together and be cautious. The Left4Dead1 mode in Left4Dead2 does not address all of these changes and often has no players.
Left4Dead1 Versus places more emphasis on the common infected by having the only special infected be the Boomer, Smoker and Hunter. This makes versus more focused and not just a game about who can best use the Charger to instakill players. Left4Dead1 Versus games see less rage quits as they are less of a game of chance and more of a team game. Left4Dead1 has a better versus mode as it only has the special infected that rely on the support of the common infected to do damage and distract players.
The two Left4Dead games play completely differently, but both are good for different reasons. Left4Dead2 is a fast paced action game that often demands that the survivors are always moving and often out in the open. Meanwhile, Left4Dead1 is a better horror-survival game that rewards survivors for being slow and cautious. This gameplay difference is intentional as the aesthetic of both games match their gameplay. Left4Dead1 takes itself more seriously and has a much darker tone. Textures are darker on all maps, and the game has a less “cartoony” aesthetic. Left4Dead2 has silly sounding infected, more upbeat music,silly scenarios and silly weapons. This aesthetic different also manifests in the trailers of both games. Left4Dead1 and Left4Dead2 excel at what they do and you should get both.