When the first left 4 dead came out I remember playing it on XBOX Live with a couple of friends of mine almost everyday after school for about a month or so. Between vs mode and going through the campaign stuff it was a great time for a while. Then we moved on to other games and I never really played it since.  
 
Left 4 Dead 2 came out. I was interested but never got around to picking it up until a few weeks ago when it was 7 bucks on steam, in celebration of porting the game to OSX (which is my only computing option currently). So I was stoked and bought it, only to realize I had to upgrade my macbook to run Snow Leopard in order to run it.  
 
Well, I finally got around to getting an upgrade disk and after installing that I downloaded l4d2 to see if shooting zombies was still fun. 
Turns out it's way more fun than I remember and I've been playing it every chance I've had for the last 2 days. 
 
I know this is a bit late to the party, but goddamn this is a great game. Icing zombies with both guns and melee weapons is incredibly satisfying, the atmosphere is perfect for getting that classic "oh fuck, it's zombies" feel, and the team itself is growing on me. 
 
We all remember Brad calling it in his review, and I finally know why that was. This is the best zombie game that I have ever played, both in terms of the gameplay itself and it's ability to create that mood. You know, the mood you get when you're really into a zombie movie, wanting to just reach into the screen and grab a shotgun to finish off the guy who was bitten (he's just gonna turn anyway).  
That feeling of excitement and adrenaline when the tank is on it's way, or when some asshole sets off a car alarm, or when a hunter pounces on you out of nowhere and you catch yourself jumping out of your chair a bit. Playing this with the lights off, a cold drink nearby and my good headphones on has been some of the most fun I've had gaming in a while.
 
So now that we're a little over a year past its initial launch, how do you guys feel? Is this still the definitive zombie gaming experience, or did you feel it came too late in the zombie craze and you wrote it off as just another zombie game? Or has something else captured the zombie-killing experience better?
 
Also, if anyone wants to play, just add Dr. Stoked on steam. 

When the first left 4 dead came out I remember playing it on XBOX Live with a couple of friends of mine almost everyday after school for about a month or so. Between vs mode and going through the campaign stuff it was a great time for a while. Then we moved on to other games and I never really played it since.  
 
Left 4 Dead 2 came out. I was interested but never got around to picking it up until a few weeks ago when it was 7 bucks on steam, in celebration of porting the game to OSX (which is my only computing option currently). So I was stoked and bought it, only to realize I had to upgrade my macbook to run Snow Leopard in order to run it.  
 
Well, I finally got around to getting an upgrade disk and after installing that I downloaded l4d2 to see if shooting zombies was still fun. 
Turns out it's way more fun than I remember and I've been playing it every chance I've had for the last 2 days. 
 
I know this is a bit late to the party, but goddamn this is a great game. Icing zombies with both guns and melee weapons is incredibly satisfying, the atmosphere is perfect for getting that classic "oh fuck, it's zombies" feel, and the team itself is growing on me. 
 
We all remember Brad calling it in his review, and I finally know why that was. This is the best zombie game that I have ever played, both in terms of the gameplay itself and it's ability to create that mood. You know, the mood you get when you're really into a zombie movie, wanting to just reach into the screen and grab a shotgun to finish off the guy who was bitten (he's just gonna turn anyway).  
That feeling of excitement and adrenaline when the tank is on it's way, or when some asshole sets off a car alarm, or when a hunter pounces on you out of nowhere and you catch yourself jumping out of your chair a bit. Playing this with the lights off, a cold drink nearby and my good headphones on has been some of the most fun I've had gaming in a while.
 
So now that we're a little over a year past its initial launch, how do you guys feel? Is this still the definitive zombie gaming experience, or did you feel it came too late in the zombie craze and you wrote it off as just another zombie game? Or has something else captured the zombie-killing experience better?
 
Also, if anyone wants to play, just add Dr. Stoked on steam. 

It sure is great. Killing zombies with frying pans and guitars? Hell yes. 
 
In some ways it feels like Dawn of the Dead: The Game! 
 
You know, the good version of that movie, the one without Romero...

I'd say it's probably the best one on the market right now. I truthfully enjoy Killing Floor more than L4D2, but I think I'm in the minority.

Terrible game

I'm not honestly the biggest fan of all this zombie lark, but I bleedin' love that game. I'd have to say greatest zombie game.

I'm gonna go ahead and say the greatest I've ever played, to be fair I haven't played alot of other ones but I'm still confident about my answer

Don't like it too much. I've never played it online which undoubtedly increases the potential enjoyment, but the overall gameplay itself I just don't find myself clicking with. Plus, where's ma goddamn feet, Valve?!?

Greatest Zombie Game award definitely goes to L4D2.  Killing Floor is a less known but still great Zombie Killing game.

Great zombie game. Greatest zombie game is Dead Space.

Watching The Walking Dead recently makes me yearn for a more story driven zombie game, but with the action of games like L4D2 and Dead Rising 2. 
 
Hell, due to the success of Walking Dead, it isn't entirely impossible a game adaption may be in the works.

The Dead Rising games are the greatest games to feature zombies. For the specific style of online coop zombie carnage, I'd take Killing Floor or L4D1 over L4D2. However, I don't think the full possibilities of zombies have been realised. I remember hearing about an open-world zombie survival game that seems to have vanished, and there's an indie zombie CRPG in development ( Dead State). If either of those ever get made that would probably be awesome. I prefer those concepts to the present flood of FPS and dual-joystick shooters.

" Great zombie game. Greatest zombie game is Dead Space. "

I like Left 4 Dead, but a game cannot be considered the definitive zombie game if it has running zombies.

As mentioned Dead Space gets my vote, and hopefully Dead Space 2 with be even better also with a multiplayer like L4D's.  But Left 4 Dead 2 comes in an extremely close second, and if you count Resident Evil 4 then that goes up there too.

I would agree with the greatest.   
I was one of the people who were really bummed when the second game was announced. I was loving L4D and thought it was way to early to move on. So i waited about 6 months after launch to buy it and i regret waiting so long. It is such a good game, like TF2 and counterstrike i always feel an urge to go back and play more.

I'd say Dead Space or RE4 because I don't like the Left 4 Dead style of game.

This is an absurd notion.

LFD2 is just okay.

Uh, didnt any of you play Zombies Ate My Neighbours? Because that is one hell of a zombie game, probably my favourite.

zombies ate my neighbors or resident evil 2 are the best zombie games. if you think otherwise kill yourself.

It's not bad, but I definitely prefer Killing Floor over the L4D series. Shooting "zombies" in KF is so much more satisfying than L4D. 

" I'd say it's probably the best one on the market right now. I truthfully enjoy Killing Floor more than L4D2, but I think I'm in the minority. "

L4D, is a decent series, but I much prefer the more deliberate pace and atmosphere of the RE games (mostly RE4). And yes, I realize they're not technically zombies. 
 
EDIT: Also, I know it's not a zombie game, but I just picked up Alan Wake the other day and it's really impressive. I think it's much closer to RE4 than RE5 in terms of atmosphere (creepy as hell), and anyone who liked RE4 should really give it a shot. Anyway, that's my semi-off-topic endorsement.

" It sure is great. Killing zombies with frying pans and guitars? Hell yes.  In some ways it feels like Dawn of the Dead: The Game!  You know, the good version of that movie, the one without Romero... "

" I'd say RE4 "

I prefer the original Left 4 Dead to Left 4 Dead 2 but they're only great zombie games. I'd say that the best zombie game I've ever played was the original DEAD RISING.

greatest zombie game. nobody else is doing anything interesting with zombies so l4d2 wins by default. 
 
gon play some now.

Arguably the greatest zombie game.