When comparing Left 4 Dead 2 vs Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation, the Slant community recommends Left 4 Dead 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best online multiplayer games on PC?” Left 4 Dead 2 is ranked 14th while Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation is ranked 50th. The most important reason people chose Left 4 Dead 2 is:
Left 4 Dead 2 features a co-op versus mode that pits two teams against one another. One takes on the role of survivors, which is very similar to the normal campaign. The other team, however, plays as the infected, opening up a whole new play style and set of strategies.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Turn the gameplay upside down by hunting the hunters in a unique co-op mode where you play as the zombies
Left 4 Dead 2 features a co-op versus mode that pits two teams against one another. One takes on the role of survivors, which is very similar to the normal campaign. The other team, however, plays as the infected, opening up a whole new play style and set of strategies.
Pro Invigorating cooperation based survival dynamic
Left 4 Dead 2 requires players on the same team to cooperate to survive. This makes for an interesting dynamic for teammates, as it will be increasingly difficult to make it through a level if any one player decides to go off on their own.
Pro Highly improved over Left 4 Dead
Those who loved the original Left 4 Dead will find this game even more enjoyable. Almost everything has been improved, including the AI. Other additions to the game include new enemies and melee weapons.
Pro AI teammates work great in single player gameplay
For those that prefer to play with AI, this is one of the best co-op games for offline bot play.
Pro Low Spec
This game can practically run on a potato.
Pro Melee weapons have the best visceral experience
Left 4 Dead 2 includes melee weapons for the player to use during the game. These allow for not only more graphic violence, but also a more personal and visceral experience.
Pro Better framerate when ran in DX12
This game is DX12 compatible which allows for a higher frame rate over DX11. DX12 is only able to be taken advantage of on Windows 10, so that is something to consider, but for those that can take advantage, there is a slight gain to be had.
Pro Pleasing graphics
The graphics stand out as polished and make for a really nice looking RTS. This is top of its class in graphics for an RTS in 2016.
Pro Cool mechanic for controlling troops
There is a tool in the game that allows one to "lasso" their units together into an army. By making an army the player can then control that army as they would one troop unit, meaning that all micromanagement for a large group of troops is unnecessary as the game will deal with it in a more intuitive an easy manner. This can be done with as little or as many troops as the player want, which overall makes for an easy way to control the game when in the heat of battle.
Pro Good mix of gameplay modes for any skill level
The game features a single player story mode, a story mode called Ascendancy that will walk the player though how to play the game and multiplayer modes that are ranked as well as custom multiplayer modes. Through the assortment of modes the game allows for any type of player to find gameplay that they may like, whether they are a seasoned RTS player or a newcomer to the genre. Whether playing locally in single player or online with friends or random people, there should be plenty on offer for any skill level.
Pro Focuses on positioning over micromanagement
The maps in this game are large, sometimes taking up as many as 20-30 zones in a single map. What this means is that the player will need to focus a lot more on position of their units over actually micromanaging every aspect of each unit (due to the vast size of maps and the amount of units on them). This allows for gameplay that has a broader scope in strategy, as it forces the player to plan out what is best to protect and the best position to hold of enemy attacks all while still trying to grow their army in order to overpower their enemy.
Pro Easily allows the player to utilize specific info on their enemies
At all times the player can vies on a mini map how much their enemy has expanded and into what areas. There is also a thing called player power rating, which allows the player to know on a point scale what their enemies military and economic power level is. Which means you can get a sense of what fields your enemy is expanding into. Combining these tools allows for a quick way to know where the enemy is expanding and into what fields of tech they are concentrating on. This way the player can adjust their strategy accordingly, making for an even deeper level of strategy overall.
Cons
Con Very difficult without team engagement
For those looking for a casual co-op experience, Left 4 Dead 2 probably isn't the best option. Without a good sense of teamwork and focus, this game can get very challenging.
Con AI not the smartest
The AI has a tendency to make ridiculous choices that can screw up what players are doing. This can become a big problem when relying on AI teammates in order to get through a level.
Con There is no variation of gameplay
Making it very boring after a few hours of playing. Slaying zombies is fun and all, but it gets exceptionally dull once the "wow" effect of blowing zombie's brains out wears off.
Con More of the same
While the game has been improved compared to the original, there are no wildly different game mechanics. If you did not have much fun with Left 4 Dead, you will probably not get much enjoyment out of the sequel. Some have gone so far as to complain that it feels like a large DLC update rather than a discrete game.
Con Physics are unrealistic
Many of the units will pass right through each other, making for units that behave in an unrealistic way and can pull the player out of the immersion of the title. The units also all hover over the ground, which means they have no real weight to their actions, when combined with the unrealistic way they move makes for something that just does not looked polished.
Con Demanding system requirements
The game requires a high end GPU as well as at-least a 4 core processor. This means the game is quite demanding and needs to take advantage of multi-cores in order to play smoothly at high graphical settings. So for those with a mid-range system, the game may play at lower frame-rates, which can be frustrating.
Con Lacking in options for factions and units
There are only two factions available in the game to play with, so makes for limited choice. On top of this each faction has only so many different units, which also shows a lack of choice. Combined, once the game has been experienced and both factions played with there will be little in surprise as to what the game has to offer.