Can a game possess glaring flaws yet still be considered underrated? Absolutely and Back 4 Blood embodies this paradox perfectly.

The Good:

o Fantastic graphics that capture both the icky body horror of the Ridden and their environments. Nice lighting effects make for some really nicely lit outdoor areas and moody subterranean areas (like Tunnels of Terror).

o A nice roster of characters with their unique perks which alters how the game plays.

o Combined with the cards/deck system it adds a lot of replayability by making different playthroughs feel different enough.

o B4B's deck system allows for a number of different play styles and its fun to come up with your own powerful combinations.

o Gunplay feels tight and responsive. A nice assortment of firearms for every occasion. Plus firearms can be improved with found upgrades that adds another nice touch of replayability.

o Corruption cards adds a lot of variety to the game, adding different types of Ridden mutations that can change up how you approach a level.

o AI teammates know how to use throwables!

o Excellent difficulty scaling, Veteran difficulty feels like a nice sweet spot between hard / expert difficulties. High difficulties are good but at times feel a little unfair.

o I like a lot of the player characters and their banter, as well as their many interactions with each other. Hoffman and Mom are the best to play as.

The Meh:

o One too many scripted sequences that always play out the same, Act I Episode 2 always has a giant RIdden called an Ogre spawn and it just gets repetitive.

o AI teammates either lag behind or stupidly walk right into your line of fire even though you're crouched and not moving.

o It's not always clear when you have a gauntlet to run through rather than a simple horde, which can be costly as you face off against a never-ending horde of Ridden; this is only a big deal at higher difficulty levels.

o Corruption cards (random conditions that are rolled at the beginning of a new map) can often suck the fun out of the game, especially if you get certain bad combinations.

o Some characters repeat certain catchphrases a little too often.


The Bad:

o Put simply: the multiplayer experience sucks but it's not a single thing that makes it suck but a lot of little bad decisions that ruins it for me - for example:

o Setting up a game on your own takes far too long to get going; it's almost as if Turtle Rock wants to double check you don't have anyone else to play with before reserving a server for you.

o Hosting a game leaves you at the mercy of disruptive players, unless you have majority you cannot kick people. This on its own isn't a big deal but because campaigns are played in "runs" it means quitting a campaign represents a loss of that time, forcing you to start a campaign over.

o Difficulty in multiplayer can be far harder than playing with bots at the same difficulty

o Bizarre design choices that prevent you from starting a game with a friend if, for instance, you have two different matchmaking preferences (you have crossplay enabled and they have it disabled will prevent you from starting).

Outside of multiplayer:

o Special spawns are a little too RNG and can absolutely f**k you if the RNG goes against you; most times it's not bad but story events can be extremely brutal on higher difficulties.

o Why the hell is Act I so long Turtle Rock? Act I is a SLOG composed of 9 different maps; it really should have been two separate campaigns. This, again, wouldn't be a big deal in a traditional game but because of the game's 'run' system, playing through a long act means they sometimes have to be played in two separate sessions. It can also mean that if you take on too much trauma (as you take damage your max health is reduced) it can put you into a fail state before your run is completed.


The Bottom Line: Back 4 Blood is a solid 4-player co-op zombie shooter with a lot of replayability and a lot of things to appreciate and I say this as a definitive Left 4 Dead veteran with over 3000 hours in Left 4 Dead 2, half of which was spent playing co-op.

Please note: Back 4 Blood is NOT for players of Left 4 Dead Versus, the only feature that Turtle Rock did not carry over from Left 4 Dead, which is fine by me because versus was overall incredibly toxic and full of exploits that Turtle Rock was right to avoid, something that Valve fanboys have criticized, yet oddly turn a blind eye toward Valve for never bothering to give us Left 4 Dead 3.

At least Turtle Rock got off their duffs and actually made a game unlike Valve.

Can a game possess glaring flaws yet still be considered underrated? Absolutely and Back 4 Blood embodies this paradox perfectly. The Good: o Fantastic graphics that capture both the icky body horror of the Ridden and their environments. Nice lighting effects make for some really nicely lit outdoor areas and moody subterranean areas (like Tunnels of Terror). o A nice roster of characters with their unique perks which alters how the game plays. o Combined with the cards/deck system it adds a lot of replayability by making different playthroughs feel different enough. o B4B's deck system allows for a number of different play styles and its fun to come up with your own powerful combinations. o Gunplay feels tight and responsive. A nice assortment of firearms for every occasion. Plus firearms can be improved with found upgrades that adds another nice touch of replayability. o Corruption cards adds a lot of variety to the game, adding different types of Ridden mutations that can change up how you approach a level. o AI teammates know how to use throwables! o Excellent difficulty scaling, Veteran difficulty feels like a nice sweet spot between hard / expert difficulties. High difficulties are good but at times feel a little unfair. o I like a lot of the player characters and their banter, as well as their many interactions with each other. Hoffman and Mom are the best to play as. The Meh: o One too many scripted sequences that always play out the same, Act I Episode 2 always has a giant RIdden called an Ogre spawn and it just gets repetitive. o AI teammates either lag behind or stupidly walk right into your line of fire even though you're crouched and not moving. o It's not always clear when you have a gauntlet to run through rather than a simple horde, which can be costly as you face off against a never-ending horde of Ridden; this is only a big deal at higher difficulty levels. o Corruption cards (random conditions that are rolled at the beginning of a new map) can often suck the fun out of the game, especially if you get certain bad combinations. o Some characters repeat certain catchphrases a little too often. The Bad: o Put simply: the multiplayer experience sucks but it's not a single thing that makes it suck but a lot of little bad decisions that ruins it for me - for example: o Setting up a game on your own takes [i]far[/i] too long to get going; it's almost as if Turtle Rock wants to double check you don't have anyone else to play with before reserving a server for you. o Hosting a game leaves you at the mercy of disruptive players, unless you have majority you cannot kick people. This on its own isn't a big deal but because campaigns are played in "runs" it means quitting a campaign represents a loss of that time, forcing you to start a campaign over. o Difficulty in multiplayer can be far harder than playing with bots at the same difficulty o Bizarre design choices that prevent you from starting a game with a friend if, for instance, you have two different matchmaking preferences (you have crossplay enabled and they have it disabled will prevent you from starting). Outside of multiplayer: o Special spawns are a little too RNG and can absolutely f**k you if the RNG goes against you; most times it's not bad but story events can be extremely brutal on higher difficulties. o Why the hell is Act I so long Turtle Rock? Act I is a SLOG composed of 9 different maps; it really should have been two separate campaigns. This, again, wouldn't be a big deal in a traditional game but because of the game's 'run' system, playing through a long act means they sometimes have to be played in two separate sessions. It can also mean that if you take on too much trauma (as you take damage your max health is reduced) it can put you into a fail state before your run is completed. The Bottom Line: Back 4 Blood is a solid 4-player co-op zombie shooter with a lot of replayability and a lot of things to appreciate and I say this as a definitive Left 4 Dead veteran with over 3000 hours in Left 4 Dead 2, half of which was spent playing co-op. Please note: Back 4 Blood is NOT for players of Left 4 Dead Versus, the only feature that Turtle Rock did not carry over from Left 4 Dead, which is fine by me because versus was overall incredibly toxic and full of exploits that Turtle Rock was right to avoid, something that Valve fanboys have criticized, yet oddly turn a blind eye toward Valve for never bothering to give us Left 4 Dead 3. At least Turtle Rock got off their duffs and actually made a game unlike Valve.