The Left 4 Dead 2 mutation has switched out this week. Realism Versus has bit the bullet and we are now looking at Bleed Out, a game mode that features only temporary health that ticks away at a much faster clip, but also features vastly increased drops of adrenaline and pain pills. It’s a fun mode, however, it actually isn’t the most interesting part of this new mutation rotation. In fact, the most exciting part of this new cycle is the old cycle? What the hell am I talking about? Well check this out.

The Left 4 Dead team has a habit of polling the Left 4 Dead player base every week. Normally its just fun stuff like “Who is your favorite character?” or “What is your favorite map to play on?” or “What have you had for breakfast this morning?” and other stupid stuff like that. However, this week, players are actually being given a chance to alter how Left 4 Dead 2 ends up playing in the future. This week’s pool asks if players would like Valve to institute Realism Versus, last week’s mutation, as a permanent game mode.

Realism Versus was a mutation that coupled the 8 player versus matchup with the realism game alterations. That means that all zombies are tougher, headshots are more important, players don’t get outlines to tell them where items or other players are, so on so forth. The funny thing about this mishmash of game types, is that it was actually quite good at balancing Versus mode. You see, once you run through a campaign a few times, you can easily fly through it while the opposing zombies are re-spawning. In the end, Versus more often than not ended up being a matter of speed rather than actual survivability. Player deaths were usually caused by cheap tricks such as charging people out windows or using the jockey to walk players off ledges. It never actually got down to the nitty-gritty of zombie fighting. Adding realism to the equation, however, actually made it more likely for players to die in the middle of the game, meaning that both survivors AND zombies had to step up their game a notch. It was very fun, and the fan response was immense. It was so immense, in fact, that Valve is now letting the fans decide whether or not to add it as a mode you can choose any time.

The best part about this? Realism Versus may not be the only mode players get to vote on. In fact any mutation that stands out as successful among fans may have a chance of getting added as a permanent mode. We hope that Versus Survival ends up getting the same treatment.

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• Left 4 Dead 2: The Passing Review
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• Left 4 Dead 2 DLC Still Not Here
• Valve is Done with Single-Player