Road of the Dead 2

fun but a little hard I keep dying around we are told to go north because I have only the default weapons

Dora, I don't remember the first game in the series being that different in terms of having to grind for upgrades to make it through.

I typically don't find repeated deaths frustrating, so my first foray into this game wasn't very discouraging. Actually, I didn't die too many times as long as I kept my SMG reloaded and took it relatively slow in order to "stop for ____."

I know the original had grinding as well, but I felt that the way upgrading was handled in this combined with the unforgiving shooting made the difficulty spike considerably in a way that forced grinding over skill, which is unfortunate when this is a shooter where the first game was just an arcade game.

Overall I think this game is really good, with only a few downsides (namely grinding and waiting for upgrades). One more thing is that the game really could do with less parking on the road, as it cuts the flow of the game. A suggestion would be to allow instant upgrades at rarer hideouts/checkpoints, so players can opt for more common "field upgrades" or wait for a safe spot.

I would like to point out that several flaws in the past game have been cleverly improved in this sequel.
- The restriction of shooting and driving at the same time in the first game has been solved by having two protagonists, also adding a new dynamic to the game.
- The problem of "how far can you go with a tireless car" was solved by being able to repair your vehicle.
- The annoying survivors running around can now be rescued.
- Excess RP after maxing out your vehicle can now be spent on more luxurious purchases.
- A lot of new content overall, making it less monotone.

Okay. I do agree that the flow and feel of the game are radically changed from the fast paced arcade action of the original title. I do agree that the significant difficulty of shooting can create a barrier to entry for some.

But then again, I also don't think this game is in the same genre as the original title.

This game feels much more like a free-flowing defense title than an arcade action dodging/survival game. In Lost Guns, the persistent narrative of two soldiers trying to escape a zombie outbreak/apocalypse provides the motivation for the whole exercise, but each pit stop for supplies, upgrades, or to drop off survivors became it's own stage of a defense game. And as in every one-man defense game, keeping your guns reloaded in between encounters is paramount, since switching between them is crucial to some dicey situations.

So even though I was only inching toward the next checkpoint, I found it a much less frustrating experience. My largest complaint at the moment is that taking the plodding defense route doesn't allow for many high-scoring combo opportunties (or at least not during early game, when gun kills take too long to count for combo multipliers), but successfully picking up survivors grants no small amount of bonus RP.

For me, playing the game as a defense title actually created a seamless and emergent experience. Each pit stop indicator represented an opportunity that I could use or pass on, but also a scenario where there are either no zeds in sight or far too many to be worth the measly one clip of ammunition. Either drive on, or park, grit your teeth, shoot things in the head, and move on towards your destination, whatever that ends up being.

Alright.

So I need to append my statement by saying that there are stages in the game that force a fast paced driving strategy more akin to the original game.

But you can still peel clingers off by slamming into another obstacle at the cost of a chunk of armor. Just like the good old days.

I'm still enjoying the way the game can change its pace.

Braking in time to stop at a desired location seems to be difficult at any relatively high speed. Realistic, but frustrating, since you can't back up to pick up a survivor or go back a few meters to a very-needed garage/church.

I also don't necessarily see the point of SWITCHING the two drivers. They share health, so you can't protect one from harm by having the other drive. Perhaps the other character just serves as another bank of ammunition?