Guides
A shortage of content is the only thing keeping this unique cooperative zombie shooter from eating you alive.
Read Ryan's full review
| Platform | User Reviews | Avg. Score |
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| All Reviews | 36 reviews |
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| Xbox 360 | 18 reviews |
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| PC | 18 reviews |
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| Add your own user review | ||
 almost perfect
overall I love this game, the emphasis on teamwork is refreshing. the A.I. is amazing and the "director" keeps repeat playability high. the four difficulty levels are almost perfect, easy for when you are just messing around up to expert where you better be on your game. online play is challenging, can be a real blast with friends, but it's hit or miss when playing with strangers, we all know how XBL can be at times. my only complaints are in design. I was disappointed in the tollbooth level... that tunnel could have been a real highlight of the game, much longer and MUCH more darker. I was hoping for a tunnel like in the Stephen King novel "the stand". a mile in total darkness save for your flashlight climbing over abandoned cars most of the way, slow and scary as hell. my other complaint is one I have for all games with guns. when you reload a half full clip, yet never lose the ammo in that clip. I would like to see in advanced mode you have X amount of clips with Y amount of ammo. if you change clips and still have 5 shots in that clip, you keep the same amount of ammo, but eventually you reuse that clip with only 5 shots. for expert the same thing, but if you reload with 5 shots left in that clip, you lose the clip and the ammo. I like the idea of that added challenge
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Flashlights off!!!
L4D has perfect group of things to make a game , Zombies, a city that makes Racoon city look like a walk in the park and 4 survivors being a Vietnam vet and biker and young girl and Louis. What more could you ask for.
L4D is pretty much put together of 4 zombie movies where you play as one of the four survivors who have to make there way out of the hell hole and to freedom. The 4 people are you typical zombies movie guys who u expect. Bill is aVietnam vet, Francis is the biker dude, Zoey the typical young female character and Louis who pretty much your run of mill kind of guy. While the characters are kind of like oh i bet it was really hard to come up with these 4 guys (sarcasm) they are kind of likable which due to fact that the voice actors do a great job in making each of them come to life. You can kind of believe that everythingthat's happening could go down. To be honest the real stars of this game are zombies thought, there quite a few models of normal zombies but then again your not really looking at what they look like cause your mowing them down as fast as you can. There are also some special zombies who have evolved faster down the zombie treethat's gives them special attacks that's makes them much more fearsome then the common zombies, the Hunter is the most common of the special zombies, his special attack lets him leap great distances to his enemy. If he is able to pounce on one of thegood guys while leaping then he start to tear the guy a new one unless someone is able to push him off. The smoker is one of the more interesting zombies in which he has a very long tongue that can sneer a dude from far a while wheeling him in to be attacked. The smoker is in fact a great example as to why never get to far away from your teammates. My favorite zombie has to be the Boomer, While weaker then any of the others his special attack make him one of the most feared. He is able to vomit over his targets which if hits one while alert the horde (lots ofcommon zombies) to the location of them where they will attack the one or ones who been covered in puke. To make matters worse if you kill the boomer to close he will blow up covering everyone near by in vomit. Now brings us to the two most fear zombies, first being the Tank. The Tank is what you expect a zombie to look like pumped full of steroids, he's mean , strong and pretty fast, He so strong he able to hit cars making them fly at you or throw large lumps of concrete at you from far away. The Witch a female Infected who seems more human then any of them but startling her is the worst thing to do, she will run at the person who made her angry with great speed and will start attacking themsometimes killing in one hit. All apart from the common zombies and the witch are playable in the gameplay mode called versus. Versus is pretty much campaign but instead of just the four survivor there also 4 player controlled zombies that are out to kill the good guys before they get to the safe house. This makes for some really fun competitive gameplay that just enough different from the campaign. While fun I seem to noticed one thing. A good team of Infected while most the time beat a team of good survivor so in a way it becomes a game of who can get the closet to the safe house. The other gameplay mode is campaign that can be played by either Ai controlled Survivor or player controlled. The singleplayer is pretty dull because this game is meant to be played with four other people and in harder gameplay modes the AI is just not up to scratch against the AI director. What is the AI director you ask, well he affectedly what keep the game from being dull. He randomly is able to place zombies and items and such around the level. Because of this it makes each level just a little different from the last time you played it. Even so L4D in the end is just greatly lacking in content. The 4 campaigns first time round should take just over and hour or so to get round which doesn't really make for much value. The versus mode does make things more enjoyable but even then if you don't have a good team it does make it rather dull. Don't let it sway you thought L4D is one of the better games to come out this year, while content is lacking its a game that can go leaps and bounds by having DLC and usercreated content in the future. The Content is a letdown but the concept which strange enough hasn't been done much in this form is fantastic. In the end 4 or 8 guys playing this game screaming down mics is what makes this game great and different to anything else out on the market. Great character design and level layouts Left 4 Dead is must have.
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One-trick zombie
Valve is a developer that takes their time when making games. When they do release a title, it's usually of high quality- the problems tend to come in the quantity department. And their newest venture, Left 4 Dead, is no different. "Zombie survival horror" has simply never been done this well, which is why it's disappointing that there isn't much to do. A noticeable lack of content is the only thing holding Left 4 Dead back from being an otherwise stellar shooter.
If you've played other recent Valve games, such as Half-Life 2 or any other piece of The Orange Box, you'll immediately feel at home with Left 4 Dead. It uses the same engine as those games, as well as the same control scheme. This means you get slick, precise controls at all times. Which is good, because you'll need to be able to respond quickly to the hordes of zombies always swarming around you. Fortunately, your teammates are also there to help. While one can play alone with AI controlled bots, Left 4 Dead is a game that was clearly intended to be played cooperatively with four players. Indeed, the game shines its brightest when you gather up three of your friends and team up against the horde. Games rarely capture the essence of teamwork so wonderfully as Left 4 Dead- it brings out all the little triumphs and frustrations that come with working with other human beings. From saving someone from getting their insides ripped out by a Hunter, to accidentally getting blown to bits by an ally's stray shotgun blast, cooperative play in Left 4 Dead is as pure as any, and sets new standards for such games. As good as the cooperative play is, it's a shame that the other modes don't pull their weight. The single player campaign is the same as the cooperative one, just with bots filled in. As already mentioned, playing the game this way doesn't have nearly the same punch. Also, the versus mode doesn't seem quite as balanced as playing the game cooperatively. Playing as the zombies is a slow paced affair, with lots of waiting time between deaths. And deaths come quickly, thanks to the perpetual "normal" difficulty setting throughout versus mode. What hurts these modes even more is the fact that the game only comes with four maps- and they are the same four maps for every mode. Even worse, the maps are basically the same thing with a scenery change, and two of them aren't even included as options in versus mode. This essentially boils the game down to a solitary play mode, on a map that lasts roughly an hour or so, while the only variables to change are how many humans you sub in for bots. The lack of content is just astonishing, When Left 4 Dead works, it's an adrenaline pumping high, the triumphs and failures of which you'll hopefully share with some good friends. At all other times, it feels like a game that should have been budget priced, but you got conned into paying the full $60 anyway. Left 4 Dead is a "one-trick pony", and while it does its one trick incredibly well, it probably won't be enough to endear itself to everyone.
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 Left 4 Dead is a thrilling zombie nightmare.
To start off, I'll say that Left 4 Dead is one of the best games of the year, as seems to be typical of a game released by Valve, who have been on a roll for years now. Although it is not as content-packed as last year's legendarily overstuffed Orange Box (nor does it have as much variety), few (if any) games take such a compelling premise and execute so well, and the content that is there is highly replayable.
I'm going in here with the assumption that you've already read a lot about this, so I don't need to overview the most basic concepts for you. A brief summary would be that there are four survivors What I loved: Versus Mode - So good you might ignore the regular modes I didn't really anticipate playing much Versus Mode after playing the incredible prerelease demo online, which didn't include it. The co-op was already so fun, why would I even need Versus mode? But while it's true that Versus is by nature a more variable experience in quality than the regular co-operative mode, it is incredibly addictive and satisfying to play against a team, trying to one-up each other's score and successfully coordinating attacks. Knowing that humans are on the zombie side, attempting to kill you and coordinating, lends an added urgency to the proceeding, something that a horror game can always use. And while playing the Infected can be more frustrating than playing the humans (regardless you are required to play both sides in Versus so get used to it) there are few things more satisfying in games than successfully wiping a Survivor team with your teammates, knowing that someone somewhere is very angry at you as you tear their brains out. The Sound - Terrifying While there isn't much music in Left 4 Dead, when it does kick in (you hear a sort of distant-sounding, three-note trumpet motif) you start fearing for your life, because it usually signals a horde mere seconds away from closing in on you. The music isn't as important as the sounds of the game however. Each of the "boss zombies" have blood-curdlingly distinct sounds associated with them, whether it's the chilling cry of the Hunter, or the hacking and wheezing of the Smoker. And whenever a Boomer vomits on you (attracting every zombie right to you) or a Smoker reels you in with his super-long tongue, a symphony of discordant strings shrieks in the speakers (or headphones, as it were). The only thing better is the sounds of your teammates valiantly crying to help you over voice chat (a necessary for the game to reach its full potential, by the way). It won't take long for you to realize that you and all your teammates sound exactly like the characters in zombie movies when you're talking to each other, at which point you realize just how awesome this game is. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention all the automatic sound cues in the game - all your characters will inform the others out loud when they're reloading, or if they've found med packs, ammo, etc. and even if they've figured out which boss character is out there. The AI Director - A sadistic son of a bitch The AI Director is the key to Left 4 Dead's replayability, something important because as far as actual content goes you've only got about four to five hours if you just play through once. The Director randomizes the experience - although it stops short of changing the actual design of the level. But it decides when and where to spawn which and what kinds of zombies every game dynamically, partially based on how well you're doing and also looking to give dramatic peaks and lulls to the playing experience. Most of all though, it's looking to scare and thrill you every time, and does a fantastic job. It does the essential job of having Left 4 Dead stay scary, because if you knew exactly how and when everything was going to happen each game, it would only surprise you the first time. Truly cooperative - Is it the first time ever? Co-operative play has lately become a popular feature (at long last) thanks to the success of games like Halo and Gears of War but in most games you don't actually have to play cooperatively, you just happen to be playing with each other. Left 4 Dead forces players to coordinate - a daring move considering the complaints it could cause - which makes it thrilling and makes the payoff of succeeding all the greater. If you ever stray out of sight from your teammates, rest assured that the zombies will get you before your teammates do, especially if you're playing on some of the higher difficulty levels (which I would advise once you get acclimated to the game). In Versus whichever team is playing Infected (zombies) have to coordinate too, otherwise the Survivors will have a breeze getting to the safehouse (which signals the end of the level). And the little things: - Flashlights are physically attached to your guns, which means that whenever your gun moves, so does the flashlight. So if you're reloading, or do a melee attack, you live in paranoid fear for those few moments when you might not even be able to see what's coming right at you. - AI partners are competent, and in fact, probably better than most human players. Which doesn't mean you should play this in single player, as it's not near as fun, but more importantly that whenever people leave they are more than capably replaced by a computer until a new person drops in to replace them (which doesn't take too long). - It's a breeze to tell when your teammates need health or have a special boss zombie attacking them, which makes the coordination a lot simpler. If you don't save your teammates it will be easy for the Director to kill the rest of you off since you'll have a quarter of your firepower gone. - Ammo is relatively limited (although you don't have to be all that stingy, and you always have an infinite-ammo pistol although it's largely useless) and health is even moreso. Waste either and it spells disaster. While there are lots of nooks and crannies in the level that may or may not contain these things (placement is randomized), if you waste too much time then the Director will have more chances to send zombies at you, which gives a nice cost-reward give and take to the game. - While some complained about the lack of story, I liked the sparse narrative and cheesy B-flick style presentation that start and end the campaigns or "movies". If there was a lot of narrative extra stuff it would only distract on replays and mess with the vibe. Plus, while there may be only one cutscene (plays when you start the game), it's totally kickass. What I hated: Four campaigns - Just four? Really? Okay, so the Director gives pretty much infinite replayability, so this isn't a big problem. That said there's lots of potential in the zombie movie premise, and although Valve has an excellent reputation for postrelease content (PC-side that is) you know it will be a while before we see it. While Left 4 Dead more than justifies its price tag, I'd love to see more. Versus support for only two campaigns - The other two look neglected Versus is so fun that I barely even play the other two campaigns that don't have it. So why aren't they supported? There must be a reason but I can't figure out why. While there was a user-mod to fix this on PC I don't know how well it works and that's not much help to those on the consoles. Versus is perhaps Left 4 Dead's best feature, so it should be shown off accordingly. Of any of my complaints, this is the one I would like to see fixed right away. Funky matchmaking - My friends, where are you? It's not that I really like server browsers, and for the most part the matchmaking system on Left 4 Dead (for PC, this is) works flawlessly. That said it's a little tricky playing with friends sometimes. The small game sizes (either four for normal or eight for cooperative) mean that you generally won't be able to join ongoing games with friends in them, which is inherent to the gameplay, but even when you want to set up new games with friends and then have other people join it's a bit tricky. You can't reserve specific slots for specific people and open the rest up, so you just have to make a friends only lobby, wait for them to join, and then open the lobby up publicly. It works fine even though it's a bit clunky, but when I did this it sometimes seemed like Steam didn't really open it up, as people would join super-slowly or not at all over several minutes, which is not the norm. Overall it's not a big problem, but it's worth mentioning. And the little things: - As with most multiplayer games, there are some real jerks out there. Furthermore, it's frustrating to play with people that don't have mics, and even more with those who have them but don't use them. You probably fare better on Steam than XBox Live, though, as I've only encountered a few memorable ones and have met some people that were very cool. Once you find a good group you can play with them for quite a long time, and there might be no better game experience this year if that happens. Obviously if you just play with friends you won't run into this problem. - The Source Engine runs very smoothly and allows some older PCs to run the game, which I appreciate. For the most part I don't mind the oh-so-slightly dated visuals as much as some seem to - plus a cutting-edge engine might not be able to handle all the zombies on the screen at once. Even four years after Half-Life 2, though, the occasional crash seems to occur, particularly with a looping sound bug. Even with computers that it does happen to it is infrequent, so I wouldn't worry too much, but it's worth mentioning. - The Tank seems overpowered, particularly in Versus where he seems to show up more often. A Tank with a competent person at the helm usually signals a party wipe for the opposing team, which can boil Versus down to which team gets the Tank earlier sometimes. It's a minor balance problem that Valve should consider addressing somehow. Conclusion: While Left 4 Dead obviously isn't perfect, it transcends its flaws very frequently to create an experience unlike any other. Viscerally exciting and terrifying and nearly infinitely replayable, I suspect my complaints about Left 4 Dead won't stop me from playing for quite a long time. If you have even the slightest interest in zombie movies, shooters, or cooperative play, this is an immediate must-buy. Even if you don't (I don't really like zombie movies personally) you might consider trying it out with friends. Left 4 Dead is absolutely among the most unique and polished experiences of 2008.
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Some pondering on Left 4 Dead.
At first glance one would not hesitate to throw a 5 star rating at Left 4 Dead. It's jsut so damn original and clever.
The game focuses on the adventure of 4 survivers as they traverse through 4 scenarios, or "movies." Each movie has a differnt feel and setting and will generally last between 45 mins to an hour. The main selling point of Left 4 Dead is the co-op system. The way in which these 4 players must intereact with one another in order to achieve success is pivitol, especially on the higher difficulty settings. Use of the microphone is vitol in plan creation, and therefore vitol in achieving success. The AI director does a great job of mixing things up, by setting particuly nasty zombies loose on you when you are doing well, and always making sure that items are not in the same locations twice. Thus placing a small importance on exploration in an otherwise linear shooter. The only downfall of Left 4 Dead is the play time. 4 Chapters is just not enough, even with the AI director mixing things up ever so slightly. Best played with friends.
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Left 4 Dead offers superb cooperative play
Left 4 Dead Review Cooperative is excellent Hordes of zombies to be killed the Director always keeps things fresh
Not enough content Only two of the maps are available for versus Friendly AI is sometimes unhelpful
 The effects of the infection can be seen everywhere The thing that sets Left 4 Dead apart from the pack is the ability to play the entire game cooperativley, even when playing alone you have the help of bots that will take the place of actual players. The AI allies work well most of the time and will help you along the way, but sometimes they will act strange at some points. For example when two survivors are downed a bot sometimes runs between the two, not reviving either. Adding even more fun to the notion of killing zombies is actually pretty simple, add three of your friends. Playing cooperativley has never been so much fun as it is in Left 4 Dead. Team work is essential as you traverse through each of the scenarios, especially when you hear the dreaded sound of a tank heading right towards you. Players are able to revive downed comrades and can share items such as pain pills and med packs to restore health. In addition to the superb cooperative play, Left 4 Dead offers a very different versus mode. In versus two teams of four rotate between playing as the survivors and the infected. While one team tries to make it to the safe house the other tries to stop them at all costs. Every special infected is playable in this mode, except for the Witch. Players can throw up on unknowing victims as the Boomer and can pick of a stray survivor as the Hunter. Each team is scored based on how many survivors make it to the end of the level and how long it took them to make it there, among other factors such as how much health is remaining for everyone. Players take turns playing as the infected every level to try and get a higher score than their opponents. The only negative thing about this game mode is that only the No Mercy and Blood Harvest scenarios are available for play. This does seem odd that all of the levels are not playable, but versus does not suffer too much as a result.  The finales are always exciting The only thing that stops Left 4 Dead from being a perfect game is the lack of in game content. The four scenarios do offer much game play, but more certainly would have been better. Never has a game been so much fun playing cooperativeley with friends. The scenarios all offer their own unique take on the zombie apocalypse and are layed out very well. Left 4 Dead will certainly keep players busy for a long time, hopefully new content will help the only flaw with the game in the near future.
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The Ultimate Co-op experience.
I have always been a big fan of co-op games and zombie games, Left 4 Dead is the epitome of both genres.
The game continually impresses from it's gloomy, creepy atmosphere. Atmosperic sound, unnerving lighting and terrifyingly smooth animation of your enemies. While the only knock against this game is the lack of many campaigns, the procedural AI director keeps things fresh by making the experience original everytime you play. An instant classic that should not be missed, or played without friends.
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The foundations are set for a great IP...
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A near perfect shooter that pits you against zombie armageddon
Left 4 Dead may look like a simple first person shooter at first, but underneath it may have reinvented the way we play games. Much like Valve did with last year's highly acclaimed Portal, Left 4 Dead also is as much of a refinement to its genre as well as an innovation. It seamlessly integrates single player and multiplayer into one singular mode of play, giving you a co-op experience unlike anything else found this year.
Lets get to the basics, Left 4 Dead, as the number "4" in the title implies, consists of four survivors of a zombie infection that has plagued an unnamed city. You control one of the survivors as you try and make it through alive in one of the four "movies" that are found on the disc. Each of these movies contains a different scenario with different locales that are reminiscent of zombie flicks. You have "Dead Air", a struggle to make it to a nearby airport, "No Mercy" where you and your fellow survivors try to make to the roof of a hospital to escape, "Blood Harvest" has you keep off zombies in a lake house, and "Death Toll" in which you go through a graveyard fighting the undead. You can play with friends, the A.I, or anyone else who happens to be online, making it as much a single player experience as it is a multiplayer.  In "Dead Air" you must make it to the local airport to survive. On the way to these safe rooms you will be encountered with waves of zombies including some "special" infected that will make the journey even more difficult. You have the tank - a hulk-like figure that just tears you apart, the hunter - a zombie that lunges straight at you, the witch - a zombie that if startled can be more terrifying than her name, and the boomer - who basically barfs on you causing countless undead to swarm the survivors. These  Thanks to "The Director" the game always stays fresh. Another way you are given more replay value to the game is through Left 4 Dead's versus mode. Four players play as the survivors and four players play as special infected with the zombie horde. You are basically playing with one of the main four movie's maps as your team switches between the infected and survivors. The survivors are always fun to play as but the infected can be a hit or miss. The Director chooses what special infected you will be depending on how the survivors are doing, so you could either be the not so awesome boomer, or the more entertaining hunter or tank. There are only two maps which is definitely a down side, but overall versus is a fun mode when you have done everything in the main game. Left 4 Dead is almost perfect in every way. My only real complaint against the game would be it's lack of content, although Valve has promised more "movies" and content are on the way but its sad that more is not on the disc. Even with just four movies, you will definitely be busy with different difficulties and The Director changing up the game. Overall though, I highly recommend Left 4 Dead for any shooter fan not only because it refining the genre but because it redefines it. Just with the content it has, It is simply an experience unlike anything else on shelves this year.
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This game is SICK!!!!
This game, like I said in the title, is super sick! There is no wait period, no epilogue, no training map. it just throws you into the action. And apart from the needed break here and there, the action doesn't stop.
Normal difficulty doesn't seem so hard at first, but there will always be a situation that arises mid-way through a map, that will have you wondering if they somehow bumped up the skill level at some point without telling you. When someone gets tackled by a hunter, and you have to go save them, its easy. When that same guy gets tackled right at the beginning of a flood of zombies, it gets tough. And if more than one guy goes down in the middle of a fight, it feels insurmountable to get things back on their feet. Its phenomenal! The controls feel prefect. Many FPSs fail when the developer tries to do to much at once. This game build on a very successful platform, and simplifies it to unadulterated goodness. I would consider this game perfect, but i feel like may leave me wanting for more once i have done all the story lines. Plus I am sure they could have given it just a smidgen of depth more. Otherwise, it truly a game that will give anyone loads of fun for hours on end. A game that anyone can pickup at anytime, and enjoy fully.
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I feel like a movie star!
Playing a few moments of Left 4 Dead will remind you of scenes from “Dawn of the Dead”, “28 Days Later” and countless other what I call fast-mover zombie movies. Every level or "Act" in the game has a tidy beginning and climactic last stand defense before the survivors can make for safety. The game features a dynamic zombie generation engine called the Director that will change spawn locations from map to map. Meaning just because you played the same map twice doesn’t mean you will have the same zombie resistance in the same places. This also goes for where supplied spawn. This sadistic Director also controls the spawn rates of boss zombies. They are the agile hunter who can leap and tackle survivors, the smoker, who attacks by roping survivors with his long tongue and reeling them in, the boomer who reminds me of the fat guy from Seven, the Tank, and the witch. The tank and the witch are what I would call the heavy weapons in the zombie arsenal. They both have the power to really wipe the survivors out. The witch however does not auto attack the survivors. She spawns wailing on the ground and as long as no survivor gets to close or shoots her, she will remain in that prone state. The tank is just a beater and always requires a lot of lead to put down. L4D is broken into three main categories, single player campaign, online co-op and online verses. All game modes are quite good. Campaign, I recommend to people first picking up this game not only because you can see how to really play the game in a team sense since the AI really does a great job showing you the ropes. They provide covering fire, heal you and give you pills; they won’t stray off or linger too long. I give major points to the game AI. Online co-op is another creature entirely. It’s the same game, but your results depend totally by how well your online partners play together. Friendly fire can be devastating, especially if you are playing in a higher difficulty. If your team does not watch their fire you could find yourself hurting badly in the first few minutes of the game. Particularly in the acts that feature a lot of close quarter gun fights “No Mercy” in particular fits this profile. A lot can be said for people who understand the value of getting to a door way and ducking to allow the team to fire over their heads. It’s saved my co-op teams in multiple instances. The final game mode is verses which puts four survivors against the Director AI and four “boss” zombies played by other online players. In this mode two teams of four rotate out playing survivors and zombies through the different acts. Verses mode is hard on the survivors. No sugar coating needed. It could easily be called grief mode with how badly the zombie bosses can beat on the survivors. A good boomer and smoker team can send all to a quick end. After spending a few hours playing verses I started to remember by time playing a Half-Life 1 mode called Natural Selection. In this case, the zombie bosses really do feel diverse and interesting comparable to the aliens in NS. I’m partial to the Boomer as his vomit can attract the horde to any survivor it touches. I’m full of love for Left 4 Dead, it’s a game I have no question that it will pull my time away from Team Fortress 2, that’s an accomplishment in itself. The team mechanic in L4D is something that’s rare in online FPS games and frankly makes this game so great. If you enjoy this kind of experience, L4D is an easy buy. Given Valves record on the PC for releasing online content (TF2 weapons) I expect a lot features to be coming down the bend in the next year, which will keep the game new and give your money longer legs.
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Left 4 Dead
This game is alot of fun if you have 3 friends handy, it boils down to essencialy a 4 player co-op linear shooter, where there is a serious threat of not passing the level (unlike halo). The controls are simple and efficient, and the weapons feel powerfull and familiar.
In terms of content there are only four levels which wile long isn't what you would expect in a full price game, the two counter arguments are that valve has a history of adding content to their games for free, and the new AI directer which you do notice upon replays, and keeps the game at a frenetic pace.
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killing zombies is such fun!
have the full game, really, this game is FUN!
the campaigns are not too long, so if you wanna take a brake from work to kill some zombies, this is it. if you play in 'Advance' mode you won't find it that easy, i haven't even tried 'Expert' yet. yes, 5 campaigns is not a lot, but let's not forget that you have them in Single Player mode, in Multi and the cool VS mode. achievements is always cool thanks to steam. and it's Valve, you can expect more free content in future. or just for $0.98 :)
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RELOADING!
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead, the latest game from PC shooter dev Valve, is a game where you kill (rekill?) zombies. Lots of zombies. In it's current state, it is a bit disappointing in terms of content, but based on Valve's wonderful track record of adding content to their games, I have high hopes.
Gameplay
In Left 4 Dead (L4D), you shoot zombies. Quite a few zombies. You play co-op with 3 others online, or split screen. Players can play in co-op campaign, versus, or single player. In co-op, players use a unique matchmaking system to find a team, and continue off on their way. In Versus, 4 players play boss zombies, who attempt to kill the other four players of the match, playing as survivors. The players switch teams on each section of the movie. Single player is the same thing as campaign, with bots filling in for the other survivors. Versus is by far my favorite mode, as the boss zombies are much more intimidating because they are controlled by thoughtful humans. Some of the zombies are considered “boss zombies”, ones that are more powerful, more dangerous, and much more difficult to kill. These boss zombies are the hunter, boomer, smoker, tank, and witch. Each of these are varied in powers, and when they attack simultaneously, death is almost inevitable. The Hunter jumps upon one team member, and mauls them until another team member shoots it off. The Boomer vomits on any number of players, and the bile in the vomit attracts a horde of zombies. When shot, the boomer explodes, spreading his bile on any of the by standing players. The Smoker strangles a player with its tongue, until another teammate shoots either the tongue strangling the player, or the Smoker itself. The Tank is a mutated, super-strong zombies that can incapacitate survivors incredibly quickly. The Witch is definitely the most dangerous. She sits, crying in the corner, until an unwitting survivor startles her, and she charges, mauling and quickly killing the target. The main problem in terms of gameplay is the small amount of content. There are only 10 weapons in the whole game, but they all feel very visceral and violent, which is always good in a zombie game. The 20 .bsp maps translate into 4 “movies” with 5 “scenes.” Each movie takes about an hour to play through, but this time can vary wildly based on the team you're playing with. This low weapon count and small number of maps make the game start to feel a bit repetitive.
Sound
The sound of L4D is truly the best part of the game. The sound is so truly creepy and strikes fear in my heart. Each boss zombie has a unique sound, from the screech of a Hunter, the moaning and burping of the grotesque Boomer, and the like. The most terrifying sound is the crying and associated music of the Witch. Hearing the initial cries before the music sets in truly sets you on edge. The “normal” zombies also have their unique sound, which gets louder based on the size of the horde. The sound is often cited as what makes or breaks a horror game, and this game is definitely made.
Graphics
Being a Source engine game, it looks a little bit dated by today's standards. That being said, I have noticed a few updates to the engine to make it look a bit better than Episode 2 or TF2- namely the blood and smoke effects. The blood is truly some of the best I have seen in a shooter, apart from Gears. Watching a headshot on a standard zombie running at you from the auto shotgun is truly a sight to behold. In addition to the gore rendering update, the smoke effects and gun models have been upgraded. The guns, after being fired for extended periods of time, have smoke trailing of the barrel while you reload. The city environments are especially unique, because I totally connected with it. You could see familiar stores and locations in a city, like the obligatory hospital with the massive logo on it, the farmhouse, the airport, and the highway.
Replayability
This is a place where this game falls a bit short. The game starts to feel repetitive after playing through for a couple hours. As much fun as shooting zombies is, it gets old after a while. I have noticed that's more of a boredom issue, because after playing something else for a while, I pick up L4D again and I have a renewed sense of amazement and grisly entertainment. Keep in mind, Valve has a good track record of updating their PC titles with new content, be it new weapons, maps, and the like. If you love zombies, and have friends who do too, you will definitely enjoy this game.
Value
Another disappointing part of this game, the price. $50, for the amount of content, seems a little steep. While I understand that Valve playtested those maps several times, I still feel a little disappointed. If you have friends willing to play with you, this can add quite a significant amount of value for people. Having played with three of my PC gaming friends, playing with friends might be one of the greatest co-op experiences this year.
Overall, despite the lack of maps and unique weapons, L4D is possibly one of the best zombie games I have played in quite some time. Especially compared to some of the Garry's mod game modes that involve zombies, L4D is certainly superior to those games. Basically, if you have friends, and love shooting zombies, L4D is certainly a good choice for you.
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Left 4 Dead Review
Left 4 Dead is the kind of game that comes around once every four or five years that makes you seriously look at what "multiplayer" is and how it can be improved upon. With titles like Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty: World at War offering their Horde and Nazi Zombie modes, it would seem that Turtle Rock and Valve have essentially created something that contains concepts from both of those while offering a longer and more satisfying experience than the two combined. The game has a few faults, but none of these faults keep you from trying to take out the zombie apocalypse time and time again.
In Left 4 Dead, you'll be given four separate campaigns to play through as one of four different survivors: Louis (token black dood), Francis (tattooed badass), Zoey (obligatory hottie), and Bill ('Nam veteran). Your objective on each of these campaigns is simple: survive an onslaught of zombies and "special infected" as you try to get the hell out of Dodge. That simple objective, however, isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do if you are looking to take on the REAL zombie apocalypse. Kicking it up to Advanced or Expert offers a much meatier and rewarding experience filled with brutality for FPS veterans. With the "AI Director" calling the shots for the zombies, he'll throw anything and everything that he can at you. Since nothing is ever the same in terms of what gets thrown at you, Left 4 Dead focuses hard on being good at the game rather than being good at memorizing. There are tons of split-second moments where the wrong decision could mean the worst for your team. Using the word "team" is not meant in any loose manner either. In order to progress through these higher levels, it will take a team of skilled individuals who are willing to pump some serious hours into putting together strategies to take on zombie opponents. Four player co-op via system link and Xbox Live allow you to completely fill your team up with human AI to take on the computer, and with two player split-screen with XBL guest support is available, you don't even need that many copies of the game to have fun. Left 4 Dead could benefit from a more streamlined partying function, but it's nothing that will hamper your gameplay experience too much. Level design is definitely at a peak in Left 4 Dead, as every place you venture to has an eerie vibe that sets in your stomach and keeps you twitching around, waiting for something to jump out of the shadows. All of the campaigns play out in a pretty linear fashion with little to no branching paths, and level memorization will play a huge role in your survivability. Your base objective is going from point A to point B to meet up with some form of rescue attempt to get you and your friends out of the city. Each features a grand finale where you'll make your final stand against the zombie infestation, while the rest has specific points that will trigger hordes of zombies to swarm you mercilessly. No Mercy is probably the best realized of all the campaigns included on the disc, but the other three (Death Toll, Dead Air, and Blood Harvest respectively) are no slouches. While No Mercy and Dead Air are urban city-based campaigns, Death Toll and Blood Harvest put you in the rural situation of open fields, trees, and a dreaded cornfield that will surely swallow your whole the first five or six times you go into it. The only gripe here is that...well...there's only four campaigns. While it's been said that new campaigns may be offered down the line for DLC, the inclusion of only four campaigns that last about 30 minutes - 2 hours each (depending on difficulty and skill) just feels a bit short-handed. Granted, the PC users playing this will have a full-on mod community to offer all kinds of crazy ideas, but 360 owners get a bit gipped from it. While hordes of regular "infected" will swarm you for reasons as miniscule as shining a flashlight in their general direction, the "special infected" are where things get very interesting. There are five types of "special infected" that will slow down your progress: Hunters are agile and pounce their opponent to the ground; Boomers are giant bloated zombies that vomit a zombie-attracting bile and blow up when you kill them; Smokers wears hoodies and have a 100-foot-long tongue to constrict you with; Tanks are buff brutes that run around like gorillas and pummel anything in their path; Witches sit in a corner and cry but attack with ferocious power and accuracy whenever startled. These five vicious archetypes create tons of tension and overall chaos when they attack in groups and with deadly precision, and since you never know when they'll spawn up, you have to keep your eyes and wits sharp. You might want to also keep your ears peeled, as each of the special infected has a distinct audio cue that lets you know they have spawned on the map and are ready to obliterate you. If running through campaigns against computer AI isn't necessarily your thing, you could always go to the Versus mode, which is a 4v4 setup that pits survivors against special infected in an ultimate showdown scenario. Only two campaigns are available for this mode (No Mercy and Blood Harvest), but both can be played through in their entirety. The objective is for the special infected to kill all of the survivors, or at least incapacitate them, before their reach the safe room at the end of each level. Players on the infected side are not able to choose which special infected they become, but must instead let the AI Director assign them an archetype. Witches are not available for use, and Tanks are a special unit that is randomly assigned at what are seemingly random times. There will be plenty of times that you feel like it's rather unfair that you are going up against a bunch of guys with guns while you can be shot once with a shotgun and killed, but this is where working at a team pays off. As the survivors, running away from the group is never recommended, as tight-knit groups seem to make it a much easier chance of survival. Still, in the matches I played, both sides were filled with excitement and energy, which is something that you rarely see in games today, and it added to the overall gameplay experience. Even if you lose the match, you still feel like you accomplished something, and moreover, you had fun. Since there aren't any form of leaderboards or rankings or anything for the game, fun is all you have to play for. The few downsides that you'll find with Left 4 Dead that keep it from achieving total gaming perfection are relatively small, but they will eventually eat away at you. To start, the game just isn't any fun without people to play with. If you don't have any friends to play with, you can always join up with some random folks on XBL, but even then, it just doesn't feel...right. There are also a handful of minor glitches that show up here and there, and while a few of them are comical (like how sometimes killing a Hunter causes it to go into after-death seizures and spray blood everywhere), some are just downright annoying (like how you can finish a Versus match and if someone leaves at just the right moment, the game will glitch out, reload the last part of the last level and make you lose the match instead of win). The lack of content is really the big problem here, though, and it's not just the fact that there are only four campaigns available. As you start a level, you'll get to choose between either a mini-Uzi or a pump-action shotgun to use, while pistols offer unlimited ammo. As you progress, you'll eventually come across extra weapons that include an auto-shotgun, M16 assault rifle, and a hunting rifle with a scope. However, they just feel like slightly upgraded version of the pump shotgun, mini-Uzi, and pistol that you've been carrying around, so there's little difference. At the same time, the idea of adding other weapons doesn't really seem very worthwhile, as these three do get the job done well and don't ruin the pace of the game. With all this said, and all the stuff that has been left unsaid (like how great Source still seems to make games look and play or the fact that this is the first FPS on consoles that have amazing controls that, dare I say, rival the PC counterpart well), Left 4 Dead is the one game this year that should not go unplayed by anyone. Even if you've never played an FPS before, the forgiving AI Director will treat you decent enough to let you still have fun. Meanwhile, the crippling Expert difficulty level really makes for some fun times with your buddies...albeit very frustrating and full-of-cussing fun times. The few things that hold it back don't hamper the experience by much, so there's no reason you shouldn't be playing this game right now.
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Left 4 Dead
A slight lack of content and a few connection issues are the only things holding back one of the most enjoyable shooting experiences I've had in years. The normal gameplay isn't particularly deep; there are only a few weapons and a few types of enemies. They're not particularly smart. There's only four "movies" to play, none lasting even two hours on normal difficulty. But none of that matters. Holding off a ravenous horde of zombies with a few friends, desperately huddled together and waiting for rescue, is an extraordinarily exciting and memorable experience. The key to the game is how well the cooperative aspect of it works. In most other games, you can split up and do okay. But in Left 4 Dead, sticking with your teammates is vital. The game rewards you for protecting your buddies as much as yourself, and if you get knocked down or attacked by certain foes, it's impossible to survive without a friend giving you a hand. It's best if you're playing with people you know and constantly communicating, but even with a group of strangers you can develop a camaraderie before the campaign is over. Tearing into a horde with a mounted gun, taking out a bunch with a homemade pipe bomb, working together to bring down a tank - everything is scientifically designed to be as satisfying as possible.
And when did Valve become so funny? Earlier games had occasional humor, but starting with The Orange Box they've had consistently great writing, and the graffiti on the walls and dynamic conversations between the survivors are always worth experiencing. That dialogue is part of the game's pretty impressive technology that keeps the experience fresh, with the locations of supplies and bad guys always changing so you don't know what to expect. It prevents the experience from being too sophisticated, but makes it extremely replayable, which is the real goal here. Normal is fun, but my group probably had a better time playing on Advanced, making the experience much more intense but still manageable. It can get a bit frustrating when the same place kills you over and over, but we got markedly better as a team just playing through all of the maps once, and I bet it won't be long before we try Expert. Versus mode is also a blast, where teams alternate between playing the survivors and the infected, seeing who can get farther before usually getting wiped out. Playing in the infected takes some getting used to, but is also a unique and extremely gratifying experience when you get it right. Setting up the perfect ambush to screw over the other team is pretty damn awesome. Hopefully Valve works on some of the online stuff, though. The first time we played, it took at least half an hour before we could get a game going, and games will crash once in a while. Also, sometimes the achievements don't seem to unlock when they should, a couple friends didn't get the campaign completion ones when they should have. Overall, it wasn't that bad for a game that just got released, it was just frustrating to see happen when we just wanted to be. And I do wish there was a bit more to play with. We can count on Valve coming out with some new stuff, hopefully an entire new movie or two, but I'm certainly glad I got it for $45 on Steam instead of $60 for the Xbox. Still, that doesn't matter that much. A couple nights ago we were playing Versus on the last map of No Mercy, waiting for the helicopter to arrive. Louis just got knocked off the roof by a Tank, and after we remaining three killed it, rescue came. We raced towards the landing pad, but on the way I was grabbed by a Smoker and pulled off the ramp. My teammates freed me from its grip, and I ran back towards the ramp, desperately shoving the ravenous horde away from me, slowly carving a path towards the exit. I limped as fast as I could for the helicopter, bullets wizzing past my ears as my buds who were already on board picked off the creatures trying to stop me. Just as I reached the vehicle, a Hunter pounced and knocked me on the ground. Before it could incapacitate me my friends saved me once again, and with 3 health left, I got on the helicopter just in the nick of time, and we escaped. It was completely amazing, and this type of thing happens in Left 4 Dead all the time.
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A terrific Co-op experiance.
Pros
Cons
This'll be a short review. The games great. There just isn't a whole lot too it. Theres four survivors you play as. Nervous office worker lookin' guy. Horror movie geekette. Badass Biker guy. And Vietnam War Vet. ZOMBIE APOCAYLPSE HAPPENS. And that's basically the story in a nutshell. There isn't a tonne of narrative, the focus is pretty much soley on the action and I think this works to the games benifit. Don't bog us down with story, bog us down with hordes of Zombies to slaughter and it does that. Aside from the basic, shambling, shuffling horde of Zombies.. Well.. They don't really shuffle so much as run at you in large groups as fast inhumanly possible.. You get the idea. Aside from the basic Zombie there are also a few special Zombies. All except the Witch are playable in multiplayer versus. Theres the Tank who smashes stuff up and can deal a tonne of damage. He can also tear concrete out from the ground and chuck it for a ranged attack. It generally takes a combined effort from the survivors to get this fellow down and even then it can be difficult to do without at least one survivor taking a massive amount of damage. Thus far I've only played on Normal so I've never encountered more then one at a time, but I've heard that on harder difficulities there are points where there can be four of them, which just sounds absolutely insane to me. Theres the Smoker. He grabs dudes with his tounge from several feet away and drags them off. If he manages to drag them to him he can do some damage but I don't think the survivors get hurt unless this happens. And as the survivors more often then not get caught on a wall or something whilst getting carried away more often then not the Smoker is just a minor annoyance. Annoyance though it might be, the getting dragged off thing can be kind of freaky. Theres the Hunter. He pounces on surivors and tears them to shreds if the surivors teammates don't get em off... Just.. Yeah. They can be pretty freaky, especially if you're being dumb and hanging back for some stupid reason and your friends aren't around to get him off. And the Boomer. He pukes on folk. This blinds them, which is annoying in itself. But it also attracts the horde. And THATS what makes it freaky. It brings in a bunch of enemies that for a moment or two you can't see. If there are other specials in the area at the time, this can be most painful. And the Witch. As mentioned you can't play as her. She can do a lot of damage, but you can also sneak past her as she just sits there quietly sobbing unless you shine your light on her or disturb her in some other fashion. Disturb her and she'll make a run for whoever did the disturbing. And tear them to shreds. They are a pain to kill. Not quite so painful as the tank, but more difficult then the average Zombie. Usually after they've taken down whoever disturbed them they'll run off though. So yeah. You kill these Zombies with a small, though adequet assortment of weapons. A campaign generally starts with someone in the opening saying they to get to this extraction point! And then they head off, slaughtering undead along the way. It's pretty straight forward. Every so often you'll hit a safe house where you can get more ammo, health and then continue. In the last chapter of a campaign you'll call in for extraction and make a final stand against the Zombies whilst you wait for a vehicle to show up or in the case of one scenario the plane next to you to fill up with fuel. These provide for some of the most intence sequences in the game. And unlike other sections of the game if you die, you won't be found later on banging on a closet door wanting to be let out so you can rejoin your teammates. Your dead. And on the closing screen it'll put up an "in memory of" and then it lists the dead survivors players, which is a nice touch. And the "credit screen" shows off the end game stats. Like how many headshots you scored or the total undead you killed which is a nice touch. I'll wrap up. The game is great. It does a good job of capturing Zombie movie atmosphere and despite being relatively simple both in concept and execution it still somehow manages to grab hold and not really want to let go.
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 Quick review
Good: + Good Zombie fun+ Versus mode is a damn fun mode to play with 7 friends + With every slot filled the game has insane replay value in terms of the experience not being the same twice with humans. Bad: -Load times are HORRIBLE. Esp. loading at the beginning. How is the Orange Box, something Valve pumped out a year ago, a faster loading game? -No depth. Each level has the same weapons load out and same upgrade weapons points. (Uzi/shotgun at the beginning. Sniper/Shotgun/M16 |