Left 4 Dead

Soap · 11-18-2008, 11:42 PM

What do you guys think?

Before I really get into this review, let me just say that there was a point when I bought the Orange Box with no faith in it. People raved about Portal, so I got it out of curiosity...and I was absolutely blown away by Half-Life 2 and the other games on the disk. Left 4 Dead is nothing short of another success from Valve.

Initial Impressions

The first impressions I got from this game actually came from the demo. Right off the bat you can tell it uses the Source engine due to the oh-so-recognizable movements and sound effects from Half-Life. (For a second I thought I was storming the Citadel). You start out with 3 companions on the rooftop of some random building and after having a helicopter tell you to get to the hospital, you start to make your way down to street level. When you encounter your first zombie and unload buckshot into its head, there is an unspeakable satisfaction and eagerness to take on the next one.

Gameplay

Valve really did an amazing job making the gameplay smooth and surprising. The game boasts a custom "AI Director" which makes the game different every time you play it. If your whole team dies and you had just encountered a Witch, that Witch won't be there the second time. She'll be in a different place if she's even there at all. You always have to be on your feet, especially when the horde comes at you!

Controls

The directional movement in this game was the only area where it differed from the normal Source FPS controls. It was more realistic and less X,Y coordinated. It didn't take long to get used to it though. There is no radar in this game, you switch weapons using Y, and items are selected with the D-pad. These are things we all expected from this developer.

Sound and Graphics

The animations in this game are outstanding, and while the models don't look that great under a microscope, you aren't really paying attention to it. There doesn't seem to be many repeated animations that you recognize and come to expect, I suppose the AI Director is responsible for maintaining the newness...that sly dog. The sound is pretty good too. Each character has many phrases they say throughout the game and they all apply to the current situation. The music is very much like that of a movie where it precedes the attack of a super-zombie like a Witch or Hunter. Very suspenseful.

Replayability

This is a game that won't see the attention of, say, Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4 in this area. Though, it most certainly does have replay value. With 4-player co-op and an 8-player multiplayer mode, you can have fun killing zombies for a very long time. Buying this one was a no brainer for me.

Score

9.2

Source: www.duderheyguys.com

Moon Boots · 11-19-2008, 01:33 PM

Can't disagree with any of that, absolutely loved the demo. This will be the first horror game that I've bought in years.

I'm seriously looking forward to trying out the online co-op with a few mates!

Soap · 11-19-2008, 01:50 PM

November is a good month in the world of gaming. Well, for 360 owners anyway. I love the search for campaign feature, makes things so much easier.

**DaGeek** · 11-19-2008, 02:08 PM

Thanks for the review, I'll definitely look into this one!

DJ Clown · 11-23-2008, 04:16 AM

Dude this game was amazing. Definitely a great grinder, sort of like a hack n slash, just with bullets.
One thing that I love about this game is that it requires serious out-of-game strategy...Players are going to have to actually talk to each other irl to survive.

The only beef I have with this game is that the survivors AI is pretty op.
Say your start a game which is 2 vrs 2. 2 people are zombies, and 2 people are survivors, leaving 2 survivors to be played as AI. This leaves 2 npcs to completely OWN you...You could be a zombie sneaking through masses of trees and foliage from a mile away and the npcs would still be able to take you out. Its extremely hard to win in this situation if youre a zombie.
But, when its 4 vrs 4, its completely different...And alot more fun.
Although the different types of zombies definitely add to the fun and fear factor, I would of liked to see more...My personal favorite is the hunters

Moon Boots · 11-23-2008, 06:24 AM

How long did it take you to beat the campaign?

DJ Clown · 11-23-2008, 07:38 AM

We didnt even finish the whole campaign that night...I wasnt really keeping track but I think we finished about 2 acts, and then after that we just skipped to all the finales.

Btw I dont own the game, my friend does. It was one heck of a night though.

Soap · 11-23-2008, 08:05 AM

It took me probably 6-7 hours total to beat the campaign. It's not long when you get after it like I did. The multiplayer is the cool part. You still play campaign, but the Zombies are now controlled by other players (hunter, smoker, boomer, tank).

Each team takes turns as the humans and they try to get as far as they can. Once all the humans are dead or down, the round ends (or they get to the safehouse). As a zombie the plan is to spawn where they can't see you and when the witch shows up, lead the humans to her and cause mass chaos.

**Shift** · 12-04-2008, 07:45 PM

After four or five hours of playing I finally figured out why it's called Left 4 Dead. I'm so smart.

**DaGeek** · 01-06-2009, 01:44 PM

I just got this game yesterday, and man, IT'S STINKIN' FUN! Four-player co-op simply can not be beaten! There's not much that's as fun as a room full of guys yelling, "CRAP, IT GRABBED ME! GUYS, HELP!!" or "WHAT THE HECK? DIIIEEEE!!!"

. This game is excellent, and I definitely love the just mass zombie massacring.

MJ_Avalanche · 01-06-2009, 03:11 PM

Man, I wanna play this so bad. I've been trying to get the guys from work together after we get off one night to go to the LAN center and give this a shot, but no dice yet.

Mr. claw · 03-21-2009, 05:17 PM

Has anyone read about the upcoming DLC? It's free on both platforms and includes a survival mode and two new versus campaigns. I'm pretty excited about the survival mode....

***Art*** · 03-22-2009, 01:36 AM

Wow. I really want to check this game out.

bowstaff981 · 03-22-2009, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art

Wow. I really want to check this game out.

Do it, you will not regret it at all.

Mr. claw · 03-22-2009, 11:36 AM

I love Valve.

Many of their games have writings on the walls and floors, presumably by those who went before you and they're often amusing or a bit scary/sad. It's just a subtle thing that I think adds a lot to the experience.

Also, they think of the craziest achievements. This is not a game you can beat and expect to get 600 points. At all. Half Life, and especially Episodes One and Two, had some really crazy achievements. (Little Rocket Man, One Free Bullet)......All lots of fun.