Left 4 Dead was one the most anticipated games in 2008, Whilst winning best game of E3, The games success showed through the sales and popularity online with more 360 owners playing this rather than the newly released "Gears of War 2".
So the question is... Did Valves shooter do the horde justice or is it just another Nobrainer game...
Game's Structure
Left 4 Dead is quite simply a 4 player cooperative game that requires a team to get from (Safe room) A to (Safe room) B whilst killing lots of C inbetween or rather Z for..... Zebras.. (No Silly..... Zombies). Whilst at these locations the player can regroup, get ammo and well... Get ready to go back out.
The game doesn't really have a story however each of the four campaigns are like small movies with five chapter's in each, The latter revolving around the player calling for help and waiting out until the rescue vehicle shows up. The characters in the four campaigns are the same in each (unlucky for some eh?)
"So how does a game like this stay interesting after the first play through". Well continuing with the movie theme, Valve created a simple but effective solution called the AI Director who through calculating the players stress level (In game that is don't worry) distributes the right amount of punisme.... er i mean Infected your way. For example if you are finding it very hard the AI Director will cut you some slack and will spawn better weapons and/or health packs at various locations around the map... However if you are finding the game a walk in the park, You will find the AI Director starving you of these luxury's while also throwing in some extra Zombies to keep it intresting . The games soundtrack also blend into whats happening in the surroundings.
With this mechanic in place the game is always fresh with no to playthroughs the same. This maintains a sense of balance. (On a side note however, Expert mode forgets all this and just sends all of Hell at you)
Along with the normal infected there are a few special types of Infected such as "The Boomer" that can puke on the survivors, this attracts a horde of Zombies to attack the players covered in it. Other special types include "The Smoker" with his long tongue can grab, pull and constrict the survivors, "The Hunter" that can pouch on the poor folk and rip them to shreds. (ouch)
There are 2 of what could be called Super Infected, Firstly there is "The Witch" that is randomly placed around the map. Shes sits crying and weeping like a helpless child however if the Survivors disturb her, She goes on a rampage... downing the player that startled her then runs of. Secondly theres "The Tank" the most effective infected that takes a beating to go down and mows over anything in its path.
Game's Graphics's
Well its no Secret that the Source engine is aging, however it isn't ready just to stand aside either (like Bill) That's not to say the game doesn't look impressive, it most certainly well does with the lighting in the game second to none. Environments are smooth and with everything going on theres no slowdown or drop in performance.
Game's Control's
The Game boosts a very basic yet addictive control scheme. RT is for firing, while LT is your melee button. Up on the D-pad turns on/off Light, Left equips your projectile weapon such as a Petrol Bomb (Molotov) or a Pipe bomb while Right and Down equip your medic pack and Pills respectively. in short the game is simple, fast paced and most importantly works well.
Game's Sound
While i mentioned earlier that the background music varies around the mood of the Director, Other sounds such as the crys and moans of the different infected are unique and add to the game. From the eerie music, Survivor conversations, and one liners, shrill whistle alerting you of an incoming horde, to the wheezing of the Smokers and disturbingly real gagging and vomiting sounds of the boomer's there is alot going on and it fits perfect. The gun sounds also deserve a mention.
Game's Online Experience
To get the most out of L4D you will need to play online in either Coop Campaign or Versus mode. 4vs4Verus mode pits 4 human players playing as Survivors against another 4 players who play as the special infected and have to prevent the other from reaching the safe house. then the players switch team and vice versa in a battle for points.
Only two of the four campaigns are available to play in this mode out of the box however Valve have promised to release the others via DLC.
Game's Replayability
This is were PC players rejoice as Valve will soon release the SDK allowing players to make there own campaigns and mods thus making this game an instant online hit. 360 owners on the other hand will have to make do with whatever updates Valve release.
Valve have already announced that a major update is coming to the 360 and PC owners in the coming weeks that will open up the other Campaigns in Vs, add one or more campaigns, and there have been hints at a few new weapons and new Special Infected to be added to the roster.
This update will also fix lots of the games problems such as glitches and exploits and will make this great game better by extracting the minor problems that it has.
Final Score - 91%
Final Verdict
The game's only downside is its length, it makes you come back for more, but there isn't more. DLC and the SDK will fix this problem however.
