Left 4 Dead Review

Q ಠ_ಠ · Subject: Left 4 Dead Review Thu Jan 29, 2009 1:14 pm

So i currently got my hands on Left 4 dead, let me just state it's awesome and the rush you get from charging in with your 3 other survivors blowing off zombie heads couldn't be better!

There are a total of 4 survivors to sink your teeth into (pun intended hurr)

(Left to right: Francis, Bill, Zoey, Louis)

On my first playthrough i took up the role of Lois he seemed the most normal out of the few and i couldn't help but find him hilarious in the opening scene of the game, to run you through it as quickly as possible the scene starts with a black screen and some text that reads "2 weeks after the first infection" or something along these lines, we then are taken into an alley way where we see the four survivors scouting the corpse filled area.

It is ofcourse not long before they trigger the 'horde' (horde meaning a large group of zombies and such) in otherwords the shit hit's the fan, they make a break for the rooftops and do finally reach it after an action packed race to the top you're finally allowed control of your character, you start ofcourse on the rooftop and infront of you lays your firepower; shotgun, uzi and pistols, i instantly grabbed the shotgun and made my way down the apartment and begun my zombie clean up routine.

First I'm going to bring up the bad things! Although my first hour wasn't much of a playthrough i have found a few things, tiny albeit.

-Friendly fire
If only i could turn it off! During the course of your survival you WILL be swarmed by countless zombies who want nothing more than to tear you limb from limb.. Fortunately firepower comes in handy supply its a shame a lot of the bullets end up in your team mates, though they tell you off and bitch about it there really is no penalty for such (i think atleast) you're probably thinking "why complain then?" simple, the more bullets in my team mates the less in those rabid zombies!

-Lack of storyline
Speaks for itself really, I'd love to get a backstory quick as it may be, but from what i can presume a pathogen has turned pretty much every human alive (bar a few survivors) into mad raving zombies *shrug* still would like to know more, but eh i guess I'm nitpicking.

-Short Single player
The first chapter i managed to speed through with a hasty 58 minutes, although it was really fun and kept me on edge the entire time (even died on the helicopter how lucky am i! It worried me, if one chapter is around an hour or so of gameplay and there being 4 chapters I'm guessing i wont get much out of the single player, or will i?

And that's all i got from my hour of gameplay! Now onto the good

-The AI and the Director
The artificial intelligence of Left 4 Dead features a dynamic system for game dramatics, pacing, and difficulty called "The Director." Instead of fixed spawn points for enemies, the Director places enemies and items in varying positions and quantities based upon each player's current situation, status, skill and location, creating a new experience for each play through. The Director also creates mood and tension with emotional cues, such as visual effects, dynamic music, and character communication. Valve has termed this dynamic set-up "procedural narrative."

In addition to the AI Director, there is a second Director that controls music. It was created as a way to keep the music interesting throughout the game. The music Director monitors what a player has experienced to create an appropriate mix. The process is client-side and done by a multi-track system. Each player hears their own mix, which is being generated as they play through the game, and dead players watching a teammate hear their teammates' mix.

Shamelessly ripped from wikipedia, i had heard of this before i picked up the game, and let me tell you it's amazing as nothing will ever be the same pushing up it's replay value even higher.

-Gameplay and teamwork
5/5 for this, i guess I'm praising it too much, apart from jumping infront of your gun and telling you to cut that out the AI on your fellow survivors is quite well done, they'll patch you up, get you up and even defend you while you stare blankly at a wall.

My only peeve with them is the fact i have to move to make them move, but i guess it'd be annoying if they left you behind so i can't really complain too much.

Now onto gameplay, armed with my trusty shotgun i found myself in apartment blocks to streets and even sewers, with the 'Director' AI you never know what will happen this is a HUGE plus as you can feel all safe knowing you've cleared the area behind you then suddenly they catch you off guard and rip you apart, not only does this make you alert but it also make you feel like you really are trying to survive out of the depths of hell itself and you never will know what'll hit you next.

Controls are like any other shooter with the standard 'w,a,s,d movement and the left mouse button fire and the right melee (no aim sadly) i found at first the game was rather easy, i started off as a "I'm not moving they're going to f****** jump me around that corner!" guy but quickly turned into a raving lunatic with a gun who would happily run face first into zombies and whack them silly, the hordes of normal zombies didn't seem tough at all really.. Slow lurking zombies at first but the second you grab their attention or if they see you they will sprint into your direction so be on the alert!

Apart from my pathetic attempts as Rambo i did actually manage to get myself knocked down a lot, a state in where you're venerable to being beaten to death and such, only your team mates can pick you up so always stick close!

Anyway to round this all off I'll simply say the gameplay is fresh and fun, it's nothing simpler than going from point A to B but with guns... and zombies ofcourse, but what makes it so special is the AI, the environments and most of all teamwork.
You really do get the feeling you're stuck in the middle of a zombie invasion and thought it's single player may be only a few hours long in playthrough the advanced AI (and from what I've seen on youtube videos) multiplayer will boost the replayability up tenfold.

If you're playing this alone I'd suggest renting it out or if you do love zombie stuff (like me) buy it, it is indeed worth the time and you really do get a kick out of it, on the flipside if you're with 3 other friends who are willing to play then you and you're friends are up for one
heck of a fun ride, the advanced AI is one thing but working together with your mates to take down endless waves of zombies is just too fun.

Now before i end this silly little review I'll quickly give the low down on the 'special' zombies, the tougher and more badass of the rage induced normal zombies

-The Smoker *cough hack wheeze* you're going to need more than a nicotine patch to take this guy down, fortunately group intervention should whittle him down into a bullet filled corpse, he will strangle Survivors with his long tongue, The help of another Survivor is required to escape from a Smoker's hold. As his name implies, Smokers emit smoke to impair Survivors' vision and voice communication when killed. A Smoker also will frequently cough, letting the Survivors know when he is in the area. The Smoker can drag players that he has captured with his tongue towards himself, though he remains stationary and cannot move. The Smoker is also momentarily paralyzed for a few seconds after having his tongue removed from his captive by another Survivor.

-The Boomer is an Infected that vomits a special bile at Survivors, which blinds them and draws Common Infected to them. At a distance the Boomer is little threat, since he is extremely slow and weak. However, if within range he can vomit on Survivors, attracting the Horde. When he dies, he explodes and covers any Survivors who are close enough in his bile. If a Boomer is killed, nearby Survivors will additionally be blinded, and will stumble backwards. Boomers can be anticipated because of the gurgling noise they make.

-The Hunter is extremely quick and agile, and is capable of scaling walls. Additionally, he can pounce on players and pin them down, doing damage until killed or shoved off by another Survivor. When the Hunter crouches in preparation to pounce, he starts growling, alerting the Survivors to his presence. Since this class is centered on agility, it is physically weak and cannot take much gunfire.

The Tank is the strongest of the Special Infected, The Tank is capable of throwing large objects (such as blocks of concrete, cars, or tree trunks) with sufficient force to momentarily stun Survivors, or even incapacitate them. The Survivors are alerted to the approach of a Tank by dramatic music, and the loud pounding a Tank makes when it runs. And trust me they are a real pain in the ass in enclosed areas.

AND FINALLY the most dangerous and freaky special infected of em' all

-The Witch- When i first found her i had no idea what to expect with flashlight on and guns down i approached the huddled crying woman she then quickly hissed and jumped up at me, needless to say i was down as she ripped me apart with her razor sharp nails, never again will i go near a crying woman, only saw one or two per mission but needless to say they are Deadly and i mean DEADLY one hit of these gal's will have you on the ground before you even know it, however you can avoid her, fortunately.

Note of advise: Don't go near those crazy things.

And this brings a conclusion to my L4D review, I've probably missed some stuff out so sorry, I'll probably go back and fix a lot of it one day but for now it'll do, I'll probably be doing more game reviews in the future. Till then let's bring this to a close.

SCORE

Gameplay 9/10
Graphics 9/10
Lasting Appeal 7/10
Sound 8/10
Presentation: 9/10

Overall 9/10

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I has a new hat!

Requiem · Subject: Re: Left 4 Dead Review Fri Feb 06, 2009 12:17 am

Well I have to say that the review certainly looks professional. I’ve never played the game but I get a good idea of it from reading the review and it sounds like a lot of fun to play.