Ever played a little mod called Zombie Mod in Counter-Strike: Source? Now, if ZM would've taken steroids, cocaine, and heroine all at the same time, Left 4 Dead would be the outcome.Left 4 Dead is a co-op zombie FPS straight out of the guys at Valve. But, this is no ordinary zombie game. In fact, L4D redefines the words co-op. Not like any other "co-op" games *cough* Resident Evil 5 *cough*, working like a team is an absolute dire NEED to actually have a chance to survive. In fact, Valve has created 4 special infected zombies just to reinforce the idea of teamwork. And it has really worked out. You've got the Hunter, the Smoker, the Witch, and the Tank. All requiring teamwork to kill. So...
NO MORE FLYING SOLO.
...Anyway, let's move on to the graphics of this game.
Don't expect godly super-mega-omfg-realistic graphics like Killzone 2 or Resident Evil 5. Keep in mind that the game runs on a tweaked version of the Source engine, which is about 4 years old? That's pretty amazing how such an old game engine still looks next-gen. So, give a little credit to Valve for making it work. Character animations and the combination of ragdoll physics all the more adds realism in this game, which truly sets this apart from previous Source games. And, for that classic horror touch, Left 4 Dead has the option for film grain to have a truly horrifying zombie experience. How many zombie games have film grain these days? Not enough, I say. ::)
What good is graphics without sound? And Left 4 Dead has really nailed it with the ambiance and music. Even the music in this game is dynamic! What I mean is, different music is played when different scenarios happen. Example, when a horde of zombies come, the horde music plays. When a tank comes, the tank music plays. And when the witch music plays, it'll surely send chills through your spines.
What I like is the flashlight Valve has redesigned. Not only does it make the game look more realistic with dynamic shadows and such, it's actually a little game mechanic itself. See, now the flashlight is attached to the gun. So, however you move your gun, the flashlight beams corresponds to it. So, if you're reloading or meleeing, the beam actually moves away from the center, cutting off your light source for a few seconds. This may not seem like much, but when you're in a dark corner with 40 infected on you, it can be a major clusterf***. I thought this was a really cool and fun game feature.
Now, the main feature of Left 4 Dead. The AI Director. If you don't know what it is, it's a brand new game mechanic Valve has created that randomly generates zombies in different places each time. So, your experience is different each time you play. Does that mean game play replayablilty is higher than the heavens? Yes, God yes. The AI Director truly is something new, innovative, and refreshing. And, I hope more games have something like this implemented to prevent redundancy.
A cool gameplay mode added to the mix is Versus mode. Basically, you get to play as the special infected and cause mischief for the survivors and then both teams switch roles. This is a really fun, competitive, and addicting mode. My advice, play through the campaigns on Advanced before trying this mode out. If not, you'll be ragequitting in a heartbeat. Thrash talking is encouraged, of course only if you're winning. ;)
Left 4 Dead isn't all perfect, yet. There are, believe it or not, cons about the game. First off, there are a couple of glitches that Valve hasn't caught on to yet. Which in some cases can really ruin the fun. Especially exploiters and grievers. The idea of friendly fire always on brings up a couple of good things and plenty of bad. First of all, it makes the game more challenging. When you're trying to save a teammate from a horde, you'll actually have to scrape off the zombies instead of shooting through them adding more intensity to the game. Also, this does give a chance for grievers and trolls to ruin the game by team killing. I guarantee you'll run into one of those at least twice.
Currently, Versus mode has only 2 campaigns available to play on. They're No Mercy and Blood Harvest. This isn't really a con, but just a minor thing. They can get a little stale a tiresome through a couple of times. But thanks to the new DLC Valve is making, all 4 campaigns will be available for Versus mode.
Left 4 Dead also has a new automated server finder, based on preferences you set. This isn't really something new for 360 owners, but for PC owners, it's a nightmare. You'll be shuffling through the menu more than actually playing the game. See, the server finder every so often acts up on you when trying to find a game. Either it disconnects you for stupid reasons or you get a really high pinged user-hosted server who has a crappy internet connection. It's a rare event that you'll find a good server with a decent connection. I think this can be improved or fixed by adding a GOD DAMN SERVER BROWSER BUTTON! >:(
Now, should you buy this game for the Xbox 360 or PC? I won't tell you which version to buy over, rather I'll tell you the advantages and disadvantages of each and let you decide.
Well, if you have a decent gaming rig, then buy it for the PC. Left 4 Dead surprisingly doesn't take much to run it. My 4 year old Dell E310 with a dying Pentium 4 2.8 Ghz HT with 2 GIG ram and Radeon HD 2400 PCI card can run this game on all low with a decent 20+ Fps average. If you have a powerful machine, then you'll have the advantage of high tweaked out graphics and silky smooth FPS. Also, the use of a keyboard and mouse adds more precision than an Xbox 360 controller. Another advantage for PC users are mods. These include, but not limited to, custom skins, custom maps, and custom sounds. If you want to check them out for yourself, visit http://www.l4dmods.com/
If you only have a 360 or have a non-gaming computer, get the 360 version. Now, for Xbox 360 users. You won't have to worry about having the right computer or anything to play this game, since you have the Xbox. Also, you'll have the great online service Xbox live and it'll be easier to play with your friends online, or splitscreen. Plus, the advantage of surround sound systems and wide HD tvs.
Overall, this game is a MUST BUY RIGHT NOW IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT!!!! You shame you and your family for only renting this masterpiece of a game. ;D Just kidding.Gameplay Videos:
But seriously, I advise you to buy this game. You'll never get bored, especially playing with your buddies. And, the new FREE DLC for both systems will consume even more of your gaming time with the new survival mode and new versus mode campaign maps.
Just buy it, it's worth it in the long run.
PC Version
360 Version
Links:
Official Left 4 Dead Website
Official L4D Forums
Left 4 Dead Mod Community
L4D on Amazon.com
