One thing that gamers have come to expect from Valve is that delays are inevitable, and Valve’s latest title, Left 4 Dead, certainly fails to disappoint in that regard. Originally slated for a release date in 2007, the co-op zombie shooter from the makers of Half-Life and Portal has finally arrived after months of eager anticipation, but does Left 4 Dead live up to Valve’s standards of excellent quality, or is this finally a blemish in their otherwise flawless portfolio?

Unlike Half-Life and various other Valve projects, Left 4 Dead isn’t focused on a narrative, but it never really suggests the pretense that it is either. While there are scattered little hints that help flesh out the game’s back story (sketched messages in graffiti on the wall of safe houses etc.) all you really need to know is that you are one of the four survivors stranded in a world populated by the undead. Escape and survival are your only objectives, and the only help you’re going to find is in your three team mates. And a whole lot of guns.

Left 4 Dead is a massive accomplishment in at least two different departments. First and foremost, it’s probably the most faithful video incarnation of the zombie genre that fans have ever been treated to. Yes, even better than Resident Evil 4. The other is in its cooperative gameplay.

While the game does offer you the chance to run through the game by yourself (with the aid of three fairly competent AI partners) you won’t get very far. Gunning through easy and normal mode is fairly straight forward and feasible though not entirely rewarding, but the inability to coordinate as a team and ration your equipment will more than likely spell out your demise on harder difficulty settings. It’s nice that Valve threw in the option for a single player mode, but let’s face it. This game was built for cooperative game play.

You and three other players are tasked with getting from point A on a map to point B. There are safe houses scattered throughout the four scenarios (each of which is broken into multiple levels) offering you a moment’s respite from the zombie horde to heal up and restock on guns and ammunition. Other than that, though, while you traverse through a subway, a forest, a city, etc. waves of zombies are constantly going to be after you. Sometimes only a few zombies might amble towards you, but more often than not, you and your fellow survivors while find yourselves contending with armies of screeching monsters. On top of that, you’ll also need to deal with “special” zombies -monsters with unique abilities that will be sure to make your life miserable. Whether it’s the Tank (a humongous zombie that will stomp you flat in a second), or the Witch (a sobbing zombie that will freak you out every time you run into her) encountering one of these special breed of undead ensures that gamers stay on their toes at all times.

Fortunately, you’ll be well armed to fight the legions of the undead. You’ll find shotguns, sniper rifles, assault rifles, submachine guns, pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails etc. -all the tools you’ll need to paint the walls red with zombie brains. Each weapon has their own unique feel to it, and each weapon serves its own purpose. A submachine gun is weaker but excellent for nailing faster zombies, and a shotgun blast at close range will normally always put a zombie down for good.

The way the levels are paced allows Valve’s new AI to show it’s stuff. Essentially, the stage AI directs the tempo of the game, ensuring that each play through is unique. Items and weapons are staged in different locations, zombies are moved around, the “special” zombies are randomized, etc. Also, if the game ever feels like you’re taking too long or trying your best to turtle your way through the level, it will send packs of zombies rushing at you to encourage you to move things along.

What more is there to really say? When played with other people, Left 4 Dead genuinely makes you feel like you’re in a zombie movie. You’re consistently on edge, consistently worrying about what may lurk behind the next corner, consistently rationing your limited health and ammunition -the frantic nature of the game creates a wonderful atmosphere of tension, dread, and excitement that subconsciously encourages gamers to cooperate in order to survive. Sure, periodically you’ll run into some dickhead who will do their best to screw things up (and you will -trust me) but when played with a group of mature gamers, Left 4 Dead offers a multiplayer experience unlike anything you’ve ever played before. It may be true that the levels are a bit on the brief side -you can burn through a scenario in around forty minutes depending on the difficulty level. However, despite that, between the game’s inherent awesomeness and the constantly changing level AI, I’ve easily logged in several hours of Left 4 Dead with friends without ever finding the gameplay repetitive.

And in the unlikely event that you do tire of the campaign, Valve also included a zombie vs survivor mode that allows you to play as one of the “special” zombies. I haven’t even had a chance to play that though honestly. I’ve been too absorbed in the campaign to get the chance yet.

The graphics, perhaps, are Left 4 Dead’s weakest aspect. It’s running on Half-Life 2’s Source Engine, and while it’s been tweaked and refined to look awesome and run smoothly on the Xbox 360 and PC, it’s starting to show its age. It still displays some awesome shadows and lighting effects, but overall the visuals look somewhat dated in comparison to newer titles in the FPS genre.

In conclusion, Left 4 Dead is an amazing game that is an excellent addition to Valve’s vast repetoir of quality titles. While it is severely lacking in the single player department, Left 4 Dead isn’t made to be one. It’s intended to be played cooperatively, and in that respect, you will be hard pressed to find a game that does it better than Left 4 Dead. There may be, perhaps, some concern that the game’s four scenarios may not be enough to satisfy the hardcore FPS fan, but I can assure you, Left 4 Dead has a way of bringing you back for one more scenario even after you’ve played each of them multiple times. Maybe it’s because you’re playing with a new crew of team mates, or maybe it’s because the game just happens to switch up things on you, but each time you play is always unique, fresh, and one hell of a good time.

Final Verdict: Buy It
Final Score: 9.5/10

For more of Mark’s reviews check out my Sazze page

For months now I’ve been eagerly anticipating EA DICE’s parkour-inspired, free running based Mirror’s Edge; ever since I played the demo at PAX 08, I’ve been hungrily devouring every one of its beautifully artistic plot trailers and gameplay snippets. It is hard not to be excited about Mirror’s Edge -everything about it from its gorgeous graphics to its Dystopian based narrative to its fast-paced gameplay seemed to be the much needed breath of innovation and creativity in a market dominated by sequels, spin offs, and shooters.

But does this highly anticipated title take off running, or is it little more than a severe misstep?

The story puts you in the shoes (running shoes that is) of a girl named Faith. Faith is a runner, a courier of sorts who run across rooftops, speeding trains, etc. to get a message from point A to point B while avoiding the police and the Big Brother-esque totalitarian government. Think 1984 meets the French action film, District B13, and you get the idea. Unfortunately though, such an awesome (and fairly creative) premise never really seems to go anywhere. The characters are fairly one dimensional, and the story’s thematic elements are never fully explored. For the most part, the game’s narrative serves as a backdrop for Mirror’s Edge, giving an excuse, but not really a reason or motivation, for Faith to be jumping over huge gaps and punching security guards in the face. It’s dissapointing really. The trailers and previews seemed to allude to Mirror’s Edge’s inherent artistic nature. While that may be true about the gameplay execution, it is unfortunate that this degree of style and beauty fails to extend to the game’s plot as well.

The game play is amazing for the most part. Dubbed by many as a Prince of Persia in first person, Mirror’s Edge allows you to really feel like you’re in the action. The controls do take a little getting used to at first (including some of the game’s more complex maneuvers which have you pressing buttons in rapid succession of one another) but once you get the hang of them, running and jumping over buildings feels incredibly natural, fluid and entirely badass.

Your objective is ultimately to get from one location to the next (whether that location be a destination, an item retrieval, or someone you’re chasing) and the game does a pretty good job of providing multiple routes to get there. Granted, some are faster than others, but the levels do permit for a fair amount of exploration and experimentation. The game utilizes an optional “Runner’s Vision”, a creative concept that serves as a crutch to help gamers locate where to go next. It highlights certain objects in red to pinpoint where Faith should be running to next, and its helpful to beginners while simultaneously blending in seamlessly in the game’s environments and locals. However, even with Runner’s Vision, there are times where you’ll get stumped. Especially in indoor environments (like the shopping mall or sewers) it can be periodically tricky to figure out where to go next. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen very often, and the game does an excellent job of maintaining a fast-paced tempo.

Along the way you’ll find yourself going toe-to-toe with Mirror’s Edge’s host of bad guys. Ranging from security guards to SWAT teams, the enemies don’t pose a huge threat as they’re pretty incompetent for the most part. However, they do have numbers on their side, and you’ll have to be creative in order to dispatch or avoid them. Melee combat (aided by a Matrix slow motion effect) works fairly well, but gun play feels incredibly awkward and unbalanced. I would have almost preferred that DICE elected not to include guns at all. While weapons do help clear out enemies that would otherwise kill you, vaulting over a cliff and then suddenly picking up an assault rifle severely breaks up the game’s momentum.

Unfortunately, the game is fairly short. It clocked in for me a little under ten hours (but then again I die a lot) which is decent but far below the standard since Mirror’s Edge does not include any sort of multiplayer. It does offer Time Trials, though, which is a nifty feature. You can run through a series of levels, experimenting and exploring in order to achieve the fastest time. You can upload your time onto online leader boards for bragging rights, but that’s really about it.

The lack of multiplayer is severely disappointing. Not necessarily because the game necessarily needs one (though it would have been appreciated) but because the concept of Mirror’s Edge practically begs for one. Several of your objectives in Mirror’s Edge have you chasing someone. How hard could it possibly have been to implement a sort of Cat-and-Mouse multiplayer mode? Or a Capture the Flag mode? How sick would it be to have teams of runners racing through obstacle courses while fighting over a courier bag?

EA Dice is famous for creating the Battlefield franchise, a series (which the exception of Bad Company) renowned for having a great online multiplayer component while having virtually no single player. Because of this, it’s almost ironic that they would turn around and create an exclusively single player game like Mirror’s Edge.

Mirror’s Edge excels in both the graphics and audio department. The graphics are really unlike anything gamer’s have seen before, and the soundtrack perfectly suits the game’s atmosphere. On top of all that, the game’s theme song, Still Alive by Lisa Miskovesky, is just pure awesome and has earned a spot on my Ipod.

Mirror’s Edge is a really fun game, but your mileage with it will be largely based on how comfortable you are replaying the same levels over and over again. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys mastering courses to achieve the best times in the world (Time Trial) or merely enjoy Mirror’s Edge’s gameplay so much you won’t mind playing it one or two more times, Mirror’s Edge is a great game that’s well worth checking out. However, if you’re truly looking for your $60 worth, you might want to consider renting Mirror’s Edge first. Or at the very least, wait until it goes on sale.

It’s a beautifully artistic game with an incredibly creative and well executed concept, but due to its lackluster narrative, short gameplay time, and exclusion of multiplayer, Mirror’s Edge never fully finds the stride its looking for.

Final Verdict: Rent It
Final Score: 8/10

For more movie and video game reviews by me check out my Sazze page. 

My initial impression of Gears of War 2 from PAX ‘08 were skeptical at best and negative at worst. In all honesty, while Epic has been for months now touting that Gears of War 2 was going to be bigger, better, and badder than its blockbuster predecessor, my experience with its multiplayer left me with the lingering doubt that Gears of War 2 would be little more than a rehash of Gears of War. Gears of War 1.5 is the unflattering moniker that Gears of War 2 has earned, and at the time, I felt it was one that the lackluster presentation at PAX more than earned. A few new weapons, executions, and gameplay modes just didn’t seem to live up to the expectations that the biggest holiday title of 2006 had established.

Well, November is around again and I’m pleased to say that Gears of War 2 has demolished my expectations. It does everything that it strives to do: more of the same, only better and more polished this time around.

If you played Gears of War, you’ll be able to hop right into Gears of War 2. There are some new gameplay mechanics and a plethora weapons to learn and master, but for the most part, the gameplay feels almost entirely unchanged. Which is a good thing. The rule of the game remains the same: take cover, move cautiously, take your shots wisely, and ration your grenades sparingly. Anything else on any difficulty other than easy pretty much will get you killed instantly. The combat is fast paced and frenetic, but it strikes a great balance between tactics and chaotic violence.

Some aspects of the gameplay have been noticeably improved though. The most note worthy has to be the improved cover system. A large problem in Gears of War was that gamers would often find themselves getting killed because they would go into cover when they intended to dive (or vice versa) and I found in Gears of War 2 that this happened with far less frequency.

The campaign is also improved. It’s paced a lot better this time around while still retaining the non-stop chaotic violence that makes the franchise so enjoyable to play and watch. You’ll be sparring off with humongous monsters, manning gun turrets, and driving around in tanks as well. And of course, the entire campaign can be played with a buddy too either online or offline, making the game all the more enjoyable.

The campaign mode is fun. It’ll last you anywhere between six to ten hours (my roommate and I burned through it in a little under nine hours) but once it’s done that’s pretty much it. The campaign’s storyline is pretty much as forgettable and unremarkable as the original. It’s evident that the developers attempted to flesh out the characters and inject more emotion into a story almost exclusively dominated by aliens and grunts chopping one another into pieces, but the effort (while appreciated) really fails to translate into anything more than a few periodically placed cut scenes that most gamers will watch once then promptly skip over during any subsequent playthroughs. There’s nothing bad about the writing or the voice acting, but it’s nowhere as emotionally engaging as its excellently crafted trailer would seem to suggest. At the end of the day, its a story about marines killing aliens. Which is fine. I don’t really think a game that revolves around burly marines with chainsaw machine guns really needs a strong narrative.

The graphics look as beautiful as ever. While they do look very similar to the original, the scale of the game is substantially larger. The first time you go head to go with one of Gears of War 2’s humongous boss monsters, you’ll definitely be able to appreciate just how amazing the game looks in glorious 1080p high definition. Additionally, I noticed that there’s a lot less texture pop-ins than the original.

Where Gears of War 2 really shines is its multiplayer. The “Horde” mode where you and your buddies defend yourselves against wave after wave of Locust is amazingly fun. It’s a lot like playing Tower Defense or something. Only with machine guns. The gameplay becomes frantic and frenetic, and it’s definitely one of Gears of War 2’s exceptionally awesome gameplay modes. Even after you’ve beaten the campaign and dabbled with its other multiplayer options, I think “Horde” mode will definitely be something gamers will return to.

Gears of War 2 also offers a bunch of new multiplayer options, none of which I have had a chance to play extensively since I can’t get on Xbox LIVE with my copy yet. Playing offline, though, I noticed the shotgun has been toned down with a noticeable delay in between shots. How this will translate online with latency issues is unknown, but I’m hoping that multiplayer modes deviate from the shotgun-centric battles that dominated Gears of War’s matches.

In conclusion, Gears of War 2 pretty much reminded me why I loved the original so much. It doesn’t pretend to be anything that it isn’t. It makes no real effort to revolutionize the franchise, and I guess I just have to content myself with that. It’s very true that Gears of War 2 feels very much like its processor, but simultaneously, there’s absolutely no denying the massive amount of content that it has added. With its wealth of new multiplayer options, amazing new weapons (including my favorite -the flamethrower) an action-packed campaign, and an addictive and awesome “Horde” mode, Gears of War 2 may not be 2008’s most innovative or original titles (I’m reserving that title for Little Big Planet or Mirror’s Edge), but I’ll be damned if it’s not one of the most fun and enjoyable.

Final Verdict: Buy It

P.S
If you’re trying to snag an early copy (like me) check out your local 7-11. If they sell games, they probably already have it in stock. If you’re lucky, the clerk will be oblivious to street dates and will sell it to. If not, Friday isn’t THAT far away.